March 20, 2526, 1045 hours
Location: Kolaqoa System, Biko, UNSC Paris-class heavy frigate, Macron
It had been over two months since their last major operation on Andesia. During this period, Aedan and Kilo-2 were assigned to smaller missions involving reconnaissance, investigations of individuals with ties to insurrectionists, and minor encounters with the Covenant. Despite being a heavy frigate, the Macron was severely understaffed, with only three hundred sailors and naval officers. Prior to their mission on Umagena, Aedan was the sole ground combat operative on the Macron. However, following the successful rescue mission, the rescued crews of the Rommel, including the marines, officially joined the Macron's crew.
As Aedan walked through the ship's corridors, he exchanged salutes with passing crew members. When he first arrived, many crew members and some officers viewed him with suspicion, almost as if he were an anomaly or a robot. Now, after four months onboard and having fought alongside them, they had developed a profound respect for him. The marines he rescued from Umagena shared this sentiment.
Aedan noticed that they appeared to regard him with reverence, almost as if he were a figure of immense importance. The only exceptions to this perception were Captain Rodriguez, Lieutenant Wellesley—who had also joined the Macron's crew—and, of course, Kilo-2.
Aedan walked towards the bridge, his heavy boots echoing. He had spoken with Halsey several times recently, confirming that augmentations caused his personality changes. As the Doctor said, 'Aedan Hel is being replaced by Aedan 001.'
He hadn't removed his armor for a while because the ship lacked proper equipment. Technicians would spend two hours removing or donning his Mjolnir piece by piece, making him prefer to keep it on, despite Martinez's pestering.
Entering the bridge, he stopped at the Holotable and saluted the Captain. "Sir, SPARTAN 001 reporting as ordered," he said. The Captain turned and nodded.
"At ease, Chief," the captain said, turning back to the Holotable. "Command has informed me that a Covenant fleet is arriving shortly."
Aedan looked at the display showing the planet's orbital defense. He recognized this event from the book *Halo: Silent Storm*, recalling that John and Blue Team, along with Green and Gold Teams, were present near this planet's orbit.
"You know Chief, after our previous encounters with the Covenant, I'm skeptical that 50 ships will be enough to hold them off," the captain remarked casually.
The task force conducted an operation on Biko's moon of Seoba. Although the details have not been provided, they will also be present for its defense.
"Sir, may I ask why I am here?" Aedan inquired, curious about his role and that of his team.
The Captain sighed. "Command wants you and your team on standby. Previous intelligence from Naval Intelligence suggests that the Covenant might attempt to board ships and neutralize them from within," explained the Captain. Aedan found this logical and tactical; the UNSC had basic knowledge about Covenant operations, even though it was limited compared to what they would know by the 2550s. However, what the Captain said still surprised him.
"But I have decided to ignore those orders. I'm deploying you and your team to assist with evacuations," the Captain said.
Aedan was surprised. "Sir, you know that could be—" he began, but the Captain interrupted.
"I understand the risks, but saving lives is more important than following orders that don't benefit my crew," the Captain stated firmly. Aedan respected the Captain's decision and dedication. "Prepare your team in twenty minutes. A pelican will take you planet-side. Dismissed."
"Yes Sir!" Aedan saluted and left the bridge, thinking about how much he admired the Captain. He headed to the locker room where his team was playing poker, with Elizabeth cleaning her sniper rifle. Cadmon stood up and saluted as Aedan entered. "Sir!" he exclaimed.
"At ease, I'm not an officer, just a senior NCO," Aedan said, approaching. "Who's winning?"
"I won twice, going for a third," Elijah grinned.
"You cheated," Martinez complained.
"Agreed," Cadmon nodded. Though new to Kilo-2, he'd adapted quickly.
"So what's up, boss? You're not here for small talk," Elijah said, sensing something important.
"The Captain wants us ready; we're being dropped again," Aedan announced.
They all stopped and stared. "Seriously?" Cadmon asked. Aedan nodded.
In moments, they scrambled for their gear. Only Elizabeth was calm. "You should've told us sooner," Martinez exclaimed, donning his Kevlar.
Aedan chuckled, "Didn't want to disrupt your poker game."
"That's not fair, boss. You're just having fun at our expense," Elijah remarked playfully.
"Perhaps I am, or perhaps I am not," Aedan replied cryptically. As Cadmon, who had finished first, approached him, he asked, "So what's this about? More reconnaissance? Investigation?"
"No, it's a full-on battle," Aedan responded. Everyone paused momentarily to process what he had just informed them. "We are on evacuation duty. The Covenant will arrive soon, and the Captain has assigned us to assist with the planet-side evacuation procedures."
"It seems we're going to face the aliens again," Martinez said enthusiastically.
"I suppose it's time for another round," added Elijah, putting on his helmet. "Let's defeat them once more!"
"And try not to get injured like last time," Elizabeth remarked as she finished gearing up. "I still owe them for injuring my leg," she said, picking up her SRS99 sniper rifle.
"Should I be concerned? What is the plan?" Cadmon inquired, looking at Aedan. Although Cadmon had been part of the team for two months, he had not yet faced the Covenant directly.
"Try not to get shot. If you do, alert me immediately," Aedan replied, patting Cadmon on the shoulder. At 16 years old, Cadmon possessed a maturity beyond his years, acting like an adult—a trait developed in his childhood. "Let's proceed to the armory." Aedan led the team out of the locker room, down the corridors, and toward the armory.
Upon arrival, Aedan quickly selected his usual loadout: an M392 DMR and two M6D magnums. Cadmon chose an MA5B assault rifle and an M6C sidearm. Elijah picked up an M7S SMG and his customary M41 SPNKr, while Martinez opted for an MA2B assault rifle. Elizabeth simply gathered ammunition for her sniper rifle.
"Is everyone ready?" Aedan asked, receiving nods from all four members. "Let's move out."
As they exited the armory, Elijah began heading toward the SOIEV launch bay but was stopped by Aedan, who grabbed his shoulder. "We're taking a Pelican this time," he informed Elijah.
"Are you serious?" Martinez asked bewildered.
"Yes," Aedan answered. He started walking in the opposite direction of the hangar bay, followed closely by his team.
"Going in by Pelican? I haven't done that since my days as a marine," Elijah said.
"None of us have, except for the Boss," Cadmon remarked, having adopted Elijah's and Martinez's way of addressing Aedan. "It's going to be unusual not dropping in by pods."
As they entered the elevator leading to the hangar located at the lower part of the ship, Aedan couldn't help but wonder how civilians would react to seeing him there. The SPARTAN program was still highly classified, and its existence kept secret. The average person would likely be alarmed upon encountering him or any other SPARTAN, particularly during this time when the Covenant's presence was also being hidden to prevent widespread panic.
When the elevator came to a stop, Aedan and his team exited. The hangar contained five Pelicans and three Longsword fighters docked. Their designated Pelican, Lima 2-3, was piloted by Lieutenant Oscar Wildling, known by his call sign 'Krieg'. He had become a good friend of Kilo-2. Wildling was a daring and charismatic pilot, known for executing maneuvers that would have made him a professional Warthunder player, according to Aedan.
After boarding and taking their seats, the hatch of the Pelican closed, and the pilot's voice was heard through the speakers: "Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard Lima Airline. Your destination, Durban, will be reached in approximately four minutes, so please fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride."
"If those aliens don't kill us, his flying surely will," Martinez commented.
"Only you, Marty, only you," Elizabeth replied, eliciting chuckles from Elijah and Cadmon.
"It isn't that bad if you ask me," Aedan said as he felt the Pelican lift off and depart from the Macron, heading towards the planet.
"Yeah, you're Superman, that's why," Martinez retorted.
"He got you there, Boss," Cadmon added.
"Anyway, let's just hope we do our jobs right," Aedan said, leaning his head back. His HUD displayed the motion tracker on the bottom left, his BIOS on the top left, and his ammunition count on the top right. It was a blend of Halo CE's and Halo Reach's HUD, which technically shouldn't have been possible as both games used the MK V instead of the MK IV armor. Regardless, he hoped that neither he nor anyone from his team would perish in this battle.
March 20, 2526, 1534 hours
Kolaqoa system, Biko, UNSC Point Blank-class stealth cruiser, Vanishing Point
The Covenant fleet appeared instantly on the monitor, blue lights emerging from slip-space near Biko. These lights, alien ships, launched their starfighters but kept them close in tight escort patterns, merging into glowing smudges instead of engaging human defenses.
This was unlike any planetary assault doctrine John had studied, which assumed logical objectives rather than total planetary destruction. No training had prepared them for a fleet capable of bombarding a planet with skyscraper-sized plasma beams.
"That's an odd formation," said Fred.
He stood next to John in one of the smaller maintenance hangars of the Vanishing Point. Their Mjolnir armor was undergoing maintenance and repair in the support module, so they were currently dressed in black utilities without any identifying insignia or badges. Kelly and Linda were positioned on either side, similarly, attired in black utilities, while Sam was immediately beside John. Additionally, four Spartans in a back corner of the hangar were acquainted themselves with some of the Covenant weapons recovered from Seoba. The remaining four squad members were still in the infirmary, suffering from injuries such as decompression sickness and a ruptured spleen. Concurrently, Dr. Halsey was confined to her lab, engaged with a Covenant holoprojector retrieved from the wreckage of the vessel destroyed by Starry Night during its self-destruction.
"No kidding," Sam remarked sarcastically. He had grown even taller, now towering at 7 feet 3 inches without MJOLNIR.
"Be serious, Sam," John nudged him slightly on the side while chuckling a bit. "They have different weapons, so they require different tactics and fleet doctrine."
"True, but you fight to your weapon's advantage," Kelly noted. "If I were the Covenant, I would maintain a distance behind a fighter screen and use those advanced plasma cannons to attack the orbital defenses, forcing Biko's fleet to engage me."
"That would be a smart strategy," Linda agreed, "but it would also be predictable."
"And easy to counter, in my opinion," Sam added. "That is unless they possess nearly impenetrable shields. In that case, it could be all over."
John and Sam agreed that the ships stationed to defend Biko numbered fifty vessels. John recognized that most of these were patrol frigates designed for anti-smuggling operations rather than engaging energy-shielded capital ships. However, he noticed one ship not forming into position with the Bikon defense fleet, identifying it as a Paris-class heavy frigate. This ship seemed to be aware of the situation and was not moving in head-on. John recalled hearing Task Force Commander Hector Nyeto mention that the UNSC Macron would join the planet's defense. He wondered if this was the same ship.
John had heard about the ship from Dr. Halsey while she was reviewing some reports from Command. The ship reportedly carried a team of specialized ODSTs experienced in dealing with the Covenant. John was skeptical, as the BLACK DAGGERS or the 21st Space Assault Battalion, with whom John and his fellow SPARTANs were assigned to work during OPERATION: SILENT STORM, did not seem to trust him or his SPARTANs. Their commanding officer, Colonel Marmon Crowther, had refused to use John and his SPARTANs for the mission, deeming them too young. This decision frustrated John and his team, but even Dr. Halsey could not convince Crowther otherwise, especially after an incident on Seoba. Consequently, the relationship between the SPARTANs and ODSTs remained tense.
Doctor Halsey did not delve too deeply into the specifics of this team of ODSTs, merely mentioning that they were highly capable and under competent leadership.
"That ship appears to at least have knowledge of impending events," Fred remarked as he pointed towards the Macron.
Kelly added, "At least someone there seems to be aware of what is going to transpire. Do you know its name?"
"I heard Nyeto refer to it as the Macron," John replied. "He mentioned that the Captain of that ship had prior experience and engagements with the Covenant."
"Good, it is reassuring that they have someone who understands the situation's outcome," Sam noted. Kelly was deep in thought; she recalled hearing the name Macron somewhere before. As she sifted through her memories, she suddenly remembered.
"Wait! Did you say Macron?" Kelly asked.
"Uh, yes. Is something wrong, Kelly?" John inquired, observing her reaction.
"That is the ship on which Aedan was stationed!" Kelly exclaimed. There was a brief silence as everyone processed what Kelly had revealed.
Sam then broke the silence, "AEDAN IS ON THAT SHIP?" he asked loudly, his eyes widening in surprise.
"How do you know this, Kelly? We have not had any contact with Aedan since... Chi Ceti," Linda asked, equally astonished.
"Before we left the Commonwealth, he mentioned he'd be on a ship called the Macron," Kelly said, shifting everyone's attention.
John was surprised. Despite only knowing Aedan for a few months, he had quickly become a close friend and felt like family. John now wondered if the special ODST team was connected to Aedan.
"I hope he's having a better time than us," Fred joked, then added seriously, "And I really hope he doesn't die if he's on that ship."
John shared the same concern. The Covenant fleet was sure to overwhelm the ragtag Fleet, and he hoped Aedan wasn't onboard if it got destroyed. Kelly and Sam also worried; they both cared deeply for Aedan, with Kelly being especially close to him.
"I hope so too," John said, his worry evident.
March 24, 2526, 1635 hours
Kolaqoa system, Biko, City of Durban
Four days had passed since Aedan and his team deployed to the planet. Initially, the evacuation went smoothly, although civilians were cautious and sometimes hostile about the evacuation reasons. Cadmon and a small contingent of the Chancellor's Guard led the evacuation. The Chancellor was the first to leave with a small group of guards.
Despite the worsening situation on the second day, the Covenant fleet succeeded in penetrating the defense fleet and deploying dropships. The initial wave, consisting primarily of grunts and a few jackals, was successfully repelled by Kilo-2 and the Militia. However, as additional reinforcements arrived, conditions deteriorated further. Kilo-2 held their position using guerrilla tactics based on Cadmon's experience from Andesia, but the Militia incurred significant losses, which was anticipated.
By the third day, approximately 90% of Durban's populace had been evacuated. The militia endeavored to hold off the Covenant forces, while Kilo-2 consistently disrupted the Covenant ranks, with Cadmon achieving his first kills on some jackals. The Covenant began deploying vehicles such as Ghosts to accelerate their advance, but Elizabeth, with her exceptional marksmanship, neutralized them swiftly.
On the fourth day, Aedan and Kilo-2 were maneuvering from building to building as the city was becoming increasingly devastated due to the unrelenting Covenant assault. Aedan received intelligence from Captain Rodriguez indicating that the defense fleet would only be able to hold for one more day before they would need to retreat.
Aedan and Kilo Two hid behind some windows, observing a patrol of Covenant grunts and Jackals on the street below. Aedan identified their ranks from his experience with lore and gameplay. Notably, an Elite Major in crimson red armor and two Elite Minors in blue armor caught his eye. The armor design combined elements from Reach and CE.
"What the hell are those big ones." Cadmon asked through TEAMCOM.
"Not those, squid faces again" Martinez said through COMs...some hints of annoyance
"Are they bad?" Cadmon asked
"Very" Elijah answered, "And cunning bastards as well"
Aedan knew they could handle the grunts and Jackals, but the elites were the real problem. If he could eliminate the three elites quickly, it would end the fight swiftly. Otherwise, their energy shields would give the team a massive headache since neither he nor anyone in the UNSC had such protection.
"Elijah," Aedan said.
"Yes?" Elijah responded, looking at Aedan and ducking.
"How many plasma grenades do you have?" Aedan asked. During their previous engagements, Elijah had taken the time to loot the Covenant bodies for anything useful, including grenades.
"I have two blue sticky grenades," Elijah said.
"Hand me one," Aedan requested. Elijah complied.
"What's the plan?" Cadmon asked, readying his rifle.
"I'll take out the big ones; you handle the rest," Aedan explained.
"Great, stealing kills again," Elizabeth quipped, loading her sniper.
"Just doing what I do best," Aedan replied, holding the grenade and his DMR. "On my mark."
Aedan activated the Plasma grenade and threw it directly towards the Major. The Plasma grenade landed and stuck to the Elite's head, the elite taken off guard tried to remove it, moving its hand desperately but to no avail as the grenade blew up taking out a few grunts and one of the two minors, the other minor's shield was down.
Kilo-2 stood up from their cover as Aedan fired five shots at the Elite, neutralizing it. Cadmon and Elijah used their weapons to eliminate the grunts, who did not respond quickly. The Jackals raised their shields and returned fire with plasma pistols. Aedan noticed the plasma eroding their concrete cover. Elizabeth used her sniper rifle to take four shots, each taking down a Jackal, before reloading. Martinez addressed the remaining Jackals by flanking them from the lower levels and targeting them behind their shields.
As the dusts settles and the street lays with the bodies of the aftermath of the small skirmish, "That wasn't too bad" Cadmon said as he reloaded his AR.
"Let's get out of here before more Covenant drop ships arrive" Aedan said to which all of Kilo-2 nodded.
As they started walking through the buildings again, taking a different route as the Covenant would be swarming the place where they were moments ago, the shifted from their building to what seemed to be a residential building, it had taken a beating, even on the insides as some hallways were blocked by rubble, they had to go through what used to a kitchen, with cooking utensils on the floor, forks, spoons and knives on the floor, plates shattered.
"Those plates must have been expensive," Cadmon commented.
"Are you genuinely concerned about the plates?" Elijah asked with slight amusement in his voice.
"One has to be concerned about something," Cadmon replied.
As they walked through the kitchen, Aedan raised his right hand, signaling them to halt. He thought he heard a sound and asked, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cadmon asked.
Aedan approached a pile of rubble blocking what seemed to be a closet. As he moved closer, he heard a sobbing sound again. He instructed the team to cover him, which they did. Cadmon stood beside him, alert with his weapon raised, trying to locate the source of the sound Aedan had heard.
Aedan placed his DMR on the floor and began removing the rubble piece by piece, setting the larger pieces aside. After some time, the rubble was cleared enough to reveal a cupboard. As Aedan prepared to open the cupboard, Elijah and Cadmon kept their guns pointed at it for precaution.
As Aedan opened the cupboard, it revealed a child inside, wearing a grey T-shirt, brown shorts and a pair of white shoes, the child was curled up, sobbing. He could tell by the size of the child that he was probably around 5 to 6 years old.
"A child?" Elijah asked, lowering his gun, as he turned to look at Cadmon confused.
Aedan gently placed his hand over the child's should and gently shacked him, "Hey kid, are you okay?" Aedan asked
The child, a boy, raised his head to see who it was, his eyes watery and red due to crying, his eyes widened as he saw Aedan and backed away only to hit his head on the back on the cupboard.
"Easy there." Aedan said as he removed his hand.
"W-who, are y-you" the child asked scared after seeing Aedan. It was expected that anyone would be intimidated by a 7-foot-tall figure in black armor, with a skull engraved into the red visor standing before them.
"Don't worry kid, we're not here to hurt you, we're UNSC." Cadmon said as he moved up and kneeled.
"R-really?" the child asked his voice shaky.
"Yeah." Cadmon said, "No need to be scared of us."
"Where are your parents at?" Aedan asked, he had a slight idea, but he hoped that he was wrong.
"I-I don't know, mommy hid me here telling me not to come out" the child explained, some tears coming out, "I-I don't know what happened to her or daddy."
Aedan felt pity for the child, he knew he was going to be the very first to suffer from this war and definitely not the last, "It's alright kid, I am sure they made it out and are somewhere." Cadmon comforted the boy.
"What's your name kid?" Martinez from back asked.
"C-Carter" the boy answered, Aedan felt something funny hearing that name, as if he knew him from somewhere but couldn't put it to piece.
"That's a nice name Carter, definitely better than mine." Elijah said.
"Sure is." Martinez said with a laugh.
"So, what now, we can't just leave the kid here." Elizabeth asked through TEAMCOM.
"We're taking him with us, we're getting him out of here" Aedan answered through TEAMCOM, "Elijah how far away is the nearest Evac site?"
"2 kilometers northeast, about 10 minutes away from here if we hurry." Elijah answered.
"Good, Cadmon you have the kid." Aedan ordered, "The rest of you, form a perimeter around him."
Aedan was met with a nod from everyone, he turned to Carter, "Stay close to him, Carter, we'll get you with your parents ASAP" Aedan said as he points at Cadmon who stood up, Carter although reluctant nodded, Cadmon held him by the arm by one hand and pulled out his M6C putting his assault rifle back, "Let's move." Aedan said.
As they moved through the destroyed building Cadmon was in the centre with Carter, Aedan was at lead, Elijah and Martinez on the flanks and Elizabeth on the rear. As the exited into the hallways, Cadmon noticed a body on one of the rooms, it was undoubtedly either the kids' parent or maybe someone else, Cadon knew how much seeing a dead body could affect a child, and so, he closed Carter's eyes as they passed by removing his hand as they got into the clear.
As they walked into what was a living room Martinez couldn't help but comment, "Jeez, look at this furniture, sad to see them go to wa-" he was cut off as he was grabbed by something huge…something strong. It was a 9 feet tall giant ape looking thing with furs, red eyes and a really feral looking face, it wore black sliver ornate armor and a large horned headdress, it held a hammer looking thing on one hand and him by the throat in the other, it growled at him loudly and was about to swing its hammer.
Aedan's adrenaline kicked in and he entered SPARTAN Time, moving at a lighting speed and tackling what he knew was a Brute, a Brute chieftain, none the less, as he tackled the chieftain, he tackled him through a wall into what was a bathroom, as Martinez was helped up by Elijah, Cadmon once again closed Carter's eyes and shouted, "OPEN FIRE!"
Aedan, hearing this slid to the side as the brute got up and took the shots, growling loudly in pain, as Kilo-2 emptied their mags the chieftain was still standing, grabbing a hold of his hammer, and growling loudly, Aedan knew that it was going to go berserk and pulled out his Combat knives.
As the Chieftain grabbed his hammer with both his hands gripping tightly it charged towards Aedan, Aedan in return charged towards him before stopping on a dime as the Chieftain slammed the hammer to the ground missing Aedan, the impact caused a shockwave to occur sending debris flying, all of Kilo-2 along with Carter took cover behind the sofa.
Aedan, who had leaped into the air, landed on top of the Chieftain's head, stabbing his knife into its eye, the Chieftain growled loudly in pain and attempted to throw Aedan off but Aedan used his other knife to stab through the neck, killing the brute.
Aedan let out a sigh of relief beneath his helmet, through the hole in the wall Elijah was the first to come through, "Holy shit, Boss you alright?" Elijah asked.
"I am still standing so..." Aedan said as he pulled out his knives from the brute's eye and neck and cleaned them off on his fur.
"What the fuck is that?" Elijah asked as he kicked the corps of the chieftain, "Do these Covenant have King Kong's in their arsenals now?"
Aedan glanced at Elijah, surprised by a reference to an old favorite movie. "Whatever it is, it means more trouble for us," he remarked. Grabbing his DMR, Aedan walked out with Elijah. Martinez was still shaken outside, while Cadmon kept Carter close, and Elizabeth watched for trouble.
"That was scary," Martinez said, checking himself.
"You okay, boss? That thing was unlike anything we've seen," Cadmon added.
"It's nothing like we've seen as of now." Elizabeth said, "Whatever it was or is, it's tough."
"Let's keep moving." Aedan said as he walked out the exit that was in front of them…. outside was another empty street. As everyone pilled out into the street in the same formation as before, above them a Spirit dropship flies by and all of the duck behind destroyed or abandoned civilian cars for cover.
"Shit, flying magnets are going around now." Elijah said, in the past days Elijah had taken his time to give everything the Covenant has a nickname, from vehicles, warriors and weapons.
"Either the big gorilla looking thing made too loud of a noise or it's just them going around in a patrol" Cadmon said as he kept Carter close to him, Carter like any child would was cowering in fear.
"Either way we will have to sprint this now." Aedan said as he got out of cover, "Let's go."
With that they once again continued, now instead of cautiously walking, they were jogging along the street heading northeast, Cadmon was basically carrying Carter at this point as his body would not be able to keep out on foot without collapsing. They continued running for another three minutes before they came under fire from Covenant patrols, Jackals mostly.
Aedan did not back down and neither did the other four as they continued making their way to the EVAC zone while firing their guns. As they approach the landing pad where one last transport ship remained, Elijah and Martinez turned around and fired their weapons as to cover the others, Elizabeth stopped after getting to a high enough level on the landing pad and provided sniper fire, Cadmon felt like he was about to collapse due to all the running, Aedan seeing this grabbed Carter from his arms to which Cadmon gave a nod, "Get him out of here boss, we'll cover you."
Cadmon said as he took out his Assault rifle turning around and firing.
Aedan now with the Carter, at top speed started running towards the final transport ship as it was about to leave, making it just in time before they closed the hatch, a few of the militia remaining greeted him as he neared the ship, Aedan handed Carter over to one of the militiamen, "Get the kid out here, you understand" Aedan said as he handed Carter over.
"Yes sir!" the man said as he took hold of Carter who looked at Aedan.
"Y-you're not coming" Carter asked.
"No….we have a fight to finish" Aedan said, he patted his head and continued, "Listen Carter….you were a strong kid today, and I am sure that one day your parents would be proud of you, I just wanted to say….never let fear decide your actions...and trust me when I say this...it's going to get worst from here on."
Carter slowly nodded, Aedan knew he didn't understand most of the things he said, but he was fine with it, kids didn't need to know what he truly meant...but he had a feeling that the kid might be who he thinks it is.
As the ramp of the ship lifted, and the ship started to lift up Aedan could only watch as it began to leave, 'Good luck to ya, kid' he thought as he turned around, his DMR drawn and started heading back to where he left his team.
As he started heading down the landing pad, he found Cadmon and Elizabeth behind some crates, Elijah and Martinez had also retreated up taking cover behind some metal cylinders, Aedan took as deep breath as he approached Cadmon and ducked next to him.
"How is it looking?" Aedan asked.
"Not good at all" Cadmon answered, "There were only a dozen of those bird-like ones after us and now there's more than a hundred of those little guys as well, and of course those squid face ones as well…. you got the kid out?"
"Yes" Aedan answered.
"Well, if we're going to die here, at least I'll die knowing that we saved a kid." Cadmon said as he placed his last mag inside the assault rifle, Plasma was flying over the heads.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT NOW" Martinez was heard shouting through TEAMCOMs.
As Aedan looked out, he saw a pair of armored 12 feet tall beings with spikes on their backs, a large shield on their left arm and a cannon-like thing on their right... Hunters. 'Ah motherfucker.'
Aedan cursed in his thoughts...things went from zero to one hundred in an instant
"Just how many more big creatures do they have" Elizabeth said as she also slammed her final clip inside her sniper.
"Guys, I think this is it." Elijah said through TEAMCOMs.
Aedan knew there was no way they were making out alive, he had only two more mags left for his DMR. 'So, this is it huh' he thought as he got up and drew his gun, "Let's go out with a bang then." he said.
As Aedan was about to activate his thrusters and bum rushed them, a plan which was dumb...very dumb, that was until suddenly, the field that the Covenant were standing on got bombarded by missiles and strafed with bullets... or auto cannon rounds.
As Aedan looked up, he saw a Pelican fly by, swooping around for another run. A voice was heard through COMs, "This is Lima 2-3, ladies and gents your battle bus has arrived to save D-Day."
"WOHOO, YEAH! GIVE EM HELL!" Martinez shouted.
"HAHA, CALVARY HAS ARRIVED!" Elijah shouted as well as he raised both his hands up in joy.
The only thing Aedan could do was give a short laugh in relief as he watched the Covenant getting wrecked, the hunters got blown apart by a barrage of rockets, Cadmon stood up as well and raised his gun high up, "WE LIVEEE!" He screamed.
The Covenant forces were no match for the Pelican and its guns as they tore through the remnants like a wrecking ball destroying a building, as it finished its final run the Pelican finally started to land on the landing pad, Aedan and Kilo-2 made their way up to board the Pelican, the ramp was open for them to enter.
"Come on lazy asses, get onboard we're getting off this hellhole." The Pilot said through COMs.
"When we get back, I'm going to kick his ass." Martinez said as he boarded first and took his seat. Elijah and Elizabeth followed through with Elijah immediately taking off his helmet and letting off a deep huff.
Aedan and Cadmon followed in as well and took the seats opposite the three as always, the ramp pulled up and soon the pelican lifted off the landing pad and ascending into the air and leaving Biko's atmosphere.
"I think I have seen more on this collection of four days than my whole career." Cadmon said as he removed his helmet as well.
"You're not the only one, Cadmon." Elijah said.
"I can proudly say that I have in fact now, nearly kissed a gorilla." Martinez joked.
"Seriously, that's what you're going to brag about, and you didn't even KISS THE DAMN THING YOU ALMOST DIED MORON." Elijah scolded him.
"Agreed." Elizabeth said, nodding her head as she placed her sniper beside her,
"Eh, the boss saved my ass again." Martinez said.
"I won't always be there to." Aedan said. He did agree though, today was definitely a close call, he'd have to be more careful now on, it had proven to him that even with all his knowledge about the Covenant, their weakness their strengths, even then he could go down if he gets surrounded or outnumbered in an impossible odd, or he could get better in what he did, train harder, and get more proficient...both were going to be changes he would have to make.
As the Pelican left the atmosphere of Biko, from the hatch's window they could see debris of what used to be the Biko defense fleet, completely torn apart, he could see some parts of the planets already being glassed by then Covenant. And this was only the beginning.
March 24, 2526, 2245 hours
Kolaqoa system, Biko/Seoba, UNSC Paris-class heavy frigate, Macron
The Macron had retreated away from the Planet's orbit and closer to the icy moon; the hull of the Macron's hull was damaged with black burnt spots from Covenant plasma, it was lucky to have survived as it had escaped right before the defense fleet was annihilated.
As the pelican entered the hanger bay, it landed and opened the ramp letting Kilo-2 out. As they walked by the hanger bay, Aedan couldn't help but notice some marines and crewmen dragging what seemed to be the corps of some jackals and grunts, with a trolley used to move heavy crates carrying even Elite bodies away.
"Looks like the boys here had their own party." Martinez said.
"And probably better than us that is." Elijah joked.
Aedan noticed a familiar face overseeing the removal of the dead bodies, Staff sergeant Wilson, one of the many marines he had helped rescue from Umagena. As Aedan approached him the sergeant noticed him and saluted him.
"Master Chief, Sir!" he said as he saluted.
"At ease sergeant, what happened here, and why are there bodies inside?" Aedan asked, he already knew the answer but to not raise any suspicions played unknowing.
"Well sir, these damn aliens boarded our ship and tried to capture it" Wilson explained, "Poor bastards didn't know that the biggest badass' from the Marine Corps were onboard, and we kicked their alien asses off this ship." the sergeant proudly said. "Although those squid faces were some tough bastards to crack, so how was it down there, sir?"
"Way worse than in here." Aedan said.
"Damn, that bad huh, I just hope we all make it off this war alive." he said as he watched the marines drag the bodies, purple blood stains left behind by Elites, and blue from the grunts.
"Don't we all," Aedan said.
Aedan had dismissed Kilo-2; they had done their part, and earned their rest, everyone onboard this ship did. Aedan walked by multiple marines and crewmen, most of the marines looked exhausted, 'The Covenant must have really tried their hardest to capture the ship' Aedan thought. As Aedan walked into the bridge, he could feel the exhaustion in the room; the bridge crew worked tirelessly, the captain sat in his command brought closer to the Holotable.
"Captain, Sir! SPARTAN 001 reporting" Aedan said as he saluted, the Captain had dark circles in his eyes, 'Jesus, was it that bad up here' he thought.
"At ease, chief" The captain said as he got up his chair, "As you can see…. it's a mess, the Planet's lost."
"Sir…. how many made it out." Aedan asked, he wanted to know if he and his team had saved as many people as they can.
"Thanks to you and your team, about 70% of the population safely made it out." the captain said, Aedan felt his soul crush, even if 70% had made it out, the other 30% were left to die, and they couldn't do anything now. "We're heading back to Reach, the Macron has sustained far too much damage to continue on, in the meantime you can get some well-deserved rest."
There was, however, one more thing that plagued his mind, "Sir, what about-" Aedan was, however, cut off by the Captain who already figured out what he was about to ask.
"Yes, yes, command is not happy that I had ignored their orders, and I would probably be court martial" the Captain explained, that hit Aedan in the gut, the Captain was one of the few competent and reliable officers who knew what he was capable of even if no details of the SPARTAN program had been provided to him, he treated Aedan like any other soldier and he respected that, the Captain could be said to be an unofficial mentor for him as serving under him had taught him a lot of new things, both in views and tactics.
"However," the Captain continued, "Due to you and you team's high success, and effectiveness at holding the Covenant on ground allowing many more than we had anticipated to evacuate… Command has decided to turn a blind eye to it, you can say your success had saved my career in the UNSC."
Aedan was taken aback, sure he and his team had done the best they could, but as far as he knew, they didn't do that great, they nearly died or almost lost someone on multiple occasions only surviving because of Aedan's expertise in Medical field, something he did not regret in learning.
"Once we get back to Reach, FLEETCOM will award you and your team medals for your bravery" The captain continued, he walked closer to Aedan and patted his shoulders, "Be proud Chief, your team has proven to the UNSC that they are some of the best soldiers out there and I am sure we will need people like them and SPARTANs like you if we are to win this war" the captained paused for a moment, "Trust me when I say this Chief, it was a damn blessing that you were attached to my ship and a damn good decision to allow you take command of Kilo-2 and choose who would fill in the boots."
"Thank you, sir, the navy could also use officers like you if we are to win this." Aedan said to the captain chuckled.
"They will find plenty more than an aging man like me… get some rest, you have earned it the most, Dismissed" The Captain said, Aedan gave another Salute before turning around and leaving the bridge.
As Aedan walked through the corridors, he thought about his old life, he finally understood what his mom had meant back then, 'The crew of the ship are like a big family', Aedan had grown attached to the Macron and its crew, maybe it was because as a child his mom would take him aboard her ship during vacations and sail out in the sea, but now it felt right to be a part of the Navy even though his line of work was closer to the Royal marines and by some extent what he had dreamed to become, a SAS operative.
Aedan entered his room, as a senior NCO he got a decent private room, it was a decent size with a bed instead of the usual cot or bunk bed, a table and a chair and a closet which he rarely used, as he sat on the bed which was sturdy enough to hold the weight of his MJOLNIR.
The other members of Kilo-2 were currently in the locker room, having kept their weapons back in their armory, they removed their BDU and changed into their PT uniform, black camo fatigues and black half shirts. All four of them were exhausted, four days of combat with little rest and sleep would take a toll on anyone.
"God…. I'm definitely using a shower after this." Elijah said as he put his shirt on.
"I need some good food, living off of protein bars and MREs is a no go." Martinez said as he stretched his arm.
"I'm joining you on that one." Elizabeth said as she tied her hair.
"What about you Cadmon? You are having a shower, a quick snack or?" Elijah asked.
Cadmon, who was sitting on the bench got up and cracked his neck, "Nah, I'll just go back to my room." he said, "I might give my little bro a transmission maybe a call or recording, haven't talked to him since well Andesia."
"Where's your little bro at again?" Martinez asked.
"He's studying at Corbulo academy, I graduated from there as well." Cadmon said.
"Sheesh, look at you and your bro, at one of the most prestigious academies." Elijah teases, "So how was it like in a military academy like that."
"High standards you can say." Cadmon replied, "Better than the bootcamps."
"I can guess." Martinez said.
"Right, see you." Cadmon waved as he walked out.
Cadmon walked through the corridors of the ship, he had also gotten along really well with everyone onboard other than his team, this ship felt more like home than his own actual home did, even more so than Corbulo academy which he missed.
As he walked into his room, he grabbed his Data pad and sat on the chair next to his desk, balancing the pad on the wall, as he tabbed the pad, he opened the recordings, and took a deep breath, "Alright then...Lets do this" he said as he started the recording which he would send to his younger brother, Thomas.