Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 6

(Dormii)
=i waited for everyone to get on board before closing the hatch and signalling to take us back to the Whisper of Life. I was silent the whole time, looking at the recruits as they talked amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was going on, why I wasn't talking=

=His head pounds and his arm aches. He looks down at the tubes running through his left arm to the bag=

God... this recovery... will take awhile...

=He hadn't even noticed the darkness coming from his right eye until he started to pay attention to it=

What...

=He lifts his arm to his face to touch his eye. He is greeted with the touch of cotton and a cover=

Alright... it'll be fine...

=He looks left to Lynn once more and a whisper escapes him=

I'm sorry...

(Dormii)
=after a short travel time, we arrived back on the Whisper of Life. I opened the ramp, bowed my head to the pilot and lead my recruits through the hallways towards the armor room. They still talked amongst themselves, trying to understand what is going on. I sent a message to Atlas=

Code:

Could you translate for me when I speak to my squad?

(Jason)
=Once they were all inside, the doors closed, and the transport took off=
I suggest you all strap in. We're going to point, down, to enter the rest of the planet.

-Atlas-

*Yes, of course Dormii*

-Dante-

=He tries to sit up now. Almost waking Lynn up, she moves so her head is not laying on his arm. He places his left hand on her shoulder=

Lynn... wake up.

=Her eyes open and brighten at the sight of him=

Draco...

=He looks at her and smiles=

Thank you... Lynn. For staying with me through everything..

=She leans in and kisses him=

I love you.

=He returns the kiss=

I love you too.

(Dormii)
=after some walking, we arrived in the room. I opened it up, and let my squad in. I closed the door behind us, and gestured for them to line up before continuing to the front of the room, and opening up the rooms for the armor. Each armor set was on a small stand, obviously, but also a few devices hooked up to them. Destuction had mini-grenade supplies hooked onto the dispensers, to reload them between missions. Insanity had power cables attaced to the elbows, recharging the energy bracers. Despair has small tubes hooked up to the wrists to resupply the poision stored there. Hopelessness had an ammo dispenser along one side of the wall, givng additional magazines to be grabbed between missions. I turned around and thought about what I wanted to say=

(Jason)
=Once I was sure everyone was secure, I signaled the pilot, and the transport dipped downwards. The door to the cockpit was open, and the front window was clearly visible. As was the gaping entrance. I heard things, supplies in the transport, hanging inside these loose net-like contraptions, shift a little. My balance got thrown off a bit, but I managed to stay standing without tripping over anything=

(Dormii)
(too much to translate, anything in quotes is the translation from Atlas played over the room's speakers)

Quote :

You four have survived hardships, trained together, lived together, and fought together. You started this training program to earn something few ever get to have, that which makes Spartans legendary, MJOLNIR armor. Today, in this very room, you receive this armor. Each of you will be given one set, each one with close to what is my armor. Since we lack the technology, we can't make the an exact replica of MJOLNIR, but we came close. Each armor has energy shields, motion trackers, weapon links, neural integration, and can support it's own weight. The neural integration, you may be asking, isn't like a Spartan's, but it's close. There is some slight lag when it comes to your movements, but it's hardly noticeable, and won't effect your performance. Also, each armor has a unique feature about it.

=i waited for Atlas to finish before pointing to each armor set=

Quote :

Hopelessness, Insanity, Despair, and Destruction. Four things that are around when I am in combat, usually. As you are my squad, I saw it as fitting. You will answer only to me, or in my absence, my friends. When you are in armor, you will only call yourself, and each other by the armor name. When you put this armor on, you are not human, you are the embodiment of each respective name. For this reason, unless we are on mission, or under attack, this armor will remain here. You will not, I repeat, will not wear it like your casual wear. This is meant for death and suffering, and it will be treated as such.

=i waited again for Atlas to catch up=

Quote :

Now, you may be wondering, who get's which armor, and what does each armor do. I decide who get's which armor.

=i sent a message to Atlas to retrieve the recommendations for which recruit to have which armor=

Quote :

Your skills when you first were trained do not matter, they have no relevance here, so do not expect to get the armor that is matched to your specialty. As you may not get it.

=Atlas sent me the recommendations, whispering them into my ear=

Quote :

Burk, you are the embodiment of Hopelessness. Deniv, Insanity. Simile, Despair. Punikav, Destruction. Get your armor on. Test it out. Practice with it. This is now a mock training session, all of you will learn the ins and outs of your armor, and how to use them with your fellow's armor. Go.

=each of the recruits went to the proper armor and started to put it on=

"I wonder we're our magical mystery jump will take us.

Great."

=I sat there, just sat there. Tapping at poop floor.=

"Maybe the jump will take us to a magical land filled with Ponies, Rather than teleporting us all to oblivion."
=the Ship jumped.
I look out of the window.=
"Nope, I see a planet and... FUCK! The Covvies followed us!"

"The Covvies followed us, eh? What exactly are we going to fight them with now?! We jumped! We blew up more or less all the ship!"

=I stand up, and take my BR off my back.=

"I guess we're fighting them with good old standard weapons."

=I sigh and jump off of the console.=
"That's a negative Jamie. Get everyone to the Escape Pods. Summer, how many guns are still online?"

Summer: Just the one.

"Any way to move the ship?"

Summer: I can think of one or two. Caeser, you don't have to do this, you know? I can do it alone.

"Negative Summer. There's too much at stake if I leave you. What if the Brutes get in here? You'll get captured."

=I look back at Jamie.=
"I might not make it. If you don't see my beacon within a half-hour, consider me MIA."

=I upload Summer back into the ship=
"Block their comms. We don't want more company."

(Jason)
=As we descended through the entrance, I suddenly felt the transports artificial gravity take effect, and my balance was righted again as I felt the all too familiar pull against my feet. It wasn't a long ride, since the transport began to pick up speed. Minutes later, we arrived inside the interior of Haven, and the ship righted itself, it's bottom pointing towards the inner surface of Haven=
Welcome to Haven, my home.

(Burk)
=i walked past the CO, unsure of what he was saying himself, but the AI seemed to know, so I just went with it. I walked over to the armor, a suit of metal a bit taller than me, colored a dark green with white stripes. It had a large metal plate on it's left arm, and some form of pistol on it's right. I walked around behind it and found the clasps and latches that held it together. I started to undo them, taking the pieces off to let me into it=

(Deniv)
=i jogged over to the armor. It was dark blue with streaks of red. I made a not that those would play hell with infiltration, as it'd make me stand out a lot, assuming this armor would work well with infiltration. I took off the latches and started getting it on, remembering the videos of Spartans, the pan-cam shots of the armor=

(Simile)
=my armor was a deep, deep black with specks of gold, which was interesting. I had never seen an armor like that, even on Spartans. I decided to examine it, learn what I could from it's outer shell. I saw tubs of fluids going into the wrists, and I guessed lubricant or poison. Poison seemed more likely, but why poison the user? Unless it was meant for others, but how would that work? Needles? I didn't see any, so they must be retractable=

(Punikav)
=i walked over to my armor, noting what was on it. It was a sickly yellow, with black streaks, making for a very interesting color scheme. I saw little tubes all over forearms and lower legs, but didn't pay them attention, instead just going to to the back of the armor to put it on=

(Jason)
=They were all silent, which in a way, was fine with me. It wasn't that far to the tower though, especially at the speeds we soon attained. I turned back to my guests=
Okay, so same standard procedure as last time: Once we dock with the tower, you agree to surrender your weapons for the duration of the negotiations. In return, you will be treated both as Honored Guests, and Diplomatic representatives. Basically, not only will we not fire on you, but we will do our best to defend you.

=I eyed the guards again=
So long as you don't give us reason to fire on you.

Dante: What all was lost?

=Her eyes fall down to the bed. Her voice is soft, barely audible=

Lynn: A lot...

=He finds her hand and squeezes=

Dante: Like?

=She takes a deep breath before listing=

Lynn: Your Handcannon was broken, as well as your gauntlet... It took a lot of damage... Your armour was destroyed... you also... you also lost...

=He squeezes her hand again as she removes it and moves it to his right eye. He doesn't understand it at first, but as the time passes and he connects the dots. His left eye grows wide and he shakes his head=

Lynn: Are you alright?

=He gives a fake smile and nods=

Dante: Yeah, I use my left for sniping anyway.

(Dormii)
=i waited for everyone to get acquainted with the armor. I stood silently, watching=

(Burk)
=i put the armor on, slowly, making sure I was doing it right. It fit perfectly. I put the helmet on, and was shown a series of shapes and colors, similar to a Marine's HUD, but different. I flexed my arms, feeling the weight, or weightlessness of the armor. The weapon and the shield still held weight, but I couldn't tell if the armor was on. I walked out, slowly, carefully=

(Deniv)
=i quickly got my armor on, but was taken aback by the amount of information on the HUD inside the helmet. It took me a moment to react. I unplugged the armor from the walls and took a few brave steps forward. I almost fell flat on my face, but I quickly recovered. However, I over-corrected, and fell backwards. I stopped for a moment, and slowly picked myself up, getting my balance worked out=

(Simile)
=i put the armor on, noting what went where, remembering how it went together. The HUD appeared, and I tried to make sense of it. A bar near the top, a circle in the bottom left, a dot in the middle. There were no indications of what each one did, although the circle pulsed once in a while, and yellow dots appeared every time it did so. I tried to make sense of the HUD before walking=

(Punikav)
=the armor went on easily enough, and the HUD sprang up. I noted what was where, and what was doing what. I started to walk, pushing past the feeling of being off-balance. I made myself, through sheer force of will, to walk forward=

Del- Even on peaceful negotiations, we surrender our weapons to no one, else we would not have brought our SS to begin with. Im surprised you dont remember that from last time.

(Jason)
Technically, you still surrendered your weapons last time. I still have your sword.
=I closed my eyes for a moment=

You won't really be putting anyone at ease, coming into negotiations armed. If your men must be armed, then I ask they remain in the hangar. But for those of you entering the Council chambers, I have to ask that you surrender your weapons.

(Dormii)
=i gestured for Simile to walk forward=

Quote :

Don't worry about anything. I'll explain everything once you get used to the suit

(Simile)
=i glanced up at Dormii and nodded=
Yes sir.

=i took a few steps forward, trying to adjust to the armor=

(Dormii)

Quote :

Walk around, get used to the armor. Feel the weight, take it on and off. Practice taking off segments and putting them on. Practice with the armor, make it your second skin. I'll wait to start the training match

=Alpha looked at Jason blankly from under her helmet=

Al- And you wouldnt be putting us at ease by taking our weapons while inside a Forerunner shield world with seemingly no way out but by your order.

(Jason)
=I looked at Alpha=
If we're going to be working towards a form of peace, or negotiating an alliance, we have to trust eachother. I've made good on my word, time and again.

=However, I could tell this was getting nowhere, especially as we were nearing the tower=
How about this: Your guards stay here. However, you can keep your weapons, but make sure they are either turned off, or unloaded and the clips stored somewhere on your person. Does this sound fair?

(Burk)
=i did a few punches and kicks, getting used to the armor. I did as Dormii instructed, and took off my helmet, then start working on arm pieces and leg pieces, unlocking and re-locking. I took them off and put them on, working as fast as I could to work on it=

(Punikav)
=i knelt down and went to work, practicing on my armor. I unclasped and re-clasped the armor, working on ways to fight as I did so, taking a guess as to why he was having us do this=

(Simile)
=i pondered why he wanted us to practice this. To minimize liabilities in the field in case of segment damage? How? Muscle memory? That works, I think=

(Deniv)
=i just practiced the movements and weight of the armor, trying to familiarize myself with it. I already knew how it came off and on, I didn't need to practice that=

CossakHawk wrote:

=I then wake up, panting and covered in sweat=

Why was I lied to...again? Why me?

=I sigh and get into my fatigues=

Well, back in the leadership position hopefully...no pressure

=I then head to debrief room to meet with Captain Mays=

=I head into the briefing room and meet a pleasantly happy Mays=

Mays: Good to see you Leuitenant.

=We then shake hands=

Likewise sir. Do I still get command of my old squad?

Mays: =Nods= We do... with the rise of the Insurrection again, we need as many experinced and very competent Spartans we can get.

Thank you sir. Any new orders?

Mays: You'll be getting new orders today, breifing in one hour.

Understood, sir.

=I salute him and head out of the room=

Oak was asleep in an abandoned base with an ideots guide to survival over his face. he then heared some shooting outside. Then Cork came over to Oak. "hey! What the hell man! You where supposed to stand guard!" Oak then shuffled to his feet and let out a yawn.

Oak: "Aw come on its not like they will catch us or anything."

Cork: "you've been asleep for what two hours now?! reading..." (takes magazene.) "The ideots guid to survival?! next i suppose you'll be reading how to stay alive for dummies!"

Oak: "Oh has that one come out yet?"

Cork: "Dude dont change the subject. We have to get out of here!"

They then ran off through a secret passageway. they came out greeted by a few troops shooting at them but Cork shot back taking them all out. As a tank was headed their way Oak ripped the turret off and used it as a makeshift melee weapon to take out the other few troops.

Cork: "where did they come from?!"

Oak: "no idea. but well have to keep moving now wont we?"

(Dormii)
=i decided to go check on Jay, and maybe hack into the UNSC's systems to see what I could learn=

Quote :

Keep practicing. I'll be watching. I need to go do some things.

=i left and headed off towards the medbay, leaving my recruits alone=

(Simile)
=i stood there, until I realized I wasn't doing anything and started working on my movements and muscle memory. I took the armor off, and put it back on. I moved back and forth, getting a feel for the armor, as well as trying a few gymnastic moves, as they sprung to mind=

(Burk)
=i looked over to Simile=
Sim, I mean, Despair, what are you doing?

"What does it look like, Hopelessness? Practicing."

You think you're going to be doing those things in the armor?

"Doubtful, but possible. The design of the armor tells me infiltration. Need to get used to the weight of it if I need to slip into holes and crevices."

(Punikav)
Da? And what does my armor tell you?

"Explosions. Lot's of explosions, Destruction. The forearm and lower leg segments appear like dispensers for me. Try sweeping your arms and legs back and forth. Maybe practice catching small objects balanced on your arm."

(Deniv)
C'mon, eh, Despair. How can you know that?

(Simile)
I can't. It's an educated guess.

Al- Fine then.

=Delta looks at Aebeir=

Del- Commander, keep your men in the Hanger once we land, and keep your Comms on. More likely than not, we wont need you. But stay on your guard anyway.

(Jason)
=Relieved to have diffused that situation, I felt the transport land in the hangar, and soon the door opened. As I moved to get out, I noticed that the pilot had already sealed himself inside the cockpit, closing the bulkhead door between him and the transport section. Before the door closed fully, I also saw him unholster his pistol, and place it within easy reach for a quick draw. I guess he wasn't taking any chances. I walked out of the transport though, determined to keep to todays goal=
Okay, just follow me.

=The SS filed out of the transport, their XNNO armor not reflecting any light at all yet still having a certain look of shine to it. The Six leaders stepped out last. They took off their MCR-III's and handed them to the leader of their respective squad's leader before removing the mags from their sidearms and placing them in their belt pouches. They each left their ELS where it was on their belts. They then proceeded to follow Jason, leaving the 30+ SS elites in the hanger=

(As a side-note, Xazhi is in the hanger as well)

(Jason)
=I lead Delta and the other leaders to the Council chamber, and was a little surprised to see the Council itself waiting outside=
Greetings Councilmen. Are we early?

(David)
No, we just felt it would be rude to not wait outside and meet our guests before this meeting.

(Dormii)
=i headed off to the bridge, looking for the comm terminal. I took the live feed out of my pocket, and watched it as I walked. I felt sad, lonely. She wasn't here, we couldn't talk. It was torture, but I wasn't going to give up. No way in hell was I going to give up=

(Deniv)
=i checked my HUD again, seeing a small hook like symbol in in the center, a little below the small dot. I eye-clicked it, remembering the concept of it, and I heard a small whirring sound and a small buzz from my hands and feet. I looked down and saw hooks slide out of them=
Cool.

"What is?"

Check this out, Hope. I got claws.

=i showed everyone the claws, holding my hands out, palms and hooks up=

Oak and Cork kept running from the enemy platoon as they almost ran off a cliff.

Cork: "Dammit! its a dead end!"

Oak: "No its not!"

Oak grabbed Cork by the collar and jumped off the cliff while the rest of the platoon stopped and just watched as they fell. Oak then adjusted his wight and limbs to try and manuver to avoid the rockets that the enemies shot. They then landed in a lake at the bottom of the cliff.

(Burk)
Hope? Heh, better hope Dormii doesn't hear that.

"Relax. He isn't here."

No, but he's listening.

"Just shush and come check these out."

(Punikav)
Interesting, Sanity. Maybe you could climb up walls with those.

(Deniv)
Yeah, maybe. No way to test it out, though, until we get into the field. We find a training room where they don't mind some scratch marks. Hey, Pair, what you got on yours?

(Simile)
Let me check.

=i found a small symbol in the corner, a cartoon skull. I eye-clicked it, and felt some needles slid out of my fingertips. There was also an outline symbol, next to it. I eye-clicked that and I watched my hand vanish into active camouflage=

Cool.

"You aren't going on any suicide run... Thingy... Magig. There's got to be another way."

=My head was pounding now, and I needed to get something... Well... On it.=

"What? Have our lifeboats shot down? Have the survivors get hunted down on the surface? We need to destroy them."

Summer: A timed detonation of the ships engines could destroy the covenant ship.

"We'd still have to get close enough. But it'd give us time to get out."

Summer: So, Jamie. Is that an acceptable plan? Death isn't guaranteed now.

=The ship rocks as the covenant fire a plasma round into it=

(Punikav)
Interesting. That appears to be stealth based armor. Sneak into an enemy stronghold and enact fear and...despair?

"Haha, that's actually pretty cool. I can see that working."

"And what? I cause insanity?"

No. You perceive to have it. Climbing walls and ceilings, shredding the bodies of anyone who get's too close.

(Deniv)
Yeah, that works. Oh, hey. Hold on, new symbol.

=i eye-clicked on on small shield in the corner that I hadn't noticed. Energy bracers on my forearm activated and shimmered in the light, casting a small glow around them. They were similar to the shielding used by Skirmishers on Reach=
Very. Very cool.

"Even more reinforcing my theory. You hide your face and move closer, swaying, crying. When you get close enough you spring, shredding the bodies of your enemy in a burst of rage, then resume crying=

That's...kinda creepy 'splosions.

"It fits, no?"

No, it does. It's just...

"Not something you would expect?"

Exactly, Hope.

"Fine. I'll get started on getting to the escape pods-

There aren't any left."

=My head was still pounding, getting worse and worse. It wasn't that bad. But... You know.=

"What about SOEIVs? Any of them?"

=There were a few ODSTs left, I wanted to get everyone off of the ship, and relatively safely.=

"Nothing left, nothing left at all!"

=There was nothing left. The plan didn't count for the Covenant following us. There was one option, however...=

(Punikav)
Sorry.

"No, no, it's okay. Really."

=i checked my HUD, looking for something that would indicate what I could do=

(Burk)
Hey, Destruction, what do you have?

"I don't know, but if Pair is right, I'd rather not test it. Explosions would be a bit bad in this room."

Yeah, true. Don't want the wrath of Dormii on us.

"Longswords? Pelicans? Is there anything we can use?"

=I was getting desperate, but I was a Spartan. These Marines looked at us as sort of... leaders, probably because of the way Spartans had fought in the Human-Covenant war.=

"There's... Nothing."

=There was nothing. But this wasn't the end. There had to be plan! Maybe... I don't know...=

(Deniv)
Yeah, you heard the stories.

"Hey, c'mon. Don't talk about the CO like that. You don't know what he's like."

I know he had us beat each other until we couldn't stand in training, Pair.

"Yeah, but think about it. You think anyone should be allowed to use these suits? Just from looking at what they have, it's understandable. These are powerful suits. Not everyone should get one."

(Punikav)
What the hell are you talking about. Not everyone should have one? These are the only things capable of making a threat to aliens!

(Dormii)
=i had stopped by the medbay, checked up on Jay. I held her hand for a moment, kissed her forehead, prayed for her to wake up. After a few minutes, I walked off. I headed towards the bridge, looking to hack into the UNSC systems and check their networks for anything interesting. I got part way, but when I walked down an empty corridor, someone grabbed me, held a knife to my throat, and whispered into my ear=
"Don't scream. Don't fight back. I'm here to deliver a message, nothing more. But if you try to fight back, I will kill you. Got it?"

=i nod=
"Say it."

Possedi eam.

"Close enough. Don't turn around. Don't try to look at me. I'm a ghost, just like you. I don't exist. I'm just here to follow orders and listen and learn on your rogues."

=they're voice had a sound modifier effect, so I couldn't tell what gender they were, but I would guess male considering the lack of breasts pressing into my back. I could hear the faint whir of an eye piece, and felt something lightly brushing against the back of my head=

=I put my hands to my face, despair was setting in.=
Summer: Caeser, we have re-entry packs here, you and Jamie could-

"No. I'm not leaving the crew. Jamie, we need to do something."

(Dormii)
"Listen. I know you want peace with the UNSC, it's obvious. Everyone here does. Well now the UNSC has given you an option for that. We will leave you alone, if you do something for us."

=i was silent, listening. I knew what they were saying was possibly too good to be true. Peace with the UNSC? After so many times to try, it seemed almost impossible, but I was going to hear him out, at the least=

"The option, if you want it, is to help us take down the Rebel leaders. Help us take out another enemy, and you go free. We have their location, but we can't get to them. We need you to do it. Think about it."

=the knife moved along to behind my neck=
"Don't turn around, don't try and look at me."

=i heard some footsteps and then silence. I turned around after a few seconds, seeing no one. I rubbed my neck, feeling the scar tissue from when my neck was cut. It was all there, there was no fresh cut. I was confused, unsure of what to do. I wanted to believe them, but they were UNSC. They've betrayed me before, but at the same time, this was a first. An actual extended olive branch, in a sense. Sure, we were being used as tools again, do what we can't so we stop trying to take you in again, but was that chance worth taking? I was sure. I was going to accept it, talk to the others, see if they were willing. First though, I was going to go tell Jay. Let her know what's going on=

"I... I don't know."

=I had no idea. Odd plans. They would never work. No idea.=

=I put my head in my hands.=

"Send out a distress call. They've stopped shooting, they probably have more boarding parties on board."

=I stood up=

"We might be going to hell, but let's make it crowded when we get there."

=The marines cheered, the ODSTs a little louder than the others.=

"Let's get to it then."

=I readied my Battle Rifle, trying to ignore the pain from my head.=

"Summer, Open the blast doors. We're not going down hiding."

=The blast doors slowly open.=

"After you, Jamie."

=Delta and the others remained silent, faceless behind their helmets. They all just stared forward, waiting for the councilmen to get things moving. XNNOs were not ones for lengthy greetings before important business=