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Chapter 2: No Bad, Just Ugly
Surface of Alpha IV
Wreck site of Bravo-243
20 miles from Base XI
3 hours after landing

Private Paul M. Archer slowly cleared the numbness from his head. He was slightly aware of pressure to his left, another marine leaned over him, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey sarge, I think he's awake." The cold metal of the pelican drop bay seared his hands as he lifted himself into a sitting position, blinking to clear his vision. A middle aged man with short cut hair and average features sat across from him. "Well heya, nice of you to join us all for this glorious flight."

Archer smiled, "Shove it Linon, I bet you couldn't take deck plating to the head without passing out." Private Jeffery Linon smirked, a look that was alien after the past few hours. "Uhg, so why are we still in the pelican? Shouldn't we be out there taking the base, or is this somehow more important?" Linon smirked again, giving one of the other men a jagged look. "What are you smiling at?"

"Oh, nothing. We just can't go anywhere because our brilliant pilot thought it wise to land us in the middle of the freaking forest," Linon jeered, giving the pilot a mock glare, but it was enough.

The pilot jumped up, hissing at the man, "At least you're alive, you owe me that much. You could have been one of them," he motioned toward the cockpit where the radio poured a constant report of the dead or missing.

"We might as well have been, can't do much from up he…" The pilot swung right, landing a blow to Linon's jaw, and two marines jumped and restrained him.

Archer took the moment to glance out the rear of the bay. Green light bathed the edges of the opening, giving it a pleasant tone. Brown added a subtle mute to the feeling, but balanced out overall. It would have been pleasing, almost relaxing were it not for the fifty foot drop. The Pelican rested in the upper canopy of the planets dense forest, swaying slightly with the breeze, or so he thought.

"If you think they're so much better off," the pilot spat, "then why don't you jump down and join'em, do us all a favor." Linon just smiled cockily back at him, not wavering, the side of his face was turning an ugly shade of blue.

Sergeant Haravez stepped between the men, "Now is not the time for petty squabbling. Right now, we need to figure a way out of here, and the arguing is not helping. You two need to learn that…"

"Uh, sir?" Archer cut in, "I think you should hold on to something."

The Sergeant looked flustered, "Now why would I do tha…" Metal screeched and grinded as the Pelican slid free of the tree that was holding it. The ship cleared the fifty feet in seconds, impacting the ground nose first. The force compacted the nose, killing the copilot who was unlucky enough to be at the radio. The Pelican groaned again, tilting and landing upside down next to the tree. Archer couldn't help but slam his head against the bulkhead for the second time that evening.

_____________________________________

UNSC Relevance
Command Deck
2 hours in

Captain Cane paced the bridge, inspecting his crew. He pivoted slowly and pressed a key on his command console. Salina dissolved into figure, giving him an odd look.

"Can I help you captain? I think there are some other things to be done at the moment, respectfully sir." She frowned at him, looking him once over. "You look like you should be doing something else as well, when was the last time you've slept captain?"

Cane sighed, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He honestly didn't know the last time he'd had a full nights sleep. Every time he attempted to, his mind would keep him awake with thoughts of the soldiers he sent to their deaths each day. He shook his head clearing the thoughts. "It doesn't matter Salina, I just wanted the numbers. Did any of them make it to the rendezvous point?"

She nodded, concern heavy on the motion. "Alpha Team made it safely sir, I'm still waiting on Bravo and Echo, but I assume most of them are still alive. I have confirmed DIA (Destroyed In Action) on Echoes 113 and 247, but the other ships have yet to report in or be reported sir. Is that all?"

Cane nodded, "Yes, but can you patch me through to Alpha before you go?"

"Yes sir, calling Alpha." She gave him one more glance, and then her form vanished from the console.

The captain stared warily at the com, waiting for Alpha to call in. It was five minutes before they did. "Sir, this is Corporal Lance reporting sir. We're pinned down, Covenant forces have us locked down under some boulders sir." Gunfire erupted in the back ground, only to be silenced by a sizzling scream. "We're going to be overrun, where's that backup, sir? Where's Echo and Bravo?"

"Corporal, where's your CO, shouldn't Lieutenant Hawes be calling in?" Cane edged closer to the panel, trying to keep the sound muted.

"He can't sir, his group was hit first sir… I'm afraid he's dead." The marine's voice was tense, fear heavy on his breath.

Cane thought for a second, "How come you didn't call in earlier Corporal?"

"We couldn't sir, the Covenant were jamming our signal. We blew that one up real good though. I don't know how long we can…" The com ended in abrupt static, the jamming device must have been replaced. Cane slammed his fist against the console, calling up Salina again.

"How fast can we call up Gamma and Beta? Those men need back up."

"I don't know sir but…"

"No, no buts, no what ifs, just give me an estimate." Cane's emotions took hold, his hands shaking.

"Sir this is important…"

"No, nothing is more important then getting those men their back-up." Cane slammed his fist into the console again. "An I damn well intend to give it to them."

"But Captain…" she stammered, trying to get all of what she had to say out.

"What? What is more important then helping those men kill the Covenant before they kill them?"

"How about a Slipspace rupture off the starboard bow?" She smiled lightly at the captain's reaction.

"Ensign," He said, almost yelling, "Change course, get that MAC pointed directly into that rupture. I don't want anything jumping on us while we're distracted." Cane gripped the railing as the ship turned toward the opening. "Salina, can we tell what's coming through?"

Salina paused, "Yes, two large ships, I can't tell the class sir."

"Charge the MAC, prepare to fire. Slag that thing before it gets a chance to…"

"Wait Captain," Salina interrupted, "They're contacting us…"

"What? Patch it through, console sound only."

Static streamed from the console, along with some garbled words. "…is the… Pearl Harbor… SC… forces…"

"Give me a moment," Salina said, "I'll see if I can clean it up."

The message flowed again, much clearer. "This is the UNSC Pearl Harbor calling any UNSC forces, we're here to help." Two large ships appeared in front of Relevance, a carrier and one of the UNSC's larger cruisers.

"Uh captain, one more problem. The slipspace rupture seems to have attracted more attention then expected. A Covenant destroyer is rounding the crest of the planet sir, ETA is ten minutes." Her voice extended to external ship wide communications. "All hands, report to battle stations. Prepare to repel Covenant boarders. This is not a drill, scramble longsword squadrons to intercept boarding vessels. The battle for Alpha IV has officially started."
_____________________________________

10 Years ago
Reach
01:02

"My God… what have I done…?" Paul Archer looked down at his blood soaked shirt, turning his hands over under a faucet. Blood rushed down his fingers and into the drain, he didn't even know if it was his anymore. His starch white dress suit was stained scarlet, running in puddles down into the drain. The cold shower felt good, but his mind was restless, going over what happened that night over and over…

Five hours earlier

Susan Mikulski, she was beautiful that night, a silken gown of pink draped gently over her, accenting the curves of her waist. Archer drew his eyes away and looked into her eyes. Deep emerald stared back, pushing a light smile out of her mouth. Archer flinched, coaxing a laugh.

"What's the matter Paul?" She joked, pressing against his side. "You never saw a woman before?"

Archer swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. "You look lovely tonight Susan." He blushed… unable to stop it anymore.

She winked, "Come on Paul, we haven't even left yet." They stood on the sidewalk in front of Susan's apartment. The daylight had long gone, and the local nightlife was just arousing to go about their nightly routines. Gangs of teens romped the streets looking for a bar or club they could get drunk in before their parents realized they were gone. The sky glistened with stars brighter on most other planets. This part of town didn't have streetlights, so the stars cast eerie shadows across the pavement.

Archer waved away the sense of admiration and centered his attention back on Susan. He gathered up as much strength as he possibly could. "So, where do you want to go tonight?"

Susan shrugged and gave him a sad look. "I don't know, maybe we could go uptown and sit down at a fancy restaurant or something."

Archer smirked, they had made the plans and the reservations weeks ago. Château D'esprit Léger, Home of Light Spirit, the fanciest restaurant Reach had to offer. It was one of those places where you could only get in if you made your reservations years ago, or knew the right people. Archer happened to know one such person, and they now had reservations for tonight.

Archer took Susan's hand and led her down the street toward the place, taxis didn't run this late out here. It was a long walk, almost half an hour, before they saw D'esprit Léger, the windows emitting a warm glow in the cold night. Archer pulled Susan faster into the open door, just as rain started to fall. A short, stocky man who looked like he had too many problems sat crooked on a stool at the entrance. His face transformed when Archer and Susan came through the door.

"Ah… 'Ello monsieur, do you have a reservation?" Archer nodded, ignoring the man's horrid accent. "Yes, and your name monsieur?"

"Ah Archer… table for two at seven o'clock?" Archer waited impatiently while the man dug through some papers, looking for the reservation list.

"Oui, oui come with me, your table is this way monsieur. My apologies for the wait." Archer nodded, then, taking Susan's hand, followed the man to the far side of the room where a booth was set up next to one of the windows. The man informed them, in horrible French, that the waiter would be with them shortly.

The night progressed as usual, with light conversation and a full meal. "Will that be all monsieur?" the waiter asked as he cleared away empty plate. Archer nodded, and reached into his pocket for some cash to pay the man. The waiter shook his head, "Your meals have been taken care of, courtesy of Mr. Heredrac."

Heredrac was Archer's 'one such person.' He was a friend of the family, and gave away the reservations on a whim. Archer made a note to thank him later. He rose, took Susan by the arm and they began the journey back to her apartment. By now the sky was as dark as it was going to get. Susan pushed closer to him as the walked slowly down the sidewalk, passing in front of an alley. The usual nightlife had cleared away, making the dark all the more fear able. Archer didn't even notice the man following them.

The man sprinted the ten feet between them and pressed a pistol into Archers back. "Give me everything in you pockets, or I shoot you and the lady." Archer swallowed, thinking his next move through. Susan had frozen next to him, gripping his arm tighter. Archer tried to buy time, pulling his arm from her and reaching into his pocket. He then spun, grabbing the pistol and wrestling the man to the ground. The next few moments felt like hours. Archer reached out fro the weapon, trying to free the assailants grip on it.

At one point Susan screamed… and then the gun went off. Archer froze in shock, trying to figure out what just happened. The gunman took the chance, pulled him self up and ran, leaving the gun in Archer's hands. Archer spun slowly, trying to make sense of what he saw. Susan was lying on the ground, crimson spreading from a hole blown into her chest. Archer ran over, lifting her up, blood staining his hands. He yelled up at the sky… not knowing what else to do.

Two hours later

Archer had somehow found his way home. His mind cluttered and unable to process what was going on. He took a shower, clothes and all, rinsing Her blood off of his hands. And hour later, three men showed up at his door. "Paul Mathew Archer?" Archer nodded, not quite understanding. "You are under arrest for the murder of Susan Mikulski, you have the right to remain silent…"

Archer was convicted of murder, the only prints on the gun being his. He was sentenced to life in prison. A year later, Archer was conscripted into the UNSC, as soldiers were running short. He was stationed aboard the UNSC Relevance, never truly understanding the pain he had to go through, and the life he could have had.
_____________________________________

Alpha IV
17 Hours in
Base XI

"Can't we just eat it?"

"No, it knows where the artifact is, we will keep it alive, for now."

"But my stomach pains me, and its flesh smells fresh, and bloodied."

"Touch it and you'll find your head at your feet."

A grunting sound reverberated through the concrete room. "Yes, field master."

Conner's head spun as his mind was torn back into reality. He blinked and looked around the room. It was a military bunker. Supply crates lined one wall and monitors filled another. A simple metal door lay on the floor nearby, ripped off its hinges. He blinked again, clearing the haze from his vision. A Jackal stood next to the opening where the door used to be, plasma pistol level with his head. Through the opening Conner saw a larger inset steel door blocking the way out.

As his mind cleared he noticed the pressure on either side of him. Two Elites gripped him by the arm and were holding him up. Another Elite stood two feet away, staring right at him. Conner grunted.

The Elite stiffened, its golden plate armor clicking together. "Ah," It said, coming closer to Conner. "It's awake, now we can begin." It came even closer, standing inches away. "Where is the artifact?"

Conner stared dumbly at the Elite. "I have no freaking clue what you're talking about."

The creature laughed, "Really? I believe otherwise human. Tell us, and we'll make your death quick." Conner just stared blankly at the Elite. "Very well." It walked over to the Jackal and grabbed the guard's pistol. It turned and fired a shot near Conner's feet. The plasma boiled the concrete, searing Conner's boots, pants, and legs.

The Elite laughed again as Conner cried out in pain. "Last chance human, where is the…" The lights flicked out. There were muffled explosions as the metal door was blasted inward. Boot-falls filled the room and gunfire assaulted the silence. Conner felt the two Elites next to him slump and fall over. The Jackal screamed, but was cut short with a quick burst.

The lights flashed back on. Three ODSTs stood ominously in the room, Assault Rifles trained on the three limp forms lying across the floor. Conner laughed slightly, "Where the hell did you guys come from?" Relevance wasn't outfitted for orbital deployment.

The ODST nearest him almost jumped, she didn't expect survivors. "Uhh… Corporal Ellen Hawks, Gamma Company, UNSC Pearl Harbor. We're here to get the artifact before the battle in space goes sour."

Conner almost laughed, "Private Blake Conner, Bravo Company, UNSC Relevance. Sour?" And quickly he added, "Ma'am."

"You know, bad, downhill? We all fucking blow up? That's sour." Hawks smiled, she had a nice smile for someone who had seen as much as she had. She looked over Conner's leg, "You seem fine, but it'll hurt like hell for a while." She noticed the medical cross on Conner's chest-plate. "You're a medic? We have some wounded who need help, do you know where the infirmary is?" He started to ask why when he realized that his gear was gone. Hawks pointed down a hall, "Straight that way, second right, third door on the left. And move it, I don't know how long they can last out."

Conner nodded and said, "Yes Ma'am," then limped down the hallway. "Second right, third door on the left," he muttered as he turned, heading down another corridor. He found the door, a red medic cross was crudely painted on the frosted glass window. He heard some cluttering inside. Quickly he reached out and grabbed a pipe wrench that was lying on the ground next to some tools nearby. He lifted the wrench and slowly opened the door. The last thing he saw before passing out was a wooden bat flying out of the darkness into his forehead.

He crumpled to the floor, sounds filled his ears, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought you were one of… Blake?" And then he slipped yet again into unconsciousness.

_____________________________________

Sol-4
New Manila
4 Years Earlier

Her name was Kara Conner. She was sixteen when Blake left, now she is eighteen, making her one of the youngest members of Gamma Company. She was strong, fast, sharp, and they welcomed her into the squad. They were her new family, until one day, Kara Conner vanished under mysterious conditions. Soon after, Gamma squad was retrained under their own recommendation as ODSTs. They never saw Kara Conner again.

"Kara? Hey Kara, you still with us?" Kara Conner jumped at the unexpected noise. She looked hazily around the cramped conference room. People were packed in and were beginning to filter out of the door on the far side of the room.

"Well?" She turned and looked into the face of her only friend, Carcey Hanford. "Are we going to lunch or what? The five foot blonde tapped her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a second." She looked down and saw a stack of binders lying at her feet. The CO had just gotten through another report on the 'importance of severe secrecy.' ONI had some odd ways of covering up, some many that they had to have a seminar monthly to remind the employees of what each and every one did. She sighed and muttered, "How did I get myself into this."

Carcey looked at her, "What was that?"

Kara shook her head slowly, remembering the seminar rule #1, 'you are not who you seem.' "Oh, it was nothing. Where were we going?"

Carcey put her finger to her chin thoughtfully, "I don't know, I thought food sounded good this millennia." She smiled wryly at Kara, who smiled back and nodded. "If only you could get your stuff picked up faster then these people can clear out." She looked menacingly at the crowded door and frowned. "They have no sense of urgency, a girl's got to eat isn't she?"

Kara laughed and picked up the binders, then stood up and straightened her khaki slacks. They made for the door and exited the building into the bustle of city life. A man behind them yelled over the roar of the crowd. "Hey, Ms. Pierce?" Kara cringed at the name. ONI picked it out for her, it never felt quite right. She turned around and saw man waving from the door of the office building. She remembered him from the seminar, Jeffery. He jogged down the walkway and stopped in front of the pair. "Whoa, you forgot this Ms. Pierce." He handed her a yellow binder and smiled broadly.

Carcey stepped between them, "Shove off Linon, she's not your type anyway."

Jeffery Linon took a step back and just kept smiling, "I was just doing Ms. Pierce a favor, nothing more. You don't have to get defensive Carcey." Carcey smiled lightly at him, then turned, grabbed Kara's arm, and pulled her down the street. Linon watched silently and shook his head as they tuned a corner. Kara smiled back down the street until she was out of sight.

"What the heck is up with you? Do you know what he does?" Kara stared blankly a Carcey. They had made it back to the ONI dormitories and were sitting on the floor of Kara's small living room. She shook her head. "He's a player Kara, he doesn't want anything serious. I did you a favor."

"This isn't my binder…" Kara stared at the yellow binder, wondering what it contained. Carefully she peeled the cover back and looked over the contents. Inside were a data pad and some data chips. She plugged in the first one and looked over the pad. It was a list of UNSC personnel, all who seemed to have prior records of misconduct. In another chip was a read-out on a UNSC Frigate. She looked over the list of supplies, enough to support entire armies for almost ten years. In the last chip was a simple message, one that would haunt Kara for the rest of her life. 'Find them, bring them here.'

Carcey read the message over Kara's shoulder, "Find who?" Kara opened the list of names again. At the top was 'Archer, Paul M.', the list continued on and on. She stopped at 'Haravez, Kyle R.' "Who are these people?" Carcey asked, leaning closer to examine the list."

"I don't know, but I guess I have to find them…"

Seven Months later

Kara stared at herself in the mirror behind the bar counter. The bags under her eyes were new, but she couldn't tell anymore. The list slowly dwindled with the first month, and now she only needed a few more people. She was here to get one more. Captain Cane, James A. The man sat in the back corner of the bar counter sipping out of a rather large glass. His grey fatigues were awry and his hair was greatly disheveled. Kara made her way to him and sat on a stool next to him.

Cane started to mumble, "…So they finally came for me? Who you from, HighCom? Or are you one of ONI's spooks?" He let out a slight laugh, "Hell, at this point it wouldn't surprise me if you were from the URF, or even the freaking Covenant."

Kara smiled, trying to stay friendly. "No, I'm here to ask you for some services, Captain." She pushed a folder across the counter. "I want to give you a ship and crew captain. Your previous… record shall be expunged and your pay will be increased dramatically."

Cane looked up with a spark of genuine interest in his eyes, "Sounds too good Lieutenant. What's the catch?"

She shook her head, "There is not catch Captain. You will have command of your own vessel. You report directly to me. Your ship leaves in a few months, we'll see you then."

Cane felt a little remorse, after what had happened to his last ship, he never thought he would be put in a commanding position again. "What's her name Lieutenant?"

"Hmm?" Kara looked at him thoughtfully. "Um, Relevance, I think. It's been so long since I've been over the details."

"Is that one of those ONI code names?" Cane looked right back at the young lieutenant who had just given him a second chance, and he knew nothing about her.

"No, I picked it out myself. She's in the docks on Reach. I expect you there in two months to oversee the final construction." Cane nodded blankly at her, still absorbing the situation. "All the information you'll need is in that packet, including crew manifest and a booking for a flight to Reach. I'll see you then, Captain." She bowed slightly and made for the door.

"What, no guard to make sure I come?" Cane was joking, but Kara turned around anyway.

"No captain, no guards. We know you'll come on your own." And with that she left the captain at the bar to divulge his thoughts.

Three Month Later

"You did a great job, I admit that even I couldn't have gotten all those people together in one place." Kara sat idly back in and old office chair. Her apartment hadn't changed much in the last year, but it was cluttered beyond belief. She stretched and waved here hand over a holographic display. A small figure appeared on top, with a simple face, and welcoming smile.

"You couldn't do much right now Salina," Kara leaned back, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "You can barely tie your holographic shoelaces let alone run a warship. It's going to take months to get you up to…" Her computer chirped as a camera feed demanded attention. A face appeared in a window on the screen. Captain Cane smiled broadly at attention. "Captain, what do you want at this hour?"

"Sorry to disturb you Ma'am, but there's a man here who claims to know you. He insists that you come down right away."

"Down to the docks Captain?" Cane nodded. Kara frowned slightly, sighing. "Who is he, I shouldn't have to go down there until the final month of construction."

Another man walked into view of the camera, his plain face stood out next to the Captain's wizened setting. He smiled at the sight of her, "Hi Kara, I thought I'd find you here."

She gasped, "Blake?"


End of Chapter 2

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