HALO: A shot in the dark
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		<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Non-Adult Sandbox =&gt; Non-Adult Roleplays =&gt; Topic started by: Gladiator0161 on August 21, 2010, 06:48:32 pm</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>August 21, 2010, 06:48:32 pm</strong>
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				<strong><em>Onboard UNSC Capital Ship Hercules<br>Location: Earth's Lower Atmosphere <br><br>2 hours from mission briefing</em></strong><br><br><em>The ship floated silently amidst the grey white clouds in Earth's lower atmosphere, the longsword fighters flying in their patrol routes like an army of bees protecting their hive. The thrum of their powerful turbines making the air shake with their own thunder. Admiral Bane looked out his viewport and sighed, it had been a long, bloody, and costly war. The Covenant had glassed the outer rim worlds like Harvest before making their way in system. Very little had been able to slow them down but, they had won a few essential battles. The loss of Reach had been the breaking point for most of the civilians and a few of the military personnel. Even the military brass felt the affects of Reach, though they were never allowed to show it publicly. They had to keep up moral. It seemed for awhile that the Covenant wouldn't find Earth, that the Cole Protocol had actually exceeded expectations in keeping their last world secret from the the butchers of the Covenant and their holy war. Then they found it anyway.<br><br>They hadn't come in force and it was generally agreed upon that the Covenant had just stumbled into the sector. The UNSC had quickly destroyed the Covenant ship, though they still retained heavy casualties. In the blink of an eye they'd lost two Orbiting MAC Gun Stations to Covenant bombs, and had it not been for Sierra 117, or Master Chief, and Cortana, they surely would've lost a third. Then before they could destroy a lone Covenant Cruiser that had been hovering over New Mombasa, it jumped, taking Captain Keyes ship along with Sierra 117 and Cortana along with it. That was when they picked up another ship on the far side of the moon, heading straight for New York City.<br><br>Admiral Bane had been ordered to muster the remaining troops and followed them, find out what they were after and stop them at whatever cost. That was exactly what he planned to do. "Anything yet lieutenant?" He asked the tactical ops officer, when he confirmed in the negative Bane simply rubbed his chin and mutered "Why are they just sitting there? Are they a diversion?" He knew his crew were wondering the same thing and he planned to give them the answers they sought.<br><br>"Well, while they're making themselves at home, we might as well take advantage of this little dry spell. Get the marines, ODST's and Spartans to the briefing room now" Admiral Bane flipped a pocket open and brought out a cigar and lighter "We're going duck hunting"</em><br><br><strong><em>Location: Hallway, on section E 12</em></strong><br><br>A spartan walked the halls in blue armor, the emblem of a black Gladiator's helmet with a gold background on his shoulder and chest, his own helmet held the gold V shaped visor of a scout. He was a sniper, and one of the best around. He'd came to be known as simply "Gladiator", due to his proficiency in killing Covenant, both from a distance, shooting them specifically in the head, and in melee combat. He was part of the third series of Spartans. Ofcourse he'd always added in his serial number when reporting for duty. He was the strong silent type. Right now, he had no duties to attend to so he simply stalked the halls, keeping himself alert and ready. He'd already memorized the layout of the Hercules but, felt that actually walking the length and breadth of it would do him some good in the down time. He'd been on countless missions against the Covenant. Before Reach had been glassed he'd been on Harvest fighting for the lives of every man, woman and child on the planet in the hopes that they could slow the Covenant down and let innocents escape. They'd succeeded in a sense. Whereas millions could have been glassed and wiped from the face of the universe, they'd survived but, thousands of others still lost their lives. There had been no time for remorse though, they'd had to escape the planet themselves, and retreat to fight another day. Then when Reach had been attacked he'd been assigned to a ship that was to reinforce the thousands fighting there.<br><br>A soft bump broke him from his reverie and Gladiator looked up to find himself faceplate to faceplate with another Spartan, a female judging from her stance. Realizing he'd bumped into her and that he was now outside the galley he stepped back and said in his rich deep voice "Sorry, I'm a little distracted" before giving her the sign of a smile, his index and middle finger splaying out to point out eyes on his faceplate, before drawing a curving line to indicate a smiling mouth. It was the closest thing to an emotional outburst that a Spartan displayed usually. Even a simple handshake could be dangerous to a normal Human, so most of them were extremely reserved about physical contact with anybody. Given the circumstances involved in a Spartan's development, most people understood why.<br><br>"Excuse me" Gladiator said gently before moving past her and into the galley.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>August 24, 2010, 07:44:16 pm</strong>
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				His designation was Spartan-132, known only among his brothers and sisters as Lance.&nbsp; &nbsp;He was dressed in dark purple armor, his helmet currently slung under one arm as he headed for mission briefing.&nbsp; &nbsp;He'd long since drifted into the position of a Scout, a pistol on each hip and his assault rifle slung across his back.<br><br>He padded nearly noiselessly even now, making a detour to pick up a bottle of water from the mess hall.&nbsp; &nbsp;He uncapped it, tossing the cap into the recycler without even looking at it.&nbsp; &nbsp;He took a good sized swig, exchanging nods as he went.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>August 24, 2010, 08:10:47 pm</strong>
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				Gladiator walked into the galley and took in everyone in it, his eyes sweeping the room looking for anyone he might find familiar.<br>He spotted one such person, his eyes locking onto Lance coming into the galley from another entrance. Gladiator walked up behind him as he swiped a water and began to drink. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Lance spewing water in surprise. He'd served with the purple colored Spartan some years back on the 7nth Halo the UNSC had discovered. There had been heavy casualties there too but, atleast they'd had the chance to blow what must have been hundreds of Covenant to hell. He placed his hand gently on Lance's shoulder and said "Lance. How've you been?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kyle989</strong> on <strong>August 24, 2010, 10:01:31 pm</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 0.7em;" class="bbc_size">[Watch for links throughout the post.]</span><br><br>Kyle Nassir (http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad32/Kyle9898/Peoples/coolfacialscars.jpg) awoke from his dreams with a jerk, his right hand on the hilt of the combat knife beneath his pillow. Confirming that he was alone, he sat upright, slowly running a hand through his hair. It was short, but not cropped short like the other soldiers of the UNSC. He wasn't a soldier anyway, not really. Kyle had spent more than ten years as a mercenary and assassin, before the Covenant had shown up. His past life felt like a bad dream. Nothing he had done during those years had meant anything. Sure, he had acquired some wealth, but the years he had spent taking human lives hadn't really accomplished anything. Realizing he was holding the knife, Kyle shook his head and returned it to the sheath on his right-hand boot. He wouldn't be getting any more sleep, and he was tired of hanging around in the dark of his cabin anyway.<br><br>Kyle checked over his gear and then redressed, all in a well-timed and methodical manner. Some habits were hard to break, especially when your life quite often depended on them. Checking his military fatigues were well arranged in the mirror, the olive skinned man looked at himself, surveying his many scars while reminding himself that he was <em>Lance Corporal Nassir</em> now, and not an assassin. He looked into his own eyes, which looked so dark as they drank in the dim light of the cabin that they might as well have been black. <em>Fitting,</em> he thought. <br><br>After stepping back into his boots and making sure they were snug, Kyle donned the rest of his ODST Battle Armor (http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad32/Kyle9898/Peoples/halo3odstff-1.jpg) piece by piece, checking the systems of his VISR before putting on his helmet. Satisfied that his BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) was in good order (he didn't need military protocol to teach him the importance of such things), Lance Corporal Nassir strapped on his weapons: a pair of M6C pistols (http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad32/Kyle9898/M6CSTpistol.jpg), and a pair of M7S SMGs (http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad32/Kyle9898/M7sSMG.jpg) along with an assortment of knives. Finally, the Trooper was out the door to find something to do other than lay around. <em>At least I look pretty damn good in this armor...</em> Kyle thought with a smirk.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Golden Touch</strong> on <strong>August 24, 2010, 10:15:35 pm</strong>
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				Breathing slowly, she watched the stars outside the small window.&nbsp; There was a feeling of restlessness on board ships, and Adelaine, or Addie, as most knew her- hated being where she was not useful.&nbsp; As a Spartan III, she and her comrades were a whole other class of special.&nbsp; The training they're been taken brutally through from a young age had adapted their bodies into machines.&nbsp; They moved faster, thought quicker and reacted instantaneously to situations where their lives were at stake.&nbsp; Addie had forgotten how old she was now, and how many missions she had been on since Reach.&nbsp; It did not matter really, only the current mission, the here and now.&nbsp; Her facial expression behind the face plate of her helmet was grim- ready for Death.<br><br>She stepped through a doorway, always feeling the urge to duck when she passed through them.&nbsp; In the MJOLNIR armor, she stood seven plus feet tall. Her black armor was dull in the overhead lights, devoid of symbol or other.&nbsp; It swallowed most light, not giving off much of a reflection at this point in time.&nbsp; Addie moved surefooted through the decks towards the briefing room.&nbsp; As concentrated as she was, one of the other Spartans on deck was not.&nbsp; She put up her hands, slowing his forward motion with a bump- barely using any strength as it was.&nbsp; Face plate to face plate, she nodded to him, accepting his words.&nbsp; Returning the smile with a flick of her fingers, she stepped aside for him to enter first.&nbsp; <br><br>Eyes on the hallway, she waited.&nbsp; Everyone was gathering- albeit slowly at that but she soon saw the second Spartan she was watching for.&nbsp; With Lance present, she followed him into the room.&nbsp; He was one of the few that walked around sans helmet.&nbsp; She did not, for want of not being stared at by the ODSTs and marines like she had two heads.&nbsp; They didn't like the Spartans, and she tried not to rile them any further when forced to catch a ride somewhere via cruiser.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>August 25, 2010, 12:22:52 pm</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/onilobo/ODST_Sniper_by_Gazas.jpg)</div><strong> Gunnery Sergeant "Sling" Desmond Rockwell</strong><br><br>Desmond Rockwell made his way slowly towards the briefing room, the Texas born native joined up before he was even born or so his father told the tail as he had been moving from world to world, ship to ship since his dad's days back in Texas with his pregnant mother. Truth was he was born on a ship in deep space but like hell that would show up on his birth certificate. Now a man of twenty-five and on his own, he followed his parents foot steps and became a marine and one hell of a good one. He was the epitome of the ODST, patriotic, loyal, deadly and most of all a little psychotic. <br><br>The dark haired, green eyed marine (When his helmet was off) walked, his armor was a literal portable armory. Strapped to his hips he held his babies from the very first threats of the Covenant, the dual M6D Magnum Sidearms with zoom-scope slung at his hips. Across his chest he had four M6G Magnums lining his chest in case he need to swap out guns and did not have the time to reload. Resting on his shoulders he had mounted a pair of Maulers to draw if he was in need of more fire power and his true but (worthless) trophy was the unpowered energy blade he confiscated from an Elite who was lunging at him and was caught between the eyes with his quick draw. <br><div class="floatright">(http://us.starcraft2.com/images/news/horner.jpg)</div><strong>"You boys can go home now, ODST is here" </strong><br>The helmet's polarized visor went clear to reveal the stern look on his face he always kept across his features. Like all ODST, he hated waiting around for orders to go kick ass. His trigger fingers were already inching for a fight and he wanted to get an early start on his kill count. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>August 25, 2010, 09:45:07 pm</strong>
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				"Busy."&nbsp; Lance lifted the hand with the bottle to tap knuckles.&nbsp; &nbsp;"While you lazy snipers just lay around, us poor scouts run ourselves ragged."&nbsp; &nbsp;He jerked his head in the direction that he'd been going and then started walking.&nbsp; &nbsp;"I'm on the way to brief right now."&nbsp; &nbsp;He took another drink of his water, leaving random conversation as rest for the moment.&nbsp; &nbsp; All Spartans were brothers and sisters on a level that didn't require explanation.&nbsp; At this moment, his mind was on the mission that they were about to undertake.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>August 26, 2010, 12:25:32 am</strong>
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				(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv251/nightsketcher1/Star%20Wars/HaloNoble_Team_Sniper-1-1-1.png)<br><br>Gladiator rapped knuckles with Lance and gave a snort to the Spartan's jeer "Yeah and maybe you scouts wouldn't be running yourselves ragged if you were quieter, like us snipers" a grin plainly evident in his deep voice. The Spartan swiped a water bottle from the counter and walked after the dark purple colored Spartan. "I'm on my way to brief right now" Lance explained simply before taking a drink of his water.<br><br>"Yeah, same" Everyone in the UNSC was family, sure everyone had their own groups but, everyone in those groups were brothers. It didn't matter if you were a ODST, Marine or Spartan, in the heat of the moment, everyone helped each other out. <br>It was a bond that was difficult to explain. If someone broke that sacred trust though, <em>they</em> were the outsiders, shunned by everyone. The Spartan's in general though, were viewed like distant cousins, or second cousins by some, and just like real families some cousins were closer than others. Gladiator grew to his customary silence as they walked on, his mind caught on two subjects both with equal importance to him personally. One was the mission to come. The other was of a more personal nature. Relationships. He didn't have any of a personal sort and that's what was eating at him now. Ofcourse, technically relationships of that kind weren't allowed but, everyone knew that the brass tended to look the other way now-a-days, especially now with the future of humanity at stake.<br><br>A few turns and an elevator ride later they approached the briefing room and Gladiator swept the troublesome thoughts from his mind.<br>The doors whisked open at their approach, revealing a man in his later forties. A glance at his service stripes revealed a thirty year veteran, while a glance at his rank insignia revealed the rank of an Admiral. The Spartan instantly snapped into a salut "Sir, Gladiator0161 reporting sir, as requested." The Admiral snapped a salut back "at ease gentlemen, you're early. I like that. Make yourselves comfortable while everyone else arrives. You've got a long mission ahead of you and I won't have you standing around like statues." Gladiator just nodded and walked over to an empty space of wall, leaned against it and crossed his arms.<br><br>With that the Admiral returned to examining a holographic display of a Covenant Cruiser.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kyle989</strong> on <strong>August 26, 2010, 01:08:57 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Mercifully, after meandering aimlessly for only three and a half minutes, Trooper Nassir received orders and was given something to do. The orders came in the form of a message sent to his helmet's VISR. It was addressed to <em>"Rook"</em>, his call-sign when out on missions with the rest of his four-man squad. The men of his squad (Knight, Bishop, and King) sometimes called him 'Rookie' because he was the lowest ranking one among them, but mostly they did so just to piss him off. Kyle wasn't very well-liked by his squad-mates. He wasn't a soldier, he wasn't one of <em>them</em>. In fact, Rook had been informed that he would soon be assigned to a new squad. So, when the message from HIGHCOM splayed out across the inside of his visor told him that he was the only one from his squad assigned to this certain mission, he wasn't very surprised. He <em>was</em> a little surprised that it had happened so fast however. He had been expecting it to take the Top Brass several months to switch him out into a new squad... Reading further, Rook realized he wasn't officially being moved yet, but nevertheless he had been picked for a special mission, one that even a few Spartans were involved in. <em>Mission briefing in five,</em> he reminded himself as he finished soaking in the contents of his orders. <br><br>Exactly one minute later, Rook entered the room were his mission briefing was to begin. Someone was saying something about being quiet <em>"...like us snipers."</em> The ODST found that interesting, doubly reassured by the weight of his rucksack. The armored backpack was invaluable to soldiers, able to hold a surprising amount. Kyle's currently stored his broken-down SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle (http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad32/Kyle9898/S99AMsniper.jpg), several clips of ammunition, and a few medical supplies. Knight, Bishop, and King hadn't exactly been the subtle type. <em>At least there will be someone on this mission who appreciates stealth.</em> Kyle slipped through the doors and took a seat without a word. Behind his maroon-colored visor, he studied the others, particularly the Spartans. They certainly looked impressive. Still, he made no comment, keeping his thoughts to himself unless invited to share them, like he always did.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>September 04, 2010, 02:27:55 pm</strong>
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				Lance finally got the briefing room, finding an unoccupied chair and settling into it.&nbsp; &nbsp;He set his helmet on the seat next to him and then finished his bottle of water in silence, waiting for the briefing to begin.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 04, 2010, 09:31:22 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong><em>Onboard UNSC Flagship Hercules</em></strong><br><br><strong><em>Ten minutes before mission start</em></strong>[/i]<br><br>The Admiral looked around and sighed, more than thirty men lined the room and probably not even half of them would make it back.<br>It was a terrible cost but, these men would save thousands with their intelligence. Admiral Bane looked to each and every one of them, memorizing their faces and the color of their armors and the designs painted onto them. He knew every man by name and he already regretted it. He mentally prayed and then looked up as the last man arrived "Alright men, here's the situation. There's a Covenant Cruiser hovering over down town New York City. We don't know what it's doing or what it's purpose is. Your mission to drop onto the Cruiser, find out it's objective and then destroy it. Your mission starts in ten minutes, grab your gear and report to the drop bay. You're dismissed and good hunting out there."<br><br>Gladiator stood up straight and saluted smartly "Yes sir" he said briefly before walking out of the briefing room and to a armory around the corner. The blue and gold Spartan looked over the weapons for a second Assualt Rifles, M5 Battle Rifles, MK6 Sniper Rifles, Rocket Launchers, Spartan Lasers, Plasma and Frag Grenades as well as an assortment of other weapons sat in their respective shelves just begging to be used. Gladiator grabbed a MK 6 Sniper Rifle and ten extra ammo packs and stuffed them in his belt. He slid the Sniper Rifle into place on a magnetic compartment on his back and then picked up a M5 Battle Rifle and ten extra ammo packs for that. Walking over to the grenades he smiled, he loved these things, soon enough 6 Frag grenades, 6 Plasma Grenades and 4 Brute Grenades went into his belt. Gladiator walked over to a nearby elevator and got in, pressing a button that lead to the 48th floor. <br><br>The elevator shot down, the familiar sensation of momentary weightlessness overcoming him. When the lift stopped, it did so with a small jerk, a moment later the doors opened and Gladiator0161 walked out into the darkened drop bay area. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving any further. The bay was in full commotion marines and ODST's running in every which way to grab last minute weapons and get to their "drop pods". The drop bay itself consisted of both walls lined with single occupant exoatmospheric insertion vehicles, the strict military types called them SOEIV's, everybody else just called them 'drop pods', a small armory and little else.<br><br>Having already chosen his weapons of choice, Gladiator walked over to a SOEIV, pressed the button that would open the hatch and got in.<br>Now all there was to do was to wait for everyone to report in, the hatch to close and the mission to begin.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kyle989</strong> on <strong>September 07, 2010, 10:29:33 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Kyle studied the faces, insignias, armors, and weapons as the room filled with more and more soldiers. He noted, and not for the first time, how there was a subtle sense of segregation amongst the more than thirty UNSC men around him. The Spartans kept to the fore of the room for the most part, seated at the head of the briefing room's table or leaning against the wall. Several ODSTs had congregated around the middle of the table around Rook, giving him an unfamiliar sense of fellowship. Finding that he rather liked the taste of fitting in, Rook angled himself towards them, no longer using his chair and his shoulders as a barrier. He found them all looking at him, their visors opaqued to reveal the faces beneath. Deactivating the polarization of his own visor, Rook gave them a quick nod of recognition that seemed to be well-received. The less distinguished, or perhaps merely less <em>infamous</em> crowd of infantry-men lined the back of the room, eyeing the shock troopers and cyborgs with expressions ranging from admiration to contempt. When it came down to it though, Kyle knew each and every one of them would pull together in order to accomplish the mission. If there was reasonable doubt to the contrary then they wouldn't have been chosen for it. ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) operated under a guise of ambiguity, but they were incredibly keen on proficiency, and Trooper Nassir was certain this mission was the orchestration of an ONI "spook".&nbsp; <em>That explains why I'm here then. I've worked with -no- <strong>for</strong> them before...</em><br><br>Kyle redirected his focus to the front of the room, meeting the Admiral's eyes through the maroon sheen of his visor. He listened intently as the man finally revealed the situation for which they had all been gathered. The intel was scant to say the least, but Rook was starting to get accustomed to such brief briefings. Compared to the careful and often tedious planning he had operated by as an assassin, fighting in a war was a no-brainer. Following the rest of the men to the armory, Kyle made a point of securing extra ammunition and a few more grenades than he typically carried. Next, he made his way down to the drop-bay, reaching it in record time. The Helljumper hadn't had time to explore much of the <em>Hercules</em>, but he was naturally <em>very</em> familiar with the flagship's bays and operation of the SOEIV 'drop pods'. Strapping into a pod next to a fellow ODST, Rook waited for the mission to begin. He returned a thumbs-up to a pair of Helljumpers settling in to his right, looking forward to the mission despite himself. <em>Maybe it's time this lone-wolf learned how to hunt with the pack after all...</em> he mused.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>September 10, 2010, 03:05:02 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Lance remained silent through the briefing and walked without preamble to the armory, selecting a pair of Covenant Energy Rifles from the rear of the armory as well as a quartet of plasma grenades.&nbsp; &nbsp;He didn't make a sound as he padded from the armory to the drop bay.<br><br>Lance went to his drop pod and entered immediately, knowing that he'd be the first to enter and probably the first to engage the enemy.&nbsp; &nbsp;He activated the pod then braced his feet, Energy Rifles in hand and ready.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 22, 2010, 11:23:40 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Spartan 435 - Hunter was listening during the briefing, he had branched off to stand with the other two Spartans rather than stand with the normal infantry.<br><br>His black and red armour glistened in the artificial light of the war room, his helmet was also black and red, his two favourite colours. When he had first become a Spartan, he had been given standard battle armour that was green and brown in colour but he had modified it to what he liked, so it had become black and red instead, meaning he was good at night fighting, able to strike from the shadows and then bend back in before anyone or anything knew what was happening.<br><br>Once the briefing was over, he went to the armoury and selected his usual battle rifle and shotgun, then he was ready to go, going to the drop pod area, he strapped into his pod and waited to be dropped onto the target zone, this was going to be one intense fight. He couldn't wait.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 22, 2010, 04:54:09 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Decent into Hell <em>part 1: Newly Divided</em> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkwoKgvqBss)<br><br><strong><em>Onboard UNSC Flagship Hercules:<br><br>Mission Status: Mission Commenced<br><br>Decent into Hell: Newly Divided. part 1</em></strong><br><br>The warning klaxon's blared as red lights circled in their protective transparent containers, telling everyone that a drop was imminent. Gladiator checked his weapons and spare ammunition, making sure they were secure. Then checked the registered members of the mission on his HUD, counting off the people that he saw were there. He raised his hand and shut the door to his SOEIV drop pod and strapped himself in. Unless a pod had some sort of weight in it, human, weapons, or ammo, the locking mechanism wouldn't be released and the pod would remain suspended in it's bay and the trap door shut. It was a fail-safe, in case any would-be saboteurs&nbsp; tried to place a bomb in one and destroy the ship. The sensors on and above the locking mechanisms were so precise they'd be able to detect a single pound of weight in the interior of the pod.<br><br>Ofcourse if anyone was late to the party, then the deck controller would have to release the pod manually. It happened once in a while but, not very often. Reporting late to duty could land you in serious trouble, even for a Spartan.<br><br>Gladiator looked down as the trap door below him was pulled back, the mechanical parts in the floor <em>whirring</em> and moaning with the effort until he heard the <em>shunk</em> of the locking mechanism engage to hold the plate in place so the SOEIV would have a clear path. The blue and gold armored sniper looked through the floor of his drop pod in awe. No matter how many times he made a high altitude drop, he was always amazed at the beauty beneath him. Even if it was mostly just clouds, it was beautiful. He could just barely make out the silver form of something looking like a whale from this height. A lone Covenant cruiser just as they'd been told in the briefing room, hung silently over a canyon of steel and glass. <br><br>A moment later another sound announced itself, this time a loud <em>clank!</em> as the lock holding his pod in place was released. For a moment he thought the locking mechanism might have malfunctioned, as a moment of weightlessness enshrouded him. A second later though, it was as if all his internal organs had shifted from their natural locations to the inside his throat, the G-forces taking hold and ripping him downward toward the planet's surface. The wind outside screamed like a fairy tale wraith or ghost, and water pelted his pod as he approached the top most layer of clouds. He looked up for a moment and saw other SOEIV's dropping from the bay. For a moment, the black drop pods almost seemed to blot out the underbelly of the Hercules. Then they disappeared as his pod fell through the clouds enshrouded by a world of gray, water pelting the armored exterior of his craft making a slight hissing sound. He looked down again. It was almost disorienting, nothing but gray, and the feel of the wind as it tried to buffet his SOEIV off course. <br><br>His hands firmly on the controls to either side of him, he made minor course corrections as he punched through the top layer of clouds at ridiculous speeds. It was like the worlds biggest roller coaster enhanced with jet fuel. Quite the adrenaline rush. For a moment his brain screamed to get the hell out of there as the danger set in upon him once again, but, his training kicked in and calmed his rapidly beating heart. He still had miles to go, but it would only take seconds to transverse to the RV point. He kicked in the afterburners on the bottom of the pod, slowing his decent to something less than terminal. He glanced around and saw that everyone was still with him, then a blue light caught his eye.<br><br>Air rippled around the font of the Covenant Cruiser and exploded into a frenzy of lightning and sparks as the neurons in the air discharged. The Covenant Cruiser's engines glowed brightly a second later and pushed the great craft through the transparent opening. <br><br>"Everybody prepare yourselves for emergency crash landings!! This bitch is jumping out!" he found himself shouting into the TEAMCOM as the nose of the great silver craft pushed through the ever widening opening into slipspace. A second later the Cruiser disappeared and the warp field collapsed, the result of the natural forces being ripped open and then closed just as suddenly resulted in a concussion wave that flattened the buildings beneath like paper, and bent the ones surrounding it like a child with a doll. As the wave approached his pod, Gladiator prayed that some of his men would make it out of the drop alive. Then something smashed into his pod with a horrifying <em>bang!</em> and <em>scrunching</em> sound, denting in the door and almost pinning him to his seat. The impact sent the pod spiraling uncontrollably. Ground, sky and water spun randomly about outside, as the Spartan desperately worked his controls to stabilize the out of control SOEIV. Blackness started to creep into his vision but, he batted it away, he couldn't lose consciousness now, his life and the life of his men depended on it. The elements outside dissagreed. The wind was screaming louder than before, unleashing all it's terrifying rage on the free falling peice of metal and the single occupant inside, now that his door had been bent inward from the impact of another drop pod. He couldn't tell if he was over the target zone or not. A moment later he blacked out, unable to grapple with the G-forces any longer. <br><br>Seconds later his pod hit something more solid than itself and bounced. The pod flew through the air, impacting upon the pavement of the street and bounced again, leaving a large scar in the mixture of concrete and tar as it hit. It punched through an abandoned diesel truck like a heavily armored bullet through paper, as gravity took hold once again and pulled it down to the earth, it impacted again, this time throwing it's occupant clear, along with the wrecked remains of the door. Gladiator landed on an abandoned car and smashed it's roof flat, either end of the car bowing upward as glass and steel were ejected from it's doors. The SOEIV continued onward smashing cars and signs as it's momentum carried it further into the city. Finally it punched through the side of a building, throwing concrete, bricks and glass everywhere, the impact like that of a bomb going off. The pod was on fire and it was banged all to hell, the entrance to it was bowed terribly trapping it's precious cargo, the MK5 Battle Rifle and the M 6 Sniper Rifle. It's damage was so extensive, not even an average sized man could fit in it now.<br><br>Finally, everything went quiet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Old Lady Willow</strong> on <strong>September 23, 2010, 03:45:13 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Woo! Here we go!" Jack, one of the ODSTs shouted right before the concussion wave hit his drop pod. He'd always been one for enjoying the adrenalen rush from dangerous situations. He made a few ajustments to his corse direction just at the wave hit, sending his pod out of controll. The world spun, sky and earth rotating so quickly that he couldn't tell which way was up any more. He eased the pod out of the rotation, slowing it to the point where he could actually see what was going on. Looking down, he saw another pod, one with a huge dent in it, falling toward the ground, spinning even worse than his had just a moment before. He made his own pod to follow it, not wanting to leave whoever it was inside left to die th the crash. Of corse, he'd be crashing himself, but probibly not as badly as the other one. He pulled more out of the spin, letting the pod fall vertacally as to try and land around the same place as the damaged pod. It wasn't easy, but it could be done. He was near the ground now, and going way too fast for comfort. He laughed, loving the chalenge, the way his heart pounded. He wondered if they'd let him keep his position as a ODST if they ever discovered his adrenalen adiction? He landed hard, leaving a large dent in the ground as his pod bounced once, two, three times. He opened the pod and crawled out, streaching his arms. He glanced at the now ruined pod, flinching at it's condision. "Don't think this one'll be used again." He muttered to himself. He'd hit his head really hard. He'd probibly had gotten a concusion had he not had his helmat on. His leg also hurt, but he could handle it. He looked around. He'd managed to land near where he thought the other pod would land, but the qusetion was, now where to look? Ah, there it was. He went over to it, flinching at the pain in his leg. It was empty. A little more searching, and he found the car, and the person laying on it. He lightly prodded the body with his finger, reconizing him. "Hey, Gladiator. You okay?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 23, 2010, 04:29:04 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter had been silently waiting for his pod to land so he could fire, and swore inside his helmet when he was hit with the wave from the jump, he hadn't expected it and he blacked out as his pod flew somewhere into the city.<br><br>When he awoke, he was upside down in his pod, his head was killing from a newly formed massive headache and his pod was battered, broken and, if he was any judge, he was now stuck until someone found him.<br><br>"Just great" he muttered to himself.<br><br>He was dangling for a little while before he got really annoyed and bored about it, so he grabbed his rifle and started butting the pod with it, eventually it gave and opened up, dropping him on his head on the solid ground. He got over his headache fairly quickly, holding his rifle and looking around, he was in a hell of an area, debris and broken building lying everywhere, metal girders and piles of rubble that had once being part of something before the jump of the covenant ship had wrecked it all.<br><br>He tried the comms built into his helmet, but they must have been damaged in the crash because he wasn't picking anyone up nearby and no one responded either. He picked up his shotgun and slung it over his shoulder, hefted his rifle and set off looking for anyone that came down in the pods with him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 11:50:35 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lance was barely out of the pod when a clutch of grunts had the unfortunate displeasure of stumbling across him.&nbsp; &nbsp; With quick efficiency, the twin plasma rifles tore into the surprised Covenant unit.&nbsp; The staccato sound of energy rifle fire drowned out any cries of pain, silence settling as quickly as it was broached.<br><br>"Contact."&nbsp; &nbsp;Spartan-132 called over the radio, his NAV beacon flashing three times before winking out.&nbsp; &nbsp;As he waited for the others to converge, he simply watched and waited.&nbsp; &nbsp;Any other Covenant troops would likewise be put down in short order.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 04:39:22 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The darkness lifted bringing in pain and light to his conscious mind. His body hurt but, not to the extent that it would cripple him. A massive headache assaulted his head, if he was lucky he'd have a good sized cut that hadn't broken bone. The other possibility was that he had a concussion. He could hear something moving toward him. He made no movements, just in case it was one of the aliens belonging to the Covenant. He knew his helmet was still on, he could feel the reassuring feeling of the padded metal touching the back of his skull. He cracked open an eye as the thing approached, judging from it's size it was either a Brute or another Spartan. He closed his eyes again, letting the dizziness fade as he pushed the headache to the back of his mind. <br><br>"Hey, Gladiator. You okay?" a moment later something prodded him with what felt like a finger. He recognized the voice. Thankfully, it was another Spartan. He sat up slowly, the car's crushed hood whining with the movement. "Yeah, I'm fine. How's everyone else? Have you heard or seen anyone from the drop?" he said checking himself over, gently touching himself starting at his chest and moving to his stomach. His self examination revealed a couple of bruised ribs. That wasn't good. If he took any hammering from a Brute or a glancing blow from a Hunter, his ribs would break. He looked at his arms and legs and checked their movement. Good, nothing broken in his extremities. Next thing he checked was his weapons. He still had his grenades, his Rifle ammunition and his combat knife, which was more like a short sword to a normal sized Human but, his Battle Rifle and his Sniper Rifle were gone. <br><br>He sighed and jumped down from his twisted cushion of metal, rubber and electrical wiring "and where's my pod? I need my weapons."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 04:58:12 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter had been silently stalking a raiding party of grunts and a couple of elites when the little gadget on his wrist went off, the little bleeping sound alerted the party ahead that he was there. He instantly sprang into action, popping off two grunts with his rifle before having to duck into cover as a tirade of fire came his way.<br><br>He sprang into action as the fire died down, he jumped high into the air, higher than a normal human could manage, and he killed another three grunts, coming down and rifle butting the last grunt in the face, crushing its skull and killing it instantly, then he picked up a plasma grenade from its corpse and threw it at the elite as it dived away from him, the grenade missed by inches, landing quite a distance away and exploding in a burst of plasma.<br><br>He shook his head in annoyance and ran after the elite before it could get away and alert any other raiding parties of his presence. He fired at it with his rifle till he ran out of ammo, the small shield around the elite shimmering as bullets hit it. Throwing his rifle away his hefted his shotgun in his hands and ran faster, soon catching up to the covenant member. He butted it with his rifle, then kicked at it, which knocked it over and shattered the shield, then he fired a round from his shotgun full into its face, destroying its head and most of its upper body.<br><br>He then checked his arm device and saw that it was a locator beacon that had been activated a short way away from where he was currently positioned, so he put his shotgun back over his shoulder and picked up the twin energy rifles the elite had been using, they were a little depleted of plasma, but they would do for now. He set off looking for a way back to the main party.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Old Lady Willow</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 05:06:29 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jack felt relief when he responded, glad that his teamate was more or less alright. "No, sir. You're the only one I've found." He steped back, giving Gladiator room to examan himself. "As for your pod.... I'm afraid it'd damaged beond repair. There's no getting into it ether." He gestured in the derction of the still burning pod. "I have a few weapons left in my own pod, you're welcome to ues them." A pause, "I'm keeping the flame thrower, though." It was a weapon he'd made himself, and he wasn't about to let anyone else use it unless it was life or death. Well, it was life or death, but it didn't hang on the weapon at this point.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 05:44:33 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, sir. You're the only one I've found. As for your pod.... I'm afraid it'd damaged beyond repair. There's no getting into it ether" the other Spartan replied gesturing in it's general direction, and stepping back a little to give Gladiator some room. Gladiator worked his arms as he listened to his fellow team mate.<br><br>"I'd like to take a look anyway, maybe there's a way I can get my weapons out. After all, I left a Sniper Rifle back there and it should come in handy in our current situation" he said beginning to walk in the direction of his downed pod. He flipped through the emergency frequencies on his COM. Nothing but static reported back. He'd keep trying anyway, it was possible that somewhere out there, surviving team members could be close enough to hear him.<br><br>He looked back to the Spartan accompanying him "What's your call sign son?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Old Lady Willow</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 06:15:14 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He followed Gladiator, trying not to limp too much. "They call me Raven, sir." Truthfully, he really didn't like that name, but it really didn't matter. 'What's in a name?' as they say. He made a quick trip back to his pod to grab his weapons. Wouldn't want them to get stolen, after all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 07:55:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The air was strangely silent as he waited for Raven to rejoin him after gathering his weapons. It shouldn't have been as creepy as it was. New York City encompassed an even larger area than it had originally. It was considered a Mega City now, and held at-least a billion people.<br>Now, it was silent, except for the wind whistling past the pillars of steel and glass, and whatever aircraft was passing over. It was a ghost city.<br><br>Gladiator looked around and waited for Raven to collect his weapons before continuing on to his drop pod. With any luck, they'd be clear of enemies for the next ten minutes or so. He wanted just enough time to retrieve his Battle Rifle and Sniper Rifle. Raven came back a few minutes later, toting a Flamethrower, two pistols, and a energy bladed dagger. Gladiator was surprised at the light armament but, didn't say anything, a second later they continued on towards the crash site. The SOEIV had left a pretty good trail of destruction in it's path, making it pathetically easy to find. Crushed cars with torn off hoods, signs snapped in half had dug into the walls of nearby buildings, not to mention the road. It was dotted with impact craters and cracks spider-webbed their way all over the street. Finally a long scar of torn up and heated concrete and tar marked his pod's location. Unfortunately it had drawn the attention of the Covenant nearby. Gladiator counted 8 Grunts, 4 Jackals and two Elites, a decent sized force.<br><br>Gladiator hefted two of his plasma grenades, one in each hand and looked to Raven. "What do you say? Think we can take them?" he said, sarcasm evident in his voice. Ofcourse they could take them, they were Spartans after all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Old Lady Willow</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 08:24:47 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Raven nodded, "Of corse we can!" He pulled out one of his own plasma grenades, and a fully loaded pistol. He liked the smaller weapons, keeping himself light, making it easier to move around. He activated the grenade and tossed it toward the group. It landed at the feet of one of the Grunts. The grenade went off, the explosion tearing it apart. Laughing, he ran out infront of them, pulling out his energy dagger as he did so. He meant to draw atention to himself, giving Gladiator a chance to strike. One of the Jackles fired at him, and it hit his shoulder. He swore, but the damage was only skin deep, thanks to the armur.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2010, 09:01:10 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He saw Raven nod as he said "Ofcourse we can!" and pulled out a plasma grenade and a pistol. A second later he tossed the glowing blue explosive into the group. The Elites caught sight of it first and ran for cover, the Grunts were slower by far. The grenade landed at the feet of a Grunt and exploded, but, not before the little gray blue creature emitted a sharp yelp of surprise before it was blown away, along with 2 others. <br><br>Gladiator dashed out at that moment, taking advantage of the cover of the blue white fireball still in the air. He armed one grenade and tossed it as Covenant weapon fire erupted around him. The grenade flew through the air towards an Elite in blue armor, but, the squid-head saw it before it even came close and dived away, making it land on the forehead of a Grunt that had been taking cover behind it. The Grunt squealed, dropped it's weapons and ran around in a panic right at the Elite who'd originally dodged the toss. Both Grunt and Elite were consumed by the fireball screaming as it tore them apart and fried them at the same time. Gladiator ran on towards the SOEIV, smacking Grunts and Jackals out of his way in a mad bull rush, his fists killing the Grunts on impact and throwing the stunned Jackals. Two shield wearing Jackals hunkered down, tracking his progress and firing. <br><br>The green plasma energy arched over his shoulders, igniting his own shields and draining them to half. He dived into a roll, pink Needler fire flying over his head and impacting upon the bare street behind him. He came out of his roll and picked up a Plasma Pistol of his own, charging it to full power and firing in a single swift graceful motion to take down the Jackal's shields. Then he tossed a single frag grenade between the two. The two raptor-like aliens didn't even have time to react before the grenade went off, killing them both and tossing their bodies either way to crumple in a pile on the street. He ran on, coming up on the second Elite in blue armor. Gladiator didn't even slow, he reached back with a single fist and punched out when he came within range. Two of the Elite's mandibles on the right side of it's face snapped inwards at the force of the punch, making the 6 foot tall alien stumble and fall.<br><br>Gladiator didn't waste any time, he ran for the remains of his SOEIV and tackled it, digging both shoulders down and maneuvering his head close to his chest. The drop pod came free easily, Gladiator's half a ton bulk combined with the full on tackle, ripping it free from the concrete. Both pod and Spartan crashed further inside. Gladiator recovered quickly and uprighted the heavily damaged craft, spinning it around to where it's back faced the Covenant still firing at him. He ripped open the entrance, finding easy hand holds of torn metal. A peice of hardened tar had buried it's way into the small compartment, trapping the weapons he was after.<br><br>Plasma fire and Needler fire impacted on the opposite side of him, exploding upon the reinforced plates of metal and heating it. For the moment none of it hit him, he was protected by the SOEIV. He held the pod and punched. The tar cracked and broke, releasing it's precious cargo at last. Gladiator grabbed the Sniper Rifle, amazingly still intact and unharmed first and placed it on his back. Then he grabbed the Battle Rifle. He raised it expertly, his hands recognizing the weight of the semi-automatic weapon immediately. He linked the scope to his HUD and peaked out, taking aim and firing on a Jackal that was trying to take advantage of Raven's preoccupation. The Battle Rifle spit out three bullets as Gladiator switched it's rate of fire from automatic to manual fire. The bullets exploded out the front of the Jackal's head, splashing his compatriots with it's purple blood. He took down two grunts a second later that had wandered into the building. Then Gladiator ducked behind his cover again and waited for the aliens to reload.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Old Lady Willow</strong> on <strong>September 26, 2010, 08:44:24 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Raven was impressed, though he had seen Gladiator in battle before. Focusing on his enemys, he fired at one of the remaining Grunts, hitting it in the head. He ran around and chose one of Jackles, pulling it's gun away from it and useing it agenst it. The creature fell instantly. Laughing, he used it on another Grunt.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2010, 01:36:29 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter now had another problem. He had progressed through the city and was almost at the location of the beacon, but he had come across a large group of grunts and no less than four elites, there were also jackals and rather surprisingly, a couple of hunters as well. He would have to be really lucky to get past that lot without sustaining injury, even if he was a Spartan.<br><br>He was thinking of going around them the long way so that he could avoid the combat, but that would go against both the objective and the fact that he was a Spartan who had been bred for battle. He held onto the energy rifles and moved around so that he was behind the hunters, he could sneak up behind them and silent kill them before they knew what was happening, especially since hunters were weak in their back. He was almost upon them when a stupid jackal turned and spotted him, alerting the rest of the group to his prescence. He let loose a volley of fire from the energy rifles into the back of one hunter, which toppled and died before it had chance to do anything, but then he had to jump and run into cover before the other one could fire, its weapon already charging up.<br><br>Whilst he was in cover, he opened his comm link again, hoping he had just been too far away the first time for it to work.<br><br>"Calling all Spartans and marines, need assistance, over"<br><br>He then jumped up, ducked again as hunter fire went over his head by inches, then released several rounds of energy fire again which took out three of the grunts and a couple of jackals.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kyle989</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2010, 08:00:34 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rook checked the SOEIV's systems, a force of habit despite the fact that he knew full well the techs had been over every inch of the thing as par pre-flight regulations. He felt the familiar pull in his gut as the pods' drop-mechanisms released in sync, surrendering their cargo to gravity's iron grip. For the next several hundred meters Rook watched the view in silence. He barely noticed the strain on his body as he and the rest of his team blasted through the cloud layers, months of practice having dulled him to the experience. The ex-assassin didn't feel it necessary to join in with the others' shouts of excitement, but a grin marked the corner of his lips. Flames soon enveloped Rook's pod, G-forces hurling him towards the cityscape below, a fallen angel cast from heaven. Moments later the world vanished, leaving only the darkness of oblivion...<br><br><em><strong>...Two minutes and forty seven seconds later.</strong></em><br><br>Rook's lip curled into a snarl, the taste of blood invading his palate as he continued to struggle with the Brute. His helmet on the street next to him, the ODST was face-to-face with the beast. Answering the alien's roar with his own, Rook straightened his back and pulled backwards, ripping its' shoulder from the socket. Keeping his legs wound tight around its' now useless right arm, the ex-assassin finally freed his own right arm from the beast's wrist, plunging his biggest knife into the thing's neck. Despite its' mortal wound, the Brute continued to thrash, determined to smash in the human's skull. However, it found its' strength slowly ebbing away, it's blood pooling on the pavement below. No longer able to aim its' fist at the ODST's face, the beast contented itself with trying to crush him under its' weight. Having realized this inevitable outcome minutes before, Rook used his own weight to alter the Brute's momentum, rolling him atop its' hair-covered bulk rather than beneath it. He then wrenched his blade free from the Brute's meaty throat, picking up his gear once again and leaving it there to die a slow death. <br><br>"Lightweight," Rook muttered in contempt. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2010, 08:28:27 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lance had remained motionless long enough, noticing the very same group of Covenant that now were engaged with Gladiator.&nbsp; &nbsp;He slipped into cover, sliding from shadow to shadow until he got near the elites that were directing the current attack.&nbsp; &nbsp; He remained in cover and motionless for a moment until he was sure of which elites seemed to be in charge.<br><br>He knelt down, placing both energy rifles quietly on the ground next to him.&nbsp; &nbsp;He then drew and primed a pair of plasma grenades, sending them spinning to the two elites that were busy directing grunts and jackals toward his fellow Spartan's position.<br><br>Even as the grenades soared out into the open, he grabbed up the energy rifles.&nbsp; &nbsp;He did a tuck and roll, plasma bolts slamming into a third elite even as the grenades affixed themselves to targets.&nbsp; &nbsp;One grenade missed, latching onto the forearm of a passing grunt but the other firmly attached itself to the head of the elite that seemed in charge.<br><br>Explosions echoed even as bodies and parts of bodies suddenly filled the air.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 28, 2010, 04:27:18 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator peaked out from behind his cover, the sounds of battle dying down quickly as a pair of plasma grenades were introduced to the mix. Two Elites and a pair of Grunts were absorbed into the grenades turquoise explosions, a moment later purple dust, that had once been blood, and appendages rained down onto the street. <br><br>Gladiator stepped out completely from his cover as he sighted Lance through the scope of his Sniper Rifle "Good work Raven. Lance! Glad to see you made it. Any chance you've made contact with anyone from the drop or HQ?" he said, putting his Sniper Rifle back into it's magnetic hold and retrieving his Battle Rifle.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 16, 2010, 06:33:06 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter was still behind cover, his locator on his arm was still beeping away, no one had responded to his broadcast, which meant that he was either on his own, or no one had heard him and had problems of their own. Hefting his energy rifles, he looked at each one, they were both quite close to being out of energy. He would have to replace them with another weapon soon.<br><br>He jumped up and out of cover, rolling to avoid another burst of hunter fire, he let loose the last of his energy round, which pounded into the thick armour of the massive alien, but it didn't even budge, the armour was keeping it well protected. Dumping his depleted rifles on the ground, he ran behind some more cover and picked up a dead marines battle rifle, he checked the ammo as he ran, it was half full with enough ammo to keep the aliens at bay. He checked behind him and found that the hunter was following him, charging its weapon to fire at him again. Aiming at the creatures weapon as he ran backwards, he squeezed off a three round burst which knocked the weapon a little bit but not enough to knock the aim of the hunter. It let loose its fire burst and Hunter had to drop to the ground to make sure he wasn't hit.<br><br>Then he stood back up and ran as fast as he could at the hunter and jumped clean over it. Being a Spartan gave him a good jump advantage, so whilst the hunter was stuck trying to turn around, he pumped the rest of the ammo from the rifle into the massive beasts back and killed it instantly, sending sprays of blood everywhere.<br><br>Dropping the now empty rifle to the ground, Hunter checked his locator and his comm link, still no word from anyone.<br><br>"Come in team, is anyone alive, respond"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 18, 2010, 12:07:54 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: Since Hunter and Aiden have left I guess I'll take over their characters Lance (Spartan) and Gunnery Sergeant "Sling" Desmond Rockwell (ODST) for now. If they should decide to rejoin I'll happily hand their characters back over. This will be the same for others that may drop out as well unless someone claims them and wants to rp another character))<br><br>Lance shook his head as he hefted his Covenant Energy Rifles "Negative Mr. Boss man. I haven't heard from anyone, they must be jamming us."<br><br>Gladiator nodded, he'd been thinking the same thing "Alright, let's find those jamming devices boys and girls. Atleast one has got to be near by. Let's search this building first." The blue and gold colored Spartan turned around and walked back into the dark building, raising his M5 Battle Rifle and switching his Night Vision on as he did so. The light from outside temporarily blinded him for a moment but, his vision quickly settled, replacing the dull tans, grays and bright reds and blues of the building, to shades of black and lime green as his HUD switched from normal settings and into Night Vision. They searched floor by floor but, nothing stood out to the Spartans. Finally they all arrived on the roof of the ten story building. Again, nothing. Gladiator sighed, this mission definetly was not starting out well. Gladiator signaled for everyone to take a brief respite and for Lance to scan the surrounding area for troop movements with simple hand gestures. Lance nodded understanding immediately as Gladiator issued the order and tossed him his Sniper Rifle. Lance went to the edge of the roof lifting the rifle and linked the scope to his helmet.<br><br>A few minutes later Lance returned "Sir! Covenant Brutes and Elites converging on our building, their atleast two blocks away right now" he reported.<br>A second later another voice entered his helmet through the TEAMCOM "-ing all -tans and mar* nes. Need assistance. Over" the com crackled with static and interference but he was able to make the message out. Another team member was alive and needed help. Gladiator looked to Lance and Raven "Someone's on the coms, you two, try and spot them while I try to get them on the radio" he ordered, sending Lance to one side of the roof and the ODST to the other side.<br><br>Gladiator switched to the TEAMCOM frequency and said "Soldier, this is Sierra zero one six one, repeat Sierra zero one six one. Identify yourself and your sit rep. Over." His message was simple in it's translation "this is a Spartan, we are here and we are alive. What is your situation?" he just hoped that the jamming devices would allow his message to get through, and that there was enough time to render assistance.<br><br>Gladiator walked the roof of the building trying to get a clearer signal, and stopped once the static seemed to die down a hair of a notch, then repeated his message. He looked to the sky, wondering if the soldier would hear him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 18, 2010, 11:33:12 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter was surprised when the message came through to him on the comms, it was a little garbled, but he heard it clear enough to know that he wasn't the only person alive. He replied on the same frequency<br><br>"This is Spartan 435 - Hunter, heading to your location now, is there anyone else with you? Over"<br><br>He looked on his locator and saw that they were in a building not far from where he was, so he looked around the area for some weapons, found some plasma grenades and an energy sword lying next to a dead covenant elite, it wasn't ideal but it would have to do so he picked the equipment up and headed off towards the building, opening his comm again<br><br>"Is the area clear, or are there enemy forces in the vicinity? Over"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 20, 2010, 02:05:27 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"This is Spartan 435 - Hunter, heading to your location now, is there anyone else with you? Over"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Gladiator heard come over the garbled coms. He was relieved that another fellow Spartan had made it but, where were the others from the drop? He looked over to where Lance and Raven were, it was going to be tough fight with just the three of them, he just hoped 435 got here in time for the show.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Is the area clear, or are there enemy forces in the vicinity? Over"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Time to tell him. Gladiator sighed then looked to the transmit icon on his HUD "Sierra 435, this is Sierra 0161, we have Covenant Brutes and Elites converging on our location, distance: one and a half blocks away. I will try to cover you with my sniper rifle. Can you make it soldier? Over."<br><br>Gladiator moved fast, taking the Sniper Rifle from Lance and connecting the scope to his HUD.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 20, 2010, 11:12:08 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He heard the message over the comm loud and clear, brutes and elites on their way to the location, and Hunter only had his energy sword.<br><br>"Sierra 0161, reading you loud and clear, will be there within moments, Sierra 435 out"<br><br>He broke out into a sprint and was close to the building, but he could hear the sounds of the brutes and the elites moving closer as well, maybe he could set some traps up inside the building, if there was any equipment of course.<br><br>"Sierra 0161 I am outside the building now, I hear brutes and elites in the distance but cannot see them, I'm gonna run up now and set traps as I go along, should slow them down a bit"<br><br>He sent the message over to 0161 and then headed into the building, as he flew up each floor he couldn't see much in terms of ammo and such to use, but he did find a pistol which he picked up, then he began the barricading of doors with anything he could grab a hold of, then he sprinted up to the roof.<br><br>He arrived out of breath because of all the running and the effort from blockading the doors, he headed over to the other two members of the team and saluted.<br><br>"Spartan 435 reporting, I blockaded some doors as I came up, it won't hold against them but it should at least slow them down a little while we come up with a plan"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 20, 2010, 07:23:00 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em><strong>Location:</strong> 1st street and Harvard avanue. Ten minutes after drop.<br>Only minutes away from the ensuing force of Covenant...</em><br><br>ODST Gunnery Sergeant "Sling" woke with a splitting headache, every muscle felt it had been pricked with thousands of needles. The ODST sighed "Ow. Well, that was a graceful landing" he muttered underneath his breath as he took in the familiar surroundings of his drop pod. He was honestly relieved that he was still inside and in one peice after the drop. He recalled the drop perfectly. Everything had been going according to schedule when suddenly someone had called out <em>"Everybody prepare yourselves for emergency crash landings!! This bitch is jumping out!!"</em> That was when everything went to hell. Just before something had hit his pod he'd seen another pod get vaporized or dissapear into the slipspace rupture. He wasn't sure which. Then something had hit his pod, sending him spinning out of control. The G-forces had taken over then, pulling the pod down to the earth. He'd rode it out though and never lost consciousness. It was only when his Pod had bounced off the edge of one building, then slammed against another that he'd lost consciousness, the impact had ripped him from the straps on his seat and slammed him against the hatch. He flipped on his Nightvision and laughed. He was currently suspended 30 feet from the street below in the side of a building, a hotel by the looks of it. His pod was stuck side-ways, like a great reinforced steel rock in the side of a wall of a steel canyon. <br><br>Sling checked his armory of weapons, his M6D Magnums, M6G's as well as his Maulers had fallen to the "floor", though his unpowered plasma sword was still in it's place. He heard the growls and barks of near by Brutes and smiled as he continued to gather his weapons and holster them. A few seconds later a common Brute soldier came into position, he popped the hatch, letting it fall. The hatch tore free from it's housing and smashed right in front of the Brute, causing it to dive for safetly. Then the others opened fire. Sling grunted and pulled himself on top of the pod and ran for the side of the buillding and jumped just as the pod tore from it's nook and fell to the ground, splattering a group of careless Grunts and slamming into a Brute that had gotte too close, killing them instantly. Sling crashed through a window and into the safety of what had once been a ritzy hotel room. The ODST got up and shook his head, then raised his M6D Magnum complete with a scope and moved to the door. "Time to find me some Covenant to kill" he said in a whisper meant only for himself.<br><br><em>A few blocks away from ODST Gunny Seargent Sling's position...</em><br><br>Gladiator spun his sniper rifle primed and trained on Hunter, Spartan 435, as he joined them on the roof. The Spartan relaxed a moment later when he saw it was a friendly "Glad you could make it Hunter" he said giving the Spartan a tumbs up. Suddenly the sounds of weapon fire drew the blue and gold Spartan back to the edge of the roof. He looked through the Sniper Rifle's scope and grunted.<br><br>"Great, half of them are converging on a hotel a few blocks away and the other half are coming here" Gladiator said turning to face his make-shift squad.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 21, 2010, 11:45:10 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter gave the thubs up to his fellow spartan<br><br>"Ok then so what's the plan, I could head back down if you like and wait for them to break through, then slice and dice with this energy sword, speaking of weapons, is there anything better I can use than this pistol, a shotgun maybe?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>PrincelyPup</strong> on <strong>October 23, 2010, 09:42:48 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(i hope I'm not too late..)<br><br>Spartan 42 was a battle hardened war machine. He had been on harvest before it was glassed and was the last to make it off alive...he had been left behind and had been forced too fight his way into a covenant cruiser. He stowed away inside silently killing off the crew one by one until he was the last living thing on it. He had flown it home nearly being shot down by his own people on his return...he had docked with the hercules and after being debriefed he had been put into stasis until about a year before the current day. He was one of the first to go threw the spartan iii program...his armor was mainly white with gold as a secondary. His symbol was the cross with the sunburst with the cross black...the sun burst rays white and the center a cyan blue...he was big even for a spartan..but he could run as fast as a scout and beat down a hunter..he was the strong silent type...he barely spoke with his fellow spartans. He was a lone wolf after the loss of his team on harvest he didn't trust himself to another team. He used active camo so well he could pass get behind a hunter, plant a grenade in its chest and get to safety before they could think "oh dear"..<br>His name was matrix...buy most called him 42.<br><br>He was in his pod ready to drop with the other spartans..but it malfunctioned and didn't release...that's why he was only coming in now. He dropped in about half a click past them..he turned on his camo as he stepped into a squad of elites. Two clicked our energy swords and the other three took out plasma rifles. Matrix slipped out a bowie knife from his chest sheath. He snuck around silent as a cat and just as fast. He got behind them taking out one with Sword in the far back...driving his knife into its spine. He fell silently...he continued to the next carrying a plasma rifle he too fell.. Then the third feel with a blast from his rifle. He turned off his came pulling the pistol from his hip and the assault rifle from his back unloading both into the two elites. The lay held a sword...he dropped the weapons and pulled his knife again...he waited for the elite to attack disappearing quickly and throwing him off..he side stepped his charge and grabbed his neck in his atm putting him in a head lock jumping on his back and slammed his knife into its forehead. He pulled his knife out wiping it on the dead elite. He sheathed it seeing the group of spartans down the way coming towards him...he tossed a corpse in another and sat down among the carnage.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 24, 2010, 03:27:09 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Hunter gave the thubs up to his fellow spartan "Ok then so what's the plan, I could head back down if you like and wait for them to break through, then slice and dice with this energy sword, speaking of weapons, is there anything better I can use than this pistol, a shotgun maybe?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Gladiator rubbed the chin of his helmet on reflex as he tried to think of a plan of action. A moment later he shook his head "No, I don't want to waste lives and sending someone on their own is risky at best. We need a choke point. Good point, we also need better weapons, I don't think command thought we'd be put in this kind of situation so soon. There might be a makeshift armory somewhere inside that might do us, grunts in this area have been holding down the fort for us for the last couple days so we should be able to find something." He turned back to take note of the Covenant groups progress and then turned back to his squad "we need to find a choke point fast, the Brutes will be here shortly. Everyone inside, choose a partner and split up, find any weapons that you can and report back to me over the coms, don't go outside of the reach of the coms or I won't be able to get to you in time if you need back up. Let's move" he said walking to the door and opening it. He checked for any targets and then waved his men inside. Lance gestured to Raven in a "you and me" me motion then proceeded down the stairs "Me and Raven will take this floor" he said raising his Covenant Energy Rifle and dissapearing through a door.<br><br>"Right. Then me and Hunter will take the floor below you. Good hunting" Gladiator said gesturing for Hunter to go ahead through the door "I've got your back."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 07:23:00 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter paired up with Gladiator with a sinple nod of the head. Holding his energy sword up, he walked up to the door silently, listening for any sounds on the other side, when he heard none, he kicked the door open and rolled in, bringing up his energy sword in case he needed to strike, but there was nothing in the room.<br><br>"All clear, let's move on and get to the next one"<br><br>He moved forward slowly, cautiously, letting Gladiator catch up.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 01, 2010, 10:22:25 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator walked in after Hunter, rifle up and at the ready, follwing him down the stairs and onto the floor below Raven and Lance, sticking to the shadows as he moved. <br>He heard Hunter's call of "all clear" and moved up silently behind Hunter's right shoulder. There was alot of glass dividers, desks, and computers. It was an office building of some type. A little way down the hall and it turned into private rooms with regular drywalled walls and wood doors. As Gladiator stopped and looked into one of them, he saw a make shift armory, with shot guns, DMR Rifles, Assualt Rifles, Pistols, Sniper Rifles, and grenades. Six cases lay on the floor besides the huge reinforced steel cabnet that housed the guns. He twisted the door handle, found it locked and kicked in the door. The door bent in the center and flew off the hinges, crashing into the weapons cabnet behind it and rebounding off to crash into the opposite wall where it rested. <br><br>Gladiator walked in and went immediately to the weapons cabnet and opened the lower portion of the cabnet. Inside was stock piles of ammunition and atleast ten Covenant Elite Plasma Swords. He picked up two, clipped them to his thighs and looked over to the six cases beside him. He bent over the cases stacked next to the weapons cabnet and opened them. "Oh, this is nice" the blue and gold Spartan said picking up a Rocket Launcher and a Grenade Launcher. He switched back to TEAMCOM "Team, I just found a makeshift armory. Uploadiing my location" he uploaded his nav beacon and transmitted it to the team as he hefted the two explosive weapons, letting his hands get used to the weight of each.<br><br>He placed the Rocket Launcher onto his back and clipped the Grenade launcher to his belt, and moved back to the ammunition shelf, picked up 3 clips of sniper rounds, Battle Rifle rounds and a case of extra rockets this oughta do in a pinch".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 02, 2010, 12:23:41 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter followed Gladiator silently, bringing up the rear with his energy sword.<br><br>When Gladiator kicked in the door to a locked room and came back with loads of weapons, he whistled at the small stockpile, it looked like the place had been saving up for a small war, disengaging his sword and placing it down on the floor; it was almost spent. He picked up a couple of other swords like Gladiator did and also strapped them to his thighs, then he hefted a couple of shotguns and shouldered a DMR Rifle on his right shoulder and a battle rifle on his left.<br><br>"I'm gonna run back to the roof with these, could come in useful having the roof as a backup, I also have an idea for that rocket launcher you are holding, follow me"<br><br>Hunter then took the equipment he had and headed back up to the roof, knowing it was clear because he and Gladiator had just checked the passage they had travelled down.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 08, 2010, 12:09:12 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Stand My Ground (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nmq1h5cQdk&amp;ob=av2e#)<br><br><strong>ODST Gunnery Seargent "Sling"</strong><br><strong><em>Location:</em></strong> A hotel on 1st street and Harvard Avenue. 40 minutes after drop.[/i]<br><br>Sling picked his way through the destroyed hotel, stepping past debris and bodies of both the innocent and the fallen brothers of the various factions within the UNSC military. A Spartan lay among the bodies of the ODST's, the Marines and the civilians. He paused for a moment to arrange the bodies in a more dignified manner before removing the clips from their weapons. He picked an almost unused Sub-machine gun from the corpse of an ODST soldier and moved on. By the time he stumbled upon the Brutes, Grunts and Jackals, he had about 20 clips for the sub-machine gun, 10 clips for his Magnum's and his pistols. He backed up into one of the shadows in the destroyed hallway and crouched behind a pile of debris that originated from the ceiling and part of the wall. The lead Brute in gold armor though had already picked up his scent. It turned and looked right at him, gesturing in his general area and barking commands to his followers. The Grunts followed the Jackals in, the bird-like alien's sheild arms leading the way, while the shields themselves lit the dark hallway. One of the Grunts spotted him shortly before he put a round from one of his M6G Pistols through it's forehead but, the suprised squeek was enough to alert the others to his presence. The Team of Jackals and Grunts fired, the arching energy passing harmlessly over his head as he dived out of the way, unloading rounds from his pistols at the aliens. Two Jackals crouched down further, their defensive sheilds protecting them from his onslaught. He rolled to his feet and fired his pistols again, dropping two grunts behind them that had foolishly tried to move up to gain a better firing position. The Jackals momentarily dropped their guard as their companions fell limply to their feet, their reptilian like beaks dropping open in suprise. The ODST dropped them a moment later with a round through each of their heads, their suprised expression now forever stuck on their alien faces.<br><br>The remaining Grunts turned and fled back to their leaders now that their protection was gone but, the four Brutes stepped up and fired their weapons. The heated metal from the Brute's Spiker's flew over his head as the leader in the gold armor unslung his Brute Shot and fired. The explosives from the lead Brute's weapon knocked him over and drained his sheilds to dangerously low levels. One of the low ranking Brute Infantry warriors stepped up, his Spiker in hand prepared to finish the ODST off for good. Sling's leg shot out, catching the muscle bound alien in the back of the knee and dropping it to one knee. Sling swiped one of the M6D Magnum's from it's holster, stuck the barrel of the weapon into the Brute's mouth and fired, the contents of his head splatttering all over it's comrade that came from behind it to join in the slaughter. Momentarily blinded by his allies blood, the Brute stumbled back in suprise and waved a massive arm clumsily in the air in front of it, to try and swat the Human away. Sling got up and fired his remaining pistol and drawn out Magnum, catching the thick hided beast in it's thick chest, the rounds from each weapon shoving it back more, the two remaining Grunts fled out of fright, dropping their weapons and squeeling as they waved their thick arms in the air like a white flag of surrender. The ODST ran at the gray alien and tackled it, putting his full body weight into it, knocking the creature over just as it cleared the blood from it's eyes. Sling put two rounds into the creatures ribs before he was hauled bodily from the Brute, and thrown against a nearby wall, the impact of his body making a readily noticeable imprint in the drywall. The ODST grunted in pain but rolled succesfully to his feet. The Brute Leader sneered and raised it's Brute Shot it's finger already on the trigger. An explosive round loaded into the firing chamber and launched, as the ODST dived for an open room nearby. The round detonated so close he could feel the heat from the explosion, and the resulting concussion of the explosion threw him further into the room than he had expected.<br><br>He slid on debris and glass, coming to a jarring stop against and over turned dresser, his helmet thankfully taking most of the damage. The gold armored Brute filled the doorway, it's deep growling bark announcing it's presence. Sling was still momentarily disoriented from the ordeal as it moved up and picked him up bodily oce again, sneering into the reflective sheen of his visor. The ODST didn't try to grab for the aliens arm, instead he reached for the two Maulers on his shoulders and placed them against the Brute's armored chest. "Eat this asshole" Sling sneered as a look of understanding dawned on the golden armored aliens face. Sling pulled the triggers of both weapons, their pellet like rounds punching through the Brute's armor due to proximity and ripping out it's back. The weapon's kick and firepower threw both Human and Brute in seperate directions, slamming the ODST back into the toppled dresser, and flinging the Brute to the foot of the doorway as the Brute Shot slipped from already limp fingers, clattering on the ground. The last remaining Brute stumbled over to it's leader's corpse, taking in the remains of what had been the alien's chest. The alien snarled angrily and fired it's Spiker, the heavy metal diging into the dresser as Sling rolled out of the way. Sling dived for the fallen Brute Shot, raising it in time to fire an explodive round into the Infantry Brute just as it stepped into the room, the shot caught it in the stomach, blowing it out of the door way, momentarily stunning it as it slammed into the wall, crushing the drywall behind it and leaving a heavy imprint in the wall. The Odst Got up and fired the Brute Shot again, this time the shot hitting high on it's chest and denting in the armor. The Brute dropped it's weapon bareing it's claws and growling loudly as it began to beserk. A third round blew it's helmet off it's head and a shot from his remaining Magnum punched through it's head flipping it end over end as it began to run at him. The dead body of the Brute crashed against him and knocked him down, crushing him beneath it's dead weight. Sling just sat still for the moment, recovering his breath and willing his heart to calm from the massive amounts of adrenaline that had flooded his sytem.<br><br>Sling pushed the dead Brute's body off of him with a great heave and shook his head. <br><br>"Sheesh" he muttered as he reached up to switch over to a general comm channel and switch his tracking beacon on "calling any UNSC forces within the vicinity. This is ODST Gunnery Seargent Sling. I am currently holed up in a hotel with unknown number of Covenant forces. Over"<br><br><em>A few blocks away</em><br><br>Gladiator nodded to Hunter as the Spartan entered and began collecting his own assortment of weapons. He moved to the doorway and and kept watch for any Covenant threats as Hunter collected his things. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I'm gonna run back to the roof with these, could come in useful having the roof as a backup, I also have an idea for that rocket launcher you are holding, follow me"<br><br>Hunter then took the equipment he had and headed back up to the roof, knowing it was clear because he and Gladiator had just checked the passage they had travelled down.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Intrigued as to his comrade's plans he followed silently, adjusting the teams NAV markers onto the location of the weapon storage room instead of himself. Suddenly a NAV marker appeared on his HUD indicating that an alley was nearby shortly before a message crackled over the general comm channel. <em>"Calling all UNSC forces within the vicinity, this is ODST Gunnery Sergeant Sling. I am currently holed up in a hotel with unknown number of Covenant forces. Over."</em> Judging from the location of the beacon and the relatively clear transmission, the ODST was only a few blocks away. <br><br>Gladiator hurried past Hunter as he switched over to general comms, going at a fast jog towards the roof "Gunny, this is Sierra 0161. We're near your position in a office building a few blocks away. We are about to engage Covenant forces of our own. If you can make your way over here, we'd be glad of the assistance. Over."<br>A moment later Gladiator's tracking beacon went active as well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 08, 2010, 01:50:13 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter watched as Gladiator gave their position to the Gunnery Seargent, then he stepped up and pointed at the building where the covenant were firing across at them.<br><br>"Use the Rocket Launcher to take them out for good, there are enough explosive rounds to do some damage, I will run down, get some more rockets for you from that armoury, you just keep them busy, and try not to get hit along the way"<br><br>Hunter then headed back down to the armoury after sheding the extra rifles onto the floor, then hefting his shotgun, he headed back down to the armoury, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any signs of the covenant, it seemed that they hadn't travelled very far into the building yet, maybe his barricades had held up better than he thought.<br><br>Just then he heard a sound as he entered the armoury room and saw a grunt with its back to him, he snuck up and rifle butted it in the back of the head, killing it instantly, as it slumped to the floor he caught it and dragged it out of the view of the door and then laid it down silently so its drop didn't alert anything else, then he ran and closed the door, his heart pounding as he closed it, grabbed more weapons from the armoury and sprinted back to the roof.<br><br>"Here are those other rounds for you, along with grenades and more guns, we are going to need them soon, I just took out a grunt in the armoury, we need to be more careful now, they are right up close to us"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2010, 01:14:58 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				((OOC: Just came up with the name of the office building, lol))<br><br>A Good Offense... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozBUDph4o4E#) <br><br><strong><em>Location:</em></strong> TechCo Research and Development Center, two blocks from Gunnery Sergeant Sling's position[/i]<br><br>"Right. Watch your back down there" Gladiator said raising the Rocket Launcher and peering through the scope at the group of aliens converging on their location. For some reason the aliens stopped and looked behind them, something catching their attention. The blue and gold spartan didn't hesitate, he pulled the trigger and unleashed the missile upon the group of 3 Brutes, 2 Jackals and 4 Grunts, a second later blood, body parts and alien bodies flew through the air, scattering like a large rock had been dropped into placid water from a great height. The sound of the detonation was barely perceptible at his altitude but, the fireball was clearly visible. Gladiator smirked beneath his helmet and reloaded the launcher. A few seconds later Hunter reappeared with more explosive ammunition.<br><br>"Here are those other rounds for you, along with grenades and more guns, we are going to need them soon, I just took out a grunt in the armoury, we need to be more careful now, they are right up close to us" Hunter said as he laid down the weapons. <br><br>Gladiator switched to the TEAM comm "this is Gladiator to Lance and Raven, be on alert, Covenant are in the building. Watch yourselves. What's your progress? Over."<br>The blue and gold Spartan turned to Hunter then as he switched back to the regular audio setting "Nice call by the way. Now I think we need a choke point with a single point access. If we get to a computer terminal, do you think you can upload this buildings schematics if Raven and Lance haven't found anything?"<br><br><em>Gunnery Sergeant Sling</em><br><strong><em>Location:</em></strong> a hotel on 1st street and Harvard Avenue, a few blocks away from Tech Co R &amp; D[/i]<br><br><em>"Gunny, this is Sierra 0161. We're near your position in a office building a few blocks away. We are about to engage Covenant forces of our own. If you can make your way over here, we'd be glad of the assistance. Over."</em>[/color] was the message that came back to him over the comms. Sling sighed and stood, began to slowly recover his weapons and move to the stairwell nearby. A moment later a NAV marker indicated the location of the Spartan and his team.<br><br>"Rodger that. Be there as soon as I can. Over." the ODST said in reply to the Spartan. 30 floors and two dead Grunts later, he arrived on the lobby floor, breathing hard from the long trek and the battle only a few minutes earlier before. He took up a position behind the check in counter and rested for a moment as he kept watch on his surroundings. His arms and legs were burning but, he'd endured worse and pushed it to the back of his mind. After a few minutes of rest, he got up, hopped over the counter and began to make his way to the office building where his comrades were. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2010, 11:52:20 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded to Gladiator and silently skuled away back into the building, he hadn't heard from Lance or Raven in a while so he assumed they were still busy searching, he needed to find a command terminal and fast so that he could create some kind of choke point for the covenant forces to be funnelled into and so that they could defend the building better. He searched several rooms, several times having to sneak up on either a Jackal or a grunt and silently take them out, but other than that he hadn't run into any serious trouble.<br><br>He managed to head down about two floors before he ran into an elite which spotted him, but before it could even utter a cry, Hunter had shot it twice in the face with his shotgun, the first taking out its shield, the second one blowing its entire head away in a brilliantly gruesome shower of grey matter and tissue. Hunter smiled in his helmet, he loved his life and his job.<br><br>He legged it down several long corridors, being careful not to run into anymore forces, then he managed to finally locate a computer terminal that was actually functioning. He ran over to it but made sure to close the door and barricade it first. He opened up the computer files and soon found the schematics, there were several choke points, but when he checked the motion sensors, he found to his annoyance that the covenant forces had split up to prevent such a move, he opened his comms to Gladiator.<br><br>"We have a problem, enemy forces split to prevent choke, best choke point for us now is the roof, only one way up so I am heading back now, call back Lance and Raven as well, they will be required, over"<br><br>Hunter then checked his shotgun and removed the barricade, he took a deep breath and opened the door, sprinting as fast as he could to get back to Gladiator, but of course, he had to run into a small group of covenant along the way, stopping him dead in his racks. He let loose with a couple of shotgun rounds which killed a Jackal and a Grunt, but the others responded with their own fire, which hit Hunter's shields but didn't really harm him too much. He backed down the corridor and ducked around the corner, reloading as he did so.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2010, 03:25:57 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Sling hussled down the two blocks to the building his NAV marker indicated, running past the carnage left from a Rocket Launcher blast, the trail of the rocket's path was still somewhat visible however, leading his gaze up to the roof of the building directly in front of him, about a block away. He ran past two groups of Covenant, both with 10 members each, 3 Brutes, 3 Elites, 2 Grunts and a Jackal Sniper. Both groups came from different directions, one from the east, the other from the west, right in his team members bllind spot. The ODST tracked their positions, following their paths to the back of the building his team members were in. There were too many for him to take alone. So, he entered the front of the building, as soon as he did he heard two shotgun blasts from somewhere above his position. "Sierra 0161, this is Gunny Sergeant Sling. I'm in the building and we have a problem. Two teams of Covenant reinforcements converging on your blind spots, east and west of your position. I also heard shots fired from somewhere above my position. It sounded like shotgun rounds. Sitrep please" Sling said as he moved up the flight of stairs, his sub-machine gun drawn and ready to fire.<br><br>He ran into a Jackal on the 3rd floor and put a round through it's head before it could duck behind it's sheild for safety. Then he'd been knocked over by an Elite in red armor, he rolled immediately avoiding the plasma fire the Elite unleashed. He rolled onto his back and fired his Magnum, dropping the Elite's sheild. The red armored Elite whipped out a sword and dived in but, luckily Sling's foot intercepted the alien's sword arm and kicked it away. Then he snatched up his sub-machine gun and poured automatic fire into the 7 foot alien. The Elite gurgled wetly and fell to the ground. Sling picked himself up and made his way steadily up, careful to not draw the attention of the Covenant in the building.<br>When he arrived on Hunter's floor he saw the Spartan retreating around a corner to sheild himself from the fire from some Grunts, Jackals and another Elite.<br><br>Sling's Magnum was out in a flash putting two rounds into the Elite, one to drop the sheilds and the other to drop the alien itself. Their leader kiled in front of their eyes the Grunts cried out in terror as the Jackal turned, unloading it's charged plasma pistol, the ODST jumed back around the corner but still felt the heat from the weapons discharge. He jumped back out into the hallway and tossed a frag grenade, the grenade landed in the middle of the group of Jackals and Grunts and detonated, tossing their bodies down the hallway to land in a heap.<br><br>Sling holstered his Magnum after feeding it a fresh clip and hoisted his sub-machine gun as he walked calmy around the corner the Spartan had dissapeared around "looks like I arrived just in the nick of time eh? Where's the party going down at?"<br><br><em>On the roof of the TechCo building</em><br><br>When Gladiator heard the message Hunter had given, he slammed his fist into the safety rail as he made his way down, denting it horribly. "Raven, Lance, come in. Book it back up to the roof, the Covenant have split up, a choke point won't work, we'll have to fight them on the roof. Over" Gladiator said switching over once again to the TEAM comm. Then a moment later Sergeant Sling reported shots fired near his position and Gladiator made all speed to Hunter's position. Getting to Hunter's floor just as the excitement had ended. Relief flooded him as he took im the ODST and Spartan just as Sling finished saying something about a party. He was able to peice it together rather quickly.<br><br>"The party is happening on the roof. Everything ok here?" he said walking up to the two of them and nodding towards the mangled bodies of Covenant behind them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2010, 04:35:58 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter looked to the ODST and nodded, patting him on the back for a job well done.<br><br>"Thank you sergeant, you came at the nick of time to help me out, when we get back to command, I'm making sure you get a promotion"<br><br>Then when Gladiator ran up, he saluted to his fellow Spartan.<br><br>"We better get to the roof then, wouldn't want to disappoint our guests now would we?"<br><br>He took off back for the stairs leading to the roof, he had heard on the comms that there were two teams of covenant on their way, big ones, so they would need to get ready asap.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>November 11, 2010, 05:46:00 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Mayday, mayday. We've been hit and are going down. I say again. Mayday." The pilot's voice was eerily calm, as if he were out for a fishing trip. Patric couldn't help to focus on that as he hung to the lip of the pelican's rear entry way, his armored fingers digging into the metal. He hadn't even had time to strap in when a seraph fighter had swooped in and clipped the pelican good. Now he hung in the air as the pelican spun out of control. The nearest person, a female ODST he had managed to save earlier in the day, was holding onto his too heavy frame, her grim face set as she pulled and sweatily exerted herself. He couldn't blame her. The pelican lurched, Patric felt himself fold and unfold, much like&nbsp; whip, the metal his fingers bit into giving way. As his vision blurred he saw the ODST's face-</em><br><br>Eyes popping open, right arm shooting up, a cold sweat drenching him, Patric stared at a metallic ceiling. Letting his arm fall, patric slowly sat up, his entire body on fire. His mind was too boggled, too spotty to recall when he had arrived here or where here was, though he could remember quite vividly why he had been brought here. They had been surprised he had lived. So had he. In the end they thought it would suit the legend of the Spartans if he were to survive, now that the project was publicized. the skin of his scarred body was slightly tanned, his moderately muscled frame well toned.<br><br>&nbsp;sliding his legs off the edge of the flat, metallic table like bed, Patric turned to the side and looked ahead of him. His armor; the armor of a spartan, gleamed as if new. Some of it was, parts of the original having been broken beyond repair. Straining against the burning pain within his calves patric stood with a faint feeling of nausea and looked beside the armor, a full mirror showed him what he looked like. Whipping his head away from the sight, Patric grimaced and forced himself to look again, taking it in, letting the details soak in.<br><br>&nbsp;His right had was completely replaced at the wrist with a mechanical one. His original flesh hand had been obliterated into a bloody mass. The new hand had some feeling but nothing like the original. Moving the fingers of the hand proved to be just as easy. His abdomen had been blown out from within him when he had attempted to put a stop to...to...<em>something</em> Reaching up with his left hand, blessedly flesh and blood, Patric wiped his forehead. Too painful to think about that last mission.<br><br>&nbsp;His left knee had been busted as well, yet feeling at the flesh revealed that only the knee itself needed to be replaced, the flesh around it blessedly saved. His left eye, his good eye, had been smashed to bits when a raging Hunter had smashed his helmeted face, the visor shattering, pieces of it slicing into his face, his eye the unlucky recipient of a shard. Looking at the new mechanical left eye, he had to admit it was difficult to tell it wasn't real, yet he could see from it just fine, if with a bit of difficulty in focusing. His back had been busted and he knew it had been replaced. He could still vividly remember being awake for that operation. The pain as they removed the damaged spine, managing to save as much of the connected brain matter as possible to connect to a new reinforced spine.<br><br>&nbsp;Looking in the mirror, Patric sighed. He truly was a cyborg now. Turning back to his armor, Patric quickly put it on, feeling safer, more secure as he easily slid his second skin on. It felt good to be skinned again. The boots had gone on first, then the legs, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, gloves, then least but not least, the helmet.<br><br>&nbsp;They had upgraded his armor, giving him a slightly larger size than before. Having already been tall for a Spartan, he now reached just to eight feet in the armor. The back of his armor had a built in comms unit, much like the ODSTs designated as communications specialists. Checking the diagnostics, Patric nodded as his theory was prooved correct, the comms pack came with everything he could want, a strengthened signal and priority code, while not one of the best, was definitely better than he had originally had. A few bonuses were added in as well, additional power cells just under the pack, heavily armored to prevent accidental detonation meant he could hook up to some very draining equipment.<br><br>&nbsp;what in the world was command thinking? Giving a Spartan so much power was one thing, but hinting at the possibilities at newer, energy depleting weapons? As much as Patric enjoyed the thought, he had some reservations, giving too much power to a soldier could lead to some very serious setbacks, none of which he intended to get into.<br><br>&nbsp;Moving in the armor felt better than out. Leaving the spacious room and entering a deathly empty corridor, Patric loked both ways before picking the left, heading for the clearly visible stairs at the end of the hall. Seeing a door with large lettering <strong>ARMORY</strong> stamped above it gave him pause for no more than half a second before altering his course as if he had been heading there already. Opening the simple door revealed racks of weapons with boxes of ammunition. Smiling to himself Patric entered the room and picked up a Battle rifle, taking as many magazines as he dared before holstering three M6G pistols, one for each foot, the third at the back of his right hip. Three spare mags for each pistol made Patric a little more comfortable. Grabbing a racked shotgun splayed a smile on Patric's scarred face as he loaded the chamber, grabbing what ammunition he could.<br><br>&nbsp;Something was off, missing..something-Seeing the M9 grenades, Patric's smile nearly split his scarred face in half as he grabbed a quartet. Finding several pouches nearby caused him to unconsciously hum as he dropped a quartet of grenades into each sack, tieing them off and clipping them to his waist. He knew it was overkill and a likely hazard to arm himself like he was, but he always had a thing for grenades.<br><br>&nbsp;As he finished up, he checked his HUD, he noticed a blinking MESSAGE. Choosing to open&nbsp; the message wiped the smile right off Patric's face. The Covenant had found earth and appareantly the majority of the staff here had been killed at the time and the last few remaning would likely be dead by the time he regained consciousness. Grunting, Patric look about himself and spotted something very useful, an empty duffel bag. He didn't know what he would find, but he would be damned if he let any survivors mooch of his good will. If they wanted to survive any longer than a few minutes with him around they had better arm up. Shoving as many pistols, rifles and SMGs as he could into the bag without filling it, he ground his teeth in thought, unconsciously moving to the ammunition and shoving as much as he could into the duffel bag.<br><br>&nbsp;Once fool he zipped it tight and flung the bag over his right shoulder, left hand gripping the battle rifle. Exiting the armory, Patric walked up the stairs and opened the door...to find the building above completely obliterated, turning into a smoldering rubble.<br><br>&nbsp;"Any UNSC Personnel who can hear this respond. This is Spartan Three-Three-Four. I say again, UNSC Personnel Respond, this is Spartan Three-Three-Four."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 13, 2010, 02:03:04 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator hoofed it back up the stairs to the roof following Sling and Hunter as he acted as their rear guard. He was starting to get really concered about Lance and Raven but, it had been nearly 4 hours since they'd had radio contact. Alot could happen in 4 hours. Alot. As Gladiator ran up the stairs behind Hunter and Sling, he had to face the grim reality that Lance and Raven could have been killed. He wasn't ready to give up on them quite yet though. They could be near the jamming device and if so, their comms would be nearly useless. He'd have to remember to make that their first priority when and if they survived the oncoming wave of Covenant. He was near the roof when another message broke through over the comms. For a moment, Gladiator thought it could've been either Lance or Raven but, no. It was another Spartan somewhere in the city.<br><br>The message was crammed with Static but, the message seemed to be relatively simple. Another Spartan was out there and looking for allies. Gladiator once again switched to the general comm channel "Sierra three three four, this is Sierra oh one six one. We are about to engage the Covenant on the roof top of the TechCo R and D Center. What is your situation? Over."<br><br>As they walked onto the roof top Sling went to one corner of the roof and leaned over, looking out for their alley through the scope of his sub-machine gun, as Gladiator walked over to the other and unslung his sniper rifle and peered through it.<br><br>"Repeat, this is Sierra zero one six one to Sierra three three four. We are on the roof top of the TechCo R and D center. Over"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>November 13, 2010, 02:59:27 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Sierra three three four, this is Sierra oh one six one. We are about to engage the Covenant on the roof top of the TechCo R and D Center. What is your situation? Over."</em><br><br>Another Spartan, male by the sound of the voice though the message ws pretty broken up so it made it difficult to tell. It didn't matter either way. A Spartan is a Spartan.<br><br><br><em>"Repeat, this is Sierra zero one six one to Sierra three three four. We are on the roof top of the TechCo R and D center. Over"</em><br><br>&nbsp;The signal had actually strengthened, the pack on his back really did work. "Sierra zero-one-six-one this is three-three-four, I read you loud and clear, I've got you marked, I am ten blocks away. I say again, ten blocks. Status is on the move over."<br><br>&nbsp;Turning, Patric broke into a steady run, his baggage bouncing only once. The streets were a disaster, the buildings worse. Turning a corner, the street ahead too broken up and clogged to maneuver through, the street he turned onto was clear. Reaching the next corner, Patric was able to quickly regain the proper direction. There was however, a minor set back.<br><br>&nbsp;A dozen grunts, a handful of jackals and three elites were patrolling, right in his direction. Without hesitation Patric's battle rifle snapped up, leveling off nearly instantaneously. Several quick pulls of the trigger saw two shocked Jackals and two grunt's go down, jerking back as the bullets slammed through them.<br><br>&nbsp;The rest got over their shock quickly as Patric continued to run forward, putting down grunt after grunt, the three bullet bursts getting at least one bullet into the head, the rest of the bullets hitting awfully close to others. The remaining two Jackals were hiding behind their shields, one stuck out it's arm, Patric's rifle zero'd in, a burst emitting from the barrel,, three bullets flying through the air, slamming into the plasma pistol, causing the birdlike alien to squak and pull back, dropping the now damaged weapon. It's head momentarily raising above the shield, a burst flying from the rifle killed the alien, two of the three bullets hitting shield, the third bullet slamming into the top of it's head, jerking it up and back, slamming the back of it's head into the ground. By now Patric was too close to fire effectively and jumped. Most of the grunts were either dead or dieing, the rest cowering as the Elites moved behind cover.<br><br>&nbsp;Easily clearing the shield, Patric landed on a very surprised Jackal, purple blood and flesh bursting around him as he continued his run as if the jackal wasn't there. A single elite stood in his way, the other two having chosen cover further to the sides. The single Elite roared it's defiance at patric, raising it's plasma rifle to fire. Patric jumped slightly, his feet raising inches above the ground, angling himself jsut so, Patric his the grond sliding, his battle rifle leveled on the Elite. As he passed through the stunned Elite's legs, Patric jabbed his battle rifle straight up, slamming the barrel between the Elite's legs, causing it to jump, spasm and give a shocked, insulted sound before Patric pulled the trigger, the bullets ripping through the Elite's flesh, the barrel past it's shield.<br><br>&nbsp;Rolling from the slide, Patric continues his steady run, leaving two very stunned Elites behind. He'd have stuck around to finish them but he was carrying too much to have effectively taken the entire patrol out, as it was Patric was pleasantly surprised his gambit had paid off so well.<br><br>&nbsp;Checking his radar quickly showed he was just three blocks from the building. Stopping for a moment, Patric looked around. There were no surprises for him here and the two elites seemed to have refused to give chase. Good he didn't need to deal with them just yet. adjusting the duffel bag just so, Patric's right hand grabbed one of the bags he had filled with grenades then continued at a slow jog. He could hear the covenant ahead, from the sounds they were entering the back of the building as well.<br><br>&nbsp;As he grew nearer Patric knelt then slowly moved forward to stop at the corner of a building. For all that he was out in the open, not even bothering to press against the building, the white armored spartan went unnoticed by the covenant entering the building, leaving him with an unobstructed view.<br><br>&nbsp;Exchanging the nearly exhausted mag of his battle rifle for a fresh one Patric stood, pulled back his right arm, leaning back with it, turning ever so slightly, then throwing his arm forward, putting his body into the throw, the bag of grenades flying at break neck speeds. His battle rifle snapped up, his finger pulling back, three bullets zipping after the bag as it slammed into the back of the neck of an unsuspecting brute in a small group of others. The brute had just started to jerk forward when the bullets slammed into the bag, igniting the grenade within. The resultant explosion, a mix of four fragmentation grenades, was flashy and loud, bits of brute flying out, an Elite receiving a bloody arm full in the face, knocking him down, mandibles broken and bloody.<br><br>&nbsp;Before the rest of the covenant could figure out what was going on Patric had already thrown a second bag, this time at a pair of hunters, the bag detonating between them, shrapnel bouncing harmlessly off their armor but slicing deep into the slithering slimy colonies that mde up the bodies of the hunters. Knees buckling both hunters went down.<br><br>&nbsp;The rest of the covenant were in chaos, grunts running in stark terror or otherwise fainting from extreme fear, Jackals swinging plasma pistols and beam rifles this way and that, the few brutes and elites left were disorganized, the brutes clearly thinking it was some trick of the elites, the elites too busy to care.<br><br>&nbsp;Pretty soon a small frenzy occurred right before Patric's eyes. He had never imagined he could cause so much damage with so little effort. Standing now, Patric focussed on the brutes who were more numerous, the more furious. This seemed to infuriate the brutes even further, tricking themselves into thinking they saw a blue bolt of plasma hit their comrades, the Elites already fighting back had no way to explain it wasn't them.<br><br>&nbsp;Three minutes was all it took for Patric to lazily pick off the more numerous at his leisure and let the covenant butcher themselves and leave themselves with only one wounded Elite which Patric put down quickly, the last burst of his mag exploding through his skull.<br><br>&nbsp;Exchanging the emptied mag with a fresh one, he transmitted to the other spartan. "Front entrance of the TechCo building cleared, status unarmed. Hold tight I am moving to your position, I say gain; Front entrance of TechCo clear and am coming up. Over."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 17, 2010, 08:01:28 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator looked at his motion tracker for a moment, atleast 6 red dots were closing on their location, any moment now the Covenant would burst through to the roof.<br>The blue and gold spartan hefted his Rocket Launcher, motioned to Hunter and Sling to get behind him and waited until the motion tracker read they were almost upon them "get ready, here they come." A moment later Gladiator pulled the trigger, the rocket <em>whooshed</em> out of the barrel burning straight to the door to the roof.<br>When the door opened the Brute opening the door received a nasty suprise. The rocket burried itself in the aliens chest and propelled it backwards into the group behind it a split second before it detonated, scattering covenant every which way, and sprayed rapidly heated purple and blue blood along the walls, entrance and stair well.<br><br>Smoke and fire rolled out of the doorway along the roof as it grabbed at the air for sustenance before dying all together, overwhelmed by the oxygen in the atmosphere.<br>Gladiator dropped the explosive weapon and grabbed his battle rifle, pulling off a trio of shots just as a Jackal with it's shield already raised stalked through. The bullets bounced harmlessly off it's energry sheild and in the split second that it took to raise it's gun hand and fire, four grunts, 2 Elites and a wounded Brute walked out from the smoke encased stair well. Gladiator took out a frag grenade and tossed it, it rolled beneath the Jackals sheild and came to a stop behind the creature and detonated, sending two grunts flying and killing the wounded Brute. He could hear more Covenant coming up the stair well, obviously drawn by the noise.<br><br>An Elite rushed forward sword in hand, roaring it's battle cry as it tried to run his through with the energy blade. Gladiator ducked and spun to the side, the plasma sword missing completely. The blue and gold spartan completed his rotation and came up behind the alien. Gladiator lept at the alien and pinned it's arms to it's side, before forcing it to turn completely around and absorb the hail of plasma fire that was meant for the Spartan. The Elite was dead in seconds, the Spartan lifted the dead body and tossed it into it's allies, causing them to scatter.<br><br>"Sierra three three four, this is Sierra zero one six one. We have engaged the Covenant on the roof top. Repeat, we have engaged the Covenant" Gladiator said as he grabbed his rifle and fired.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>November 17, 2010, 09:21:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Wriggling the fingers of his right hand, Patric looked at the now purple colored glove covering it. He had just punched straight through an Elite's back, the hand easily ripping through the armor and flesh to come out the alien's chest. He had been shocked and had stumbled, nearly stoppling over the now limp body of the Elite.<br><br>&nbsp;The mechanical attachments were working out well, though it seemed&nbsp; bit too well. Thinking about it brought up an automatic diagnostics table, showing that his armored glove had tiny prongs connecting to receptors in his hand. He didn't fully get it, that wasn't his area. What he did understand was that the connection allowed his mechanical extras to perform at higher levels.<br><br>&nbsp;Pulling his arm back, Patric let the Elite he had already forgotten fall to the floor. Shaking his arm slightly, getting some of the blood off his arm, he shifted the duffel bag on his back then started forward. He had just arrived at the fifth floor, killing the few stragglers he had come across. He had checked the back entrance but had found no covenant presence. Either they weren't smart enough to come through the back or they had already beat him to the punch.<br><br>&nbsp;The faint rumble of an explosion, the light shake of the building and then the very faint reports of a battle above caused Patric to pick up the pace, moving a whole floor up before the other Spartan reported engagement. "Am nearly there," was his response as he kicked an unsuspecting Brute in the back with his left leg, barely pausing long enough when hearing the alien's spine snap, he quickly reached the stairs to the seventh floor before the Brute sprawled on the floor.<br><br>&nbsp;This floor had a couple of grunts trying to nap rather than fight. It was a simply task dispatching them. Heading up to the eighth floor, he found his path empty, quickly ascending to the ninth. Choosing to&nbsp; switch stair wells for each floor paid off, if he had just continued up from the bottom he would have run right into the group of covenant he now stood behind in the stairwell.<br><br>&nbsp;There were a number of bodies laying around the door, laying in such a way, only a fall down the stairs made sense, the&nbsp; fact that some had burn or explosion marks added that&nbsp; a rocket had been involved. grasping one of the quickly dwindling number of 'bags o' grenades' from his belt and tossed it forward, shooting it as it entered the mass of covenant, killing some and scattering the rest. He had previously switched out his Battle Rifle with his shotgun and now used it to dispatch several grunts and two jackals, pinning the majority of the other covenant as he took cover in a cubicle.<br><br>&nbsp;"Spartan zero-one-six-one, use your grenades and get down here, we'll flush 'em out."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 18, 2010, 01:34:44 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter listened to the exchange between the two of his brothers over the comms, not saying anything himself, he hadn't always gotten on with Patric, the guy was a hero no doubt about it, but he could be a bit of a show off at times, which was what probably got him so badly injured in his last battle.<br><br>Rushing forward with his shotgun, Hunter squeezed off five round in quick succession, taking down a brute and two grunts.<br><br>"Gladiator, any more coming up?"<br><br>Hunter couldn't use his radar as it had been damaged before hand in the fall. Not the best of times for it to be on the blink but he was glad that Gladiators was working and even though he didn't like to admit it, he was glad that there was another Spartan on the way.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 21, 2010, 06:17:43 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator fired a shot from his sniper rifle into an oncoming Elite Zealot that had drawn it's sword, the shot had hit precisely where it was supposed to. Right in the center of it's chest where the armor was thickest, it was also where their sheild generators were kept, adding extra protection to their armor to keep the wearer safe. Ofcourse it didn't help much when your opponent quick drawed and fired a burst of Battle Rifle fire into your head. Gladiator shook his head <em>they always underestimate us and because of that, they'll never learn</em>. Gladiator didn't responde to Spartan 334's progress, he didn't have time. Hunter asked a prudent question and Gladiator thought it prudent to give him an answer. He looked to his motion tracker for a split, taking his eyes off the battle field for a second as Hunter took care of a Brute and two Grunts with his shotgun.<br><br>His motion tracker showed a big blob of red still in the stair well, and one was bigger than the others. It almost seemed as if the others swarmed around it to try and cover it's signature. A Hunter. A second later an explosion ejected debris and grunts from the stairwell, toppling over another Elite that was caught by suprise as it stepped out onto the roof. Gladiator shot it before it could begin to pick itself back up. He looked at his motion tracker again and the Hunter was still there, though those around it had been considerably diminished. Now there were atleast 8 individual red dots besides the Hunter and most of them were probably picking themselves off the ground in the stairwell by now. Sling cautiously moved forward, his sub-machine gun trained on the remains of the doorway. <br><br>"Move cautiously guys, I'm reading eight more covenant still in the stair well, along with a B. R. D. that can only be a Hunter" Gladiator said as he switched weapons once again, taking a Covenant Energy Sword from his thigh and a plasma grenade from one of his pouches. Sling nodded but made no comment. For a second that seemed to last hours, everything was quite. Then the world sped into overdrive. Four Grunts rushed the doorway, the lead two brandishing two plasma grenades, one in each hand as they growled and cried, running crazily towards it's own peril. A quick burst from Sling's sub-machine gun took care of it, the two grenades going over the edge of the building and detonating harmlessly. Then two green archs of plasma detonated on the doorway, crumpling in the metal frame and sending concrete skittering across the ground. Sling wisely stepped back, letting his sheilds take the damage. Gladiator threw the grenade and Sling dived for cover, a second later the grenade landed at the feet of the two Grunts carrying Fuel Rod Cannons and detonated, sending their carcasses over the side of the building. The big red dot made it's way forward as two short barks were given from an Elite within the stairwell and the Hunter stepped out, it's sheild arm already up and it's Fuel Rod Cannon already glowing.<br><br>Gladiator took out another plasma grenade and ignited the Elite plasma sword "Alright, Hunter, Sling draw it's fire. Keep it distracted on you two for a second, so I can get behind it and plant the grenade, once the grenade detonates. Take it out, because all it's rage and anger will be on me then. Got it?" The blue and gold Spartan didn't wait for a reply, he ran straight at the heavily armored alien, it fired it's Fuel Rod cannon and Gladiator dived to the side, the boiling green energy missing him and the others by a mile as it passed between them. Gladiator rolled up onto his feet and headed in again, this time for the big aliens sheild arm. The Hunter raised it's arm to swat him aside, and Gladiator dived again, the shield wizzing by his head by mere centimeters as he went into a summersault and came up on the Hunters backside.<br><br>Now all the others had to do was fire as the Hunter turned around slowly to track it's elusive prey.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 22, 2010, 12:28:57 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter smiled inside his helmet when he saw the Hunter and switched his weapon to his battle rifle, firing shot after shot at it as it came up the stairs, the bullets bounced harmlessley off its arm of course because of the thick armour, but the distraction was working and it focused on him and Sling.<br><br>He backed up a little as the Hunter came up onto the roof and had to jump to the side when it lunged for him, he dodged it easily and responded by shooting a three round burst into its face, the bullets did nothing because of the thick armour but it disorientated the beast for a few seconds.<br><br>"Gladiator, now while it is disorientated"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 22, 2010, 07:09:12 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Right on cue Sling and Hunter opened up on the heavily armored alien, as soon as Gladiator was past the behemoth. The bullets bounced off the armor harmlessly and as expected, the Hunter focused on the duo. Gladiator heard Hunter shout "Gladiator, now while it is disorientated!" The blue and gold Spartan needed no further prompting, he primed the grenade and threw it onto the Hunter's back. Feeling the pressure of the grenade attach, the heavily armored alien started to turn around to focus on Gladiator as expected. A second later, the grenade detonated, blowing off the back plates of armor. Gladiator fired a burst of three shots into the beast's helmet, which really pissed it off. It raised it's sheild arm and brought it down like a hammer, Gladiator rolled out of the way and the concrete behind him cracked and splintered as the Hunter's sheild arm impacted upon it.<br><br>"Now! Fire!" Gladiator shouted as he backpedaled to keep out of the way of the aliens arms.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 23, 2010, 11:29:08 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Without any other words, Hunter switched straight back to his shotgun and pumped round after round into the Hunters back, taking it down within four or five rounds, it had taken team work and determination but those were key parts of being a Spartan anyway so it was a given really that it was used here.<br><br>Putting two rounds in the downed beasts back for good measure, Hunter was finally satisfied that the Hunter was down, but there wasn't time to rest, more Covenant were on the way, dumping his shotgun on the ground, Hunter went back to using his battle rifle.<br><br>"Right, let us end this now while we have the upper hand"<br><br>He then headed back to the doorway, ready for the next wave of Covenant forces to arrive.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>December 03, 2010, 03:26:28 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hearing no reply but the sounds of a battle above, the Spartan could only assume a worse case scenario. Raising from the cover of the cubicle he had used for cover, the Spartan began moving. The material used to create the cubicle was weak and stood no chance as the Spartan lurched forward, running to the nearest Elite he could find, the blue armored alien had time only to jump in surprise and give out a growl before the Spartan slammed his shoulder into the chest of the Elite, whom had no time to set himself or move to evade. The Elite's growl turned up a few octaves, turning into a wheezing death rattle, his lungs collapsing from the impact. Turning from the Elite the spartan kicked out, slamming his right armored boot into a red armored Elite's leg. Howling the Elite tumbled, falling.<br><br>&nbsp;The Spartan caught the Elite, shook him once then spun him around, arm closing around his neck tightly. Shotgun aimed at the two visible Elites; Red armored veteran; Blue armored rookie. The two Elites were stunned as the captive Elite struggled. It was difficult for the Spartan to keep his hold and he was losing it slowly; he had to act soon. Hearing movement behind him spurned the Spartan into movement, jerking his arm straight, he sent the captive Elite forward, the other two not sure what to do, their instincts kicking in.<br><br>&nbsp;Turning his back on them the Spartan moved to grab the pump of the shotgun with his now free arm but was interrupted as a bright beam flashed through his shotgun, accompanied by the his of molten metal. He had only the time to register that it was a Golden armored Elite, wielding a plasma sword, leg raised, slamming into his chest. For all the strength the Spartan possessed he was unprepared and was nearly rivaled in strength by the average Elite.<br><br>&nbsp;The kick naturally sent the Spartan back, a grunt escaping his slightly parted lips as a the Spartan's feet temporarily leave the floor, his arms moving forward from the force. Straightening his torso the Spartan planted his feet on the floor, his arms lowering to his sides. There was too much momentum and he couldn't fully stop himself. Slamming into something not quite as hard as he was the Spartan collapsed on something squishy. <br><br>&nbsp;Rolling to the side and springing to his feet the Spartan spared the barest of glances to the location he had fallen, the Blue armored Elite had been directly behind him and hadn't been smart enough to move out of the way. Jumping to the side, the Spartan narrowly dodged a plasma grenade. His had jumped on pure instinct. You had to keep moving when fighting one so high on the other side.<br><br>&nbsp;Despite, of because he had jumped on instinct, he landed awkward and stumbled, his left hand taking the pistol from his hip, twirling it onces in a flashy move as he continued to stumble, the wounded Red armored Elite came into the open, his field of fire. Bothering with no aim, the Spartan began pulling the trigger as quickly as he could, sending the entire magazine at the Elite. The kick to it's leg had wounded the Elite well enough he couldn't get out of the way, his shields to most of the shots, but they had already been weakened and when they flashed off, the two last bullets slammed into his chest armor, piercing it and dropping the alien.<br><br>&nbsp;letting himself fall the Spartan turned and rolled, coming up and dashing to the side, he could hear one somewhere behind him but there was no sign or sound of the second Elite. Risking a glance back, the Spartan saw the other Red armored Elite giving chase. Looking forward, the Spartan scanned the area ahead of him. Focused on his task of evading the Red Armored Elite and looking for something, the Spartan didn't see the hole in the floor his foot landed on. The hole had been small, likely the result of a bullet or two passing through, the Spartan's weight was more than enough to make the hole bigger as his foot plunged into it, tripping him. He had only time to register a trapped foot and see bright, nearly white blue streak past where his neck had been. Landing the Spartan kicked his trapped foot and rolled, his foot easily coming free.<br><br>&nbsp;Springing to his feet, the Spartan had to immediately turn to the side, evading a stab to the stomach then jump towards the Golden Elite, too far into his reach as he turned the stab into a slash. The result was the Elite slamming his rm into the Spartan's side- who was ready for the impact this time- and having his arm trapped as the Spartan's arm snapped down, crushing the Elite's arm against his side. The Elite howled in pain but kept up the fight.<br><br>&nbsp;The Spartan dropped his now empty pistol to the floor as the Elite raised his other arm, the Spartan reached up and grabbed the Elite's wrist, the hand attached clutching a plasma grenade, right in front of their faces. The Spartan could swear the Elite's mandibles moved in a smile as the Alien's thumb depressed the activation of the Plasma. Neither one could just leave or the other would kill them. Instead they both fought for the grenade, pushing and pulling it, flinging about wildly. The two stumbled through the broken cubicles and over bodies. They fought for their lives. The only thing keeping them alive was the Alien's thumb still depressing the activation.<br><br>&nbsp;Grunting the Spartan found himself rolling on the ground, now wrestling with the Elite for the grenade, they had tripped over the body of a brute, the fall had hardly been noticable to both Human and Shangelli, both were oblivious of the fact that the Plasma grenade was no longer in their possession for two seconds. Both looked at the Grenade six feet from them as it hissed on a as yet unmarked spot on the floor. They both stared at it dumbly for two seconds before hauling themselves up, unconsciously helping each other up and diving in the other direction.<br><br>&nbsp;The grenade exploded just before they ended their dive, the force just strong enough to send to two further forward. The Spartan hit a solid wall in a daze and lay there for three seconds before slowly rising, shaking his head to clear it. Looking around him, the Spartan found the Golden armored Elite doing much the same, only cradling his arm, the armor slightly dented. The two looked at each other, both with a little respect, neither with much hostility.<br><br>&nbsp;Several seconds before the two simultaneously nodded, a silent communication having past between the two. Both turned, Spartan heading towards the duffel bag that had fallen from his shoulder at some point, Elite making his way down, out of the building.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>December 12, 2010, 10:17:21 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator turned around to meet the shattered remains of the roof access door, the blue and gold Spartan headed down the stairwell, his battle rifle raised. He continued to walk through the bodies of Covenant like he was walking through thickly packed snow until he reached the top floor, only to come face to face with a Silver armored Elite as he opened the still intact door and came through the doorway. The Elite straightened, momentarily startled before going for it's plasma sword and igniting it with a <em>snap! hiss</em>.<br>The Spartan lept forward and put all his strength into his roundhouse punch, knowing that his rifle's ammunition would do little to stop it from moving toward him at the close distance between them. His fist impacted on it's sheild and drained it, though his hand went numb a few seconds later as a result. Gladiator snapped his rifle up as the alien stumbled backwards in response to the Spartan's blow. A moment later it caught it's balance and roared at him, raising it's energy blade. Gladiator fired. The battle rifle's bullet punched through the alien's helmet and dove into it's brain, killing it instantly.<br><br>Gladiator shook his head and smiled before bringing up his TEAMCOM and saying "Sierra three three four. All Covenant forces have been taken care of on this floor according to my readings. What's your situation? Over."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nerdychic447</strong> on <strong>December 31, 2010, 03:44:59 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1631/halommoarticleimage.jpg) (http://img691.imageshack.us/i/halommoarticleimage.jpg/)<br><br>The rain began to fall outside, they were here somewhere at least that's what her scans were showing. Moving fast to the top floor, she laid down and set up her rifle, it was out of the corner of her eye that she saw movement. She was one of the best or maybe is the best, even the U.N.S.C had to admit she was an elite in the military.&nbsp; Sadly she wasn't needed that much, it wasn't because they didn't need a sniper, oh no, there is quite a story behind why she's called Siren now.<br><br>Siren licked her lips and wet them as she waited for more movement. She lay there perfectly still, you'd have to trip on her to find her. On the corner of her bright green eyes, she noticed a small struggle and the glow of an energy sword. Quickly she loaded the bullet into the chamber and took aim. Seeing the ally dispatch the Elite, she sighed to herself, before noticing the ripple behind the soldier. "Camo!" She said to herself. Taking aim, she fired. A loud burst erupted from the sniper, the bullet spiraling down the long barrel before ejecting itself into the air with a small puff of smoke. It flew fast, faster than a blink of an eye, before impaling itself in the wall directly behind the Elite. The Elite stood there for a moment, almost frozen in time, the energy sword over his head ready to strike, before a moment later crumpling to the ground.<br><br>In a quite flirtatious voice, Siren opened up the com link at Gladiator "Looks like that Elite wasn't the only one staring at your back, Gladiator." She said with a little sexy giggle at the end of his name. The emblems of the Spartans armor were those of Gladiator, at least that's what the U.N.S.C had told her he wore. "I'll rendezvous with you in a moment, I need to find away over there."<br><br>Slowly Siren stretched out again a little, boy her muscles were all tensed up. They didn't give her a lot of time to come around after waking her from Hibernation. Reattaching the Sniper to her back and making sure all her ammunition was secured, she stood up to her full height of 6"9' in all her gear. At 6"2', Siren was still a little short compared to some of the other Spartans, but none had her looks, or her speed. Looking around, she saw an old power line attached a little ways away from her vantage point, to the other building. It was an easy adjustment, a little clip here, and it was a smooth way across, well smooth enough. Grabbing a hold of the line, she tested it, it was solid. Looking over the edge, she determined she had no desire to kiss the pavement tonight. Once everything was secured, she grabbed onto the line and swung herself down, feet first right into the window. After a small little roll, she regained her composer and walked over to Gladiator.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>January 03, 2011, 05:57:57 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter was relieved to hear that the covenant forces had been eliminated, he had been sure that eventually if more had come, they could have overrun the building, even with the formidable abilities of the Spartans and the help of the ODST's.<br><br>He heard sniper fire and looked around, bringing his battle rifle up, eyes looking and alert, but then he saw the female Spartan Siren walking towards Gladiator. He had heard about her, she was one of the best snipers around and could make a shot from just about anywhere, he was impressed with her shooting skills. He had never spoken to her though, he hung back and checked his ammo, he was beginning to run a little low and would need some more soon if he wasn't careful. He also had a couple of grenades left which would no doubt come in useful.<br><br>He looked up at the pouring rain, he hated rain, it messed his vision up when it got on his visor. He wanted to get back to base so that he could arm up again and then take the fight to the covenant instead of standing on this ruin of an earthan city. He had been born on this planet, but since becoming a Spartan, he had felt nothing for it, the only thing he gave a damn about these days was fighting and killing covenant until he came across one that would get the better of him. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>January 18, 2011, 03:28:55 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Sierra three three four. All Covenant forces have been taken care of on this floor according to my readings. What's your situation? Over."</em><br><br>&nbsp;"One level below your position. Status is cleared. I am ascending the northern stair now. Repeat; I am ascending the northern stair now," Patric says into his comms unit as he checks the mag in his battle rifle. Still fresh, no signs of any future jams; Clean mag. He heard the faint sound of a sniper's rifle being fired nearby, then a tumble followed by more noises. Someone had joined them it seemed.<br><br>&nbsp;The pack on his back picked up the female Spartan's transmission with ease, the voice oddly flirtatious for a Spartan; Spartans weren't just a group, no single Spartan was just in the team, they were a brother or sister, nothing changed that. Was this person really a Spartan? It didn't seem likely, but he would wait until he saw this person with his own eyes.<br><br>&nbsp;Reaching the top of the stair Patric entered the top floor and surveyed the carnage, taking stock of the situation and his surroundings, his gaze at first sweeping over the two Spartans and Marine before finally coming back and resting on them. An interesting group it seemed. This would be Patric's family for now. Maybe.<br><br>&nbsp;"Spartan three-three-four, UNSC, Rank and Serial number classified. What is this mission's current objective?" Patric inquires, leaving little room for dalliances. As a Spartan the mission would be accomplished one way or the other with minimal Human casualties if at all possible and at any cost to him personally.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>January 19, 2011, 05:03:20 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter looked around lazily as the new Spartan came up the stairs, he had picked up the comms and didn't bother pointing his gun towards the door.<br><br>"Our mission was to stop the Covenant in the city, but we were knocked and scattered when it jumped within the city limits, we are the only ones here at the moment, aside from all of the dead you see around us, what took you so long?"<br><br>He was no longer in the mood for pratting around with others of his team, one or two members were nice to be around, but more than that and Hunter just wanted to get the job done and get back to base.<br><br>"I guess you could say that our current objective is to stay together and alive until someone realises we are actually down here in this hell hole, care to join us?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>January 20, 2011, 08:34:29 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv251/nightsketcher1/Star%20Wars/Halo/SANY0136-1.jpg)<br><br>(OOC: This is my spartan on my X-Box360. Guys, meet the real Gladiator0161 :D )<br><br><em>"One level below your position. Status is cleared. I am ascending the northern stair now. Repeat; I am ascending the northern stair now"</em> was the response Gladiator got just before a 50 caliber sniper round passed mere inches from the side of his head with a <em>ziiing</em> and buried itself in something behind him. Gladiator spun as a cloaked Elite's sheilds and camouflage dropped as the sniper round buried itself in it's head, splattering the purple contents of it's head against the wall. <br><br><em>"Looks like that Elite wasn't the only one staring at your back, Gladiator."</em> the sniper said with a little sexy giggle at the end of his name. Siren. He recognized her mannerisms from the files the UNSC had on her. Before this mission came up, he was considering making a team for a future mission that might call for one. He'd considered her for his team as a secondary sniper despite her only being an ODST. He had great respect for the various factions within the UNSC and the brave men and women that served in each but, Spartans were genetically bred to be superior combatants, with superior reflexes, strength and speed. She had the skills necessary for his consideration and that was enough in his book. <em>"I'll rendezvous with you in a moment, I need to find away over there."</em> Siren said over the comms. A minute later Siren herself zip-lined through a window at the end of the hallway and joined them followed shortly by yet another Spartan, Patric. Gladiator nodded to each in turn choosing to ignore Siren's rather blunt innuendo. Not that he minded, not that he'd tell anyone that.<br><br>"Spartan three-three-four, UNSC, Rank and Serial number classified. What is this mission's current objective?" Patric inquired getting right to business. Gladiator liked that. The big blue and gold Spartan looked over to Hunter as he spoke up to answer Patric's question. "Our mission was to stop the Covenant in the city, but we were knocked and scattered when it jumped within the city limits, we are the only ones here at the moment, aside from all of the dead you see around us, what took you so long?"<br>Hunter said with a tone that spoke of wanting to finish this mission up and get back home, which Gladiator understood all too easily "I guess you could say that our current objective is to stay together and alive until someone realizes we are actually down here in this hell hole, care to join us?"<br><br>Gladiator nodded "So far all we know is that our objective jumped the system shortly after we dropped, and that communication has been cut off from command. So, our new mission is to survive, find the jamming devices and hopefully get comms back to command to see if we have new orders in light of what's happened. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us for now. Unless you know something we don't." <br><br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 14, 2011, 11:58:54 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded in agreement with his brother Galdiator.<br><br>"Well then, if we need to get the comms back up, it be time we got cracking on then instead of having this little chit chat on the roof, there are covenant to kill, comms jammers to kill and what not"<br><br>Stepping over to the door, Hunter opened it once more as it had swung shut and held it open and bowed like a waiter.<br><br>"After you of course"<br><br>He was smiling darkly inside his helmet. This mission was going to get some serious heat soon and he couldn't wait.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>March 09, 2011, 06:37:34 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">CHAPTER 2: Welcome aboard Maggot</span><br><br>UNSC Flagship Hercules; Pelican Landing Deck<br>Location: Earth's Lower Atmosphere<br><br>(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/witto_devil/ShanasSquad.jpg)<br><br><hr><br>The landing deck had slowly been filling in with platoons of marines as the intercoms ordered one of the companies to report. Space between the Pelicans and the ships walls grew smaller as people in uniform began showing up. At first everyone seemed disorganized and wandered about aimlessly, some even formed up their own little groups to converse among each other. Though each one of them looked just like the guy next to them, they seemed to know the difference. When that company's commander showed up, he waited a moment before calling his company to come together, "Echo, fall in!"<br><br>The soldiers did as they were all told, the squad leaders counting off the steps away from the single platoon sergeant before standing to attention and soon followed the squad members beside their leaders to copy the position. The platoon sergeant then asked the squad leaders to report and each one told the sergeant how many were present in their squad and if someone had been missing.<br><br>With an about face, the platoon sergeant saluted her commander and and reported, "All present and accounted for."<br><br>The commander looked over the large platoon and studied the group of soldiers. The platoon was too big to stay single and he almost smiled at the thought of finally being able to announce a replacement for the missing platoon sergeant. Giving his approval to the platoon sergeant, he began his speech to the company, "As you know, during our last encounter with the Covenant we lost a platoon sergeant along with a few good men. You all have been good sports in becoming one platoon, but now we have a replacement. The ones lost in battle will not be forgotten, but let's take this time to get acquainted with your new platoon sergeant and get some of you moved to that platoon."<br><br>The commander walked down the row of Squads and members and each one he placed a hand upon moved to the other side of the company to form a new platoon. He paused at a rather short soldier, her height only reaching five feet even. She looked just like the rest, but for some reason he did recognize her and even offered her a smile. "I think you'll do better in the other platoon, you know the sergeant who will be in control." he told her as he touched her shoulder lightly and pointed to the other side as the soldiers began filing into their new locations. The petite soldier said nothing, made no motion of facial expression. She fell out of her current spot and fell into a new one on the opposite end.<br><br>Satisfied at his progress, the commander returned to his position at the front of the company and ushered forth the new platoon Sergent. "This is Sergeant Jacobs and he will be the 2ND platoon leader. You don't have to like him, but get to know him and follow his orders. 1st platoon get familiar with your new members and fall out. 2ND platoon get familiar with your new platoon leader."<br><br>The commander gave a light pat on Sergeant Jacob's back and lowered his voice to only speak to him, "I'll leave you to your platoon. Once we reach word from Admiral Bane about the spartans, you'll prepare for evac. Give you a chance to better familiarize with your new platoon. That's all, carry on."<br><br>The sergeant said nothing, nodding his head, his blue eyes watched as the older man walked away and then gazed at the 1st platoon before moving his full attention to the 2ND platoon. He made his way around the platoon and looked at them all for a moment in silence. Walking in between the rows of soldiers he began talking, "It is a shame that the covenant took so many of us last time. Your last platoon sergeant may have done his best, but I will see to it that I will better fit the position and keep casualties to a minimum. I've had a good share of encounters and will pass what knowledge I have gained to you and we'll be the best in the companies.."<br><br>He stopped in front of the small woman. It seemed like a lot of people were doing that today. Maybe it was because she was shorter than the other soldiers and that made her stick out. It could have been her eyes that indicated more experience than her ranking, but whatever the reasoning, the woman would refuse to talk unless she was forced to do so. She was a private and a lot of her past was confidential, her only concern was to survive the battles with the covenant. Therefore, she didn't need to make small talk nor did she need any friends unless she was ordered to do so.<br><br>The sergeant leaned forward and studied her green eyes, as his blue narrowed. He studied her for a good two minutes, trying to compute what he was seeing before him. His breath touching her face, she wanted to push him away from her, but instead she continued to stare forward in a hallow gaze.<br><br>"Shana..?" he whispered almost unsure of himself. His eyes looked upon her ranking and then went back to look upon her aging face. "...what did you do?" he asked, almost not expecting a response back.<br><br>She said nothing, and didn't react to the name he had used. Her expression said nothing. The sergeant could have been wrong, the soldier might not have been the name he had referred to her as, but he knew her and wasn't fooled by her actions. Standing back up straight the man looked at her a second longer before he continued his walk down the rows of soldiers. "Before I allow you to fall out I want guns cleaned, loaded, and ready to go. Once we receive word from Admiral Bane, I'll take the most prepared squad out to battle. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even see a spartan. Fall out!" he said and moved away from the group of soldiers.<br><br>They did as they were told, taking one step back before grouping off in their own little groups and walking toward the armory.<br><br>"A spartan..can you believe that?"<br><br>"Seems so early to go into battle..I just got out of training.."<br><br>"I heard they look like giants compared to us.."<br><br>"Never seen one?"<br><br>Many voices were heard around as they moved past the small soldier. She allowed them to weave around her as she stood still a moment and thought about all that the sergeant had said. There were many things off about it that didn't sit right with her. He knew who she was, but then again..she recognized him herself, and in a way that disgusted her knowing how she knew him. He wasn't a bad man, she didn't dislike him..it wasn't a fond feeling knowing he was in command now. Spartans...there was another that didn't sit right in the pit of her stomach. The woman didn't like them for more than one reason.<br><br>The soldier looked back one more time at the sergeant before shaking her head. As if just another ant in the hill, the 34 year old woman followed the crowd of soldiers to the armory to follow orders.<br><br>After walking down the corridor and waiting for the doors to slide open to give her access into the armory she paused at the entrance and watched as one greenhorn picked up HER weapon. Her head gathered heat and anger swelled up in her throat. Walking rather hurriedly toward him she snatched the old rifle from his hands and held it close.<br><br>If eyes could kill, he'd have been dead twice already. "Whoa..." he said and backed up a few steps, holding his hands up in defense. "Easy.."<br><br>"Touching another soldier's gun is against protocol. Your dealing with a life of another and that can cause you major problems. If that life happens to die and you're found to be the one messing with a gun that didn't belong to you before hand.." She snapped at him.<br><br>The young soldier rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry..I didn't know it was yours. That's an old model..don't you want to change it? The older assult rifles can jam up and can take longer to load.." he would have continued his little speech if the woman hadn't turned her back to him and walked away.<br><br>He looked to his friend beside him and pointed a thumb in her direction as she continued to walk across the room. "What the hell..was that. Ain't she a little too old to be a private?"<br><br>His friend snicked and shook his head as he himself reached for a rifle to begin his evaluation of that particular weapon.<br><br>She cursed beneath her breath. How dare a snot nose brat barely passed puberty tell her that HER gun was no good. The woman had had this gem since she herself first joined the marines and took damn good care of it. That was nearly sixteen years ago..she could hardly imagine that she had been trapped in this hell for so long.<br><br>Sighing, the soldier placed her rifle on the table and quickly took it apart. Reaching for her cleaning supplies, she inspected each individual piece to make sure the greenhorn hadn't damaged anything. The old scratches and indentations gave it's age away and old stained purple splats here and there couldn't be taken away by any cleaning she could dare use on it. <br><br>It was a good rifle. She took care of it and it had returned the favor many times. The kid might have been right..the newer models did seem to be better in battle, but she didn't trust those ones. The woman knew her weapon better than she knew herself and she wasn't about to exchange it for something she didn't trust.<br><br>Her green eyes scanned the room to make sure no one was looking in her direction before she bent over and pulled her handgun from a holster around her ankle. The lower ranks were not permitted to carry a gun aboard in everyday runs. They had to keep them in their designated areas until something popped up. They were allowed a single knife, but the woman knew better than to give up her secondary weapon and always hid it while in the 'safety' of the mother ship.<br><br>Placing it on the table, she took the pistol apart and cleaned it up. This weapon was also an older model. She almost attempted a smile, waiting for some punk to comment on it so she could have an excuse to put him or her in their place. Lucky for the platoon, no one bothered to look in her direction. They kept to their groups and conversed among themselves light hearted as they cleaned and prepared their own weapons.<br><br>The older soldier walked across the room and reached for some ammo packs for her weapons, the irritating feeling of eyes wanted to make her react in a bad manner. She ignored the idea and went back to her weapons, not giving any attention to the others around her. It was true, she was definitely out of place here. The woman suspected the oldest one here might have been in their mid-twenties. That thought made her sick, but she did feel rather conceited that she had the most experience in battle. Her cold, hardened eyes looked around the platoon and studied the soldiers. Turning her attention back to her guns, she knew the outcome to the next few battles would leave very few of the platoon alive.<br><br>It was not a mean thought..no...it was just fact. Loading her pistol she inspected it above her head in the light before placing it in its holster on her lower calf. A part of her wished to die in battle too, but her instincts always seemed to kick into gear once the battle began, and she always managed to survive another day in hell, wether she wanted to or not.<br><br>Loading her rifle she placed it back on the table and checked her knife in the sheath around her left thigh. She knew it had already been sharpened earlier, but in habit, she had to check it again. As suspected, it was indeed ready for an unsuspecting victim. The soldier picked up her rifle and walked out of the armory. Her new destination was back to the pelican deck where she would await her new orders.&nbsp; As the soldier found a seat near the doors, the back of her mind hoped that her new squad wouldn't be the one to head into the next battle, but she had already known...the new sergeant was going to use the squad she was in only because he knew her and wanted to get an idea of why she was a private now.<br><br>She stared at the pelican and thought of her past actions..the reasoning for her rank today.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>April 13, 2011, 05:50:00 am</strong>
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				<em>The big blue and gold Spartan looked over to Hunter as he spoke up to answer Patric's question. "Our mission was to stop the Covenant in the city, but we were knocked and scattered when it jumped within the city limits, we are the only ones here at the moment, aside from all of the dead you see around us, what took you so long?"<br>Hunter said with a tone that spoke of wanting to finish this mission up and get back home, which Gladiator understood all too easily "I guess you could say that our current objective is to stay together and alive until someone realizes we are actually down here in this hell hole, care to join us?"<br><br>Gladiator nodded "So far all we know is that our objective jumped the system shortly after we dropped, and that communication has been cut off from command. So, our new mission is to survive, find the jamming devices and hopefully get comms back to command to see if we have new orders in light of what's happened. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us for now. Unless you know something we don't." </em><br><br>Patric immediately deferred to Gladiator, whom seemed to be in charge and nodded where needed. They were stuck out here, enemy on all sides and no friends, or at least none they knew of, alive or around to help. Not even the boosted abilities of his modified comms unit could get through the jammed signals, not enough to make much of a difference. His suit had been squawking to any UNSC personnel in the vicinity since he had made it to the building and the suit had only been able to get a partial response once.<br><br>&nbsp;He was surprised it had even gotten that much, considering how good the Covenant jammers really were. Either the UNSC was getting better or the other side was getting worse, and he doubted that last bit. Mentally shaking himself, Patric returned his focus on the other Spartan and replayed the man's short summery of the situation.<br><br>&nbsp;"I know many things you don't know." Was Patric's reply as he turned from the other Spartan, scanning the skies. "The air space looks clear for the moment though that can't be for very long. They found us and we blooded them. There are likely to be reinforcements on the way, I would advice you to consider a tactical withdrawal from this position. There are still marines down there, we need to find them and link up. Together with them and any possible reinforcements, likely SAR teams, will look for heavy concentrations before they look for small pockets, regardless of how important they maybe. The nearest garrison, or what is left of it should be on the priority list for SAR, reinforcement and general shelter if it isn't overrun by the covenant."<br><br>&nbsp;Turning back to the other Spartan and taking in his stance he gave a slight nod. "Sir," he added as an after thought before looking at the others around them. "I have extra weapons and ammunition," he dropped the bag at his feet. "Take what you need, don't clear it out, we'll need to use it sparingly until we find an actual armory to restock and rearm."<br><br>&nbsp;At this last bit Patric gave the other spartan a shrug in their coded gestures, trying to send that he wasn't trying to take over, just summing up the situation as he saw it and looking out for the teams survival.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>April 14, 2011, 01:26:08 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter listened to the other spartan with interest. He certainly did know a lot more than they currently did. Good intelligence work, could have been a scout at some point.<br><br>"Sounds like a plan to me, do you know the current locations of any of these possible teams of which you speak?"<br><br>He looked at the bag full of weapons and then he checked his own, they still had enough ammo in them to last a while, so he turned the offer down.<br><br>"I think we should collect all of these covenant weapons on the way down and there was a small armoury in the building as well, that could be cleaned out and added to the contents as well, get ourselves as much weaponry as possible if you think reinforcements are coming"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>May 06, 2011, 10:01:57 pm</strong>
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				<em>"I know many things you don't know" was Patric's reply as he turned from the other Spartan, scanning the skies. "The air space looks clear for the moment though that can't be for very long. They found us and we blooded them. There are likely to be reinforcements on the way, I would advice you to consider a tactical withdrawal from this position. There are still marines down there, we need to find them and link up. Together with them and any possible reinforcements, likely SAR teams, will look for heavy concentrations before they look for small pockets, regardless of how important they maybe. The nearest garrison, or what is left of it should be on the priority list for SAR, reinforcement and general shelter if it isn't overrun by the covenant." <br><br>"Sir," he added as an after thought before looking at the others around them. "I have extra weapons and ammunition," he dropped the bag at his feet. "Take what you need, don't clear it out, we'll need to use it sparingly until we find an actual armory to restock and rearm." <br><br>Gladiator nodded and took a few extra sniper rounds, he saw Hunter decline Patric's offer of a resupply before voicing his opinion "I think we should collect all of these covenant weapons on the way down and there was a small armoury in the building as well, that could be cleaned out and added to the contents as well, get ourselves as much weaponry as possible if you think reinforcements are coming."</em><br><br>Gladiator nodded again "we can count on them coming at us again and again. They've vowed to eradicate the universe of us. Hunter brings up a good point, pack up all the useful Covenant weaponry you see, Fuel Rod Cannons, Plasma Pistols, Plasma Launchers, those Energy Swords over there, anything that will splatter or explode, the Covenant may be stuck on their own technology but, that doesn't mean we have to be." He looked around him and counted off the members of their little team. Hunter, Patric, Seargent Sling, Rook, and ofcourse himself. 6 team members. You could do some serious damage with only 6 people. First though, they needed a target and some reconned intel. Lance and Raven were classed as MIA until further notice. Gladiator sighed and started picking up Covenant weapons and tossing them into Patric's bag.<br><br>"Alright, first things first, we'll go downstairs and empty that small armory, then begin a floor by floor search for Lance and Raven as we go down, try to determine what happened to them. Then we move out once we're all all on the ground floor. Then we find and elliminate any communication jammers we come across. Let's move" Gladiator said as he raised his Battle Rifle as he moved to the blown out roof accessway and down the stairs.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 07, 2011, 08:24:52 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded to Gladiator and then followed him as he descended down the stairs.<br><br>"Well this is turning out to be one hell of an interesting trip, what else do you think will come up along the way?"<br><br>He headed down the armoury and started grabbing as many weapons as he could carry, filling his belt up with energy swords and ammo and grabbed as many rifles as possible, slinging them over his shoulders and then heading back to the rest of the team with his load. Dumping the weapons on the floor he looked at Patric.<br><br>"Here we go, this is a small amount of what was in the armoury"<br><br>He took the ammo and swords off of his belt and began to fill the bag with it.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Assallya</strong> on <strong>May 07, 2011, 07:13:31 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"This is Pelican Echo Four One Nine to Fire Base Delta," Private Clytemnestra Li repeated for what must have been a hundredth time, "Repeat.&nbsp; Echo four one nine to Fire Base Delta.&nbsp; Requesting instruction."<br><br>She was answered only with static.&nbsp; Even with the power of the Pelican's boosted radio she couldn't make contact.&nbsp; The Covenant's jammers were wreaking havoc with all long range communication.&nbsp; Tossing the microphone away from her, the microphone arced wildly, swinging and bouncing at the end of its curled cable.&nbsp; The half Chinese girl sighed and stared out the canopy at the bleak sky.<br><br>Clytemnestra and her partner, along with Pelican Echo-419 had originally been scheduled to partake in the destruction of the Covenant cruiser formerly hanging over New York.&nbsp; That was now a bust.&nbsp; The ODSTs and Spartans were supposed to disable the docking bay force fields and then Clytemnestra was going to fly inside and deliver to them an atomic bomb.&nbsp; The theory was that an explosion of significant magnitude could cause collapse of the slip space envelope and, given the Covenant's superior handling in slipspace, cause a cascade reaction that could destroy an entire fleet.<br><br>Unfortunately, all that meant was that Clytemnestra was now trapped atop a skyscraper with an atomic bomb, a collection of high power weapons meant to hold a position aboard a covenant cruiser and nowhere to deliver it.<br><br>"Well Chuckles," she said as she leaned back in her chair, "I have no idea what to do now."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 16, 2011, 07:03:59 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator and his team moved through the building in an orderly fashion, sweeping each office and cubicle as they searched for their missing comrades. When they arrived at the armory there still hadn't been any word from them. It was easy to assume the worst, they were trained for it. The puzzling thing was, there were no bodies to recover either. It was possible they were captured by the enemy. If that were true, it would complicate things a little bit but, without orders their lives and the choices they made were their own for the time being. Until they were able to reestablish communication with SecNav that is. Gladiator covered Hunter and Patric as they filled the duffel bag with weapons and ammo. Gladiator mentally ran through the map of the city in his head, trying to think of which way to head when they came out of the building, running Patric's words through his mind.<br><br><em>"The air space looks clear for the moment though that can't be for very long. They found us and we blooded them. There are likely to be reinforcements on the way, I would advice you to consider a tactical withdrawal from this position. There are still marines down there, we need to find them and link up. Together with them and any possible reinforcements, likely SAR teams, will look for heavy concentrations before they look for small pockets, regardless of how important they may be. The nearest garrison, or what is left of it should be on the priority list for SAR, reinforcement and general shelter if it isn't overrun by the covenant."</em><br><br>He tried to think of where that might be and cursed. He knew should've kept more up to date on the latest deployments and in touch with the marines and ODST's that he'd fought beside. He wished that Gunnery Sergeant Buck and his team were with them. He always kept up to date on the deployments. Soon enough, they were done filling the bag and were once again making their way down the building floor by floor, sweeping everything in search of their comrades. Suddenly a thought hit him and he felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier, though he had in fact tried it before. He hit the com button on his helmet "Lance, Raven, Siren. What's your situation? Over." They came around moderate resistance as they descended the building, nothing more than Grunts led by a trio of Jackals and an Elite. With Hunter, Gladiator and their ODST<br><br>As they made their way to the lower levels of the building static began to come over his comm "bzzzz..kkkk-nce. Over. Repeat. kkkzzzz....mm heading back after a scouting run. Do not Fire. Friendly on approach. Repeat. This is Lance, anyone reading on this channel? Over." Gladiator hurried down the next couple of flights of stairs "Lance! Good to hear from you, we were thinking the worst. Where are you?" A few minutes later they were sweeping another floor. An Elite came around the corner spotted them, pointed and roared something in it's language before motioning for it's followers to follow. Gladiator moved moved first, ducking and crouching as the first shots of boiling hot plasma were fired from the Elite. He fired his own weapon back in a double burst of triple round fire from his Battle Rifle, before ducking into a cubicle for cover and avoiding a barrage of Plasma Pistol fire from the Elite's escorts of six Grunts and three Jackals. Gladiator took a frag grenade and flipped the safety off. He peeked out for a second before ducking down, the air above his head filling with white hot energy. "Grenade! Tossing!" he shouted out amidst the noise of battle. <br><br>He raised his arm and tossed the round, pair shaped explosive up and over the cubicle wall. The grenade bounced off the top of another cubicle and into the middle of the Elite and his two Jackal escorts. While Gladiator had ducked into the cubicle, the Elite had sent the six Grunts with it's one Jackal Sniper escort, around the back, trying to pin the Spartans and their ODST brother in by creating a crossfire. The grenade laying at it's feet went unnoticed by the Elite but, the Jackals, with their much keener eyesight locked in on the explosive and turned toward it, their sheild arms leading the way and covering their bodies. The grenade detonated buffeting the Jackals but, not harming them. The Elite went completely untouched, it's shield's shimmering into view. Suddenly a sniper round tore through the Elite's head, shattering the shields completely. The body dropped like a stone and the Jackals jumped away from it. Their backs turned and exposed. That was when the six Grunts showed up from the other side, firing their Plasma Pistols. Gladiator ducked back inside his cubicle, he heard gunfire from the rest of his team but, had no idea where they were at that moment.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 17, 2011, 04:33:15 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter had ducked as soon as the plasma fire had begun from the elite and the jackals and had rolled into one of the nearest cubicles, losing sight of the rest of the team as he did so; they were on their own now. He popped his head out and looked behind him in time to see several grunts coming around the back of them, firing even more plasma rounds into the tight space. He squeezed off several rounds from his rifle, taking out two of the grunts and wounding a third. Ducking back in, he waited for three seconds and then sent another burst of machine gun fire at the grunts, taking out another two of them.<br><br>Upon seeing their dead comrades the remaining grunts and the jackal began running around, scrambling to find some cover for themselves before they too were taken down by the Spartans and ODST that were present.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 17, 2011, 07:03:56 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator peeked out from his cubicle and spotted the dead Elite. The Jackals spotted him and fired, forcing him to duck back into his cubicle. He heard the spit fire of an automatic weapon followed shortly by the barks and squeaks of Grunts running in panic. Gladiator rolled out of the cublicle firing his Battle Rifle, the Jackals were smart though and hadn't let down their guard their shield arms at the ready and deflecting his gun fire, the rounds themselves either dropping to the ground or burying themselves in the surrounding area. Suddenly the sound of a .50 caliber round came to his ears. Gladiator looked up to see the Jackals heads explode and the bodies drop over at the same time.<br><br>He looked back behind him, the area was clear for the moment "Hunter, we all clear?" Just then the whole floor shook and a hot white blue plasma ball detonated against the side of the building, sending glass and shrapnel flying everywhere. Something flew by his head by mere millimeters and smashed somewhere in the distance. He faintly realized that it had been a window. Suddenly Elites with Jetpacks burst through the whole in the wall, pointed and fired. Gladiator was still lying prone on the ground, right in the middle of the hallway. The Elites looked once, prodded him with their feet and then stepped over him. Suddenly the ODST rushed the closest Elite, roaring at it and smacking it across the helmet to temporarily stun it, before putting the shotgun to it's chest and pulling the trigger. The Elite stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. Temporarily the stunned in surprise, the others looked at their dead comrade and back to the ODST sergeant. The ODST flipped them off, pulled a plasma grenade from his belt and tossed it into the group of Elites, who had just raised their weapons, and dived for cover.<br><br>The grenade latched onto one of the Elites and detonated, shredding it to peices, killing two more, and draining the shields on the others. Gladiator felt the fiery explosion on his back and gritted his teeth through the pain. After silence descended on his immediate area, he rolled around to see the remaining Elites getting up, recovering. Their shields had not yet recovered though, so he gathered his Battle Rifle and shot two in the head, dropping them. The third though dove for cover as it fired wildly at him. Gladiator rolled into the cover of a nearby cubicle and hit his com "nevermind."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 18, 2011, 01:51:15 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter looked around from his cover just in time to see the shower of glass and then a blaze of action as the ODST that had been with the group took out almost the entire group of elites that had just blasted their way into the area. Hunter himself didn't even get the chance to squeeze off a round. He opened his comlink to Gladiator<br><br>"I think that when we pull through this, that ODST should get a promotion, what do you say? Anyone mad enough to charge a group like that and survive is insane enough to be one of us"<br><br>He then shut down his com and looked out and around to check to see if there were anymore threats in the vicinity, seeing none, he opened his com<br><br>"All clear, let's get moving before we get pinned"<br><br>With that he stood up and shook glass and debris off of his suit, checked his weapon and then proceeded towards Gladiator. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 18, 2011, 10:01:25 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator looked up and back, seeing Hunter come up to his position. Gladiator pointed to the edge of the farthest cubicle, held up one finger and gave the go signal before moving out of his cover. He moved to the edge, heard the remaining Elites breathing and looked back to Hunter. He activated his com "I agree, he'd make a good Spartan. There's one left, you want him?" A moment later Sling moved into a position where he could cover the two of them and nodded, he was ready.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 19, 2011, 03:26:21 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded silently and readied his rifle, then he had a better idea, unstrapping one of the grenades from his belt, he activated it and rolled it to the unsuspecting Elites feet, there was a noise of surprise as the Elite saw the grenade just in time for it to blow up in his face, taking him with it, the grenade tore through the enemy shield and mashed it's flesh and bones to pieces, splattering them all over the place.<br><br>"Well that was easy, let's get going, I'll take point"<br><br>With that Hunter and the rest of the group kept cautiously moving through the building, checking every corner and room for enemy reinforcements, it was slow work and would take them a small amount of time to get out of the building. Just as they wound their way down to the second floor, Hunter stuck his head around a corner to scope it out and pulled back quickly.<br><br>"We got Elites, four of them, six jackals and...."<br><br>He looked again briefly<br><br>"....nine grunts, that is some force to leave around here"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 19, 2011, 11:47:42 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator crouched down, the street was only two floors down now, he nodded as Hunter reported the sizable force blocking their path "Copy that Lance?"<br>A second later <em>"Rodger that. I'm in the stairwell behind them one floor above, on the building across from you, a big whole has been torn in the wall, probably from that Wraith Tank barrage a couple minutes ago. I couldn't ask for a more perfect spot. Awaiting instructions."</em><br><br>"Copy that" Gladiator gestured to Sling, silently instructing him with hand signals to flank the enemy from the left side. Then he turned to Hunter, and gestured for him to take the opposite side and gestured to himself, and drove his hand forward, he was going to come in from the front "Lance, provide sniper support fire, we're gonna surround and take the enemy. On my mark."<br><br>Gladiator waited for Sling and Hunter to get into positions and wink their LED signals green, the standard "ready" signal. Once that was done Gladiator moved forward and peeked around the corner "mark." Suddenly Gladiator sprang up, firing his Battle Rifle at the grunts and Jackals, as three sniper shots rang out and three Elites went down. Gladiator got three Grunts and one Jackal as he rushed up the middle of the room, cubicles on either side of him passing by. He got within throwing distance and primed a plasma grenade "Hunter, Sling throw grenades...now!" he shouted over the comms as he let his grenade fly and ducked into a cubicle for cover.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 20, 2011, 03:37:13 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter shouldered his rifle and pulled two grenades off of his belt, knocked the pins out of them and then threw them with one mighty throw, he watched from his cover as they flew towards the enemy and exploded, taking several of the grunts and a jackal with them, the rest of the force ducking as more grenades showered down on them from Sling. Hunter knocked his comms open<br><br>"Everybody else, attack now before they have the chance to recover"<br><br>With that he threw more grenades and then took up his rifle and began firing, offering covering fire for the rest of the team.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 20, 2011, 11:49:28 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Grenades rained down on the group of Covenant and exploded with thunderous results, sending alien bodies flying into the air. The grunts closest to the blast were shredded instantly, and that was before their methane filled tanks exploded adding to the fiery inferno. Gladiator paused for a second letting the blaze die down a little before moving forward with Sling and finishing off the survivors with pinpoint shots to their heads, Hunter meanwhile providing them cover fire so the enemy didn't recover from the sudden and devastating attack. In seconds everything alien that twitched was dead and they resumed their trek to the final floor. Gladiator looked up as a LED signal blinked once in red, he ducked and ran over to the nearest wall, flattening against it. His HUD's radar then picked up one red dot, an enemy making his way to their position. Suddenly a sniper bolt rang out and there was a heavy thump followed almost simultaneously with a gargling noise, the red dot disappeared, it's life terminated. Gladiator peeked out and saw the remains of a Brute in gold armor, a .50 caliber bullet hole placed cleanly in it's forehead. Gladiator clicked on his com "nice job Lance, come to our position as quickly as you can. Over."<br><br>A few moments later, a Spartan in purple armor peeked out of the entrance to the building across the street and made his way over "Hey guys, miss me?" Gladiator gave him the Spartan's smile gesture and gestured for him to join them "Alright, what's the situation Lance? What's out there waiting for us?"<br><br>Lance played at wiping his brow and placed his hands on his knees as he crouched down beside Hunter and Sling "Oh..they got every damn thing out there waiting for us. Wraith tanks, a half dozen Elites, a ton of Grunts and Jackals, probably about twenty Brutes or so, and Banshee fighters. The Wraith tanks are closest to us, along with the Elites and their Grunts and Jackals. There's about two Brutes per Elite, which make twelve Brutes, and the Banshee's are on a continual patrol that seems to be in a radius of 20 miles. They just got done flying over, so it'll be awhile before they make their way back here. Siren and Raven are back in the building keeping a lookout and maintaining radio silence for the time being. That's the good news."<br><br>A second later NAV markers outlined in red placed themselves on each team members HUD, laying out the location of the Wraith tanks "that's where the Wraith tanks are for now, they got three Elites guarding them, the other Elites are on patrol with everything else and are headed in this direction."<br><br>"I guess they've figured out that we're a threat eh guys?" Gladiator said with a hint of amusement "alright, me and Hunter will take care of the tanks. Patric back us up. Lance will provide us with cover fire along with Siren, Raven and Sling will back you up in case anything gets in. If anyone has a better plan, now's the time to pitch in."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 21, 2011, 03:12:43 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"How much cover is there out there?"<br><br>Hunter looked over at Lance, who shook his head simply. So none at all then, not the best of news but they could handle it.<br><br>"Ok then, the plan proceeds, never stop, hit hard and fast, end this and get those jammers down, if we have to take all of the tanks out then fine, but I think that we could take out the patrols and the guards, leaving at least one tank alive, it would make our job a whole lot easier if we had a vehicle to take those jammer positions out"<br><br>Hunter checked his rifle and then checked the ammo within the bag he still had with him, it had plenty of supplies in it, he figured that since there was so much space between the team and the guards, long range weapons would be a safer bet so he swapped his pistol for a DMR rifle and then decided that if he should be fortunate enough to get close to the enemy, he placed an energy sword on his belt along with a couple more grenades to replace the ones he had just used up.<br><br>"There aren't any jackal snipers near by are there? It would be a disaster if we got taken out by an alien we can't see"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 23, 2011, 11:59:42 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Unstoppable (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvV-SE3dDZ0#)<br><br>"My plan exactly Hunter" Gladiator said patting his friend on the shoudler, giving him a bit of friendly reinforcement. The situation would have been nearly impossible for anyone else but, they were Spartans, they did the "impossible" everyday "don't worry, I've got your back."<br><br><em>"There aren't any jackal snipers near by are there? It would be a disaster if we got taken out by an alien we can't see"</em> Hunter said a moment later. Gladiator grinned thinking his friend was teasing their snipers. "Don't you worry about them Hunter. Me and Siren will take care of them, don't you worry" Lance said pointing to himself and then gesturing over his shoulder to the female sniper's position. "You idiot, thanks for pointing out my position, now I've got to move" Siren's retort came over the comms a second later. Gladiator chuckled, this was gonna be fun.<br><br>"This won't be so bad, I remember a time when it was just me against a hoard of Covenant and two Wraith tanks on Reach before it was glassed. We've got a team of Spartans and a crazy ODST on our side this time. The Covenant won't know what hit them" the blue and gold Spartan said with confidence. Gladiator switched out his sniper rifle for a shotgun, and got some extra clips, stuffing them into his belt, then got a couple more plasma grenades before giving the ready signal. He saw Lance and the ODST jog over to the opposite building, setting up a cross fire between them and Siren, who had moved to a completely different building. Gladiator could hear the sound of the Covenant infantry nearby, the grunting, squawking and howling of the aliens. He took cover behind the corner of the building they were next to. A second later, the 1st Wraith tank lumbered into view, followed by several Elites, Brutes and the smaller aliens.<br><br>"Alright everyone, here they come. Get ready." Gladiator said over the comm. What he wouldn't give for a single claymore right now he thought. Suddenly a rumbling came from behind them and Gladiator turned to see the 2nd Wraith tank coming in from behind them. It had switched positions on them! He mentally kicked Siren for switching positions instead of keeping a look out for that kind of movement. He grabbed Hunter and pushed him forward gesturing for the tank "Lance! Cover Hunter! Don't worry about me! The second tank switched positions on us! Coming from behind!"<br><br>Gladiator himself ran for the other tank which was already in the process of turning towards him. The sight of the Elites and Brutes at the rear of the tank would've made any man atleast pause in doubt and fear but, Gladiator was a Spartan, trained for these types of scenario's. He'd survived Reach in it's darkest hour, he was determined to not die here. The Elites, Jackals, Grunts and Brutes all saw him running toward them. Grins and smiles on their faces of the easy kill in front of them. The seeming suicidal move on his part turned to be to his advantage however, as a sniper bolt went through the heads of a couple Brutes near the rear of the group. The aliens turned in shocked unison as two of their own dropped over dead, giving Gladiator the time he needed to raise his Battle Rifle and shoot the gunner of the auto turret on top of the Wraith tank, a Grunt. The little alien sagged in it's seat, a bullet hole in it's face. The Wraith tank blasted it's white blue plasma ball at him but, by then it was too late, he was too close. The plasma ball seared over his head, the heat from it passing over him burning his back and peppering it with concrete shards as it exploded on the street behind him. He jumped atop the big bluish purple anti-vehicle and ripped open the protective hatch for the driver. The Elite barked in surprise and glared up at him. Gladiator unclipped a plasma grenade from his belt and slammed it into the small compartment. The Elite howled in rage as he jumped away, rolling as his feet hit the ground and getting up again in one smooth motion. The grenade detonated a second later, the concussion wave flattened the aliens around the tank itself and threw Gladiator a good five feet or more.<br><br>Gladiator shook his head and looked up just in time to see Hunter's Wraith tank fire. Gladiator rolled as fast as he could to the right, into the open area of the street, the plasma exploded where he had been a few seconds ago. He could still feel the heat of the blast as he heard small and large pieces of street debris ricochet off of his armor, he gritted his teeth against the pain. "First tank down!" he reported over the comms a second later. Suddenly a Brute was towering over him, a snarl on it's lips as it moved it's Spiker weapon over to his head, preparing to finish him off. Gladiator kicked out, and connected with one of the Brutes legs, sending it to one knee. Another Brute came at him but, went stumbling away howling in pain as Gladiator's foot caught it in the groin. Gladiator kicked out again, catching the 1st Brute in his other leg, hot 12 inch spikes spraying above and around him as the Brute's finger squeezed the trigger. The 1st Brute toppled over next to him, Gladiator pulled another plasma grenade out and slapped it onto the hairy aliens chest and rolled away. The Brute detonated a second later, spraying purple blood and body parts every which way. Gladiator rolled onto his back just as the 2nd Brute recovered from his blow and walked over. The Spartan pulled his shotgun from his back and fired, the full armor piercing buck shot clip hitting it square in the chest and blowing it backwards.<br><br>The Spartan got up and looked out to a small pond of Covenant, all roaring in rage at him. He was vaguely aware of the sniper's reporting movement in their positions, and gunfire being transmitted from over the comms. Gladiator raised his shotgun at the Covenant before him as they slowly made their way toward him "let's do this."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 23, 2011, 12:45:27 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter headed off towards the second Wraith, not pausing to see where its shot had landed or whether his team was in danger, he was focused entirely on the group ahead. He kicked in the built in sprint of his suit, making him run quicker than before, closing the gap between him and the covenant forces. He pulled the energy sword off of his belt and jumped straight into the fray, spearing a brute on his weapon before pushing off and slashing the throats of a couple more aliens. He left the sword impaling a grunt to the wall nearest to him as he pulled his rifle around and into his hands as he ran up the wraith, taking out the gunner with a well placed shot to the head. He opened the pilot hatch and planted some more shots into the pilot of the wraith before bringing the corpse out of the vehicle and throwing it to one side.<br><br>"Tank two down, I'm going in"<br><br>Hunter then jumped into the wraith and closed the hatch, taking the controls and smiling inside of his helmet as he powered forward, moving the massive tank in search of target number three.<br><br>"Someone wanna get in the gunner position and help me out here?"<br><br>With that he spotted an unattended group of covenant and decided to let off some steam by plasting them with a white hot shot of plasma from the main weapon of the tank. Opening his comms, Hunter felt great as he said<br><br>"Damn I gotta get me one of these.....oh wait, I just did"<br><br>He then pushed onwards towards Gladiator.<br><br>"Hey Glad, wanna ride shotgun or are you ok?"<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 23, 2011, 06:33:52 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Damn I gotta get me one of these.....oh wait, I just did! Hey Glad, wanna ride shotgun or are you ok?"</em><br><br>Gladiator heard Hunter say over the comms as he successfully took over an enemy tank "Oh..yeah..I'm great!" Gladiator said back over the comms as he played tug of war with a Brute, who was snarling and salivating all over his visor. The Brute held a Bruteshot, blade side first, trying to cut the Spartan's head off but, Gladiator had grabbed the butt of the rifle and barrel and forced it against the Brute's massive chest, effectively pinning the weapon so that he couldn't move. The only problem now was that he couldn't move either without sacrificing the pin. Suddenly the Brute leaned forward and roared with all it's might into his face, spittle flying onto his visor and blurring his vison. His voice straining with the effort of keeping the Brute pinned to the wall as he finished his sentence "I'm...gahrrr... just tangoing with a Brute."<br><br>Finally the Brute broke free, shoving him backwards. Gladiator tried to stay upright but failed and toppled over backwards. The Brute was on him in no time, raising the blade end of the weapon to deliver the <em>coup de grace.</em> Gladiator rolled to the side and kicked out as the weapon impacted the ground behind him. He drew out his combat knife and plunged it into the beasts throat as he, he assumed it was a he anyway, dropped to one knee. He tore the knife through the thing's coratid artery and twisted it free. The Brute stumbled backwards clutching at it's throat and gurgling as blood continued to pour out of the gaping hole. Finally it collapsed and died. Gladiator had no time to celebrate escaping death however, as there were still plenty of Covenant on the streets. He heard the tell tale whine of a Banshee making a dive bombing run, and got up just in time to be blasted backwards through a window and into the building behind him as a Banshee's plasma missile exploded not five feet away. He heard sniper round after sniper round being fired from Lance and Siren's positions. He heard Siren call out that she and Raven were getting over run when a plasma ball from a Wraith somewhere nearby pasted her position, burying her in rubble and debris. Her LED went dark, as did Raven's. That didn't mean that they were dead though, it just meant that she might've been buried far down enough to where her and Raven's LED signal couldn't transmit. <br><br>He shook his head, ignoring the burning and the pain, and got to his feet "Hunter, come pick me up. I'm tired of being shot at." Just then a pair of Elites came into the room he'd been blasted into, brushing things out of their way. They both smirked and sniffed as they raised their weapons, one dressed in blue armor and armed with a Plasma Rifle, the other in silver armor and armed with a Plasma Sword. The one with the sword moved in first, swinging in a over-head diagonal sweep that was meant to cut the Spartan from his right shoulder to his left hip. Gladiator hopped backwards, effectively dodging the lethal white energy of the blade. He glanced backwards and noticed Hunter on his way up the street. The Elite tried again, this time with a simple thrust which Gladiator side stepped before twisting his arm and wrenching the sword out his hand. The Elite snarled in the Spartan's grip and Gladiator spun them both around, making the Elite's gun wielding partner jump back so that he didn't get bowled over by the swordsman. Now placed in front of the blown out window, Gladiator jumped up and kicked the Elite in the chest, sending him flying in front of Hunter's tank, which a few seconds later ran the unfortunate alien over. <br><br>Gladiator turned to face the remaining Elite, which gaped in surprise at the easy dispatch of it's commanding officer. Gladiator activated the Energy Sword and moved forward. A second later the Elite's dying screams could be heard from the street. A second later Gladiator climbed out of the broken window and landed on the side walk, clipping the sword to his thigh as he came up.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2011, 02:38:53 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter was satisfied as he ran over an elite, feelings its body hit the metallic shell of his new toy. He looked through at the screen that showed the area around him and noted that Gladiator was there now, looking a little worse for wear.<br><br>"Here you go buddy, one tank ready to go, do you want to drive? I know you were always the better pilot of vehicles and I could do with the target practice to be honest"<br><br>Hunter opened the hatch and held out a hand to his friend and helped him up to the tank, sniper fire was pinging away happily in the distance as the sniper team were doing their job to keep the opposition busy. Once Gladiator was on the tank Hunter climbed into the gunner position and activated the plasma gun in front of him, grabbing the controls and shooting a few rounds for practice.<br><br>"All set when you are"<br><br>All of a sudden there was a shot in the distance, it shook a building which then collapsed in on itself, the flying rubble white hot with plasma heat. The sniper sounds no longer sounded in the air.<br><br>"Shit, that was Lance and Siren...."<br><br>Hunter opened his comms to the team, hoping they were ok.<br><br>".....Lance, Siren, come in, do you copy? Tell us your position"<br><br>Static met him in reply. Hunters mood turned murderous.<br><br>"I'm gonna kill every last damn covenant we come across, screw the tank, I'm taking them down right now"<br><br>With that he jumped out of the tank, leaving Gladiator behind on the vehicle, his rifle in one hand and an energy sword in another, ready to take down anything and everything that came his way. He didn't care about being a Spartan right now, only muder was on his mind.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>September 24, 2011, 07:27:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;The flow of combat moved over Patric as air through the sails of an old pre-space yacht- cybernetic arm moving with the precision and speed that only a Spartan with machinery built in could attain, even the other Spartans couldn't quite match the sword play, if only because of the boost given him by the replacement of damaged limbs. The other arm, flesh and blood, armored and well conditioned to battle grasped an Assault rifle easily, his finger squeezing off small, short bursts into flesh bodies, grunts squealing in pain, Jackals flopping down, Elites, though brave and fierce, backed off, keeping their distance from Patric's sword arm, squeezing busts of plasma at the walking tank from their rifles. Brutes, less cautious, stormed in, howling in pain and frustration when flesh met the swift moving blade. Their chieftain leading the flanking manuveur had been among the first to die, a lucky shot from Patric's rifle slamming through his right eye socket to bounce around in that thick skull.<br><br>&nbsp;Reaching the end of the alley, arm slowing, Patric let up on his rifle for a moment to scan the area. The Elites were either dead or backed far enough off to pose no threat for the current moment, the Brute's suicidal charge left none to fall back with. Checking the ammo count Patric grimly smiled inside his helmet, the count was at three. Ejecting the magazine and placing the sword at his hip, Patric reloaded quickly, slapping the fresh mag home. Stepping out of the alleyway, his rifle at the ready, his sword activating Patric ran down the street he had stepped onto, parallel to the one Hunter and Gladiator were on. The comms were painting a pretty picture in his mind, the snipers position was lost, the two either dead or MIA, the other Spartans now in possession of a Wraith, Hunter apparently obvious at the lost of a couple comrades.<br><br>&nbsp;Ahead of him more covenant were milling about, a wraith exactly where the nav points indicated. Rushing forward Patric fell back into the rhythm of battle, squeezing quick short bursts from the rifle, moving from car to lampost to news stand to car. As soon as his was in reach his synthetic arm burst into movement, the red armored Elite giving a horse, strangled cry of shock as Patric's sword swept threw him in the time it took him to raise his own sword arm. Letting the sword fly at the end of the arc, Patric snatched the Elite's fresh blade from the air, his previous blade sticking into the neck of a Brute who had been raining brute shot 'nades at him the entire run over.<br><br>&nbsp;Shocked, confused, more than terrified of the sudden whirl of death and chaos within their own ranks, the Covenant order of battle, in this small cross section, quickly disintegrated, though the vast majority of the covenant turned to bear arms on the lone Spartan, it proved entirely too difficult to hit the constantly moving, killing target as it used not only what was in the street for cover, but their own comrades.&nbsp; Golden Armored Elites bellowed their rage as the Spartan, demanding their troops kill him, Jackals armed with Beam Rifles squawked their frustration as their repeated attempts to hit the target failed, Grunts panicked and shot wildly, hitting their own comrades as much as peppering the area around the Spartan with burning Plasma.<br><br>&nbsp;The Wraith turned where it had sat in what appeared to be a trap for the others to bear it's mighty weapon on him. Leaping into the air with deft purpose Patric landed on the front of the Wraith, tipping it's nose into the ground for brief seconds, the Brute in the gunner seat giving a shocked grunt before the blade of the Spartan's sword tore into him, leaving little else but a puddle of steaming blood and cauterized chunks of meat flesh. Rising from his crouch Patric stepped forward on the wraith and jammed his rifle into the hatch and squeezed the trigger, sending bullets into the pilot's body whom gave a shocked yelp which turned into a howl of rage, then into a scream of intense agony and then into the gurgle of death throws.<br><br>&nbsp;Turning Patric took a leaping step off the Wraith, turned off his sword and threw his rifle, now damaged by it's own bullets, a head of him with a great grunt of strength. The Golden Elite, instinctively knowing the target and reacting, backed up, checking the movement half way and moved his foot to the side, trying to step to the side. Too late, the barrel of the rifle slammed into his mouth, blood and burnt air forcing it's way deep into him as the momentum of the weapon snacked the Elite's head back, snapping his neck and breaking his jaws. Already Patric had out his pistol, though it was unneeded for the present moment. The covenant around him were all dead, the few who had survived either run off or dieing.<br><br>&nbsp;Satisfied with his work Patric sat on the now disabled Wraith, stretched his arms and surveyed the area. His shields were nearly depleted. His last actions having made him extremely open to the enemy fire. Bodies lay every which way he looked, a myriad of colors splashed wherever there was an open space, a still struggling Elite gurgled so incoherently at him the translation software of his suit couldn't even translate it.<br><br>&nbsp;"This is Spartan 3-3-4, I've cleared nav point Charlie of all hostiles. I say again, Charlie location secure."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 26, 2011, 01:45:14 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator wanted to yell and scream and give in to his rage at the death of his fellow Spartans but, the leader, the boy scout in him told him to get the rest of them out of there. That they would be overwhelmed soon. His instincts were right, just as he was about to get out of the tank he spotted two Banshee Covenant fighters come around a building and dive. They had obviously spotted Hunter running at their companions in a wild rage, sword in one hand, rifle in the other "Hunter!! Banshees!!! Take Cover!!" Gladiator cried as he ducked back down inside the tank and trained it's heavy cannon on the flyers.<br><br>Suddenly his com came to life <em>"This is Spartan 3-3-4, I've cleared nav point Charlie of all hostiles. I say again, Charlie location secure."</em><br>Patric! He'd lost track of him after their initial encounter. "Patric! This is Sierra 0-1-6-1. Good to hear your voice again. Thanks for the assist, we could use some help over on our side, we got Banshees coming in for a strafing run and we just lost our two snipers and their lookouts. Plus, we still got alot of Covenant over here" Gladiator said "Good news is, we've got a Wraith Tank of our own." He sent his position to Patric in the form of a NAV marker and then blasted two blasts at the incoming Banshees.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 26, 2011, 04:04:14 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter heard Gladiator just in time to roll out of the way of Banshee strafing fire. He ducked into a nearby building, getting up in time to slash the throat of a jackal that was about to place a round into him. His rage continued to push him forward, he ran through the ground floor of the building, hacking and shooting any covenant that came his way, he kept his comms open so that he could listen in to Gladiator and Patric but he never spoke back. He wanted a rocket launcher so that he could take out those banshees, the only one he knew of was the one that was back at the rally point.<br><br>He legged it out of the building and into another, shooting at covenant as he did to make sure they didn't get the chance to fire on him, once he was inside the building, he stopped to catch his breath. He heard a grunt behind him and a charging of a weapon and he looked around in time to see a Hunter looking down on him, its weapon charging up. He ducked and rolled as green plasma rained down onto the spot where he had been a second ago, the heat intense and stinging. He spoke briefly.<br><br>"Gladiator, Patric, Hunters in the area, repeat, Hunters in the area"<br><br>He then kicked off of the ground and flew over the head of the Hunter before it fired again and slashed at the soft spot on the hulking creatures back, opening up fresh wounds, green blood flowing everywhere, however this just seemed to piss the Hunter off even more than his presence. It turned on him and he was forced to duck as it swung at him with its mighty fist. Hunter backed up, not remembering that he was supposed to stick close to a Hunter to stop it from firing with its weapon.<br><br>It charged up a shot quicker than Hunter expected and it aimed at the ceiling above him and fired. Rubble and large chunks of concrete fell on the Spartan, covering him and burying him. The Hunter then leaving the buried Spartan believing him to be dead. Hunter though was merely unconscious, his comms damaged.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2011, 01:02:10 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><em>"Gladiator, Patric, Hunters in the area, repeat, Hunters in the area!"</em><br><br>The blue and gold Spartan heard the cry over the comms, panick settling in his stomach at the thought of another comrade being taken down. Gladiator clicked his comm on "Hunter! This is Gladiator! I'm on my way!" he waited for a response but got only static "Hunter! Respond!" Gladiator cursed beneath his breath and gunned the accelerator of the tank, forcing it's powerful thrusters to fire and for the anti-vehicle to rocket forward. Gladiator lept from the tank, rolling as he hit the ground and continuing forward, he braced himself as he came closer to doors. Tucking in his shoulders the doors exploded with the impact of the Spartan and were thrown to either side. Already Gladiator had a plasma grenade in one hand and a shotgun in the other. Gladiator spotted the Hunters immediately, they were hard to miss. He tossed the grenade and ran forward, the grenade landed on the first Hunter, which squatted down and turned slightly, as if hoping to diminish the effect of the grenade's blast by turning from his partner. It had the opposite effect, instead of only blowing off the firsts back armor, it blew the back armor off of both aliens, which groaned and growled in pain.<br><br>Gladiator didn't stop, instead he increased his speed and fell to the ground just as one Hunter reared back with it's shield arm, preparing to strike. Just as Gladiator hit the ground and started to slide, that very same shield arm whizzed over his head inches from his visor. He stopped at the first Hunter's back and fired his shotgun from his prone position, taking it down. Then he rolled to avoid being split in half by the second Hunter's shield arm.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2011, 03:59:32 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter regained consciousness but only darkness greeted him in response, he had a splitting headache and his helmet's internal systems were telling him that several parts of his armor and body were broken, including one of his legs. He tried to move but he was pinned down, confusion gripped him for a moment and then he remembered the Hunter and that he was now encased in rubble from the ceiling.<br><br>Pushing up with all his might, he shifted some of the rubble, enough to get a hand out, but he collapsed in pain as his ribs gave in and he heard two of them snap from the exertion of trying to lift the debris off of him. He tried his comms but they didn't respond, they had been damaged when the rubble hit.<br><br>"Well it looks like I'm stuck in here in the mean time, I really hope someone comes along and helps"<br><br>He could hear gunfire and explosions nearby, but he wasn't sure how close it actually was, the headache was getting worse and several times he felt himself come close to blacking out but he pushed through the pain, he was a Spartan and Spartans didn't let pain get them down. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2011, 08:49:24 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator felt the floor shake beneath him as the Hunter's shield arm hit the spot on the floor where he had been only seconds ago. Floor tiling went flying every which way with the impact of the Hunter's blow, the ceramic missiles would have been more dangerous if he hadn't had his armor on but, thankfully that wasn't the case. Gladiator got up and stumbled backwards as the Hunter lifted his arm just high enough to swing again, using the shield as a battering ram. Gladiator backed up against the wall and ducked, feeling the wind as the shield skimmed inches above his head and cratering in the wall. Gladiator's blood pressure spiked rapidly at the realization of just how close he'd come to death just then. He pulled his shotgun up and fired into the alien's gut, the impact from the shells knocking the massive walking tank back a foot, which was plenty of room.<br><br>Gladiator shot again, this time aiming for the Hunter's head, which was a very small target that a spread shot weapon like a shotgun ineffective. He fired anyway, the rounds bouncing off the helmet making the the alien ball up and cover it's front as much as possible but, not it's back. Gladiator stepped forward before jumping back and pushing off the wall behind him with his feet and launching himself over the heavily armored alien. He landed heavily but turned and fired his shotgun point blank into the Hunter's back where it's nerve cluster was, killing it instantly. Gladiator was breathing heavily now, heavier than he thought he was. He shook his head to clear it and then looked at the pile of debris and saw Hunter's hand. His heart lept into his throat. He approached the pile of debris, expecting the worst. He put his exterior speakers on "Hunter? Are you there buddy? Are you ok?" gently he began removing debris and tossing it onto the bodies of the two aliens he'd just killed, all the while thinking <em>please don't be dead, this mission is screwed up enough. I don't want to lose anyone else...bury anyone else.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 28, 2011, 03:26:32 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter heard the exterior speakers of Gladiators comms enough to raise his freed hand a little of the way. Then all of a sudden the debris and rubble on top of him started to feel lighter and then suddenly light broke through into his vision.<br><br>"Hey buddy, I'm here, feel rough as hell though, I think my leg is broken, I felt two ribs snap while I was trying to break out of here as well, I aren't going to be of much use to you for the rest of the mission"<br><br>Hunter gritted his teeth and rolled over once the rubble had been completely removed from him.<br><br>"Helmet system indicates that my body is in pretty bad shape dude but I can make it back once this mission is done, so you aren't lucky enough to be losing me today"<br><br>He laughed and the hissed as pain shot through his chest again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 28, 2011, 06:18:46 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator grimaced behind his helmet, his friend had taken a real beating "Don't you worry about that. We'll get you set up with some Biofoam and a splint and you'll be good as new" he said reaching into the compartment on his back and pulling out the canister of biofoam he always kept there in case of emergencies. <br><br>"This is going to hurt but, we can't have your ribs moving too much while we get you to safety, and you're going to be safest with us. On the move" Gladiator said jabbing the straw-like tip of the canister into his chest and pressing the release stud. It sounded, and probably felt, like a bunch of cheese whiz being released into his armor, the healing foam pressed against the injury and slowly lifted the broken ribs, making it easier to breath and less painful when moving. It wasn't a cure all but, they had no way to dress him properly right now. Gladiator heard the thing click empty and tossed the canister behind him, then began looking around for something to use as a splint.<br><br>Gladiator switched to his inner comm as he spotted some loose wiring and some splintered 2x4's "Patric, this is Gladiator, the Hunters are taken care of but, our Hunter has sustained injuries including a broken leg and some ribs, we're going to need a few minutes while I make him move worthy. Can you provide a distraction for us?" Gladiator went over to the loose wiring and ripped it free of it's housing and set it down by Hunter after gathering the biggest pieces of the planks. He dropped the wiring to the side of the pile Hunter was in before cutting what he needed out of the timber with his Plasma Sword. After that was done, he got back up and began uncovering Hunter's body, taking care not to jostle him too much, especially when he neared his legs.<br><br>"Alright, it's not as good as a medic but, it should hold you over until we get to the hospital, after we take of those jammers ofcourse. Now, this is really gonna hurt. You ready? We'll lift on 3" Gladiator splayed his legs so that he had good footing and crouched down to Hunter, hooking his underneath his shoulders but not lifting yet, giving his friend a chance to prepare himself mentally "I'm gonna stand you up and put you against the wall, use your good leg to balance yourself, ok? Ready?...1...2...3. Lift!" Gladiator tried to lift as slowly as he could in order to take it easy on his friends ribs, but, the fact of the matter was he was going to hurt no matter how fast he was lifted from the debris. Atleast this way he wouldn't be breaking any more ribs. Gladiator lifted him up and slowly brought him out of the debris pile and stood him up against the wall. Then he began his work of splinting Hunter's broken leg with the wire and the wood, making sure to tie them tight so that they wouldn't fall off but, leave them loose enough so his leg would continue to get circulation. Within minutes he was done.<br><br>"We'll rest here for a bit" he said taking off his helmet for the first time since the briefing hours earlier. His face was handsome with a boxy military jaw and a cleft chin, his black hair was buzzed short and his deep blue eyes revealed how tired he actually was, his darkly tanned skin was dripping in sweat. He checked his chronometer and shook his head "hard to believe it's only been three hours since we dropped."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 29, 2011, 02:07:46 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunters ribs felt a lot better than they did a minute ago but it still hurt like hell when he was lifted out of the debris but he gritted his teeth and bore the pain, then he was propped against the wall while Gladiator sorted his leg out.<br><br>"Looks good to me buddy"<br><br>He was surprised by the amount of time they had been on the ground. It didn't seem possible with all the action they had been through.<br><br>"That doesn't seem possible, we have been rushed off our feet since we came round, but then again we have been busy. I can't wait to get out of here"<br><br>He looked around.<br><br>"Have you still got that tank we nicked? I could ride in that for now, provide some support, I aren't going to be much of a mover but at least I can be a gunner"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 30, 2011, 01:30:42 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator sighed as a cool breeze swept through the wrecked room "Yeah, me too. Though to be honest, I wish I was returning to something other than the barricks and half naked men" he said with a laugh. As Hunter asked about the tank he nodded "Yeah, it's just outside, that is if the Covenant haven't reclaimed it yet. You ready to move already?" Gladiator stood up and placed his helmet back on his head, already lamenting the lack of cool air on his face.<br><br>Just then something disturbed the pile of rubble not five feet away from them "cloaked Elite!" Gladiator said raising his shotgun and firing off two shots, one of which hit nothing but plaster, the other however hit the cloaked Elite and drained it's shields, revealing the alien. Gladiator dropped the shotgun and raised his Battle Rifle "die you goddamned mother..." the sound of his Battle Rifle spitting out three slugs in rapid succession muted the last word but, it wasn't hard to figure out. The Elite dropped onto the flooring, three bullet holes puncturing the middle of it's skull.<br><br>"Looks like we'd better get moving" Gladiator said turning around and moving to Hunter. He placed one of Hunter's arms on his shoulder, which was a trick with his bulky armor, and placed one of his own under his arm and gently lifted him up enough so that he wouldn't have to put much pressure on his injured leg. As they came out the remains of the wrecked doorway their commandeered Wraith tank came into view. Gladiator looked at Hunter and his injuries and shook his head "This is gonna be fun" he said with a hint of sarcasm.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 30, 2011, 03:29:55 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter laughed at Gladiators sarcasm<br><br>"Since when has anything we have ever gone into been easy, let's get out of here before more of them come"<br><br>Hunter leaned on Gladiator and hobbled out to the tank where Hunter then lifted himself up onto it and slowly slid himself into the gunner seat, taking up the controls once more.<br><br>"Right, I'm ready when you are buddy, let's get this jammer down and get the hell off this hole, I have a hospital bed and a hot nurse with my name all over them" <br><br>He laughed a little at his own comment and then settled in, getting ready to lay down some serious pain for his fallen comrades, their deaths would be avenged.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>September 30, 2011, 12:17:27 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">UNSC Flagship Hercules; Galley<br>Location: Earth's Lower Atmosphere<br><br>(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/witto_devil/ShanaReporting.jpg)<br><br>"It's been nearly three hours since we've last heard from anyone. I think we should go and check it out." Sergeant Jacobs stated his opinion to the Echo's Company commander.<br><br>The commander only looked at the younger man for a moment before sighing. "Negative Sergeant. Our orders are to stay put until we reach word from from the team."<br><br>"With all due respect, I don't want these lives lost on my watch. If they're in trouble I feel it more important to go than to wait for bad news later." Jacobs said.<br><br>The commander looked at him for a moment, but had nothing more to say.<br><br>"They won't be officially missing for another twenty-one hours. There's nothing that can be done until then." the short private had spoke having had walked in only a moment earlier.<br><br>Both men turned to look to the woman just realizing that she was standing there.<br><br>Acknowledging that it wasn't her place as a private to just speak out of term, she quickly changed subject before the men had time to think of what had just happened. "Sir, the platoon has grown restless. What are your orders, sir?" she asked more professionally.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs looked her over. She didn't have her helmet on right now and he was slightly pleased to know that the name he had used upon her earlier was the correct one, though that only made his thoughts wander back to how she became a private. He said nothing back to her, instead he looked back to the Commander and said, "You'll let me know when you've heard from them?"<br><br>As Jacobs began to walk away, the commander responded, "As soon as I hear from them."<br><br>The Sergeant pushed past the small woman and went down the hall toward the armory wondering what he would find upon his arrival.<br><br>The private looked to the commander in silence for a moment and then turned around and walked down the hall to follow her leader. She felt like a snitch, but if she had been a higher rank that would have been a different story. The woman stopped and leaned her back against the wall near the Amory's metal doors. Sighing lightly, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes.<br><br>As Jacobs walked in he stared at just what his platoon was up to. As usual, the young were acting like children. One private stood atop the table, a rifle in one hand. He held it above his head as though it were a trophy talking of big game. Another group of privates gathered into a circle watching a couple of young men snarl at each other.<br><br>The Sergeant watched a moment before making his presence known among the loud platoon. "What is going on here!?" Jacobs demanded in a loud voice that a leader was familiar in using.<br><br>Immediately the platoon froze and then looked to their new platoon sergeant. The man atop the table lowered his rifle and jumped off the table soon placing the weapon onto the counter and sliding it away from himself as if in shame. The brawlers stopped pacing around each other and looked to Jacobs. None of the marines said a word. Perhaps it was embarrassment, perhaps it was in the sergeant's seriousness to the situation.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs looked around again, his expression showed disappointment and slight anger. His blue eyes narrowed as he bit his lower lip. Taking a few deep breaths he decided to let it go and commanded his platoon, "Everyone grab a rifle and fall into the rifle range. Move out!"<br><br>The platoon quickly grabbed an assault rifle and hurried past their sergeant down the hall.<br><br>"Let's go, let's go!" Jacobs called out motioning his arm from the room to the hall and back again as he watched the rest of the soldiers make their way out of the armory. The sergeant looked back to the female private that stayed beside the door against the wall. He studied her, eyeing her rank and then her face. Though he recognized her cold and hollow eyes, he discovered a new scar displayed near her left lower lip that he hadn't noticed earlier. Now wasn't the time for questioning, though a part of him already knew she wasn't going to give answers regardless. He turned his back to her and began walking down the hall to follow his platoon into the rifle range.<br><br>The woman bounced herself off the wall and silently followed Jacobs into the rifle range. Sliding her way around him she hurried to the platoon and fell into the third squad from the back. Sergeant Jacobs looked over his platoon, disappointment still looming over his mood before he looked behind him at the set up. A barrier stood strong reaching a height just below the chest. Further in past the barriers were displayed cardboard of covenant used as target practice waited upon their platforms, ready to be used.<br><br>"We haven't any word from the commander yet on the situation. In the meantime I want you all to practice hitting these targets of the enemy.&nbsp; I'll be looking for the best squad capable of joining me on this mission. First squad, let's go." Jacobs said and pressed the button to start the platforms to start moving.<br><br>The female private counted two squads before her own and mentally prepared herself even though she knew it didn't matter. Sergeant Jacobs was going to pick her squad just so he could get a feel of why she was where she was.</div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>October 02, 2011, 07:07:53 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				...You provide a distraction for us?" Raising from his seat on the broken Wraith Patric scanned the buildings surrounding him, then the streets, picking over the details. "Aye," his reply was slightly slack, a phantom itch where his flesh elbow would be distracting him slightly as he picked his route, leaned forward and launched himself into a quick jog down the street to the next corner where he turned to the side, spotted the Wraith the other Spartans had taken, turned the other way and ran. A slight pause in the Covenant advance was all that gave them any sense of having any moment of safety when in reality they were in the calm before the storm.<br><br>&nbsp;Jumping over a smoking, blackened car and landing in a roll Patric came up in a small group of Elites, as surprised to find him in their midst as he. Youth spent training and years of practice already tapped kicking in stronger. Jerking back as one of them swung a plasma rifle into the space where his head would be, his mechanical arm swinging up in a hasty swipe that amputated said arm, the second Elite growling and moving forward, his armored fist of flesh slamming into it's chest. The third jumping back, blood of his brother in his face, the forth priming a grenade and <em>charging forward[</em>. His eyes widened in surprised at the unfamiliar tactic, his right foot catching on something, his balance lost he began to fall, his fist opens, the arm moves, fingers clutch at an alien arm, a hard jerk, a short clipped howl of pain, a bellow of frustrated rage as the grenade touches the flesh of the second Elite.<br><br>&nbsp;A grunt forced passed his lips as his back hits the ground, his legs tucking and balling then lashing out, sending the Elite on top of him up and back, the Grenade flashing blue. Visor going darkly opaque as the bright ball of light flashes and boils away flesh and alloy and burns through his shield. a chunk of body landing nearby, the forth Elite flown back, much of his flesh and armor boiled away.<br><br>&nbsp;Standing shakily, Patric shook his head as the third Elite set himself low, his weapon thrown aside, a chunk of familiar alloy lodged through it. The sword was missing from his hand, lost in the quick fight. Lowering himself, centering his balance, arms wide and a stupid grin adding color to his otherwise grim face, he flicked his external suit comms system on and let out an answering growl to the Elite's own.....
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 08, 2011, 04:50:05 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator smirked at Hunter's joviality as they reached the tank. Gladiator knelt down and cupped his hands so that Hunter could use him as a step of sorts. A moment later sounds of battle from around a nearby corner drew Gladiator's attention for a moment. He looked up to Hunter with a grin on his face "sounds like Patric's keeping them busy, let's move."<br><br>After the injured Spartan was safely in the gunner's seat, Gladiator jumped aboard the Wraith and down into the pilot's compartment. He looked around briefly getting his bearings before throttling the purple beetle-like machine forward into the intersection and turned the thing to face the coming soldiers of the Covenant. There were about thirty infantry warriors in all made up of Elites, Grunts and Brutes in front of them, and they all stopped somewhere between shock and surprise when the Wraith Tank appeared before them. "Suprise!" Gladiator shouted from his hole as he pushed the firing stud that activated the plasma launcher on the top of the vehicle. Blue white plasma streaked towards the confounded group of aliens and detonated in the middle of them, throwing those farthest away from the blast point out in every direction. Only five picked themselves up from the groung after the blast.<br><br>"Patric. Hunter and I are safely in the commandeered Wraith. Grab yourself a vehicle of some sort and form up on us. We're done running!" Gladiator said switching over to the Team's frequency.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 09, 2011, 05:07:34 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Take this you mother...."<br><br>The rest of Hunters war cry was drowned out as he let loose with his plasma turret, spweing white hot plasma down onto the grunts, brutes and the rest of the enemy team, frying them. He ducked with surprise when Gladiator let loose with the main weapon but then laughed as elites and grunts and brutes went flying in all directions. He let loose once more with the turret, cutting down any enemy he spotted, giving Patric some cover while he found his own vehicle to comandeer.<br><br>Hunter spun around, looking for more covenant to kill when he spied some ghosts other by a building. He opened the comm on the tank and spoke to Gladiator.<br><br>"There are some Ghosts over on the right, let Patric know, my comms were damaged and I can't tell him myself"<br><br>He then resumed checking the area in front of him for more enemies to take down. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 16, 2011, 11:16:17 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>"Copy that Hunter, nice shooting by the way" Gladiator said with a grin as he switched over to Patric's frequency "Patric, this is Gladiator. Hunter spotted some unused Ghosts close to our position. Might wanna take one if you want to keep up. We're heading deeper into the city." He gassed the accelerator and moved to where Patric would easily be able to spot the alien vehicles. Suddenly though the Wraith's radar pinged off, alerting him to friendlies incoming on a strafing run. He switched to Hunter's frequency "Banshees incoming!" He rotated the Wraith Tank around so he could get a shot off but, by then plasma bolts were raining around them and the Banshees had banked sharply and out of range.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>October 17, 2011, 02:26:08 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter saw the Banshee's before he heard the crackle of the comms. He fired off round after round of plasma at the flyers, taking one down which crashed and exploded in a brilliant light of white and blue flames. The other Banshee was smart and kept dodging his shots and soon it had flown out of his guns range as well.<br><br>"So much for Banshee support, pieces of crap"<br><br>He spoke to himself, he really needed to get a comm link upgrade when he got back to base.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2011, 01:10:36 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Lowering himself and moving forward as the Elite charged, Patric let the alien attempt to grapple him. At the last moment he turned, his left side in front, his right in back, lodging his shoulder into the alien whom began to attack with powerful arms. Before he could be hit more than once his right arm shot forward as his left distracted the alien. The fist slammed into the Elite's chest with enough force to send him staggering back, cough and drop to his knees. Not one to lie down in a fight the Elite began to force himself up before Patric's boot slammed into the back of his head, sending the Elite's face into the destroyed road. Applying more pressure Patric smashed the Elite's head into a bloody pulp.<br><br>&nbsp;<em>"Patric, this is Gladiator. Hunter spotted some unused Ghosts close to our position. Might wanna take one if you want to keep up. We're heading deeper into the city."</em><br><br>&nbsp;Turning to the indicated area Patric quickly spotted the ghosts and jogged over, the rest of the covenant forces either dealt with or focused on the wraith. Jumping into one of the ghosts and powering it up, Patric turned it toward the wraith and sped forward, hitting a way-ward jackal in the way, sending it's body flying a few feet.<br>"Providing covering fire."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 09, 2011, 05:26:36 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				As one Banshee was pelted with turret fire, it exploded in a gout of blue and purple flame and twisted metal. Gladiator "hoorahed" over the coms as the pilot's compartment shattered on the pavement to the right of the hijacked Wraith Tank. The other Banshee though didn't take the hint and barrel rolled upwards to gain altitude, after circling around to line up a shot, dive bombed the Wraith Tank. At the last second it pulled up and rolled, evading the fire from Patric's commandeered Ghost. "Thanks for the cover fire Patric" Gladiator said as he punched holographic alien script on the controls of the Wraith in a specific sequence, pulling up the wraiths radar onto his HUD. Even though he'd survived Reach and taken over a number of Wraith Tanks since those early days, he still didn't understand all of the script of the alien's language. He knew enough to get him what he needed but, not enough to fully comprehend the direct translations. Managing to enhance the radar's radius through the controls of his own HUD, he tracked the Banshee as it flew around the block and tried to catch the team off guard by flying to their unprotected rear. Gladiator turned the tank around and waited for the flyer to approach. Seconds later the purple craft flew around the corner, lined up his shot and fired it's missile. Gladiator took hold of the firing controls, doing the math in his head and eyeing the distance between the tank and their assailant.<br><br>Gladiator pressed the firing stud after adjusting the angle of the cannon and the blue white plasma ejected from the plasma coils. The blue white plasma arched through the air towards the nimble Banshee. The Banshee was already moving to gain more altitude but, it had dived too low too quickly, and the plasma ball detonated against the side of the craft. A glancing blow but, one that was lethal. The Banshee lost altitude and tumbled through the air, looking like a flailing bird that had just lost it's wing, and crashed into a nearby building, smashing against the side and exploding into a million pieces. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here and hope we don't run into anymore problems" Gladiator said gunning the Wraith around and heading deeper into the city.<br><br>After an hour and half of driving and running over a scouting party that was getting a little too nosey, they were tired and mentally exhausted but, fortunately they didn't run into anymore problems. The sun was settling on the horizon now and they still were no closer to finding out what the Covenant were interested in. After guiding the tank into an underground parking garage that had seen better days, Gladiator killed the engine and dismounted "Alright guys dismount, we're setting up camp here. Let's try to find something to eat and settle in for the night. We can come up with a plan while we're eating" he said helping Hunter from the battered alien tank.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 10, 2011, 02:44:29 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter watched silently as the banshee burned and then before he knew it he was being helped out of the tank by Gladiator, pain wracking his body to the point of him feeling like he was going to pass out again. He managed to hold on though and he was soon seated on the ground, propped up against the wall he dared to take his helmet off, revealing a battered and scarred face that had stubble across the chin and upper lip, short cropped black hair and blue eyes.<br><br>"That was one hell of a long day, one of the longest I've had for a while"<br><br>He coughed and grimaced as his body was wracked with spasms and he was engulfed in agony once again.<br><br>"Ow"<br><br>He was seeing stars but he held onto consciousness as much as possible.<br><br>"I think it could be the medical bay for me when we get back to base, I aren't fighting fit that is for sure"<br><br>He looked over to Gladiator and Patric<br><br>"What is the plan for the morning? We don't have a clue what the hell we are here for other than the jammers, why would the Covenant jump inside a city like NYC and leave some guys behind?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>November 13, 2011, 08:04:16 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				It was apparent to Jacobs that his platoon was full of fresh meat. The marines in all had a decent shot, but the Sergeant could tell by the way they held themselves that they had little to no experience on the battle field and it was a bit discouraging. He had wanted to use the third squad, but knew Shana would think his intentions to be too obvious. After seeing each squad take their turn at the set up, it was no longer a want. It was a necessity and that made Jacobs feel a bit awkward about the decision.<br><br>Sighing, Sergeant Jacobs glanced at the wall toward a clock as he thought about the mission ahead. It had involved a few Spartans which told him that there was going to be difficult journey ahead. With too many inexperienced marines under his command Jacobs knew Shana was his only hope for his platoons survival rate.<br><br>His blue eyes returned to his platoon and scanned them as they stood to attention awaiting his orders. Forcing himself away from the wall, Jacobs walked silently to the front of his platoon to give them his evaluation. "As you all know, the covenant are a great threat. The mission ahead is not easy. There have been reports of several Spartans being involved and that is why it is of the utmost importance in deciding which squad I am to take with me this round. Some of you may not like my decision, but I need you all to acknowledge that my main concern is the safety of my platoon."<br><br>He took a moment to look over the marines once more before finishing his speech. "Third Squad fall out into the Armory to prepare your weapons for the mission. When you are finished you may do what you wish until we've received further orders. Platoon, fall out!" he said and watched the marines do as they were told.<br><br>The woman looked to the Sergeant as the members of her platoon began to shuffle their way out of the rifle range. She said nothing, her eyes only stared coldly at the younger man. Sighing silently to herself, Shana fell out and followed the group out of the room and down the hall toward the Armory. <br><br>She wasn't sure what Jacobs thought he would be able to get out of her, but knew that it was not going to help him in the least. The woman didn't need to state much and with her past classified, there wasn't much Jacobs could do other than wonder. She most certainly was not proud of what she had done, but it was times like this that she was glad it was highly classified.<br><br>A hidden smile displayed upon her face as she placed her rifle upon the counter in the Armory. She gave it a quick inspection before reloading it with a full clip of ammo. The squad didn't need much time considering the prep they all did before practice shooting. Placing her rifle gently in its place, the marine backed off and walked out of the armory leaving the squad to foolishly talk highly of being the chosen one for the first mission of the new platoon.<br><br>There wasn't much else to do, but wait so the woman decided it would be best to take a rest. She didn't know how long this mission was to last and now was as good as any to catch up on some much needed rest until that time came though the woman wasn't sure if her mind would settle once she got to her room.<br><br>The woman walked down the hall and rode the elevator up to the floor where the dormitories and lavatories would be found. Perhaps she was spoiled, perhaps she just didn't do well with others. Whatever the real reason, Shana was one lucky private to be privileged with her own room. Not that it was glamorous by any means nor was it large. It was just big enough to fit her twin bed and desk; even those two items were rather cramped in her space. <br><br>Typing in her keypad beside her door, she entered her seven digit code and entered her room. Cords and exposed wiring greeted her as she cautiously came in. Her desk held a computer that seemed almost hidden beneath the tangle of cords. It didn't make much sense to her, but had become used to the mess. Sitting on the bed, the marine leaned her back against the pillow and wall, her hands finding the familiar patched wires. With these she placed on various spots upon her body. Some went to her head, others up her shirt to her chest. She then reached for a metal object with a cord on the end, this she placed into a nasty scar on her her stomach near her belly button, when it clicked into place, Shana reached over to the computer and pushed a single button. It made an irritating hum as it came to life. The wires leading from her body to the computer began to send messages stating how the woman's body was doing. A generic computer voice came through the computer's speakers to give percentages of the body functions. "Preform..ing body analysis. Please wa..it .........BW...A..lpha 14. HR...86...RBC..4.576 m..illion... WBC....6,890...BF...12%.... rem..aining power...83%... Analysis com...plete...Total Status...fine. W..ould you like to know m..ore?"<br><br>The woman stared at the ceiling and answered the computer with a simple, "No." as the computer shut itself off, the marine freed herself from the tangle of wires and pushed them aside. The computer always seemed to get stuck on certain words and though it slightly agitated her, she had grown used to it. The computer was old after all, but it still did what it was meant to do and the woman couldn't complain. Turning onto her side Shana closed her eyes, but her thoughts couldn't help but wander. <br><br><br><br><br><div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/DeadSpartaninNYC.jpg)<br>(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/LordHelmet.jpg)</div><br>Sergeant Jacobs was sitting at a table in the cafeteria when the Echo's Company Commander had stood behind him. Jacobs would have noticed if his mind had not been setting heavy in his stomach. There was just too much on his plate today and he wasn't sure if he could digest any of it. He couldn't even work his fork properly as he watched as it raked the mashed potatoes upon his plate.<br><br>"Sergeant Jacobs.." the older man's voice sounded startling the platoon sergeant into reality. Jacobs dropped his fork and moved to stand up, but a firm hand upon his shoulder guided him back down.<br><br>"At ease soldier." The commander said and sat down beside Jacobs. The older man studied the sergeant for a moment before speaking his mind. "I realize you must have a lot on your mind right now and it would be best for you to get some sleep, however, it seems my thoughts aren't exactly at ease either. I want you to take your squad out and look for the spartans we sent out earlier today. There's a pelican waiting now."<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs looked to the commander and began, "Sir, we haven't heard from them yet and the--"<br><br>The commander interupted him with a quirked eyebrow, "Are you questioning my orders, Sergeant?"<br><br>"No sir." Sergeant Jacobs said. He wanted to help after all. He stood up from his seat at the table and saluted the commander. The older man offered a small smile and salute to the sergeant and said, "Then go."<br><br>Jacobs lowered his hand and picked up his plate to discard it in the proper place before gathering up his troops.<br><br>******<br><br>"Waait! It's a trap!" the woman hollared and reached for the marine beside her. Her hand went through the young man as though she was a hologram and kept running into the dark passage of a strange building, his combat boots clomping as he ran along the metal floor. Shana stared at her hand in disbelief, but quickly became distracted by the flickering light above her. Soon her surroundings faded to black and she was welcomed by darkness. The sound of a door creeked open behind her as she peeled her eyes away from the light above her she heard a distant voice call her name. The door opened painstakingly slow, a bright light emitting from the other side. She heard her name again, but slightly louder.<br><br>Waking up, the marine sat straight up, her green eyes immediately staring at the comm line by her door. Static came through the speaker and then she heard the voice. "Shhaana, report. Are you there? Shhana.."<br><br>The woman pushed herself off the bed and manuvered her way over the computer cords to her speaker next to the door. Pushing down on the button below the speaker she said, "Echo Private 1068689 here."<br><br>There was a long pause and the woman realized just who was on the other end of the comm. Finally the voice came back, "Shana prepare for immediate evac and report to the pelican deck. Jacobs out."<br><br>The marine shook her head softly as she smiled. It must be difficult for him to accept her position just as it was for her. The woman patted herself down and looked around the room to make sure she remembered everything. There was nothing for her to grab though so she pulled her shirt down tight and secured her armor before leaving her room. She jogged to the elevator and took it back down to the weapons floor to recieve her weapons from the armory. The woman snagged a few ammo packs and a couple of gernades before heading back out the armory when she nearly ran right into the company's commander.<br><br>Placing her riffle onto her back she gave the old man a salute and waited for his response.<br><br>He gave her a weary smile and handed her two vials filled with a red dye. The man didn't need to say anything, Shana took them and placed them carefully in her chest pockets before sliding past him and rushing toward the pelican deck.<br><br>Regardless of her rank now, the woman was never late to anything and blamed her sleep on that now. She stood in front of Jacobs and saluted him, her eyes glancing to the rest of the squad that sat rather comfortably in the pelican. The Sergeant gave his salute and placed a gentle hand behind the woman to guide her into the pelican. She chose the seat closest to the door and watched Jacobs make his way to the cockpit to inform the pilot. The woman counted six members of the squad excluding Jacobs. As the door began to shut the Sergeant found a spot across from Shana and told the squad, "Here we go." as the pelican began to exit the mother ship. The marine was slightly curious about the details of what was to happen and had happened prior to her awakening, but she kept quiet instead.<br><br><br>As if he had read her mind, Jacobs looked to his squad and said, "Our mission is a search and rescue. We are to find the Spartans, bring them back to base, and report what we saw. It's a simple mission and I expect everyone to stick together. Clear?"<br><br>In unison the squad replied, "Yes Sergeant."<br><br>For the most part, the ride had been fairly smooth with the exception of a few bumps. Shana held onto a handle bar near the exit for extra support, but thought that it might have been a bad idea after listening to two privates converse quietly back and forth.<br><br>A tall and lanky fellow, PVT 5898689 read his name tag, though she overheard his name to be O'brian, whispered in a shorter soldiers ear, "Look how short she is..we're going to rescue Spartans..those guys won't even see her.."<br><br>The shorter soldier glanced to Shana, making it a bit obvious that they were talking about her. He turned back to O'brian and brought his palms together as he replied, "Meeep squish.."<br><br>The privates stifled their laughter at their immature ideas to such a thing. Shana's grip tightened upon the cool steel, but her face remained motionless. Behind her shaded piece the the helmet gear gave, her green eyes rolled.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs stood up from his seat and began his walk to the cockpit, one of his boots lightly kicking O'brians. "That's enough." he said, in a polite way of stopping the privates from moving their conversation further.<br><br>"Yes Sergeant." O'brian said and shut his mouth from further discussion to his fellow private. Jacobs entered the cockpit and sat next to the lone pilot to converse a good landing point as well as pick up.<br><br>A female private adjacent from Shana scooted herself to sit in front of the older woman. "I wouldn't pay much mind to them. I think it's kinda cool that an older woman joined the ranks..better late than never right?"<br><br>Shana allowed her head to tilt back with a light thud against the wall. She just wanted this ride to be over. Closing her eyes she held her breath for a moment before slowly releasing it. She knew the younger girl was just trying to be friendly, but she didn't help the situation by any means.<br><br>The woman thanked the heavens when the pelican finally landed and the doors began to open up to the darkness outside. Though she had sat up and had indeed intended to go first as was the order, the other marines filed out before her. O'brain looked to Shana and then pointed to her assault rifle. "Hey, that gun IS old you know? How come you didn't grab a new one back at the armory?"<br><br>When Shana didn't reply to him, he then realized she was the same soldier from the armory earlier. He shut his mouth and hurried outside before the woman could blow up on him again.<br><br>"Dude.." O'brians friend said as he followed him out, shaking his head.<br><br>As Shana finally stood up, Jacobs came up beside her. She stopped, assuming he was going to push past her as well, but he knew better and waved her to move on.&nbsp; The woman placed the rifle upon her back and headed out of the pelican to fall into her squad.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs grabbed a flare gun and checked the chamber before heading out himself. Placing the gun on his side, he waited until the pelican took off before addressing his squad. "As luck would have it, we have the blanket of the night to help keep us hidden. I want everyone to keep quiet and STAY TOGETHER. The less we make ourselves known the better our chances will be. Now Shaa..er...Private 106 is a great tracker, so we'll follow and listen to her. Don't forget about your night vision. All of your helmets are equipped with one, you all should know how to turn it on, if you do not know how to turn it on then you need to go back to training." he told the squad and looked at Shana.<br><br>The many eyes upon her suddenly made Shana feel very uneasy. The mumbled voices around her told her that the squad was confused and had questions about her. None of that mattered though. The private took a slow breath and and turned on her helmet's night vision. <br><br>She ignored Jacobs attention and looked around the ruined city. Buildings and concrete alike were thrashed. Everything told its own story, but she was looking for one or two in particular. Shana wasn't informed about much and could only make her own conclusions including the number of Spartans that came here. Her eyes stared at a fallen grunt, a small frown upon her face as she remembered O'brains comment on her height. The smallest of the covenant was around her size. Kneeling down she traced a hand over a strange crater. Standing back up Shana walked to a car that was rendered completely useless. The hood was smashed in, the windshield cracked in so many places, it was mind boggling as to how it remained intact. She rested her hands upon it and inspected the dent. "Someone landed here, someone big."<br><br>"Something big...that can be anything compared to her." O'brian whispered into his friend's ear.<br><br>"Did he fall out of something flying, or a building?" Jacobs asked looking around and staring at the craters, but the craters were not from something other than a pod, and Shana knew this, but did not make the connection as to why the pod was not where it should have been.<br><br>"No. He or she was flung..do you see the windshield. This person was coming at this vehicle in an angle at a high speed." shana followed the crater marks on the road&nbsp; until she found a drag mark that led into a building. She stared at the useless SOEIV pod and looked in it, but found nothing. She didn't understand why someone would go through the trouble of dragging it. The busted door she could see was used as a shield, but that didn't make much sense to the woman when many other things around could just as easily be used as protection.<br><br>"How do we know a Scarab didn't come by here?" O'brian asked staring at the craters around the ground.<br><br>"Where'd he go?" Jacobs asked Shana, forcing her away from her curiousity. He ignored O'brians quesion, Jacobs didn't believe a Scarab had come through here to leave so little damage behind knowing full well it was capable of much more. The sergeant didn't much like the idea of a Scarab being involved at all, but he didn't want to throw the possibilty out for later either.<br><br>"He wasn't alone.." the woman said and looked around. She spotted another pod not too far away, but did not bother to look at it, already knowing no one was inside. "There was a lot of things going on here." she commented and kneeled beside a few dead bodies. The woman was not afraid to stick her hand right in the wounds and inspect the thickness of ooze that followed her hand out of the gaping holes in the bodies. "Some of these are fresh..others...old."<br><br>Wiping her hand on a clean spot on a fallen covenant, she stood back up and followed the scattered bodies. The woman stopped at a dead hunter corpse before staring at a building before her. She read the faint title of the building. TechCo Research and Development Center<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs looked at the building. Stepping over a grunt he began his way inside. "They go in here?" he asked, but already assumed it was true. Shana said nothing, her attention going to the streets around them. It was too quiet for her liking and it began to set in as paranoia. With Jacobs now leading the squad, Shana was the last to enter the building with her back first. She pulled forth her assault rifle and held it close. The light above her flickered as it struggled to recieved electricity, buzzing lightly. Before the woman could be hypnotized, she felt for the light switch and turned it off.<br><br>As the rest of the squad quietly crept up the stairs, Shana stayed behind and crouched down low, leaning her back against the wall. She had already known there was no one in this building. The prints she was tracking led out, but she did not want to bother telling the squad for her mind was focused on something else. Pulling out a small mirror from one of her chest pockets she angled it out the door so she could see out behind herself. At first she saw nothing in the street, but then a faint glow appeared in a building across the way. It was barely noticable until that small glow passed a window and stopped at the open door. Very slowly, Shana took her mirrror away from the door and placed it back in her pocket. Though the night vision did not tell her any true colors, she knew that glow was from a shield a jackel was so fond of carrying. The private looked up at the staircase. Her squad was too far for her to signal to them and the jackel was just too close that she couldn't use her comm to inform them.<br><br>Shana picked up two pebbles from the ground and dared to peek out the door with her own eyes. She saw no other movement nearby so she tossed the pebbles one after the other down the street from where her squad had come to get the jackel's attention. As she thought the critter noticed the sounds, and mumbled in response but did not move. The woman did not give up though, she attempted it again with two more pebbles. With luck on her side, the jackel finally gave in and walked out of the building to inspect the area from which the noise had come. Shana slid her knife from her left thigh and snuck her way behind the jackel. She looked around one more time before embedding her blade into the soft spot of the jackel's neck, killing him nearly instant. Though she strugggled, Shana gently laid the creature down onto the ground careful not to make a sound. The woman nearly jumped right out of her armor upon hearing one of her squad members declair, "Here she is! I found her!" <br><br>Startled and pissed off, Shana whirled around to find out who announced to anything near of the whole squad's presence. Part of her was not surprised in the least to see it was that tall and lanky private.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs appeared besides O'brian and looked over to Shana. "Shana, I told the squad to stick to--" he began but was interupted by an elite's surprised comment to so much noise outside. At least her squad was not the only foolish beings to give their location away.<br><br>Shana raised an arm toward the building across the street from her, but when her squad stood dumbfounded she shouted, "Covenant, Cover!" and rolled to her side to hide behind a large piece of rubble from the road. The woman wiped her blade on her pants then placed it back in its place on her left thigh. Propping her assault riffle on the ledge of the rubble she waited for the covenant to exit their building and enter the fight with her squad. <br><br>Echo members hurried back into their building, pulling out their weapons as the did so, gunfire immediately following. Several grunts rushed out the door to fall just as fast. Plasma finding it's way to the side of the building toward the marines, Shana unloaded a clip on an elite that was just a little too slow to realize even though he was out of view from her team, he was not out of view from her own gun. A growl full of rage emitted from another elite as the woman was found. Shana began loading a new clip, but failed, the elite had rushed her too fast with a sword and she had to move out of the way before getting hit. Her clip falling to her previous position as Shana darted her way down the street, the giant following close behind.<br><br>Cursing at herself for not being able to load the clip fast enough, Shana put the rifle on her back and pulled the pin out of a frag gernade. The elite was too close and she knew in order to get the gernade to denonate and kill the elite she had to damn near commit suicide. She counted inside her head as she ran as fast as her legs would take her toward the ruined car. three....two...she let the frag gernade drop out of her hands onto the ground and turned her body slightly to catch the front bumper of the car with her foot. The energy sent her back just as quick and barely missed hitting the elite head on as she came back. The elite stopped and slid into the car, but before he could create any other motion the gernade near his feet ran out of time and blew up. The wave sent Shana into a rolling fit causing her to skid against the ground. If it had not been for her helmet she might have gotten more than the scratches on her armor. The elite however was not so lucky and was taken of his life, his limp body left smoldering from the blast.<br><br>Before she could lift herself up, her hand automatically reached for her pistol and aimed for anything in front of her. Her squad managed to take the rest of the small group of covenant out and stood back near the entrance of the office building waiting for her. Pulling herself to her feet, Shana put her handgun away back on her calf and brought her assault rifle back out. Bending over, the private picked up the clip she left behind and put it in her rifle to load.<br><br>All their eyes made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't like people watching her..judging her. Placing herself ahead of the squad she said, "This way.."<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs was not going to let that fly and he was going to let her know it. "I don't know what you call that, but that is unacceptable. You can't drop a gernade and expect it to denonate when you want. That was foolish..you could have gotten yourself killed if not seriously injured..Shana...Private 106!..do I make myself clear!?" He had trouble saying as Shana's lack for attention made him all the more upset even if it was more of a concern for her actions than actual anger for what she had done.<br><br>He made her feel like a young child and that agitated the woman very much so. Though she mumbled it, she did say it through grinding teeth, "Don't tell me what I can't do.." pausing in her footsteps she took a deep breath and forcefully let it out slowly. She dare not face the sergeant, but she replied to him clearly, "Yes, sir!"<br><br>"Meeeep Squish!" she heard a voice in the background, whirling around Shana walked right to the six foot four private and stared up at him. <br><br>"Do you have a problem with me? Maybe we should handle this now.." Shana snapped at O'brian. He blinked at the five foot even woman and then gave her a face before pointing to a pod a few feet away from them. She looked over to it and then to the the grunts and a brute beneath the pod. She calmed slightly and let it go.<br><br>Jacobs felt a loss for words. He didn't feel right being the discipliner, but he didn't like to be ignored either. Apart of him wanted to stay out of it altogether, Shana was afterall his first lieutenant not that long ago. Against his desires, however, Sergeant Jacobs had to say something once more. "Private 589 and Private 106 you will be serving clean up duties when we get back and possible demerits if this charade continues."<br><br>O'brian made a face of disbelief and slight anger, but no noise came from his mouth.<br><br>Shana recounted how many pods she had spotted thus far and then crouched to the ground to figure out how many tracks there were. A part of her wished to ask the true number, but she refused to say anything. The woman should have never spoken a single word at all...and though a part of her even thought Jacobs was a different person from when she was in command, she knew that he did not change much and he was not someone that should be in charge. Not that he did not have potential, just that he was too nice.<br><br>Standing back up she began walking down the street. "From the looks of it they must have found something worth chasing down." She said and led the squad toward a graveyard of tanks and more bodies. There were shards of what remained of a banshee. Part of it stuck obnoxiously in the side of a building. A large pile of rubble laid out of place among the buildings, but a closer look revealed that that had once been a building in itself. "A tank..." the woman spoke aloud to no one in particular this time.<br><br>Shana looked around the area, but saw no movement other than her own squad so she traveled into a building to study a couple of hunter corpses. Nearly hidden from view, she almost did not spot an empty biofoam canister laying upon the ground if she had not kicked it by mistake. Picking it up she smelled it then eyed the rubble beneath a large hole in the ceiling. The woman tossed the can aside and&nbsp; climbed atop of the debris. Her hands felt around the space that had held someone a few hours earlier. Looking back to the sergeant, Shana reported, "Someone is injured. I think they might have taken a vehicle after this had happened."<br><br>"What kind of vehicle?" Jacobs asked and looked around the night area. Shana cautiously made her way down the rubble and out the building to look around for any more signs, before she could make a clear judgement a private had a different report to give to the sergeant.<br><br>"I've spoted a trail down the way a few blocks away. I wasn't sure what it was, but there's a few covenant remains. I think it leads to a base of some sort..might be worth a look right?" the female private reported.<br><br>The mission was to locate the spartans and bring them back. If one of them was injured, that should be the first priorty, but the young marine had a point. If there was a base nearby, there might be surviving marines and the more firepower they gained the higher chance of survival they had. "Alright, let's check it out." Jacobs said, not bothering to look back for approval from Shana. Not that he needed to, but a part of him knew that Shana was the only one that really knew anything about tracking.<br><br>Private 106 was not going to object, not anymore. She had enough trouble for one mission and didn't have it in her to show Jacobs his place. Besides, it might be better if he'd learn for himself anyways. Double checking her assault rifle, Shana followed behind the squad to back track their progress.<br><br>As they followed the road, they passed several dead covenant and a disabled wraith. Shana took note of the structure and wondered why this one did not take the vehicle instead of destroying it. Her thoughts did not wander far when she passed a few near fully charged swords. The woman was tempted to pick one up, but was never fond of carrying more than two main weapons and two knives. Her squad was getting a bit far ahead of her and she wished they'd slow down. Rushing into things was never something Shana was fond of doing and she had good reason behind it.<br><br>"I don't like this. You should slow down." she said into her comms at her squad.<br><br>Jacobs gave a short whistle to his team to signal them to slow down. He thought Shana simply could not keep up, maybe she really was getting old on him. No sooner had the squad slowed down than they sped right back up to the noise of an unknown human's scream. "Hey!" Jacobs hollared at the squad, but they did not pay any attention and kept running. The sergeant waited for Shana to catch up and together they hurried to catch up with the rest of the team. <br><br>The dead of silence came to life the familar sound of gunfire. <br><br>"Whaat!?" an elite growled.<br>"Cover me!"<br>"Contact!"<br>"Covering!"<br>"Grraaaaaugh!"<br><br>The night was filled with a mix of both sides, When Jacobs and Shana reached the scene, they were in sight of a large group of covenant forces. The woman pulled forth a frag gernade and tossed it in the mix without much thought. The squad was not close enough to it to really matter. Several grunts learned to fly while elites were intelligent enough to jump out of the way in time.<br><br>Sergeant Jacobs crept his way to one fallen member of the squad to double check their status, but they were no longer among the living. Standing up he pulled out a battle rifle and fired at a jackel that had been retreating further away, killing it quite easily with its back open for business.<br><br>Shana fired a clip at an elite with her rifle, its shield finally depleted, a member of her squad took it out with their gun as the woman allowed the clip to fall out of her gun and put a new one in its place.<br><br>"I'm not afraid of you!" she could hear O'brian's squeeky voice ring over the cries of battle.<br><br>Private 106 placed her rifle on her back and pulled forth her handgun once more to shoot the top of a grunt's triangle like back. Hitting just the right spot sent the grunt spinning into his fellow comrades followed by their death with a mix of gunfire. Shana almost paid no attention to O'brian's obnoxious voice until she realized just what was going on. That idiot...she thought angerly as O'brian tossed aside his battle rifle and pulled forth his knife, taunting an elite.<br><br>Even if the elite was injured, it was still strong enough to kill the private in a single blow. Growling at the marine, it began to rush toward him. If Shana had been thinking, she would have let it happen..that would have been smart..but no, the woman pulled forth her knife from her right breast plate and ran toward the two in an attempt to catch the elite off gaurd. Keeping her blade close to the ground she impaled the elite in the ankle. Angry, the Elite stopped and turned his attention to her. "Shoot him!" she yelled at O'brian, but he was frozen and did not budge. Shana reached for her knife, but the elite was moving his body to face her. Reaching for her knife on her left thigh with her right hand she swung her arm up in a slanting motion. She missed the elite's neck, the woman was just too short, the tip of her blade slicing into the elites lower left jaw piece.&nbsp; <br><br>The elite raised his arm and swung at Shana. He missed her by a hair and as he lowered his body she shoved her secondary knife up through the roof of his mouth into his head. Using gravity she pulled the elite over her and used his limp body as a shield to protect herself from plasma shots coming from the remaining covenant, O'brian got hit in the shoulder and fell to his back. Pulling out her pistol, Shana shot at a jackel, her angle was no good and only pierced its shield.<br><br>Coming from behind the Jackel appeared Jacobs. He used his rifle to kill it off and the remaining squad took out the last of the covenant in the area.<br><br>Shana tried pushing the elite off her back, but he was too heavy. She could feel his blood ooze down her armor, some sliming its way past it into her shirt. Jacobs kicked the body off Shana and helped her to her feet. Her hand immediately reaching for her neck to feel the warm goo.<br><br>O'brian began to lift himself off the ground, one hand on his shoulder where the plasma had hit. "Hey thanks Squish." He said without paying much attention.<br><br>Shana turned to O'brian and rushed him, "What were you thinking you ignorant whelp!" she hollared and pushed him back down to the ground. "You really think you can just go head on with an elite!?"<br><br>O'brian didn't have much to say, he shrugged. "I guess I wasn't, you killed him though no big deal." He gripped his shoulder once more.<br><br>"No big deal!?". The private pulled her knives out of the elite's body and stomped her way into what everyone assumed was a small base. She was shocked as to how little teamwork the squad was willing to perform. Shana looked around the abandoned place passing a young female as she went. Stoping only momentarily, Shana sneered, "And where were you?"<br><br>The young private went to explain, but Shana didn't wanna hear her excusses and continued down the hall angerly.<br><br>Attending to O'brians wound, Jacobs was just as surprised and angry to see the young private come out of the building as Shana. Standing up, the sergeant looked her over and demanded, "In the midst of battle where were you? Do you believe yourself a marine or a coward? I have one man dead and another injured. What do you have to say for yourself?"<br><br>She stopped and looked to the side somewhat ashamed. There was nothing she could say to make anything better. The young private had never been in a battle before and was scared the moment she saw the group of enemies so she had ran to the base to hide. Her eyes watered, and Jacobs felt slightly bad knowing that this was most likely everyone's first mission out of training, but that was no excuss. "Tend Private 589's wound." he ordered her and walked past to look for Shana.<br><br>He walked down the corridor and into several rooms. One marked armory had been emptied. That didn't make Jacobs feel any better seeing that, but that wasn't his immediate concern. When he came across a locked door, he assumed the woman was in it so he knocked. "Shana..are you in there?"<br><br>He was right, the woman was in that room. She sat on a metal table, her helmet in her hands, the tinted eye cover staring back at her. After a minute she spoke, "Your team sucks. You picked the wrong squad you realize this?"<br><br>"...Shana will you let me in? I could really use your help." Jacobs said in response to her remark.<br><br>Her green eyes glanced to a mirror near by and just could not stand the sight of her own reflection at the moment and in her rage, she broke it with her fist. Standing up, she went to the door and unlocked it then moved back to the metal table to sit down again.<br><br>Jacobs entered and shut the door behind himself. He chose to sit beside Shana and he too removed his helmet. Staring at it he spoke, "I dunno what to do..I picked your squad because you had the most experience and I thought if I chose this squad we'd all be most likely to survive."<br><br>"You act like this is your first time in command." she remarked. When Jacobs gave no response, Shana had to quirk an eyebrow and look away. "Oh.."<br><br>"They make it look easy. Am I just not meant for this?" he asked.<br><br>"You think it's easy? In time you'll learn." Shana said and didn't feel like giving anymore advise. It wasn't her place to tell someone of higher rank what to do. The idea was awkward and made her dislike being where she was all the more. "Armory is empty, no survivors, we have one man dead, another injured, and we're going in the opposite direction of where we need to be." she stated.<br><br>It was not meant to be stamped as fail, but it certainly felt that way, especially with one man dead and one injured. His next plan was to go back and hit the trail again before he found out the possibly injured Spartan was dead. Jacobs didn't want that on his head too. It made him think of Shana for a brief second and to that he felt he had to ask even if he already knew he would not recieve an answer. "Shana..last I saw you...you were trying to be a Spartan...what happened to that?"<br><br>Shana touched her stomach at the question as she was reminded of her downfall. Putting her helmet back on she said, "I don't wanna talk about it." She moved to the door and headed out into the hallway to retreat back to the squad.<br><br>When she returned to the squad however, she had forgotten where she stood. Seeing a private work on another private just wasn't about to slide past Shana. Stopping behind the young female she interrogated, "Private, are you specialized to work on anothers wounds? Did you recieve training on how to dress specific ones? By whom were you trained?"<br><br>The coward looked to Shana and then went back to wrapping O'brian's shoulder. "106 I don't need to answer to you. I'm a marine and I'm here to help out...Sergeant Jacobs asked me to."<br><br>"...right." Shana said softly and walked away feeling slightly dumb. It wasn't easy being a private nor would Shana soon get used to it. The woman scanned a total of five members of the squad including herself. They seemed a bit shooken up, but were not about to admitt it to anyone. Kneeling down to their fallen comrade, the private closed his eyes for eternal sleep and took a moment to study just how young he was. Just a baby..she thought.<br><br>"Listen up squad. Tonight has been a mess. The lack of teamwork has given us a dead man. You're marines and I expect you all to fill those shoes! No one said it was easy but if you're going to survive you better start acting like a team. Reload and pack up any extra. Let's move!" Sergeant Jacobs said to the squad and reloaded his battle rifle.<br><br>"Uh..Sarg..my gun is out of bullets." O'brian commented lifting up his assault rifle.<br><br>Jacobs bent over and picked up a plasma pistol, tossing it to the private, he placed his rifle on his back and began his walk back to the tank graveyard.<br><br>O'brian picked up the plasma pistol and stood up, leaving his assault rifle behind. He inspected the gun and then put it away on his left thigh holter.<br><br>Shana stood up and as she walked to follow the sergeant, she purposely bumped into O'brian making a comment before leaving him behind, "You have a pistol..."<br><br>She was still upset at his actions during the elite knife attack and wanted to remind O'brian that he was not unarmed during that battle. Jogging the rest of the way to Jacobs, Private 106 spoke low for only he could hear, "No one is authorized to do bandage work, but you. If you want to keep your position, you'll make sure their health is in your care. If someone isn't bandaged correctly and there's a chance that someone gets worse because of it..that's on you."<br><br>She didn't wait for his reaction to her words, something catching her eye as they walked up the street. Trailing away from the squad she walked to the object, only when she got close enough did she realize just what she was staring at. For a brief moment she turned off her night vision and stared at the corpse of a spartan. There was nothing unquie in his colors and that's what took her off gaurd. Stepping over the green giant she sat on his chest and carefully removed the helmet. She allowed the helmet to fall with a thud and checked for a pulse even though it seemed quite apparent that the Spartan was indeed gone.<br><br>Shana didn't recognize this Spartan which in a way, pleased her, but she was curious about his last moments so she took off her helmet and put on his to see just what had happened. Maybe there was another Spartan with this one.<br><br>The inner speakers came to life as she gave it orders to replace the last moments. Gunfire and screams. Growls of rage. The screen turned on and revealed the area in smoke and fire. City people ran away from the screen in a panic. The owner of the helmet waves more people away as he jogs further into the city.<br><br>"We gotta leave base it's too dangerous!" a marine tells the Spartan and tries to move faster. Stopping the marine pulls forth his assault rifle and begins firing at incoming covenant from within the City. "The city is being overthrown, we need to move."<br><br>The spartan looks back to the base and stops, The helmets movements make Shana a bit dizzy, but she continues to watch anyways. The green giant is searching for something or someone in particular, but he did not see what he was searching for and turned back to face the marine, pulling forth his battle rifle and aiming at an elite. "Are they done with Patric? Where is he?" The spartan asked as the elite fell limp to the ground.<br><br>The marine looked back up at the Spartan and says, "They'll take care of them the best they can, but we really need to g--" blood sprayed the Spartan's helmet screen and the marine fell down a hole in his head.&nbsp; Wiping the liquid from the screen, the helmet beeped at him warning him of no shield protection. The green giant pulls a pin from a frag gernade and goes to toss it into the crowd of covenent but something had caught his attention and he turned around to face the base.<br><br>Shana thought it was damn near impossible for a brute to sneak up on anyone with their heavy body and big hammers, but as the screen moved to look toward the base, there one was lifting his hammer up to attack. The screen blacked out and Shana was left to guess whether the brute had killed the Spartan or if the gernade had done the job first.<br><br>As Shana pulled the helmet off her head, O'brian stood near her a stupid grin upon his face. "Greetings Lord Helmet to Earth we welcome you HmMm" he commented in a yoda-like voice.<br><br>Shana didn't catch the Space Balls reference or the Star wars voice. She ignored the kid, put her helmet back on and then hurried to the front of the squad once again to inform Sergeant Jacobs of her findings. "We need to be on the look out for snipers in the area." she told him as she slowed down into a walk. Private 106 didn't mention the name the Spartan had mentioned in the video, she didn't think it was that important. There was no one in the base after all which meant this 'Patric' was somewhere else if not one of the marines that litered the ground.<br><br>Jacobs nodded his head and looked back at the marines behind him. He could hear O'brian explaining to another marine the significance of what he had told Shana, but the marine just thought the movie references were way too old for many people to remember. "Hey...we're not here to chit chat. Keep quiet before any more covenant detect our pressence." The sergeant said and everyone grew quiet in their walk once more. <br><br>Before too long they were back at the demolished wraiths. Quickly, Shana picked up the main trail once more. Even a rookie could tell where one particular Wraith was heading, a clean path down the road making it clear as day. Leading the group down the road, she kept a watchful eye on the surrounding area. The squad, shockingly kept quiet and followed close behind. The marines boots were all that could be heard with the exception of the occational buzz from an electrical outlet in the buildings. Private 106 didn't like it, and could sense the same from her squad. She prayed they would have her back in the next fight, but mentally prepared herself as she patted her pockets to count how many clips she had left just in case she was alone again.<br><br>It was a long walk even if Shana hadn't checked the occational corpse for age, but finally the marines had gotten closer to their destination. Slowing down, Private 106 gave the signal to stop and kneeled down in front of the entrance to a parking garage. She looked around, but saw no other life forms. Being cautious, Shana readied her assault rifle none the less and checked to be sure she was loaded before sneaking her way into the garage. The squad stood in silence as she drew further away.<br><br>When Shana had gotten a few yards ahead and nearly out of site within the rubble and dented cars, Sergeant Jacobs turned to the rest of the squad and gave his orders. "I want a perimeter set up. Private 589 and Private 687 I want you two to go into the building behind you and keep watch. Private 754 and Private 920 I want you to come with me."<br><br>Silently O'brian and his friend went into the building as directed. The coward and another male followed Jacobs into the Garage near the enterance. They settled near a burnt and tipped over pick up truck and kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Leaning his back against the concrete wall, Jacobs turned to the female and said, "I know this must be unsettling being your first mission out of training, but if you cannot be a part of this squad I will send you back to training myself and have you replaced."<br><br>*****<br><br>Shana walked silently by herself, her footsteps light. Seeing a purple wraith, she came to a stop and crouched down. Setting her rifle on her back Private 106 whispered, "Alright you're up Jacobs." When no one responded back, the woman looked around herself with a quirked eye. She cursed beneath her breath for not catching onto silence earlier. Her squad was not improving in their footsteps, they were simply not there.<br><br>Shana didn't want to confront her objective. She didn't like Spartans. It wasn't her job to do so either, but the woman was not given any time to complain. The marine should have been thankful, being able to have some command for the time being, but she wasn't. Standing up she made herself known to the group located on the otherside of the wraith. "Marine approaching." she said loudly and walked around the tank to stand at attention to the two spartans. The closest to her was one in blue and gold. Unaware of who was in control she held her hand in a strong salute and kept it there until someone saluted her back. "Sir, Echo Private 1068689 Reporting. Objective: Locate Spartans, Complete. Awaiting next orders, sir."<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 15, 2012, 09:49:15 am</strong>
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				Hunter was looking out from his position in the tank turret in case there were any more Covenant in the area when all of a sudden he heard someone shout out<br><br>"Marine approaching"<br><br>Spinning the turret around to face the direction of the voice, he was about to let loose some fire when he stopped, wincing from the pain in his bound ribs. A small marine was stood in front of Gladiator, she couldn't be more than 5 foot maximum.<br><br>"At ease marine, good to finally have some backup, what brings you all the way down here? And you don't have to call me Sir, I don't stand on ceremony out here, call me Hunter"<br><br>He tried to get out of the turret so that he could stand with his partner for a while, but as soon as he applied pressure to his arms to lift himself out, his chest screamed in agony and he collapsed back into the seat, breathing heavily and sweating inside his suit.<br><br>"Think I'm going to just sit here for a few minutes, Gladiator can bring you up to speed on the situation"<br><br>With that Hunter went back to looking out for anyone trying to sneak up on their position.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>February 20, 2012, 11:01:28 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Sounds of battle drifted through his helmets audio receptors, men and aliens vying for each others blood. Gladiator looked at his blue and gold gauntleted hand, it was covered in thick green blood. He looked up again and he was on a rock surrounded by an ocean of blood, human blood. He looked closer and saw that there were bodies floating in that grisly ocean. The sounds of battle continued. The world around him was foreign to him but, there were aspects of it that he recognized, then suddenly the ground underneath him rocked and he stumbled. Regaining his balance quickly, he looked up again, the ocean of blood remained, as did the bodies, but, now, there were grave markers. The terrain was different also. He recognized it instantly. Reach. "Marine approaching!" <br><br>At first the Spartan was confused <em>what the-? Oh, right, a dream. Another memory. Duty calls. Time to wake up now</em> Gladiator thought as his subconscious drifted away and his consciousness took over. He snapped awake in an instant, his Battle Rifle aimed and ready to fire. He took a sweep of the area with his eyes alone. A Marine stood near their commandeered Wraith Tank saluting stiffly, she was very short for a Marine, she couldn't be more than five feet tall. Gladiator lowered his weapon and looked down at the floor, he was tired and his body was sore all over from all the fighting throughout the day. He quirked his head and realized that the ration bar that he'd gotten out of his pack, just before he fell asleep, was still in his lap. Gladiator looked up again to find that Hunter was in the Wraith Tank turret and talking to the Marine.<br><br><em>"Think I'm going to just sit here for a few minutes, Gladiator, can you bring her up to speed on the situation?"</em> Hunter asked. Gladiator got up "Yeah, sure" he answered, his deep rumbling voice echoing off the concrete of the garage, with a bit of a grunt he walked over to the small Marine. Saluting her easily he said "Sorry for the rough welcome private. We've been fighting all day ever since we crashed down here. You look like you've seen some action yourself" he said moving his hand toward her in an attempt to shake her hand "I'm Spartan zero one six one, my call sign is Gladiator". After shaking her hand he delved right into their mission objectives. <br><br>"The situation is this, the Covenant Cruiser we were sent to breach, went into Slipspace early and we weren't able to retrieve the information we were sent after. Namely, communication info, language info, supply routes, army movement. The whole shebang. Now, we're in a blackout zone and communications are cut off from command. Only close range comms are working. Our current objective is finding and locating the com jammers and destroying them. After that, we contact command and get our orders"<br><br>Gladiator got onto one knee, lowering his huge bulk of a body and looking into her eyes directly through his helmet's faceplate "that is unless you guys were sent to give us a mission update" looking around he returned his gaze back to the little woman in front of him "that is assuming you know what the update is. Where's your squad?"<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>February 21, 2012, 07:56:56 pm</strong>
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				Without moving her head, the woman glanced up to the black and red spartan that sat in the Wraith. The loose rubble from a building she had inspected earlier flooded into her thoughts. Her eyes trailed Hunter as she tried to make the connection before they flashed back to the Spartan before her.<br><br>Lowering her hand she listened to Gladiator's words and though she did hesitate, 106 extended her other hand and gripped tight onto the blue and gold Spartan's hand. Almost in a challenge for strength, she shook it, but released quickly in an attempt to brush off the notion. As the Spartan began to explain to her the situation they were in, she almost dared to smile. She was a private, and so much information was not meant for the lowest ranks. Though she filled with pride at the thought, that just as quickly emptied as she reminded herself of her ranking. As Gladiator peered into her eyes, Shana forced herself to look away and take a step back. 106 did not want the Spartan to see just how much experience she truely had, her ranking was down right embarassing.<br><br>"I get my orders from my Sergeant...Objective: Find Spartans. Objective: Complete. My squad is not far from here." Shana stated simply, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Reaching a hand to rub the back of her neck, she remembered her incident with the elite and made a face as she felt the crusted blood upon her neck. Looking up toward Hunter, her expression went back to neutral and she spoke out of turn, "You're the injured one aren't you?...the ceiling collapsed on you...?"<br><br>Looking back to Gladiator, 106 asked, "How many of you are there?" The many footprints she recalled didn't quite add up at this moment and she was curious as to why.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 22, 2012, 02:56:10 am</strong>
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				Hunter span the turret back round to talk to the Private.<br><br>"Indeed I am, I have several broken ribs and a broken legs, plus some bruises and sore limbs, I got lucky really, if it weren't for the fact that Gladiator came along, I would be dead right about now. A Hunter got the better of me"<br><br>Remembering the fallen, he sighed. Then he remembered that she mentioned the room she had been in to recall such details.<br><br>"You are one fine tracker, for a Private, what sort of training have you had?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>February 22, 2012, 05:42:20 pm</strong>
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				<br><em>"I get my orders from my Sergeant...Objective: Find Spartans. Objective: Complete. My squad is not far from here. How many of you are there?"</em><br><br>Gladiator sighed, it seemed she and her squad were simply sent to find out what had happened to his team, which was reassuring in a way. It meant Command knew that something was up, probably mostly due to the sudden disappearance of the Covenant Cruiser they were after, and then having no response from their Spartans was another clue. The blue and gold armored Spartan's face fell to grief as Hunter listed his injuries. He remembered his fallen comrades then, and bowed his head in respect and grief. Gunnery Sergeant Desmond "Sling" Rockwell. Lance. Siren. Raven. All good men. They'd lost three Spartans and a hell of an ODST in one foul swoop. All it took was two Covenant Wraith Tanks. It all came rushing back in that moment. Memory of their passing flooded his senses and brought tears to his eyes but, he couldn't allow himself to give into his grief just yet. First they had to survive tonight and then accomplish the mission, whatever that was now, and they still had the Communication Jammers to destroy. With some effort he pushed the memory away. It wasn't easy in the least, not this time. He remembered every Spartan he'd ever fought beside, a staggering number of which were killed in action. Now, he had more to add to that list. When you witnessed something like that, the memory just didn't fade. Not for him anyway. The pain faded...eventually but, never the memory.<br><br>Gathering his wits Gladiator finally looked up at the small tracker "There were seven of us originally, six Spartans and a ODST. We lost four members of our party, the ODST included. Now there's just me and Hunter. Our third member is missing, we don't know his condition, or his situation" he said simply, his voice taking on a cold edge, the grief was obviously still there but, he was obviously trying to suppress it and move on. It was harder than it sounded. Just then he looked up at Hunter, wondering just how he'd gotten himself back into the Wraith Tank in his condition. "Hunter, how the hell did you get back into that thing in your condition? Didn't I carry you out so you could rest?" Gladiator said genuinely curious and changing the subject. He hoped this change of subject would lighten the mood, for everyone's sake. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 23, 2012, 06:40:14 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter listened to Gladiator talking about the other members of the team, the ones that had passed in combat. He felt side but he pushed it aside. They still had a big job to do and it wasn't going to help bumbling over fallen comrades in the field when they could do it back on the ship.<br><br>He shrugged at Gladiators question.<br><br>"I don't know really. I just dragged myself over and pushed myself up the tank, ribs are killing me at the moment though and I'm pretty sure I won't be walking any time soon so sitting here made more sense. At least I can offer some sort of defence from this seat than down on the ground where I can see next to nothing"<br><br>He looked back at the Private.<br><br>"Sorry for all the questions, however, time is of the essence, what is your squad going to do now that we have been found? We can't really afford to leave these jammers around as more Covenant could arrive and we wouldn't even know it"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>February 23, 2012, 05:57:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shana clearly heard Hunter's question about her training, but acted as though she did not. The woman could have told the Spartan of her experience as a lone scout in her early years as a marine, perhaps even proudly stated her previous achievments, but she didn't in fear of Hunter recognizing any information that could lead to further knowledgement about her past. Instead she thought a bit on Gladiator's words and though&nbsp; she silently praised herself for knowing there were more than the two of them, she showed no signs of joy. Placing a hand up in the motion of 'stop', she turned around and looked in the direction from which she came and answered Hunter, "My Sergeant can give you details. Due to my ranking, I am not privilaged to hold such information."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 23, 2012, 06:08:57 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded at the words of the Private.<br><br>"Then go and fetch this Sergeant of yours so that we can find out what is happening, we need to make a move soon to take these jammers out, the longer we wait, the more likely it is that the Covenant are moving more troops here to stabilize and move in and we all know that we do not want that to happen"<br><br>Hunter heard a noise behind him and swivelled the turret around so quickly that he heard another of his ribs crack and he cried out in pain. Looking through watery eyes he saw nothing coming towards them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>March 04, 2012, 06:01:41 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				This right fist banged against the side of the ghost, denting the material slightly. Soon after the last banshee had been taken out he'd been separated from the others and then lost all contact with them since. Patric didn't really mind being alone or leaving the other Spartans on their own, no what he did mind was the mission and the fact that one was injured, gravely injured even. Now he'd driven the ghost through much of the area he'd last seen the others in but a low battery on the ghost had forced him to slow his search, which left him open to an ambush. Admittedly it was small and poorly executed and he had been able to deal with the small force, several Jackals with a score of Grunts. He was able to come out of the small engagement with a fully charged shield and no further damage, but the ghost was knocking on death's front door; And it had just hit empty leaving him alone and on foot.<br><br>&nbsp;Turning from the unpowered machine he looked at his surroundings, ignoring the faint itch of his right hand. The phantom itch he couldn't scratch. The mechanical replacement for his left eye proved useful as it aided the visor, zooming in, changing the light level. It was near dark, he had heard some fighting in the distance, back the way he had come. He had considered turning back but had decided against it. There was no reason for the others to return there, not for him. He may be one of them but he wasn't vital to the mission. Whoever was behind him was either sent in as a follow up due to the lack of communication or, just as likely, survivors from the original attack meeting the covenant. Whichever it was Patric didn't have the time nor the consideration to help them. He did however have the time to do a little reconniasance while he was looking for Gladiator and Hunter and what he had found was important. He'd discovered the location of at least one jammer and had a tentative on another.<br><br>&nbsp;Since he couldn't find the others Patric would have to enter the fight on his own. The jammer, just ahead and around the third bend in the road was lightly guarded, which made some sense- it was in the completely opposite direction of where he and the others were going when they'd been separated. They'd been tricked into thinking the jammers were ahead and the covenant had lightened their guard, likely devoting most of that freed up power to the ambush, leaving several Brutes and a handful of lesser species. Grunts mostly, a few jackals to buffer. Nothing more. All were armed with standard weapons, plasma pistols, carbines for the Brutes, a needler.<br><br>&nbsp;Crouched, Patric crept his way forward. They didn't even have an advanced guard, they were truly undermanned! He stopped just within sight of the jammer, the Brutes had flipped the nearest vehicles on their sides and moved them- bottom facing the outside to form barriers against any attack, which gave Patric a clear shot at the fuel tanks.&nbsp; Raising the MG6 he had left, Patric took careful aim, both hands holding perfectly still as he waited. The Brutes were all patrolling the inner most area around the jammer, the Grunts were all sleeping and the Jackals were standing idly by. They didn't expect much.<br><br><em><strong>BOOOOM!</strong></em><br><br>&nbsp;The Brutes crossed paths just by Patric's target, the fuel tank of the nearest car, the resulting explosion engulfed two of the Brutes and sent flaming shrapnel out, pieces shredding Grunts to ribbons and slamming into the nearby vehicles. Several of the poor little creatures exploded as the burning metal cut through methane tanks, igniting the highly flamable gasses, sending bits of alien and flaming balls in many directions. Another car went up in flames. The Jackals had no time to react as they were cut down, bodies torn and burned. Another car. Another. The first five went up almost simultaneously, the deaths of all but one Brute taking less than three seconds. It was more than Patric had even considered happening. None the less Patric was already up and running forward, toward the only surviving hostile left, whom was too bewildered and in a state of complete surprise when Patric's right fist slammed into his face, staggering him. Now focused on the Spartan the Brute let out a deep bellow of pain and loathing. He was pissed off. Pistol in hand Patric didn't waste any time as he slammed the pistol into the Brute's mouth as he jumped forward, pulling the trigger while shoving the weapon into the beast's maw, cutting off the bellow and causing the beast to suffocate as his other hand repeatedly pumped into the side of the Brute's head at full strength.<br><br>&nbsp;He usually wasn't a man of such brutality but he had to act fast and he had to end it quickly and a pistol alone was no match for a Brute. Thankfully a pistol backed by the savage beating Patric laid out on the poor thing was as it finally died, the thought to bite the offending arm in it's mouth only half formed. Yanking his arm from the maw of the Brute Patric turned to the jammer and did the one thing he came to do; placed four fragmentation grenades on the jammer and pull the pin on one then ran. The resulting explosion did the trick as he began to pick up...less static. It wasn't much but he managed to at least weaken the blockage.<br><br>&nbsp;Running from the jammer and any nearby patrols was Patric's main concern as he rounded the corner of a building and hurdled into another and into the basement before taking a deep breath. He'd managed to do it. Just one step of the mission complete and-<br>The fierce, blinding pain doubled Patric over and onto his knees and forced him to gasp for air, barely managing to pull the helmet off and let it roll away as he let whatever he had last eaten forcefully exit his mouth in a most inglorified fashion. The acid burned the back of his throat and nostrils as he left it all out, barely able to breath. When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself huddled around his helmet in the darkest corner of the basement, away from the vomit. From the noise and light, he estimated only a few minutes had passed. Uncurling was a painful exercise as his muscled had locked up. He needed water in his body soon or he'd die. Slowly, painfully he worked his muscles to cooperation and managed to stand and slowly walk up the stairs and drag his feet across the floor to the kitchen.<br><br>&nbsp;It was all he could do not to just drop and let himself die, but he persisted, his coloration a pale, sickly yellow. Finally reaching the sink, Patric reached out with one finger and pushed the dial for water pressure and smiled as a slow trickle began to sluice from the faucet. Leaning forward he stuck his mouth under the stream and relished the feel on his lips, licked at the water. Then froze as the water stopped. The smile died as he stood and glared at the faucet. He pushed the pressure to full yet nothing came out. He moved the faucet and not so much as a drip came out. In frustrated hopelessness Patric's face contorted into a face of baleful anger before he placed his helmet in place. Glaring at the faucet wouldn't do anything. Nothing could come from staring at that...that thing! Slamming his fists onto the surface, the counter tops shattered and fell and Patric stumbled forward, his hands reaching up and grabbing the faucet like he meant to strangle the metal, instead only managing to stop any possible flow of water more permanently as his weight tore through the sink, counters, plumbing and wall, all the while Patric screamed silently in his mind at the water and the cruelty of earth. Why? <em>WHY!?</em> Why couldn't he have gotten even a small drink?<br><br>&nbsp;If anything could be said for Patric in his last moments of consciousness, he always goes down fighting and there would be no trace of the faucet whenever he might be found. His only real hope now was that his suit would crack a seal and it rained on him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>March 12, 2012, 12:59:17 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator nodded as he said "Right, well, we best--" he looked up abruptly as five explosions sounded off in the distance, cutting off his words. The explosions sounded off one after the other. Gladiator looked to Shana and Hunter then, it was unwise to just leave them behind to hold down the fort but, his gut told him that those explosions were caused by a friendly and that they were in trouble most likely. Turning on his night vision he looked up into the sky and could barely make out the smoke that was slowly rising into the sky.<br><br>Looking to Shana "That may be Patric out there, I'm going to have a look. If it's him, I'll bring him here. I'll be fine on my own, I've done this kind of thing many times but, it is <em>imperative</em> that you, Shana, stay with Hunter since he's injured. Do not follow me, that's a direct order, you got it?" he waited just long enough for her to get the message that he was serious, before he gathered up his sniper rifle and his DMR rifle before getting up and jogging off in the direction of the smoke. Before he got too far ahead, he stopped and crouched down beside some parked cars and took a moment to see what was around him. For now, the street he, Hunter and Shana were on was clear of activity but, that could change at any second, and it'd do no one any good if he got himself killed like a first year cadet. He moved down the block at a half crouch, going as fast as he could. His stomach rumbled in protest and his body ached at the abuse it was forced to take but, he ignored all of it. Patric was depending on him, and if he could help it, he wasn't going to lose another Spartan tonight. One block melded into two, and two into three. The going was slow but, steady as he took time to recon the streets with the aid of the night vision and his sniper rifle, before moving onto a new block. He took special care to keep to any particularly dark shadows that were around. Soon he found himself at five cars that were still burning. He was still a half block away and the anticipation was killing him. He wanted to bolt to the cars and follow the path of wreckage but, he had to be careful especially now. If he spotted the smoke, the Covenant definitely would, and their patrols would be out in force, tracking the cause of the disruption by smell most likely.<br><br>It was then that he noticed that the static that usually played over the comms had lightened a hair, he smacked himself lightly on the head, why hadn't he noticed that before? Oh, right, he'd been caught up worrying about a comrade. Clicking the comm on he took a moment to calm himself "Sierra three three four, Patric, you there buddy?"<br><br>He crept closer to the destroyed cars, carefully walking in a circle to make sure the street was clear and nothing was trying to ambush him. "Sierra three three four, this is sierra zero one six one. Repeat, friendly. Patric, are you there?" Gladiator said into the TEAMCOM as he braced himself upon the first car which had been flipped on it's side. Raising himself to his full height slowly, he switched to his DMR rifle and brought it up over the edge of the car. Looking out, he spotted the remains of a com jammer, and a group of Grunts, Jackals and a few crispy Brutes. Hopefully he was close and Patric wasn't too beat up. Suddenly, Gladiator heard some rubble shift behind him, making him whirl around and stare into the stomach of a particularly big Brute in heavy armor, wielding a Gravity Hammer. Gladiator looked up as the alien snorted and smirked at him, preparing to bring the heavy weapon down on him. <br><br>The blue and gold Spartan was able to jump sideways in time, avoiding the messy death that had awaited him. He heard the metal frame and skin of the car crumble beneath the impact of the Gravity Hammer. Not bothering to get up he laid flat on his back and un-slung the sniper rifle and took aim. Just as the behemoth got his weapon dislodged from the car, the crosshairs of the long range weapon centered on the back of the beast's head. Gladiator didn't hesitate. A second later, a shot rang out. The sound echoed across the permacrete canyon walls of the city. The Brute Chieftain roared in fury as it's decorative helm went flying off it's massive gray head. "Oh shi-!" Gladiator's curse was lost in a hail of gunfire from his DMR rifle. The Brute drew closer and closer, it's massive and thickly muscled legs carrying it easily in long loping strides, bullets pinged off it's armor and tore into it's shoulders but, it still kept coming. It's mouth opened wide as it lept into the air, hammer raised. Gladiator's trigger finger tensed again and another shot fired, this one hitting it's mark right between the eyes, killing it instantly in mid-air. The Gravity Hammer slipped through the Brute's dead fingers and bounced off the ground, barely missing the Spartan's head. The body however, landed right atop Gladiator with a crunch as reinforced metal plates met reinforced metal plates. The air was pushed from his lungs hard as the Brute's body crashed down on him. After a couple of heaving coughs, he finally managed to get his breath back. The Spartan groaned and just layed there for a moment, looking at his radar to see if anything else was moving around him. <br><br>When he was sure that he was out of danger for the time being, he wiggled his arms underneath the Brute's chest and pushed with all his might. The body barely moved, despite the Spartan putting all his strength into getting the thing off of him but, eventually he was able to wriggle out from beneath the things torso. With the arm of the big ape-like alien still draped over his chest, Gladiator took a moment and regained his strength, then with more then a bit of frustration flung the Brute's arm away from him. Sitting up he got onto his knees and pushed the thing over again to retrieve his weapons. Getting to his feet he shook his head "I'm getting too old for this shit" he said with a huff as he trotted over to the building, taking cover behind the cars once again until he got to the entrance. Stepping inside, he followed the trail of battle past the wrecked and still flaming com jammer, to the kitchen, where he found Patric lying prone on the floor. He looked briefly past his body and realized that a sink had been torn out of the wall, and bits of rubble and debris lay strewn around his comrade. Gladiator's head hung on his chest as he approached Patric, not sure if his friend was alive or dead.<br><br>Taking a knee beside Patric, Gladiator touched the man's shoulder lightly "please don't be dead" he muttered as he went to remove his friend's helmet, and check for any signs of life. He facepalmed himself a moment later, he'd totally forgotten about the bio metric scanner in his helmet. He flicked it on with a quick flick of his eye and read the information it spit out. His eyes widened as he read that his friend was simply unconscious from lack of hydration "You've gotta be kidding me" he said in disbelief. He reached back to where his canteen was usually stored on his belt but, looked up in surprise when he couldn't find it. He must have dropped it somewhere during one of the battles. Taking Patric by the armpits, he dragged his friend over to where they had more cover, in case the Covenant decided to get nosey. Arriving in what probably had been either a lobby or a living room, it was hard to tell in the dim light that his nightvision gave him. Finding a empty water bottle after overturning a scorched couch, he spotted a bathroom not too far away and went to it. The sink failed to produce any water but, the toilet bowl was filled with water, and it looked clear but, that didn't mean anything. Grimacing, he dipped the water bottle into the toilet and filled the bottle with it. Now, all he had to do was boil the water.<br><br>Going over to the kitchen and turned the gas stove on, no flame lighted on the stove but, he could hear the hiss of the gas. Taking his DMR rifle in hand, he aimed at the wall and fired. The spark from the gun firing lighted the gas but, unfortunately, the fire exploded in his face, knocking him backwards into the counter. Kitchen utensils, plaster and drywall went flying everywhere. Breathing heavy from his breath being knocked from him, he saw that a small flame was still alive, feeding on the gas that was coming from the stove. He set the water bottle on the counter and went to look for a hangar or a piece of wire to suspend the bottle over the fire. After a thorough search of a nearby closet, he found just what he was looking for. Forming the hangar into a single strand of wire, he wrapped one end around the top of the bottle and made a hook with the other. After making a hole in the counter above the stove via his trusty DMR, he suspended the bottle over the live flame and waited for the water to boil.<br><br>After what seemed like an eternity, the water finally boiled and was thus safe to drink. Tacking the slightly scorched water bottle off of the hangar, he turned the stove off and went back over to Patric. Sitting down, Gladiator gently removed his comrades helmet, using his legs to support Patric's head. After letting the water cool to a drinkable temperature, gently, he opened his friend's mouth and poured a little bit of water inside his palate. The water was warm but, it was drinkable.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>March 16, 2012, 05:58:22 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Man...it's too quiet." Private 589 commented to his friend beside him as they sat upon the floor in the building across the way of the garage. Pushing himself off of the wall, O'brian got to his feet and peeked out the window. "Not even a cricket out there."<br><br>"Private 589 get back into cover." a voice within O'brian's helmet told him. His eyes looked immediately toward the garage and sighed. Hesitantly, he obeyed the orders of his Sergeant and went to sit back down when he saw something coming from out of the garage. Standing back up, O'brian narrowed his eyes and watched as the movement from within came clear within his line of vision. Hitting his partner in the arm beside him, Private 589 said, "Dude, Spartan. Dude..."<br><br>The shorter male looked up to O'brian and then stood up to look out the window as well. They gawked as the gold and blue Spartan walked out of the garage and head away from the group. "What's he doin'?" Private 687 asked.<br><br>O'brian shrugged his shoulders and leaned out of the broken window. Bringing his hands up to cup around his mouth he was about to hollar after the Spartan when Jacobs's voice rang over his comms again in more urgency, "Get down...now!"<br><br>Backing up, O'brian held onto his ear piece and tripped over a loose piece of the ceiling upon the floor.<br><br>Turning around to face his fallen comrade, Private 687 walked toward O'brian. As he held out his hand to him, the assault rifle on the other arm dropped to the ground.<br><br>O'brian picked up the weapon and looked up to his partner, the smart smirk upon his face quickly faded as Private 687 dropped to his knees then fell beside O'brian face down, a hole in the back of his head. "Oh shii.." Private 589 began and got to his knees to hover over his friend for a moment before pushing a button for his comm. "Ryan's...Ryan is dead...those bastards got Ryan.."<br><br>Jacobs' voice came into his helmet. "Private 589, we know there are snipers in the area. You need to stay clear."<br><br>"Didn't you hear me!? They got Ryan! My friend is dead!" O'brian snapped back at his Sergeant.<br><br>Jacobs sighed to himself as he leaned against the wall. He wished he could give the private some better sympathy. Instead, he called for Shana.<br><br>*****<br><br>Shana watched Gladiator as he hurried away from her and Hunter. Looking over her assault rifle she openned her mouth to make conversation to the black and red Spartan when her comm came to life.<br><br>"Shana, report. Where are you? We need your eyes."<br><br>Pressing onto her helmet she said, "This is private 1068689. I've made contact with spartans and have been given orders to keep post. There is an injured Spartan here that requires your assistance."<br><br>There was a pause before she recieved a reply. "Negative, I have another dead man and one other in a location I can't get to. Sniper is confirmed in the area. I need you to get rid of that sniper."<br><br>Biting her lower lip Shana looked to Hunter and asked, "How far do your comms go? Can you reach the other Spartan? Maybe he can take out that sniper."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>March 17, 2012, 04:23:40 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				(It's cool about the double post)<br><br>Hunter looked down to Shana from his position in the tank and shook his head.<br><br>"My suits comms were taken out in my fight with a Hunter, if you can fix them then by all mean be my guest, but I can't get in touch with anyone at the moment"<br><br>Hunter braced himself and pushed himself through the pain in his chest that reared as he raised himself up and out of the gunner position in the Wraith. He slowly slid down the outside of the vehicle and sat on the ground.<br><br>"That smarts"<br><br>Then he hit his head with rememberance.<br><br>"There is a comms unit inside the tank, but only in the drivers position, if you climb up in it, it should already be programmed to our signal from when Gladiator was driving it earlier, you should get into contact with him with that. I wish I could be of more help to you"<br><br>Hunter was finding it a little hard to breathe so he unclasped his helmet and took it off so that he could get a breath of fresh air. As he took a deep breath he coughed, turned and spat blood onto the floor.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>March 18, 2012, 04:11:01 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/HelmetTrouble.jpg)</div><br>Shana looked to the black and red Spartan and studied him a moment. His physical appearance was just a minor thought as her brain sent her signals of just how bad this giant's state was. Raising a brow from beneath her shaded helmet, her green eyes moved to the wraith behind him. Placing her hands upon her hips she sighed silently to herself and thought <em>...as if I'm not short enough...Just climb right up in there...ya...right...</em> The private took a quick survey of her surroundings before putting her rifle upon the floor and walking to the wraith. Placing her hands upon the purple paint job, Shana looked about the tank in an effort to find anything that could aid her up without requesting any sort of help.<br><br><em>...this is ridiculous...</em>she thought and looked over to Hunter as he coughed. Appearing by his side, Shana knelt down and inspected the substance he had spit out. Standing back up, the woman pulled forth a vail that was no more than a centimeter in thickness from her chest pocket. She looked at it unsure. Pulling up her right sleeve she checked a device on her wrist. It showed only a simple color of greenish yellow. Covering it back up, Shana placed the vial back in her pocket and pulled forth an empty one. The private held it to the light to inspect it then casually walked to a nearby fire. The flame danced within a tire happily and didn't much notice as the woman tempted it with her vial.<br><br>As the fire heated the clear pipe, private 106 looked back to Hunter. "One of your ribs has most likely punctured one of your lungs. That explains your tough breathing and the blood..." Walking back to Hunter the woman took no thought in placing one of her feet between his legs as he sat before her. Taking off her helmet, Shana tossed it aside and leaned in close to the Spartan for a closer look. Her breath lightly caressed his cheek as she spoke, a hand running along his chest. "Your lung will slowly fill with blood and you will drown. I'm going to release some of the pressure and drain it."<br><br>Backing her head away from Hunter's Shana brought two fingers up and pointed them to her eyes. "Eyes on me Spartan.." she said and waited for him to obey. Deep within her mind she regreted having had taken off her helmet..regreted giving this giant the oppurtunity of seeing her eyes..seeing her experiences...but maybe he could not, eyes were after all..just eyes, right?<br><br>Placing a hand gently upon his chest once more, the woman took no wasted time and jabbed the pipe into the weak spot. Puncturing his lung, Shana let go to back up and away from the black and red Spartan. "That will help you breath, but it is not a permanent fix." she told him and taking a running start, she jumped onto the wraith and scrambled her way up into the top. Holding onto the enterance of the driver's seat she shook her head. <em>...Ridiculous...</em> she thought again and crawled in to begin her search of the comm's wires.<br><br>She could have just tried to contact the other Spartan, but Shana just had too much pride to use the enemy's lines, plus there was no telling who could be listening on the wraith's comms, but for a teammate not to have a functioning comm was out of the question. Shana unsheathed her blade on her shoulder and pried open the comm compartment. With the aid of a foot she managed, but nearly flung back in her effort. Placing her knife back in its place, Shana took apart the wiring and crawled back out of the wraith. Sliding down the smooth metal, the woman landed roughly on her feet and bent over to pick up Hunter's helmet. Without asking for permission, she took it and plopped herself down in front of the giant to inspect it. The woman did not wish to face the man's eyes another time without her helmet placed firmly upon her head.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>March 18, 2012, 05:41:08 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter kept his eyes on the private like she instructed and gasped a little as he felt something puncture him. He wasn't complaining though as he could now breathe a little easier and he no longer wanted to cough. He nodded.<br><br>"That feels much better, definitely a better alternative to drowning in my own blood that is for sure"<br><br>He had studied the Privates eyes when she had studied him but he cared not to mention to her that she had the eyes of a partially altered human. Almost like she had almost become a Spartan herself. He would keep that conversation for another time.<br><br>When she leapt up onto the Wraith with little effort he was surprised by her agility and strength, he knew it wasn't easy for humans to climb on tanks like this one, especially with a small size like she had.<br><br>She had backed away and was now sat in front of him studying his helmet, almost like it held some sort of hidden secret that she may uncover, it was against protocol as well to take a Spartans helmet but he didn't mind, he was just glad that for the time being he was going to be alive because of her.<br><br>"Finding anything interesting in there?"<br><br>Hunters thoughts soon drifted off and he wondered if Gladiator was alright, and Patric, he didn't want to be the only Spartan left on the mission, especially since there had been a team of them all together. And he was badly battered and wouldn't be of any help on the rest of this mission. He turned back to Shana.<br><br>"Wouldn't happen to have a quick fix for my leg as well would you?" He asked half jokingly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>March 28, 2012, 06:33:53 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He coughed. Then winced and groaned, then winced some more as the blinding, pounding pain exploded into his head. His eyes felt dry and scratchy, his skin a bit too tight and oily as his body protested the abuse he had recently put it through. Fighting against the shakes he sat up, snatching the bottle of boiled water from the armored hand above his face and drank with a faster pace, though making sure to only sip as training kicked in- too much water too fast could be as fatal as too little water too late. "Thanks," he rasped to no one in particular as he stopped long enough to breath and think. Luckily he wasn't so far gone as to forget and then remember in a flood of images, sensations and the like. Though he was darned near.<br><br>&nbsp;"I don't want to know where you had to get this water from. Like as not I'll need a thorough sanitation hour after this." The aches in his body were screaming at him but he was able to ignore them for the most part as most of the muscles had already stopped their complaints as they were rehydrated. Finally looking to over to the person who had held the water Patric spied a sight he hadn't thought to see for some time. "Gladiator..." His free hand instinctively rose to his face, in the age old symbol for a smile.<br><br>&nbsp;"Thanks for the cool down. My report is the usual story in this case, was separated, attempted to regroup and stumbled on one of the objectives, I assume that is how you found me." As he had talked the water had seemingly vanished from the bottle as he had continually sipped it until none remained. Dropping the container he replaced his helmet atop his head where it belonged and stood.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>April 10, 2012, 01:50:26 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Those last couple of minutes before Patric sat up and coughed were the hairiest Gladiator had experienced in a long time. He breathed a sigh of relief when his comrade grabbed the bottle and began chugging water. A couple of seconds afterward, he slowed his drinking speed and began to sip at it. The big blue and gold armored Spartan laughed as his friend commented that he didn't want to know where the water had come from. Still grinning, Gladiator returned the smile gesture and patted his friend on the back "That's probably for the best for now, and you're welcome."<br><br>Gladiator got to his feet and made some room as Patric began to stand and give his report "Yeah, that explosion might have been a clue" he said wryly, a grin beneath his golden face plate "before we move, we need to gather as many containers as possible that can carry water. I heard something over the comms as I was preparing the water for you. I think it was Shana and her squad. Look around for some type of container while I try to reestablish contact, after that, we head back, and find water as we go."<br><br>Gladiator took a glance over at the ruined window and door, nothing stirred but, it wouldn't stay that way for long. That he was absolutely sure of. He brought the comms display up on his HUD, and studied the signal in front of him. It was still crammed with static but, it looked like it had lightened quite a bit in their immediate area. Microwaves, gamma waves and radio waves, as well as other types he couldn't identify, all separated in front of his eyes as he focused on increasing his comms bandwidth and strength. Finally, after a few minutes, he found a combination that seemed to do the trick. <br><br>The radio waves coalesced into one single strand that jumped and twitched but, it held. He whistled a tune that he knew his fellow Spartans would know, an easy four tone tune that had been around for years that they used to determine if the channel, and the team, was in the clear. <em>"Olly Olly oxen free! We're all free!</em>" he gently sang into the mic. <br><br>He waited a couple minutes, giving his team the chance to respond "This is Gladiator zero one six one. I've found Sierra three three four. Repeat, I've found Patric. He's alive, and we're making our way back. Shana, Hunter, sitrep. I hear something about snipers? Over."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>April 10, 2012, 05:07:58 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman glanced up at the Spartan and peered at his broken leg before pulling forth the knife on her right shoulder. Focusing back upon the helmet in her lap she stabbed at the inside of the helmet. Shana pulled out a few wires out of it and inspected further before ripping it free from the helmet to toss aside.<br><br>"I can rig a redneck mobile for you, but I can't fix your legt." she told Hunter as she took the wiring from the wraith and inserted it into the Spartan's helmet. Jerking her hand away quickly, she placed the tip of her index finger to her mouth and cursed beneath her breath as the wiring had given her a shock. Shana's helmet hummed to life as someone attempted to make contact, but the woman was not going to retrieve her helmet and though she wanted to throw the Spartan's helmet for shocking her, she restrained herself. Grumbling, Shana dug around in the helmet a moment longer before putting her knife back in its place upon her shoulder armor.<br><br>*****<br><br>"We've got hostiles coming closer from down the street." the male Private reported to the Sergeant as they leaned against the concrete wall of the garage.<br><br>Jacobs heard him, but eyed the female and wondered if she'd flee again. Checking his battle rifle he replied, "Damn...that sniper must have spilled the beans. I had hoped we had the advantage here..."<br><br>As the Sergeant dared to peek around the bend, his comms came to life. Before the man could get a good view of the enemy coming their way, Jacobs got back into cover and leaned his back against the wall. Bringing a hand up to his ear piece, Jacobs responded, "This is Sergeant Jacobs confirming: Snipers are in the area. I repeat, snipers are in the area. I have two men down and more hostiles are on the waa-Private 589 get your damn head down! If I have to repeat my order one more time I will kill you myself!...Jacobs out." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>April 10, 2012, 05:50:24 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter watched as the Private worked on his helmet, she seemed to know a lot about tech that was lacking in most other people of her rank. He was grateful though and stayed silent as she worked on his new comms unit. He would need to requisition a new helmet once they got back to base.<br><br>"I knew you couldn't fix my leg, I was joking, to lighten the mood"<br><br>He heard a crackling coming from the Privates helmet, someone was using the comms but he couldn't hear what was being said because of his distance from the device, but the fact that he could hear anything coming through a unit meant that a jammer had been taken out and they could communicate over a limited distance.<br><br>"Want to maybe check your comm unit? Could be back up or a status report from Gladiator"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TyKing</strong> on <strong>April 15, 2012, 09:53:26 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tech Bay Four<br>UNSC Flagship Hercules<br></strong><br><br>The screen in front of the technician beeped, causing Matt Fry to surface from the pages of the most recent issue of Babes &amp; Bullets. He blinked once then stared at the message that flashed across the screen.<br><br>&gt;&gt;UNSC COMMUNICATION/COMSEC/ENG/FRY, MATTHEW A/PFC&gt;&gt;BURST MODE/LOW ENCRYPTION&gt;&gt;<br><br>Frowning, the UNSC technician hit the display key on the console in front of him. "Aw man," Private Fry said as he read the incoming work order. "Those guys creep me out."<br><br>"Who freaks you out?"<br><br>The query originated from the other side of the small bay where another technician was putting some of the new MJOLNIR armor through a heat shield test. The technician had a shock of red hair and a liberal sprinkling of freckles which was why most of the techs called him 'Ginger' even though his name was Glenn Richards.<br><br>"<em>Creeps</em> me out," Matt answered. "Those ODSTs..they're all a little crazy."<br><br>"Of course they are, wouldn't you have to be a little crazy to be dropped a few thousand feet through the atmosphere in a metal pod which slams into the ground with enough force to squash your bones to powder," Ginger pointed out. "No sane person would stand for that."<br><br>"I guess, but the last time I was over there they had me playing this card game which seemed to be a cross between hearts and Russian roulette," Fry complained as he picked up his toolbelt. "Not to mention I lost a month's pay to them and had to put up with their stupid jokes about..well techs. Apparently anyone who isn't an ODST is less than perfect. Hell, they even think they're better than Spartans."<br><br>"Maybe in their dreams. You better get a move on though, don't want them annoyed with you when you get there," PFC Richards suggested.<br><br>"No kidding," Matt said before he exited the bay. "If I'm not back in two hours..come find me."<br><br><strong>Launch Deck<br>ODST SOEIV Pod Bravo Victor Six</strong><br><br>"Come on you little son of a bitc.." Fry cursed as he pulled another set of wires from the depths beneath the control panel inside the pod. His haste was due to the ODST whose pod he was repairing. The female ODST had promised to make a man out of him if he repaired her pod in a timely fashion. Fry had told the ODST that he was a marine technician and had been made a man the day he graduated from boot. This answer got plenty of laughs and led to the woman challenging him to an impromptu wrestling match which ended with her pinning him. She’d also felt him up and might have gone farther if the ship had not gone on alert and her and her fellow troopers had been called away to a briefing.<br><br>Fry had cringed when the female ODST had given him a sloppy kiss and a smack on the ass, promising to return and ‘thank him properly’ once he was finished with her pod. It was for this reason that Private Fry rushed to finish the repairs, he wanted to get the hell out of there before the ODSTs returned. The sound of yelling and war whoops outside of the pod told Fry he was too late.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>“Hey Techie Marine, you still in my pod?” Lance Corporal Grace Takomi said as she banged on the outside of the hatch with her fist. “Move over then because I’m coming inside..” She grinned and tried the latch but found the pod locked. All around her other ODSTs were climbing in their pods getting ready for their mission drop. “You need to vacate the pod, Techie,” she said, “Or be prepared to go on your first combat mission.”<br><br><em>Mission?!</em> That was all he needed to hear. Matt attempted to open the pod but the controls wouldn’t respond. <em>Oh hell.</em> Now the warning lights were flaring and the klaxons blared. The ODST became frantic, pounding on the pod before running off to the side.<br><br>Matt’s fingers flew through the wiring, selecting the correct systems as he reached for the pliers on his tool belt and...the plating beneath the pod opened up to reveal space.<br><br>“Nooooooooo!” Matt yelled as tried to open the pod. There was a burst of static over his communications link and he had the common sense to strap himself in before PFC Fry found himself rushing towards the planet below. <em>Earth..I’ll finally get some leave.</em> The thought was so absurd he had to laugh. Of course it would be crawling with Covenant now. <em>Most of whom will have me for breakfa..</em> The SOEIV pod began to shudder while the console blinked red and the computer called for his attention. Fry punched a few buttons and was rewarded by the computer spazzing out then firing the anti-grav thrusters.<br><br>“Yeah this is really complicated, I don’t see how ODSTs perform under such pressure,” Fry said in a slightly mocking tone. His eyes dropped to the floor and he realized that the pod was headed for a ship, a ship which seemed to be glowing with a silvery sort of color about her nose. Another burst of static filled the pod then Matt was slammed against the side of the vehicle. Since he wasn’t wearing a helmet, the tech slipped peacefully into la-la land.<br><br><strong>Hours Later</strong><br><br>The ODST was still banging on the outside of the pod. “Go away,” Matt groaned. His head hurt and the last thing he wanted to deal with was a pissed off female ODST. He opened his eyes a sliver then they flared wide as the world around his pod came into view. It was waist high in water and a floating piece of debris was banging against the side. A floating piece of purple debris that looked curiously familiar.<br><br><em>I have to get out of here,</em> Fry resolved, slapping the eject button. The hatch punched out from the pod then it filled with water and Fry found himself up to his neck in foul, smelly, oil slicked water. Undoing the clasp on his safety harness, the technician slid from the pod. Matt managed to grab the M6D sidearm that was attached to the side of the pod before he began swimming towards the closest land in sight.<br><br>The tool belt, a faithful friend in the past, now sought vengeance for his mishap and tried to drown him with its weight. He unfastened the belt and let the tools sink to the bottom of the river. The floating debris which had seemed so familiar was being pushed towards him and Fry recognized the Covenant Ghost. Swimming over to the craft, Matt hiked a leg up and pulled himself into the Ghost’s seat.<br><br>He’d read the specs on the craft and knew its basic functions. Fry also knew from the Ghost’s console readout that it had minimal power. “No weapons, but enough juice to go..well, hell, where do I go?” Matt stated aloud. The tech had no idea where he was. It was clear from the skyline that he was in New York. <em>But where in NY?</em> Fry had a pistol with nine shots, no communication link or armor and no idea whether there were friendlies about.<br><br>“This is what Gunny Highway would call a Charlie Foxtrot,” Matt said, thinking back to boot camp and his D.I. “Time to improvise, adapt and overcome.” The marine technician powered up the Ghost and pointed it towards the shore. With any luck he would be able to find shelter and supplies in the city. And maybe, some folks who were friendly.<br><br><strong>New York, Earth</strong><br><br>The Ghost's controls drove slightly less erratic than a hog cart's, or how Matt assumed a hog cart would drive. When he tried to a hard turn the craft would slide around a corner then keep going until it bashed into a wall or debris and came to a stop. After a few jarring crashes, Matt resolved to take corners at a relatively slow pace. <br><br><em>This will never work if I'm being persued..</em> the marine thought. <em>Although if I don't find any armor they only need to hit me once and I'm toast.</em> <br><br>Navigating around another street corner, Fry came upon a trio of Grunts who were all loitering around another crashed pod. Maybe this one has a functioning communications beacon. the PFC hoped as he increased his speed and ran down two of the snouted Covenant foot soldiers. Double thumps were heard beneath the Ghost and it shuddered then straightened out. The last living Grunt said, "I'm out of here!" and waddled off in the opposite direction on his stubby little feet. Matt turned the Ghost then accelerated it and ploughed over the last Grunt.<br><br>He slowed the Ghost, only staring momentarily at the streaks of light blue blood that had burst from the little oinkers' suits, before approaching the ODST pod. The pod was open and inside was a dead trooper. Matt stared down at the ODST. He'd seen dead people before but they had been mostly civilians. The trooper looked peaceful but his head was laying at an odd angle and Fry couldn't see any signs of trauma or a wound. The broken safety straps in the pod told Fry all he needed to know. The ODST's pod had slammed into the ground and the force had cause the straps and thus the trooper's neck to snap.<br><br>The ODST's battle rifle was still clipped to the side of the pod but Matt knew he had to get the trooper's armor first. He gingerly removed the soldier's helmet to reveal a young male with a livid scar running down the left side of his face. "Sorry Buddy, but I need your armor more than you do right now," Fry told the dead man. Taking the rest of the armor, Matt suited up and put on the soldier's helmet. The internal systems within the armor needed a reboot, but that proved to be no problem for the combat engineer. Information scrolled across the interior of the visor then the armor's health rate and targetting reticule came online. Matt procured the battle rifle from the pod. When he touched it sensors in the gloves relayed information about the weapon to his HUD, informing him that it had a full clip.<br><br>When the armor's communications systems came online, Matt attempted to make contact with any friendlies. "This is PFC Matthew Fry of the USNC ship Hercules, I am lost in New York. If anyone can hear this..I'd appreciate a waypoint to a safe destination.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>April 30, 2012, 03:04:32 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator listened for any signs of comm use by friendly forces, it took a few minutes but, eventually he got something. It wasn't much, just a pattern of recurring static with the sound of a jumbled voice breaking through intermittently. He focused on that signal and tried to apply what he knew about radio signals and their transceivers, which wasn't much at all. He fiddled with the setting on his transceiver, turning the sensitivity this way and that and back again, until the static cleared up to where he could discern more. After a few seconds he recognized a voice. Sergeant Jacobs. Shana's commanding officer.<br><br><em>"This is Sergeant Jacobs confirming: Snipers are in the area. I repeat, snipers are in the area. I have two men down and more hostiles are on the waa-Private 589 get your damn head down! If I have to repeat my order one more time I will kill you myself!...Jacobs out."</em> <br><br>Something nearer though chose that moment to break through the static, almost deafening him. <br><br><em>"This is PFC Matthew Fry of the USNC ship Hercules, I am lost in New York. If anyone can hear this..I'd appreciate a waypoint to a safe destination.."</em><br><br>Shaking his head to clear it and turning the volume on his internal speakers down he grimaced and worked his jaw, he felt his ears pop and grimaced again. It seemed that the areas directly behind him had been freed of jamming, whereas the areas where Sergeant Jacobs and the rest of the team was were still bathed in jammers. <em>Well, atleast that's something, now maybe we can contact command and find out what the hell is going on around here</em> Gladiator thought as he back tracked towards the apartment complex that he'd found Patric in. He pulled up his map of the city on his HUD and examined it, placing two waypoints, one where he knew his team was, and the other where he thought Private Fry might be, which he guessed was over by the wharf. First things first though, he needed to contact command and give them an update.<br><br>"Alpha zero two six, this is Sierra zero one six one. Copy. Over." Gladiator ducked back into the relative safety of the apartment complex's doorway, waiting for any sign that he was being received. A moment later some familiar text scrolled across his HUD.<br><br>&lt;&lt;USMC COMSEC/CMD/0143T05146Z24/SIERRA 0161/CONNECTION ESTABLISHED/BURST MODE/HIGH ENCRYPTION&gt;&gt;<br><br><em>"Zero one six one, good to hear your voice soldier. We lost your after the Corvet jumped. Give me your sitrep soldier,"</em> the familiar sound of Admiral Bane's voice filtered in over the comms.<br><br>"Yes sir. Good to hear you too sir. We have heavy casualties here sir, ODST Sling, Sierra zero four two Raven, Sierra one three two Lance, and Sierra zero two five one Siren are all assumed KIA. Only myself, Sierra three three four, and Sierra four three five Hunter still remain from the original team. Sergeant Jacobs and his team are near our position under sniper fire. Me and Sierra three three four are ready to provide assistance," Gladiator said summing up their situation as quickly as he could.<br><br>There was an audible sigh from the Admiral <em>"understood. Provide assistance to Sergeant Jacobs team and then hump it back to your current position for a mission update. Oh, and provide a NAV point for Private Fry so he doesn't wet himself, you're going to need all the help you can get out there."</em><br><br>"Understood sir. Gladiator out," he said in response, smiling a little at the Admiral's comment and nodding to no one in particular.<br><br>He switched his comm to TEAMCOM a second later so he could transmit "Private Fry, this is Sierra oh one six one, as you might have noticed we're at war soldier, no place is safe for long. Confirm your location and prepare to receive rendezvous coordinates."&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>May 03, 2012, 08:03:08 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The marine looked up from the spartan helmet back to Hunter. With a slant of her lips and a raised eyebrow she thought about his request. Shana didn't want to pick up her helmet, but knew she should obey. The slight thought of a giant&nbsp; attempting to place her helmet on had crossed her mind as she thought <em>why not do it yourself?</em> The idea was just silly enough to make the woman crack a small smile upon Hunter before, she stood up and walked to him. Handing him his helmet she said, "Temperially fixed. I spliced the wires to make it work for now. Hopefully it'll last until this mission is over."<br><br>Turning her back to the red and black giant, SHana bent her upper body over and picked up her helmet. Placing it upon her head, she adjusted the straps and spoke into it. "This is private 1068689 requesting a repeat of last transmission, over." Her green eyes flashed to Hunter a moment and scanned his armor, before showing him her back once more.<br><br>Within a moment she got a response. "Shana, This is Jacobs, I need you to take the injured spartan into further hiding, we're real hot here. With little firepower I don't know how well we'll fair, over."<br><br>Shana sighed and grumbled beneath her breath as she cursed the sergeant for constantly calling her by her name. She was just a number now, an easily forgotten maggot, why did he insist on calling her by name? Before the private could reply back, gunfire sounds from the enterance of the garage. Looking back to Hunter shana nodded toward the building the garage was connected to and said, "We need to go."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 04, 2012, 12:54:04 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded his thanks to the Private and placed his helmet back on his head. Testing the systems as they rebooted, they seemed to be working to a satisfactory level. He was impressed with the ingenuity of the cadet, normally they could barely fire a rifle, let alone splice wires so proficiently.<br><br>"Good work Private, and good idea, let's get the hell out of here"<br><br>He propped himself up and using his good leg, forced himself into a standing position, gun fire was sounding outside of their hiding place, which was only going to get worse as the Covenant moved in on their position, Shana was right, they needed to shift to a better position before they were caught.<br><br>"Any ideas on where we should move too? Please let it be somewhere without stairs"<br><br>The thought of stairs was a horrifying thought for the Spartan, he could manage walking on his broken leg to an extent, but putting all of his weight on it would likely cause him to eventually black out from pain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>May 09, 2012, 07:00:47 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Just a few of the proud skyscrapers that had previously dominated the city still stood. Most were reduced to massive piles of rubble, giving cover to the intense ground battle. Every now and then an MA-5 would clatter in noisy bursts, but more often than not they were silenced by a flurry of plasma bolts. <br><br>One of the strongholds of human activity was Firebase Romeo. Some from the initial insertions, a few teams from the <em>Hercules</em>, even a single scorpion from the 17th UNSC Tank Battalion. Wrecks of warthogs were used as improvised machine gun nests, and what precious instacrete they had was used to build a central command bunker and a pair of pillboxes. They had an objective, and they were going to hold it until they were physically incapable of doing so. It had only been twelve hours since mission start.<br><br>From just outside the perimeter, a second sun rose from the horizon, sizzling as it lazily arced into the field positions. The plasma round detonated with an ear-splitting bang, throwing several Marines hurtling through the air. The few that survived could only groan in pain as overworked medics ran from casualty to casualty. A second plasma mortar turned most of the medics into casualties themselves.<br><br>The blast had roughly awoken OSDT Staff Sergeant Wilkins from a two-hour powernap. They had all been on alternating sleep cycles to keep as many guns on the perimeter as they could at a time. His eyes stinging from a lack of sleep, he grabbed a nearby canteen and poured the freezing water onto his head before slamming on his helmet and rushing out of the bunker, BR-55 in hand. <br><br>"Ah, shit..." The red blips on his squad readout showed CPL Montes and PFC Lindt were KIA, with SGT Nelson MIA. That cut the already scant men under his direct command in half. Marine regulars and even fellow Helljumpers were <em>still</em> looking to the Staff Sergeant for answers, as he was one of the only men who had fought against the covenant before this operation, and more importantly survived.<br><br>A dazed-looking Marine private ran up to Wilkins. "Sarge, there's a wraith platoon nearby. Four fucking tanks! What the HELL do we do now?"<br><br>"Cool your jets..." The ODST quickly checked his tags, having long forgotten most faces in the hellish fighting. "... Private DiTomasso. We'll get tank-hunter teams together. For now, you need to help organize casualties."<br><br>PFC DiTomasso gave a tired thumbs-up. "On it, sarge."<br><br>SSGT Wilkins nodded, his grim expression hidden by the opaque helmet visor. He stepped through the steaming wreckage of several field positions, looking for a particular building that hadn't quite collapsed yet. One particular tower had a winch installed for quick access to the upper floors. He clipped himself into the harness and made the ascent, arriving at the top in a little under a minute. Upon entrance, he glanced around warily.<br><br>Their only Spartan-II had been using the place as an observation post. Despite frequent comments and even bets to the contrary, it had yet to take a hit from a plasma mortar. The interior seemed a little better-off than most of the other structures, and it would have looked almost friendly if not for the various weapons laid all over the place. He audibly cleared his throat. "Ma'am, the covenant brought more Wraiths." <br><br>The Spartan emerged from one of the side rooms, an elegant, but brutal mass of brown ceramic panels and black joints. A M19 rocket launcher poked over one shoulder, and a variety of web gear was loaded with ammunition. "Four and a pair of ghosts, to be exact. The sporadic bombing means they want to prod us for a reaction, instead of killing us outright." The external speakers slightly masked her voice, but it was clear, quiet, and very martial.<br><br>"Will all due respect ma'am... they're doing a hell of a job at killing us regardless." Wilkins felt a chill down his back as the Spartan turned, armored visor hiding their gaze as they stared at the Helljumper. The ghostly image of an ID tag flashed next to her outline, reading 'Callsign: <em>Valkyrie</em>.'<br><br>To his surprise, the armored giant sighed. "This is true. They have more tanks than we have Marines. "<br><br>The ODST nodded. "Not to mention those Phantoms hauling loads of food and ammunition to them every night." He unconsciously patted his vest, just to make sure that his eight magazines of battle rifle ammo were still there. "Our firebase is going to get drowned with covvie logistics." Wilkins was incredulous the entire time. He had always known Spartans as those of few words - this one seemed to be holding a normal discussion with him.<br><br>"Either way Staff Sergeant, the first step is to destroy their armor. We can look into a goodie raid or a supply drop afterwards. I'll need you to organize two sections with antitank missiles and LOTUS mines in one hour. Have a 'hog ready to go and the Scorpion's ammunition double-checked."<br><br>Wilkins unconsciously snapped a crisp Marine salute. "Ma'am."<br><br>Hidden by the helmet, 'Valkyrie' smiled. She was only a Petty Officer 1st Class, but she found more and more that the Marines treated her as a leader as much as a simple boost to their fighting capacity that had landed in the wrong dropzone twelve hours ago. It reminded her of being with the rest of the S-2s, if only vaguely.<br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>The Spartan crouched in the rubble along with a dozen black-suited ODSTs. Over half their numbers were equipped with M19 and M41 rocket launchers and as much ammunition as they could physically carry. Only two hundred meters from their position, the Covenant armor group was pounding away with their wraiths, firing shells into targets she could only hope were prepared. She quietly noted there was now a fifth tank, the group laid out in a neat horizontal firing line.<br><br>Valkyrie opened the private channel to the base communications and fired off a quick burst message. <em>Elevation 200. Search 30. Target stationary. Fire for effect.</em> Any covenant decryption would be too late to make a difference, the messaging hitting HQ in a fraction of a second.<br><br>They didn't have actual artillery, technically speaking. But the Scorpion's 105mm main gun could indirectly land a shell several klicks away. Accurately. The first shells came in almost directly on top of the right-most wraith, tearing it open like a bulbous purple tin can. The second wraith was blown apart before the rest took the hint and scattered, now firing wildly into the estimated direction of attack. Leaking plasma obscured the air, only pierced by the brilliant blue of covenant fire.<br><br>"I got a lock!" An ODST laughed ominously before a rocket leaped from his M41, zooming into one of the Ghosts. The elite driver actually turned around and tried to leave the vehicle, but the explosive beat him to it. A thunderclap punctuated the crunch of vehicle and driver alike being torn apart as a ragged cheer rose from the Helljumpers. Crazy or not, they still professionals, and the men swiftly relocated to avoid the inevitable return fire.<br><br>The Spartan took her cue and left at a dead sprint, hopping out of a window and circling behind another pile of rubble.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TyKing</strong> on <strong>May 11, 2012, 03:04:47 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				PFC Fry moved from what had at one point been a waiting area for public transportation to an abandoned office complex whose front had been knocked off by plasma scarring. Bypassing the security desk which had been woefully rendered moot by destruction, Fry took cover behind a desk that sported a couple of holopics of the previous owner's family, a red stapler and a dusty but unscathed coffee mug that boasted it was the 'Property of Big Daddy'.<br><br>A flurry of pink shards shattered against the opposite side of the desk.The sound of breaking glass caused the tech to cringe lower. <em>Needler. Why did they have to have a needler?!</em> His communication had given away his position to a pair of oinkers led by a jackal, who upon seeing their comrade's blood annointing the front of his Ghost, had proceeded to lay down a barrage of plasma. And needles. <br><br>A communication link scrolled inside his helmet's visor.&nbsp; &gt;&gt;USMC COMSEC/SIERRA 0161/COMMTEAM/PFC FRY, MATTHEW A/BURST MODE/HIGH ENCRYPTION&gt;&gt;<br><br><em>Saved!</em> His relief was cut short by a bright blue ball of flame soaring over the desk and attaching itself to the temporary wall behind him.<br><br>Diving sideways, Fry launched himself behind the cover of another desk and rolled away as a burst of deadly plasma exploded from where the grenade had adhered itself. The scavenged armor saved his life but the super-heated gas still burned his left leg and caused Fry to unleash a yell of pain that was punctuated by a number of expletives.<br><br>"Private Fry, this is Sierra oh one six one, as you might have noticed we're at war soldier, no place is safe for long. Confirm your location and prepare to receive rendezvous coordinates."<br><br>"No shit Sierra 0161." Fry said as he fired his battle rifle over the top of the desk, shooting blindly to keep the Covenant at bay. "Location is static. I'm under fire. Will contact when clear. Fry out."<br><br>There was a squeal of pain from the enemy soldiers and the PFC couldn't help but feel elated, knowing he'd hit at least one. Moving behind another desk in the row, Fry kept ahead of the grenades that the oinkers were pelting in his direction. He snapped up from behind the desk and drilled the stubby little pig with a shot to his breathing apparatus before ducking more shards from the needler. Moving, never staying in one place, Fry left the office building and furiously limped across the street to half vault, half fall into a derelict fountain outside one of the taller appartment buildings. The water in the fountain was only a couple of inches deep. It soaked through his pants and bathed the plasma burn on his leg, cooling the seared flesh. He drew a bead on the opening which he'd used to leave the office building, scoping in with the carbine's optical sight while he switched from burst to single fire for accuracy. <br><br>The jackal loped through the hole in the wall, his head bobbing up and down before he stopped and scanned the street. The tungsten tipped round cut a path through the jackal's skull and burrowed into his brain as purple gore splattered a nearby wall. The Covenant light infantry dropped to the pavement, his bright green shield extinguishing along with the creature's life.<br><br><em>This is my rifle, this is my gun. This one's for shooting, this one's for fun.</em> Fry thought smuggly as he keyed his helmet mic. <br><br>"Sierra 0161, this is PFC Fry, my location is.."<em>He still hadn't the foggiest where he was.</em>"..here. Standing by for coordinates."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>May 19, 2012, 08:11:03 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Shana looked up to Hunter for a moment before trailing off toward the noise from her squad. She didn't want to leave them behind and knowing they'd have a better chance with more experienced fighters beside them only tugged at her more, but that was not her objective now. Shana glanced back to the giant before turning her back to him. The woman proudly walked deeper into the garage, her strides long, her shoulders back. <br><br>Slowing down, the marine looked around as she pulled forth her handgun. Checking to be sure it was loaded, she inched closer to a pair of doors ahead of them. Green eyes making their way back to the spartan, Shana had to mentally kick herself as she forgot his status. Hurrying back to his side the short marine offered him assistance. Shana knew she couldn't offer much being as small as she was compared to him, but that didn't stop her. "Remind me to rig you up a mobile or some sort of contraption. Come on, lets go big guy. I found a door just ahead, dunno where it leads, but we gotta git gone." she said holding up an arm to help guide him. Shana moved in close and wrapped it around his waist, but she couldn't help feeling mighty awkward as the top of&nbsp; her head only reached bottom of his ribs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 20, 2012, 04:34:24 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter only nodded when Shana returned and tried to lift him up. He had to admire her spirit. Pushing up with his good leg, he was soon stood up and limping along with Shana, her leading him to the door and wherever it led too. His broken leg flared up whenever he put weight on it, but he pushed through it as best he could and continued moving, trying to be less of a burden than he was.<br><br>"Let's hope this door leads to somewhere useful" he commented on the great unknown they were going to step into.<br><br>He pushed the door open and was surprised to find them in an abandoned shopping center of some kind.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>May 20, 2012, 10:19:41 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Reassigned?" Valkyrie asked tonelessly. The channel crackeed a little as the comms technician tried to get a fix on the single long-range radio the firebase had.<br><br>"&lt;<em>Firebase Romeo is stable enough to reallocate . . .&nbsp; assets to a new area. The . . .&nbsp; contact with encircled forces in delta sector. Covvie armor is . . . area. As soon as possible. How copy?</em>&gt;"<br><br>"Stable? This area isn't stable. We're still reeling from that plasma bombardment." She responded matter-of-factly. "Ammunition is a constant concern and the base is hemorrhaging manpower. It's only going to get worse as the covenant throw more at this strongpoint. Over."<br><br>The voice on the other end didn't respond for a moment. "&lt;<em>Petty officer, I'd change the orders if I could. I'm just the damned messenger.</em>&gt;"<br><br>"...Affirmative. Out." The spartan killed the line and stepped away from the radio array, pondering the situation. More than what the Marines were like now, she wondered what would happen to morale, as her departure would not go unnoticed. Being killed in another routinely dangerous mission was a secondary concern... though perhaps not being around dozens of troopers if she did bite the dust was preferable. She opened a private channel with Wilkins. "Staff Sergeant. I'm being reassigned to the battle in the city."<br><br>"&lt;<em>Damned unfortunate, ma'am. Any last requests?</em>&gt;"<br><br>Valkyrie shook her head at the half-joke. She removed the mag from her rifle to check the load, then the ammo in her pouches. "My normal loadout and a three-day pack. I can grab the ammo myself."<br><br>"&lt;<em>Alrighty then! I'll get the falcon pilots to give you a lift to the OP. And I'll be damned if I take no as an answer.</em>&gt;"<br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Two Falcons would head out from the base just before dawn, like any other combat air patrol. By the time they deviated from typical flight patterns and alerted covenant banshees, they had already made their delivery and departed the LZ. At the Spartan's request, the crew periodically threw out the cylindrical canisters of weapons and supplies that would keep the fight going for the stranded forces.<br><br>Valkyrie checked her equipment. An M19 launcher, MA-5K with illuminator and holographic sight, M6D sidearm, a dozen grenades and plenty of magazines. Her rucksack had several reloads for the launcher in airtight packs, countless rifle magazines, three days of high-energy foods, several liters of water, electrolyte powder and a water purifier... along with the mission-dependent equipment, like the pair of lotus mines, C-7 canisters and suppressors. It was a heavy load for anybody but a Spartan, so she would have to avoid fights until she could reconnect with local forces.<br><br>The pilots had commented there might be other S-2s in the area. She needed to get their attention, discreetly. Valkyrie prepared a text burst, standard UNSC encryption and giving a very slight signature.<br><br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">S102. Coordinates?</code></pre><br>Even if covenant intercepted the message, it was useless for forces who weren't familiar with their callsigns. But considering the time it could take for a response, Valkyrie would have to do some digging herself. She locked a suppressor onto her rifle and proceeded through the ruins, hugging the shadows.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Golden Touch</strong> on <strong>May 20, 2012, 11:59:25 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><strong>Mission Start... 3... 2... 1...</strong></div><hr><hr><br>The screech and groan of metal on metal was loud inside Adelaine's blackened helmet, the HUD blank for now without the bleeps of jackels and grunts. The sounds of the metal straining to withstand the outside pressure were deafening as the single person pod plummeted toward the Covenant ship. She prayed then, for whatever reason she was compelled to. There was little she could do but wait for the impending collision but talking to an invisible higher power was easier than screaming, 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!' She concentrated on the mission instead- the thirty personnel of ODST, Spartans and others should not have too much trouble with their mission Admiral Bane had given them:<br><br><em>"Alright men, here's the situation. There's a Covenant Cruiser hovering over down town New York City. We don't know what it's doing or what it's purpose is. Your mission to drop onto the Cruiser, find out it's objective and then destroy it. Your mission starts in ten minutes, grab your gear and report to the drop bay. You're dismissed and good hunting out there."</em><br><br>Those ten minutes had been filled with the organized chaos that was the loading of weapons and personnel. Addie moved through easily enough, dodging a soldier unlucky enough to cross in front of her. Grabbing her normal sniper rifle, assault rifle, pistol and raided the plethora of grenades stacked in rows, Addie- call sign Shadow, continued to brace for the impact landing on the Cruiser would be. Bumpy and teeth rattling, there was a roar and she was thrown in her harness- helmet clanking against the wall sending her senses reeling. Trapped inside her pod, her comms went static and she was left in her own headspace for a time. The limited view was nauseating, but she managed to see Earth rushing up towards her, the flames of her entrance into the atmosphere licking across the glass. <br><br><strong>"Sierra six three six, off course- entering Earth's atmosphere..."</strong><br><br>Adelaine heard only static in her Comms, hoping someone had heard her call before the rush of interference as she peeled off on her lonesome. The computer chirped to life, its voice heralding her imminent collision, <strong>'Brace for impact in ten...'</strong> The female Spartan started counting silently, watching the ground rush upwards.<br><br><em>Nine...</em><br><br><em>Eight...</em><br><br><em>Seven...</em><br><br><em>Six...</em><br><br><em>Five...</em><br><br><em>Four...</em><br><br><em>Three...</em><br><br><em>Two...</em><br><br>Addie braced, the metal compacting under the grip she had built in her years as a Spartan. She fought the urge to close her eyes, watching buildings come into view that could only be New York City. <br><br><strong>'One.'</strong><br><br>The pod skipped, bouncing across the ground and colliding with a carport and taking out a few vehicles along the way. Adelaine growled in irritation, everything shaken loose in the chaotic tumble. She peeled herself off the wall of the pod, releasing her harness with a quick clip. Pulling the handle, she pushed open the door to peer outside. It did not look like she was in an area with much Covenant activity. Retrieving her weapons, she loaded up and peeled off, leaving the area at a double time to avoid running into anyone that may have seen her wayward crash landing. <br><br><strong>"Sierra six three six landed- New York City, Earth. Off course and on foot. Please advise."</strong><br><br>She circled through buildings, creeping around the bigger groups with their Hunters and Wraiths. Addie knew enough to avoid them whenever possible to conserve her ammunition until she reached the rest of her squad. She had climbed to a tall roof top, spotting smoke far in the distance. Addie could only cross her fingers that it was a friendly. Repeating the call every hour as she moved, she reached no one and then night was falling. Dusk was fading into twilight as she holed up- blackened armor hiding her from view. She could only hope that tomorrow she would find a few others from the thirty personnel sent in.<br><br><div align="center"><strong>Day One melts into Day Two...</strong></div><hr><hr><br>Sleep was barely required, and there was still a hyper sense of adrenaline as Adelaine waited in her hole. She had maintained radio silence through the night and up until the sun peeked over the New York horizon. Moving quietly, she climbed to a roof top- looking for the smoke she had spotted. Her vision sharpened, spotting circling Banshees and blue flames that could only be tossed by the aforementioned Wraiths. Hoofing it off again, she kept a keen eye out for enemies- her HUD surprisingly quiet for the moment. <br><br>It was a few hours and several calls for statuses later that she even ran across another group, though this one was smaller. She crouched behind a concrete wall, peering down into the street as a group of jackals, grunts and a single brute came tromping a little less than quietly up it. Her scope was trained on the brute, watching him issue is orders, waving his bladed weapon toward the other end of the street that was directly in Addie's direction. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the trigger gently- the round catching the muscled creature in the eye socket. She thought she had missed for a second, knowing that one stray should would send him into a rage and she would be hard pressed to down him later. He dropped, crushing a grunt that disappeared under his bulk with a spout of methane. <br><br>The patrol dove for cover, scanning for her position with creepy accuracy. Addie watched a jackal take control, forcing the grunts to gain ground in her direction. Slipping silently down into the shadows, she moved street-side to approach her prey. Her hands deftly checked and primed a grenade, lobbing the frag into their midst. The metal landed and bounced, scattering the ragged-tag group in the absence of their Brute leader. The hiss of the methane breathing apparatuses was not hard to pick out, and she lifted her pistol with a deft two-hand grip as she advanced. <br><br>Green sparked on her left and she ducked, huddling out of sight as a jackal advanced past her position. She retrieved her combat knife, flipping it in one hand as she pounced- assassinating the bird-like creature with practiced skill. Dropping the corpse, she moved- taking out the patrol until she was left to pick apart the gear they carried. Taking as many of the 'sticky' grenades they loved to carry, she loped off again- dead-set on finding another person in this place. Her strides were even and quiet, making great time to no where until she finally managed to hear:<br><br><em>"This is PFC Matthew Fry of the USNC ship Hercules, I am lost in New York. If anyone can hear this..I'd appreciate a waypoint to a safe destination.."</em><br><br>True, she did not hear any thing else and she shifted, locking on to the transmission. <strong>"PFC Matthew Fry, this is Sierra six three six in your area. Status?"</strong> She ducked into cover, spotting another patrol as she waited for a reply.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 12:47:42 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				He had stood silently as the other spartan had moved to another position and waited with alert patience, keeping an eye on him as he kept an eye on the surrounding area until he returned. Patric had listened in on Gladiator's report and gave him a nod before turning his head to the side and tipping it down the street where he had spotted a warthog that abandoned, a lone body nearby with the head and much of the upper torso missing. He must have been the gunner, or at least might have been considering the bodie's booted right foot had been caught on the rear bumper of the 'hog.<br><br>&nbsp;"I have the gun," he announced as he started forward, jogging down the street, paying close attention to his HUD and surroundings. Climbing into the gun operator's mount he experimentally moved the barrel of the turret from side to side, up and down. A grin stretching his lips as closer examination confirmed what he had guessed at a distance- this was a gauss rifle cannon. The rate of fire was only about as fast as you could pull the trigger, but the power behind it would make sure anything hit would at least feel it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 02:33:22 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator looked up as Patric spotted a 'hog and made his way over to it as he called the gunner's seat. The blue and gold armored Spartan jogged up to the driver's seat, momentarily taking note of the torn emasculated body that was hanging off the back. Going over to it, he gently lifted it off the Warthog and set it on the pavement. There was no head, no shoulders, just a mound of torn meat that started where the ribs should have been. He waited a split second out of respect for a fallen soldier, then moved over to the driver's seat again and slid in. Turning the key that was fortunately still in the ignition, the beast roared to life. Activating his comm he said "Hang on back there, you're in for one hell of a ride!" stomping on the gas pedal, the 'hog leaped into action, peeling rubber as the two Spartans roared towards Jacob's last known position. <br><br>"First things first though, we're gonna take care of those snipers pinning Jacobs and his team, then we go pick up Fry" Gladiator called back to his gunner as he turned the steering wheel and drifted around a corner.<br><br>Switching his comm again he contacted Jacobs "Sergeant Jacobs, this is Sierra oh one six one with Sierra three three four, we're in a Warthog and headed your way. We'll take care of those snipers for you. After that's done, book it to Shana's position and wait for a mission update. We'll be back after we pick up some reinforcements. Over."<br><br>A second later Jacob's voice came over the comm <em>"Glad to hear it Sierra oh one six one. I appreciate the help. Over and out."</em><br><br>Another two blocks and they were closing on Jacob's position, the sounds of the gun fight could be heard from half a block away but, the carnage and the multicolored plasma shots from Covenant energy weapons were noticeable from a much longer distance. Gladiator hit the zoom on his HUD and spotted the Jackal Sniper's positions almost immediately as he tracked their unique silvery purple fire, he layed out their positions as NAV points on his HUD, and then relayed them to Partic. He turned the car left and right, avoiding the deadly sniper fire that was now being directed at them. He heard Patric open up with the Warthog's Gauss turret, and the concussions as the high impact rounds detonated on their targets, amidst the <em>plinking</em> sounds made by successful sniper hits on the vehicle's armor plating. As Gladiator focused on driving, he noted that the path ahead was littered with vehicular debris, some was Covenant but, most had once belonged to the UNSC. A big flat piece of road had been blasted from it's home, and now sat resting at an angle against a pile of crushed and still burning civilian cars. Gladiator instantly recognized the pattern of debris ahead, the holes dotting the road, and what had made them. A Scarab had been through here at some point. Probably from when New York was first invaded. Seeing no other alternative other than breaking hard and hoping he had enough room to drift so he could turn around, Gladiator made for the piece of large debris, aiming to use it as a ramp. Patric was still firing the Gauss turret but, the amount of Sniper fire coming their way had lessened quite a bit. <br><br>As the front wheels caught on the surface of the road debris, the Warthog jounced upwards before all four tires caught the pavement, gripping it like velcro. A second later the Warthog and the two Spartans inside were air born and flying over the decimated cars. Gladiator smiled as Patric gave a small whoop of excitement. The landing was harder than he would've liked, and he had to do some serious steering to keep the beast level but, it did so under his skillful hands. Coming up on the end of the block Gladiator looked back and told Patric to hang on as he drifted around the corner. A few minutes after that, he drifted around another corner and they were going back the way they came, and heading towards Private Fry's position.<br><br>About ten minutes went by before they crossed more Covenant but, it had just been a rag tag group of a couple of Jackals, three Grunts and an Elite. Gladiator didn't even slow down, and passed them as they blurred by. He was hustling it down the main road, dodging debris, rolled over cars, burning cars, smashed cars as he simply rolled over the bodies that littered the ground, grimacing with each bump. Fifteen minutes after that, they ran into a group of four Hunters that were guarding the path that led to the bridge. Fortunately there was enough space to race between them. The Hunters raised their weapons charging and their massive shield arms went into defensive postures but, by the time they had fired they had either hit air, or each other as some tried to track the vehicle, hoping for a lucky shot. Gladiator turned to look back, and laughed as he saw two of the massive eel like aliens blast each other in their 'faces', only to be thrown back and toppled over by the force of their own weapons. Five minutes after that they attracted the attention of four Banshee flyers, two of which ended up pasting themselves on the entrance to a tunnel that Gladiator had ducked into, as they tried to make it at the same time to chase the speeding Warthog. Two though survived as was evidenced by their green glowing missiles that impacted on either side of the armored vehicle. <br><br>Gladiator whooped at the sight of the four laned bridge, now only a few miles away, how many he couldn't be certain but, the fact that he could see it on the horizon amidst the towering canyons of tritanium steel he took as a good sign. White plasma fire from the still trailing Banshees splattered against the windshield and burned holed through the material. The blue and gold Spartan reflexively raised an arm to protect his head as he called back to his passenger to see if he was alright. Eventually the hail of plasma fire vanished, answering his query. <br><br>The rest of the half hour that it took to get to the bridge was relatively uneventful, atleast to Gladiator, who's sole focus was on driving the hog. Not thirty feet onto the bridge though, they caught the attention of some more Banshee flyers, how many he couldn't be sure, as he was focused on dodging debris in the road, once his path was relatively clear, he looked back and saw that there were three Banshees on their tail. Two of which unleashed two missiles. Dodging left, he felt the 'hog jostle as the missiles impacted to the right of them. Looking back again, he jinked the jeep back over to the right, dodging another set of missiles. <br><br>They were almost across the bridge when two Banshees came from ahead of them, dipping down low and firing their missiles before barrel rolling nimbly away as the hog bared down on them. He dodged one set successfully but, the second pair hit the hog on the front left tire, blowing it out and sending the Warthog's nose to the pavement, flipping the vehicle. Gladiator found himself air born as he was wrenched from the driver's seat. <br><br>Training took over and he formed himself into a ball. Pain lanced through his back and arms as he impacted on the ground, bounced, hit again, and skid for thirty feet or more until he hit something that felt like a concrete barrier, and flipped over onto his stomach, his feet flying over his head. He rolled so many times he lost count before he finally lost consciousness. His forward momentum finally lost energy a few seconds later and he stopped.<br><br>The Banshee flyers circled once, unknown to the unconscious form on the street, and then finally left, making their way towards the city on their original path.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vengurd</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 03:31:17 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;He only nodded as Gladiator stomped on the gas pedal and leaned back to get his bearings. His focus glassed over as he let the details blur and the sound of the 'hog enveloped him, turning into a background noise. Colors shifted and melded until eventually Patric saw and heard only a muddled form of what really was there. His entire body going slack, bouncing and swaying as he let the motion of the 'hog flowed into him. From the background noise the poks of plasma and retorts from UNSC hardware registered, snapping into clear focus. The barrel was already snapping to the second of a dozen identified targets when the NAV points snapped into focuse on his HUD before they too grew muddled. Fingers methodically pulling the triggers, hands squeezing, breathing slow and shallow, a slack jawed sort of grin the only physical recognition of his mental state as he sent bullet after explosive bullet into sniper's positions. There a window exploded out, a jackal screeching as it was flung out, there a balcony collapsed. Walls collapsed, roofs caved in.<br><br>&nbsp;His whole world was a blur and by the time they had left the marines behind there were only three sniper's positions left that he could identify. Sight and balance momentarily shifted as the 'hog became airborne and Patric unconsciously let out a small whoop of excitement before the 'hog roughly landed. They drifted around and sped by the way they came, giving Patric another round at the snipers from another angle, identifying more from the other direction. More destruction blossomed as explosive bullets smashed into buildings and vehicles, smashing bodies apart with punitive ease. They were clear of the snipers fast than the first time around and Patric let his arms relax in the firing position.<br><br>&nbsp;Time flowed by with Patrict lazily looking spinning the gun's turret every few minutes, his rotation timed just so that he missed the first group of covenant without even knowing they were there. His grip tightened as Gladiator's driving became more hazardous than before, weaving to and fro to avoid the debris of conquest and war. After a time the weaving lessened and Patric watched as the four hunters timed their firing improperly. He fired several shots into the hunters still standing to distract them from getting a proper bead on the 'hog. One shot missed and hit the road between the hunters. Already weak the pavement caved in, introducing the Hunters to the circulation of the great human city of New York's Sewers. Now the little things had a reason to glow green. Turning the gun Patric aimlessly moved the gun from side to side, angled up slightly. Within time he could see banshees and began to trade fire with them, a tunnel entrance signing the contract for two banshee's before Patric could.<br><br>&nbsp;A few more minutes of trading fire and a close shot or two and Patric finally got a hit, the leading banshee veering into the path of the closely following banshee whom tried to turn away too late, turning into a bright blue sun, debris falling. Satisfied he had dealt with them Patric turned the turret back toward the front of the 'hog and began to lazily move the gun from side to side again. After a few minutes of this Patric felt something warm on his abdomen and then a strong twinge. Looking down Patric saw a small sized hole punched into the stomach of his armor, a small trail of red leaking from the hole. A fair amount had already coagulated around the wound and a fairly sized puddle had formed around his feet, suggesting he had taken the hit sometime during their pass with the snipers. He grimaced slightly and told the suit to administer the appropriate pain killers and drugs.<br><br>&nbsp;Soon the trail stopped flowing and the pain faded before it could begin to over-come his affinity for pain. His attention was jerked back to the sky as Gladiator jerked to one side and green explosions erupted on the other. He turned the gun and fired a single shot into the rear most banshee, scoring a direct hit. He would have opened fire on the other two banshees but for his strength fading. He felt increadibly weak now and grunted in shocked surprise as he realized the wound might just be worse than he had initially though. He had already lost a lot of blood and had only just recovered from dehydration. A wound like this, especially right after his last op...Things weren't looking too good for him and he needed to find a place to get himself patched up ASAP or he was gone. Grimly set he raised the gun and pulled the trigger as the 'hog gave a sudden jerk and <em>snapped</em> him up, his feet momentarily leaving the sticky puddle of blood before the pavement in front of them <em>slammed into his back</em> jarring the visor of his helmet into the gun mount, his entire upper body collapsing into the gun, destroying it as the remains of the 'hog flipped and turned, crumbling around him before he was finally thrown from the 'hog, hos unconscious form slamming into the guard rail of the bridge, snapping the stone and metal into pieces and plummeting to the shallow waters below. His body crashed into the muddy water below just off the shore of the island.<br><br>&nbsp;The pain, so intense, so incredible, jerked him awake for a full minute. So shocked and numb Patric could only blink and allow training to take over and telling his suit to transmit an SOS and a need for an immediate attention for medical care before the pain spiked, freeing a gasp from his tortured lips as he fainted before the half functional suit blipped at him poorly, warning him that the transmitter of his suit was malfunctioning, the pack attached to his back that housed the extra radio equipment was destroyed and reduced to shrapnel and nearly completely torn free.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 06:11:31 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The marine looked around the open space. Standing beneath a grand staircase, Shana noted the first of it's steps were located a couple yards away. It indicated the second floor was taller than the average height of a normal building. Large windows once stood tall at the opposite end of their position were now shattered. At their left was an elevator, but further down to the wall was a room. Judging by the racks of clothes, it was quite clear..this place was a large mall. Shana's green eyes looked up in wonder and disgust all at once as she was in disbelief to what she saw.<br><br>The marine counted five balconies from their positions. Shaking her head, the woman released Hunter to face the door behind them. Pulling off her left boot, Shana slipped a roll of duct tape from around her ankle. She put her boot back on and pulled out her last frag grenade as she worked at a boobie trap using the two items. With the grenade securely placed, Shan tore the tape to weaken it's hold using her teeth. She pulled out the pin of the grenade only after double checking the security of of the duct tape's hold.<br><br>Shana slide her hand through the roll of tape and used it as a temporary wrist band. She eye balled it quite pleased with herself. "Whoever tries following us will have their mind blown away. Come on, lets move out..see if we can't find a working vehicle outsii- Get Down!" The woman said as she turned back around and spoted a undeniable crimson color at the corner of her eye, As Shana's eyes moved to it, her first instinct was correct. A red armored elite stood tall behind a rack of clothes. If he had not made the mistake of moving, Shana might have discarded him as a display dummy. As he lifted his plasma rifle at them, the woman pushed Hunter forward urging him to go toward the protection of the wall beneath the stairs. The elite barked orders and several grunts weaved out from behind the clothes racks.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 06:36:42 pm</strong>
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				Hunter was thrown off balance and landed with a rough thud as he hit the ground, his ribs breaking out in pain that sent a wave of nausea through him. Fighting to keep the vomit from filling his helmet, he swallowed with a push and rolled onto his front and began to army crawl towards the space that Shana had pushed him towards. As the shot began flying, he managed to crawl into the space and keep ducked down but he felt helpless without a weapon. A sitting duck, literally.<br><br>He didn't even know how many enemy forces were around, all he knew was that Shana was the only one who could help him right now and for the first time since he could remember, he actually felt a little bit afraid. But on top of the fear was a sense of gratitude towards Shana, who was going out of her way to look after him while he was down. He knew it was all part of being in the army, but still, he couldn't help but feel that she was going out of her way to ensure that he was alright.<br><br>Ducking his head out trying to get a lay of the enemy positions, he couldn't see a thing because every time his helmet even poked out a little, he was shot at and had to dodge back in again. Damn his weakened condition, otherwise he would be dancing the dance of death with these alien freaks, showing them who was boss before he blew their brains all over the marble floor. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>May 22, 2012, 08:26:19 pm</strong>
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				The marine winced at what she had done to the spartan, cursing beneath her breath. She hadn't enough time to think of anything else and before she could leap over to join him, plasma was fired. Shana pushed herself back landing against the double doors. Her green eyes grew in fear as they desperately looked to the boobie trap. With a deep sigh of relief the woman was momentarily at peace. Standing on tip toes Shana struggled to stay behind the covenant's line of fire.&nbsp; She thought about reaching for her handgun, but knew she couldn't get a shot in with plasma flying past her.<br><br>With an idea blooming, she took off her helmet. Shana was second guessing herself, she hesitated but forced her hands to place the helmet forward stopping when only the tip of her helmet was in their view. Immediately a plasma impacted her helmet, the force almost knocking it from her hands. Bringing the helmet back quickly she dramtically let out a gargled groan as if they had hit and killed her. Placing her partly melted helmet back on shana reached for her gun.<br><br>As the firing stopped, she could hear the covenant murmering. and then foot steps cautiously approaching. The marine froze in place, each step heightening her heart rate. When a grunt appeared before her, Shana raised her gun and squeezed the trigger without thinking. Before the alien could so much as look surprised, a bullet hit his skull and he landed with a heavy thud.<br><br>Plasma filled the area once more. Slinking down, Shana grabbed the dead corpse and inched it closer to her. She frantically searched his body for a sticky. Her heart sinking as she could not find it. Just as she was about to give up, her eyes glanced to the marble floor and spotted one. "Ugh..thank god.." she said swiping it up along with a plasma pistol.<br><br>Kicking the corpse away from her, she tossed Hunter the PP. "Ya alright!?" she called to him and activated the grenade. Facing the covenant, Shana chucked the blue ball. <br><br>Upon seeing it come at them the covenant jumped further away into the department. an elite knocking over a rack as he dodged for cover, but when the grenade did not land inside the store and was spotted on the wall above the entrance, they laughed at her. Mockingly, Shana laughed back. "Heh..heh..heh." she said back pushing the elevator button.<br><br>The sticky blew up and the wire cage came crashing down along with rubble from above their entrance. The avalanche wouldn't have killed any of them, but it bought the marine just enough time to move the Spartan. "Come on big guy, we gotta go!" she said, her redneck accent shinning through. Running behind the giant, Shana held him beneath his arms and painfully slow she began dragging him toward the elevator. "Daaamn..yer heavy." she commented as she struggled her way to the enterance of the elevator. The marine attempted a smile, but the adrenaline pumped through her faster by the second as she heard the covenant begin tearing down the blockage. Oh shit..oh shit.. Shana thought as she picked up her speed toward the elevator.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 23, 2012, 10:57:04 am</strong>
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				Hunter called back to Shana<br><br>"I'm great, a weapon would have been fantastic but then I don't think I would be much help"<br><br>He kept ducked down when suddenly he heard an explosion and he had to laugh<br><br>"Nicely done"<br><br>He then felt Shana straining to pick him up and drag him to the elevator that was approaching so he picked himself up a little and put his weight on his good leg. He then hobbled as best he could through the pain in his broken limb and ducked into the contraption when its doors opened and the elevator welcomed them like an old friend.<br><br>"Which floor do you wanna take?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TyKing</strong> on <strong>May 24, 2012, 11:17:31 am</strong>
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				&gt;&gt;USMC COMSEC/SIERRA 636//BURST MODE/HIGH ENCRYPTION&gt;&gt;<br><br>"PFC Matthew Fry, this is Sierra six three six in your area. Status?"<br><br>If Matt hadn't have been looking at the business end of a battle rifle, he would have gladly replied to the Spartan's query. But as it happened, he was currently engaged in a struggle with one of the few people he'd ever expected to want to kill him. He watched as his captor removed the comm tech from the ODST helmet he'd been wearing then dropped it on the dusty floor of the crumbling apartment building in which Fry had taken shelter. His captor's boot came down on the commtech and crushed it, effectively cutting off Fry's ability to communicate with what he had thought was an evac team.<br><br>Fry cursed. "Why didn't you answer her?" he demanded, "Then we would have more of a chance of surviving.."<br><br>"Unfuck yourself Techie, it was a Covenant ploy to get us out in the open," the ODST said as the barrel of her rifle wavered over Fry. The woman's eyes went cold as she stared at Fry. "What happened to Cal?"<br><br>"Who?" Fry asked. He knew that ODSTs were wound tight but being held captive by a soldier who was UNSC had never seemed a possibility. <em>Maybe she's been wound up one time too many?</em> he considered. "I don't know a 'Cal'." <em>Covenant ploy?? Who's she kidding, they always kill us, they don't take prisoners.</em><br><br>"You're wearing his gear. I don't think Cal would give his gear to a Techie."<br><br>"He wasn't really in a place to disagree," Fry answered, immediately realizing he'd relayed the news of Cal's death in the wrong way because the ODSTs weapon drifted upward so she was aiming at his unprotected forehead. "I mean, he was dead on impact. I killed the Covenant around his pod and then took his gear.."<br><br>"Sorry Techie, I don't believe you, you lost me where you said you killed the Covenant." The female ODST snugged the butt of her rifle against her shoulder, aiming through the scope at Fry. "Take off Cal's gear."<br><br>"What?"<br><br>"Take. off. my. partner's. gear." the ODST repeated.<br><br><em>Shit. She's gone off the deep end. Cal and her had something going..</em> Fry thought as he made a show of removing the ODST battle armor without doing much. <em>I have to get away from her and I need to keep this armor in order to survive long enough to get an evac.</em> The crazy ODSTs grip hadn't weakened on her weapon and Fry was looking death in the face, but it never crossed his mind that he should kill the woman. She was UNSC and so was he. When she had first pulled him behind the makeshift barricade/lobby desk in the building, he'd been relieved after his initial shock had worn off. Another soldier with their head on a swivel meant his chances for survival had increased, or so Fry had thought.<br><br>"Listen I know you're upset about your partner's death but.." Fry started to say before the ODST switched the selector from burst to single shot, silencing his attempt to deffuse the situation. <em>I need a distraction so I can get out of here.</em> Matt tried to think of something, anything he could do, but nothing came to mind.<br><br>A round buried itself in the wood of the desk, missing Fry by mere inches. "Shit! Okay, you can have Cal's armor!" Fry said as his shaking hands began to move faster but with no more success.<br><br>A bright blue and white orb flew over the makeshift barricade and attached itself to the front of the crazy ODST's helmet. The single shot had drawn the attention of the Covenant patrol who were searching for stragglers among the ruins. Fry launched himself sideways as the ODST fired on him. He felt a round strike then there was a brilliant blue explosion.<br><br>***<br><br>When Fry regained consciousness he could hear Grunts close by, their tell-tale squeaks and snuffles an indication that the enemy was checking for any signs of life among the ruins of what had been the crazy ODSTs 'hunker down' spot. The butt of a weapon was sticking out of a pile of rubble a foot in front of the combat engineer but he dared not grab it and give away his position. Fry's forehead throbbed and his face felt wet. He was pretty sure he was bleeding. He remembered feeling the shot strike him but there wasn't any pain and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>May 26, 2012, 05:08:20 pm</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Chapter 3: Medic Please</strong></span><br><br><br>When Gunnery Sergeant Desmond Rockwell awoke a day ago, he found himself buried beneath rubble. with no sign of their sniper friend, Lance. He'd called out audibly, and over comms but, he'd had no reply either way. Either he was buried too deep in the rubble, or his comms were broken. Either way, he was on his own. Before he moved, he checked himself over, and found that his right leg had been pinned by a large piece of ceiling. It had been bleeding but, that had stopped for now. He was extremely disoriented, and couldn't determine which direction he was laying. Last thing he remembered was Lance shoving him, saying something about incoming fire from a Wraith Tank. The blast itself had probably hit one of the supporting beams that stabilized the top floor, that must have been why the roof had caved in. <br><br>He switched on his nightvision and took a look at his surroundings one more time. A single beam lay a few inches away from his head, supporting the debris on top of him, keeping it from crushing the life out of him. He could see a few inches past it, to a relatively stable section but, past it was a wall of debris that cut him off from the rest of the building. He looked down at his feet, and a pin prick of light came through a crack barely a centimeter wide. He had no idea how far he'd have to dig to reach that light, or even if that was a good idea. If he removed one wrong piece of rubble, he could make his situation, or that of Lance's even worse. If he was still alive that is.<br><br>"Shit, this is bad" he had muttered to himself, trying to gently dislodge his leg from the piece of ceiling pinning it. He heard a rumbling noise start up, so he stopped. Then he had drawn his knife, and spent the rest of the day cutting away at the ceiling tile, drywall, wires, and insulation that was pinning his leg, trying to make a hole just big enough to get his leg free with slow but, deliberate movements. He found through his movements that he had sustained other injuries as well, mostly along his stomach, back and head but, it was just pain and disorientation at this point. He wouldn't be able to tell what was hurt until he'd cut himself free of the debris trapping him. When he felt his blood pressure rise, and his breath quicken, he stopped sawing on the debris and took a break. <br><br>It wouldn't do him any good to lose control because of the increasing sense of claustrophobia. When the small pinprick of light disappeared, he new that night had fallen. Fortunately by then, he'd been able to cut himself free, and reach that wider area ahead of him. His leg was broken, and carefully removing his helmet and lightly fingering his skull&nbsp; revealed a minor concussion, that he was sure of as the disorientation still plagued his senses. He'd stripped off his chest and torso armor and found minor lacerations along his stomach and sides but, a piece of drywall had buried itself in his back near his shoulder blades. He could feel it especially when he propped himself up against the wall, away from the claustrophobic confines of where he'd awoken.<br><br>"Guess I'll hunker down here for the night" he muttered to himself as sleep drifted in easily. When morning came, if it came, it was still dark inside. Only the pin prick of light that he'd spotted the day before gave him any indication of the time. Dragging himself over to the wall, he wrapped his knuckles on it a few times, trying to determine how thick this particular piece of debris was. It really hadn't told him anything as far as inches, or footage went. He wasn't a construction worker, or ever a carpenter. So, he just began working away at the wall, pausing every now and then to catch his breath. When he did finally make an opening in the wall, the debris had shifted but, he could tell that on the other side was freedom and possibly safety. He saw a hallway, and evening light streaming in through the windows. He made the opening a little wider and then tried to fit himself through. <br><br>It hadn't worked the first time, or the second, and the third time just about killed him as more debris dislodged and tried to smash him. Fortunately, he'd been able to squeeze himself through and clear his injured leg, just as the wall, and the remainder of the ceiling collapsed. He sat against the wall, and blacked out due to the pain. When he awoke, the sun was close to the horizon but, he could see some kind of action going on a few blocks away, and hear the sound of a Gauss Warthog's turret firing, though he couldn't see it. Help was only a few blocks away but, he wouldn't make it there easily in his condition. He had to find a way to splint his broken leg, and make some sort of crutches, or something for him to lean against to take the weight off of his injured leg. First thing first though, he had to make a splint. Seeing two pieces of piping that had been dislodged from the ceiling, he crawled over and drug them out after some effort, and placed them on either side of his broken leg. He removed his armored chest piece slowly, then used his knife to cut away at his sleeves so he could bind the small pipes to his leg. <br><br>Tying the strips of cloth hurt like hell but, he'd been through much worse. After he was done though, he fell asleep for a few hours, letting the pain subside. When he woke again, he found himself staring at a Phantom, just outside his window. He had a moment of panic before he realized that his helmet was still on, he polarized the visor, and then waited for the Phantom to leave. A light washed over him, trained on his form for a second, and then disappeared. He watched as the Phantom slowly drifted away down the block somewhere. Bracing himself against the actual wall, he made himself stand up, gritting his teeth through the pain as he hopped his way down the hall, towards the singular door. That door led to a stairwell. <br><br>Cursing, he sighed and hopped over to the rail, and leaning heavily against it, he made his way down the stairs, one step at a time.<br><br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Gladiator's hand drifted among a field of wheat, colored in gold and white, the bristles of their heads softly playing with his skin, tickling him. Looking up, he saw a gorgeous gold and red sunset on the horizon, farms and water towers dotted the landscape. Then suddenly, the image shifted. No longer were the fields gold and white but, glassed over, burning, and black. The farms that had once dotted the landscape were blown open, or reduced to their foundations. Rim joices and crawl spaces lay exposed to the air. Bodies were everywhere consisting of both Human and Covenant. Suddenly he was running, through fields of ash, following a blood trail that led from an Elite that had it's chest cavity blown open, to a single tree that was scorched from the heat but, the top most layer of branches still held it's green leaves. <br><br>Sitting propped up by each other, their hands holding one another, lay two civilians that had bled out due to their wounds. The girl, with a pretty face and long brown hair, had her eyes closed, he lips which were now blue, were pursed ever so slightly, as if she had just finished telling the boy she laid against "I love you". A plasma wound marred the right side of her stomach. She'd died excruciatingly, painfully. Confusion clouded the Spartan's mind. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be! Suddenly the huge Spartan crashed to his knees, the earth rumbling in complaint with the impact, as he looked at the boy, the full impact of what he was seeing dawning on him. The young man had full head of black hair, his jaw and facial features strong and determined, his striking blue eyes that had once been alert, were glossed over and lifeless. A Covenant energy sword wound marred his stomach and spilled his intestines onto the ground. One hand held an old shotgun, it's polished wood work marred by the streaks of blue alien blood, the Elite's. He'd killed his attacker, and died in his lover's arms. Gladiator removed his helmet, setting it onto the ground, and moved to caress his own face.<br><br>Gasping and coughing, Gladiator groaned as he woke from the memory. His head felt like it had been split open, and his whole body was on fire. It took all the self control he had to not lift himself into a sitting position, and throw the helmet from his head. He wanted to vomit. He looked around gingerly, remembering where he was and what had just happened a few minutes ago, trying to keep in mind that he was lying prone on the bridge, and that his position was open and vulnerable. Slowly, he looked around with his eyes, trying not to move his head. A gray muddy spider-webbed looking sky was the first thing he saw through his cracked visor, but, he didn't see any Banshees flying about, or a Phantom carrier overhead. A good sign. They'd probably mistaken him for dead. <br><br>Seeing that nothing was around him thus far, he craned his head back and looked behind him. Nothing besides the broken heap of metal that had been the Gauss Warthog at the bridge's apex, a whole lot of civilian and Covenant vehicle debris littered the street between him and the 'hog, he could also see bodies that belonged to both Human and alien. He noticed the Warthog was leaning against something, the front of the vehicle smashed but, resting against the ground, it's rear was in the air with the underside of the armored all terrain vehicle facing him. He couldn't see what it was that the wrecked thing was resting against though.<br><br>He tried to zoom in on the Warthog, to see if Patric was in it's vicinity but, the HUD only groaned. Groaning himself, he gently lifted his head and checked to see if there was anything coming his way from ahead of him. Again nothing. He checked himself over before sitting up, he didn't seem to have anything broken but, he could tell a couple of his fingers had been jammed. His entire body hurt but, he'd been extremely fortunate. Groaning softly, he managed to roll himself onto his stomach, and then push himself up into a kneeling position. Taking his helmet off gingerly, he found that the hardened up-link remote sensor package atop his helmet, or the HR/RS, had been smashed almost beyond recognition. He set the helmet down for a second and gingerly ran his fingers over his military cut black hair, grimacing and taking a breath due to pain, as his fingers touched a particularly sensitive spot at the top of his head. He guessed that he had a small concussion. A moment later, when he tried to stand, he knew he was right as his vision swam and he stumbled back into a kneeling position. His DMR rifle was only a few feet away, so he crawled over to it slowly and gathered it into his shaking hands. <br><br>Making sure to not make any sudden movements, he looked around for his sniper rifle, which he spotted ten feet or so away from him. Lifting the DMR's scope up to his eyes, he looked through the scope but, his hands were shaking badly, making the sights jump. Growling, he magnetised the weapon to his thigh, then tried to stand again, only to stumble back to the ground. His stomach chose that moment to growl it's complaints. He crawled over to his sniper rifle and gathered it into his arms as well, checking it over. It was badly damaged from having been underneath him while he skidded on the road but, the scope was intact, and the weapon was usable. He made his way towards the crashed Warthog, taking his time. Halfway there, he found that he could finally stand if he held still but, walking now proved a challenge. <br><br>When he finally arrived at the destroyed vehicle, he'd found that there was no sign of Patric. Leaning up against the bus that was propping up the Warthog, the Spartan allowed himself a moments rest before he heard the high pitched squeaks and squeals of a Grunt, and the deep toned language of an Elite. Gently laying himself down, he looked beneath the bus, past it's remaining tires, and spotted the aliens, and their Wraith Tank. Luckily for him, it looks as if they were doing some routine maintenance on the tank, as both of the aliens were outside it and messing with some panels. Gladiator cursed silently in his head, as he felt the adrenaline kick in. They could find him at any moment, and he was in no condition to go toe to toe with an Elite. <br><br><em>In my condition the Grunt alone might be a challenge for me</em>[/color] he thought as he sat up and slowly scooted himself around to the back of the wrecked Warthog, where they wouldn't be able to see him <em>come on Spartan! Think, think!</em><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>May 28, 2012, 04:03:53 pm</strong>
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				Any soldier who had ever fought against Covenant armor never forgot the distinct sounds of a M68 gauss cannon - especially those that stood close enough to get permanent hearing damage from it. Mounted to a 'Hog it was one of the most mobile and deadly weapons the UNSC ground forces had, and it made a joke out of Covenant weapons traverse. It was the very distinctive whine and slam of the weapon that had drawn the Spartan to the site of a recent battle on a large bridge.<br><br>Two Banshees lazily circled overhead, occasionally firing a burst of plasma at the remnants of a fight. Dozens of dead covenant and Marines alike trailed to the site of a Warthog crash. The vehicle had flipped over, warped enough to put it out of action without a full retrofit.&nbsp; Like a crime-scene technician, the Spartan traced the course the vehicle had taken before it had wrecked, through the road, past the bodies and wrecked vehicles... and one intact vehicle.<br><br>Some covvie felt bold enough to service their Type 26 assault carriage virtually completely out in the open, using only the wrecks of the 'Hog and a bus for concealment. From her vantage point in the buildings at the foot of the bridge, it would be an easy shot. But her concern was the multiple Banshees and any ground forces they could summon. Without backup, the Spartan would have to pick a more manageable fight. Valkyrie considered if the gauss weapon on the vehicle might still be usable...<br><br>There seemed to be movement by the wreckage. Valkyrie hit the zoom on her visor, bringing the far-off Warthog wreck into sharp clarity. To her surprise, another Spartan was using the vehicle for cover. His armor was a rich blue, even with a layer of burn marks and bullet dents, and the cracked visor in his helm was still recognizable as a V-shaped "scout" model from a distance. She didn't recognize the soldier, so she could only assume he was a Spartan-III. A replacement for her breed, Valkyrie mused.<br><br>An attempt to establish a secure laser communications line had failed, so she assumed his comms array was disabled by the incident. That didn't leave many options, but the spartan knew that the longer she waited, the more chance covenant would have to repair and rearm. Valkyrie shouldered her MA-5K and activated the illuminator under the muzzle, flashing it at the other spartan until she eventually got his attention. She carefully motioned downwards, instructing the wounded man to take cover. She hefted the M19 launcher and gave the man a "thumbs-up" before disappearing into the ruins.<br><br>Valkyrie found her vantage point in short order. She brought the rocket launcher to shoulder as it interfaced with her suit's targeting systems. The magnified image of the weapon's sight was visible in the display as she meticulously sighted in the Wraith. The elite driver and a few grunts were working on several access panels in the sides, with wiring leading up to the open hatch in the top.<br><br>Not all precision work was done with a rifle. A six-hundred meter shot with a 120mm shaped charge flying on a column of fire was something that needed more than patience alone. It took a special sort of dedication to work out the math that the computer could occasionally screw up on and be willing to expose your position the moment you fired. But when it actually happened, it felt surprisingly hands-off. Once you launched the explosive, there was little you could do to affect the decision you just made.<br><br>Luckily for Valkyrie, she was usually on target. The rocket landed almost dead center in the Wraith's cabin, exploding in a narrow plume of fire that fried out all the controls and instantly disabled the armored beast. The confused covenant were looking around for an attacker when the second slammed into the ground by their feet, overloading the elite warrior's shield and killing the grunt technicians. The Spartan flipped open the launcher's feed cover and fed another two rounds in as she ran to the nearby stairwell. At roof level, she sighted in one of the two Banshees and acquired a lock. By the time they found a location to bombard with fuel rods, the the rocket had lifted into the air and torn the lead fighter into molten metal.<br><br>Valkyrie eyed the green bar marking her shield level as it recharged. As soon as it filled up, she vaulted out the nearby window and slid down the cable rigged on it's edge, sliding down the front of the building in a few seconds. Common sense said to rescue the wounded as soon as possible, but she also needed to take the covenant's attention away from his hiding spot.<br><br>Valkyrie hit the arming stud on a grenade and hurled it into the air. The grenade exploded a foot from an elite's face, ripping off its head as it was driven into the ground. The confused grunts and jackals under its command responded with a flurry of needles and plasma fire that left her cover a slagged mess. But the spartan had already relocated, and accurate bursts of 7.62mm fire were raking into the unarmored covenant soldiers with gruesome effects.<br><br>For half an hour, she crept through the wreckage littering the bridge, taking out small groups of covenant with bursts of rifle fire and grenades. Eventually, the last covenant warrior was left to ferment in their blue blood. Valkyrie dropped her field pack by the bus and started to load her pouches with fresh magazines, casually waving over the other spartan.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>May 29, 2012, 10:54:38 pm</strong>
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				"Doesn't matter which floor, so long as we're free from covenant for the time being." Shana answere the injured spartan. Carefully letting him go, the marine made her way to the button display and pressed a '2' and a '5' just to get the elevator moving. Looking up, Shana bit her lip and tapped a boot impatiently. The doors were moving too slow, her brain couldn't help from placing her into a state of panic.<br><br>As the doors finally began to close, two long fingers slid their way into the space. Red armor glistened within the artifical lighting as an elite suddenly appeared before the two soldiers. In Surprise, Shana jumped back. Luck was on their side and before the alien could lift his rifle the door closed, his fingers withdrawing at the last second.<br><br>"Ooooh, damn it!" Shana growled placing her hands up and balling them into fists. Throwing a punch to the space between her and the wall, the short woman let out an elongated sigh. She could not believe the elite had taken her by surprise. Switching her weight from foot to foot, Shana shook her hands. "Ooh man..hit me I flinched." She said and turned her attention to Hunter. Leaning forward to him, the marine brought her arm out for him to punch, but before the Spartan could make a move, the elevator came to an abrupt halt and shook Shana off balance, knocking her helmet off her head due to not being securely strapped back on since her decoy with the covenant earlier. Placing her hands out, she saved herself from falling on top of Hunter. As she regained her baring, she looked up and around. "What in the hell was that?"<br><br>The evevator groaned loudly and shook once more, the force pushing shana backwards into the corner. As her forearm highlighted the '3' and '4' buttons, the elevator gave and her and the Spartan went plumpeting down. The last thing Shana saw was her face making contact with the hand rail, opposite of her position.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 30, 2012, 02:55:45 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter jumped when he saw the elite in front of him, trying to get into the elevator with them. He wouldn't be able to fight it if it managed to reach them. Fortunately it didn't come to that as the doors closed, cutting the outside world off. When Shana hit a couple of buttons he began to relax a little. He was about to tell Shana she was insane for wanting him to hit her arm and was about to decline when all of a sudden the elevator stopped and then plummeted. <br><br>Shana was knocked out when her head connected with the hand railing, but Hunter managed to hold on as they fell. Suddenly the elevator stopped several floors down and Hunter howled in pain as his legs gave out and pain shot through his broken one, which he was sure had just shattered from the impact. Falling to the floor with pain in both his leg and his ribs, he could only just hold on to consciousness enough to take his helmet off. He let out one loud howl of pain and then slumped into darkness, a small trickle of blood escaping his mouth.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 01, 2012, 11:14:14 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator's heart was starting to race with worry, with how bad his hands were shaking now, due to the stress that was increasing of not being able to sight a weapon properly. He'd checked the Elite driver and the Grunt gunner again, making sure that they didn't know about his presence. They didn't, they just continued with their maintenance. He began to get frustrated with his current condition. He was too weak from exhaustion to stand, and too nerve wracked from his latest near death experience to fight. He was pinned, exposed and very, very vulnerable, worst of all, he knew it. He could see the end of his life play out before his eyes, the Elite stepping around the corner simply checking the perimeter, seeing the helpless Spartan, and reacting in surprise. Himself futilely trying to shoot the Elite before it brought it's weapon to bare, then the hot fiery sting of plasma fire that would end his life against this god forsaken all terrain jeep, the alien's cruel four pronged grin as the life faded from his body. His fists clenched, he couldn't go out that way, not after all he'd done to try and protect Humanity from extinction. Suddenly a red laser sight beam caught his attention as it moved up his leg and to his chest, breaking him from his imaginary endings. Gladiator jerked to the side on instinct, or started to, but, stopped himself as the laser sight suddenly dipped to the road and stayed there for a second.<br><br>The relief that he felt was obvious and visible as his shoulders slumped and his head rocked forward. He raised his hand, gave the air a thumbs up, indicating that he understood, before saluting a thank you to his savior, and then using the remainder of his strength to throw himself to the ground as he spotted two puffs of smoke from a building over by the wharf. He made himself crawl a few meters but, then just laid flat on the ground as the two MK-5 Rockets passed by overhead and detonated against the Wraith Tank. He could hear the aliens cry out in surprise a split second before each one died, one squealing in terror while the other raged at it's failure. He could hear the sounds of battle from up ahead, apparently the Covenant had sent reinforcements to help keep the bridge. Looking up, he saw a lone Spartan jog up the road a few minutes later. He'd never been so grateful to see another Spartan. As the Spartan got closer, he saw that it was a woman underneath the armor, probably a Mark II like himself.<br><br>He immediately recognized the CQC helmet, Mark 5 Recon Chassis and Para Knee guards that she wore, all of which were colored in Tan and Black. He was probably never going to live this down but, he couldn't have cared less at the moment. He was just grateful to have backup. She dropped her field pack and started to load fresh magazines into her pouches. A moment later, she casually motioned him over. He was momentarily confused as to why she wasn't speaking through the comms when he realized that his own must have been knocked out during the crash. Sitting up took some effort but, he managed it, and crawled over to her obediently. Taking his helmet off for a moment, he grimaced against the day's sunlight and for once took notice of the dried blood on his face as he looked at his helmet's visor examining it closer. Sure enough, right where the comm relay was supposed to be housed, a big gash had been sliced right through it, and then smashed open due to the compression by the HR/RS. Looking to the new arrival, he gave a weary smile and said "Thanks for that, you saved my life. I'm Gladiator, Sierra zero one six one, you arrived just in time Spartan. Got any more friendlies with you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>June 02, 2012, 01:43:22 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Don't thank me until I actually fix you up. Bingo friendlies, unfortunately." Valkyrie slapped the mag to ensure the bullets were seated, then tucked it into her gear. She knelt beside the wounded spartan and dug into her medical supplies, injecting biofoam in a few key places through access ports in his suit. She briefly interfaced with Gladiator's suit to check pulse and blood pressure. "... very slow BPM and a failing blood pressure. You've lost a lot of blood from your wounds." Valkyrie pulled the other spartan to his feet, dragging him over to the bus and smashing the door inward with a stout kick. Easing the wounded soldier into a comfortable position, she took her pack and climbed in.<br><br>It was cramped, but out of view and relatively safe from the odd plasma bolt. Valkyrie went to work rapidly, hooking an IV into Gladiator's arm and connecting it to an artificial blood transfusion bottle. A few more administrations of biofoam and a painkiller drip set the man up for a slow, but definite recovery. A small assortment of gear landed at the wounded soldier's feet - field rations, water, grenades and a stamped steel can of ammunition. "That's standard ball ammo. None of the high-velocity DMR stuff, sorry, but ammo is ammo." The M392 was designed to share ammo with the MA-5 series if necessary, but relied on ultra-high pressure, armor piercing ammo for its performance. The spartan was actually relieved the man hadn't carried a battle rifle, which carried a heavier type of ammo she hadn't brought with her.<br><br>The immediate situation seemingly handled, Valkyrie turned to the spartan. "A UNSC-standard SOS signal pinged my sensor array briefly. It went out before I could get an exact location, but I have a general area. Was anyone with you when the M12 crashed?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 02, 2012, 10:18:24 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator's heart sank a little as his rescuer reported a negative on the friendlies. He almost laughed though when she told him not to thank her yet, as she hadn't fixed him up yet. He drifted to a sort of half sleep as she began reading his diagnostics aloud, that wasn't to last though. He snapped awake a moment later as he was pulled to his feet, his DMR rifle snapped into his trembling hands, ready to blow anything away that moved that wasn't human but, even that little amount of effort made pain shoot up through his chest. He probably had a few bruised ribs. Atleast, he hoped they were only bruised. He could feel his grip on the weapon slipping by the second. Seeing that there was no threat, he put the gun back to it's place on his thigh and let the other Spartan manuever him over to the bus as she kicked the door in and carried him up the stairs. He tried to give her some help but, he was so tired and sore that he wasn't much help, much to his own disappointment. She eased him into a padded bench, trying to get him into a comfortable position, which was hard considering his broad shoulders and his heavy thick armor. Even when he did get into a relatively comfortable position, the leather seating had been torn to shreds.<br><br>The Spartan didn't waste time and hooked him up to an IV, then connected it to an artificial blood transfusion bottle. She also gave him some pain killer through the IV drip, and applied some biofoam. He didn't think he needed all that much fixing, apparently he'd been wrong. "I'm must be in worse shape than I thought" Gladiator remarked off-handedly. Gladiator watched as she set more supplies down. Field rations, water, grenades, and a stamped steel can of ammunition joined the medical supplies on the seat of the bus. It was beautiful. Gladiator nodded "believe me, this is good enough for now. None of us have eaten in two days" he paused chuckling, only to grimace a second later "Had to boil water from a toilet to get a man hydrated in fact."<br><br>As she turned to face him again, she asked about an SOS signal that she'd picked up and if anyone had been with him during the crash. Gladiator bolted upright, his exhausted mind immediately going to Patric. The blue and gold Spartan seemed to look directly at her as he said "Yes, there was. Sierra three thirty four. Patric. Where'd the signal originate? Did you get a good enough look to determine a direction?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>June 04, 2012, 04:13:52 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/elevator.jpg)</div><br>A light beeping had caused the marine to wake up. Rubbing her head against her forearm, she tiredly lifted it up and turned her wrist to face her. Her green eyes were just focused enough to see a yellow/green rectangle turn a solid yellow. Bringing her knees closer to her, she brushed aside shards of glass and pushed herself up to her knees. All she wanted to do was sleep, her energy seemed drained. Resting against the wall, she stared lazily down upon the glass scattered upon the blue tile beneath her.<br><br><br>The image she saw staring back at her was of someone she did not recognize. The girl had dark brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin. All of this Shana knew was her own features, but the mirror showed her aged and with a scar at the corner of her mouth. The marine couldn't recall having a scar there. Lifting a hand to her own head, Shana traced the scar upon her face. A flash image of the butt of a rifle splashed across her mind and she immediately released her hand to fall back down to the floor. The memory made little sense to her and she only became more confused.<br><br><br>The longer she sat there, the more she began to wonder where she was. Shana was too tired to get up and look around. Everything around her was unfamilar, and though the light above flickered off and on, she could not move. As if frozen in time, all she could feel was wetness upon her face, the increasing cold air around the room and a growing headache. Just as her eyelids began to grow heavy once more, she distinctively felt someone's hand upon her shoulder. It felt gentle and friendly, but it scared the crap out of the woman. Jolting upright, the woman looked around frantically. She saw no one behind her, found no hand upon her shoulder. All she saw was a large monster of a man laying a foot away. Her wore black and red armor, and though the marine recognized him as a Spartan, she hadn't any idea who he was.<br><br><br>Forcing herself up to her feet, Shana slowly crept toward the giant. Inspect all she wanted, but she didn't understand why this man was here, or who he was. The big guy looked dead, blood trickled out from his mouth, his leg obviously busted. Reaching out her arms cautiously, Shana leaned forward toward the Spartan.<br><br><br>"Shana..." she heard her name coming from behind her. Chills running up and down her spine caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. The woman stopped dead in her tracks and could not deny the panic and fear she felt just then. The voice was not threatening in the least and though she recognized the man's voice, that did not help her in calming down. As liquid filled her eyes, Shana forced herself to turn around.<br><br><br>The lights above flickered once more before complete darkness took over. Pitch black was all the marine could see as she stood there in silence. Her heart pounded inside her, her skin crawled. Where the hell was she? What was going on? Patting her sides she desperately tired locating a flashlight, but found none. Not even a firearm was attached to her. To make matters worse, she began hearing noises outside of the ajar doors of the elevator. It was unkown to her wether a plain noise was more alerting or the skuttling. Her gut twisted, her heart threatened to hop right out of her chest, and she had nothing but a damn combat knife.<br><br><br><em>..flood..</em>was all she could think of as the noise came closer to her. Pulling forth the blade with hands that trembled, she fought back her fear. <em>No..not me..</em> she thought and with an exceptional guess, she lunged forward and shoved the blade deep into the floor. A squeek was all she heard to let her know she had managed to hit her blind mark. <br><br><br>Frantically Shana felt around the elevator for a gun, but she found something round instead. Her fingers traced it and after a moment, the marine realized it was a helmet. Picking it up, Shana placed it upon her head and strapped it on snug. Tinkering with the options her couldn't believe how little the helmet was capable of doing. Surely this was not her helmet...Turning on the flashlight, her green eyes darted to the combat knife. It had impaled a rat. Upon further inspection, the marine could find nothing wrong with the creature. There was no indication of infection, no tentacles sticking out like a sore thumb. The only thing that seemed different about this rat than others was the size. This was a simple NYC sewer rat, naturally large, probably with its natural known diseases, but no flood infection.<br><br><br>Shana let out a slow and deep sigh of relief and freed her blade from its corpse. Lifting herself back up to her feet, the marine looked back to the spartan. She held the knife defensively as she reapproached the giant. Just because the rat was clear, did not make this man safe. Feeling Hunter's chest armor she searched for any signs of infection. There was nothing, but what she did find was a small vial protruding out of his breast plate. Placing a gloved finger over it she recieved another memory of how that tube got there, but she was still confused. Her mind was still stuck unknowingly in the past and Hunter's pressence made little sense to her. Smearing the blood on her forehead she rubbed it tenderly, her headache didn't help her in the least.<br><br><br>Groaning lightly, she placed her combat knife back in its place on her shoulder sheeth. Shana brought a hand cautiously to the spartan's neck and patiently waited for the sign of life. Upon feeling a heart beat, she felt another relieved sigh coming on. She was about to attempt to get the man to wake up when she heard the voice again.<br><br><br>"..Shana...over here..."<br><br><br>Whirling around, Shana eyed the elevator doors. The same voice calling for her. Was she crazy? This man...he was dead. So how was it possible for him to call out to her? Pulling herself away from Hunter, the marine cautiously walked to the space between the elevator doors. Pulling out her knife once more, she peeked out into the room on the otherside. It was dark, a faint glow from a screen was all that she could see without the use of her helmet's flashlight. There was no body there..but she heard the voice&nbsp; coming from there so surely he was...Slipping her upper body though the space between the elevator doors, Shana nearly made it out completely when she was stopped by her bottom. The short woman cursed her round ass and placed the knife back in its sheeth as she struggled getting past the doors. Stumbling forward, Shana was unable to balance out and fell onto the cold concrete of the floor.<br><br><br>Moaning, the marine shook it off and stood back up. She walked around the room, but could not see anyone there. The place looked deserted. Most of the cabinets were flung open, whatever it once held was now missing. Upon further inspection, Shana realized this place was a med bay. The woman looked up to the vents and studied them carefully. They showed no signs of rupture nor were they boarded up. It was very unusual for her, and the woman slowly began to doubt her surroundings. <br><br><br>"What the hell is going on..?" she whispered to herself and marched her way to the glowing screen coming from a cubicle. The walls of the area were very short only reaching four and a half feet and the woman guessed it was strictly used just to keep each area seperate from the other and not meant for much privacy. Pulling out a chair from the desk Shana looked to the bed beside her, it looked stiff and uncomfortable. She pulled herself forward to the desk in front of her and inspected the screen. Moving the mouse to the computer caused the UNSC screensaver to disappear and show her it's plain desktop setting. The woman eyed the time and date and just couldn't compute what she was seeing. Was this some sort of sick joke the UNSC was playing? The time showed several years into the future of her current mind set.<br><br><br>"No...it can't be.." she said leaning back in the chair. For the first time since she awoke, Shana tested out her Comms and leaned forward once more to rest her elbows onto the desk. "This is First Lieutenant Shana Wasser&nbsp; requesting platoon status' and mission standing."<br><br><br>Whatever was going on, Shana was certain her company would know, but when Jacobs' voice came through, the woman's heart stopped. "Sh..Shana? This is Sergeant Jacobs...are you okay?"<br><br><br>She didn't know a Sergeant Jacobs, she did however know a Private Jacobs...did she hear wrong? "You say Sergeant Jacobs?"<br><br><br>"Yeah...Shana where are you? I just picked up Private 589; O'brian, give me your cordinates and we'll meet up. We'll get that Spartan patched up and-"<br><br><br>The woman didn't hear anything else as she took off her helmet and inspected it. This helmet wasn't someone else's nor was it malfunctioning..this was her helmet...and she wasn't a First Lieutenant anymore. The lack of flood infection, the injured Spartan, the scar upon her face, the date on the computer...it all began to make sense now. Her hands began shaking as the memories flooded into her. The past of failing to keep her company alive, and seeing each of them dying before her eyes. Having to relive such a horrifying memory in such a short span drove Shana over the edge. <br><br><br>Standing up, the chair flung back and hit the floor. Clutching the helmet tightly within her grasp, tears escaped her eyes and anger replaced all other emotions. With a growl of rage, the woman threw the helmet across the room and turned around to pick up her chair. Adrenaline rushing through her, she picked it up and swung it against the wall. Like a person high on Phencyclidine, Shana could not grip reality and time. She couldn't feel the pain in her fist when she punched a metal cabinet and dented it inwards. Her heartbeat could not be controlled with her slow, shallow and irregular breathing. For that mere moment she never felt so alone. She threw several more punches to the misshapen cabinet and backed off. Standing still, she tensed her arms, her knuckles dripped blood past the black cloth of her glove upon the concrete, her eyes clouded with anger.<br><br><br>As something rolled down to her and stopped against her boot, Shana looked down at it. A can with the words 'biofoam' stared up at her and at that sight, the marine began to regain her composure as she remembered Hunter. Her facial features softening, the woman picked up the can and looked back to the elevator. With so little light, she could barely see the ajar doors. Double timing it, Shana picked up her helmet from the ground and placed it back on her head. She strapped it on securely and squeezed her way back into the elevator room.<br><br><br>Lightly kicking his good foot, she inched closer to the spartan and stuck the can in between her thighs. "Hey wake up, We gotta get you out of here." she said kneeling down beside him, she brought her hands up to his face. Her light beamed right on him as she inspected his eyes for any sign of movement. Her right bloodied hand slapped him gently. "Come on big guy, wake up."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>June 04, 2012, 07:36:07 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter was on Reach, his birth place and home world. He had just finished his training, he was a Spartan, one of the finest warriors in the universe, bred from conception to be a fighting machine. War was the norm in the galaxy with the UNSC fighting the evil forces of the Covenant as they tried to exterminate the human race from the face of the universe like they were some kind of vermin.<br><br>Hunter was sent out on his first mission as a fully fledged Spartan, his armour gleaming red and black against the sun as it rose over the mountain tops bringing about the new day. He was ready for this the way he had been ready for this his entire life, from the moment he was thrust into the training rooms to the moment he was handed his armour and serial number. He hefted his battle rifle and charged with a dozen other Spartans into the midst of battle against the Covenant invaders. His brother and friend Gladiator beside him, the duo were unstoppable, tearing aliens apart with their weapons and hands, they tag teamed anything they came across.<br><br>Caught up in the heat of battle and the adrenaline flowing through him, a red mist settled in Hunters vision and he gave himself over to the rage he felt towards these invaders that had come from far away to terminate the innocent civilians on his planet, along with the Spartans themselves, these crimes would not go unpunished.<br><br>Once his battle rifle was spent of ammo and he had no reserves for it, he brought up his shotgun from his belt and let rip with it straight into the face of an elite that charged him. The bullets firing in close proximity of one another, blasting through the Elites shield and straight into its face, taking half of its head off. Its carcass fell away and Hunter charged into the next major battle zone, a group of marines helping the Spartan force take on the Covenant onslaught. He took out several grunts with a broad swing of his shotgun, decapitating them with his powerful swing.<br><br>Because of the adrenaline pumping through his system, he barely felt any of the minor wounds he picked up as his armour was penetrated with fire from the enemy weapons. All he wanted to do was avenge Reach before it fell.<br><br>All of a sudden, he was hit across the back of his helmet with a mighty blow, knocking him down to the ground and almost sending him into blackness. He turned over onto his back to find a red armoured elite looking down on him, an energy sword in it's hand and an evil grin on its face. He knew this would be the end, so soon after he had become a Spartan. Before he could do anything in retaliation, he heard someone call to him in the distance and a hand hit him in the face with a force that made him start.<br><br>He was confused, why would someone call out to him in the middle of the battle if he were about to fall to an elite?<br>He heard the voice again, softer this time, female. He looked around as the final moments of his life replayed in slow motion, the elites sword coming down to him, the battle all around him, explosions, gun and plasma fire being exchanged. He felt the slap on his face again...and someone talking too him......<br><br>He woke up with a start, disorientated, bringing his arms up to cover his face from the elite that was going to end him, send him to the afterlife to be with all of the other marines and Spartans that had given their lives to the continued existence of the human race. When it didn't come, he looked through a gap in his arms and closed his eyes when a light blinded him.<br><br>He tasted blood and tried to move but his body complained and was wracked with pain so he had to stay still, but he let his arms fall. What had happened to him? Where was he? Was he dead?<br><br><em>"Come on big guy, wake up."</em><br><br>The words brought it all crashing down on him in a wave of reality. He remembered the elevator, passing out, Shana....<br><br>"Sha..." he muttered, barely able to speak as his mouth had filled with blood. He turned his head a little and spat it out.<br><br>"Shan....Shana? Where the hell are we"<br><br>He was still confused, memories fading in and out of his first battle as a full Spartan. He couldn't see anything other than a bright light that made his eyes stay closed. He could barely breathe.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>June 05, 2012, 05:56:20 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Even with her stony attitude, Valkyrie enjoyed the idle chatter. Unlike many of the S-2s, she was a social creature and enjoyed contact with people. At the query about the SOS signal, though concerned the spartan could only shake her head. "Not an exact. We'll still have to do a sweep."<br><br>She checked the zero on her rifle's sight and screwed on the suppressor. A neat pile of magazines was their only supply of ammo until they could scavenge more. Gladiator perhaps looked even more tired than when she had found him initially. "I know you're concerned about Patric," she started, the mention of the name catching the fatigued spartan's attention. "But we need to be as combat capable as we can, so we're not a liability when we find him. And I'm absolutely certain we will. Nothing that would kill a spartan would leave enough left for some SOS signal."<br><br>She wasn't one for bravado, but morale was perhaps their most crucial asset. That was something cemented into Valkyrie's mind, after witnessing the individual bravery of thousands of UNSC personnel. Even the Spartan-IIs, from the menacing appearance of their armor to the tradition of marking all casualties as "Missing in Action" were designed ultimately to give humanity the drive it needed to survive. An officer had once told her that the individual Spartan mattered much less than the fact that they were there in the first place - sometimes the towering armor and protocol was all that really defined them in a mission.<br><br>Of course, they were all human on the inside. Valkyrie handed the other spartan a canteen, then dug a bar of chocolate from her field pack. It was a cheap candy bar taken from one of the stores on the <em>Hercules.</em> Though it didn't last well in hot weather and could stick to fingers and the packaging, it was more importantly a reminder there was something besides wearing to the bone fighting Covenant or juggling the logistical challenges of ammunition and rations.<br><br>She had wanted to keep it for a metaphorical rainy day, but right now was good enough. "Sleep if you can. I'll stand watch."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TyKing</strong> on <strong>June 05, 2012, 11:08:34 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				PFC Fry weighed his options and came to the conclusion that they all sucked. <em>Who am I kidding, all my options have sucked since this fiasco began,</em> the combat tech thought as he listened to the enemy moving closer to where he was laying. <em>I can lay here and die when they find me, or I can fight and die and maybe, just maybe I might survive.</em> He doubted it. Survival seemed out of his reach. It was then that PFC Matt Fry made an important decision.<br><br><em>I'm not going out like a bitch.</em><br><br>Grabbing the butt of the weapon that was sticking out of the pile of rubble in front of him, Matt turned to find a couple of grunts present themselves at close range. His movement had surprised the Covenant foot soldiers, who jumped back and raised their weapons. Both died in a stream of lead from the rifle that Fry had procured. Matt scrambled to his feet, reeled in pain as his side began to ache something fierce then stumbled through the rubble towards the rear of the building. Along the way he picked up some supplies that had scattered like detritus when the crazed ODST had been killed. Two energy bars, an extra clip for the rifle and a small battered medkit were what he walked away with, but Fry was grateful nonetheless.<br><br>He loped out of the building, stopped to catch his breath then continued moving away from the area as quickly as his unsteady feet could carry him. Eventually Fry came to a set of stairs that led downward to an old subway platform. The subway transportation system had long been shut down but some of the areas had been converted to museums or restaurants. The combat tech didn't care what the building was, all he knew was that it offered some protection. A rumbling noise interrupted his thoughts and Fry looked up to see a Wraith tank moving around the corner of a building farther down the street. The Covenant hadn't seen him yet and Fry made another crucial decision.<br><br><em>I'm not going out like an idiot.</em><br><br>Scrambling down the steps, the marine descended into the darkness. He used the tactical light on the rifle to make his way to what turned out to be a cigar shop and a restaurant. Fry limped through the cigar shop and grabbed a handful of Cohibas, which he stuffed in his pocket, before entering the restaurant and sliding to the floor behind the bar. Turning the light toward his side, the marine was able to inspect his wound for the first time. The ODST's bullet had hit his body armor and been deflected but had managed to cut a channel along his hip which was oozing blood. Opening the medkit, Fry extracted a small canister of antiseptic biofoam and sprayed it along the wound.<br><br>"Gnnaahh!" the marine grunted before grabbing a bottle from the bar and taking a long swig to help alleviate the pain that coursed through his hip and thigh. The foam immediately sealed the wound but the antiseptic burned like the Devil. After some of the discomfort subsided, Matt opened one of the energy bars and began to eat, washing it down with some booze. It wasn't regulation but Fry had already decided that regulations were a luxury he couldn't afford.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 06, 2012, 02:40:16 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sighed as she reported that she didn't have an exact location for the SOS. The big blue and gold Spartan 2 listened as his new partner gave him a pep-talk. He appreciated it more than he could say. So, he just nodded as she told him to get some rest and that she'd take first watch "You're right. I'm not much use to anybody if I can't shoot straight" he sighed, accepting that for the moment that Private Fry and Patric would have to wait. Looking up to her as she handed him the canteen of water, he reached out and took it from her waiting hand "Thanks. For the canteen, and the pep-talk..." he paused a moment, unsure if next words would carry the sincerity that he felt "I appreciate it." He removed his damaged blue Scout helmet and turned it over in his hands to look at the cracked gold visor. Gladiator sighed again and set in his lap, he barely recognized the reflection in the visor. Bags under his exhausted looking blue eyes, his features were still handsome but, less so because of how pale he was. He raised the canteen to his pale lips and took slow sips from the container. <br><br>The cold temperature of the liquid within made him cough, he covered his mouth quickly and wiped his mouth. He grimaced in pain, his ribs were still sore, as was everything else but, he started sipping at the canteen again a moment later. The cold liquid was refreshing and very very welcome. Gladiator stopped a few moments later, and felt the weight of the canteen, comparing it to how it had felt when it was full. He figured that he'd probably drank a quarter of what was in there, leaving more than half in reserve for later. The Spartan replaced the canteen's top and leaned back against the seat, forcing himself to relax. <br><br>He raised his head a moment later "Wake me the moment anything happens, and I mean <em>anything</em>, alright?" When he got a nod from her in reply, he leaned his head back against the seat and fell instantly to sleep. Almost immediately dreams set in. His mind flashed him images of Harvest, battling the Covenant there, the burning fields as Covenant Cruisers blasted the earth with their plasma cannons, himself kneeling in front of a burned tree, the dead couple leaning against it. His own dead eyes looking back at him. His 'original' holding hands with the love of his life. Then his dreams drifted into more memories. This time though, it was memories of Reach. He'd been assigned there immediately after the Battle of Harvest. He was to get his own customized armor and rearm himself once he got there, as his nickname of Gladiator had already gotten around. His mind flashed back to a memory of Harvest, back before he found out by accident that he, like every other Spartan, was a clone. <br><br>It had been raining the day he'd come into his nickname. The Covenant had glassed a whole in the earth, the edges of which made a unnatural arena like area. During the battle, he'd been separated from his squad. An Elite in white and gold armor had brandished an Energy Blade that crackled and sparked with each rain drop that hit it's surface. The squid face had charged at him, and he'd managed to take down it's shields before it swung it's arm in an arch, hoping to split him into two equal parts, and if he hadn't had sidestepped to avoid the blow, that's just what would've happened. Fortunately for him, the Elite missed. Gladiator had bounced back on the balls of his feet and struck out with his fist, which connected with the Elite's four pronged jaw. The Elite turned to look at him with those evil yellow orange eyes, and he swore the damn thing had smiled. Their fight was long and exhausting, and they had both eventually ended up in the still burning crater. He remembered gutting the Elite with his own Energy Blade and the feeling of victory and satisfaction he'd got from it. Then he'd looked up to see more Elites surrounding the crater. Evil smiles on every damned one of them, as if the fight for survival was suddenly a game. They had thought that sending two Elites against him would be enough at first, and when he'd dispatched those, they sent more. When Ares, Hunter, Kunai, and Vladicus had finally shown up, driving or killing off the spectators, he'd been fighting five Elites. Three of them had engaged him freely, one of which wielded two Covenant Energy Blades, while two others held to the outskirts of the fighting, prodding the fight this way and that so that it kept in the middle of the crater. They'd been having fun. <br><br>He remembered provoking the dual wielding Elite, and grabbing his arms at the wrists as the alien brought both hands up to chop his head off. Then twisting the alien's wrists forcefully at the same time, breaking the bones and twisting away with two Energy Swords in his hands. It had been really hard to get used to the feeling of wielding air, as the energy portion of the blades held little, if any weight, especially since he was in a combat situation. He'd overestimated his own strength and almost killed himself a time or two. <br>Eventually, five Elites dwindled down to 4, and four to three. And then there'd been none. More Elites rushed him then, growling their war cries and vying for blood. Ares though, had used his MK 5 Rocket Launcher and blown the group to hell, while he'd ducked into his recharged Armor Lock. When he had reached the top of the crater, Ares was there, pulling him up, that shady skull imprint on his black visor glowing eerily in the reflection of the fires around them.<br><br>He remembered the jovial words that started the nickname perfectly "<em>Well, well! Looks like we got ourselves a <strong>Gladiator!</strong> Heh heh.</em>"<br>Despite all the fighting, all the death, Harvest, his home, had been lost.<br><br>A week later on Reach, he dawned his customized blue and gold armor, with the gold visored Scout helmet, only to be called to defend it as well.<br><br>Despite the vivid dreams, Gladiator remained asleep, only muttering a few insensible words every now and then, like the names of his old squad members. Ares, Hunter, Kunai, and Vladicus.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>June 14, 2012, 05:29:52 pm</strong>
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				<div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/1j.jpg)</div><br><br>As the spartan began to react to Shana's actions, she froze and watched him a moment. Reaching up to her helmet, the marine turned off her flashlight and turned on her night vision. "Hey big guy, so glad you could join me.&nbsp; I was beginning to think you took the easy way out and left me to rot. What's your status? Any new injuries since our fall?" she asked the giant and looked around the room.<br><br><br>The place was thrashed. Broken glass scattered the area, the impact having shattered the mirrors around the room. The elevator doors busted, unable to close. The ceiling was bowing inward making the marine slightly nervous. It made no creaks or groans, but the sight was enough to make one believe it was on the verge of collapsing. The button panel and its monitor showed no sign of life, the light that should have been glowing was nothing more than a darkened area.<br><br><br>"Come on, we gotta get you outta here." Shana said looking back to Hunter. Picking up his helmet, she set it in his lap and rose to her feet. Walking to the railing, Shana placed a boot firmly onto the wall and gripped the bar tightly. With all her might she heaved and tugged on the object. Failing..she took a moment to breath. She took in the air slowly, her head throbbed as if it had its own heartbeat. Regripping the rail, Shana pushed with her foot and pulled with her arms until she was able to place her other foot onto the wall as well. Grunting and groaning she tried, "Rrrr cooome on you stupiiid thiiing." she grumbled at it. Suddenly there was a pop and the woman fell to the ground as the bar lost it's hold onto the wall. With a plop and a cling, the marine held her tail bone a moment, her eyes darting to the ceiling in a panic.<br><br><br>The roof did not move, it did not creak. Sighing obnoxiously, Shana sat up and stared at the bar at her feet. "I'm getting too old for this shit.." She whispered and stood up. Bending over, Shana picked up the bar and walked to the ajar elevator doors. The marine wedged the railing into the space between the door and surface. She made sure it was stuck in its angle before hopping up to the end of the bar and dangled. Jerking her body in downward motions she forced the door to open more. Feeling it was big enough to get the spartan through, Shana released herself and landed back down. The door immediately slid back to its original place.<br><br><br>The woman gawked at the door in disbelief. "Oh you some beach." she commented shaking her head. Shaking a finger at the door she smiled crookedly. "Think yer clever do ya? I'll show you.." Moving back to the railing she pushed it forward and leaned it against the other door. She flexed her fingers, her knuckles stung reminding her of her encounter with the metal cabinet not so long ago. Jumping up once more, Shana jerked downward and lodged the pipe securely in place, pushing back both doors a few inches. Droping to the ground, the marin dusted off her gloved hands in approval. She waited for the doors to move again, but they remained still.<br><br><br>"That's what I thought..okay you ready to go Spartan? There's a nice comfy bed on the other side of this here door." She tempted the giant as she walked over to him. The bed she had spotted didn't look all that inviting, however, it might've been better than the cold concrete.<br><br><br>*****<br><br><br>"Jeeze Sarg, that stings..like a thousand fire ants just crawled into my flesh!" O'brian exagerrated over the irritation he felt as Jacobs properly bandaged up his wound from last night.<br><br>"Oh I'm sorry princess, guess I forgot to tell ya it would sting." the sergeant commented shaking his head slightly as he placed the biofoam can back into his chest pocket. He looked over the plasma shoulder wound a moment longer before covering it up with an ace bandage. Jacobs was convinced the injury was no big deal and that no one would have guessed he had told a private to dress it earlier.<br><br>The lanky private looked over Jacobs a moment before batting his eyelashes. "Am I a pretty princess?" he joked. If the sergeant was going to call him a princess why not play the part?<br><br>Jacobs wasn't sure how to react to that question. His eyebrow rose, his lips parted slightly. Shaking his head he pushed the young soldier away and moved passed him. "Yer just about the ugliest I've seen yet. Count your ammo and reload, we're moving out." he said and looked down at the dead private upon the floor. The gaping hole was the only thing Jacobs could make out from the back of the head. It wasn't a friendly sight, but Jacobs was thankful to the Spartans that took down the snipers so he could get to O'brian. Though now he wondered just where they were off to in such a hurry.<br><br>"Ouch..Sarg yer so mean to me. I might just switch platoons." O'brian remarked with a fake sniffle. He rubbed his shoulder, the biofoam had made it numb now and he felt like he had been cured. Though even he knew, the effects were temporary.<br><br>Picking up the assault rifle, Jacobs checked the ammo count and handed it to O'brian. "Oh I'm sure Michaels would love to have you in his platoon.." he commented and began walking toward the stairs. He wanted to get a move on before any more covenant showed up. Shana sounded strange over the last comm call and he just had to find out what was up and if the injured Spartan was okay.<br><br>O'brian fell in beside the coward and the other male private as they all began to follow the sergeant. "Wait...isn't Michaels the bad-tempered one?" he asked looking to the two beside him. The male private had raised eyebrows and an expresion that suggested O'brian was crazy to have not known that as he nodded his head.<br><br>"Oh damn, did I say mean? I meant yer too good to me Sarg." O'brian said as he inspected the assault rifle that was given to him before he hurried up to walk beside his leader.<br><br>Jacobs only shook his head. He didn't know much about Michaels himself, but had heard a rumor or two about the other sergeant. If Jacobs had to say anything about the man, it would be that he was antagonistic and they had very different ideas on how to run a platoon. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>June 14, 2012, 06:15:38 pm</strong>
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				Hunter coughed and more blood seeped out of his partially open mouth. The difficulty to breath and the stabbing pain in his chest indicated that when they had landed on the bottom floor, his broken rib had crumpled and punctured a lung. He could barely keep conscious and his leg felt worse than ever, he was sure that it was either even more broken than before, or the bone had shattered completely. He looked to Shana through half closed eyes.<br><br>"I've seen better days, lung possibly punctured due to impalement by rib. Leg broken in several places, possibly shattered. Can barely keep conscious. Breathing difficult"<br><br>He held onto his helmet when it was placed into his lap, almost certain that this was his end, that he would die here with the marine trying to help him. He wondered how the others were doing, hopefully better than he was.<br><br>Shana mentioned a bed of some kind and his spirits lifted a little. He tried his best to move, but his chest groaned under the effort and he had to stop. He had a better idea and slowly slid down onto his side, then used his arms to pull himself into a lying down position, even though it was on his chest, which pushed his pain levels up even more, he steadied himself and carefully army crawled himself out of the elevator. He didn't like being like this, but so long as he got out of the elevator, he would do whatever he could. He then wondered if Shana was ok, so he looked up to her as best he could from his position<br><br>"Are you alright? Any injuries?"<br><br>(OOC: Sorry for this crap post, I couldn't think of much)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>June 23, 2012, 08:48:15 am</strong>
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				It was quiet. Not the deafening quiet that made up the majority of red-eye military nightmares, but the not-quite silence that was the gentle songs of wind blowing by and the soft noises of sleep. No matter where one got assigned to, there were always moments of tranquility to be found. It was just one of the tiny things that kept a Spartan sane through the mental trials of war.<br><br>When the evening started to melt into night and the sun sunk under the horizon, Valkyrie replaced her helmet and moved to wake Gladiator. "I'm going to rack out for three hours. Wake me up then and we'll find Patric." She moved to the end of the bus and leaned against a bulkhead, staring at the expanse of road beyond through a gap in the wall. Finally, Valkyrie removed her helmet. She justified a human face as being slightly less recognizable at distance than the bulky helmet, but the only honest reason was that the breeze was nicer than the suit's climate-control. She needed that. <br><br>Even as Valkyrie relaxed the spartan's hands never left her weapon.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 25, 2012, 11:13:38 pm</strong>
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				The big blue and gold armored Spartan II began sweating, as the dreams intensified and turned more and more violent. It wasn't just one battle that he was dreaming about now. It was <em>all</em> of them. The battles mixed and swam randomly throughout his head, making the experience that much worse. Soon Gladiator awakened to Valkyrie's prompting, his reflexes kicked in immediately. He grabbed up his DMR in one smooth movement and aimed it at first at Valkyrie, then at door of the bus when he recognized her as an ally. The movement ripping the seat that he had been laying in to shreds. Valkyrie thankfully had moved to a safe distance. "Sorry about that. Nightmares" Gladiator said simply running a gloved hand over his face and wiping the sweat away. The image of Alexandria City's streets on Reach flooded with blood from his dream, remained in his head. For a moment he thought he was going to be sick but, fortunately it didn't get that far.<br><br>Valkyrie told him that she was going to rack in three hours of sleep and that afterward she'd be ready to search for Patric. Gladiator nodded and put on his helmet, set his alarm for three hours from now, and turned on the night-vision on his HUD "Rodger that. I'll wake you before if anything comes up. Pleasant dreams." He watched as she moved to the back of the bus, noticing that she had a nicely curving figure. She leaned against a wall, and few minutes later she removed her helmet, revealing short dark hair and grey eyes. He took a quick look outside, scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was sneaking up on them before looking back to Valkyrie, and examining her features. She was actually very beautiful, not a scar on her face. That fact alone made her either impressively skilled, or almost new to the Spartan program. Since he'd heard of her before, he went with <em>impressively skilled</em>. Twenty minutes later, while Valkyrie was asleep, Gladiator removed his helmet with a sigh, taking the opportunity to enjoy fresh air while nothing was happening.<br><br>Quiet moments like this was a rarity and each one had to be savored. They never lasted long. He needed more sleep but, they were in an exposed position at the moment. He needed to remain awake. For about two hours, his sense of duty and responsibility, coupled with checking their perimeter through the sights of his Sniper Rifle, kept his eyes from drooping but, after that he needed to do something to keep himself awake. Quiet was nice but, it was also incredibly boring after awhile. He leaned forward and crouch crawled his way to the kicked in door to make himself smaller, and sat down in the aisle beside the front two seats. He took his helmet off again and looked inside the piece of armor. He used the moonlight that drifted in through the doorway but, couldn't see anything wrong on the interior. The Spartan II turned the helmet around slowly in his hand and examined it's shape. The damage was extensive. He'd never be able to use HR/RS sniper attachment that was positioned on the top of his helmet again, it had been smashed and the components inside were shattered. <br><br>He could hear them rattle around inside when he moved the helmet in his hand. The section of the helmet where the comms were installed had a good sized gash in it, wiring and chips exposed but, at-least they were serviceable based on their appearance. <em>Now if we only had a tech</em> he thought wryly, giving a small amused smile. He set the helmet in his lap and looked past the plasma scarred windshield of the bus, and into the night sky. At times like this, when the world was at peace, it was hard to imagine that there was a war raging. A light from his helmet caught his attention and he regretfully tore his gaze away from the star studded sky. The alarm had gone off. <em>Time to move</em> he thought grimly. He put his feet underneath him and walked to the back of the bus to wake Valkyrie.<br><br>Gladiator stepped closer, reaching a hand out to grab her shoulder to gently wake her but, then hesitated. He looked at her for a moment, taking in every detail as she slept peacefully in her seat, her hand on her weapon. He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her and whispered loud enough for her to hear "Hey. Valkyrie. Sorry to wake you but, it's time to move."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>June 26, 2012, 07:01:38 am</strong>
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				"But can't you tell me your name?" The boy frowned.<br><br>The girl shook her head. "Sorry, no can do." Her grey eyes were filled with... something. Almost mirth, but not quite. She stepped along the lush grass and fell in step with the Pierre. She liked him - he was a sweet boy with infectious laughter and a spring to his step. He said he didn't like the hazel eyes he had, they made him look too serious. She thought they just made him look thoughtful. "So what's the plan?"<br><br>"Dunno. Do we need one?" He laughed heartily. "I was thinking ice cream."<br><br>"Isn't it a little cool for that?"<br><br>Pierre shrugged lazily. "Ice cream tastes better when it's cool."<br><br>She raised a brow. "Really now?"<br><br>"Really. I promise."<br><br>"I'll hold you to it." The girl smiled a little. She blinked as the edges of her vision blurred, and the boy seemed to fade for a moment. She desperately clenched her eyes shut, balling up her fists in concentration. <br><br>"Is something bothering you?" Pierre asked, turning to face the girl as he stepped backwards. Light shed by the two suns obscured Pierre's face as he stood against the horizon, perched on miles and miles of lush grass.<br><br>"I... gotta go now."<br><br>Surprisingly, he smiled. "It's just a dream, right?"<br><br>"Yeah... I guess. But I might not..." She couldn't say it, like admitting the idea that she might not see him again would solidify the fact.<br><br>"Don't worry bout it." She saw that same reassuring grin, those thoughtful eyes filled with mirth. "Hey, I hate to ask, but can you tell me..."<br><br>Her face was wet. Was in the sun in her eyes? "It's Fran."<br><br>"Oh, cool." He raised his hand, waving at her. He seemed so far away now.<br><br>The girl waved back, but the the colors of the dream were fading and she was staring at the floor of the same burned-out bus she had sat down in three hours ago. <br><br>Valkyrie wiped the wetness from her face and scooped up her helmet, staring at her reflection in its visor before pulling it on. She took a ragged breath and stood up straight. With a quick flick of the fingers she checked the chamber on her MA-5K and turned to Gladiator. "We should have given you more rest." The spartan stepped past him and went to work, scooping up the supplies and equipment she had placed earlier. Glancing at the other, fatigued spartan she pressed a steel can of ammo into his hands. "Double check your load. We'll move out in five mikes." As hard as she tried, her tone was stressed, terse.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 27, 2012, 08:47:26 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator smiled beneath his helmet "I'll be fine, don't worry. I'm just grateful that I was finally able to rest, and I have you to thanks for that" he said as he moved aside for her, as she went to gather up the equipment she'd placed on the bus. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze as he said "thanks." He helped her gather up the equipment and accepted the offered ammo the other Spartan II pressed into his hands. The time counter on his HUD told him that it was nearly midnight. Despite his reassuring words, he really was starting to feel the fatigue, especially now that he'd actually had a chance to sleep. He went over the mission again in his head, trying to clear the fog that hovered about. They'd spent tree days in a over run New York City, on the run and fighting the Covenant. They'd lost several members of their team but, fortunately some reinforcements had arrived. Their original mission had been to take over a Covenant Cruiser that had been hovering over the mega-city. It had escaped and gone into Slip-space. They'd been able to take out a couple of comm jammers and had new orders awaiting them but, first, they were to rescue Private Matthew Fry, and Patric, if possible. <br><br>He reloaded his DMR rifle as he thought through the last couple days, and stuffed more ammo into the hidden ammo compartments in his armor. Gladiator stepped off the bus first, taking the lead and checking to see if there were any hostiles in their immediate area. Fortunately, there weren't any on the bridge itself. There were patrols guarding both the front and back of the bridge though, with a Wraith Tank making slow but, predictable rounds in about a three block radius on the side that Private Fry was on. Gladiator hefted his Sniper Rifle and pointed to the end of the bridge "We've got a Wraith Tank patrolling a three block radius, and some Covenant infantry guarding the bridge. They probably came to find out what happened to their missing soldiers. Looks like they just got here, they're still giving orders" he lowered the weapon and looked to Valkyrie.<br><br>"I can probably take out their infantry but, the Wraith Tank is going to be a problem if we time this wrong. Any ideas?" Gladiator asked.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>June 28, 2012, 08:22:13 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Valkyrie toggled the enhanced magnification in her visor, taking in the covenant armor in increased detail. "It's an older model. Lacks the plasma repeater for infantry defense. Looks like the cooling vents in the back have slat armor." In short - it was going to make more sense to attack this one at close range than try to play sniper with their limited supply of rockets. Speaking of sniper. "I'd like to get closer and pick off the escorts, then disable the armor. Would you mind lending me the SRS99?" The weapon looked damaged, but Gladiator wasn't going to be able to utilize both rifles at once.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>July 02, 2012, 07:22:40 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator peered through the SRS99's scope and nodded "Good catch, looks like you're right" he looked up at her as she asked to barrow his Sniper Rifle. He hesitated but, only for a moment before he nodded and handed the Sniper Rifle over to her. He had a particular attachment for the long range weapons, not only were they one of his favorite weapons, but, they gave him a great advantage whenever he needed to learn the enemy's formation and security weaknesses in the field. The weapons allowed him to come up with solid tactical plans where mission intelligence was lacking. <br><br>"Alright, well if you're going to use the SRS, then I'll take your Rocket Launcher and take care of the Wraith," Gladiator said looking to Valkyrie "unless you had something else in mind." He grabbed the DMR from his thigh and prepared himself to reenter combat again.<br><br>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br><strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmond Rockwell</strong><br><br>Sling limped along the street, trying to keep as much weight off of his broken leg as was reasonably possible. Fortunately, he'd found a Brute's Gravity Hammer weapon about a half block away. He'd been using it as a crutch ever since. He'd lost a Mauler, and a pistol in the chaos of the wrecked building but, fortunately he still had his shotgun, one Mauler, and one pistol. Sling had the pistol out as he limped up the street to the last known location of his team. Sling chuckled a little when found that the building they'd taken cover in was actually a mall. He hadn't remembered that little detail, of-course with the Covenant on their heels details like that were harder to remember than others. When he finally got there, he found it had been abandoned, the entrance blown open by Shana's trap, a frag grenade that had been taped to the door. The Wraith Tank that Hunter and Gladiator had taken over was still there though. He followed a trail of debris that led to an empty elevator shaft, it was obvious from the debris' pattern that there'd been a struggle. Plasma scoring marred the walls and doors to an elevator shaft. He raised his pistol and looked for any signs of a cloaked Elite. As he looked around, he saw clothing shops, supply, and video stores with their sliding metal guard walls down but, their display windows had been smashed open and the doors behind them kicked, or blown inward. Their interiors probably looted by desperate civilians. As he limped along, he saw that the inside of the stores were a mess, and there were plasma scoring on the walls and merchandise.<br><br>The ODST slowly limped over to the wrecked elevator doors, and cautiously he grabbed the side to peer over the edge. He flicked on his nightvision and saw that the elevator cable had been cut. The elevator itself lay at the bottom of the shaft, it's frame dented and smashed in. He hit the zoom on his visor and saw that a bar had been wedged into the doors to keep them open. The inside of the elevator was a mess, glass and debris were strewn all over the floor. Just past the wrecked roof of the elevator, he could just barely make out the shapes of two Humans. One was incredibly larger than the other.<br><br>He tried his comms and hoped that they weren't broken "This is Gunnery Sergeant Sling calling any and all UNSC personnel, anyone currently occupying the bottom of an elevator shaft? Shana? Hunter? Is that you down there?" Suddenly movement set off his motion tracker and he whirled as best as he could on his good leg, pistol raised, to stare into the face of a scowling Elite. Sling fired the pistol in his hand three times before the alien got to him and tackled him, sending them both into the dark depths of the elevator shaft. As they fell, he saw the Gravity Hammer that he'd been using as a crutch fall past them and land on the roof of the elevator head first before bouncing and dropping through the hole and into the elevator itself to clatter behind Hunter. Sling reached out and grabbed at the elevator cable, and finally after a few seconds managed to grab hold, his hand burning from the rough material from the cable combined with his quick decent. Ignoring the pain, he gripped the cable tighter and finally came to a halt above the severed end of the cable. The Elite lost it's grip on him and fell the rest of the way down howling in fury. Sling fortunately still had his pistol in hand and fired round after round at the alien, the bullets pinging off it's shields before finally draining them. The Elite impacted the roof of the elevator with a loud thundering crash. Sling fired his pistol until the clip was empty. The impact on the elevator had killed the Elite but, it still felt good shooting the lifeless corpse. He tossed the pistol into the elevator with frustration.<br><br>He swung over to the corner of the shaft, grimacing as his broken leg protested the movement, and gripped the metal stud there, hanging on for dear life. Slowly, and cautiously, he made his way down, using the metal stud to secure himself to the wall. Finally, after a few minutes, he stood on the roof of the elevator, and slid down slowly, his back against the wall and just sighed. If felt good having his feet on solid ground again. <br><br>He rolled over on his good leg and peered over the edge of the hole at Shana and Hunter's backside"Did you miss me?" 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>July 02, 2012, 08:42:35 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman watched the Spartan curiously as he crawled past her toward the exit. She knew the man was in pain and that made her wonder why he moved on his own. Shana was small, yes, but had she not dragged the giant into the elevator once before? Perhaps he was proud and stubborn. Surely Shana could not interfer with those characteristics. After all, she suffered the same thing.<br><br>Shrugging inwardly, the marine manuvered her way past Hunter. If he was strong enough to move alone, she felt no need to help him. Though, her actions to ignore this made her itch. She looked back down at the man upon the floor and fought her inner thoughts. <em>Phh..The guy's a big bad spartan..leave him be..crawled this far alone..Hmm..</em> Against the idea of watching someone of her team suffer, she frowned lightly and kneeled beside the Spartan.<br><br>"I'll be fine..you on the other hand..well, don't get me wrong, nothin' wrong with being proud but seeing you like this embarasses me. Suck it up and let me help you." Shana told the giant. It wasn't the most sensitive approach, she would admit, but she wasn't sure how else to handle it without making her sound as if he needed to be babied. Creeping closer to the man, Shana held out her hands for him to grasp.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>July 03, 2012, 04:31:36 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter stopped to get his breath back, it hurt to move but he had to lighten the burden of Shana by moving on his own, however, when she offered a hand and told him to suck it up, he nodded and took her hand.<br><br>"You sure do have a way with words Private, I appreciate the help though, I would be dead if it weren't for you"<br><br>Holding onto her hand, he took some steadying breaths and prepared to move again. He maneuvered his good leg and tried to push himself into a crouching position. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>July 03, 2012, 06:00:26 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>As Shana gripped onto Hunter's hand, her comm-lines came to life. The sounds and actions becoming too fast for the woman wasn't prepared to make a responsible response. The first thought she mustered about the voice in her ear was a question. <em>How's he know my name? Who is this guy..?</em> the voice was unfamilar, but as she momentarily released Hunter to focus on her comm-lines, she figured this unknown man had found out her name from her earlier shout out.<br><br>With a murderously loud crash, Shana reached for her firearms, but all too quickly she remembered she did not have any, so instead she pulled out her knives and stood her ground in a defensive posture over the Spartan. By no means was she big enough to shield the giant, but he brain was not focused on that. There was a noise, she had to take action. Holding the larger of the two up to shield her face, she tightly clenched onto the other knife at her mid-section. She held onto the energy allowing it to build up. Shana would dart forward and strike the second the invader showed their ugly face. When a marine appeared, however, the woman was taken off gaurd and she wobbled forward catching her balance as she pushed away her attempted at an attack releasing her energy. Instead of using it to her physical needs, Shana used it vocally. "What in the hell is wrong with you!? I could have killed you! Ya don't sneak up on an allie like that, god damn it!" she hollared in her frustration to being taken off gaurd.<br><br>Turning her attention away from Sling, she grumbled and kicked at the concrete. She couldn't believe a marine had come and tensed her up. Deep down she was damn thankful it was a marine and not covenant, but the woman was too stubborn to admit it. Taking a few breaths, Shana put her knives away and waved Sling down from the elevator. "Why don't ya come on down from there before ya make any more noise and attract unwelcome visitors." the marine hadn't realized the soldier had killed an elite on his way down the shaft., 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>July 03, 2012, 06:32:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter heard a burst of action on his make do comm link before there was a crash and then Shana was cursing someone that appeared to be friendly, he was in no shape to turn around and see who it was, he could barely hold himself together as it was, he called out as best he could from his position<br><br>"Anyone we know?"<br><br>He tried to push himself up on his good leg, managing to an extent so that he could get himself sat on his good leg, at least now he was partially up. The effort had spent him however so he had to stop and catch his breath, he could see things in front of him, things that looked useful, he pointed to them<br><br>"Maybe we could do the introduction when we are other there?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>July 04, 2012, 01:25:42 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmond "Sling" Rockwell</strong><br><br>Sling was momentarily taken aback by the Marine's cursing "Sorry" he said gritting his teeth and turning over to grip something to aid his standing up. He disappeared from the hole for a second, a second after that he rolled the body of the dead Elite through the hole in the elevator ceiling, and smiled as the corpse smacked wetly on the ground below "I was fighting him for control of the elevator cable in our quick decent" he said as he appeared over the edge of the hole again. He gently sat down on the edge of the hole and looked for a safe way down that wouldn't cause him too much pain but, he couldn't see one. <br><br>Again, he turned over on his good side and gently pushed himself off, feet first, "You two seriously didn't hear me firing a half dozen shots into that thing, or it crashing into the elevator roof? What? Are you two <em>deaf?</em>" he said as he hung above the ground for a minute as he tried to judge the distance. Finally he let go and crashed to the floor, crying out in pain due to his broken leg. He dragged himself over to the fallen Gravity Hammer and his discarded pistol, grabbing both weapons. He slapped the pistol back into it's holster on his chest, he still had two good fully loaded M6D Magnums on his hip, the same ones he'd carried with him from the time when the Covenant had first shown up, two fully loaded M6G Magnums plus his empty one that were strapped across his chest, and one fully loaded Mauler, the shotgun type weapon for the Brutes. Best of all, the useless trophy he kept on his thigh was still there, the handle of an Elite's Energy Blade. After the pain went away, he used the Gravity Hammer to help him stand and looked to where the Spartan was pointing. Just beyond the doors of the elevator looked like an emergency medical room. <br><br>It may not have looked like it based on his actions or words but, the only thing keeping Desmond from crying out in pain was sheer willpower. He nodded to Shana and motioned for her to help Hunter "Sounds good to me, this broken leg of mine is beginning to be a pain in my ass, and my trigger finger is itchy again."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>July 08, 2012, 01:45:58 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>"I'll give it back to you momentarily. We'll need close-range weapons in a second." Valkyrie crept closer to the covenant patrol, waving Gladiator over to a concrete barrier just a few hundred yards away. She took the rifle and laid it across a large fissure in the barrier, getting as low to the ground as she could. The spartan sighed. She hated sniping.<br><br>It was fairly similar to the work she did with rockets, but at the same time it totally wasn't. There were so many little considerations, like windage, ammunition type and thousands of little optic adjustments. She still had to be good at it, though. She brought the sight to the single Wraith tank and checked the range readout. "Six-oh-three." The soldier dialed in the adjustments, then put the crosshair of the sight directly over the grunt gunner sitting on the Wraith.<br><br>"Here goes..." She whispered. Her finger took up slack on the trigger and held right at the breaking point, the spartan taking a moment to calm her breathing before moving the last incremental distance. The sniper rifle thundered, bucking heavily into Valkyrie's shoulder. She only waited for the splash of blue gore in her scope before turning to the next target, a confused-looking elite barking orders at nearby troops. The round came in just below its eyes, jerking the sangelli warrior's skull back before exiting in a brilliant spray of brain matter and blood. She handed the rifle back to Gladiator and took off at a run.<br><br>The wraith, without a gunner had to try to hit a fast-moving foot soldier with a painfully slow plasma mortar. Soon, the two spartans had closed enough to hose down the covenant with impunity. Valkyrie darted from cover to cover, throwing grenades and squeezing off controlled bursts from her rifle. Gladiator took down the odd sangelli warrior with deadly accuracy, making every shot from his DMR count.<br><br>It was only after a majority of the covenant had been picked off that Valkyrie finally unslung her rocket launcher. One timely rocket slammed into the exposed power unit and the vehicle skewed to a stop. She wasted no time, ditching the weapon and leaping onto the crippled assault gun. A vicious stab of her knife through the rim of the hatch allowed the Spartan to pry it up long enough to pop a grenade into the cockpit.<br><br>"Heh." Valkyrie, her face hidden by the armored visor smiled as the machine stopped, totally gutted by the attack. She turned and gave Gladiator a thumbs-up.<br><br>Moments later, the blinding bolt of a covenant beam rifle crashed across the spartan's shield, overloading it and knocking her off of the tank.<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>July 08, 2012, 11:45:13 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				To his surprise Valkyrie kept both of the heavy weapons, he waited for her to check and recheck her math as she calculated wind speed, distance, and the trajectory of the bullet that would be affected by the wind. Seconds later, taking out the Grunt gunner of the second tank that was in the area. The first older model tank, having went on it's patrol. He checked behind them to make sure they weren't being outflanked but, there was nothing. He momentarily thought that a sniper rifle's 50 caliber bullet, was a waste on something like a Grunt. He could have probably taken the gunner out with the DMR from this distance but, he didn't say anything and just rolled with it. <br><br>Unlike the BR55 Battle Rifle which was effective up to 656 feet, or 200 meters, the DMR was a marksman rifle, which doubled the range of the BR55, making it a choice weapon to specialists. It was one reason why Gladiator favored the DMR over the BR55, it was more accurate, had longer range, and less kick. The Battle Rifle really left you aching if you had to use it all day, which slowed your response time. The SRS 99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle was more effective with a range of 4,920 feet, or 1,500 meters, and a suppressed kick, making it useful for even the greenest soldier. If they were good at math and had calm nerves, which was extremely rare. It wasn't for the antsy, shoot everything and then shoot some more type. One shot usually did the job with almost everything. Scorpion Tanks, Sparrowhawks, Covenant Wraith Tanks, and Hunters being the exception. Even the UNSC Hornet, Falcon, or Pelican ships could be brought down with a well placed shot from a SRS but, that didn't mean that it wasn't difficult. The MA5 Assault Rifle was more for the antsy types and greenhorns. He hated the MA5 with a passion, not only was it wildly inaccurate, it was a less effective weapon in his opinion. Gladiator just didn't see the point in such a waste of ammunition. People called him boring but, he had always responded "Maybe but, I'm alive. Good luck with the MA5."<br><br>Unlike a lot of soldiers, he loved sniping, it took precision, patience, and an awareness of your surroundings that normal open warfare didn't allow for. Things went fast as she took out the confused Elite, probably the pilot to the Wraith Tank, after splattering the Grunt's head all over the Wraith's purple armor, and handed him the rifle. He took it and placed the DMR on his back magnetising it to his armor plates, securing it. Gladiator looked through the SRS' scope, keeping their six covered as he looked for any Covenant Air patrols in the distance that might be called for back-up. Fortunately, he didn't see anything that he needed to be concerned about. When he saw her take off toward the alien guards, he turned and covered her from behind. Spotting an Elite that was taking aim at them as it took cover behind a safety rail. His breathing calmed as he entered what many called "sniper's time" and timed his heart beat, already running the necessary calculations through his head. The barrel wavered upwards, the sight rising with it, his heart beat again as time slowed, he exhaled, and pulled the trigger. The Elite's forehead was replaced with a hole the size of his finger and toppled backwards onto the pavement. <br><br>Another Elite ran from behind the abandoned Wraith Tank, just as Gladiator tracked it's movement it slid into the pilot's hole and the lid slid shut. He grunted in irritation and switched to his DMR, taking down two more Elites, one of which had been running to meet them, plasma repeater in hand. Gladiator took him down with three shots to the head, two to take down it's shields, and a third for the kill shot. The other had worn gold armor and had been directing his remaining forces and calling for back up.<br><br>The pilot inside the Wraith tried to take out the fast moving duo but, it was too slow to maneuver. The hot boiling plasma mortars the Wraith fired burned the air over their heads and shook the ground but, little else. Gladiator took out three Jackal snipers using Carbine, Focus, and Beam Rifles that had run from around the corner, drawn by the sounds of battle. Another Grunt went down with a shot to it's methane tank, which sent it up into the air, only to crash back into the concrete at lethal speeds. The body however, didn't stop there, and after rolling twice on the ground was flung over the bridge's safety rail by the still escaping gases. He checked their perimeter, and turned towards Valkyrie as she finished off the Wraith Tank with a grenade to it's pilot chamber, after wrenching the lid open. Gladiator spotted the Jackal Sniper on the corner of a building half a block away a hair of a second before it shot, overloading his partner's shields and knocking her from the tank. A moment later the tank erupted in flames. <br><br>"Valkyrie!!" Gladiator's warning was too late by the time it left his lips but, he had been able to fire one shot, before he had to dive for cover, the bright purplish beam missing him by inches. His own shot hit the alien scout high on it's shoulder, grazing it's leathery skin but, otherwise leaving it unharmed. He army crawled over to Valkyrie to check on her. Her pulse was strong in his biometric link as he pulled it up. The link had her outlined in red, an indication that she was injured, and that her shields were down. Gladiator grabbed her and slid her closer to the dead tank, so that she was covered. It wasn't the smartest move medically but, it would save her life if there were any more snipers with a better vantage point in that direction. He peeked out just as the Jackal returned from taking cover, and fired a wild shot at them, which hit low on the tank. He ducked back behind the Wraith, and turned to check on Valkyrie again. She was still breathing. <br><br>He peeked back out, double checking the distance, and ducked again as another beam bolt whizzed over his head. Angle, wind speed, distance, and the range of the DMR itself ran through his head in a blur, his mind calculating his chances of pulling off the maneuver he was thinking of. He took two quick breaths, dived to the side of the tank, leveled his rifle and fired. He'd seen this silly maneuver in old action holovids but, after practicing a little during training, he'd been surprised to find out that it was relatively effective. Of course it helped if the enemy didn't already know your position. That's what made the maneuver so silly, it left you vulnerable for precious seconds. Which often came down to everything on the battle field. <br><br>The bullet soared across three hundred feet and hit the Jackal in it's right eye, two centimeters from where Gladiator had aimed, the bullet's trajectory pushed slightly to the right due to the higher elevation. The blue and gold Spartan II rolled back behind cover. Just then the second Tank rumbled around the corner, it's plasma battery already charged. Gladiator pulled Valkyrie to her feet and pulled her away from the destroyed tank they were taking cover behind barely able to get a warning out as it fired it's plasma mortar. He pulled her in front of him and pushed her down to the street as they neared an alley nearby, and overloaded his shields as he activated his Armorlock ability, taking the brunt of the blast and heat in order to cover her. White plasma enveloped his field of vision, as he gritted his teeth against the heat. A second later the Plasma mortar impacted two feet in front of him and detonated against his overloaded shields. His shields went down and he rolled for the cover of the alleyway, not wasting any time. <br><br>Gladiator looked to the melted concrete where he'd just been, a nice human sized chunk remained intact. He looked back to Valkyrie, who from all appearances was unharmed by the plasma mortar. <br><br>He shrugged "The sniper's taken out. That one at-least. You okay Valkyrie?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Golden Touch</strong> on <strong>July 12, 2012, 01:31:47 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://images.wikia.com/halofanon/images/f/f1/BSPARTAN.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Adelaine 'Addie' aka Shadow<br><strong>Unit Type:</strong> Spartan&nbsp; (Sierra six three six)<br><strong>Location:</strong> New York<br><strong>Tagged:</strong> Open<br><br><br><div align="center"><em>We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto....</em></div><hr><hr><br>The spartan hissed, the span between her ping to a one 'PFC Matthew Fry' going unanswered. She repeated the call, cycling her call down to the frequency she was sure had carried his distress call. Only an unending silence in her ears. The woman shifted, peering from around her cover, the patrol moved on- unable to spot anything worthy to kill. She hugged the shattered remains of the building, making a half speed movement across the street into the shadow and cover over another rundown residence. Adelaine had no idea what had transpired with the PFC that had made him not answer but she also knew there were other Spartans out there. There were only two options at this moment and neither sounds particularly good.<br><br>One... Find PFC Fry.<br><br>Two... Search out the possibility that any of the others were still alive. <br><br>True, spartans were hard to kill but it was not impossible. As much as they liked to label the dead as MIA, not KIA... It was a legacy that they never died. She carried that thought with her, and felt the strength of those gone before beat in her blood. She could not leave a fellow combatant behind, even if it meant to collect his dog tags and move on. Maybe she could do both at the same time. Moving silently, she weaved to and fro from shadow to shadow in search of any friendlies.<br><br>Her call was quiet, hoping someone would hear her broadcast on her team's frequencies, <em>"Oly Oly Oxen Free."</em> The spartan signal was an all clear and was known only to Spartan-IIs. The all clear was given on other USN comms, hoping to pick out anyone that was an Hell jumper or otherwise. <strong>"Sierra six three six offering aid. Anyone out there?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>July 13, 2012, 09:11:14 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter had to laugh at the marine, even though he was in pain and had to spit some more blood out of his mouth.<br><br>"We didn't hear you because we haven't been conscious all that long, now let's get the hell into that med room and get sorted out, then we can go and enjoy the killing once we are back up to strength"<br><br>He pushed himself slowly into a standing position on his good leg and placed a hand on Shana's shoulder so that he didn't overbalance and fall back on his front.<br><br>"Let's get going shall we? Don't want the war to finish without us"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>July 13, 2012, 10:40:10 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shana left her smart ass remarks to rot in the back of her head. Though the woman liked a good brawl, she thought it best to let it slip away for now. The marine was injured himself, and that gave Shana all the more advantage over him, but she did not share.<br><br>Holding onto Hunter's arm with one hand and securing the other around his waist, the woman looked to Sling a moment and smiled. She shook her head and helped the Spartan slowly and carefully to one of the medical beds.<br><br>"Why don't you keep an eye above while I figure out how to dress the Spartan. The covenant most likely thought us dead, but thanks to your obnoxious entrance, I'm sure we'll have more arrivals shortly." she told the marine glancing to him a moment before leaving Hunter to punch multiple codes into the computer.<br><br>"I'm going to give you a full body scan to see what exactly we're dealing with, lay down and I'll start the process." Shana told Hunter as her boney fingers tapped upon the keyboard.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>July 13, 2012, 12:44:21 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter laid down on the med table and waited patiently as Shana punched in code after code to get the scanner working. He had been on these enough to know when it started up. He stayed perfectly still as the machine scanned every part of his body.<br><br>When it stopped, he looked over to the marine<br><br>"So what's the damage doc?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>July 14, 2012, 11:41:51 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Valkyrie opened her eyes, she was being dragged across the ground. Plasma bolts and tracers streaked overhead, some coming a little too close for comfort. The other Spartan left her behind the wreckage of the wraith and returned fire. Her immediate reflex was to check that her rifle was loaded, and the second was to reboot her shields.<br><br>Suddenly Gladiator grabbed her by the arm and pulled her upright, shoving her away from the vehicle. Valkyrie's skin crawled and the ground lit up bright blue as a small sun descended upon the soil, nearly throwing the two away with the resulting blast. She glanced back and saw the other spartan's armor glowing from an overcharged shield, when another round seemed poised to land between them. She hurled herself into the alley and landed with a roll, shortly before Gladiator did the same, his shields expended.<br><br>"Armor lock, hm?" Valkyrie remarked. It was another thing the S-III program had generated, and one of the upgrades she never had time to install given the months of hectic fighting. Oh well. <br><br>A series of beeps told the spartan her shields were back up. She gave the other Spartan a nod. "Thank you." Valkyrie darted out of the alley, firing her MA-5K as she did. Being caught off guard like that had embarrassed her, made her focus more. And what was important right now was maintaining momentum so the covvie had no time to regroup.<br><br>"Target their commanders if you can." She whispered into the comms. When the MA-5 clicked on an empty chamber, Valkyrie darted behind cover and locked the bolt open. A fresh magazine was slapped into the rifle in a second and the bolt sent home with a ratchet. A pair of jackals were attempting to close in with the soldier, shields raised. Valkyrie calmly squeezed the trigger, sending a hail of rounds into the legs of the chicken-like covenant. <br><br>Valkyrie took one of her precious few smoke grenades and popped it over her cover. The little grey canister started to spew white smoke and dispense chaff, blocking thermal imaging through the cloud. The spartan crept from her cover and stepped over to the two wounded kig-yar. She executed each one with a few rounds to the skull, removing the portable shields from their wrists. Pausing to don one, she took off toward the last position of the Wraith at a hard run. The occasional plasma bolt sizzled off the blue disc, protecting the Spartan as she sprinted across the cratered ground. Valkyrie burst from the smoke cloud, shooting past a confused squad of grunts and a single elite. Valkyrie turned to lob a single grenade into their ranks before ducking into the nearby rubble in a zigzag pattern.<br><br>Confused barks and shouts preempted the thunderclap of a grenade blast. The Spartan unslung her M19 as bolts from the Wraith's plasma repeater raked the ground behind her. She clicked off the safety as she sprinted past the side of the armored vehicle, escaping the turning radius of it's gun. When she brought the launcher to bear, there wasn't a thing to block the shot. Valkyrie fired.<br><br>The 102mm warhead leapt from the launcher and lazily sailed over on a column of flame. It careened into the main cannon with a loud crunch, showering the gunner with molten plasma as the gun overloaded. Valkyrie watched as the weapon sputtered, then faded entirely as the driver decided to kill the power source. As the covvie tank attempted to reboot, Valkyrie took aim at the exposed cowlings at the rear of the vehicle.<br><br><em>"Sierra six three six offering aid. Anyone out there?"</em> Valkyrie reflexively keyed her comms, lowering the weapon. Before she could reply something slammed into the spartan, knocking away her weapon as it threw her into the concrete. Valkyrie rolled off her shoulder and rose to a crouch, simmering at the interruption. The air to her direct front had a shimmer to it, and Valkyrie reflexively unloaded a burst, causing the thing's shields to flicker before it darted away.<br><br>The Spartan backpedaled as she fired, knowing every second this thing kept her delayed, the longer the tank had to get operational. But eventually the rifle ran empty and Valkyrie dropped it, ripping her sidearm from its holster. The shimmer stopped. It flickered as its user decloaked, revealing a sangheili warrior clad in grey and purple armor, with a distinctive armored helmet. It flicked one arm out, igniting a plasma sword. Off all the covenant soldiers that Valkyrie had to run into, fate would deem a special operations elite the proper choice. "Shit..." Valkyrie muttered. "Sierra six-three-six, sending you map grids. In a bit of trouble right now." She killed the comms.<br><br>It charged with a roar. The three slugs she managed to fire only weakened the elite's shields and she barely managed to roll out of the way. The warrior was quick on his recovery however and drove a fist into Valkyrie's helmet with bone-breaking force, slamming her into the concrete. He raised his blade for the kill, but Valkyrie didn't make it easy. She drove a leg explosively into the enemy soldier before climbing to her feet. She fired again and again, each round just angering her opponent.<br><br>He feinted and dodged to the side. Valkyrie's fingers held the elite's arm with the blade mere inches from her face. The elite barked in surprise as she drove the pistol into its gut, unloading the magazine as its shields flickered and failed entirely. She scowled as the weapon ran out of ammo and slammed the gun into the elite's face. She threw the sanghelli viciously against a nearby wall. The blade fell from its hands and fizzled out.<br><br>Valkyrie released the elite and reloaded her M6D. She didn't notice the warrior's eyes flit at the discarded magazine, or one arm reaching behind its back. She was about to finish the sangheili with a bullet when it exploded from the wall with a horrific growl, tackling the spartan around the waist with a live plasma grenade sizzling in it's hand. To Valkyrie, everything seemed to happen slowly afterward. She locked stares with the defiant covenant warrior. Did he really want to die this badly?<br><br>She didn't. She didn't think it did, either.<br><br>Valkyrie used her free arm to slam an open hand into the side of the elite's skull, concussing it for just a moment. She kicked hard off the ground, breaking free of the elite's grip and leaving the sizzling grenade sitting on the ground between them, a moment away from tearing both to pieces.. She glared at the elite and dropped onto the grenade, activating the shield on her arm at the same time. Perhaps the covenant didn't understand humanity, but they all understood the basic desire to survive, and what sacrifice was.<br><br>There was a brilliant flash of blue.<br><br><br>((OOC: I have a follow-up segment ready to go. So please nobody puppet valkyrie or the spec ops elite for now.))
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>July 19, 2012, 05:14:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmond "Sling" Rockwell<br>Location: NYC Mall.</strong><br><br>Sling quirked his head quizzically at Shana and Hunter. He hadn't known that they'd been unconscious when all the action had been taking place. The ODST's visor turned to regard the smaller Marine "Obnoxious? Alright, next time you're tackled into an empty elevator shaft by an Elite, I'll just sit back and watch to see how a <em>real</em> pro does things" he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He shook his head and turned to face the hole in the ceiling as Shana helped the Spartan onto a high tech gurney, a smile on his face despite the pain in his leg. The ODST looked up through the hole and shook his head again, if he hadn't managed to grab that cable, he'd have been a goner. The ODST looked back to the Spartan and the small Marine, they looked like they'd been through hell. His attention turned to Hunter as he asked how bad off he was.<br><br>Sling hobbled over to the counter that lined the back of the medical room, using the Gravity Hammer he'd found to keep pressure off of his injured leg. He leaned against the counter and shrugged off his armored pack, withdrawing a small cylindrical device with what looked like small pincers on either side of it's head. It housed a small camera in it's belly, he turned the drone over in his hands and used s small screwdriver he found in his pack to tighten a few plates before he activated it. The drone hovered in his hand for a few minutes, and connected with his HUD. He opened a panel and typed in his security code, a second later the word "confirmed" played across the small screen in green lettering, he typed in a few commands and then closed the panel. The drone after taking a quick look around the room, rose higher into the air and flew over to the elevator. It took a scan and then raced to the top of the elevator shaft. Perching itself in the shaft, across from the opened doors of the elevator, it found some battle damage in the wall big enough to sit and powered down it's hovering thrusters, external lights, and activated it's thermal sensors. A small image of what it saw popped up on Sling's HUD a moment later.<br><br>"There we go. The entrance is as secure as I can make it for now, got the drone's camera feed linked to my HUD. Now, tell me what I've missed since I had that blasted building fall on top of me" Sling said crossing his arms over his chest after putting his pack back on.<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>July 19, 2012, 10:11:09 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Acknowledged." Was Shana's only reply to the ODST. A small smile upon her face was present as she stared at the screen before her. She glanced to Hunter before looking back to the monitor. <br><br>"Error..access denied." the computer talked back at the woman as she pressed enter. Shana quirked an eyebrow and tried a different series of codes only to hear the generic female voice repeat, "Error...access denied."<br><br><br>"I hate computers.." the marine grumbled to herself rubbing her temples. She frowned and tried one more time to get the computer to do what she wanted, but when the voice repeated her line, Shana slammed a hand onto the desk in utter frustration. "Screw you then..my way." she told to monitor and typed in an override code in an attempt to get the machine to do more than scan, but the computer was too advanced and caught the marine.&nbsp; <br><br>"Threat detected.." the computer spoke. As the files began to diisappear from the database, the woman pulled off her combat knife from her shoulder and cut the cords and stood up. Placing the knife back in its sheeth, the short woman walked to the medical bed and turned on the monitor. It showed an x-ray of Hunter's body. An image of a small disc in the corner of the screen spun trying to load information from the main computer, but it would never achieve its goal. "I have to do this manually. I could not override the system. According to the scan, your leg is broken in two spots. Three cracked ribs, two broken, one of which is not in a good spot." She told the large man and pushed a button to view muscle tissue. "I don't see any internal bleeding, lucky you. Your knife, use it if it helps..I'm going to realign your leg..it's going to hurt. Next I'm going to pull up that rib and take out that glass tube. Using the can of bio-foam, I will seal you up. Confirm."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>July 20, 2012, 05:25:38 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter watched as Shana tried to gain access to the computer, eventually she had managed to pull up an x-ray of him and he listened as she rattled off the list of injuries he had sustained.<br><br>"That ain't so bad, for a moment there I thought it might have been something serious"<br><br>He thought for a moment<br><br>"Would it help if I took my armour off so that you could access my leg and chest properly?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>July 24, 2012, 03:02:29 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Sierra 0161 aka Gladiator<br>Location: NYC Pier just off of the Washington Bridge.</strong><br><br>Gladiator nodded as Valkyrie thanked him "Don't mention it." He peeked around the corner and saw that more Covenant had shown up to guard the single remaining Wraith Tank. A second later Valkyrie's shields recharged and she darted out of the alleyway, running in a zig zag pattern to keep the Covenant from attaining a kill shot. She asked him to target the commanders over the comms. He rolled his eyes, briefly wondering if she thought he was new at this and replied with a simple "Rodger that". She easily dispatched a couple of Jackals, shooting the birdlike aliens in their knobby double jointed legs toppling them over before finishing them off. She took their portable shield devices, and affixed them to her wrists. Gladiator brought the DMR up and prepared to cover her as she moved to get a clear shot at the Wraith with the M19. He took out a couple Jackals and Grunts before noticing the Wraith Tank turn to track her progress. The gunner on the Wraith fired streams of plasma at her, he targeted the Grunt in the scope of his DMR and fired. He saw the Grunt jump in it's seat as the DMR's bullet ricocheted off the Wraith Tank's purplish armor, just before Valkyrie threw a smoke grenade to throw off the Covenant forces, obscuring his view. He cursed, and ran up a nearby fire escape, twisting the flimsy metal easily in his palm as he grabbed it. <br><br>The metal frame started to sag under his weight and he had to double time it to reach the roof. The fire escape was never meant to hold something as heavy as a Spartan in full armor, and crashed to the ground seconds after he made the roof. A second later he heard the concussive impact of a M19's rocket impacting something. He ran to the edge of the rooftop and looked to the area below him, and spotted the tank, the Grunt gunner was a nasty charred blue blood spattered mess. The alien heavy artillery vehicle was sparking. It shuddered and died a moment later, but failed to explode. He looked back to where the smoke from the grenade had been and saw the outline of an Elite and it's two Grunt underlings as the smoke began to disperse, a second later Valkyrie's grenade detonated, shredding the Grunts and taking out the Elite's shields while throwing it to the ground. One shot rang out from the SRS 99D's barrel and the Elite's brains splattered all over the pavement, assuring him that it would never get up again. <br><br>Just then a new voice broke over the comms <em>"Sierra six three six offering aid. Anyone out there?"</em>. Another Spartan was out there somewhere, that was good. He hoped they were close and had friends. He clicked his comm to Valkyrie's frequency first and reported his position "Valkyrie, I'm at your seven o'clock on a rooftop. I've got you covered." He took a quick look at the area before Valkyrie. The road before her was mostly populated with Jackals and Grunts with their Elite and Brute commanders. <br>He heard Valkyrie tell the lost Spartan that she would send her the map grid of their location. He spotted a Brute Chieftan trying to get the drop on Valkyrie by hiding behind a large eighteen wheeler while she was distracted with fighting off an Elite from their Special Operations division, armed with a plasma sword. He remembered coming across the Elite Spec Ops soldiers (http://www.electricblueskies.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Halo-Reach-Covenant-Files-5-Solace-7-SPECIAL-OPERATIONS-SANGHEILI-ELITE.jpg) before, they were tough. Gladiator reloaded the SRS and took aim. The Elite had Valkyrie on the ground now and raised it's energy blade for the kill. Gladiator fired just as Valkyrie kicked it making it stumble backwards. The bullet from his Sniper Rifle tore through the air between them and impacted on the ground, throwing up a small plume of pulverized concrete. Valkyrie jumped to her feet and fired round after round into it's shields. <br><br>Movement caught his eye from the direction of the eighteen wheeler, the Brute Chieftan was on the move now, headed toward the two combatants. Three more shots from the SRS rang out, the first two making the behemoth stumble backwards as the rounds impacted it's shield, the third putting a hole between it's eyes. He heard the distinctive sound of a M6D Magnum being unloaded and looked just in time to see the flash from Valkyrie's weapon discharge, just before the Elite's shields went down. She slammed the alien in the face before slamming it into the wall. The impact shook the plasma sword from it's grasp and fizzled out on the ground. He heard the Elite roar in rage but, was distracted by the distinctive <em>snap-hiss</em> of a Covenant Elite's plasma sword coming to life directly behind him. He dropped to the ground and rolled over, he felt the heat the energy weapon emitted as it passed harmlessly over his head. Cursing he kicked the Elite in the chest, making it stumble backwards. <br><br>He dropped the SRS and picked up the DMR raising it just as the Elite recovered and charged him. He reacted quickly as the Elite quickly covered the space between them and fell on his back. When the Elite bore down on him plasma sword raised for the killing blow, Gladiator's feet exploded upwards and tossed the alien over the side of the building as he curled his body and pushed with his arms. The Elite roared in fury as it twisted through the air, landing on it's head, splattering the pavement below with it's purple blood. Gladiator kicked forward again so he wouldn't complete his backward momentum by tumbling over the side of the building, and came up in a crouch. He checked his area for any camouflaged opponents, the only give away being a slight shimmer to the air. He didn't see any but, that didn't mean they weren't there, it just meant they weren't moving.<br><br>He turned back around just in time to see Valkyrie slam the Elite she'd been fighting in the head with an open palm, activate one of the Jackal shields on her arm, and drop <em>onto</em> a plasma grenade. He didn't have time to give into his confusion as the plasma grenade glowed white hot and detonated.<br><br>"VALKYRIE!!!!!" Gladiator's voice echoed through the still air. <br><br>The Elite she'd been fighting looked up at him and then looked at his opponent before it ran off. Sniper fire from Gladiator following it closely. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>July 26, 2012, 08:50:27 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				All UNSC forces had to regularly take fitness exams. Spartan-IIs had no formal standards, so community goals were often set by the leaders to be done at their relative leisure. Once, Fred had challenged not only blue team, but all the present S-2s to do three hundred push ups, timed. Valkyrie had been aching for days.<br><br>That hurt a lot less than laying down a covenant hand grenade. The Spartan had only done it because the thing had been a moment away from detonating, and she hadn't exactly been in a position to dive away. Right now, she though that hurling the elite prick onto the grenade would have probably been a better idea. Murderous rage wasn't her thing, but she felt close to it. <br><br>The spartan's hands shook from the huge hit of adrenaline she had experienced, making the everyday act of loading a weapon a struggle. She took a deep, shuddering breath and calmed her frayed nerves. The magazine locked into the rifle with a reassuring clack. Valkyrie turned to face the battlefield and found countless bodies scattered across the road from her combined work. The hatch on the Wraith was open; it's crew had run off. After checking that the immediate area was safe, she started the gradual process of rebooting her coms, visuals and shields.<br><br>"Looks like you got most of them. Nice work." Valkyrie started poking through corpses for intel and equipment. She was pretty low on grenades. "Any word from 636?"<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>August 07, 2012, 11:18:46 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmond "Sling" Rockwell<br><br>Loc: Basement of a Mall in NYC, NY</strong><br><br>Sling snickered quietly as Shana attempted to hack the single computer that was in the small emergency medical room they were in, and failed to do so, much to her own frustration. The computer must have had some pretty sophisticated programs because it detected her hack. He had to admit to being a little impressed by that. He chuckled as she hit the desk in frustration and then cut the cord with her combat knife. As she accessed the scanner manually, she read off the injuries the Spartan had sustained. Sling grimaced from behind his helmet but, the grimace could be seen in the subtle movement of his shoulders. Hunter made light of the injuries much to Desmond's surprise, and admiration, though he'd never admit it.<br><br>Sling snorted "Heh. Well, well, looks like you Spartan's aren't invincible after all. Whattya know?" Taken at face value, Sling could have been seen as a jackass and he hoped that that was Hunter's first reaction. The anger would numb some of the pain that Hunter had coming his way. Bone realignments weren't anything to joke about, they hurt like hell. He hoped secretly however, that Hunter would realize what Sling was doing. <br><br>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br><br><strong>Sierra 0161 "Gladiator"<br>Loc: NYC Pier just off the Washington Bridge</strong><br><br>Gladiator grabbed the SRS and the DMR, and dropped down from the roof, his feet and legs stinging with the impact as they met hard, unyielding concrete, and cracked it. The blue and gold colored Spartan straightened from his crouch and ran to his injured comrade, his heart was racing, and then sighed with relief as he saw her reload her rifle. "You're nuts, y'know that? Dropping onto a grenade like that with only a Jackal wrist shield to protect you? That's just crazy. Glad it worked though" he said as he drew close to her, grabbing her under the shoulder he helped her up into a standing position. He could tell she was shaking when he'd walked up but, the moment his glove made contact with her, he knew that it was worse than what he was seeing. He kept close to her and led her over to the nearest building's wall so that she could rest a minute.<br><br>He shook his head to her question "Not so far. Doesn't mean anything though, she could just be busy, or have to maintain radio silence due to Covenant in her area, or it could be interference on her end. I'm going to try her again, wait one" he flicked his eye over his HUD, activating the comms icon and changing channels so that he transmitted on the frequency 636 had used.<br><br>"Sierra six three six, this is Sierra zero one six one. Give me your SitRep soldier. Copy? Over." Gladiator looked out over the bay area, admiring the beauty and tranquility that naturally resided in the place as he checked for any Covenant activity. Fortunately, there wasn't any that he could see. He turned his attention back to Valkyrie, switched his comms over to TeamCOM and lightly pressed a hand to her shoulder "You ok?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>August 11, 2012, 03:28:53 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Valkyrie brushed away the hand. "I'm alright," she said curtly. The spartan had never been one for touchy-feely, despite being quite a social creature.<br><br>She took measured breaths to slow her heartbeat and respiration back to normal levels. There was a pinprick in her back as the suit administered various drugs to her system, and the shaking in her extremeties begun to subside. Valkyrie was very familiar with the process. "Coping with the adrenaline and non-adrenaline caused by the body alarm reaction, Gladiator. Routine stuff," she said dryly. Though they were religiously trained and had a different metabolism than a normal human, some things were always the same.&nbsp; The body's natural response to a life-threatening situation had enough advantages to stay.<br><br>That said, it fucking hurt.<br><br>Valkyrie started to walk, just to keep herself mentally occupied. "Why don't we look for Patric? Return signals should be clear either way."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>August 11, 2012, 01:11:18 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman raised a brow to Hunter's question as she studied his facial expression. She wasn't sure if his question was a test or if he had been serious. Breaking eye contact, Shana removed herself from the scanner and walked to the edge of the bed. As she pulled out her combat knife once more she spoke. "Just because it's quiet, does not mean it is safe. Taking off your armor will leave you completely open as easy prey. Being a Spartan, of all soldiers, should know the dangers."<br><br>Her words were monotone with no emotion given as she cut the wiring around the giant's leg. Picking at the mess, Shana placed her weapon back in place so she could grab the wooden board with two hands. In one swift movement, she slid it quickly out from beneath Hunter's leg and carelessly tossed the board aside. The marine placed a boot on Hunter's good knee and reached for his broken leg. The body part was heavy, but Shana kept it still in her careful hands. Looking back to Hunter she said, "I am going to pull, lift, bend, and then push it back into place. Are you ready Spartan?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>August 11, 2012, 04:09:37 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter nodded in agreement at her statement, in his messed up state he wasn't thinking completely straight and it was a struggle to keep his grip on reality, but he was rooted for the time being.<br><br>Placing his hands on the edge of the table and taking several deep breaths, he nodded.<br><br>"Let's do this"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Golden Touch</strong> on <strong>August 22, 2012, 12:21:56 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://images.wikia.com/halofanon/images/f/f1/BSPARTAN.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Adelaine 'Addie' aka Shadow<br><strong>Unit Type:</strong> Spartan&nbsp; (Sierra six three six)<br><strong>Location:</strong> New York<br><strong>Tagged:</strong> Open<br><br><br><div align="center"><em>We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto....</em></div><hr><hr><br>The spartan ducked behind a wall as she traversed the terrain, spying yet another mixed group of jackels and grunts. Watching them for a bit, their movements were lazy, not at all in formation. They did not know anything was near by. Apparently no communications had been sent out on alert before she had taken the last bunch out. No need to let another group get by, and the rest of her company was still out there. She took a long, slow breath to center herself- glancing down the sight of her sniper rifle. Her HUD lit up, distracting her from the shot and it went wild. Damn...<br><br><em>Sierra six-three-six, sending you map grids. In a bit of trouble right now</em><br><br>She swore, seeing the hostiles scatter into cover when she hit a grunt inside of the jackel. Adelaine swore again, ducking as a shower of return fire peppered her hiding place. The 'tink tink tink' of a grenade lobbed in her direction made her execute a misjudged roll- finding herself far too open for her liking. Ignoring the call for her grids, she slid into another shadowed alcove- peering into her scope again. <br><br>'Crack.'<br><br>'Crack.'<br><br>Two grunts exploded, their methane tanks exploding and the wash of blue flames as a primmed sticky grenade was dropped from a grunt claw into their midst. Poor cover when the fire came from the inside. She laughed- a slightly maniacal sound. Another scattering of bodies, and she fired another shot.<br><br>'Crack.'<br><br>The jackel down, the rest of the grunts fled in terror with their guiding force dead. She was easily picking them off, enjoying the subtle crack of her weapon as it dealt deadly, swift accuracy in her hands. Her HUD lit up with another incoming communication and she paused to key the return information.<br><br><em>"Sierra six three six, this is Sierra zero one six one. Give me your SitRep soldier. Copy? Over."</em><br><br>She laughed, her voice breaking over their linked Comms. <strong>"Sierra zero one six one, you're alive. Good- thought I was the only out out here. Sierra six three six copies. Over."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>September 05, 2012, 02:08:45 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Sierra 0161 aka "Gladiator"<br>Loc: NYC Pierr, just off the Washington Bridge.</strong><br><br><em><strong>"Sierra zero one six one, you're alive. Good- thought I was the only out out here. Sierra six three six copies. Over."</strong></em><br><br>Gladiator nodded as Valkyrie brushed his hand away and then switched to Sierra 636's frequency "Good. We have a Private Matthew Fry stuck in your location, we need to you retrieve him and then rendezvous with us <em>here</em>" he said activating a NAV marker at a building half way between their two locations. He scrolled across the UNSC's database for the area and was pleased to find a supply depot nearby. "There should be a supply depot in the area, near a Mike's Auto Body and Paint Shop, gather what supplies you can, and hold position until we get there, if possible. We're going to look for a downed Spartan in our area, and try to find transport. Over."<br><br>He activated another NAV marker and set it in Pvt. Fry's last known location, and then uploaded the coordinates and NAV markers to 636's HUD. He turned to Valkyrie and activated his external speakers "I just heard from six three six, she's good. I told her to retrieve Private Fry while we search for Patric, and then rendezvous with us at these coordinates" he sent the RV coordinates to Valkyrie's HUD. Taking a breath as he scanned the immediate area but, still didn't find any enemy contacts. That was a relief. He made his way over to the edge of the pierr and looked out across the ocean, trying to spot Patric but, it wasn't until he walked along the pierr about three kilometers and looked out to the part of the bridge closest to land, that he spotted Patric's unconscious form laying on the beach beside a support pillar. He radioed Valkyrie, telling her he'd found Patric and raced to his comrade. In only a few moments Gladiator had made his way down the winding stairs that led to the beach, leaping over a few rails to get to the stairs below and down to his friend faster. He kneeled in the sand beside Patric, reading over the suit's sensors that displayed Patric's bio-readings. "He's in a coma, we need to move. The Covenant will be here soon with reinforcements" Gladiator reported to Valkyrie as he gently picked up the white and gold armored Spartan and laid him across his right shoulder. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>September 17, 2012, 05:22:48 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Valkyrie remained close by, keeping her separation distance constant. It was oddly tranquil by the coast as they moved along, searching for the lost Spartan. She listened quietly to the conversation between Gladiator and Sierra 636, mentally creating strategies for the coming trek to the meet-up point. An ache at her temples reminded Valkyrie that the grenade might have given her a concussion. She knew it was a terrible idea to keep fighting with a head injury. But that was just part of being an S-II, wasn't it?<br><br>As she approached Gladiator and the unconscious Patric, she offered a hand. "I'll carry him. You're better with a rifle than I am." She effortlessly hefted her fellow Spartan and fell in behind Gladiator, holding her MA-5K lightly in one hand. "We'll need to find a vehicle soon. We're sniper bait right now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>September 26, 2012, 12:33:32 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman nodded her head acknowledging the Spartan's response. Taking a slow breath, Shana adjusted her grip on the giant's boot and pulled back stretching his leg out. When the leg moved with her slightly, the marine bent foward and using her elbow she pushed down on Hunter's shin as she steadied his foot with her other hand. Feeling she had pushed the bone down far enough, she moved back in position and brought the leg forward to allow the bone to be once again connected to each other. Shana whirled her attention to the soldier keeping watch, her dark brown lock of hair from one of her bangs flowing out of the way. Waving him closer she instructed, "You, hold this leg steady, I need to scan 'im once more to make sure it's alligned." she looked back to Hunter, the woman removed her boot from him and gave his good knee a light reassuring squeeze. "How you doin'? You okay? Almost done. Gotta check the position then once that bio-foam takes affect, you'll feel new for a few hours."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>September 27, 2012, 04:05:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter prepared himself when Shana grabbed hold of his broken leg and clenched his teeth as hard as he could, gripping onto the sides of the table as the pain became immense in his leg once Shana began to work on it, shifting it and resetting it. Sweat rolled down his face as the intense concentration on not yelling out increased. He didn't want any enemies to find them while they were vulnerable like this. Once Shana was done, he breathed out in short ragged breaths, his leg throbbing painfully.<br><br>"Thanks, you should create time travel and go back in time and show them how torture should have really been done, bloody hell"<br><br>He took several more breaths, trying to steady himself. Looking down at the sides of the table he found that he had crumpled them with his grip in his efforts.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>avt2</strong> on <strong>October 20, 2012, 12:39:12 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: Hope you guys don't mind if I join! I don't have all that much experience with Halo but I've played a few times and read up on it a little. I haven't been approved but I was under the impression I could join up. Just let me know if that's okay!)<br><br><br><br><em>Proximity alert. Proximity alert.</em> The helmet had been set to sound an alarm if a hostile got too close; no other noise could get in. Groggily, a hand disabled the alarm. It was nigh impossible to get some shut-eye in this damned city. Yawning, the Spartan rose, blinking away the sleep. The Spartan had previously been awake for 76 hours, and according to the time on the display, had slept for a good 5. Looking at the proximity sensor again, the Spartan saw multiple hostiles closing in. Whether they were aware of a UNSC presence in this location or were just lucky was uncertain. However, they wouldn't be allowed to leave here alive. Slowly, the Spartan got in position, up against the wall next to the doorway, waiting silently.<br><br>Three grunts walked in, followed by an elite. More were outside, standing guard. They hadn't noticed the Spartan's black armor in the darkness, unbroken black with only a single white spade on the back. Now was the time to strike.<br><br>With swift violence of action, the seasoned predator sprung, going first for the elite. It took all of three seconds to climb onto its back, forcing its head up and stabbing it through the throat. As its knees buckled, the grunts began to turn around. The Spartan threw the bloody knife at the first, catching it in the gas mask and distracting it for a moment while the Spartan kicked one grunt straight across the room and crushed the second into the ground, killing it instantly. The third grunt tried to scramble for the door, unable to think clearly enough to use its comms to alert the guards outside. With four Covenant hostiles neutralized, the Spartan picked up the missile knife and reached to for a holstered weapon while walking to the door.<br><br><br><br>Inside the room, an Elite energy blade ignited. The two recon Elites looked at each other, then looked inside. The Spartan's instincts went for the one on the left first. Screaming as he died, the Elite's opaque helmet betrayed none of the pain the dying creature felt. Ripping the sword out, the Spartan turned just as the second Elite drew its weapon. Batting the Elite's arm to the side, the Spartan kicked the Elite up against the wall and went in for the kill, the sword penetrating all the way through and into the wall. <br><br>The adrenaline rush began to fade. The Spartan took hold of the communicator synchronized directly to the Admiral, and spoke into it. "Black Actual, this is Petty Officer 3rd Class, SPARTAN-095: Lola, designation White One, awaiting next tasking order."<br><br>"White One, this is Black Actual. A lot has happened while you were getting your beauty sleep, soldier. We sent forces to infiltrate the Covenant cruiser and destroy it. They failed to do so - the cruiser warped out before they even hit the ground. Regroup with any other Spartan, ODST, or marine units in your vicinity. We need time to continue analyze your last intel drop. Any activity in your area? Over."<br><br>"Black Actual, White One. Yes sir, three Sangheili scouts and three Unggoy. I don't know how they discovered my position, sir. Possible coincidence, over."<br><br>"Roger that, White One. Stay near this area - there may be a target of opportunity here. I'll update you with any further information. Black Actual out."<br><br>095 had been crouched in the corner of the room she'd slept in as she spoke to the Admiral. What was so special about this place that Elites and Grunts would want to be here? She flicked open her UGPS, getting updated on any available information. Last known positions, et cetera. She couldn't decide if she wanted to meet up with Spartans or other soldiers. Spartans weren't exactly the most social, as a whole. In the end she would likely not have much choice. She would go where needed. She removed her Commando helmet, revealing her close-cropped blonde hair, fair features and gray eyes, and walked over to her supply pack and picked out a bottle of water. She washed her face and drank some, then stowed it. She looked at the helmet on the ground, its matte-black visor not reflecting any of the light streaming in through the holes in the ceiling. It had seemed like days since she'd taken it off - in fact, it <em>had</em> been days, and the helmet had made red impressions on her face from where the pads rested - they'd likely take hours to go away. But not with the helmet still on, which it would have to be. She walked over and picked it back up, sliding it over her attractive face and locking it in place.<br><br>095 stood up and went over to pick up her DMR. Reloading it with the smoothness and precision that only came from the confidence and experience gained through years and years of war, she trekked off, sticking to the shadows and getting from cover to cover as quickly as she could. She wanted to get in contact with any surviving UNSC troops in the area, but she wouldn't risk communication over general UNSC comms - they had a reputation of being leaky and easy for the Covenant to decode. This was an active war zone: caution was still the word of the day, and that meant radio silence until she could establish direct comm links.
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>October 30, 2012, 09:29:34 pm</strong>
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				<strong>Desmond "Sling" Rockwell<br>Loc: Mall Emergency Medical Room, New York City, New York.</strong><br><br>Sling uncrossed his arms as Shana and Hunter prepared themselves for the rigors of the next few moments. Shana explaining what she was about to do, and Hunter nodding his consent, seeming to simply want to get the whole ordeal over with. He could empathize. As Shana worked to loosen the armor surrounding the Spartan's leg so that she could better work, Hunter asked if he should remove his armor. Shana shook her head, and told him they were already vulnerable, and that an unarmored Spartan would just make the situation worse if they had intruders. Desmond nodded his head in agreement "She's right, besides, I'm not exactly one hundred percent myself at the moment. Broken leg from that damned building falling on me" he said pointing to the injured leg and the Brute Gravity Hammer he was using as a crutch. <br><br>As Shana tried to work the leg into it's original position the ODST grimaced, he remembered that having been done to him by proper medical staff with numbing agents in his system. It still hurt like hell. He looked up and nodded as Shana asked him to stabilize Hunter's leg. "Sure thing doc" he hobbled over, leaning the alien weapon against a nearby counter before he put his full weight on Hunter's leg to keep it from moving unnecessarily. As Shana twisted, jerked and pushed the leg back into place, Sling was watching the metal beneath Hunter's clasping hand bend, and warp. When Shana was done, he whistled in awe of the Spartan's strength. It hadn't been the first time he'd seen a Spartan use it's great strength but, he was amazed every time. <br><br><em>"Thanks, you should create time travel and go back in time and show them how torture should have really been done, bloody hell"</em> Hunter said through gritted teeth.<br><br>Sling had to laugh at that. He slapped the Spartan good-naturedly on the shoulder and looked to Shana "Ha! I'm beginning to like this guy."<br><br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br><strong>Sierra 0161 "Gladiator"<br>Loc: NYC Pier just off of the Washington Bridge, NYC, NY</strong><br><br><em>Valkyrie held out her hands "I'll carry him. You're better with a rifle than I am." She effortlessly hefted her fellow Spartan and fell in behind Gladiator, holding her MA-5K lightly in one hand. "We'll need to find a vehicle soon. We're sniper bait right now."</em><br><br>"Agreed" Gladiator said, his deep voice rumbling through the external speakers. He waved his arm forward, two fingers extended as he spotted a truck a little farther down the road "Let's check that truck." He fast walked over to the civilian vehicle and checked the door handle, it was locked. He took a step back and punched the window out, then unlocked the door, he half sat in the driver's seat as he tore out the under carriage of the steering wheel, exposing the vulnerable wiring. Spotting the wires that led to the ignition, he ripped them apart and began striking them together. A few seconds later the truck started up. He looked back at Valkyrie as she strode up to the truck, then caught a motion out of the corner of his eye. His DMR rifle immediately went up. A sudden roar from a nearby building caught his attention and he spun around to his left, just in time to see a Brute Chieftain in a two story building, fog up the glass in front of it and then shatter the glass as it jumped through, Gravity Hammer raised. <br><br>"Get clear!!!" Gladiator shouted as he pushed from the truck and rolled into a ready position. The ape-like alien flew through the air, reaching just short of the truck and smashed it's weapon through the cabin before jerking it up and out. It roared at him, spittle from it's mouth flying. Gladiator shot the thing in the face, the impact of the bullet bouncing harmlessly off it's shield but, knocking creature back a step. Gladiator ran forward and jumped up onto the ruined vehicle, and immediately sidestepped as the Brute's hammer came crashing down. He leapt from atop the remains of the truck and kicked the creature in it's gorilla like face as it struggled to get it's weapon free. It's grasp broken temporarily it stumbled backwards before backhanding him as he landed, knocking him through the window behind the blue and gold Spartan. Gladiator shook his head, shrugging off the blow and got back up just in time to see the Brute turn it's attention to Valkyrie. When Gladiator came out of the ruined window, the beast was already running for her and Patric. Gladiator ran to catch up, his legs pumping hard against the ground. He came up behind the charging Brute leader, jerking his head to the side as business end of the Gravity Hammer came dangerously close to hitting him as it ran. He punched the thing in the back of the head, making it stumble, then dropped to the ground but, not in time to dodge another backhanded swing of it's mighty arm. <br><br>Gladiator crashed against the already crumpled truck, caving in the trunk and half of the side of the unfortunate car. The impact sent him reeling. The enraged roar from the Brute helped to bring him back to his senses. Relying totally on instinct, he ducked, dodging a decapitating blow from the Chieftain's Gravity Hammer, the hammer's metal sparking as it grinded noisily against the metal of the truck. Gladiator's fist came up in a uppercut, slamming against the Brute's lower jaw, the blow propelled harder by the Spartan pushing with his legs, the blow raising the creature up on it's feet and into the air a few feet only to land with a loud crash on the concrete. Gladiator ran forward intent on finishing this fight but, he underestimated the Brute's speed, and ended up jumping to the side to dodge the creature's descending hammer blow. The ground cracked and caved in where the hammer struck, making Gladiator raise his black eyebrows in surprise within to confines of his helmet. The Brute charged him again, it's face screwed into a fiercesome snarl, roaring as it came, it's thick leathery feet thudding against the ground. Gladiator's stance widened a bit as he prepared a plasma grenade and primed it. He waited until the alien was in striking distance before jumping to the side and, throwing the grenade as the creature passed by. Rolling on the ground and coming up in a crouch, he felt, more than saw, the grenade detonate, taking down the alien's shield. Gladiator was on the move again, his armored feet thudding against the ground as his legs pumped hard to carry him to his target. He rushed upon the staggered Chieftain drawing his combat knife as he barreled into it and knocked it flat against the ground, then finishe,d it off as he plunged his blade into it's exposed neck, severing the artery.<br><br>The Spartan rested against the Brute's corpse for a moment, then slowly raised to his feet "now <em>that</em> was a workout" he said to Valkyrie as he tried to regain his breath. He turned around hearing the sounds of a Brute patrol's howls, then raised his DMR and prepared to re-engage the enemy. Something though caught his eye, and he quickly glanced at it. He hadn't noticed it when he'd been knocked through the window, but, the building he'd been knocked into was a two story parking garage, and there was a Warthog parked in it at the end of the driveway. He pointed to the all terrain vehicle "Go! Go! Go!" he shouted as he started towards it, while keeping the Brute patrol in his sight. Walking backwards to the 'hog seemed to take forever, as Gladiator fired upon the Brute patrol, killing two Brutes and sending the other two scrambling for cover, buying them precious seconds. He helped Valkyrie place Patric in the passenger seat and then rushed to man the gun in the back of the Warthog as he pointed to Valkyrie and said "drive".
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>avt2</strong> on <strong>November 13, 2012, 12:54:58 am</strong>
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				Petty Officer 3rd Class Lola-095 was alert, ready for any hostile she encountered. She had seen a few Unggoy, or "Grunts", as they were called by the UNSC's own grunts, but not much else. Off in the far distance, she'd seen a green glow reflect off of one of the skyscraper's mirrored sides. Was it a Covenant with a fuel rod canon? Or something... larger? <br><br>Deciding she would let it go for now, the Petty Officer had continued toward the last known location of a friendly. Granted... that location had likely been updated quite a while ago. No telling if said friendly was alive or in the same place still.<br><br>The collapsed skyscraper she stood next to looked like a defeated serpent, its body partially collapsed in multiple places, its inhabitants likely dead. A destroyed hulk, still bathed in the dust of its own demise. As she rounded the corner of the wreckage, nothing caught her eye. No movement. Slowly, the tall woman continued on, her side to the destroyed building like a pup seeking the shelter of its mother. If that pup had a 7.62mm calibre semi-automatic rifle, could run 58 miles an hour, and was also 7 feet and 1 inch tall.<br><br>Suddenly, gunfire caught her eye, and the crack of a very familiar sound. A certain 7.62mm calibre semi-automatic rifle - the semi-automatic rifle of a designated marksman of the United Nations Space Command Navy - the rifle of a comrade, of a fellow human. And she ran, her powerful legs springing into action, her Mark V MJOLNIR armor accelerating her to speeds unthinkable to most humans. More and more gunfire was coming - she hoped she would get there in time. <br><br>Finally, it was over. Silence once more. Lola-095 slowed down, raising her M392 in a ready position. She was closer now. She could see the bodies of Covenant soldiers littering the streets. Then, she caught sight of an Unggoy running in terror. Smiling almost maniacally, she leveled her weapon and quickly fired off a shot, sending it into the side of his head and watching his body slump to the ground. <br><br>The CRACK of her firearm echoed in the street. She caught another Unggoy running, leveled her firearm, fired. That one screamed as it did. She wondered where the people who'd been shooting these Covenant were - why had they stopped, and why were the Unggoy running away if they were dead? <br><br>She decided to risk being a little more open in order to elicit a response. No use getting hit by friendly fire (though, Lola realized with some amusement, that would certainly make finding whoever was here much easier). Switching her helmet's mode, she let it stop filtering her voice, so that when she spoke, others around her could hear it.<br><br>"Anyone still alive here?" She shouted.
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>November 17, 2012, 04:01:24 pm</strong>
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				"Yee..uh, not gonna consider sending me away are ya sarg? I was only fooling." O'brian commented unsure of the situation now. As the group grown&nbsp; silent in the last few minutes and Jacobs appearing zoned out in his own thoughts. "...Sarg?" the private persued once more a bit worried. He didn't want to&nbsp; be in Michael's platoon..<br><br>"Hm?..Oh..You two scout ahead, last we saw Shana headed into&nbsp; this garage. I never saw her leave it, maybe she's still close." Jacobs commanded the coward and other private waking up from his thoughts. His old commander's last comm echoing within his head.<br><br>Walking behind his squad, Jacobs took a look around as they re-entered the garage. Everything was happening so quickly the soldier couldn't believe the team had already been out here almost 24hrs. The city was looking like a ruin from some forgotten past with the buildings smashed and bodies scattered about. New York was a loud, bustling place..just didn't feel right with all the silence.<br><br>Stopping beside the wraith within the mall's parking, Jacobs looked around and tried his comms, "Shana, this is Jacobs, do you copy? Over." but when he was met with only silence in return, he frowned and looked to his squad instead. "Let's keep looking, Shana always leaves behind something to follow."<br><br>Nodding, the squad continued their search the female private taking the lead as O'brian distracted the other teammate with a ridiculous story.<br><br>"..The name's Smith..stop calling me Smitty..where you from anyways?" the private asked O'brian but before the question could be answered the coward hollared back to them. "Hey! I found a door..There's covenent on the other side..dead."&nbsp; she said peering in through the window.<br><br>Picking up his pace, Jacobs headed toward her way. "Good, maybe they went that way.."<br><br>She nodded and pulled onto the door. When it did not open freely, she hesitated a moment. "It's stuck." <br><br><em>Shana always leaves behind something to follow.</em>&nbsp; Jacobs thoughts rang inside his head. Holding a hand up toward the private, he yelled, "Wai-" the marine's voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of a frag grenade. Stopping abruptly, he instinctively clasped his hands at his ears.<br><br>"Whoa! What the..What the hell!?" O'brian shrieked madly looking around himself as if he was the only one that had witnessed the woman at the door burst into pieces. "Oh my god..what hell..did you see that!? Oh my god..what the hell.."<br><br>Shaking his head, Jacobs dropped his rifle to the cold cement. "Damn it.."<br><br>*****<br><br>From within the dark confines of the hidden med bay, Shana heard the faint sound of a grenade going off. Immediately she recognized it to be her trap. Snapping into action, she removed herself from the scanner and injected the bio-foam into Hunter's leg. "Did you hear that? We're about to have company.." she said. The foam filled up around the Spartan's broken bone and held it in place. Pulling the injection tube out of the giant she scurried to his side to pull out the glass vial from his chest. In her hurry, she neglected how the Spartan might be feeling in her quick manuvers. "Find me a gun..I gotta make this quick.." she commanded Sling as she stuck the bio-foam into the small hole in his chest. Her mind raced with the possible outcomes of the intruder just a few floors above them.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 17, 2012, 07:11:47 pm</strong>
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				Hunter heard the sound of the grenade going off several floors up from where he and the team were positioned, Covenant reinforcements maybe? Possibly but he wondered how they might have gotten past the unit positioned on the other side of the street from the garage they had been camped in to begin with and then he remembered that some elite classes had active camo on their gear so they could have managed to sneak through<br><br>"Damn it and me without a weapon, what sort of Spartan am I turning out too be"<br><br>When the bio foam fell into place and solidified he could feel his leg tighten as it was held into place, the same on his chest, he could certainly breath a lot easier than before and the pain receded a significant amount for him to concentrate.<br><br>"Damn that foam works wonders, I wonder what people did before it was invented"<br><br>He sat up carefully in case he needed to lay back down but he didn't and before he knew it, he was standing, with only mild pain in his broken leg, for the time being, he was fit for a fight so long as he didn't overdo it<br><br>"Hand me a gun someone, I'll go and check it out, Shana, you check out Slings wound quickly, if I aren't back in a couple of minutes, then make for an exit and get yourself somewhere secure"<br><br>Without waiting for another word, he grabbed Slings gun off him, checked the ammo, took a few reassuring breaths and then set off back towards the elevator shaft. Grabbing hold of some of the dangling cables, he quickly lifted himself back up to the floor they had previously been on. The smell of smoke and charred flesh hung in the air, that trap had definitely caught something. He quickly ducked behind the nearest piece of rubble he could fit himself behind and he trained his rifle on the doorway that he and Shana had previously been through. Wisps of smoke still hung in the air and there was a lot of blood around the frame. Hunter couldn't tell whether it was human blood or not.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 17, 2012, 10:01:30 pm</strong>
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				<br>Sling heard the dull thump of a grenade going off several floors up, and then remembered the drone he'd sent up the shaft to keep their entrance secured. Shana jabbed in some bio-foam to Hunter's chest and leg, and then ordered for someone to hand her a gun, a few minutes later Hunter was demanding the same thing, already trying to move off the gurney and stand. He shook his head. Cooler heads needed to prevail. He brought up the drones feed on his HUD and replayed the last images from the elevator shaft. The ODST looked to his bottom right on the drone's radar and saw yellow IDF tags. Friendlies!<br><br>"Guys! Calm down! You two forget that I sent a drone up there to keep watch?" Sling returned his visor mode to combat just in time to see Hunter swipe his shotgun from his hands. "Hey!" he shouted in surprise as he half lunged for, and was half pulled by, his apprehended weapon and missed. The ODST crumpled to the floor in a heap as Hunter grabbed hold of the severed elevator cables and started climbing up. Gritting his teeth through the searing pain in his broken leg he switched to the Spartan's frequency "Hunter there are<em> friendlies</em> up there! Repeat there are UNSC personell up there! Do NOT fire!" He slammed the floor with his fist in frustration and after getting his good knee under him, fumbled for the top of the counter to pull himself up. He wasn't sure if his message had gotten through intact but, he hoped like hell that it had. <br><br>Sling switched back to his Drone's camera link and then replayed the last recorded images and groaned as he saw a Marine's gloved fingers pry on the broken door and trigger the trap Shana had set. The grenade went off, filling the drones camera with dust, shrapnel, and bits of vaporized blood. "<em>Shit!</em>" Sling swore slamming his fist into the unrelenting wall. He grimaced in pain and shook his hand, feeling pins and needles crawl through his arm as he turned slowly and looked at Shana. His visor depolarized allowing her to see his face, and more importantly his eyes. He took a deep breath, unsure of how Shana would react to the grim news in her state of determined awareness "Shana, I hate to tell you this but, your trap..." he paused a moment before continuing, wanting her to grasp the severity of the situation "it just killed a Marine."
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>November 18, 2012, 05:39:43 am</strong>
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				Hunter heard a crackle over his make shift comm unit and he listened as Slings voice came over it, broken up and jumpy but he got the gist of it<br><br><em> "Hunter........ friendlies up there! Repeat......... UNSC personell......... NOT fire!"</em><br><br>He lowered the gun and checked the immediate area from his location to make sure there weren't any Covenant in the expansive room. When he was sure there were none that he could see, he came out from his hiding spot and walked carefully over to the door, checking to make sure there weren't any more nasty surprises in wait for intruders. Once he knew the way was clear, he opened the door<br><br>"You knocked?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Golden Touch</strong> on <strong>November 19, 2012, 01:08:32 am</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://images.wikia.com/halofanon/images/f/f1/BSPARTAN.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Adelaine 'Addie' aka Shadow<br><strong>Unit Type:</strong> Spartan&nbsp; (Sierra six three six)<br><strong>Location:</strong> New York<br><strong>Tagged:</strong> Open<br><br><br><div align="center"><em>We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto....</em></div><hr><hr><br>Locking onto the coordinates she was given for Private Fry, she set a closing distance and considered her next action. She peeked out from behind her cover, watching the few stray grunts run off in a fit of 'save me' terror with their stubby arms waving back and forth above their helmet covered heads. Addie took aim, beading on one of the little bugger when it died with a shriek and toppled to the ground. She blinked behind the blank face plate, recognizing the crack of a UNSC issued weapon. Pivoting, she scoped the last runner and watched it too slump to the ground as its life was extinguished.<br><br>Hunkering down, she crept through the rubble- stepping over a bent street sign that read <em>Broadway</em> and <em>Worth</em>. The irony caught her in a silent laugh. This is a show alright- a damn mess. Whoever it was had not hailed her on her general UNSC Comms, but they should not be too hard to find. She had a direction at the very least. The heavy boots of her Spartan III armor carried her a few feet more in her silence advancement when she heard a voice call out.<br><br><em>"Anyone still alive here?"</em><br><br>Another Spartan? The city was just crawling with them this mission. Making a quick sweep of the street, Adelaine slide into her cover and keyed her intercom to respond. <strong>"Still alive. Thanks for the clean up, Spartan. Find anyone else?"</strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>November 19, 2012, 02:03:43 am</strong>
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				Someone had asked Valkyrie to drive.<br><br>You never asked her to drive. Gladiator found out why as she buckled in and immediately threw the all-terrain vehicle into gear with a roar, tires screaming as they spun for grip on the concrete. She threw the warthog into a gut-wrenching fishtail and pressed heavily on the gas, tearing out of the parking structure and toward their objective that she had memorized. It was as if the growing noise of the engine kept her headache at bay, even as bolts of plasma splashed across the windshield. Then, through the distorted view she saw the ugly, gorilla-like features of a brute as it leapt in front of the vehicle, wildly pointing a nasty-looking weapon in her direction. Even with the chance of being decapitated at a moment's notice, she registered it was a Type-25 grenade launcher. Used by the big, stupid brutes to shower UNSC personnel with grenades, and seriously cripple vehicles.<br><br>She saw the brute tense up and knew it was about to fire. The spartan jerked the wheel to one side hard, nearly throwing it off the road as a grenade threw a huge column of dirt into the air. As the brute recovered and tracked the vehicle, Valkyrie reversed her steering and threw the 'hog into a skid that plowed right through the brute. When they hit, all Valkyrie felt was a bump. The resulting spray of gore coated her armor purple. Meanwhile the chain gun bolted to the back of the 'hog belched incessantly, though the spartan couldn't tear her eyes away from the road to see what Gladiator was firing at.<br><br>Her wariness paid off shortly thereafter as a pair of Ghosts materialized from the ruins, plasma bolts exploding across the side of the 'hog. One swerved in close to ram, its engines glowing as the driver accelerated. Valkyrie could see the sangheili driver snarling at her, he was so close.<br><br>She waited for just a moment longer and clamped down on the brakes. The Warthog jolted as it suddenly decelerated, and the elite driver overshot. Valkyrie immediately let up on the brakes and slammed on the gas, barreling right into the back of the purple vehicle with a crunch. It went spinning, plowing into a road barrier before flipping into the air. As Gladiator engaged the other Ghost, Valkyrie drove right up to the other disabled vehicle and produced her MA5K.<br><br>The elite driver howled as a shower of bullets weakened its shield. It shrunk behind the wreckage of the ghost as the spartan sprayed it liberally with bullets. When the sangheili peered back out, the warthog was peeling away again. An armed frag grenade sat next to the crippled Ghost.<br><br>There was an inarticulate roar of anger before the thunder of a grenade blast cut it off, shortly followed by the slam of a detonating fusion reactor.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>avt2</strong> on <strong>November 20, 2012, 11:10:37 am</strong>
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				"Still alive. Thanks for the clean up, Spartan. Find anyone else?" 095 went in the direction of the voice, figuring it had come from the nearby cover. "Friendly approaching" she warned, so that instinct did not make the soldier shoot her. What she saw was a fellow Spartan, wearing black armor similar to her own, except that this one had a red visor. A second look determined the Spartan was female. She slid into cover with her.<br><br>095 now took the appreciation as a formality, confident that the Spartan hadn't actually needed any aid. "Petty Officer 3rd Class, Spartan-095. No other friendlies nearby. Noticed a green glow reflected off a building at our 3, a click or so out." The fact that this was a Type-33, or possibly a pair of Mgalekgolo, needn't have been said. Lola-095 kept things brief with Spartans, and even briefer with general infantry. "My orders were to rendezvous with any friendlies nearby - if your mission isn't classified, I can assist for now."<br><br>She didn't know what this Spartan was doing here, nor what generation she was. She wondered if her help would be accepted or rejected. If rejected, she would have to ask to be pointed towards any other friendlies that might require assistance. Regardless of this Spartan's decision, though, 095 would also have to ask for any comms frequencies that friendlies using to communicate in this area.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>November 20, 2012, 01:42:12 pm</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 10pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Chapter 4: Recuperation and Retaliation</strong></span><br><br><strong>Gladiator 0161<br>Loc: Manhattan, New York. Somewhere near Kips Bay, on Tunnel Highway 495.</strong><br><br>As soon as Gladiator had buckled in Patric, and jumped onto the Gunner's station that housed a swiveling M41 mounted chain gun, Valkyrie floored the gas pedal. The tires squealed in protest as the liquid cooled hydrogen IC engine roared powerfully. The back end of the all terrain armored jeep swerved left and right, fishtailing until it's massive tires gripped the pavement and jolted the vehicle forward. A big scar of tar marring the concrete where the vehicle had sat. Gladiator hung on through it all, bending his knees slightly so that he had a lower center of gravity, so that he wouldn't be thrown from the jeep. In seconds they were flying out of the garage's entrance and onto the street, Gladiator whooping excitedly, and raising a fist in the air as the jeep sailed through the air for a few seconds, and then landed roughly back on the ground. Plasma fire from Grunts and their Brute commanders sailed through the air, and splashed against the armor plating around them. <br><br>Spartan 0161 gripped the handles of the M41 chain gun tightly, riding out the near hair pin turns that Valkyrie was making in order to avoid a Brute that had suddenly leaped in front of the vehicle, leveling it's "Spiker" weapon. The Brute weapon was as garish and menacing as the creatures that wielded it, two razor sharp blades jutted out like fangs on the bottom of the weapon, while it's main function was to spit red hot rods of metal at you that could measure up to a foot and a half in length. It was an aptly named weapons by the UNSC forces, and a fitting weapon for the huge gorilla like aliens. The Brute never got the chance to use it though, as Gladiator fired at the alien warrior, bits of vaporized concrete and tar flying up around it as the 17.7X99 millimeter rocket propelled rounds punched the ground at it's feet. Valkyrie whipped the jeep around, tires skidding and squealing as she drifted the vehicle into the creature. The alien roared defiantly to the end as the Warthog slammed into it, shredding it's face to pieces as it's leg's were forced into an unnatural position and buckled, finally succumbing to the strength of the 'hog. <br><br>Gore smeared part of the windshield and Valkrie's armor, turning both a purplish blue. Red IED tags splayed on the bottom right of Gladiator's HUD, warning him of incoming enemies closing fast. He whipped the chain gun around just in time to see two Ghosts tear around the corner, and bear down on their position. The two alien craft hovering about 30 inches off the ground, opened up their main weapons, whitish blue plasma whizzing past the Warthog on either side, and splashing against the side and rear bumper. He opened the mounted chain gun up, the bullets streaking a trail of red and orange as they pummeled the road in front of the two pursuing alien craft. Both alien craft were being driven by Elites, and one sped up, easily passing past the gunner's position on the Warthog and sidling up to the driver's side. Gladiator had no time to switch targets though, because the other Ghost kept him busy as plasma passed dangerously close to his head. He ducked down farther into the gunner's station, and continued to pour hot lead at the remaining Ghost. Suddenly Valkyrie braked hard, tires roaring in protest, slamming Gladiator into the divider between driver and passenger seat and the gunner's station as the g-forces ripped the turret grips away from his hands, only to be ripped forward again as she slammed her foot on the gas. <br><br>Floundering his arms in a wheel motion to keep balance, he grabbed for the turret and hugged it close once he grabbed on, bracing himself against the divider. He felt the impact as the Warthog hit the Ghost but, only heard the crunch of metal impacting on metal. The other Elite didn't have time to correct itself and plowed into the back of the Warthog. The blue and gold Spartan didn't hesitate, he cut the Elite down before it had a chance to get away. The 17.7X99 millimeter bullets shredded through the Elite's shields like paper and splattered the aliens blood all over the seat as the bullets ripped through it's body, and into the fuselage. The Ghost dropped away sparking on the ground before catching on some debris. Flipping end over end, it crashed into a parked truck, nestled comfortably in the driver's compartment. Gladiator smirked and sent a hail of bullets it's way for good measure to make sure the vehicle was useless. A handful of bullets ripped through the fusion reactor compartment and a moment later a purple plume of fire rose into the sky. A second after that, the gas tank that had caught the rest of the bullets, caught flame and left both vehicles a popping pyre of circuits and glowing metal.<br><br>The vehicle jounced as the tires hit the uneven pavement leading into the tunnel of Highway 495, and everything went dark.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Maelyn</strong> on <strong>November 23, 2012, 03:48:39 am</strong>
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				<div style="text-align: justify;">With a long, drawn out sigh, Ashley leaned forward, head in her hands, and wiped her fingers over her eyes.&nbsp; They were burning from staring at the screen in front of her for so long.&nbsp; Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself away from the console before her and stood, stretching her tired limbs in an effort to relieve the kinks.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Looking around the room, she took it all in.&nbsp; There was simple, standard shelving along the back wall, creating four short aisles filled with a multitude of various weapons and other provisions.&nbsp; Beyond that, the only other items in the room was a desk and four cots.&nbsp; A long staircase lead up into darkness, ending at a door that eventually lead to the chaos that reigned outside.&nbsp; Cement floors and walls made the room feel stark and cold.&nbsp; But what else do you expect from a military bunker?&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>She’d been here for well over a week and hadn’t spoken to anyone but herself – verbally at least.&nbsp; Loneliness was seeping in and she missed the human contact she’d taken for granted till now.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Looking down at herself, Ashley grimaced at her attire.&nbsp; She still wore the same faded blue jeans, black tank and red vest she’d arrived in a week ago.&nbsp; While they looked only slightly worn and dirty, they could definitely use a wash, as should she.&nbsp; She longed for a change of clothes and a long, hot bath.&nbsp; Since she wasn’t sure how long she’d end up here, she’d had to make due with sponge baths.&nbsp; Unfortunately, that didn’t help the state of her hair.&nbsp; Her normal pale blonde locks looking stringy and unkempt as she ran frustrated fingers through it while she worked, which was why she currently had it up in a high pony tail to keep it out of the way.<br>&nbsp;<br>A soft ping sounded from the console and she returned to the seat she’d occupied so often of late.&nbsp; Strings of code flew over the monitor – meaningless to most, but Ashley was no novice.&nbsp; Her fingers alternated between tapping rapidly over the keys and pressing various items on the touch screen while her eyes were steady on the incoming data.<br>&nbsp;<br>In the midst of her deciphering the line commands, a second stream became noticeable, cleverly hidden beneath the first in an elegant pattern she could almost admire.&nbsp; But said admiration was cut short when she realized what it was – a trace.&nbsp; Cursing, she moved faster, back tracing the hack until she found its origin.&nbsp; When she did, a cold chill shot down her spine.<br>&nbsp;<br>Springing into action, she raced around the room, grabbing the pack she’d prepared in advance, throwing a few last minute items into it before slipping into a jacket and shrugging the pack on over it.&nbsp; A few final items went into her pockets and she tucked an M6A Magnum into the holster at her side.<br>&nbsp;<br>Glancing around the room, she tried not to panic, fingers clenching into fists as she tried to calm her nerves.&nbsp; She really didn’t want to do what she was about to do, but she had no choice.&nbsp; Fear nearly overwhelmed her and she wondered how the others in her family dealt with it day in and day out.&nbsp; She wasn’t like them.&nbsp; Ashley wasn’t a soldier and, until now, had never been in such a tenuous situation before.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Taking a deep breath, she returned to the desk, leaning over to tap out a quick message and engage the emergency program she’d written for just this occasion.&nbsp; Line commands few over the screen for just a moment before it started to blink, groaning once or twice as the virus she’d activated did its work.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Turning, Ashley made her way quickly up the stairs, grabbing an M7 submachine gun and the SS/M49 sound suppressor attachment from the rack on her way.&nbsp; At the top landing, she knelt down and pulled a panel from next to the door.&nbsp; Twisting a few wires together, she secured them and tapped on the COM pad inside before replacing the panel with a slight smirk.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Standing, she put her ear to the door and listened.&nbsp; She knew there wasn’t anything there or her sensors would have gone off, but she did it anyway.&nbsp; Hearing nothing, she gently opened the door, peeking out and assuring herself nothing was waiting to chop her up into little pieces.&nbsp; Stepping out, she quietly made her way through the corridors to the outer door, again peeking out the door before exiting.<br>&nbsp;<br>What she saw shocked her for a moment.&nbsp; Sure, she’d seen pictures of warzones, but she’d never been in one herself, so she wasn’t prepared for it all.&nbsp; It was eerily silent all around, something unheard of especially in the heart of New York City.&nbsp; The city was in ruin, it seemed.&nbsp; Sure, many of the buildings still stood, but they were riddled with rubble, garbage and who knew what else.&nbsp; Ashley really didn’t want to think about what else.&nbsp; Her stomach was already in knots, fear threatening to cripple her.&nbsp; She didn’t want to consider the multitude of lives lost all around her.<br>&nbsp;<br>With still trembling hands, she swallowed hard and started down the road, sticking to the walls and more hidden paths as best she could.&nbsp; Sure, she wasn’t very good at the whole stealth thing, but it was better than just traipsing down the middle of the road, she was sure.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>The sun was high as she’d started out.&nbsp; She made her way as far along her memorized path as she could, stopping only twice to rest and replenish her body with water and a power bar from her pack.&nbsp; It was slow going, as she knew it would be, but she had to keep going.&nbsp; She didn’t think she’d arrive at her location by evening, having left too late in the day, but she wanted to get as far from her previous location as possible.<br>&nbsp;<br>She heard them before she felt the warning vibration in her pocket.&nbsp; In the distance she heard vehicles of some sort.&nbsp; She wasn’t sure if they were friendly or not, but she suspected the latter.&nbsp; So, moving more quickly, she ducked into the closest building, an apartment complex from the looks of it.&nbsp; Making her way through the lobby, she found a small office in the back.&nbsp; Closing the door, she knelt down by the window, propping the submachine gun against the wall, and reached for the COM pad in her jacket.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Just as she’d suspected, the sensors at the bunker had been breached.&nbsp; Her eyes flew to the window and she looked out, scanning the horizon until she saw it.&nbsp; The sound was only a faint, rumbling whisper as she watched the fiery smoke billow into the air in the distance.&nbsp; It was quickly gone, but she knew what had happened.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>“Thank you, Zane,” she whispered, grateful for her brother having talked her through the setting of the explosive charges.&nbsp; The trigger computations and setting the wires had been easy, but Zane, her oldest brother, was the true demolitionist in the family.<br>&nbsp;<br>Wishing he were here, she considered her next move.&nbsp; How long would it take them to realize she hadn’t been present when the bunker blew?&nbsp; Wiping a hand over her brow, she sighed, fatigue starting to overtake her.&nbsp; Looking around, she considered staying where she was, but decided to move from such an insecure location for the evening.&nbsp; It would be getting dark soon and she wanted to find a safe place beforehand.<br>&nbsp;<br>Exiting the office, she found the staircase and proceeded cautiously down into the basement level.&nbsp; It was musty and dirty, but she thought it might be more secure than above ground.&nbsp; Following the pipes, she found the boiler room and scoped it out.&nbsp; It wasn’t a nice option and would probably be uncomfortable as hell, but it seemed safe enough.&nbsp; Dropping her pack, she grabbed a few items from it and set to work.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Twenty minutes later, she had a semblance of a motion detector outside the door and was ensconced inside.&nbsp; She sat on the floor, knees to her chest and arms wrapped around them as she tilted her head back against the wall.&nbsp; Tears made tracks in the dirt on her face as she quietly cried, soft sniffles sounding in the room as she lamented her situation.</div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>November 23, 2012, 06:10:05 am</strong>
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				"This is Kilo One-Niner, tangos are pushing hard. Requesting CAS on grid one-five-five-six, how copy?"<br><br><em>"Affirmative Kilo One-Niner. Big bird is en route. ETA two mikes."</em><br><br>2nd Lieutenant Michael Sibley had his face pressed into the rubble as he crawled over to his radioman. He had to shout to be heard over the immense din of outbound gunfire. "Krasnivich! What's status on close air?"<br><br>"Yeah! Two mikes sir!" The radioman fired another burst from his MA-37, then scrambled back into cover as the weapon clacked empty. Sibley gave him a slap on the shoulder and proceeded further down the line. After their Pelican had pancaked out in the big apple, every Covvie small-fry in the area had scrambled to try to wipe the Army troopers out. Twenty had climbed out of the wreckage - they were down to thirteen able-bodied and a handful of wounded. Their first big step had been pulling the M247 out of the Pelican wreckage and getting a healthy stream of twelve-point-seven slugs down range.<br><br>Running out of ammo would probably kill them faster than not having enough guns blazing, realistically. The Lieutenant slid behind a wrecked sedan that their medic, Otto "Doc" Fischer was posted behind. He was probably the most ammo-conservative of all of them, but even now he was glad to receive the few magazines Sibley had to offer.<br><br>The ironic part was that the lieutenant couldn't even use the same magazines he was distributing, carrying a heavier M392 and a pistol. At close range, he would be reliant on the "burp gun" he'd picked off one of the dead pilots. The other, Warrant Officer Archer, had simply taken up a discarded MA-37 and joined the battle. She had given good support to Sergeant Ward as he ran the SAW. <br><br>What could he say? When the shit hit the fan, some just did their job. Not that anybody was skimping out on effort - in their tight perimeter amongst wrecked vehicles and the rubble of collapsed buildings, there was nowhere to avoid the oncoming Covenant. They had been fortunate the covvies lacked the assets to use their wraith mortars, and the banshee fighters were struggling against UNSC aircraft for control of the sky.<br><br><em>"Kilo, we spot your IR beacons. Hold onto your seats."</em> There was a low rumble that announced the arrival of the UNSC fighters - much smaller than Longswords, high, rear-mounted wings and prominent cannons marked them as Skyhawk ground-attack fighters. There was a deafening belch as the first made a strafing run, tearing huge craters into the ground and slaughtering exposed covenant. Damaged and intact vehicles alike detonated under the barrage, even as antitank missiles ripped into the packed road. Sibley spotted a final Skyhawk pulling up hard, then a set of oblong weapons separating even as drogue chutes deployed to stabilize them. "Oh, <em>shit</em>. Get down!"<br><br>He dove behind the nearby wreckage of a civilian vehicle and exhaled sharply. The bombs detonated with a bone-rattling slam that hurled Sibley away from the vehicle and showered the entire area with debris. The Lieutenant pushed to his feet and spat out some of the dust that had settled in his mouth. Moments later, his head was nearly clipped off by a haphazard plasma blast. The officer reflexively shouldered his rifle and squeezed the trigger. Through the weapon shook, he couldn't hear if it was actually firing. Sibley realized the ordnance had left him nearly deaf. "MOVE UP!" he shouted, hoping his men could hear him.<br><br>The Army's finest fell a skirmish line and pushed through the debris, using the dust cloud of the bombing run to mask their advance even as they laid down an unforgiving hailstorm of gunfire. Sibley fired at any target that presented itself - one moment he was ventilating the methane pack of an unlucky grunt, the next he was taking the hat off of a weakened sangelli warrior. Rockets and grenades were used liberally to clear out dug-in covenant warriors, accompanied by whoops and taunts as the army troopers advanced. When they were halfway down the road and the dust begun to finally settle, Sibley got a notification in his HUD that Krasnivich was patching the CAS pilots to him.<br><br><em>"This is big bird. What's the BDA, kilo? Need another pass?"</em><br><br>"Negative, big bird. Good effect on target. Do you have eyes on what's down this street?" Sibley asked tersely, scanning the relatively still battlefield.<br><br><em>"Going in for another pass... shit, we've got a lock signal-"</em> A lone fighter hurtled just meters above the infantry and pulled up hard, dumping a blinding array of flares and chaff. A purple Banshee flyer speared through the cloud and matched the human pilot move-for-move, filling the air with long bursts of plasma fire. A few of the superheated bolts ripped at the lightweight structure of the Skyhawk, and suddenly one of its engines burst into flames. The pilot fought to maintain altitude, but the human fighter rolled once and exploded across an apartment building.<br><br>There was a moment of terrified silence, and the advance rolled to a stop. Sibley looked to his left, then to his right. Doc policed covenant grenades and weapons off corpses. Krasnivich poked nervously at his "spanker" while his buddy Ward fed another drum into his SAW. Archer had her eyes glued to the sky. They all flinched as a fuel rod exploded across the street, and another Banshee screamed for altitude, a vengeful Skyhawk close behind. They weren't going to have much support from here on.<br><br>"Fuck," Archer said with finality<br><br>The lieutenant sighed. "I don't know about you, but I want to get off this fucking street. Hooah?"<br><br>The response was unanimous, if ragged. "Hooah!" Kilo platoon, Delta company, 7th regiment of the 22nd Airmobile Assault Brigade moved out in earnest.<br>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br><br><br>Lieutenant Sibley plopped into his face for what felt like the dozenth time that day. As soon as the radioactive projectile exploded behind, he stood back up, mashing trigger on his DMR and pinging rounds off the thick armor the hunter. When the weapon ran dry, he ripped a grenade from his web gear and hurled it high into the air, watching the explosive impact at the thing's feet and engulf it in shrapnel. Needless to say, it wasn't happy. It spun to aim at the officer, and the giant cannon on its arm glowed a sickly green.<br><br>He took a running leap over the nearest object and rolled into a pile of rubble as the projectile streaked past him. "Krasnavich! Ward! Lock them up!"<br><br>"Hooah!" A moment later the staccato of an automatic 7.62 started up again, and the covenant shock trooper growled with anger. Sibley changed magazines in his DMR, took a breath, then took off running. He emerged from cover with his trigger finger working fast, trying to nail the exposed flesh at the side of the hunter's armor. When it turned to face its tormentor, the hunter was blown apart by a well-aimed rocket. Sibley safed his weapon and took a long drink from his canteen. The ragged elements of Kilo platoon were emerging from cover and doing similar. The battle to rendezvous with the cut-off units they were to reinforce hadn't been easy. They had lost another three men from a combination of brutal covvie bombing. One was killed by a grunt that had tackled him with a live grenade in each hand. <br><br>They were all on edge, and the break was much needed. Sibley removed his helmet and poured the rest of the canteen over his head before stowing it. When he looked down the road again, he saw a sight that made him forget everything he'd seen in the past day.<br><br>Something that looked like it had been a human body was flying through the air. It lingered in his sight for a second before it met a wall with a sickening crunch. A moment later, an ear-splitting roar filled the air, and the ground shook with the pounding of a very big, and very pissed off covenant beast. There were frantic shouts from the other troopers as another green projectile arched through the air and exploded across the terrain. <br><br>Sibley had forgotten a very simple rule; hunters always traveled in pairs. He peered around a corner, and found the enraged covvie feet away, leveling its assault cannon at the flimsy cover he was behind. The soldier's mind went to all-out survival mode, and he stepped aggressively from cover, skipping a grenade at the hunter's feet as he fired round after round into the beast's face.<br><br>When the grenade went off, Sibley fell onto his ass, and a burning sensation on his legs told him he had gotten shrapped by his own weapon. But he had to kill the hunter. He rose and immediately dove forward, narrowly evading a haphazard swipe directed his way. He ran behind it as it fired wildly, unloading the rest of his rifle magazine into the orange flesh between the thing's armor plates. In the frantic battle, he hadn't even stopped to consider the gunfire had died down from his men. The DMR went empty, and no longer capable of protecting him, it went discarded on the ground. Sibley ripped an M7 from its holster on his side and fell into a dead sprint to get around the lumbering beast.<br><br>He was out of ammo, and quite nearly out of time. His lungs were burning, his legs were leaden, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to operate the fine controls on his weapons. Sibley gave one last burst of speed and rolled past the hunter, spraying wildly into the orange flesh on its back. He fired and fired until the M7 too, ran empty. Though the covenant beast was still on its feet, the soldier saw he had tore a gaping wound into its back. He grasped the last grenade on his suspenders and lurched toward the pained hunter. With a grunt, he shoved the grenade deep into the wound channel, trying to ignore how the orange worms flowing in the thing tried to grasp his arm. He mashed the arming stud and staggered away, but the hunter spun and clipped his shoulder with its cannon.<br><br>That was enough to send Sibley hurling through the air, until a brick wall finally stopped him. He fell slack onto the ground, his vision flashing white.<br><br>The next thing he knew, Doc Fischer was kneeling beside him, peeling away the armored undersuit in his uniform. His side didn't hurt as much as he thought it would have, but he couldn't move his arm very well.<br><br>"You alright, Mike?"<br><br>"Yeah, I think..."<br><br>"You fried that covvie shit, el-tee. You should be proud." <br><br>Sibley nodded dumbly, only cringing as Fischer pulled shards of the grenade from his leg and administered spurts of biofoam. It took him a couple seconds to formulate a coherent question. "How bad am I fucked up, Doc? Don't bullshit me, either."<br><br>Fischer paused, adjusting the blood-soaked gloves he wore. "You're not bad, considering. DeMarco, Haley and Scott got killed instantly by that thing. We have four critically-wounded and one fading fast. We called in a CASEVAC for them, Mike. You're flying out with them too."<br><br>The lieutenant shrugged free of the medic and looked for his rifle on the rubble around him. "Say again, doc? I don't think I heard you correctly."<br><br>"Mike," Fischer started quietly. "We lost almost everyone."<br><br><strong>"Fuck!"</strong> The lieutenant took his helmet and threw it, watching it feebly bounce off the wreckage of a sedan and roll to a stop. "One stupid cockup and we lost everyone! God <em>damn</em> it!"<br><br>"<em>Mike,</em> there's wounded and battle capable that need you to lead them. You can't lose your cool like this."<br><br>"Bullshit, doc. We're fucked anyway." Somehow, Sibley managed to stand, though he immediately collapsed against the wall. The sound of rotors chopping into the air was apparent, and he craned his neck upward. A single UH-144 with a prominent red cross on its side pulled over the street and flared for landing, its single spotlight searching the area. He realized that he hadn't even noticed it was dark out until the light had come on, and it was plain he was in no state to lead. "Get those casualties loaded. We're going to move out soon."<br><br>"Roger." Fischer collected his medical equipment, then left to help the evacuation.<br><br>Sibley watched as the crewmen aboard the Falcon loaded the limp corpses of Kilo company, then the wounded on metal stretchers. They shoved out several crates of supplies and took off moments later, leaving the area shrouded in darkness. He forced himself to his feet again and limped over to the surviving troopers. Krasnivich, Doc, Archer, Ward. "Lick your wounds people. We're going to move two klicks before we set down for a six-hour sleep rotation. Unpack those crates, strip ammo off abandoned gear and get moving."<br><br>This time, there were no 'hooahs.' Just nods and knowing glances as they got to work.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>December 04, 2012, 01:57:13 am</strong>
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				<strong>Gladiator0161<br>Loc: Manhattan, New York, on Tunnel Highway 495 enroute to 40th Street</strong><br><br>Gladiator sighed as he was able to relax a little bit, though his fingers still remained near the triggers to the mounted machine gun, he looked up to the dark reinforced concrete ceiling. He felt the subtle drop in temperature and remembered the darkening sky outside just before they'd entered the tunnel, a storm was on the way. <em>I need a vacation</em> he thought as he whirled the gun around to face the front, fairly certain that nothing was going to attack them from behind now that they were out of the buildings and on the main stretch of protected highway. He swiveled the turret in a slow circle, making sure there weren't any nearby Banshees that were going to get the drop on them, and then pulled up the map of Manhattan on his HUD as his helmet connected with the Mega City's AI Traffic controller. The image fizzled a few times but, the information sprang up on his HUD a moment later. The stretch of highway they were on would have a turn-off that went down to 3rd Avenue, where they could take a left to East 34th street, or a right to the much closer East 40th street. Another thing was that East 40th was one of the main roads through Manhattan, and led between the Theatre District and the Garment District and then ended with the Lincoln Highway all of which was South East of Central Park. <br><br>Any survivors, and probably a fair amount of soldiers would be there, fighting the Covenant no doubt. He had to marvel at the architecture of the bridge-like tunnel that spanned the expanse between Manhattan island and New York's mainland. Two gracefully curving support struts on either side of the structure stabilized the frame while four support legs held the behemoth up above the water. The body of the structure was enclosed to provide protection from the lightning storms that were common due to the large quantities of metallic substances used to build the mega-city. The walls had large twenty foot view screens that displayed the conditions outside, the images provided by video cameras mounted in the skin of the structure. It was a remarkable, and indeed beautiful feat, if not a bit wasteful and arrogant. Some big wig had had it built practically for fun a number of years ago, rumor had that it had been built to provide people with more hope during the Rebellion. Then Covenant Human War had begun shortly after. It had made local news including some of the planets in the Inner Colonies but, otherwise the man's name had died in the light of more serious matters. Now it was just Tunnel Highway 495.<br><br><em>Only the best in technological engineering from the worlds wealthiest</em> Gladiator thought with a wry smile before returning his thoughts to more serious matters <em>hopefully Private Fry, and Addie will be nearby and we can pick them up</em> he thought as he switched his comms to TEAMCOM so that Valkyrie could hear him "Valkyrie, turn right on 3rd Avenue, head to East 40th, if Private Fry and Addie have linked up, they'll probably head there. I'm going to try contacting her again and get a progress report. Over."<br><br>"Rodger that" was Valkyrie's easy reply. Not slowing in the least Valkyrie took the turn-off and rounded the winding corner on two wheels, leaving two black marks on the road where there should have been four. Gladiator hung on and even managed a smile underneath his helmet as he found the maneuver a little amusing, and fun. <em>Who needs the Covenant to kill you when Valkyrie's behind the wheel?</em> he thought with a grin as he switched his comm frequency to the one Addie had used before, confident that some of the radio sensors built into the concrete that dotted the ceiling were still in working order. He leaned towards his right to counterbalance the vehicle and help the 'hog settle a little faster. There were a few moments of bouncing and fishtailing but, soon enough Valkyrie leveled the all terrain vehicle out and again they were off at breakneck speeds. Trash and other debris blew past them as the wind started to pick up now that they were out of the bridge-like tunnel.<br><br>"Sierra six three six, this is sierra zero one six one. We're going to be a little early getting to the RV point, what's your status?" Gladiator said trying not&nbsp; to laugh of the image of what he must have looked like with his arms cartwheeling like he'd done when he'd almost been thrown from the Warthog only a few minutes before. He could hear the automatic fire of MK5 series Assault Rifle up ahead, and pulled up the traffic cam feed for East 40th street. There was a squad of ODSTs fighting along side some Army grunts and Marines, they were pinned by the Covenant. Mostly Brutes with their Jackal and Grunt lackeys. What he saw next stole the breath from his lungs. Civilians. There were still civilians in the area being evacuated. If he counted right, the UNSC was defending at least thirty civilians. Why here? What were the Covenant after in New York? and Why hadn't these civvies been evacuated already?<br><br>Gladiator looked up as the sun began sinking low on the horizon as an explosion shook the earth somewhere farther up past East 40th. He briefly caught the sight of a fireball rising over the rooftops. He estimated that the explosion had been somewhere between four to eight blocks away from their current position. He went back into the traffic cam network, the mega city's AI helping him locate the source and putting the feed on his HUD. He rewound the video to a few hours before the explosion and saw what looked like a Human girl exit the bunker before the military base went up in flames "What the-?"<br><br><strong><em>Lieutenant Joseph Garrison: 123rd Infantry Division<br>Loc: East 40th street, Manhattan, New York</em></strong><br><br>"Goddamn covvies keep blocking us! What the hell are they after?!" Joe yelled to his buddy Diggs over the sound of his unit's combined Assault Rifle fire. "How the hell should I know?!" Diggs shouted back "do they need a reason to kill us? They never have before!" Joe just grunted in response and filled another Brute full of lead, dropping it to the scorched and broken pavement. Crystallic shards from Needler fire, Plasma fire, and metallic fire from the Brute soldiers Spiker weapons filled the air only to be answered by the full automatic fire from the UNSC forces Assault Rifles followed by the dull thumps of their thrown grenades. Both Human and alien cries filled the air as warriors on both sides caught enemy fire and died. Their infantry team was ducked down behind abandoned cars, destroyed alien vehicles, and hastily placed barricades all fanned out in a crooked line.<br><br>"A little help here!" Jones suddenly cried to his left forcing the Lt to turn and spray the area in front of the Petty Officer with hot lead, downing two Grunts, and wounding a Brute that had made more progress than it should have. The wounded creature went down to a knee, and Jones popped up at Garrison's nod as he reloaded his weapon, and fired the rest of the clip from his Magnum into the beast's leathery forehead, dropping it for the count. "Getting low on magz!" Hughes cried from his position behind a barricade on the sidewalk. Similar cries came from the other soldiers around them. Suddenly a roar drew his attention back to the battlefield and he looked up into the red eyes of a red maned Brute as it stood defiantly atop the car he'd taken cover behind, it's weight slowly crumpling the roof of the vehicle. Garrison pointed to the Brute with two fingers and yelled "Fire!" the combined fire of eight soldiers toppled the large alien backwards onto the back of the car, raising the front of the car a foot off the ground. The bumper clipped Garrison's chin and he fell back, then shook his head to clear it, and reloaded his weapon. A split second later twin plasma grenade explosions sounded from opposite ends of the street as two pairs of Grunts made a suicide run and crashed against the Army soldier's barricades, destroying the barricades and killing the two soldiers at the opposite ends of the street. All six remaining soldiers refocused their attention on the remaining Covenant preparing to rush their position.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>EMO</strong> on <strong>December 08, 2012, 10:19:02 pm</strong>
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				http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120420211243/halo/images/5/53/Halo_4_visuel_render_5.jpg (http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120420211243/halo/images/5/53/Halo_4_visuel_render_5.jpg)<br><br><br>Oebr shoved through days worth of war wreckage on the outskirts of a human city called 'New York'. His maroon and gray SpecOps armor was in need of upkeep, but these long weeks after his brothers betrayed him have given no time for rest. He had to align with the humans, to help them stop the covenant.<br><br>"How long are you going to hide in shadows heretic?" Bellowed the voice of his Jiralhanae pursuer. He was not far from the furry beast, and would enjoy the kill, but his energy sword was depleted. "I have ripped apart more of your brothers than you care to imagine!" The beast taunted.<br><br>Oebr moved behind a ruined weapons drop, but his failure to observe his surroundings led to a clanging tin can. He herd the massive footsteps as the beast approached and at the last moment kicked in his Active Camouflage. The brute threw the human vehicle to the side and his face showed confusion as he stared blankly at the ground.<br><br>With all of his strength Oebr twisted his body, striking the brute in his jaw with the knob on the hilt of his sword. The force was enough to stagger and daze his opponent, which was exactly what he was hoping for. The proud sangheili ran, propelled himself from a sturdy metallic cylinder and landed on top of his mark, knocking the brute over and pinning it's arms. With a roar of blood lust he swung fist after fist until the beasts skull caved in and continued swinging.<br><br>After the adrenaline subsided Oebr stood and took the Jiralhanae's Mauler. "Your entire existence was worth less than a single Lekgolo." He told the limp body as he stalked away.<br><br><br>It was not long before Oebr had found the cities main streets and a simple four block exploration had him navigating like a pro. He took to the shadows and easily avoided the patrols of Loyalists. They did not understand what they were doing, they were blinded by their pride, and they would suffer for it.<br><br>During his exploration the Sangheili found a human communications device, a distress signal that had yet to be activated. He found a building top far from patrols, set up a place to rest, and activated the beacon before retreating into shadows of the night and hoping for the best.
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>December 11, 2012, 03:04:47 pm</strong>
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				The woman watched as the Spartan lifted himself off of the medical bed and take his leave. His speed had left her dumbfounded for a few moments as she was unable to comprehend just what was going on. Her confusement however, quickly turned to anger and she threw the nearly empty canister of bio-foam in her hand upon the cold floor. "What the hell is he doin'!?" she growled turning toward Sling.<br><br>&nbsp;Shana didn't pump the giant with bio-foam just so he could get up and run off in a hurry. He was still injured no matter how he was currently feeling. The lack of concern for his own body agitated the woman. Though it was a nice gesture toward the group, it was also foolish. Lifting one side of her upper lip the marine bared her teeth in frustration and balled up her hand. The knuckles stung as she flexed it. Only when the ODST announced his grave news to her was it able to distract her from her destructive needs if only for a moment. <br><br>Her facial expression went blank as her green hazel eyes moved away from the elevator door to stare upon Sling. Her vision shifted back and forth from one eye to the other as she pondered just what he meant. His words were not foreign, and yet it felt as though he was speaking tongues.<br><br>*****<br><br>O'brian was having trouble grasping what he had just witnessed. He was fidgeting, unable to keep in place. Taking a step forward only to step back once more. His hands rubbed the smoothness of his helmet. The young soldier kept mumbling his previous words as his brain continued to evaluate the incident. "What the hell..." As if the reality of just how easily someone's life can be taken had just now hit him. Half the squad was now dead and they had just been deployed a couple days ago. When would the mission end? Was he going to make it?<br><br>This wasn't what Echo's 2nd platoon leader had expected either. Jacobs didn't know how to handle it nor was he sure how to snap O'brian from his trance. Shana had unknowningly killed a teammate, the Sergeant would have to report it.&nbsp; Bringing a hand to his comm unit, Jacobs tried the woman once more, "Shana.." he began, but stopped as his eyes wandered to the smoldering enterance of the mall. He stared upon the large man in the doorway and brought his attention to him instead. Leaving his comm on by accident. "Sir, Sergeant Jacobs of Echo Company reporting in as requested by Admiral Bane. My squad and I have come to assist you." the man reported glancing to Smith and O'brian.<br><br>Momentarily, O'brian had forgotten all his worries at the sight of the black and red Spartan that stood not even five feet from himself. Slowly a dumb smirk found its way to his face and he just could not wipe it free. Standing up straight, the lanky soldier stood to attention. Spartans were just something mighty special to O'brian and not even he knew exactly what it was. Maybe it was how they each were known as a legend, perhaps in a way he looked up to them himself as Jacobs did to Shana. One thing he was certain, however, with a Spartan within their group, O'brian had just tripled his chances of survival and that put his simple mind back at ease.<br><br>Smith stared upon the tall marine with a raised brow. Finding O'brian's sudden change in attitude amusing he shook his head rolling his eyes. <em>..seriously?..</em> was all that came to his mind at the dramatic switch that had just occured in not only his team mate, but the area itself. The battlefield was truely an interesting setting and Smith took a mental note of it as he wondered how it would affect him in the future. Saving further investigation for later, the Private focused upon their surroundings. If it was one thing he learned from training it was to never assume any place was a safe place. Turning his assault rifle over in his hands, Smith looked over to Hunter in silence.<br><br>Before Hunter could respond to Jacobs, the Sergeant's comms came to life. "Jacobs? This is Private 1068689. You tell that behemoth to slow down before I break his other leg! Bio-foam does NOT mean he's-" the Sergeant shut off the comm before the woman could finish and smiled upon the Spartan. "Shana sends her love." he told him bending over to pick up his rifle. The woman's words hinted at him that Hunter had been the injured super soldier that had been mentioned earlier. Jacobs felt better about the titan's health knowing Shana had took to his injuries.<br><br>*****<br><br>"Hello?..Jacobs..come in, over." Shana talked into her headpiece. When there was no response, she first thought he had shut off his comms, but then assumed the hole in her helmet was interfering with her connection. Her eyes met Sling's once more before she averted her attention to the elevator. What he had revealed to her made her feel uncomfortable to be around him. So she left him to wander into the elevator shaft. Her eyes wandered to the ceiling, but it was much too high to escape it to chase after Hunter. <br><br>Switching on her flashlight on her helmet she investigated the area. Shana didn't like to be left without a firearm and was hoping to find one in here. With a little bit of luck she had discovered both of her own firearms here. The short woman bent over and picked up her assault rifle. Out of such a mess she was in, the sight of her most valued item always placed a soft smile upon her lips. She inspected it thoughtfully, running a finger along the chipped framming as she played back the memories that had caused such damage. <br><br>MA37; an older model of the assault rifles first introduced in 2437 played a big part of her life. It was not just something she could replace. The MA5 were more popular, but she trusted her gun. The very idea of loosing it made her upset. Maybe it wasn't as effective against covenant, but it saved her ass plenty of times and that's all that mattered.<br><br>Full ammo, just as she left it from last night. Placing it upon her back, the marine picked up her sidearm to place it on her calf where it belonged. The calf wasn't the normal placement of a handgun, but it seemed she used her secondary knife more often enough that this unusual placement was right for her. Returning back to the injured ODST, she waved him toward the medic bed, the duct tape around her wrist danced around her forearm loosely. Shana bent down to pick up the bio-foam canister and shook the contents to create a judgement of just how much was left. <br><br>She prayed he wouldn't bring up the incident with her grenade, but knew she'd have to face the topic later. There was nothing that could rightly be done about it at this time anyways and she didn't need to deal with that on top of everything else that was happening around her. In an attempt to avoid it, she said, "Come on, let's see if I can fix ya up."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>December 12, 2012, 05:54:40 pm</strong>
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				Hunter looked at the squad in turn, noticing that there were fewer of them than before, not counting the one that had just become a part of the buildings decoration. He felt sorry for them, they were just marines doing their job. They didn't deserve this kind of war zone. He smiled when Jacobs mentioned Shana<br><br>"Yeah I bet she does, come on, the area is clear for now, follow me and keep quiet in case there are Covenant in the upper levels"<br><br>With that he turned his back on the group and walked back towards the elevator shaft, keeping his eyes and ears open for the sight and sound of any forces that may be about to descend on them. Reaching the shaft safely, he grabbed hold of the cables and held them to the first marine<br><br>"We're currently based down at the bottom of here, go down slowly and announce yourself, I get the feeling Shana is going to be jumpy and we don't want to lose anymore of you than we already have done"<br><br>He waited for the first marine to take the cables.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Maelyn</strong> on <strong>December 15, 2012, 03:04:52 pm</strong>
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				<div style="text-align: justify;">Gasping, Ashley’s eyes popped open and she sat up with a start.&nbsp; A sound came from her left and she froze, listening intently.&nbsp; After a moment, she realized it was just a tiny rustling and heard a small squeak.&nbsp; Turning on the flashlight she’d clutched in her hand while sleeping, she shined the light in the direction of the sound and sighed.&nbsp; It was nothing but a rat, no doubt rummaging for a warm place to sleep or perhaps attracted to the food in her bag.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Shooing the rat away, she stood, stretching her tired muscles from the cramps she’d gained while sleeping on a hard, concrete floor.&nbsp; She was sure there were beds and running water above, but it had definitely been safer here.&nbsp; A soft mattress was a fair trade for her life.<br>&nbsp;<br>Still, she did make use of the running water, finding a bathroom on the ground floor where she was able to clean up a little before heading out again.&nbsp; As she stood in the bathroom, drying her face with a paper towel, she considered her next steps.&nbsp; Now that she was topside and in a fairly safe location, she should see if she could contact any of the military in the area.<br>&nbsp;<br>From her bag, she extracted a small device which she curled in and around her ear then adjusted the small extension against her neck.&nbsp; She then dug out her COM pad and tapped a few keys to connect it to the ear piece before recording a message.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>“Uh…Mayday.&nbsp; Mayday.&nbsp; Mayday.&nbsp; This is Ashley Foster…PFC Foster.&nbsp; I’m en route from Grand Central in Manhattan across the bridge to the bunker Middle Village.&nbsp; I’ve not come across any hostiles yet, but any help would be appreciated.”<br>&nbsp;<br>A few seconds later, she’d looped the recording to play back on all frequencies.&nbsp; Now she only had to wait and hope for a reply.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>In the meantime, she had to get out of here.&nbsp; Pocketing the COM pad, Ashley shrugged on her pack and retraced her steps to the entrance of the building, careful to make as little noise as possible and to scope the area before exiting onto the street.&nbsp; The sun was starting to set and she wasn’t sure how far she’d get, but she wanted to keep moving and get to the bunker as soon as possible.<br>&nbsp;<br>With the sun dipping down behind the buildings, she was debating if she should have stayed where she was for the night or continue on and pull out her night vision.&nbsp; The bridge she needed to cross was only a few blocks away and she wondered if it was being manned by friend or foe.&nbsp; She’d have to be careful and keep on her guard.<br>&nbsp;<br>Turning the corner, she froze her in her tracks, her eyes widening as she stared.&nbsp; Sure, she knew what it was, logically, but her brain wasn’t quite firing correctly.&nbsp; As much as she’d seen of their enemy, it had all been on vid screens.&nbsp; In real life, it was even scarier.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>She watched as the grunt before her turned its head.&nbsp; Ashley could tell the exact moment he saw her as he burst into action, causing her to do the same.&nbsp; Raising the M7 with trembling hands, she cocked the first round and fired.&nbsp; A spray of bullets emitted from the weapon, some hitting the grunt’s left leg while the others missed their mark.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Instinctively, Ashley ducked back around the corner as the grunt reciprocated, blasting multiple shots of blue plasma fire into the wall inches from her head.&nbsp; The&nbsp; Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart before leaning out to assess the situation.&nbsp; The grunt was making its way toward her.&nbsp; She could almost hear her brother, Damien, in her head, his calm, even toned voice whispering advice and encouragement.&nbsp; In reality, she was just remembering all the training she’d done with him, but she’d take what she could get if it helped save her ass, even the disembodied voice of her older brother.<br>&nbsp;<br>She again raised the M7, her grip steadier than it had been.&nbsp; Inhaling and gathering her courage, she quickly side stepped and fired.&nbsp; This time her shots were more on target and in seconds, she could see pale blue liquid seeping from the holes in its chest in the fading light before it collapse face first onto the ground.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Ashley held the gun at the ready for another few moments, wanting to make sure it was dead.&nbsp; She then scoped the rest of the street she was on.&nbsp; Grunts moved more in packs, she recalled, so there were more than likely others nearby.&nbsp; She had mere seconds before they’d show, she surmised, and when they did, she wanted to be in a more secure location.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>The best she could think for the moment was to get inside one of these buildings, so she darted into the shop just a few yards from where she was.&nbsp; It was some sort of convenience store.&nbsp; The windows were blown out and the place was a mess, but she was able to duck behind the counter for some semblance of cover.<br>&nbsp;<br>It was only a few seconds before she saw a pair of grunts lumbering down the street, their massive arms swinging and helping propel their movement toward their fallen comrade.&nbsp; Swallowing hard, Ashley debated if she should stay hidden or attempt to kill these as well, but when she saw what turned the corner behind them, she made her decision.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>An elite, or so her brothers called them, had joined the pair.&nbsp; Much taller than the short and stocky grunts, she knew they were much harder to kill.&nbsp; They had better armor and shields than the grunt she’d taken down; making her wonder if she could do it.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Shifting slightly to get a better look, she felt her leg brush against something before the sound of something falling to the floor touched her ears.&nbsp; Cursing, she glanced out and yep, the trio had heard it and came to investigate.&nbsp; Wasting no time, she popped up from behind the counter and let out a burst round, aiming for the two grunts, before ducking again behind her cover.&nbsp; The sound of her own firing was quickly echoed by the enemy’s as they reciprocated.&nbsp; Thankfully, her cover held and all they’d done was kicking up a bunch of debris as they hit the items surrounding the counter. <br>&nbsp;<br>Popping up again, she sprayed them again, noticing one grunt had gone down while the other limped, but the elite was still rushing at her.&nbsp; Yelping as he fired right on her, she saw she’d nailed the other grunt in the upper torso.&nbsp; She quickly hit it again, emptying the clip into it to make sure it went down.&nbsp; It started to fall just as she dashed behind cover again, refreshing her ammo amid a shower of debris.&nbsp; She knew a few of her rounds had hit the elite, but with its shielding, she wasn’t sure how much more it would take.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Her next burst gave her hope, though.&nbsp; Her aim was true and she littered its chest with bullets, at least one having hit home as she noticed the creature jerk back on impact.&nbsp; Unfortunately, this seemed to send it into a rage and it leaped at her position.&nbsp; Screeching in fright, Ashley curled herself into the corner and continued to fire.&nbsp; It landed with a loud crash, busting the counter in two and smashing its head into the paraphernalia on the wall display.<br>&nbsp;<br>Ashley froze.&nbsp; She was against the wall, legs curled under her and weapon up, ready to fire again if it moved, but it didn’t.&nbsp; She couldn’t see or hear anything.&nbsp; The entire area went eerily silent.&nbsp; Choking on a sob, she lowered her weapon, hands trembling as she stared at the body of the creature she’d just killed.</div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>December 18, 2012, 01:26:07 am</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>1930 HOURS, OCTOBER 27, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ SOL SYSTEM, <br>PLANET EARTH, UNITED REPUBLIC OF NORTH AMERICA, NEW YORK, NEW YORK</strong></span></div><br><div class="floatleft">(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/Corvus269/Halo/TEAM_zps355e548e.png)</div><strong>“Oscar Two Bravo, Oscar Two Bravo, this is Echo Six Romeo, over.”</strong> Staff Sergeant Julius “Caesar” Russell had been attempting to establish radio communications with his platoon leader, second lieutenant James Bostic, since he went off the grid during the initial phase of the mission. As he took cover behind the crumbling expanse of concrete that had once been part of office and computer supply building, he waited for several long minutes to pass before he keyed SQUADCOM again, repeating his call, <strong>“Oscar Two Bravo, Oscar Two Bravo, this is Echo Six Romeo, do you read, over?”</strong> He was met with static. It had been the same with FLEETCOM and HIGHCOM ever since they’d dropped into New York. So far, the only COMS they had going for them was TEAMCOM. In other words, Caesar and his squad were only able to communicate with each other thanks to the COMS jamming initiated by Covenant forces.<br><br>Around him, the other members of Delta Squad scanned their surrounding area, their weapons leveled and their heads on a swivel as they searched for signs of the lieutenant, or anyone else from the failed op, all the while maintaining optimal situational awareness. The Covenant patrol at the next intersection was just like the last three they’d bypassed in the last several hours as they carefully picked their way through the shattered remains of New York.<br><br><strong>“I’m picking up something,”</strong> Private First Class Spryidon Pyrgos said as he adjusted the dials on the sophisticated, hand-held electronic device, attenuating the static out of the weak signal originating from a nearby building. Glancing up, he gestured toward the crumbling building beyond the intersection of Lexington Avenue and E 51st Street. <strong>”There.”</strong> A nav marker appeared on delta squad’s TACMAP, indicating the Cornell University.<br><br>Corporal Ljutimir Cernos turned his SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle toward the ruined University, adjusted the bipod on the rubble to stabilize the weapon, and peered through the scope. He carefully dialed the scope in, shifting his sights over the debris for visual confirmation. <strong>“Spider, you are sure? I no see the Lieuten… erm… Boss,”</strong> he said in his broken English, thick with a Croatian accent, still unused to calling the Lieutenant “Boss”, as his CO preferred. Although Lucky was no stranger to this war, nor to the ODST for that matter, he <em>was</em> new to Delta squad. Lucky’s transfer from Charlie Company came shortly after Sergeant Chatur Rakha, Delta’s former sniper, was killed in action during the Battle of Reach.<br><br><strong>“Well, Lucky,”</strong> interjected Lance Corporal Dieter Koenig, in customary sarcastic fashion, <strong>“I’m sure he’s not going to be standing out in the open holding up a sign that says ‘Yoo Hoo! Lucky, it’s me… da Boss man’ and waving his arms at you.”</strong>.<br><br><strong>“Anyone ever saying to you… you am too much talking,”</strong> Lucky asked as he cast Jaw a contemptuous glare through the de-polarized silvery-blue faceplate of his ODST helmet.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>“Why do you think we call him ‘Jaw’?”</strong> Lance Corporal Tatiana Alvarez chimed in with a soft chuckle, her MA5D sweeping their more exposed left flank. <br><br>Settling into position, Jaw brought his M739 LMG to bear before he glanced back to the squad’s lone female member for a moment. Returning his attention to the intersection ahead of them, he quipped, <strong>“Shouldn’t you be… I dunno…” he waved his hand out towards the carnage of buildings before them in haphazard fashion, “…reconnoitering something somewhere, Crush?” </strong> She replied with an amused grin and an air kiss sent in Jaw’s direction.<br><br><strong>“How you are gettting your calling sign, Crush,”</strong> Lucky asked without pulling his focus from his scope as he continued scanning the building Spider had marked over the squad’s TACCOM. <br><br><strong>“Yes, <em>Crush</em> please share with Corporal Cernos here how nearly <em>aaall</em> the men - and even some of the ladies - in the 66th MEF seem to have a knack for finding themselves inside your…”</strong> He paused and glanced back to Crush with a smirk on his face,<strong>”…quarters?”</strong><br><br>There was an almost indiscernibly soft chuckle from Crush as she shifted slightly. She kept the sites of her DMR trained on the Elite, outlined in red in her HUD by her VISR. The Elite was sifting through the rubble of the building half a block from the University; NYPD’s collapsed 17th precinct. <strong>”Keep jawing and you’ll learn first hand <em>exactly</em> why I earned my call sign.”</strong> She gestured towards Jaw’s crotch with an open hand, palm up, and then squeezed air, tightening her hand into a fist and twisting before she yanked her hand back to get her point across.<br><br><strong>”Oooh, Crush. You dirty, dirty girl,”</strong> he teased, the soft sounds of blowing her a kiss quietly heard over TEAMCOM.<br><br><strong>“You have no idea, Jaw... and you never will."</strong><br><br>Jaw elbowed Lucky with a smug grin on his face. <strong>"Ya see that, Lucky? She wants me. It's just a matter of time now before I have on her back, purring like a Guta in heat."</strong><br><br>While Jaw and Crush persisted with their banter, Caesar had been scanning the building’s perimeter for thermal signatures and friendly IFF tags. He had also accessed a TACMAP of the local area, including Cornell’s most up to date blueprints. Reaching out a gloved hand, Caesar gave Jaw a firm slap against the back of his helmet. <strong>”Shut the fuck up and act like you belong in this unit.”</strong><br><br><strong>”Feet first into hell then back again,”</strong> Jaw replied with practiced bravado. Crush simply smirked and rolled her eyes at Jaw before giving her full attention to her MA5D and the Elite at the other end of her barrel.<br><br>Caesar carefully moved to Spider’s position. Spider was also new to the unit, a rollover from what used to be Alpha squad. Crouching beside him, Caesar placed his hand on the younger Marine’s shoulder, letting the weight of his Galilean (http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/M6_Grindell/Galilean_Nonlinear_Rifle) rest upon his lap. <strong>”Spider?”</strong><br><br><strong>”Yeah, Sarge,”</strong> he said triple checking the readings on his equipment, making sure he wasn’t getting random feedback interference that merely mimicked the appropriate signal response. <strong>”It’s a looped signal with lots of static, but I’m definitely getting weak, groundside signals over the UNSC E-Band."</strong><br><br><strong>”Put it on audio,”</strong> Caesar said, his expression stern.<br><br>There was a series of hisses, pops and static, silence, then the loop repeated. <strong>” It’s hard to say with all the interference the Covies are throwing at us, but I think it’s UNSC transponder freqs… standard distress signal.”</strong> <br><br><strong>”It could be Boss,”</strong> Crush said, following the Elite with her weapon as it moved back to the Covenant checkpoint at the intersection. There were thirteen of them in all, as far as they could see; Three Sangheili , four Kig-Yar, and six Unggoy. Thermals weren’t picking up any other heat signatures outside and, short of going inside, there was no way of knowing for sure what was inside the nearby buildings.<br><br><strong>”Or it could be a trap,”</strong> replied Jaw.<br><br>Caesar nodded as he studied the situation. The possibility hadn’t escaped him. <strong>”Either way, we’re gonna check it out. Whether it’s Boss or not, there could potentially be someone who needs our help… and that’s what we’re gonna do. So, let’s all stay frosty and do what we do.”</strong> He called up an overview of the area, sending it over the TACCOM as he laid out the plan. <strong>”Crush, I want you and Lucky to move into this building here,”</strong> A nav marker blinked into existence on the HUD over the Sotherby Institute of Art on the corner of Lexington and E 51st, across the street from Cornell. <strong>”Reconnoiter the area surrounding Cornell and mark all hostiles over TACCOM. I want you two to find a sweet spot on one of the upper floors and rain down death and destruction. Crush, assist with your DMR, but you’re main job is to watch Lucky’s back once he gets set up.”</strong><br><br><strong>”You got it Sarge”</strong> she replied crisply as she moved into position next to Lucky, preparing to make the move when the order was given.<br><br><strong>”Jaw, you run your SAW from here. Spider, you’re going to flank left on that checkpoint,”</strong> another nav marker indicated a spot along Lexington Avenue that ran between Cornell and the office supply building, behind a commuter bus that lay on its side surrounded be several civilian vehicles that could be used for cover. <strong>”This should provide you with sufficient defilade.”</strong> Another nav marker blinked over the Double Tree Hilton Hotel on the opposite side of the intersection. <strong>”I will move with Lucky and Crush to this location, then proceed across Lexington to flank the right side of the checkpoint, here”</strong>. He glanced up to his squad to make sure there no questions. Everyone reviewed the plan, committing it to memory without question. <strong>”We’ll get these fuckers caught in a crossfire and they won’t know which way the attack is coming from or how many of us there are. They’re not going to know what’s hit ‘em. Maintain radio silence until the assault has begun. Give the green light over TACCOM once you’re in position. Take out the Elites first. Lucky, target Spider's first contact, Crush, you target mine. We’ll bring down their shields with burst fire, and then you’ll put a bullet in their brainpans. Jaw… rape these fuckers up the ass with your SAW."</strong><br><br><strong>”Now you’re talking my language, Sarge,”</strong> Jaw said with a wicked grin, feeding a fresh drum into his M739. <br><br><strong>"Wait for my signal before we show these assholes how the <em>Delta Demons</em> operate and then we’ll give these bastards some ODST hell… send ‘em off to meet their fucking gods in little pieces. Oohrah?”</strong><br><br><strong>”Oohra,”</strong> came the collective response.<br><br>Caesar grabbed Lucky and Spider, looking them both in the eyes. <strong>”Helljumpers in Delta don’t die without permission, understood?”</strong><br><br><strong>”Yes, Sergeant,”</strong> they said in unison.<br><br>Lucky thought he saw a hint of a smile on Caesar’s face just before his visor polarized, obscuring his features. <br><br><strong>”Alright, move out, Demons,”</strong> Caesar ordered his squad, leading Jaw and Spider from their cover.<br><br>Without another word, everyone moved as one; a highly trained, finely tuned killing unit. Lucky and Crush bolted across E 51st Street and disappeared into the building while Spider stalked from his cover to the nav marker in the middle of Lexington Avenue. Caesar waited for Spider to get into position before he followed behind Lucky and Crush, moving through the lobby of the building before he crossed Lexington and slipped into the Hilton.<br><br>Lucky and Crush began clearing their way up to the roof while the rest of Delta squad moved into position at the intersection. Satisfied that the building was clear, the two made their way back down a couple of floors where Lucky began to setup a hasty sniper hide for the two of them. Crush secured both entrances into the large, abandoned room with M9 HE Frag grenades attached to tripwires to ensure that no Covenant would get the drop on them while they were busy from their sniper positions, active camouflage or not.<br><br>Lucky and Crush’s squad icons flashed green over the squad’s TACCOM, letting the rest of Delta know that they were in position. Jaw yanked back on the charging handle of his M739 LMG, sending the first round into the barrel before flashing his icon green on the TACMAP. Spider flashed his icon green, leveling his Battle Rifle on the Sangheili nearest to him, and then waited for Caesar’s signal.<br><br>It was the calm just before the shit-storm of lead and plasma that was soon to follow. Everyone tensed as they awaited Caesar’s signal. Lucky zeroed his sights in on the Sangheili nearest to Spider’s location while Crush targeted the one close to Caesar, both of them aiming for their large heads. Caesar knelt down behind a slab of concrete that used to be part of a wall and shouldered his Battle Rifle, taking aim at the nearest Sangheili. <br><br>Somewhere off in the distance there was an explosion, <em>”probably another element of the op kicking some Covie ass,”</em> Caesar hoped. The explosion got the attention of the Sangheili and Kig-yar and caused the Unggoy to dance about with nervous excitement. <br><br>Caesar calmed his breathing, inhaling slowly and deeply before he exhaled easily. In the pause before he inhaled his next breath, he squeezed the trigger sending a three round burst into the large alien. It’s shields shimmered and faltered for moment and then it’s head exploded as Crush sent the 7.62 X 51mm round racing from her DMR and tearing through Sangheili's weakened shields. It's head exploded like a watermelon, sending a spray of gore washing over the nearby Kig-yar and Unggoy. <br><br>At the same instant, Jaw began hosing the checkpoint with armor piercing 7.62 x 51mm, killing two Kig-Yar and three Unggoy and sending the rest scattering for cover. Spider let loose with a three round burst almost right on top of Caesar's, the second Sangheili's shields sparking and glowing. Lucky's round from his sniper rifle nearly tore the Elite in half. The remaining Sangheili roared in defiance, whipping its plasma blade to life as it fell back, regrouping behind thick, concrete barricades. It was obvious they had no idea where the attack was coming from, and so they focused their attention on the more obvious threat; Jaw and his M739. Caesar rushed forward from his cover to a charred Scorpion tank, pressing his back against the ruined armor while Jaw kept them pinned down. On the opposite flank, Spider made his move as well, closing the pincer movement in for the kill.<br><br>Jaw's M739 ran dry and he dropped down behind his cover. <strong>"I'm empty! Reloading,"</strong> Jaw called out over TEAMCOM. The Sangheili, thinking it had the upper hand now, raised up, a plasma grenade primed in its hand. It reared back to hurl the grenade when Caesar stepped from behind his cover and sent a wall of lead into the Elite's shields. It roared with fury and turned to face the new threat, but before it could toss the grenade, Lucky fired off a shot that penetrated it's shield and severed it's arm at the elbow. The arm fell to the ground at its feet, the grenade still cooking off in its hand. Kig-Yar and Unggoy scampered to get away from the grenade, but it exploded before most of them could affect a get away, sending body parts raining down on the surrounding area. The few Unggoy that did clear the blast radius where quickly gunned down by Caesar and Spider.<br><br>Caesar cautiously moved to all the carnage, lifted his helmet briefly, and spat on the Sangheili. <strong>"All clear, Delta. Rally on me, on the double."</strong> he called out over TEAMCOM. <br><br>Crush slung her DMR across her back, wielding her suppressed MA5D instead. As Lucky folded the bipod and stood from his kneeling position, one of the tripwires triggered, exploding the M9 HE Frag grenade and sending shrapnel into the pair of Sangheili attempting to stealth their way behind the ODSTsl. The concussion flung Lucky into the nearby wall, where he slumped to the floor, the air stolen from his lungs. The active camouflage sizzled and wavered before it failed completely. The leading Sangheili fell to the floor, dead. Its partner snapped it's plasma blade to life and lunged at Crush with a feral roar. <br><br><strong>"CRUSH! LUCKY!" TALK TO ME,"</strong> Caesar bellowed as he glanced up to the high rise. <br><br><strong>"Bit busy at the moment, Sarge,"</strong> Came Crush's calm reply just moments before the towering Sangheili plowed into her. The force of the impact sent her MA5D flying from her grasp and soaring through the window, hurling towards the street below where it shattered upon impact.<br><br><strong>"CRUSH,"</strong> Lucky screamed, regaining his composure as she was buried beneath the much larger alien, it's plasma blade reared back for the killing blow. It turned to look at Lucky when he yelled then gave an ominous laugh. Crush was struggling just to breathe beneath the immense weight of her attacker. With one hand she reached up to grab the Sangheili's wrist, no doubt in the hopes of keeping the blade at bay. Her other hand strained to pull her M6S Magnum from it's holster along her thigh, but the alien's leg had her arm pinned just inches away from her sidearm.<br><br><strong>"Lucky! Shoot the son of a bitch,"<strong></strong></strong> she screamed to her squad mate.<br><br>Lucky had already brought his MA5D to his shoulder and fired a long string of continuous fire into the creature's face. It's shields sparked and glowed as it shifted to face Lucky, freeing Crush's other arm in the process. It swung it's plasma blade towards Lucky, easily ripping free from Crush's grip. The blade sliced through the weapon like a hot knife through butter. Lucky tossed the ruined assault rifle aside and drew his M6S. <br><br><strong>"Puny hooman. Now you die,"</strong> the creature growled before laughing once more.<br><br>Crush pressed the barrel of her Magnum against the bottom of the Elite's mandibles. <strong>"You first, squid face,"</strong> she taunted her assailant just before emptying half a mag into it's head just as Lucky fired off a quick string of rounds into it's face. It collapsed in a heap atop Crush, spilling it's indigo blood all over her.<br><br><strong>"A little help here, Lucky? Get this filthy piece of shit off me!"</strong><br><br>Lucky holstered his sidearm and keyed TEAMCOM. <strong>"We are being okay, Sergeant. Couple of.... <em>squid faces</em>... are knowing why Crush is getting her calling sign."</strong><br><br>Caesar shook his head with amused chuckle. <strong>"Poor bastards. Now quit dickin' around and get your assess down here on the the double you two. Delta, ammo check. Police any ammo you can find. We're going inside to find that signal."</strong><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>EMO</strong> on <strong>December 18, 2012, 04:18:25 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Oebr stayed low by the edge of the roof top after the explosion had sounded. The elite was in shield watching as a bunch of humans took a company of Sangheili, Kig-Yar, and Unngoy. The first to fire did so from a building, taking out the Sangheili Minor's shields, and another shot took it out from a higher position in another building.<br><br>His attention faded from the aspects of the battle to the appearance of the humans and trying to figure their reasons for being there. The small group hardly changed position as the Kig-Yar and grunts were picked off and the Sangheili weakened. Where they there for the signal? It was possible even with the Covenant signal disruptions in place. Or were they there on a prejudicial hunt, a team to wage war against as many of the Covenant as they could trying desperately to save their world?<br><br>An explosion brought his focus to the building where the gunner had taken the first elite with a very accurate shot, he could not see the cause, or the result but assumed the best after the two who had entered, exited from the low end.<br><br>If they were here for the signal, he would have to be prepared and surprising humans with guns never ended well for anyone so he shut down his active camouflage, sat the mauler on the ground where the humans would most likely come through, took five paces away, and took a stance that conveyed a lack of will to fight, with his head low and hands shown.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>December 19, 2012, 01:18:30 am</strong>
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				<br><strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmonde "Sling" Rockwell<br>Loc: Mall Emergency Medical Room, New York City, New York</strong><br><br><em>"What the hell is he doin'?!"</em> Shana yelled before turning to him his words to her finally hitting home. Sling merely shrugged and hoped that his message had gotten through to Hunter "My guess...being a Spartan" he replied as he hobbled over to the medical bed. He watched the emotions play across Shana's face at the news. He could only wonder what was going on inside her head at the news. For a few minutes, it looked like she was trying to figure out what he had said, as if he had been speaking a foreign language. But a glance to her clenched fist told him that his message had gotten through. He felt sympathy for the woman. She hadn't meant to kill a "friendly" and in reality it hadn't been her fault entirely, the Marine that triggered the trap had been careless, and that carelessness had cost that person their life. Now Shana, in all likelihood was going to be court-martialed and punished when all this was over, and the incident put on her record for all to see. <br><br>He watched as she regained her composure and the anger at Hunter flooded back into her features, causing her face to flush as she commed someone named 'Jacobs', apparently the commanding officer to the team of Marines up above, telling him in no uncertain terms that she was <em>not</em> happy with Hunter's carelessness with his injuries. Despite himself Sling smiled, clearly amused by the change in the small Marine before him. Apparently though she'd been cut off because she was tapping her helmet com and looking to the ceiling. She wandered over to the wrecked elevator and turned on the flashlight on her helmet, gazing up the shaft, no doubt following the Spartan's progress. He briefly wondered if she was going to climb up after him but, to his surprise she didn't. Instead she shuffled around the wreckage searching for something, and a few minutes later lifted her well used and well worn MA37 clear of the debris. Sling depolarized his helmet and crossed his arms "So, am I supposed to watch you all day or are you eventually gonna fix my leg up?" he said, watching as Shana smiled upon sight of the weapon, running her fingers over the dented frame. Her mind seemed to go somewhere else for a second before she turned her gaze on him, and holstered the old Assault Rifle on her calf. She motioned for him to get on the bed and bent to pick up the biofoam canister <em>"come on, let's see if I can fix ya up"</em> was her simple reply as she shook the canister to gauge how much remained inside. <br><br>"What? No snappy comeback? No insults?" he said as he scooted backwards and used his good leg to hop up onto the bed, using the Gravity Hammer to help keep his injured leg off the ground. He tried to twist his body around without bumping his injured leg but, that was easier said than done. He could barely move it below the knee now. Despite the searing pain he willed himself to lift the injured leg at the thigh, and set it down gently upon the mattress. He collapsed then, all his energy spent. Shana moved up to the bed to begin her work a moment later, he placed a hand on hers "It's not your fault. That damned greenhorn shoulda been more careful" he grunted through clenched teeth.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>January 23, 2013, 12:20:57 am</strong>
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				Valkyrie smoothly applied the brakes, slowing the Warthog to a stop. She drummed her fingers on the wheel. The video feed had popped up in her HUD at the same time as Gladiator. "Think we've got innies again?" She referenced the infamous insurrection that they had all been commissioned to fight years ago. They all had memories of that conflict - sometimes very unpleasant ones.<br><br>The real question was, what did they do to help the situation. They had a Spartan in need of medical care that they would have to lug around in a combat zone. She was a pretty good driver, but Valkyrie knew her limits. "I don't mind fighting. But we need to get Patric some medical care first."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>January 25, 2013, 11:59:32 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Gladiator rewound the video and paused it when the girl was in a clearer frame. His eyes scanned her body looking for anything that might have said "Innie" to his instincts but, nothing was triggered. She looked like any other civilian to him but, that didn't necessarily mean anything. Insurrectionists were trained to blend in, and disappear. Since most of them didn't have the funding or the weaponry that the UNSC had, they had to rely on hard hitting Gorilla warfare tactics, and unfortunately it worked pretty well. Something didn't sit right with this girl though. How was she able to get into a military bunker? As far as he knew they had encryptions and security measures that were pretty near unhackable. Not that that seemed to matter much to the Covenant AI's. Gladiator sighed, computer hacking and security programming was all well above his head, he preferred more substantial security measures. Like a man with a gun "Could be" Gladiator said in reply to Valkyrie's question "we'll only know that if we catch up to her though but, that'll have to wait. Like you said, we have a man down and he needs medical attention, and we also have a Spartan and a Marine that need to link up with ..."<br><br><em><strong>"Spartans! Over here! This is Lieutenant Joseph Garrison from the 123rd infantry, we could use your help clearing out some Covenant squatters if you've got the time"</strong></em> the voice of a young man broke over the Comms interrupting Gladiator. The Spartan looked over to where an Army officer was waving at them from the next block over. "Is there any place the Covenant isn't?" Gladiator muttered into his mic before looking at the back of Vlakyrie's helmet and then looking to Patric, still unconscious in the passenger side seat, as he tried to decide what to do from here. Both himself and Valkyrie could fight but, Patric was in bad condition, and Gladiator didn't like the idea of going into combat with such a vulnerable comrade. Could they hide him somewhere until the action was over with? He began looking for just such a place when his thoughts were interrupted again.<br><br><strong>"This is Spartan six three six, I'm closing on Private Fry's location, and may have come across some more friendlies. Over."</strong> came the curt reply from Spartan 636.<br><br>"Rodger that 636. Link up with them and then shift it towards our location as quick as you reasonably can. We have a man down that needs medical attention ASAP. We're going to help a group of Army grunts defend some civvies near our location, then we'll be heading your way. Over." Gladiator responded eyeing a covered dumpster and jumping off the turret station, the Warthog bouncing as his heavy frame hit the street feet first. He walked over to Patric and gently lifted him out of the 'hog "this is no place for a soldier but, you should be safe here until the fighting's done with. Shouldn't take long" he said to the other Spartan's unconscious form as he gently placed him inside the dumpster and closed the heavy lid.<br><br>He fast walked back to the Warthog and pointed in the direction of the Army grunts "Let's go rescue some civvies."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>January 25, 2013, 03:30:14 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She considered the scene in front of them before pressing the gas. They started out slowly, picking up speed. There was the idea of setting up the puma to be a stationary weapon to help their defense, but that plan reeked of plasma grenades. They weren't sure what had the soldiers pinned down, and waiting around to see would lose their initiative.<br><br>There was a time to cower in a trench, and a time to go all-out. "I want you to get that gun working as soon as we clear this corner," she said.<br><br>Lieutenant Garrison gawked as the spartan yanked on the handbrake and turned the wheel hard right, skidding past him in a cloud of tire smoke. The clatter of the mounted machine gun had heads turning as Valkyrie weaved around obstacles in the street, plowed through a sangheili warrior and performed a hard handbrake turn, reversing direction and hurtling back up the street, cleaning out what covenant they had missed. The incoming fire was thick now, but the army grunts that had dug in were firing in earnest too, emboldened by the display.<br><br>Valkyrie glanced over a Gladiator to make sure he was still attached to the vehicle. When she turned back, an elite with a plasma rifle loomed huge on the driver's side, latching onto the frame. It's fist smashed into the side of her head, rocking the spartan in her seat. Her vision flashed white, but before the elite had time to capitalize on the moment of weakness, she released her seatbelt, braced her feet against the frame of the Warthog and leapt clear, slamming into the alien. "Fuck you."<br><br>The sangheili hit the ground with a crunch. Valkyrie drew back her fist and punched it in the head, hard enough to shatter its armored helmet. When it tried to aim its plasma weapon, she cleanly broke the arm and jammed the rifle into the base of the alien's skull, mashing the trigger. Needless to say, what was left could not be described as combat-ready. She turned back to where the Warthog had been, only to see it roll to a stop halfway down the block, Gladiator still running the machine gun.<br><br>"Sorry bout that, Glad." She took off at a sprint for the vehicle, unslinging her rifle.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>February 10, 2013, 11:21:19 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Gladiator nodded to Valkyrie's order "Rodger that, ready when you are" a moment later they carefully rounded the corner, starting slow and then picking up speed. They skidded right past the lieutenant and Gladiator opened up the mounted chain turret, cutting down a row of Grunts, and their Elite commanders, as Valkyrie smashed a Sangheili warrior that tried to block their path. Suddenly an Elite jumped onto the driver's side and punched Valkyrie in the side of the head. Valkyrie shook it off cursing and leapt onto the Elite, removing the alien and herself from the vehicle before Gladiator could swivel the turret around and cut it down. <br><br>Seeing Valkyrie had things in hand, he continued to man the turret as the Warthog rolled slowly along cutting down whatever alien was stupid enough to raise it's ugly head. Plasma pinged off the vehicle but, the cover fire from the army grunts behind him did alot to discourage the alien's return fire. Gladiator looked to his radar off the corner of his eye and spotted movement. Suddenly every instinct told him to duck. An Elite's energy sword sizzled overhead bare centimeters where his head had been a split second ago. Gladiator swiveled the gun around trying to get away from the deadly energy weapon, the turret's barrel slammed against the Elite's side unbalancing it and knocking it off the Warthog. Swinging the turret around so that it faced the front of the 'hog again, he pulled the DMR rifle from his thigh and while keeping ahold of the turret grip with one hand turned, set one foot securely on the edge of the bed, and put two bullets into the recovering Sangheili warrior. The vehicle jounced as something heavy landed on it, and the Gladiator heard the distinctive <em>snap-hiss</em> of another Energy Sword coming to life.&nbsp; He turned just in time to see a Elite in red armor crouched on the cab, one two toed foot resting on the windshield's frame, and the other on the bar separating the driver's seat and passenger's seat. It roared at him, it's four pronged mouth opening wide to reveal sharp single rowed yellow teeth. Gladiator hunkered down, raising the barrel of the turret just as the Elite stepped forward in preparation to strike, and pulled the trigger. The turret's high powered ammunition made mince meat out of the Elite's chest, spraying purple blood into the air, creating a purple mist as the blood was evaporated due to the heat from the high powered bullets ripping past. The aliens corpse was ripped in half from the chest up as gravity took hold and pulled the corpse down as the Spartan continued to fire. <br><br>Gladiator could feel his blood pressure spike along with his adrenaline, as it again dawned on him how close to death he'd come just then. He shook his head and cleared his mind, continuing to fire at the remaining aliens as he turned the turret left, right, up and down, firing at every alien that moved in short controlled streams, as he felt himself drift into the familiar numbing "zone". Soon the Warthog slowed to a stop, and gently bumped against the side of a building. Everything went quiet a moment later, except for a ringing in Gladiator's ears from the onrush of his body's reaction to his latest of near death experiences. Time seemed to slow but, the ringing in his head was constant. Before he knew it, Valkyrie was there climbing back into the blood drenched driver's seat. Only then did it dawn on him that she had said something a couple of minutes ago. He took a glance at the carnage in the street, the mixing colors of alien and human blood, and the sheer amount of bodies that littered the street, alien and human alike. He looked back to Valkyrie as a final shot rang down the street from one of the soldier's magnum side arms, the sound itself seeming to shake him back into reality. Gladiator cleared his throat "sorry Valkyrie, did you say something?"<br><br><strong>"Daaaamn Spartans!"</strong> the voice of an obviously impressed army grunt rang out over his headset <strong>"I'm glad you're on our side!"</strong><br><br>"Glad you enjoyed the show" Gladiator said, a small smile coming to his lips, one that he didn't quite feel due to the amount of civilian deaths around them "now get those civilians to safety before more Covvies show up." He rested a moment against the mounted turret as Valkyrie turned the 'hog around, letting his lungs fill with air and his heart slow, before stepping off the turret station. Walking over to the covered dumpster, he raised the lid and carefully retrieved their unconscious team member, and fastened him back into the passenger seat. The exhaustion and hunger was beginning to get to him again, up until now, he'd been able to ignore it. Now, he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to survive without some food and some sleep if they kept this pace up. His stomach growled, futilely reminding him of how much he needed food to replace all the energy he'd expended since he'd started this mission. The little bit that he'd had during the mission hadn't been nearly enough. With his head pounding due to a lack of nutrition and an over expenditure of energy, his thoughts were in a fog. Everything except their current mission, and their surviving team members was hazy now. He walked back to the turret station on the Warthog and climbed back in, taking a firm hold on the trigger guards. Gladiator looked around to confirm that there were no living enemies, and that the army soldiers were back on their way again. They were.<br><br>Gladiator nodded to Valkyrie "let's go."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>February 21, 2013, 04:18:11 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Jacobs nodded his head to the Spartan and motioned to his team to follow the giant into the building. He looked back and observed the garage a final time before following Smith in through the blackened door. The smell of burnt carcass tickled his nose hairs in an unpleasant way. Rubbing a finger against his nostrils, Jacobs ignored the urge to cough and instead cleared his throat. Loosing another cadet wasn't something that the sergeant was happy about, but he felt slightly relieved.&nbsp; Jacobs cursed himself for such an emotion. It was selfish and inconsiderate. He was better than that...he will become better than that. He looked to O'brian and couldn't help, but think slightly negative. <em>..if I can survive this private..if I can make him better..I can become a better leader to my troops..</em> he thought.<br><br>Offering the young marine a smile he placed his hand upon the privates back and urged him down the cables. "I have your back, private." Jacobs told O'brian. <em>..I will make you better...</em><br><br>The lanky soldier grinned back and gave his sergeant a light pat upon his arm. "Thanks Sarg." He said and looked to Hunter. Nodding to the super soldier, O'brian reached for the cable and slid his way down the shaft. Not realizing just what Jacobs had in mind for him.<br><br>After getting the nod off from Jacobs, Smith placed his rifle upon his back and reached for the cable. Hesitating, his brown eyes glanced back. Releasing the elevators cord, the private pulled his rifle off his back and aimed it toward the broken glass windows near the staircase. "Enemy sighted!" he exclaimed, pushing the safety off of his gun. He waited for a command or the enemy to make the first move.<br><br>Whipping around, Jacobs pulled forth his own gun, but before he could make an order a grenade came at them.&nbsp; "Grenade!" was all he could muster as he dived to his left. Smith instinctively dived to the right. <br><br>"There he is!" a grunt squealed, his grubby finger pointing to Hunter. His covenant buddies rushing into the building, an elite growled seeing his grenade had missed the mark, hitting the floor between the marines instead of on them.<br><br>*****<br><br>Shana looked down upon the ODST in silence to his words. Her eyes stared into his a moment before backing away from him to start the scan of his body. She said nothing to his attempt to make her feel better, as the machine's light ran over the man's body, the marine instead changed the subject and reported, " Your shin is broke inward and your knee has been chipped. Did you get stepped on? Any more pressure on that leg we'd have internal bleeding, or even a compound fracture...I have no sanitation to pull out that shard, but I can push the shin back into place with bio-foam and numb your knee. Even with these quick fixes it is not recommended you stand on it based on higher risk of that shard causing more damage."<br><br>The woman looked around the room, placing a hand upon the knife on her shoulder. There were no medical equipment to help with this injury. Cabinet's empty, there were no bottles of alcohol, not even a damned lighter. Taking her hand away from her knife, she left it in its sheath on her shoulder armor and walked back to the ODST. "If you carry a flask or lighter, now is the time to hand it over before I pump the last of this can into your leg." she told him. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>February 21, 2013, 07:20:33 pm</strong>
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				<br>His green eyes followed Shana's face as she battled some inner demons. Whatever she was thinking about, it apparently hadn't been resolved. Shana didn't say anything in return to his attempt to comfort her, not that he was expecting anything, so he just remained quiet and left her to her work. She went over to the scanner and activated it, a moment later she reported that his shin bone had broken inward, and he had a chipped knee. Even worse, she didn't have the necessary tools to pull out the shard, or fix his leg really. They were just temporary fixes. That was fine by him. He could do with a temporary fix for the time being. Shana asked if something had sat on him and he laughed "Damn Doc, sounds bad, and here I thought I was invincible, guess not huh?" He took off his helmet, ran a black glove through his sweat slicked dark hair, and chuckled again despite the pain he was in "As a matter of fact i did get sat on. By a big damn building. It was while I was trying to cover Spartan Lance. Damned Wraiths bombed the building we were in and brought it down with us inside it" he turned the helmet around and touched a small stud on the side of the helmet, activating the flashlights on either side of the helmet that had been built into framework. Next he tore his combat knife from it's sheath on his chest and held the handle of the combat knife out to Shana "Here, use this..should be sharp enough for ya. I'll hold the helmet up so you can see."<br><br>Just then someone slid down the Elevator cable, he was expecting Hunter but, what came into the crashed Elevator car was another Marine. Then he heard the dull thump of a grenade going off "Let me guess...the Covvies are back? Splendid timing on their part. Never can get a damned break in this god forsaken war can we?" he looked to the Marine first then to Shana as he spoke. Shaking his head, he flipped the flashlights off, put his helmet back on, and activated the drone he had set up for security. The drone's single built in air propeller lifted it from it's perch and glided effortlessly a meter above Hunter's head, allowing the ODST to see the new arrivals. An Elite and at least three of it's Grunt underlings. He looked to Shana "Break time's over. The Covenant have found us again" he said trying to sit up and be prepared to move again.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>February 23, 2013, 12:59:56 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Valkyrie eyed Gladiator as he checked the area one last time, then slung himself into the Warthog. He was tired, and so was she - as soon as the adrenaline had worn off, the leaden feeling was returning to her limbs. She opened a private comlink with him so the Army troopers around wouldn't hear their conversation. "You want to escort these guys and get Patrice some medical help? It'd be a chance to get some sleep."<br><br>People liked to believe a Spartan could do anything. But armored suits and genetic tinkering couldn't eliminate biology. Even 117 had taken naps on long missions. A good warrior knew when to fight, and when to save up for the next fight. They were running low on everything - ammo, grenades, sleep.<br><br>Their Puma didn't look like it had too much fight left in it, either. Running over covvies had put a serious dent in the underbody, and the blood-caked windshield needed a cleaning very badly. She was fairly certain the LAAG was burning out its barrels and running low on ammo at the rate Gladiator was firing. Valkyrie probed the gas, revving up the engine a few times. "I promise the drive will be easier."<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>February 23, 2013, 10:08:28 am</strong>
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				<strong><em>"There he is"</em></strong><br><br>Hunter looked around to spot that a Covenant Elite had thrown a grenade which then landed between the ODST's. Reacting quickly, Hunter pushed the closest members away.<br><br>"GRENADE!!! EVERYBODY DUCK AND COVER"<br><br>Hunter then dived out of the way, taking a couple of marines with him. The grenade exploded a couple of seconds after he ducked. He wasn't sure if any of the marines were taken with it, he would find out once this was over. He opened up his make shift comms to Shana<br><br>"Block up the entrance, Covenant are in the area, repeat, Covenant are in the area"<br><br>The reaching for his rifle that had fallen a few feet away, he rolled for cover and then turned to open fire on the aliens overhead.<br><br>"Marines, cover and fire upon any hostile forces that move"<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>February 27, 2013, 03:31:52 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/NYCMall2.jpg)</div><br>Getting to his feet, Smith rushed to the nearest wall and crouched down. He pointed his rifle to the ceiling allowing a few seconds to calm his nerves and heart beat before standing up. Smith aimed his weapon and took a quick look around the corner. Squeezing the trigger he let off a few rounds into the closest grunt ceasing only when the enemy began shooting back. Retreating back out of their view, the private waited for the firing to momentarily stop.<br><br>Jacobs rolled toward the center of covenant sighting. If it were not for Smith's firing, the sergeant was sure he would have been hit. He made a mad dash to the mirror image of the other staircase, plasma whistled past his head only to change its focus upon Smith. Jacobs slid into cover behind a rounded wall and aimed his battle rifle at an elite. His armor shimmered upon receiving his bullets, however, his actions only angered the creature. He whipped out a plasma sword and ran at Jacobs. Reloading, Jacobs gave the elite a couple more bullets but, he only growled at Jacobs as he came near.<br><br>"Fuck.." the sergeant mumbled and turned his back on the elite to run from him. The human hadn't a chance in outrunning an elite and before he had gotten a yard, the marine was cornered. Pulling out his M6D magnum, Jacobs faced the elite and rolled in between his legs as his sword was swung. Aiming up, the soldier pulled the trigger, but the elite was not going down that easy and as he turned to face Jacobs he swung at him again forcing the human back into the center of the battlefield stage.<br><br>A grunt waddled his way closer to the center, his gun had been aiming for Hunter when he noticed Jacobs return into better view for all covenant to see. As he turned to fire at the sergeant, Smith grabbed onto his pistol and yanked him closer. Startled, the grunt stumbled toward the private and was punched in the face.&nbsp; Falling to the floor, his shell kept him from landing on his back, but did not save him from the marines knife sinking into the soft spot of his neck. He lifted his massive arms in defense, but his body went limp before it did him any good.<br><br>*****<br><br>Shana was slightly shocked to say the least. Baffled at most, she wasn't sure if the ODST was toying with her or if he really wanted her to cut him open with an unsterilized object.&nbsp; With mouth ajar, she turned on her own flashlight on her helmet and held Sling's chin between an index finger and thumb.&nbsp; Turning his head she peered into his ear. He had his helmet on, but that was not the point she was making. Blowing onto the helmet she released Sling and turning her eyes toward the elevator doors she said, "Hmm, just as I suspected, hollow."<br><br>His heavy boots hit the top of the elevator with a dull thud as he came down. Releasing the cable, O'Brian took a couple of steps around before turning on his flashlight on his helmet to see. As it clicked on the flooring beneath him creaked and cracked. The explosion from above released loose rubble and plummeted down the shaft. The private stood still a moment and the elevators roof began crumbling beneath his feet. His green eyes stared up at the objects coming at him and as he lifted his arms to cover his head he fell through the collapsing roof into the elevator cart. Dust and smaller debris fell atop his head, but nothing of any real damage touched the marine. Coughing out the dust he had inhaled he looked up from his seat on the floor into the hole in the ceiling, a beam had landed perfectly in place saving him from the larger rubble that could have fallen through.<br><br>&nbsp;"Phew.. that was close!" he said standing to his feet. O'Brian dusted himself off and walked into the med bay only to abruptly stop and hold his hands up in surrender. "Whoa.. friendly."<br><br>Shana lowered the rifle she had prepared in waiting to see the new arrival. Recognizing him, she was reluctant to put it upon her back again. Upon hearing Hunter's comm come into her ear piece, she placed the rifle in its place on her back and pushed the button to talk back to the Spartan. "This is Echo Private 1068689, elevator entrance is secure, over." The woman looked back to Sling.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>March 23, 2013, 06:09:12 pm</strong>
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				Sling laughed, and then grimaced in pain for the action as Shana lifted his chin and pronounced his head hollow "Can't be picky in a war zone Marine. Besides, it's clean. Haven't used it on anything yet, so get started already before we get into more trouble than we're already in. I wanna be in fighting shape soon as possible. Got more Covies to kill and they're certainly not gonna wait." He held his helmet over his shattered knee, and motioned for her to start in cutting an area so she could get the shard of bone that was lodged in his leg "Just do the best you can, I'm game for a temporary fix." Not really looking to anyone in particular, or talking to anyone in particular he muttered "I'm no use like this, just getting in the damned way and slowing everyone down".<br><br>Looking over to the Marine that had just dropped down the elevator shaft as debris rained down on him he said "You there, Private, what's the word top side? Seen any more of our friends up there?"<br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Gladiator nodded to Valkyrie's suggestion "Sounds like a plan. We could use the rest" he said in response over their private line. He held on as Valkyrie began to turn them around so that they could catch up with the soldiers. No one questioned their reappearance and for that he was grateful. About twenty minutes later, after a couple pockets of small resistance that the soldiers thankfully cut down quickly, they arrived at a building with a small contingent of medics and more soldiers occupying it. The building was heavily fortified with barriers, mounted turrets, and ammo crates. A team of medics came up to the battered 'hog, noting right away that Patric wasn't well. After the two Spartans carried him inside, and set him on a makeshift bed, Gladiator collapsed onto the floor beside Patric's bed for a moment. Moving Partic into the building where the medics could work on him, had used the last of his energy reserves. Everything was beginning to blur, his head pounded, and he felt dizzy. Gently, someone coaxed him up onto the bed across from Patric but, how he found the strength to move he didn't know. He knew what this was in the back of his mind. <br><br>He was starving, he was dehydrated, and he was exhausted. In short, his body was beginning to rebel and shut down on him in return for all the abuse it had taken for the past few days. <br><br>Suddenly, he had to get his helmet off, it was getting too tight. Gladiator grabbed his helmet, and pulled it off roughly, setting it on a table beside his bed. He breathed in a lungful of fresh air, his blue eyes staring up at the ceiling before looking around for Patric and Valkyrie. Upon finding them both, he laid his sweat slicked head against the pillow, and fell into a very deep sleep within a few moments. In those moments, Gladiator didn't dream, his mind was too exhausted and had no energy for that, and he made not a sound as he slept, his handsome features probably the most peaceful they'd been in days. Anyone looking upon him without the helmet, would probably have concluded that he was in his early thirties. Gladiator had a strong jaw, a cleft chin with a scar along the side of it, high cheek bones, and black cropped hair that was slick with sweat, making it shine in whatever light was in the room. A jagged scar came across on his left cheek while another scar marred the middle of his right eyebrow and continued onto the top of his right cheek. A thorough examination of his body would no doubt reveal more scar tissue, most of which would be on his back, shoulders and chest, with a few dotting his arms and legs from his past battles but, if anyone moved him, he didn't feel it. He was completely out. In fact, he barely groaned as the medics removed one of his gauntlets, and stuck an IV into his wrist that would provide him with the much needed missing nutrients his body needed.<br><br>"Hey doc, weren't these guys supposed to be invincible or something?" a marine said gesturing to the slumbering behemoth in the blue and gold armor "Looks like they were wrong huh?" he said laughing. <br><br>The doctor just shook his head "they're still Human you moron, now shut yer trap Kowalski, before you get it slapped off by one of'em!" he said turning to start his work on the Spartan in white and gold armor, beginning first with gently removing his helmet.<br><br>The marine though just waved his hand at the doc "yeah sure, what are they gonna do? Snore on me? Geez! What a bunch of wimps!" he said turning around and beginning to walk out of the room "So much for our <em>super</em> soldiers. Super soldiers, what a laugh."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sushi</strong> on <strong>April 08, 2013, 10:27:40 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Immediately after arriving, Valkyrie had helped offload Patric, move Gladiator to some place safe then... went to a campfire with UNSC personnel standing around it. She traded some packs of cigarettes and some scavenged covenant weapons for some basic hygienic essentials. Luxuries? Sometimes.<br><br>With all that sorted, Valkyrie found a quiet corner that seemed relatively clean. She checked the spare rocket tubes for her weapon, one-by-one, verifying their "use-by" dates and ensuring all the moisture seals were intact. The spartan turned to her rifle next.<br><br>The MA-5K was made as more of a personal defense weapon than something used for hundreds of rounds in a protracted battle. It showed. The flash suppressor she had installed was burnt to a crisp with muzzle blast and the exterior was caked with carbon fouling. Valkyrie stripped the magazine and cleared the chamber, then knocked out two cross pins. The upper and lower receiver came easily apart, then the bolt group itself slid out. Valkyrie let it sit plastic tub of solvent while she ran brushes through the barrel. There was enough copper fouling in the bore that the rifling was nearly smooth.<br><br>And the gas regulator was even worse. On a normal MA-37 or MA-5, the gas tube was over the barrel, in the housing for the sight unit. Here, it was still above the barrel but recessed, requiring rudimentary dis-assembly to get to. It had a wider setting and a shorter tube than the standard gas system, meaning when Valkyrie pried it open, the fouling was significant. Chrome-lined metal was baked black.<br><br>Whereas many S-IIs made it a point to ignore physical pain and strain until it started to impair them, weapons were babied and given detailed care. And oftentimes, wear on their equipment remained as an odd sort of reminder of their situation. It was bizarre.<br><br>When all her weapons were cleaned and cared for, Valkyrie found an isolated spot and laid out a bedroll to sleep on, even if just briefly.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>May 14, 2013, 04:45:57 am</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Hunter kept ducking his head out from behind his cover, putting rounds into grunts each time, reducing their numbers but there were still a lot of them about.<br><br>He ducked his head out one more time and saw that the sergeant was in trouble, out in the open and with an Elite bearing down on him with the intention of making the marine bacon slices. Ducking back in to avoid the fire that was coming his way, he assessed the situation in his head and then shrugged.<br><br>Jumping out of his hiding spot, he launched himself into the enemy ranks, dodging as much fire as he could, letting the rest bounce off his armour. Soon he was ascending towards the sergeant. He came up behind the advancing Elite which was almost within touching distance of the sergeant now. There was no time for anything fancy, so he launched himself at the Elite while shouting<br><br>"Sergeant, roll out of the way"<br><br>He tackled the shocked Elite rugby style around the waist and they flew towards the sergeant, he didn't have time to look at whether the marine had moved out of the way in time or not, he pummeled the Elite with his fists, hitting its chest and face.<br><br>They flew off the stage and hit the ground, the impact taking the wind out of both them for a couple of seconds. Hunter rolled away and got up slowly, his bound ribs stinging a little bit. He took a couple of breaths and then steadied himself, ready to take this enemy head on. Then he realized that he didn't have a weapon to hand, fortunately he saw that the Elite had dropped its energy sword when he tackled it, so it looked like it was going to be a melee.<br><br>"Bring it insect breath" he yelled at the Elite. Steeling himself for its charge.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>June 01, 2013, 04:44:39 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Shana stared at the ODST a moment longer before reluctantly taking his blade. Ripping open the area of pants covering his knee Shana massaged Sling's exposed skin in circular motions feeling for anything abstract. In no way did she bother with a sensitive approach as she stabbed the blades' point into his knee and take out the piece of bone. Flicking the shard off the combat weapon Shana laid the bloody knife down and placed the bio-foams tubing into the fresh wound. She pressed on the nozzle until the mixture of blood and bio-foam oozed its way out to close the hole. Side stepping toward Sling's shin she shook the can once more and was not convinced she had enough to finish the fix. Shana instead walked back to the computer screen and rescanned the soldier to make sure the knee was at least set. "I cannot guarantee a fix on your shin at this time. The bio-foams' canister is nearly empty." She reported as she stared at the screen before her, eyes scanning what she had done to his knee.<br><br><br>Though O'brian clearly heard the question Sling had asked him, the private did not answer until Shana had finished her work on the ODST. With mouth ajar he took a moment to think then answered, "it's just the Sarg and two others up there right now."<br><br>*****<br><br>Hearing the spartan's instructions, Jacobs dived into a forward roll and rushed over to join with Smith. Retrieving his battle rifle, the marine aimed for the elite entangled with Hunter but could not get a clear shot. He kept his aim steady and waited for a clearing but had to turn away to shoot at incoming enemy forces. <br><br>"Cover me!" Smith called out as his ammo ran empty. Only when the Sargent replied, "Covering." Did he reload his assault rifle.<br><br>With an angry caught off gaurd grumble the elite in Hunter's face took his first heavy swing at the spartan. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>June 23, 2013, 07:38:47 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em><strong>Meanwhile at the same time half a world away in New Mombasa, Africa..</strong></em><br><br><em>"kzzz...they've got me cornered and I'm low on ammo..kzzzk..if you can hear me I'm on sublevel 9..kzzz...."</em><br><br>The ODST crept through the bowels of the Mega City's seventh sub-level, following their ONI squad leader's last known position, and he still had two sub-levels more to go to get to Captain Dare. Two sub-levels filled with Covenant. So far, he'd been fortunate as "Rookie" tracked his team through New Mombasa. He'd come across mostly street patrols, which had mostly consisted of two Brutes, four Grunts, and maybe a pair of Jackal Snipers. That wasn't to say that he'd had it easy. He'd come face to face with death more times than he could count on this mystery mission, and from the look of Romeo's sniper rifle that he found hung on a telephone line, none of the squad had had it easy. Ofcourse, he'd approached his brushes with death with his customary stoicism, silence, brushed it off and pushed on. A couple hours later he was on the 9th sub-level after fighting through a horde of Drones, or "Buggers", as the Marines liked to call them, Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals. The confines of the sub-level had definitely made things interesting, as there was little to no room to move very far. Fortunately, there had been cover, support pillars, massive computer towers, and concrete work stations.<br><br>Taking a quick security check of his surroundings, the ODST backed up to the sealed door slowly, and nonchalantly knocked on the steel hatch. A second later, he was greeted by a pretty blonde and a magnum pointed at his helmet. Her eyes went wide with surprise, as she slowly lowered the gun from his head "It's you..I thought..nevermind" he saw disappointment in her eyes for a second but, she masked it well as she briefly looked away from his visor "what was your name again?" As usual he didn't answer. A second later something moved further down the hall, both of them raised their weapons in a flash. "Inside! Now!" Captain Veronica Dare ordered, Rookie didn't argue. They walked further into the Data Center "this way and keep quiet" this again from Dare "some idiots blew the building at the top of the shaft, and woke the whole hive." <br><br>Rookie rolled his eyes though he was careful not to move his head. Like he'd ever had a problem keeping quiet. <br><br><br><em><strong>Meanwhile at exactly the same time halfway across the world in New York City, New York on 40th street..</strong></em><br><br><em><strong>Gladiator0161</strong></em><br><br><em>"This is Lieutenant Stacy of the 110nth air force squadron, we have two confirmed jammer kills. Repeat. Two com jammer kills. Enjoy the radio traffic everybody!"</em><br><br><em>"This is Admiral Bane of the Hercules. Good job son, now get up here and join the fight, we've got more of those Covenant bastards trying to get past what remains of the blockade and we need all the help we can get.</em><br><br><em>"Rodger that Admiral, on our way.</em><br><br>Somewhere within the inky blackness of Spartan 0161's consciousness, he heard the radio traffic over his helmet's communicae receiver but, the only indication that it had even registered with him was a light shift of position on the bed. He was awake but, his eyes were so heavy they didn't want to open. His arms and legs felt like lead weights. Hell, his body in general was just heavy with exhaustion. It was only through pure determination that he even managed to open his eyes again after a half hour nap, and resist the nearly overpowering urge to fall right back asleep. Feeling something stuck in his arm, he begrudgingly lifted his arm to get a blurry look at whatever the object was. Gingerly he felt along his naked forearm and felt something like plastic embedded in his arm. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, his training and instincts kicking into overdrive at what his brain perceived as a threat. His blue eyes locked onto the IV needle and followed the plastic line connected to the needle to the bag, remembered where he was, and laid down again.<br><br>Only then did he notice the startled medic beside him, clutching some kind of electronic pad to her chest "sorry" he said casually, as if it was nothing. After taking a moment to get comfortable, he noted that his helmet was relaying coms traffic and picked it up to listen in. It sounded as if the fleet were in a hell of a firefight up there. He looked to the medic who was once again looking at her pad, though she was now doing so at the foot of his bed "So, what's our prognosis doc?" he asked as lightly as his deep voice would allow. <br><br>"Don't you want to know what your diagnosis is first?" she asked looking up at him, a confused expression on her face.<br><br>"Dehydration, starvation, exhaustion, light concussion, beat all to hell, and one hell of a headache" Gladiator said lightly waving the diagnosis away as if it hardly mattered.<br>"Uh..yeah, but, there's more.." she started.<br>"Anything broken or that's gonna keep me outta the fight beyond a few hours of bed rest and some food?"<br>"Well..I dunno. That depends" she said crossing her arms over her chest.<br>"On what?" the Spartan said placing his helmet back on his head and flipping through the com frequencies, and stopping on one that was looping a distress signal.<br>"On whether you and your men are going to follow the doctor's orders" she said rolling her eyes.<br>"You and these guys from the Hercules? Admiral Bane send you?" Gladiator asked trying to sit up.<br>"Y'know, for a guy with a concussion, you're pretty sharp" she said sarcastically making the huge Spartan chuckle. Soon his head was spinning though from sitting up, and he had to settle back down onto the bed.<br>"Might wanna add dizziness to that list for me" he said lightly. <br>"Great idea genius" she said shaking her head and fiddling with her pocket until she found a small bottle of pills and handed them to him "here. Take two of these now, and two every couple of hours. Now, get some rest. That's an order."<br>"I will, but, after I sort this distress call, get a location, and check up on my team" Gladiator said curtly, leaving no room for discussion as she set a couple bottles of water down on the small folding end table next to his bed. <br>Giving a frustrated sigh, the doctor turned around and just shook her head "Spartans."<br><br>Gladiator ignored her and bore into his COM systems as he attempted to track down the source of the distress signal, and amplify it. Despite the Covenant COM Jammers being reduced in number, the COMs were still a mess as UNSC forces transmitted just about everything over different COM frequencies. He heard everything from backup requests, to ammunition statuses, to force deployments over the TACCOM line, to the cries of the dying. War was horrible in every way but, it's what the Spartans were made for. In actuality the whole thing barely phased him anymore. If anything, the fact that such horrible conditions barely phased him worried him more than anything. Shrugging off those particular thoughts, he renewed his efforts in tracking down the distress signal's source. It was blasting over every COM frequency but, he could barely make it out with all the noise. Finally, he found a channel and was able to hear the entire thing for the first time.<br><br><em>“Uh…Mayday.&nbsp; Mayday.&nbsp; Mayday.&nbsp; This is Ashley Foster…PFC Foster.&nbsp; I’m en route from Grand Central in Manhattan across the bridge to the bunker Middle Village.&nbsp; I’ve not come across any hostiles yet, but any help would be appreciated.”</em><br><br>Calling up the Mega City's A.I. the Spartan II had it track the whereabouts of one PFC Foster, starting with the Middle Village bunker, and working it's way back to her last known position using the various security cameras in the city. Within seconds he had her on his HUD, a live feed being displayed for him from a diner across the street from the shop she was currently curled up in. He recognized her immediately after the camera zoomed in on her shocked and terrified face. He'd spotted her making her way through the streets sometime earlier. Noticing the edge of a COM pad in the pocket of her red vest, he smiled. <br><br>"PFC Foster, this is Sierra zero one six one. Turn to TACCOM frequency two five nine and await instructions. Over," Gladiator waited a moment, looked at his live feed and then repeated his message just in case she was too emotionally distraught to catch it the first time. It was clear from the way she curled her body away from the Elite laying on the shattered remains of the counter, and the expression on her face that she was civilian, not a soldier. The fact that she'd managed to kill four Grunts and their Elite commander impressed him greatly. Most people just ran, cowered, or were paralyzed with fear upon sight of the aliens of the Covenant, they didn't fight them and win usually. It occurred to him then that she must have had atleast some training with firearms "Repeat, this is Sierra zero one six one calling PFC Ashley Foster. Turn to TAC COM frequency two five nine and await instructions. Over."<br><br>Turning his coms over to his SQUADCOM frequency he said "Gladiator to Shana, Sling, Sierra 435, and 636. Sit rep! Anyone still alive out there?"<br><br><em><strong>Gunnery Sergeant Desmonde "Sling" Rockwell</strong></em><br><em><strong>Loc: Mall Emergency Medical Room, New York City, New York</strong></em><br><br>Sling looked at the Marine as she reluctantly took his knife and ripped open his pants at the knee. <em>This is gonna hurt like hell</em> he thought as he tried to mentally prepare himself for his last minute "surgery". He gritted his teeth as Shana's hand massaged the skin over his knee cap, searching for the bone shard lodged in his knee. When she found it, he groaned through his gritted teeth but, nodded his head to her to continue. As she stabbed his knife into his knee and worked it under the cap so she could have room to remove the shard, he cried the most painful ear piercing cry he'd ever made. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his body threatened to go into shock. He could feel his life's blood pouring down his calf and pooling under his leg as she dropped the knife, pulled the bone shard out, and filled the hole she'd made with biofoam, or what remained. As the biofoam began to cool his bleeding knee and numb it, he gritted his teeth and laid back with a loud sigh, and letting out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.<br><br>A moment later, he nodded at the Private as he reported that it was just his sergeant, and two others fighting up there. Trembling a little from the pain, he nodded and said "Thanks Shana..now..get your ass up that shaft and help our boys out. Sounds like they could use back up." Looking to the private once more he said "You private..come here."<br><br>The Private did as he was told, coming within a few feet of the ODST making Sling smile through a grimace "Closer". The man looked reluctant but, eventually did so, standing beside the wounded ODST. Grabbing him roughly by the collar of his uniform Sling brought the young man's face up to his own "I so much as hear that I screamed like a girl outta you, or any of your buddies..I'm gonna find you and cut off your balls with my knife and then, I'm gonna feed them to one of those squid faces out there. Understood?"<br><br>Seeing O'Brian's eyes go wide and then nod quickly a few seconds later was priceless. He smiled and said "Good, now get up there and help them out. I'll be up shortly" he said grabbing his two remaining weapons, his Mauler, and his trusty M6C/SOCOM pistol, then laying back to gather his strength for a minute.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Hunter Phoenix</strong> on <strong>June 24, 2013, 05:14:29 am</strong>
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				Hunter had to back up when the Elite took the first swing at him, he needed to catch it off guard at the right moment, if he had been fighting fit, he would have been in a position to end the scrap within seconds, but he was battered and being held together with foam and patch work which made the fight an entirely different situation. He ducked and jabbed where he could, making sure that any blows he did take were on his arms and shoulders, keeping them away from his chest and legs.<br><br>The Elite was powerful, landing painful blows that would have killed a normal human, the Spartan managed to land several punches of his own, but they were lacking in power and soon he would be up against the wall with nowhere to go, so he would have to hurry up and find a way around the Covenants defense.<br><br>Rolling his shoulders to stop them from cramping up, Hunter was looking around for something he could use, all he saw was rubble and pockets of fighting still going on between the reinforcements and the remaining Covenant forces, it looked like they had the upper hand and the Covenant were out of their depth, but battles can soon change, he then spotted a pistol on the ground not very far away, if he could get to it, he could shoot the Elite to death instead of having to match it physically. Feinting to the right, the Elite followed, and then at the cost of great pain in his chest and leg, he dived left, landing in a roll that took him to the pistol, which he scooped up and aimed at the Elite, pressing down on the trigger only to find that the pistol was lying discarded for a reason; it was out of ammo.<br><br>"Well damn it" Hunter muttered to himself, throwing the useless weapon at the Covenant fighter before he moved out the way of some incoming fire.<br><br>Fortunately, he was now in a position where he could get back to the rest of the crew and acquire a new weapon. Dodging and ducking his way back to the nearest point of cover, he saw that the Elite was still after him, sensing that it could easily gain itself a Spartan kill in this fight. Determination was not normally seen this much in the aliens, but Hunter had to admire it all the same. The nearest ODST near him was launching barrages of fire at some nearby grunts that had taken up position opposite where he was positioned, Hunter tapped him on the shoulder, dodged the gun that was aimed at his head and pointed to the Elite.<br><br>"Open fire on him and don't stop till he is down"<br><br>He then grabbed the grunts pistol from his belt before he could respond and opened fire on the Elite himself, pumping several rounds into the giant alien when he heard the sound of rifle fire right in his ear next to him, knowing that the ODST had followed his command. The Elite went down in a scream of bullets and curses and fell to the floor, landing in a small puddle of its own blood.<br><br>"Good work marine"<br><br>Hunter sat back for a moment to get his breath back, he opened his comms to see how Shana was doing with Sling<br><br>"Shana, report on the situation down there, we have Covenant still crawling all over this place, we could do with your help"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Maelyn</strong> on <strong>June 24, 2013, 11:30:45 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div style="text-align: justify;">Ashley knew she couldn’t stay where she was for long, so she took a long, shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down and think clearly.&nbsp; Hands trembling, she wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly peeked around the carnage to the street, searching for any other threats.&nbsp; Long moments passed before she felt satisfied she could neither see nor hear anything coming any closer, but eventually those she killed would be discovered and she knew she couldn’t be here when their reinforcements arrived.<br>&nbsp;<br>Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes and silently prayed for guidance.&nbsp; As she did, a soft static sounded in her ear, soon followed by a gruff, no-nonsense male voice.&nbsp; “PFC Foster, this is Sierra zero one six one.&nbsp; Turn to TACCOM frequency two five nine and await instructions.&nbsp; Over.”&nbsp; It cut out for a moment before repeating the command once more then was silent.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Her heart leaping into her throat, hope rose within the young woman as she quickly pulled the COM pad from her pocket, switching to the given frequency.&nbsp; “This is PFC Ashley Foster and I am so glad to hear your voice,” she began, her voice sounding a little shaken even to her ears.&nbsp; She swallowed once and glanced at her pad once more to note her location.&nbsp; “I’m at 51st and Lexington, but I don’t think it’s safe here much longer.”<br>&nbsp;<br>Sighing, Ashley again pocketed her COM pad and, once again clearing the way, slipped into the back of the shop.&nbsp; Pressing her ear to the door, she didn’t hear anything, so she opened it just a crack, trying to be as quiet as possible.&nbsp; Glancing into the room, she saw the typical back-of-the-shop room complete with a small desk and lots of storage boxes.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>Beyond that was another door that she repeated the same precautions with and noted it stepped out into a back alley.&nbsp; With an escape route on either side, she settled in for the moment and kept her ears peeled for both covenant enemies and for instructions from the man at the other end of the com.</div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ashia starstreak</strong> on <strong>August 30, 2013, 07:21:01 pm</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center">(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o180/ashia_starstreak/lonehunter-1.jpg) (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/ashia_starstreak/media/lonehunter-1.jpg.html)</div><br>The short marine removed herself from the computer screen and walked toward the elevator, pausing a moment she turned on her flashlight on her helmet and walked into the shaft. Debris and pieces from the tunnel above laid scattered across the floor. Her green eyes scanned the ceiling. A hole from which the ODST&nbsp; and O'Brian had come through was blocked by a heavy beam. Clicking her light off, Shana slithered her way out of the elevator once more and looked around the room. "Negative." she reported to Sling.<br><br>Surely there was another way out. Humanity couldn't have been so faulty as to make a single entrance. In cases of emergency, an elevator would not do. As suspected the marine found a single door. A metal filing cabinet and random chairs stacked against it to discourage anyone from approaching it. Maneuvering her way closer, Shana took a look at the keypad beside it. The screen shot in, a small electrical charge caused it to smoke and though the buttons were still lit, the keypad did not respond to Shana's attempts to configure a password. With a frown, the marine took off her helmet and looked through the window of the door, shielding her hands on each side of her temples to improve her sight. Nothing but darkness. Shana waited several moments, but still, she could see nothing. Peeling her eyes away from the door, Shana ran a black gloved hand down the crease of the wall and door. <br><br>"I need a crowbar..something to open this door." She said, looking around. <br><br>Stepping away away from Sling, O'Brian smoothed his jacket and decided to help Shana. At the moment Squish seemed the less crazy. Clearing his throat, the lanky private looked around, when he did not see&nbsp; what the woman was looking for, he moved for a helping bar from Sling's medical bed. "Sorry, I need this." He said to the ODST nervously before ripping it from it's holding upon the frame. The force of the bar's release pushed O'Brian back a couple feet. Not wishing to stay near Sling long enough to see the man's reaction, the marine hurried to Shana's side.<br><br>She held out her hand to retrieve the tool, but O'Brian did not give it to her. Instead he rolled up each of his sleeves and brushed her aside. "Let a real soldier take care of this." He said. The woman raised a brow, but not in the mood for argument, she backed up and glanced back to Sling to check on his well being. <br><br>The door groaned, the bar bent. As O'Brian struggled to pry it open, the bed guard snapped in half. A loud snap of the bar and a thud of the marine as he smacked into the door, he held up the bar and discarded it. Though he no longer had a tool, he did manage to open the door a few inches. O'Brian held onto the heavy sliding door and pulled.<br><br>Shana looked back to O'Brian and sighed, slightly annoyed. Moving next to the lanky soldier, the woman helped him. The door slowly began to budge more, but something distracted the woman&nbsp; before the door could be fully open. "Stop stop!" She exclaimed in a whisper smacking O'Brian's hands away from the door. "Shh...I see something.." She said and looked out the door. A small glow reflecting off the wall revealed a hallway. Down the passage the green glow became brighter, bigger as it neared. Before Shana could fully get a good view of what it was, she jumped for the other side of the door bashing a knee against the metal cabinet. Grumbling she rubbed it and brought a finger to her lips, a signal for silence.<br><br>*****<br><br>Upon instruction, Smith quickly listened to the Spartan and together they shot down the approaching elite. Turning his attention back to the crowd of covenant, he sighed silently as a new wave of enemy made their appearance. Taking out a grenade, Smith stood up and prepared the grenade for a fast ball to the new group. Two elites ducked out of the way, but several grunts and a jackal weren't so lucky and were taken out within the three second time.<br><br>Jacobs fired at the covenant but shortly stopped as he realized they were retreating. "Cease firing!" He ordered, holding up a hand. Getting up off a knee he watched the covenant hurry down the street. "They're retreating."<br><br>Smith listened to the sergeant, but could not put his rifle down. He was not so sure it was over. His instincts told him to wait, the back of his hairs standing on end. What he saw next made him groan aloud. With heavy steps came a hunter. <br><br>Lifting his rifle back into position, Jacobs hurried to the other side of the stairs. As he leaned against the opposite pillar of Smith he waited for the appearance of the other hunter. They always traveled in pairs, but another did not appear. "..just one?" He asked, looking to the spartan and Smith he hollered, "Any have eyes on the second!?"<br><br>*****<br><br>O'Brian peeped through the window of the door than got out of view. "Holy sheet a hunter! That's a fucking hunter out there!" he mouthed to the small group within the emergency med bay. The soldier looked to Shana and watched as she placed her helmet on just in time to receive an incoming comm from the Spartan upstairs. The noise from her helmet stopped the giant monster in his place. A deep gurgled growl emerged from his ugly face as he charged up his cannon and looked down the hall toward the room they were in.<br><br>Seconds felt like minutes, Shana's heart&nbsp; sunk&nbsp; in her gut. The alien couldn't fit into this room, but his gun could still do all the damage it needed to get the job done. Pushing onto the link of her comm, the petite marine reported, "This is Echo Private 1068689 Reporting: three survivors, Elevator shaft is barricaded. We have an approaching hunter blocking our only exit. We cannot engage. I repeat we cannot enga-" she was interupted by a heavy plasma blast to the door. The shock knocked Shana a couple feet forward. She fell roughly onto the cold floor. Forgetting the rest of her message, she released the button and moved back to her postion beside the door. She refused to make another noise, hoping the hunter would move on, but O'Brian didn't let that happen. "We can take this right? You killed an elite with a knife.." He looked to Shana, his eyes watery with fear.<br><br>When he said 'we', Shana couldn't help but think that meant HER...she sighed and prepared for the next blast that the hunter currently began charging. The woman's eyes locked onto Sling once more before the blast pushed the door off its hinges and forced it into the room. Blast holes smoking, a ring of green plasma sizzled as it began to cool against the metal of the door.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: HALO: A shot in the dark</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Gladiator0161</strong> on <strong>August 31, 2013, 07:00:15 pm</strong>
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				<br><strong>Gladiator0161</strong><br><strong>Loc: Lexington avenue and 40th, NYC, NY</strong><br><br><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 10pt;" class="bbc_size">"Gladiator to Shana, Sling, Sierra 435, and 636. Sit rep! Anyone still alive out there?" Gladiator waited a moment for any kind of response over the SQUADCOM. Nothing. Not even static. Growling softly, he repeated his message “I repeat. This is Sierra oh one six one to Shana, Sling, Sierra 435, and Sierra 636. Does anyone copy? Over.” He waited another minute or so but, to him every minute felt more like an hour. He slammed his fist onto the end table next to his bed, not noticing that the doctor had just placed two bottles of water there, along with his meds. Fearing the worst the Spartan’s fist smashed down onto one unfortunate bottle of water, the impact shattering it with such force that the bottle exploded sending a white spray in every direction, and spilling the rest of the table’s contents onto the floor, or sending them sailing across the room as he swore. The table itself was broken in half, a large indent of where his fist had impacted it’s surface, marring the unfortunate piece of furniture. All commotion within the makeshift medbay ceased at the explosion, no one daring to move or breath as all eyes turned on the source of the powerful display, wondering what the unpredictable behemoth would do next. A moment later Gladiator’s visor tilted up, as he noticed the lack of activity in the area.<br><br>He noticed too the frightened look on the medics faces. He gave a great sigh, then switched his coms over to the audio setting so everyone could hear him. He gave a quick apology to everyone then looked to Valkyrie, the only other Spartan in the room and said “Valkyrie. I’ve lost contact with our team, keep trying to make contact with them while I guide this civie across hostile territory. Hopefully I can get her out of there alive” the only motion the female Spartan made was a curt nod before turning around and complying with her orders.<br><br>Switching back to TACCOM frequency 259 he looked at the live footage and pulled a few more active security cameras on her block to get a quick layout of her area and said “PFC Foster, this is Sierra zero one six one. You have two scout patrols of Jackals two blocks north and west, a Brute patrol three blocks east of you, and a Elite patrol four blocks south of your position. Do. Not. Panic. Do exactly as I say, when I say. You will get through this if you listen to me. I am at 9 2 1 8 on Lexington Avenue and 40th street, in a parking garage with a medical team and some marines. I am sending you a nav marker to point the way on your pad. I will try to get footage of the air traffic but, until I do, stay close to the buildings, and use the abandoned cars for cover when crossing the street if at all possible. If you can hot wire a car and get here faster, do it. Do you copy? Over.” A moment later, he sent the nav marker and his location to her pad, and prayed that she heard everything he’d just told her but, most especially he prayed that she kept her head and tried to remain calm.</span></span><br><br><strong><em>Gunnery Sergeant Desmonde "Sling" Rockwell</em></strong>[/i]<br><strong>Loc: Mall Emergency Medical Room, NYC, NY</strong><br><br>Sling coughed a couple of times as Shana began exploring their prison, eventually finding a door near the back. His leg had been quick fixed now but, he'd forgotten about another injury, the piece of drywall debris in his back. The wound was undoubtedly infected now, and his skin was probably healing itself around the piece of embedded shrapnel. He could feel himself starting to burn up from the infection. He felt weak, like all the strength had been sapped from his body. Sling tried to lay down and save his strength but, the piece of embedded debris wouldn't let him get comfortable. Gritting his teeth as he remembered the piece of drywall in his back he sat up. He needed to get that debris out of his back, and his wound cleaned. He'd watched through tear blurry eyes as O'Brian tried to regain some of his lost dignity in his encounter with the ODST, and ripped one of the bed rails off the bed to try and open a barricaded sliding door somewhere near the back of the small emergency medical room. <br><br>Stripping off his chest armor, his helmet, and the black shirt underneath, he found a mirror and propped it on the counter, angling the mirror to catch the light in the room to where he would be able to see his back. He found the drywall debris readily enough, and as expected, the wound was now infected. It was inflamed and gross looking, puss and blood were oozing from it and he could begin to smell a foul odor. He needed to work fast, and get back in the game, the Covenant wouldn't be far behind. He started opening the cabinets in the room until he found some latex gloves, and a 16 oz. bottle of Dakin's Solution, a disinfectant and cleaning solution he'd heard some of the medics talk about in the past. It was an old brand of medical cleaner but, it was still used. Finding a pair of surgical pliers, he grabbed them, as well as some surgical gauze, medical tape, the gloves and the bottle, then went back to the mirror. A few minutes later he took a deep breath, and yanked the piece of drywall out with the pliers, gritting his teeth through the pain, as he tossed the bloodied piece of drywall aside angrily, along with the pliers. He put his helmet back on, and poured the cleaning solution onto the wound. It felt like he'd just poured molten lava into the hole in his back. He muted the audio speakers and cried out in pain as he leaned heavily on the counter, though he was sure that Shana and O'Brian could still hear his muffled cries of pain. His hands shook as he forced himself to pour more solution down his back and into it. Next he unrolled a length of gauze and used it as a towel to rub against the wound, making sure that the dead skin, and debris were removed, then poured the rest of the bottle down his back again. Panting heavily, he leaned heavily on the counter in pain. <br><br>He unrolled the rest of the gauze bundle and worked it around his chest and back, using the mirror to check his placement. Finally he tied the gauze good and tight, then used the tape to keep it stable. He turned his audio speakers back on, took his helmet off, and pulled his shirt back on as he panted heavily. A few groaning moments later, he donned his ODST armor. There was a big puddle of cleaning solution on the floor, and he smelled of bleach but, his wound was clean. A few seconds later, a loud gurgling growl filtered through the cracked open sliding door just as the bed rail snapped in O'Brian's hands. <em>Oh great, a Hunter. This just keeps getting better and better</em>[/i] he thought as he made himself start to limp towards Shana and O'Brian. A second later Shana threw herself away from the door, slamming against a metal cabinet as the Hunter fired at the door. O'Brian was fine but, babbling in fright like a baby. As Shana picked herself up and put her helmet back on, she and Sling locked eyes. As Shana began calling for backup the Hunter fired again, cutting her off as the shock wave from the impact shook the floor beneath her. She fell to the cold hard ground, and Sling fell backwards onto his injured back unable to keep his balance. He groaned and muttered through clenched teeth "That son of a bitch is gonna die!" his anger over rode his pain and he grabbed his Mauler and his M6C/SOCOM pistol from their holsters, preparing for the behemoth to fire again and burst through the wall. A moment later the Hunter fired it's Fuel Rod Cannon a third time, a green explosion lifting the melting metal frame, sliding door and a two foot section of wall, and throwing it over the trio's heads. The door slammed against the far side of the room. Sling picked himself up, Mauler and his M6C pistol in hand, as the lumbering giant gurgled a mocking growl at them. Sling roared, focusing the Hunter's attention on him, and ran at the behemoth, ignoring the pain in his body. The Hunter, thinking that it was going to get an easy kill, raised it's shield arm, preparing to swat him away like a fly. As Sling put all his strength into his suicidal run, roaring like a enraged maniac all the way, the behemoth began charging it's Fuel Rod Cannon at it's side. At the last second Sling dropped to the ground, the Hunter's shield buzzing by his visor by mere centimeters, and slid between the monster's legs. As he came through, he raised the Mauler in his left hand and fired into the monster's back twice. Both shots were partial hits, and it growled in pain but, turned towards him angrily.<br><br>"Now! Light it up!" Sling shouted as the Hunter turned towards him fully, and raised it's fully charged Fuel Rod Cannon. 
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