1230 Hours, December 06, 2525
Ichinomiya System, Umagena, UNSC Frigate, Macron
On the bridge of the Macron stood Aedan, wearing his Black MJOLNIR MK IV EVA armor, Aedan stood at attention in front of him was a command table. On the other side stood the Captain of the Macron, Captain Rodriguez; on the command table was the holographic image of the Planet Umagena, the planet they had currently arrived in the orbit of.
"This is Umagena, it is an icy planet, population was only restricted to about ten thousand people because of it." Captain Rodriguez said. "On November 2, 2525, at approximately 0800 hours all contact with the planet was lost."
Aedan observed the holographic image of Umagena; it appeared to be a ball of ice. The planet's surface showed areas that were either white or dark blue, which could indicate the presence of frozen rivers or oceans, if any existed.
"On November 5, at 1100 hours the frigates, UNSC Rasputin and Rommel arrived in the orbit. They deployed about 2 battalions of marines accompanied by a vanguard force comprising of the 22nd shock trooper company." The Captain took a deep breath and continued. "The Rasputin was sadly destroyed while the Rommel crashed on the planet. Before it crashed, however, it sent crucial information on the enemy, which comprised of only one ship."
The holographic image then shows that of the Covenant ship that had attacked the planet. It had a ridged structure while the metal it was made up of and looked the same as the one that was used to make the ship that attacked Chi Ceti and Harvest. Aedan recognized it as a SDV Corvette.
Captain Rodriguez then looks at Aedan. "Spartan, your mission is to find any of the remaining marines that were deployed on the planet. Our pelicans were already shot down when they first tried to descend, meaning the Covenant had set up Anti air defenses he said and took another breath before continuing.
"Once you rendezvous with the marines down on the planet, you are to destroy the covenant Anti air defenses so that we can start evacuation. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." Aedan said.
"Good, get your equipment ready." the captain said. "You will drop on the planet via SOIEV drop pod, dismissed."
Aedan salutes and exits the bridge heading towards the armory. While making his way towards the armory he noticed the marines onboard looking with awe or confusion.
'So, this was how the marines first reacted when they first saw a Spartan' Aedan thought as he reached the entrance to the armory. As he entered the armory he headed towards one of the weapons racks, grabbing a M392 DMR.
Aedan grabs ten mags for it and then heads towards the other side where the lighters weapons like the M7 or the MA2Bs or the M6Ds are kept. Aedan grabs two M6Ds grabbing four mags for each. He made sure he had his two combat knives and then picks up three frag grenades before finally heading out. He had already strapped his armor with a med kit beforehand, so he did not require grabbing another.
He walked down the corridor of the ship after grabbing what he needed, making his way into the SOIEV launch bay. As he enters the SOIEV Drop bay, he enters the pod at the end of the bay and closes its hatch, sealing himself in while strapping himself to the seat.
"Sierra-001 to Captain Rodriguez, all strapped and ready to deploy." Aedan said through his COMs.
"Affirmative Spartan, Good luck." Captain Rodriguez said through COMs. Soon the drop pod was launched from the ship and Aedan saw himself entering the atmosphere of the Planet.
"Fuck yeah, so this is how it feels dropping off a drop pod." Aedan said under his breath as he deployed the chute to slow down his descent. After a few seconds he drops the chute, and his pod starts free falling towards the surface of the icy planet. "Hope I don't land in a frozen lake." Aedan said as he braced for impact.
As Aedan opened his eyes, he found himself to be alright. He kicked the hatch open and got out of the pod. "Pretty good for my first drop." He said under his breath. "Now then where do I find these marines?" Aedan looked at the place where he landed. Surprisingly it was a forest although the leaves of the trees were covered in snow, and some were even ice.
"Would you look at that? A forest…" Aedan said to himself as he slowly traversed through the forest. As he continued onwards his DMR already drawn and ready to shoot, he saw smoke in front of him. As Aedan went to investigate, he found a crashed pelican. 'Must be the one the Macron deployed' he thought as he checked the wreckage for any survivors.
All Aedan found was the charred bodies of the pilots. He sighed and decided to continue onwards, after a few minutes of walking Aedan heard some noise coming in front of him and he decided to check it out, making sure to not make any noise in the process.
As he viewed through an opening he saw four Jackals patrolling, he saw their shields three of them had a blue shield while having plasma pistols, while the other had an orange shield while sporting a needler.
'One major and three minors' Aedan thought. 'Alright, time for my first kill on this planet' Aedan then aimed his DMR at the major's head and when the major presented itself in a perfect opening he fired two shots, both shots hitting the major on its head killing. The three minors immediately went on guard raising their shield while searching for the shooter.
Aedan fired two more shots, hitting two jackals in the eye, making them stumble and lower their shields while the last one simply started firing randomly. Aedan saw another perfect opportunity and fired two more shots at the last jackal's head killing it.
As Aedan came out of his cover, he took out his knife and put the other two Jackals who were shot in the eye with his knife putting them out of their misery.
'If Jackals are patrolling here that means the marines must be close by, the covenant always deploys them to take out the stragglers' Aedan said as he put his knife back and continued on heading inside the snowy forest. After about 10 minutes of walking, he heard some plasma pistols going off in the distance in front of him.
'That should be them' Aedan thought and soon started rushing towards where the shoots were going off at. As Aedan reached the opening he saw about 7 Jackals, five of them being minors while two of them being majors, the minors were armed with plasma pistols while the majors were armed with needlers. They were currently suppressing what looked like a squad of ODSTs who were taking over behind a boulder.
'ODSTs' Aedan thought as he readied his DMR, once again preparing to take them out from his cover.
'But if I just use a frag that should save me my ammo. And even If I simply use my DMR the ODSTs may get slaughtered, and the two majors have needlers….yeah frag, it is' Aedan thought as he then got a frag grenade out pulling it's pin and throwing it in the middle of the group of Jackals, as the frag went off it immediately killed five of the seven jackals while knocking down two of them which Aedan took care of with his DMR firing two shots each taking them out.
"Holy shit." he heard one of the ODSTs say.
As Aedan came out of the woods and headed towards the squad of ODSTs, one of them immediately pointed a gun at him which was a M7S.
"Now hang on there you big robot thing, I don't who you are or if you're even on our side, so I suggest you turn the fuck around and leave." the ODSTs said, he had a sort of Hispanic accent.
"Calm down Martinez, if he wasn't on our side he wouldn't have helped us." another ODST said, he had a more refined accent, likely somewhere from the Middle East, or of that ethnicity. "So, who are you exactly?"
"Senior Chief Petty Officer Aedan-001." Aedan said as he looked at the ODSTs, he noticed that there were only three of them.
All three of them saluted even though they didn't have to. "Sorry for the hostilities sir, it's been a bad day fighting these aliens." the same ODST said.
"At ease, what's your rank-and-file marine?" Aedan asked.
"Corporal Elijah, 22nd Shock trooper company, that over there is Lance corporal Elizabeth and this is Private First-class Martinez." Elijah said as he first pointed toward the ODST that had a SRS99C and then to the one that had pointed a gun at him.
Aedan nodded. "Where is your squad leader?" he asked.
"Dead sir." Elizabeth said, she had a more British accent, "Even the XO."
"The entire 22nd is KIA sir." Martinez said. "All of us got slaughtered as soon as we hit the ground; we only managed to survive because we crawled into a bush"
"It's a mess sir. These aliens blasted the entire company in mere minutes." Elijah said.
"And the marines?" Aedan asked.
"We haven't had any contact since we were dropped. They were dropped about one and a half clicks South," Elijah said.
Aedan nodded, "What is your ammo count?" he asked.
"I still have five magazines for my sniper rifle, sir," Elizabeth said.
"Six magazines for my MA5B," Elijah said.
"Six magazines for my M7S, along with three fragmentation grenades, sir," Martinez said.
"Good, we will head south then," Aedan said, looking towards the southern direction, which appeared to be a vast frozen ocean.
"But sir, going through that frozen lake could be dangerous," Elijah warned. "We would be vulnerable and easily spotted."
"On foot, yes," Aedan replied as he noticed smoke rising from a forest at a distance. 'That looks like a Pelican…perhaps there could be something useful there,' he thought.
"May I ask why we need to head south, sir?" Elizabeth inquired.
"The UNSC Macron arrived above Umagena a few hours ago. Pelicans were deployed for reconnaissance but were shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire," Aedan explained.
"That explains the smoke in the forest," Martinez said, observing the smoke rising from the woods. "That could be one of the recon Pelicans as well, sir," Martinez said, pointing towards the smoke that Aedan had seen earlier.
"Exactly. I was deployed here via drop pod to rendezvous with the marines and eliminate the enemy anti-aircraft so we can proceed with evacuations," Aedan explained. "However, it seems I landed a bit too far away…I'll need your assistance with this. Are you in?"
The three ODSTs looked at each other. "We're in, sir, if it means completing the mission," Elijah said as he prepared his MA5B, followed by Elizabeth and Martinez.
"Good, now follow me," Aedan said as he began walking towards the crashed Pelican. "Elijah and Elizabeth, take the flanks. Martinez, cover the rear, and I'll lead."
All three ODSTs nodded, took their positions, and began moving alongside Aedan. Upon reaching the crash site, they discovered another Pelican, this time with an overturned Warthog and crates of weapons and ammunition scattered around.
"This must have been one of the initial landing Pelicans," Elijah remarked as he surveyed the scene.
"Check for survivors," Aedan instructed, noting the numerous crates dispersed around the crash site. He picked up an MA5B rifle lying on the ground, thinking it was likely a supply-carrying Pelican.
"Both pilots are deceased, sir," Elizabeth reported as she emerged from inside the Pelican. "This must have been the one carrying supplies for the original drop."
"At least we have an undamaged Warthog; it will make our journey south easier," Martinez commented, pointing to the overturned vehicle.
"But it's flipped upside down," Elijah noted as he retrieved a Jackhammer or SPNKR. "Nice, some heavy weapons."
"Gather any extra ammunition or grenades; we are going to need them," Aedan directed as he approached the Warthog, with the ODSTs watching curiously to see what he intended to do.
Aedan reached the Warthog, lifted it back up, and stated, "There, perfectly new." The ODSTs observed his strength with surprise but chose not to question it. They gathered as much ammunition as possible and regrouped at the Warthog.
"I'll take the gun," Aedan said as he positioned himself at the turret. "Who's the best driver here?"
"I am, sir," Elijah replied, taking the driver's seat. Martinez sat in the middle while Elizabeth took the seat at the edge.
Aedan prepared and loaded the chain gun, saying, "Let's go."
They had been driving for about 20 minutes. The frozen sea or ocean was making it difficult for the Warthog to travel smoothly, causing it to slide on the ice and making turns challenging.
"It's hard to drive here," Elijah remarked as he continued to steer the Warthog.
"I see land, solid ground instead of ice, one km ahead," Elizabeth reported while observing through her sniper scope.
"Finally, I thought we would be on this frozen ocean forever," Martinez commented.
Aedan examined the approaching landmass, noting that it was soil, not ice. He detected movement due to his enhanced vision. Upon closer inspection, he identified a hovering object with a purple hull, a rear-mounted cannon, and fins—a wraith.
"Elijah, change course now," Aedan instructed. Elijah quickly adjusted their direction slightly to the right.
"What's the issue, sir?" Elijah asked, stopping the Warthog and looking at Aedan.
"On that landmass ahead, do you notice something moving?" Aedan inquired, focusing on the wraith's location.
Using her sniper scope, Elizabeth confirmed, "Yes, it's like a purple floating object. What is it?"
"That's an enemy tank," Aedan explained. "One shot from that, and we're all dead."
"Holy shit, thank God we stopped," Martinez said.
"So, what now? We can't move forward with that tank there," Elijah said.
"Not quite," Aedan replied, eyeing Elijah's Jackhammer. "How many rockets do you have?"
"Six," Elijah answered.
"Good, hand it over," Aedan said.
Elijah complied, though confused. "Sir, hitting that thing from here is impossible," he said.
"I won't be firing from here," Aedan said as he got off the turret. "Stay here, I'll be right back." He then began sprinting towards the wraith, eventually becoming a dot on the horizon.
"Holy shit, he moves quickly," Martinez said as he stood up from his seat to get a better look. "What do you see, Liz?"
"The strange purple object is still hovering around, it seems to be—" Before she could finish, the wraith was hit by two rockets and exploded into a blue burst. "He actually destroyed it."
"What exactly is he?" Martinez asked, impressed.
"We'll inquire after we leave this frozen area," Elijah said.
In the distance, Aedan could be seen running back towards them. A couple minutes later, he finally reached the Warthog and handed the SPNKR over to Elijah who placed near his seat, "Path is cleared now." Aedan stated as he hopped back on the Turret and Elijah started the Warthog and drove towards the landmass.
As they finally reached the landmass, the destroyed wraith was all for the ODSTs to see. "That thing is a tank?" Martinez said.
"It shoots plasma motors." Aedan said, "One hit from that, and we can kiss our lives goodbye."
"These aliens sure do know how to design beautiful tanks, but at the same time deadly as well." Elijah said as he drove the Warthog along a path that soon entered a forest again. Aedan went on guard looking in both directions.
"Keep your eyes open, they could ambush us if anytime here." Aedan said and Elizabeth and Martinez readied their weapons. And Aedan was right as not a moment later a plasma grenade was thrown in front of the hog which Elijah managed to narrowly avoid. Soon Jackals could be seen trailing them through the woods.
"Contacts right side!" Aedan informed them as he started firing the chain gun. While Elizabeth began firing her sniper, hitting all four of her shots, killing a jackal each. 'Damn she's a good sniper,' Aedan thought as he continued suppressing the jackals.
"INFRONT!" Elijah shouted and Aedan immediately turned the turret to the front to be greeted by two ghosts who went past them on either flank, they turned around and started chasing them from the back while firing their plasma cannons.
'Fuck, didn't expect ghosts to be around here as well' Aedan mentally cursed as he started firing the turret at the ghosts trailing them. He focused on one of the ghosts eventually destroying it, while the second one continued its chase. 'Fuck…the turret doesn't have enough bullets to destroy the other one' Aedan cursed. 'Unless….'
"Elizabeth." Aedan said to which Elizabeth turned back to look at him. "Can you snipe the pilot of that vehicle." he pointed at the elite driving the ghost.
"I can try, sir." she said as she readied herself, her sniper aimed at the elite while it rested on the back of the passenger seat. She fired two shots; one took out its shields, while the other hit it in its head splattering it, the ghost soon crashed as the driver was killed.
"Nice shot." Aedan commented, 'Damn she's good, might even give Linda a run for her money' he thought.
"We're exiting the forest." Elijah said as Aedan turned the turret back to the front. As soon as they exited the forest, they were greeted by the crashed frigate the Rommel. "What the hell." Aedan heard Elijah mutter.
"That's the Rommel; reports said it crashed after the space battle." Aedan informed.
"That explains why we haven't had any COMs with them yet." Martinez commented.
"Take us to the crash site, there may be marines there." Aedan said, Elijah complied and drove the Warthog towards the crashed frigate. As they arrive, they noticed that the crashed ship had left quite the crater behind.
"Stop the hog here, we should move on foot to not alert the enemy forces." Aedan said and the Warthog stopped. Aedan hopped out and reloaded his DMR; Elizabeth was the next to hop out followed by Elijah and Martinez who all had their weapons drawn.
"Contacts, down left." Elizabeth said as he looked through her sniper. "Four of those bird things again."
"I hate those things." Martinez commented. "Fucking, space dinosaurs"
"Can you take them out?" Aedan asked.
"Affirmative." she replied as she prepared to take aim.
"Take position behind that rock over there." Aedan pointed towards the rock, three meters to the right, "Wait for my signal." he instructed and aimed his DMR.
Aedan then signaled his hand for her to shoot; she fired two shots taking out two of them while Aedan took out the other two with his DMR.
"Move in." Aedan ordered as he moved down to the wreckage followed by Martinez and Elijah while Elizabeth stayed in her position to keep overwatch.
As they approached the crash site they noticed a few more dead bodies, all jackals. "We're not alone here." Aedan said.
"Could be marines." Elijah suggested.
"Probably, but still keep your guard up; don't want to take any chances." Aedan said as he slowly approached the main crash site.
As Aedan turned a corner, he was ambushed by a marine. He quickly pinned the marine to the ground, who grunted in defeat while Elijah and Martinez aimed their guns at him.
"Please remain calm, we are not hostile," another marine said as he approached the group.
"Identify yourself," Aedan commanded.
"Staff Sergeant Wilson, 67th Marine Battalion," he introduced himself. "That down there is Corporal Henderson, also from the 67th."
As Aedan released his grip on the marine, he asked the sergeant, "Where is the rest of your platoon?"
"Inside the ship or out scouting," Wilson replied. "I assume you are UNSC, given the presence of two Helljumpers with you."
"Senior Chief Petty Officer Aedan 001," Aedan stated. "Who is in command here?"
"I am," another voice responded. Aedan turned to see a man who appeared to be in his late 20s approaching.
"Sir," Aedan saluted as the Lieutenant approached. The officer's uniform was somewhat soiled, and his face was covered with dirt, indicating that he had been actively involved in operations.
"At ease," he said. "I am Lieutenant Sullivan Wellesley, flag officer of what used to be the Rommel." Wellesley glanced at the crashed frigate. "Are you our backup? What is the situation?"
"The UNSC Macron arrived in orbit a few hours ago. Reconnaissance pelicans were deployed but appear to have been shot down. The captain suspects there may be enemy anti-aircraft emplacements in the area," Aedan explained.
"That summarizes it quite well," The Lieutenant sighed. "You are not entirely incorrect."
"What do you mean, sir?" Aedan asked.
"We did see your recon pelicans go down," he said. "Except it wasn't because of any anti-air emplacements, but because of that alien ship."
'That explains why I haven't seen any anti-air emplacement until now; I thought they simply hid them well. I guess I was wrong,' Aedan thought.
"Before the Rommel went down, we managed to disable its engines. That ship has been stuck on this planet ever since, not leaving while not allowing us to leave either," Wellesley explained.
'We'll have to board that ship and destroy it from the inside...the only effective tactic at this point,' Aedan thought. "How many marines are there left, sir?" Aedan asked.
"About two hundred and eighty marines of the original eight hundred that landed here," Wellesley answered. "Why do you ask?"
"One moment, sir," Aedan said, and he opened COMs. "Sierra-001 to Captain Rodriguez, do you copy?"
"Roger, Spartan. We read you. What's your status? Over." Captain Rodriguez said over COMs.
"I have regrouped with the survivors, but there is a slight problem, sir," Aedan said.
"Explain." The captain responded over COMs.
"The pelicans weren't shot down by anti-air emplacements but by the ship itself, sir," Aedan explained. "We'll have to destroy it if we have any chance of evacuating the survivors."
"Affirmative. What's your plan, Spartan?" the captain asked through COMs.
"We'll be boarding the ship, sir," Aedan said, while everyone around him looked surprised.
"The decision is yours. Do whatever you must. Good luck, Spartan. The Macron will be able to support you once that ship is destroyed. Captain Rodriguez out." The COMs ended.
"I admire your determination to get us out, but how exactly do you plan on destroying that ship, much less boarding it?" Wellesley asked.
"Do you have a HAVOK nuke?" Aedan asked, to which the lieutenant nodded. "That should be enough."
"Man, you're crazy," Sergeant Wilson commented.
"Well, you'll get used to it, Sarge," Elijah said. "So what's the plan, sir?"
Aedan looked at the two ODSTs. "You don't have to join me on this," he said.
"Nah, you saved us back there, sir. It's only fair we stick with you till the end," Martinez said.
Aedan, although reluctant, nodded. This felt like something straight out of a mission or at least he felt like it. Aedan looked over at the Lieutenant. "Where is the ship exactly?" he asked.
"Over that hill," Wellesley pointed at the hill that was northeast of their current position.
One hour later
Aedan could be seen crawled in the snow, hidden, next to him was Elijah, Martinez and Elizabeth who had her sniper readied and aimed at the Covenant that guarded the gravlift to the ship.
"So, the Covenant is what they are called." Elijah said. "Sounds religious if you asked me"
"Twenty hostiles on the gravlift. They seem to have some sort of stationary gun or something…small hunchback and dinosaurs as infantry support." Elizabeth said her sniper aimed at the stationary gun.
"Keep your eyes on that thing, don't let any of them get on that gun or else we're all dead." Aedan explained. "You got the M41 SPNKR launcher ready?"
"Yes sir." Elijah said as he aimed at his SPNKR at the place where most of them were gathered at.
"On my mark fire at will." Aedan instructed. "Mark!"
Soon Elijah fired his SPNKR with both rockets hitting their targets taking a vast majority of them out. Elizabeth fired her sniper, taking out the stationary gunner. While Aedan shot with his DMR picking off any stragglers and Martinez with his M7s moved in closer and took out a few grunts.
"All cleared." Elizabeth said over COMs
"Move in." Aedan said and soon all four of them met in the gravlift.
"So how do we get inside this thing." Martinez asked.
"No ide- Woah!" Elijah said as he was pulled up to the ship by the gravity. Soon Elizabeth went up followed by Martinez and finally Aedan.
As they entered the ship they noticed the area empty. "Looks like no one's home." Martinez said.
'Looks a lot like the one from Halo: Reach' Aedan thought. "Follow me and stay close; we no longer have home field advantage."
The three ODSTs nod and follow Aedan, with Martinez in the rear and Elijah and Elizabeth on the sides. They pass by some unaware jackals as they move through numerous doors.
"Looks like they don't know we're here," Elijah whispers.
"Stay focused," Aedan replies. "The engine room should be right ahead." The next door opens, revealing the engine's core.
"Alright then, let's blow this thing up." Martinez said
"Keep an eye on the doors, I'll be setting the timer." Aedan said as he went over to the engine and grabbed the nuke and started setting its timer. Elizabeth took position on a covenant crate that was nearby, getting on top of it, while Martinez and Elijah both kept an eye on the entrance.
Suddenly the door opened but there was no one on the other side. "What?" Aedan heard Martinez say and immediately turned around and pulled out his magnum and fired three shots towards Elijah.
As the three bullets flew towards Elijah his eyes widened. He closed his eyes, but to his surprise, the bullets missed. Instead, he heard Elizabeth gasp.
As Elijah opened his eyes he saw a dead Elite, its armor being colored sliver. "What the hell is this thing?" he asked spooked out by the Elite's appearance and size
"That's the one that usually commands the other ones." Aedan explained. "Let's go we have ten minutes till the nuke goes off."
The three ODSTs nod and follow Aedan. As they turn a corner, Aedan is almost hit by Plasma pistol fire but ducks back to cover. "That area's hot," he says. "We'll need another route."
"But that would take a long time," Elijah said. "The nuke may go off by then."
"We have no choice; the Covenant is currently occupying that area," Aedan replied. "Wait, of course—the shuttle bay. Follow me, I know another way." He proceeded back towards the hallway they had just come from, followed by the three ODSTs. He made a right turn.
"Where exactly will this lead us, sir?" Elizabeth asked.
"Their version of a hangar bay," Aedan answered. As the door to the shuttle bay opened, it revealed an empty space. 'No phantoms or spirits,' he thought.
"So, how do we-." Elizabeth was about to finish before felling something pierce her left thigh, "Gah!." she cried in pain.
Aedan immediately covered her and turned around his magnum drawn and fired his magnum taking out the three jackals that were on the deck above, while another three came around and prepared to ambush them.
Elijah and Martinez immediately moved to cover them, taking care of the Jackals, before forming a sort of defensive formation around the two. "Shit, they got Liz!" Martinez cursed.
Aedan looked at where she was hit…her left thigh was pierced by a needler, its purple needle shining. "We'll have to get out of the ship to treat her." Aedan said. 'Crap, this might be my most audacious move yet.' Aedan thought.
"Elizabeth hold my neck." Aedan said to her as she looked at him confused; he could tell she was confused even if her visor wasn't de-polarized. "Just do it." she complied and held his neck from the front, keeping her sniper on her back. "Make sure you're holding on tight." Aedan then went ahead and grabbed Martinez and Elijah from the back of their BDU as well.
"Sir, what are you-." Elijah was about to say before Aedan cut him off.
"Hold on tight, we may break some bones here," Aedan said as he sprinted to the open shuttle bay and jumped off the ship.
"Holy shit!" Martinez screamed.
"Hang on!" Aedan activated his thrusters, holding Martinez and Elijah as Elizabeth clung to his neck. 'My thrusters are overpowered,' Aedan thought. As they reached a safe distance, he started to slow down. 'Landing is going to hurt,' he mentally cursed. Lowering to a safer altitude, Aedan instructed, "Martinez, Elijah, on my mark, I'll drop you. Be ready to land."
"What?" Martinez exclaimed, but before receiving an answer, both landed face-first in the snow.
"When I became an ODST, I agreed to drop feet first into dangerous situations, not face first," Martinez mumbled. Elijah muffled a laugh as they both stood up, rubbing their heads.
A few meters away, Aedan turned around to land on his back to protect Elizabeth from the impact. Upon impact, he created a crater. 'That was unwise,' he thought. As Aedan got up, he laid Elizabeth on the snow and stretched his body to check for injuries. 'No broken bones… good,' he thought.
Moments later, Martinez and Elijah joined them. As they regrouped, Aedan observed the covenant ship in the distance, which soon exploded into a massive blue fire. "Yes, that was successful," Martinez shouted.
"That was quite an experience, sir," Elijah remarked, looking at Aedan, who was attending to Elizabeth's wound. Aedan removed the needler, causing Elizabeth to groan in pain, then stitched the wound and applied some bio foam. "Are you a medic as well?" Elijah asked, surprised.
"The best way to save lives, in my opinion," Aedan replied calmly. "There, that should be sufficient. It will heal in a few days."
"Thank you, sir," Elizabeth said.
"Sierra-001 to Captain Rodriguez, do you copy," Aedan asked over the COMs.
"We read you, Spartan. Was that explosion the ship?" the captain inquired through COMs.
"Affirmative, the enemy ship has been neutralized. You may proceed with the evacuations," Aedan confirmed.
"Roger that, and well done, Spartan," the captain responded before ending the communication.
"Now we just wait for our transport," Aedan stated, sitting down beside Elizabeth, who remained on the ground. "Well done, everyone," he added. 'We made an effective team; perhaps I should request the Captain to assign them to me,' he thought.
Approximately twenty minutes later, a pelican arrived to transport them, and the four individuals boarded the aircraft. Aedan assisted Elizabeth into a seat while Elijah and Martinez sat opposite her.
"So... what now?" Martinez inquired.
"I will likely be sent to another planet. You will be returned to Reach, assigned to another company, and receive a new squad leader…or—," Aedan began.
"You never really told us what you were, sir. "Are you a—" Elijah started to ask.
Suddenly, Aedan removed his EVA helmet, revealing his slightly tanned skin, brownish-grey eyes, and crimson red hair. "A human? Yes," he confirmed as he massaged his neck. "That hurts."
The three ODSTs appeared surprised once again. Despite Aedan's height and skills, he still resembled a teenager. "How... how old are you?" Martinez asked.
"Unfortunately, that's classified information," Aedan responded bluntly.
"Classic ONI, I assume," Elizabeth remarked as she also removed her helmet, revealing herself to be a pale young woman, seemingly no older than nineteen, with scarlet eyes and black hair.
"When has anything classified never been involved with ONI?" Martinez added, likewise removing his helmet to reveal himself as a tanned-skinned man, also appearing to be around nineteen, with brown eyes and brown hair, unmistakably of Latino descent.
"So, what exactly are you supposed to be, sir?" Elijah asked, taking off his helmet to show a complexion that was a mix of tan and brown, with blue eyes and natural white hair, which was unusual.
"This is classified information, but if you can keep this confidential," Aedan said, to which all three nodded. "I am a Spartan... a Spartan II."
"Quite the name to designate soldiers like you." Martinez said. "Spartans. Sweet name. Are there more of you?"
Aedan put his helmet back on. "Helmets on, everyone. We're entering the Macron. You three will join me for debrief," he said.
"Wait, what?" Elijah replied, putting his helmet on with Elizabeth and Martinez.
"Martinez, help Elizabeth walk. Elijah, stay close to me." Aedan instructed as they exited the pelican.
Inside the Macron bridge, Aedan stood with Captain Rodriguez in front of him and the ODST trio behind.
"Well done, Spartan," Rodriguez said, shaking Aedan's hand. "And these three assisted you?" He looked at the attentive ODSTs.
"Yes sir, they deserve equal credit. Without them, I may not have reached the marines or even destroyed the covenant ship," Aedan said, to which the captain nodded.
"Command was impressed by your ability to destroy and push back the covenant forces with only a handful of marines," the Captain stated. "As directed by Command, you are hereby promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer."
Aedan thought for a moment but stood at attention. "Yes, sir."
"Get some rest, Spartan. You've earned it," the captain said.
"Another thing, Captain," Aedan said as the captain looked at him. Aedan turned to face the three ODSTs behind him and then back to the captain. 'Let's see how this goes,' Aedan thought. "I request that the three ODSTs who assisted me be assigned under my command."
The three ODSTs behind him appeared surprised by the request. The captain simply raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?" he inquired.
"Sir, they function exceptionally well as a team under the right leadership," Aedan responded. "I wish for them to be under my command until a suitable squad leader is appointed for them."
"What do you three think about this?" the captain asked the ODSTs.
Elijah glanced at the other two beside him. "We accept, sir," he said, saluting, followed by Elizabeth and Martinez.
"Then it's settled," the captain said. "Spartan-001, you will be given command over..."
"Kilo-2, sir," Elizabeth added.
"You will be given command over Kilo-2," the captain confirmed. "Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir," Aedan saluted and left the bridge with his new team. 'Alright Aedan, time to lead your own group of ODSTs,' he thought.
Martinez walked up next to him. "So, where is the next place, Boss?" he asked. Boss was a nice nickname.
Aedan smirked under his helmet. "Wherever we are needed," he replied. 'This is where the fun begins,' Aedan thought.