- Derelict UNSC Frigate -
- Unknown Space -
Spartans... Soldiers, Protectors, Saviors of Humanity.
There is a common misconception about these Spartans, and that's how most consider them to be inhuman, machines, or monsters.
Yet they don't realize just how much a Spartan has sacrificed, life... Limb, even friends.
Zion-101, Spartan Commander Ulz - Is one of the Spartans who've sacrificed everything, he lost his entire left arm in the Human-Covenant War, then lost his leg to the Brutes on Installation 07.
And now, he may very well have lost his life, frozen for god knows how long within his ship, Peace of Sanghelios, a Human-Sangheili frigate.
A bit away from his cryo-pod, is a pylon jutting from the floor, a small holographic woman appears on it, she glows a emerald green.
"They told me I could pick, y'know..." She begins, stepping off of the pylon, she reappears standing at 5'7" her holographic hair is short, almost in a bobcut, dark lines trailed her body, much like an older model of one Cortana.
"Cortana picked John... I picked you, do you know why?" She now stands infront of his cryopod, slowly she lifts a hand, placing it gently on the glass.
"You were strong, fast, you feared nothing... Even when you lost your arm as an ODST..." She glances at the synthetic limb, a sad look on her face.
"You fought, you've been knocked down so many times... That's why I picked you."
"You keep getting back up."
A ship-wide alert breaks her monologue, she returns to the pylon, pulling a few holographic screens from the void, one alerts her to an unknown inbound spacecraft.
The Peace of Sanghelios has no active systems, guns don't work, engines burnt out, only one life sign aboard.
"Looks like I need you..." She begins the override, the cryopod hissing as it begins to thaw out its inhabitant.
A gasp comes from within, the muffled sound of movement is heard, then the hatch hisses open, releasing frost into the air.
Out steps a Spartan, MK.VII - Rakshasa.
"What's... The occasion?" He asks, a hitch to his breath, he checks his armour and metal hand, then approaches the pylon.
"You told me to wake you when I needed you, and right now..." She shows him a screen, a radar with a number of blinking dots on it, "I really need you."
"Possible Covenant?"
"Unclear, more likely the Banished..."
The Spartan nods, walking over to an in-wall armory, which holds his MA40 Assault Rifle, and M392 Bandit Rifle.
As he turns to face the AI, the Crusier is shook, "That was too light for weapons fire... Boarding team?"
"Looks like it, huh... That's odd, the Boarders don't have a Heat signature."
"Forerunner then?" The AI shrugs.
"Alright, pull me and we'll deal with them." The Spartan reaches the pylon, pulling a small chip from the machine, a glowing green orb fixed to the center.
He slots the chip into the back of his helmet.
[- AI Aurora Detected -]
"Let's do this." He runs out of the room, MA40 in hand, flashlights flick on from the sides of his helmet.
"Right behind that door." They stop at a heavy steel door, "Which is... Locked, give me a second."
As he's waiting he readies his rifle, stock to shoulder as he sweeps the room.
"Are there any other survivors?"
As the door slides open, Aurora appears on his shoulder, "No... Just you."
"Spartan Luck, I guess." He sighs, walking through the doorway, weapon ready, as he's sweeping a hall, he faintly hears a clicking sound.
"Contacts." Her voice was faint, flicking the lights off on his helmet, he tucks himself behind cover, waiting for the Unknowns to walk by.
As they pass, Ulz takes a moment to study the possible hostiles, "Did a bit of digging, they're completely Synthetic, inorganic... Called the Geth."
[ Geth ]
"Hostility to humans is confirmed, strike first." With that, Ulz grabs one of the machines with his metal hand, throwing it into two others, before lifting his MA40 and laying into them.
He then turns, shooting down two more, once the hall is clear Aurora appears next to him, "All hostiles eliminated! Good work."
Ulz scans the hall again, before reloading his weapon, then kneels down to study on of the Geth, "Those weapons, plasma, right?"
Aurora hums, "Yeah, though, I think you killed them before they could fire though." Ulz turns towards the way they came from.
"Any Pelicans in the Hangar?" Aurora vanishes, only to reappear back in the next few seconds.
"Nope, but, I'm sure I can hijack the ship the Geth came here with." Aurora vanishes into his helmet.
"If the Geth are hostile, it might be a little difficult to land anywhere..." Ulz checks his weapons, marching down the hall the Geth came from.
"I'll change the IFF, and keep a constant hailing channel open." Aurora smiles to herself as he disappears into his helmet.
As they approach the section of ship the Geth boarded from, they are fired upon, thin beams of plasma pelting his shields, doing almost nothing to them.
As he ducks into cover, he grunts, "Well, plasma weapons confirmed..." He pops out of cover, this time holding the Bandit, he let's off to shots, blowing the head off a Geth, missing the second shot.
"Weaker configuration, these weapons aren't as focused as the Covenants, or the Banished's." Ulz continues returning fire as a few more Geth file into the room, taking cover behind a few upturned tables.
"Aurora, pillar just behind them, line up it up!"
"Done!" Ulz stands from cover as he throws a grenade towards the pillar, it bounces just behind the Geth's cover, and as it explodes a few synthetic bits and pieces fly through the low gravity.
He jumps over his cover, slamming his metal foot into the chest of a Geth, crushing the torso as he stomps onto it, he then sweeps the room, rifle raised.
"Hostiles?"
"Eliminated!"
With a breath of relief, Ulz checks his surroundings, he's stood in the Mess Hall, the odd white blood of the Geth spray against a table, where he had tossed the Fragmentation Grenade.
He continues walking towards the objective marker on his HUD, approaching an outer hall with a few broken panels, shattered windows, etc.
"There it is..." She appears next to him, pointing at an odd bug shaped spacecraft.
[ Geth Fighter ]
"...Weird design." Ulz shrugs, continuing his walk towards the hullbreach the ship is stationary near.
"Once we're aboard, I should be able to find out where we are too." As the reach the hullbreach, Ulz looks back to the derelict he woke up in.
"That Sangheili owed me a duel too..." He sighs, leaning out of the Frigate and pushing away from it, gliding through space as he grows closer to the Geth ship.
<[---------------------------------------]>
I finally got to writing this...