Valiant Squad, Prequel To UNSC Intrepid- Black Box

Special Equipment

Rick's POV

Days passed by on Reach as a blur. Training was hard. The officers has us do crawls under live fire and barbed wire in mud. To make it worse, it was usually 6 am everyday. We did team on team fire fights aginst other squads and sometimes, officers. They were damn good. Compound runs were longer and so were other PT session. To describe it as hell would be an understatement. The only rest we got was on Sundays.

We would get half a day of free time and the rest was spent extra education that we might need such as weapons, tactics and maitanance. I would usually hang out with Jake or go and talk to the girls form Foxtrot.

Weeks and months passed and soon, the time had come. The hardcore SPARTAN training was finished and we were ready. It was a bleak day, I was a few months pased 15 yeras old. We woke up and we were met with a small assignment on the nearby desk on each bunk. I crept down and read it. There was also a pencil. I picked it up and looked down at the test. The instructions were longer then the actual thing:

Answer the questions truthfully.

Use the pencil provided.

Give the test to Petty Officer Menedez when you have finished.

There are no mistakes.

Your MJOLNIR specifacation will depend on the results of this test.

Name,Number,and Squad at the top.

Good luck.

1) Which one of these would you use?

A) An Assault Rifle

B) A DMR

C) A Rocket Launcher

D) A 50MM Chain Gun

Easy,I thought as I wrote down B

2) You must infiltrate an enemy fortifaction. How do you do so?

A) Create a distraction while my team sneaks in.

B) Take out all enemy targets at range.

C) Blow up the walls and walk in.

D) Silently sneak in via the gates.

Hmmmmmm, Ill go with A.

3) Where do you see your self, on the battle field, in 10 years?

That one slapped me in the face. I wasant quite sure. I always thought that the SPARTAN project leaders would tell me everything. I had to make my own decision. I sat for a miniute or two, thinking. I finally wrote down:

Standing at the front, holding my ground, my teammates at my side, pushing forward to victory.

I looked down at the paper and realised i was at the end. I got up, picked up the paper and slowly and quietly made my way to the door of the conpartment. I then jogged to the compound's canteen. I was hungry. Menedez was waiting in the canteen. I handed my paper to him and he smiled. Well thats a first. I thought.

"Early bird, SPARTAN?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. I like to get off to a good start."

He smiled again.

"Have a good day, SPARTAN."

I got breakfast and sat down at a table and ate hungrily. Man, training was hard lately. They had us doing live combat training right after doing the compound run twice. That was hard. I qucicky finished eating, disposed of my tray and strolled back to my room.

I walked in to find Lancer and Jake doing the test, Warner was taking the advantage of some peace and quiet, for once. He was lying in his bunk, smiling peacefully.

"Hey Rick" Jake dissmisavley greeted me.

"Hey guys!" I replied. No response. I understood this. They were as exausted as I was. That was a bad sign. Hopefully, MJOLNIR would earn us a few days bed rest.

The attention seeking chime of the intercom sounded and Deja announced:

"All recruits who have not completed thier papers are required to complete immedatley and hand into CPO Mendez. Thank you. All those who have eaten and handed in the paper, please head to landing pad 4 in dress uniform and board the Albatross Gunship landed there. Thank you."

We all knew we were headed to MJOLNIR.

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A hour and 56 miniutes later we all fanned out in docking platform 2 onboard the firgate "UNSC Standguard" This would be the first time we SPARTANs would have been off Planet Reach sence the beginning of project ORION.

We were all directed to cryo-pods and were injeected with the meds needed to survive cryo-sleep. Were got into the pods just as the shp entered slipspace. The world blackened, just as if someone turned off a screen...

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We woke up quickly, too quickly. Why would we be flash frozen? That would only mean an emergency. Crap, what could have happened? I felt a jurking feeling in my stomach, which means Ill have to think about that later. The meds came right up into my mouth.

"Thish sthuff ish crap." I murmered from all the lime flavored mucus that swashed around in my mouth. Every time they change the mixture it always tastes the same crappy flavour that makes you want to puke.

"The protien-vitamin concotion is actually very nutritious, Trainee 288. It replaces the nutrients you lost during cryo sleep. Please regurigate the mixture and swallow." Deja replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

I spat it out onto the deck grate. 

"I'm not swallowing that." I wipe my lips and go get dressed. As I zip up my jacket, a rumble bursts through the ship and throws me and the SPARTANS to the deck. Me and a couple other SPARTANS ran to the bridge to ask the Captain what was happening.

We stepped onto the bridge and saluted Captain Cragius. He returned it and spoke.

"What do you need, son?" He asked a guy called Regan.

"Whats going on, sir?" Regan asked.

"Insurrection, son. Rebels attacked the ship."