Crossroads

Chapter 3: Saddle Creek Park

I woke from my uneasy sleep, staring up at the ceiling with half-closed eyes. I wasn’t tired, though every time I dreamed about the day the Covenant had arrived, I was very sluggish the next day.

Getting up, I strapped my pistol belt and various pouches back on, which I had removed to sleep properly.I could tell I was getting ready at nearly a fraction of my normal speed. My mind was caught up in thinking about how lucky I had been during the Covenant’s invasion. It was sheer luck that two UNSC cruisers had arrived with enough firepower to chase away the massive carrier.Grabbing the last MRE from the shelving, I stashed it in my homemade backpack for later, after grabbing the spike rifle that sat by the couch. Then I leaned up against the door.I let out a grunt of frustration. Every day, I had to go further and further away from my home to find buildings that I, or any others for that matter, hadn’t picked clean of provisions.I took the wood beam off the door, then unlocked it. Taking a step outside, I crouched into a stealthily walk, while making sure to avoid my own trap.Manehattan was a large city, so I had devised a smart way to leave a trail. Using charcoal like it was chalk, I scratched arrows and symbols into bricks and concrete blocks. I was confident that the aliens wouldn’t be able to crack my code. All the symbols were made and memorized by me.Two vertical lines meant the building was searched. A plus symbol was danger I knew of, like my own traps. Things like that, that only I would know the meaning of.My unbreakable code had once given me the satisfaction of a grunt trying to decipher it, before haphazardly walking straight onto a tarp that was placed over a hole which led to the sewer. I nearly burst into tears from laughing so hard when the hapless Grunt rocketed back out the hole, propelled by a rupture in his methane tank while screaming in a high-pitch whine.

<~-~>

After sneaking around for hours I was nearing Saddle Creek Park, a massive plot of land dedicated to true nature in the concrete jungle of Manehattan. The park was a half mile wide, and one mile long, surrounded in wrought iron fleur-de-lis topped brick walls.I didn’t want to search the park, I knew what lay inside, but I still needed the supplies. Entering the park through a large hole blown into the brick wall from a rogue missile, I scanned my vision over what seemed like hundreds of rotting corpses and skeletons.The park was used as an alternate landing and takeoff area for Pelicans with extended troop bays, while twin bladed ‘Sparrowhawks’ as the humans called them, circled the park, shooting down attacking Covenant ‘Banshee’ fighters. The human pilots in the Hawks used wing mounted ‘auto-cannons’, as well as nose mounted energy weapons.But the Covenant forces were too much for the Sparrowhawks, and they were quickly overwhelmed. With barely any air support, that cleared the way for Pelicans full of refugees to go down in flames, often crashing into the ground and raining near molten shards of metal and jagged splinters from shattered trees onto nearby refugees.The Hawks did, however, buy enough time for most of the surrounding area and Pelicans to be evacuated, but not enough to save the few hundred ponies and changelings whose corpses now littered the park.Passing by the sun-bleached bones of many Equestrians, I moved further into the park. A collection of Elite, Brute, and Jackal corpses and bones lead up to the back of a troop bay of a Pelican.The Pelican had been shot in its right engine and crashed through a tree, burying itself partially into the ground with its nose, no doubt killing the pilot and most inside.Suddenly, the two skeletons awkwardly splayed out on the lowered ramp told a heroic story. The surviving two marines had fought bravely from the downed craft with battle rifles, taking as many bastards out with them as they could. The large pink crystals in their skulls, jutting from their helmets, told her that it was Jackals that had most likely killed them.Looting this place would feel like robbing a grave.I decided on taking Covenant weaponry instead. Taking from them seemed like the right thing to do after all they taken from me and Equestria.I was about to retrieve a plasma pistol to pair with her spike rifle from a fallen grunt, but a flash of light caught my eye.Looking up towards a shattered second story wall, the light began to flash from the sunlight in the mirror as it began to move. It was a signal. Whoever it was, was using the second story as a way to signal me over the wall.A smile grew across my face as I ran towards the signal. It wasn’t Covenant because they weren’t ones to lay traps. But still, I reminded myself to be cautious.Making my way out of the park from another hole in the wall, I passed by a burnt Warthog that was flipped completely over. The driver and machine gunner had been crushed under its massive weight.I made it to the front door of the store, its windows shattered out the wooden frames, and the wooden door was kicked in.Going up the stairs that were littered with the rubble from what once was the ceiling, I turned the corner at the top of the stairs and found the strangest sight ever. A dull grey robot, and a human in two tone grey armor.I was too freaked out to even say anything. I wasn’t expecting that… maybe a survivor, but not a human.The robot was around the same size as the human next to it, but resembled a skeleton in a way. Its head and body were dull grey, with two lightbulb like eyes. Most of the joints connecting the arms and legs, as well as pieces of the arms themselves, were a dull copper color.Three grey fingers clutched a solid black weapon I had never seen before, and a sword with a purple blade was attached to its back.The human however, had only two pistols in light grey holsters, attached nearly at hip level on the darker grey skirt that was over his two-color grey digital camouflage armored legs.“Hello, do not be alarmed,” The robot said in a deep and monotone voice.I had never actually seen a Trade Federation droid before. Sure, news about the droids occasionally popped up on the radio, but Manehattan was gone by the time Celestia worked out the political bullshit she needed to get help from the Droids while staying neutral in their war.It became an even more complicated situation when the Galactic Republic arrived. Which, being Celestia, she had to work out an agreement for the Republic to stop destroying the Droids and lend aid as well.The inability for the two sides to stop fighting each other while Manehattan fell only made me angry. I wanted to tell them off, yell and cuss for letting so many die. But I had to control myself, otherwise I might make my only rescue leave me without a second thought.The clone trooper, who was in a urban combat variant of the standard white armor, just shook his grey helmeted head, “Damn, we didn’t expect to find anyone alive here.”Suddenly, realization hit me like a freight train. After five months, I was nearly safe. I tried not to tear up in unbridled joy, but I did anyway.“Hey, don’t cry, you’re safe now,” The Clone said as he walked the short distance up to me. He dared not touch me though. Even if I was only fourteen, being an Equestrian meant I was around five and a half hooves, which was the same size as the human measurement of feet, tall. Just six inches shorter than the clone.The commando droid just let out a deep toned laugh, “I wish I could feel the same way, but I can’t. At least not truly.”“Who are you two, and why are you here now?” I asked, finished with my joy induced crying.The Clone just let out a chuckle, “Sparky-” He was cut off by the droid.“Use my name, or I start calling you by your designation number, CT-6109,” The droid demanded in deadpan monotone.You could see the clone stiffen, his fists clenching tightly in their black and grey gloves. I could only infer that rubbed him the wrong way.“Okay,” He said quickly with venom while balling his fists. He calmed down after a second, “I’m just not used to referring to you like you’re alive.”The commando droid just responded in the same deep monotone, “The Trade Federation allows most droids to have a limited level of emotion and sentience. It was proven that if we can think independently, we can fight better. I am designated Unit-777, known to others as Lucky.”The clone trooper laughed, “And my designation number is CT-6109, but screw numbers, call me Razzcat. You’re safe with us, I promise. And I will personally fly you out of this place.” I smiled at his bravado and the offer of protectionThe smile turned into a giggle when Lucky commented in deadpan monotone, “Ladies’ man.”“Clanker, I have plenty of opportunities to shoot you,” Razzcat joked.Lucky crossed his arms, imitating agitation as much as his unmoving metal face could, “But who will save you next time our position is compromised?”I interrupted before they could continue, “My name is Babs Seed, and you still haven't answered why you’re here.”Razzcat just chuckled, “You know the UNSC group, ONI, has some power when they can get us to do their dirty work.”Lucky looked out the window to gaze at the park, “The Office of Naval Intelligence has us searching for one of their Spartan’s AI chips. Razzcat told them after five months it should be in enemy hands, but they still sent us.”Razzcat snorted, “Even though it’s unlikely, there still is the possibility of the AI to be undamaged enough for recovery, though I don’t know why they sent us.”Lucky just let out an artificial laugh, his deep voice and unmoving face made it creepy. Stopping, he looked to Razzcat who just quickly shrugged.“It makes perfect sense sending us,” Lucky began to state like a college professor, making full use of his monotone, “They’re, how you clones say, ‘Saving their own men’s asses.’ When you die and I am destroyed out here, they don't lose anything except a shot at getting a synthetic intelligence that might already be damaged or gone.”“That bunch is a slimy lot,” Razzcat chuckled, “But now that you mention it, it does make sen- umph!” Razzcat didn’t finish before a pink sliver of crystal imbedded itself into his shoulder with enough force to knock him over.I gasped and ducked low, preparing my spike rifle to fire at any movement as the commando droid hid behind a piece of wall. Peering around the corner, he saw a flash from a window across the park before another sliver of crystal deflected off his metal chest and knocked him on his rear.Razzcat just writhed in pain as Lucky got up, quickly firing a volley of red blaster fire towards the sniper’s window. No one heard the shrill cry of the Jackal getting his face destroyed, but Lucky saw its teal colored needle sniper rifle fall from the window.“Suck it up,” Lucky commented, trying to sound funny as he stopped Razzcat from rolling and pushing the shard in further.I just watched as the droid yanked the shard from Razzcat’s shoulder with its three fingers. Lazily tossing the four inch long crystal out the destroyed second floor wall.“How bad is it?” Razzcat asked while repeatedly grunting in pain.I looked at his shoulder. It wasn’t bleeding that bad, “You’ll live. I saw a medical kit in the Pelican dropship.”Backing away as Lucky helped the clone to his feet, I decided to ask something, “What supplies did you bring?”Razzcat let out a pained laugh, “A backpack full, though one of the smaller Covenant, a Grunt… sort of threw a blue grenade onto it. We lost my friend Red and one of Lucky’s fellow droids in the blast… I didn’t ask his name.”Lucky just shook his head as I slowly began to lead them towards the park entrance, “Unit-612 had no name. Claimed it was too biological for a droid to take on one.”Sighing I knew I was going to regret asking this, “How many were there in your group?”“F-ouch-Four,” Razzcat replied through a grunt, “We dropped in using a LAAT gunship-”“Which was nearly shot down by a Banshee,” Lucky quickly interrupted.“After the Vulture Droids escorting us did jack shit in keeping them off our tail,” He replied.Lucky just shook his head, “Point taken.”We reached the Pelican, and I took the medical kit off the wall. It didn’t feel like I was taking from a grave if I was doing it to help someone else.Setting the med-kit down on the ramp, I opened the metal box with a red H on it. Most of the bandaging and items were missing, so I retrieved the only remaining thing, a green canister of biofoam.Biofoam was a UNSC medical invention that was sprayed on or injected into wounds, before hardening and preventing bleeding. I knew from experience that the drugs in the foam made it feel like having thousands of knives stabbing at once before numbing the pain, and the foam only lasted for a short time, so it was only good for first aid.“Shit,” I cursed.Lucky helped Razzcat sit down on the metal ramp of the Pelican before asking, “What is it?”“No long term solution, that’s what. Stuff’s only good for two or three hours before it wears off.”“No worries,” Razzcat said laughing, “The AI is supposed to be in the park. The only reason we didn’t jump right in here is we didn’t know if it would be a hot zone.”Groaning, I applied the biofoam to his shoulder wound, “Let me guess, you had to walk all the way here from Gods know how far.”“Eyup,” Razzcat commented with the exact same style as a certain family member, prompting me to freeze.“Where did you hear that?” I asked, her voice quivering.“One of your species actually, named Big Macintosh. You know him?” He asked nonchalantly. He began biting his lip as the burn from the biofoam made itself known.I felt a tear run down my cheek, “Know him? He’s my cousin.”Lucky let out a laugh, “Small world is it not?”His comment went unnoticed by Razzcat and I as he scanned the buildings for more snipers. Lucky knew the one he had killed was probably just a scavenger looking for some good loot. The information on the Jackals said they often search bodies when given the opportunity.Razzcat finally felt the pinpricks in his shoulder subside and began to talk again, “The big guy can look a Brute straight in the eye. He even wears a few pieces of their armor.”Razzcat just shook his head, “Only problem with him is that you get more of a conversation out one of General Grievous’ guards.”Lucky sounded like he let out a genuine laugh that time.“What’s so funny?” Razzcat asked the droid.“That you actually think one of the General’s guards would talk to a clone,” Lucky stated matter-of-factly.“That’s what I mean. The red giant doesn’t speak much.”I kept in a chuckle as my train of thought sought something smart to say, “You’re starting to piss your doctor off. That’s my cuz you’re talking ‘bout.”“I think it would be unwise to do so,” Lucky added before chuckling in his deep, artificial voice.“Who asked for your input?” Razzcat joked before letting out a sigh, “And to think we were enemies a few months ago.”Finished with applying the medical foam, I tossed the canister aside, making a loud clang on the metal floor of the Pelican. Helping Razzcat up, I decided to ask, “I never asked how any of you got here to Equestria.”Razzcat just snickered, “All I know is some crazy space portals started spitting the ships that first went through over random cities. After a while, it stopped spitting ships out all crazy, and made clear passages to this planet.”Lucky walked over to the two, his metal feet clanging on the ramp plating, “We were chasing a small Republic cruiser thought to contain General Kenobi and his top commanding clone. I was on the bridge of the Banking Clan frigate that arrived over the city you call Detrot. Kenobi’s cruiser crashed down somewhere outside the town of Ponyville, several hundred miles away.”“That doesn’t explain much,” I said sarcasticallyRazzcat just shook his head, “Better explanation than ‘wibbly wobbly timey-wimey stuff.’ No lie, some loon said that and stuck a flashlight against my helmet, nearly blinded me in the process. But enough talking, we need to find this AI.”“Or not,” Lucky commented.

<~Somewhere nearby~>

Stalks-Prey stood atop a roof overlooking Saddle Creek Park, the corpse of a changeling at his feet.The creature reminded him too much of the serpents, the Yautja’s main prey. Even the Yautja species right of passage to adulthood involved killing a serpent to become a true adult.And yet, he held a respect for the Changeling species. Upon fighting one many moons ago in close range combat, the Changeling took his form.Going from fighting a black bug, to fighting himself surprised him enough for the Changeling to deliver a few powerful jabs to his stomach. It might have even won if Stalks-Prey didn’t have his wrist blades.At least they didn’t bleed acid like the serpents.Stepping away from the bug that was slain not by his hands, Stalks-Prey walked to the edge of the brick roof. His vision was a mixture of reds, yellows, whites, and blues that told him differences in heat.He scanned his vision over the park, a sea of blue colored corpses from lack of body heat. He zoomed his helmet’s inbuilt binoculars to get a better look at the two yellow and red specks in the distance. One was a human in armor, the other Equestrian.But there was a third amongst them, its body all blue. A machine built to resemble a human, he realized. Zooming in closer, he noticed something even stranger than the machine.It was his throwing spear clipped to the belt of the Equestrian. The very same he had spared the day prior.To any that weren’t Yautja that were around, Stalks-Prey was growling and making a clicking noise, but to himself he was saying, “Let’s see if I can talk with her.”

<~-~>

Razzcat and I had been searching for the missing AI for the past six minutes while Lucky kept watch. So far we were unsuccessful at finding anything.When it was beginning to seem improbable that we would find the AI, or even the Spartan, I gave a quick glance over to a crashed Sparrowhawk. The quick look revealed the Spartan had been a pilot, and was now pinned inside the wrecked cockpit.From what was visible of the Spartan, he was dressed head to toe in all black armor. Only his helmet had an ice blue visor.Razzcat walked up to the remains of the craft, turning the corpse’s head to the side. Then I saw Razzcat pull a rectangular shaped chip out the back of the Spartan’s helmet.The light blue and green circle in the middle of the chip sprung to life, and a hologram appeared like magic.“Boo,” it said.“Ahh!” Razzcat screamed, causing me to jump as he dropped the chip, the AI laughing all the way down to the ground.Lucky ran up to us, blaster at the ready. “What is it?” He asked before looking down and seeing the ghostlike, mostly-blue image of a human female in a T-shirt and jeans. She also didn’t wear shoes but did wear socks, making her look more like a younger woman than a piece of military grade hardware.“Hey big boy, want my number?” She asked in a flirty tone.“What?” Was all Lucky could say to the AI. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out of she just asked the robot out.Razzcat just laughed, forgetting to be angry at the AI, shaking his head as he did so, “I know love at first sight when I see it.”The AI crossed her arms and blew a strand of black hair away from her blue digital face, “You my rescue team?”I just gawked at her, the objective of their mission was no bigger than a postcard, “This is what all the fuss was over?”“What, I’m not good enough for you to spend a little time to rescue? Apparently not, he’s been stationary for five months,” The AI said as she motioned her blue colored, near transparent hand to the body of the Spartan.Sighing I looked to the fallen soldier pinned in the Sparrowhawk. “What was his name... did he suffer?” I asked sadly.The AI shook her head, “Chief Petty Officer David-461 was dead on impact with the ground. The speed of the crash were too much for his shields to handle. Whiplash snapped his neck as well. He didn’t feel a thing.”I let out a sigh of relief. Of course, it was bad that he had died, but at least he didn’t go out in pain like others I had seen. I had witnessed Brutes tear limbs from sockets and beat people to death with their own arms or legs… not a peaceful way to go.The AI let out a laugh, knocking me out my recollections of past battles, “Not even going to ask my name?”“I will,” Razzcat said, “What’s your name?”“It’s Joanna, now would you kindly pick me up?” she snarked, “I’m getting very bored of sitting here. I’d rather go rampant than stay here a second longer.”Razzcat picked up the AI and placed the chip into a slot added to the back of his helmet specifically for that purpose.“Great, now I have a voice in my head,” Razzcat joked.“Don’t all biologicals have voices in their heads, the thing they call a conscience?” Lucky asked.“Yes, but Joanna is talking to me,” Razzcat said, rolling his eyes as Joanna made a joke no one else could hear.“So, now what?” I asked.“Talk,” A new, more throaty voice said.The three spun around to see Stalks-Prey standing behind them, his hands behind his back, trying to look unthreatening. The effect was totally ruined by his grey helmet and seven foot tall stature.He was lucky that Razzcat, Lucky, or I weren’t as triggerhappy as others he had come across.All Razzcat could do was gape uselessly as Lucky aimed at Stalks-Prey.“Who are you?” I asked.“Sta… Stalks-Prey,” He stuttered. The translator in his helmet worked fast, but it was actually speaking the language was what troubled the Yautja.“Sounds ominous,” Razzcat said sarcastically as he looked at the skulls across Stalks-Prey’s chest. He pointed to the skull of a Unicorn, “A trophy?”“Yes,” He replied, “Nearly shot I with gun.”One could tell Stalks-Prey was having only minor trouble with the language.Razzcat nodded, a little uneasy at the sight and not sure how to respond, “If you don’t mind, I’m calling in for someone to pick us up.”“Go head,” Stalks-Prey replied.Razzcat tapped a button on the communicator on his wrist and spoke into it while Lucky lowered his blaster rifle. Stalks-Prey then pulled the leather sash of skulls and bones off his chest and tossed it aside. Though, he did it slowly so Lucky wouldn’t get jumpy.“Spear,” He said, looking to me. I could tell from the tone it was a demand, not a request. I quickly obliged, giving the Yautja his gold-colored weapon back.“Joana, I liked my heads-up display the way I had it,” Razzcat complained as Joana began messing around with the settings.I just let out a laugh, Stalks-Prey and Lucky remaining emotionless.“What did they say?” Lucky asked, referring to when Razzcat called in for a pickup.“Oh… yeah… we’re stuck here for at least thirty minutes,” He replied.“What was it about you flying me out personally?” I said crossing my arms.Razzcat just shook his head, “Sorry, the UNSC is picking us up… I can’t fly a Pelican.”“Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can’t keep it,” Joana said to him, but Razzcat ignored her.Stalks-Prey looked to all the members of our group before asking, “What now?”Lucky answered him, “We find a building to wait in.”Razzcat nodded, “And as we wait, we’re going to have a nice, long chat.”