Chapters [Authors notes - I developed this to answer some loose ends that will be affiliated with the Spartan IV program. I will probably add to it if any other questions arise.]
Property of Doctor Catherine Halsey.
Augmentations: The augmentations with humans had the... usual results. Roughly 75 percent of the humans that were part of the Spartan IV program have been too mutated by the augmentation process to continue with the Spartans, or simply died. The other 25 percent now have increased muscle strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes. However, the results with introducing the ponies to the augmentation process have been interesting, to say the least. The most notable side effect is the appearance of "cutie marks", a mark that appears on the flank of a pony when they discover their special talents. Cutie marks appeared on all of the ponies that haven't yet earned it. Other side effects that have shown up include increased horn length, increased wingspans and stronger magic in unicorns. Apart from that, the usual side effects of increased muscle strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes. Something else to note is that the success rate in the ponies higher than with humans. Roughly 45 percent of the ponies are still able to participate in the Spartan IV program. I have my team studying up on why this is.
Light Weight Carbine: The people at Armalite MG have really outdone themselves this time. When they heard about my plans for the new Spartan program, they quickly developed a variant of their M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, called the M392A1 Light Weight Carbine, or the LWC for short. Instead of just having only a single shot setting, the LWC also has a 3 round burst and a full auto setting. Also, instead of having an ACOG sight, the LWC has a holographic sight, even though this can be replaced by an ACOG sight or a red dot sight. Armalite MG has also developed an underbarrel 40mm grenade launcher to go with the LWC, which I plan to have attached to every two out of five LWC's. The LWC is also chambered with a 6.8mm caseless round, and has a 50 round and 100 round magazine. Ultimately, in my opinion, it puts many other firearms to shame. Of course, I'm sure my Spartans will go off using other firearms as well.
MJOLNIR Mark VII Power Suit Armor: After much deliberation, ONI decided to choose the new MJOLNIR Mark VII Power Suit Armor to use with the Spartan IV's, instead of the SPI Mark II Armor. The Mark VII comes with multiple variants, one for humans, and one for each type of pony. The Mark VII has made major improvements over the Mark VI, with a more efficient energy shield, cooling system, and a built in cloaking device, which is more effective than the SPI's cloaking device. It is also much easier to remove, and now has night vision and thermal vision as well as the usual helmet mounted flashlights. As for the variants, the human and earth pony variants put an emphasis on raw power, increasing strength of the wearer by 300 percent. With the Pegasus variant, it is built so it is more aerodynamic, with built in thruster packs to increase the speed of the wearer by ten fold. Finally, with the unicorn variant, it strengthens the unicorns magic roughly 150 percent. Though, what probably won ONI over is the fact the Mark VII costs half the price of the Mark V and the Mark VI. Greedy bastards.
Security: Due to the highly classified nature of the facility, and the possibility that the candidates may attempt to escape, I have employed a few platoons from the Armies 4th Special Forces Division, as well as a platoon of O.D.S.T.'s. I don't doubt these men can handle anything that tries to attack this facility, but I do have my doubts about them being able to handle my Spartans. Once they are properly trained, one Spartan will be worth at least two squads of troopers. I honestly hope I don't have to see the aftermath of an escape attempt.
Loadouts: It's been a good four years since I actually wrote in this thing. After years of training, the training of the Spartans is almost complete. In that time, they have each honed on specific skills and taking a liking to certain weapons, creating their own loadouts. Below is a few examples of such loudouts:
Spartan-132(Scootaloo):
Primary firearm - A M392A1 Light Weight Carbine, with a M301 40mm grenade launcher and a red dot sight attached.
Spartan-053(Sweetie Belle):
Primary firearm - Two M7 SMG's.
Spartan-083(Applebloom):
Primary firearm - A M90A Close Assault Weapon System.
Spartan-231(Surprise):
Primary firearm - A BR55HR SR Battle Rifle, with a holographic sight and a suppressor attached.
Spartan-332(Firefly):
Primary firearm - A SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle.
Spartan-893(Pipsqueak):
Primary firearm - A MA5C Assault Rifle, with a red dot sight and a bayonet attached.
Spartan-923(R.D.):
Primary firearm - A M7 SMG, with a suppressor and holographic sight attached.
Spartan-438(Ajk):
Primary firearm - A M45E Tactical Shotgun.
Spartan-741(Z):
Primary firearm - A M392A1 Light Weight Carbine, with an ACOG sight and a M301 40mm grenade launcher attached.
Spartan-139(Josh):
Primary firearm - A BR55HR SR Battle Rifle, with a grip attached.
Spartan-781(William):
Primary firearm - A M392A1 Light Weight Carbine, with a holographic sight attached.
Spartan-635(David):
Primary firearm - A SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle.
Spartan-113(Blake):
Primary firearm - A M247H Machine Gun.
[Authors note - Be sure to read Doctor Halsey's Notes and Haylo: A New World before reading this. Also, if you have already read Doctor Halsey's Notes, I added a new section to it recently. I will add new stuff to it every so often, so it's a good idea to check it every so often. If you have any questions about the Spartan-IV program, ask me and I'll answer it through Doctor Halsey's Notes. Also, I haven't had the time to run this chapter through my pre-readers. If you spot any errors, please tell me, so I can fix it.]
"Lock and load, team!" Sweetie Belle ordered, as she loaded a magazine into each of her SMG's, before clipping them to her sides and picking up a shotgun. Firefly picked up her sniper rifle, loading a magazine into it and working the bolt. Surprise tossed Firefly a LWC, before picking up her own firearm, a modified battle rifle with a holographic sight and a suppressor. Sweetie Belle motioned them to follow her, as they walked out of their barracks and up to their falcon, where Scootaloo and Applebloom were waiting, both carrying LWC's.
"Come on guys, hurry up!" Scootaloo shouted over the sound of the falcons rotary blades. Sweetie Belle placed her helmet on her head and jumped on board the falcon, strapping herself in. Scootaloo and Applebloom sat in the seats across from her, while Firefly and Surprise manned the turrets. The falcon lifted off the ground and flew off, soon joining up with a group of other falcons and pelicans. On board these pelicans and falcons was two entire battalions of O.D.S.T.'s, who the Spartans would be supporting in their mission. Surprise looked down at the ground below, where multiple convoys of armor were rolling towards their objective. The objective was to take a Covenant stronghold, who's AA batteries was a serious threat to allied air support.
"Five minutes, get ready!" A males voice screamed over everyponies radios.
"We've got banshee interceptors!" Another voice called out over the radio.
"I'm hit, going down! I repeat, Bravo Eight-Two going!" A pilot exclaimed. A few banshees screeched past the Spartans falcons. Surprise and Firefly quickly rotated their turrets and opened fire on them. The banshees fell out of the ground, crashing into the ground and exploding a ball of purple flame.
"Good kill!" Applebloom called out.
Several hornets passed by the falcon, engaging the attacking banshees with missiles and machine gun fire. The falcon then slowed and hovered over the ground below. The Spartans jumped out, as the falcon started to rise back up into the air, until to be shot down by an anti-air wraith.
"Take out that wraith!" Scootaloo shouted. An O.D.S.T. charged forward, shouldering his spartan laser, charging and firing it. The red laser tore through the wraith, as it exploded violently in a hellish fireball. A ghost raced past the remains over the wraith and fired on the O.D.S.T., who was shot in half by the plasma. Surprise galloped forward, jumping on top of ghost and aiming her battle rifle at the head of the startled grunt piloting it.
"Surprise!" She called out as she shot a single round into its head. She then threw the grunts body out of the ghost and climbed inside of it, taking a hold of the controls. The ghost rotated quickly and fired a storm of blue plasma at a charging lance, quickly mowing down the grunts and brutes. A banshee screeched overhead, firing its fuel rod cannon at the ghost. Surprise rolled out the ghost, her energy shield flaring as the green plasma round hit the ghost, exploding violently.
"You okay?" Firefly asked, galloping up to Surprise and helping her off the ground. Surprise nodded as her shields recharged. Firefly gave her a pat on the back, before galloping away and climbing up a nearby hill. She dove behind a large rock, setting up her sniper rifle on its bipod and aimed the scope. She squeezed the trigger, as a round rocketed out of the barrel and tore through a distant grunts head.
"Firefly, cover us while we move up!" Sweetie Belle shouted over the radio.
"Yes ma'am!" Sweetie Belle heard Firefly respond.
"Spartans, move up!" Sweetie Belle ordered as the team galloped forward, weapons raised in the air. Scootaloo loaded a grenade into her under barrel grenade launcher, before aiming down her LWC's red dot sight and firing off a long burst into, ripping apart a lance of grunts. She raised her LWC slightly before firing a grenade into a brute, blowing a large whole in its stomach. She then clipped her LWC to her back and punched a brute in the face with all her strength. The face collapsed under the force of the blow, as the brute went limp and fell to the ground. She heard a blood curdling roar as she looked to her left to see a brute chieftain charging forward. Sweetie Belle charged past Scootaloo, firing a blast from her shotgun into the chieftains stomach. It stumbled backwards as Sweetie Belle clipped the shotgun to her back and bucked it in the stomach, a sickening crack filling the air as she broke the cheiftains rib cage. It dropped its gravity hammer and grabbed its stomach, cringing in pain. Sweetie Belle tackled the injured chieftain, pulling a combat knife with a 14.5 inch blade out of its sheath and running it across the chieftains neck. It released a low moan of agony, before it started gurgling as it drowned in its own blood.
"Duck!" Applebloom shouted as the Spartans dove to the ground. A flaming pelican passed over just feet overhead and crashed into a nearby hill. Two banshees screeched overhead and fired their fuel rod cannons at the crashed pelican, blowing it apart. The Spartans charged forward, taking cover behind a hill where several squads of O.D.S.T.'s were taking cover.
"Who's in charge here?!" Sweetie Belle demanded.
"The Lieutenant was hit on the way in. Buck should be in charge." An O.D.S.T. answered, pointing to another O.D.S.T., who was scanning the battlefield with his binoculars. Sweetie Belle quickly trotted up to Buck, who quickly turned around and saluted the Spartan. Sweetie Belle returned the salute and shook his hand.
"At ease, trooper. I owe you and your squad my life. What's the situation?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"The Covenant were waiting for us, and they took out the majority of our two battalions. We have only a few platoons left, and we have our reserve forces under attack from the air. If it wasn't for you Spartans, I would say we are royally screwed. Got any ideas, Spartan?"
"I do. Firefly, get down here." Sweetie Belle said.
"Roger that. On my way." Firefly replied. After a few short moments, Firefly landed next to the two. "What do you need boss?"
"Go and see if there is any possible weak points in their defenses." Sweetie Belle ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Firefly replied, saluting and pulling out her sniper rifle. She lowered herself to the ground and slowly climbed to the top of the hill. She peered through the scope, overlooking the stronghold they were assaulting.
"Alright... I see multiple turret emplacements and several enemy wraiths." Firefly said into her helmet radio. "There is a few banshees overhead... wait... I think I do see a hole in the defense... in their western flank."
"Roger that, western flank. What do you see?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"A few lances of infantry, two turret emplacements, and two ghosts." Firefly replied.
"And that's where we are heading." Sweetie Belle said, before turning to Buck. "Me and my squad are going to go in through that hole. When the enemy is distracted, move in."
"You got it." Buck said, saluting.
"Team, form up." Sweetie Belle ordered over the COM. The rest of Aqua Team quickly galloped up to Sweetie Belle and stood at attention.
"What is it, Commander?" Scootaloo asked, an eye brow raised.
"We've got a plan, that's what. We're going to use the hole in the defense that Firefly discovered to distract the Covenant. The O.D.S.T.'s will attack once they are distracted." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Sounds like fun!" Surprise exclaimed, a large grin spreading across her face.
"Sir... what are the Spartans doing?" Mickey asked.
"Are they... are they actually just casually walking up to the base?!" Romeo exclaimed.
"It appears so, men. But it will do the purpose. They are distracting the enemy, remember?" Buck reminded.
"They are still fucking crazy." Dutch said, watching the Spartans through his binoculars.
As the team of Spartans walked up towards the menacing stronghold, weapons in hoof, all Sweetie Belle could think of is how fubar the current situation was.
"What exactly should we do, boss?" Scootaloo asked.
"Remember your training..." Sweetie Belle replied.
-Several years earlier...-
March 3rd, 2563 Secret U.N.S.C. Research Center somewhere near the ruins of New Mombasa. Roughly a year after the Fall of Equis.
"Welcome to Earth! Dismount!" A tall, black human male shouted at the assorted children. The CMC jumped out of the pelican, looking at their new surroundings, their eyes widening with both awe and fear. Several humans, dressed in battle armor and clutching assault rifles, looked over the children. Sweetie Belle looked around at the small ponies and humans surrounding her. Some were crying, others were asking for their parents, all of them were afraid. Save for one, freaky looking pony, who looked like she went through hell and back. Sweetie Belle then remembered her name was Artemis, who was an outcast at her school because of her appearance. Applebloom tried to get them to talk to her, but everypony was too afraid of her. Judging by the manic smile on her face, she probably lost her mind.
The human soldiers led the procession of children into a large room, where the older woman from before was standing on a stage, looking over the children. She was smiling and had her arms folded behind her back.
"Hello," she began, "as some as you may know, my name is Doctor Halsey. I am sure a great many of you has heard of the Spartans and their feats, how a single Spartan could take out a Covenant CSS class Cruiser all by himself, how a single Spartan has saved the human race two times over, and how the Spartans practically won the war against the Covenant. How Spartans never die..."
"I am sad to say... that Spartans can, will, and do die. You all have been chosen to be the next generation of Spartans, and over the next few years, you will be trained both mentally and physically so you won't die on the battlefield. Some of you will not make it, some of you might die in training, and the best of you will be heading for the battlefield. But as of now, you are all Spartans. Sleep soundly, for tomorrow, we begin our training.Troopers! Take them to their quarters."
The Army Troopers and Marines surrounding the children nodded in acknowledgement and signaled the children to follow them, splitting them up into twenty groups, with five to six children per group, before leading them out of the room.
Note - Sorry about taking so long to get the next chapter out. I got stuck on one part, and eventually kind of just forgot about Boot Camp. The next chapter will be much bigger.
Sweetie Belle tossed and turned in her bed, unable to get to sleep. Her mind kept wandering to Doctor Halsey's speech.
"You have been called upon to serve, you will be trained... and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies." Sweetie Belle remembered her saying in a vivid flashback.
"Sweetie Belle, ya awake?" Sweetie Belle heard a familiar voice ask in southern droll. Sweetie Belle leaned up and looked over to see Applebloom looking right at her.
"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Ah can't sleep." Applebloom said.
"Me either... I can't stop thinking about what is going to happen."
"Same ere'."
Sweetie Belle released a quiet yawn. "We should probably keep trying to go to sleep..."
"Yeah... good night, Sweetie Belle."
"Good night, Applebloom."
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom lowered their heads and snuggled into their blankets, closing their eyes.
"Yeah?" Sweetie Belle replied.
"No matter what... I'll always be here for you. Okay?"
Sweetie Belle smiled. "I will always be here for you too, Applebloom. Good night."
"Night."
"Get up, maggot!" Sweetie Belle heard someone shouting at her as she felt a sharp pain in her side. She jolted awake and screamed out in pain as she fell out of her bed. She looked up to see a tall, bald man looking down at her, a stun baton in his hand.
"I said up!" He shouted, jabbing her with his baton once more, sending a powerful electric shock through her body. She released a pained yelp and jumped to her hooves, backing away a little from him. The young ponies and humans that surrounded her were getting similiar treatment from other me, who seemed to be showing them no mercy.
"My name is Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez, and these fine men and colts are your trainers. You have a lot of work ahead of you trainees, let's get to work! Fall out!" Mendez shouted. When the children didn't budge, he walked over to Applebloom and jabbed her in the side. She fell over onto the ground, writhing in pain and sobbing lightly.
"Who's next?" One of the trainers asked, an evil grin spreading across his face as he activated his stun baton. The trainees quickly filed out of their barracks and into the courtyard.
"Alright trainees! It's time to get down to business!" Mendez bellowed.
None of the trainees have ever ached so badly in their lives.
-A couple years later-
"Move it, maggots! Get on board your pelicans!" Sweetie Belle could hear Mendez screaming. An Army trooper helped Sweetie Belle and the rest of Aqua Team onto their pelican. Another Army trooper was waiting for them, a large duffel bag in his hand. He tossed in the middle of the ponies, before leaning down and unzipping it. Inside were four LWC's and one DMR, each with a strange device attached to the barrels.
"Hey mister, what is that?" Applebloom asked, pointing her hoof at the device on the barrel of her LWC.
"It's a variant of the laser designator that we use to track how many times to hit or kill an enemy. Take your pick, peo- err... ponies." The Army trooper replied.
"Dibs!" Firefly said, picking up the DMR with a large smile on her face. The other ponies picked up the LWC's, looking them over.
The trooper picked up a nearby crowbar and used it to open a nearby crate. Inside were five U.N.S.C. Army BDU's, all of which were crafted to fit the bodies of the ponies, as well as body armor and helmets. He then distrubuted the BDU's to Aqua Team, helping them into their uniforms like a mother would help a child into their clothes.
"Ready to go?" The trooper asked. The ponies nodded. "Alright, Mendez will be beginning his briefing shortly. Good luck." The trooper jumped out of the pelican as it started to lift off, the pelican bay door closing behind him.
"Alright Spartans, this exercise will be testing how well invidivual teams preform in battle. Every other team is your enemy, simple as that. Your firearms are loaded with tactical training rounds, that will simulate an injury if you are hit. The best three teams get a well deserved break at a resort in the Rocky Mountains. There will be quality food and skiing, and of course, no P.T."
"Sounds too good to be true." Firely commented.
"Remember, you must rely on your teammates. If you go off and be a lone wolf, you will likely get killed. Good luck Spartans. Mendez, out."
Sweetie Belle carefully slid a magazine into her LWC and waited for the pelicans bay door to lower, before rolling out of the pelican, followed by the rest of Aqua Team.
"Alright team, let's get a move on!" Sweetie Belle called out, before scanning the area. To their right, she spotted a large hill.
'Perfect'. "Okay team, we're heading for that hill. Come on, that vacation is ours!" Sweetie Belle bellowed, as her and the rest of her team sprinted towards the hill.
"Man... what I would do to have a sniper rifle right now..." Firefly muttered to herself, looking down the ACOG sight attached to her DMR.
"At least you have something, Fly." Surprise said. "That DMR has proven to be very useful."
Firefly chuckled a little. "I still can't believe I took out all of Lavender Team. All headshots."
Surprise and Firefly shared a short laugh, before Sweetie Belle's head popped up.
"Firefly! Five contacts, 3 o'clock!" Sweetie Belle called out.
"Copy that!" Firefly rotated her DMR and looked down her scope. She activated her IFF, identifying the trainees approaching them as Crimson Team. A flash appeared from their marksman's DMR. Firefly quickly rolled to the right, narrowly escaping getting shot in head.
"Damn! Artemis has the DMR." Firefly stated.
"That's going to be a problem, take her out!" Sweetie Belle ordered.
"No problem." Firefly said, zooming in on Artemis's head.
Artemis saw the flash from Firefly's rifle and instinctively rolled to the left, the TTR round flying past her.
"Sniper!" Oscar shouted. He was one of the two humans with Crimson Team. The other human was a short, blonde maned female named Emily.
"I'll flank em'. Suppress them!" Artemis ordered.
"Open fire!" Emily shouted, as she and the other members of Crimson shouldered their LWC's and opened fire on the hill.
"Get down!" Scootaloo shouted, as hundreds of TTR rounds started zooming of their heads. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Firefly were able to get down in time.
"Applebloom and Surprise are down!" Sweetie Belle shouted. Firefly looked over her shoulder, to see Applebloom and Surprise lying limp on the ground, covered in a dark, crimson paint that was meant to look like blood. They certainly looked dead, though in reality, they were perfectly fine, though maybe a little bruised.
"Firefly, take them out!" Sweetie Belle ordered.
"You got it." Firefly responded. She crawled over to the slope of the hill, aiming down the scope of her DMR, and fired off a few rounds. Two of the members of Crimson Team went down before the other two rolled behind cover, blind firing in the general direction the hill.
"Two down, two remaining." Scootaloo stated.
"Wait... where's Artemis?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Before anypony could answer, a single TTR round hit Firefly in the side of the head, covering half of her head in crimson paint.
"Does that answer your question? You just had to ask that, didn't you?" Scootaloo demanded, rolling behind a nearby rock. Sweetie Belle galloped over and dove behind the rock, narrowly escaping getting shot in the side.
"Shut it, Scoots." Sweetie Belle ordered.
"Good shot, Ari." Emily complimented over the COM. "They got Oscar and Star though, it's only me and Pip now."
"Of course, you two are too short to see from that distance." Artemis replied. Emily could hear her sniggering in the background. "I'm coming to you guys. Be there in five."
"Right. We'll just hold-" Emily began, before a TTR round hit her in the chest. Pip looked out from his cover to meet a similar fate. Through his paint covered goggles, Pip was able to make out a rainbow maned pegasus standing over him, her LWC aimed at his head.
"Buck... it's Gold team..." Scootaloo muttered.
"Crap, how many?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"All three of them." Scootaloo replied. Sweetie Belle had a quick flashback of the day the other two members of Gold Team, Jacob-757 and Sunny Skies-913 died in a training accident, both being killed by Artemis while they were sparring. Pip was also injured by her, but even though he fully healed, he will rarely ever speak.
"Cover me... I'm getting Firefly's DMR." Sweetie Belle whispered. As she started crawling forward, she felt the barrel of a DMR press against the back of her neck.
"Don't move, and listen." Artemis ordered. "Both of our teams will be bucked if we don't work together. So, for now, we're stuck together. Understood?"
"Loud and clear." Sweetie Belle said. "Scootaloo, stand down."
Artemis peered over her shoulder to meet the barrel of Scootaloo's magnum. Scootaloo placed it in her holster and nodded respectfully at Artemis.
"They're advancing. I don't think they know we are here." Scootaloo said.
"Let's keep it that way." Artemis stated. "Stay low, and don't move."
"How many teams are left?" Luna asked Doctor Halsey, trotting into her office.
Halsey flipped up the screen of her laptop. "Three. Gold, Crimson, and Aqua teams. And... it appears that the remains of Crimson and Aqua are now working together."
"Oh?" That caught Luna's attention.
"Yes, it would appear that Artemis of Crimson Team has teamed up with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo of Aqua Team. To be honest, that really surprised me."
Luna nodded. "Artemis isn't the most... friendly type. Keep an eye on them, Halsey." Luna remembered her last run in with Artemis. Though she has good in her, she normally bullies... or molests the other Spartans.
"I already was." Halsey stated, looking back down at her laptop.
Scootaloo held her breath as Gold Team reached the summit of the hill, slowly marching forward with their guns raised in the air. They passed by "corpses" of Surprise, Applebloom, and Firefly, and trotted up to Sweetie Belle.
"Nice try." She heard the rainbow maned one say, before firing a burst into Sweetie Belles chest. Both Artemis and Scootaloo rose up, shouldering their firearms and opening fire.
Two membered of Gold went down, before Artemis was hit in the chest with a burst from the last ones LWC. Scootaloo dove to the left, managing to dodge two bursts from the ponies LWC. She quickly jumped up and fired off a quick, well aimed burst into the chest of the remaining member of Gold Team.
Scootaloo trotted up to the pony and looked down at her. It was the mare with the rainbow mane.
"Nice try." Scootaloo said, smiling down at her.
The mare chuckled weakly. "You got me good, squirt."
Scootaloo's eyes widened in realization. She knew this mare, or... she did. Scootaloo slowly looked down at her flanks, before her jaw dropped at the sight of the cutie mark.
It was Rainbow Dash, alive and in the flesh.
Authors Notice - ATTENTION, ALL FANS OF HAYLO AND HALO. I strongly urge you all to join the group dedicated to this series and to the game and every crossover involving ponies and halo, called Haylo. This is a good way for us all to get in contact, as well as find new friends, people to help you write, and people to game with. Everyone is welcome!
"Hey kid... you're kind of freaking me out." Rainbow Dash said, smiling awkwardly. Scootaloo noticed that she has been staring at her the whole time. She blinked and looked down slightly, blushing bashfully.
"You died..." Scootaloo muttered. One of Rainbow Dashes eyebrows raised slightly.
"I didn't die... I don't know what you are talking about." Rainbow Dash stated.
"Don't you remember Equis? The war? The destruction? The near annihilation of our species?" Scootaloo asked.
"I heard about it, but-" Dash began.
"You were there!" Scootaloo nearly shouted.
"Listen squirt, I don't know what you are on about, but I wasn't even born yet. Wrong mare, kid."
"But, I know who you are! You're Rainbow Dash!"
"How do you know-
"Because you were there! You were my fillyhood hero! You won the Young Fliers Competition! You preformed the sonic rainboom twice! You saved me and the rest of our species by holding back the Covenant advance!"
Rainbow Dash remained silent, staring at Scootaloo with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but words didn't escape her lips.
"The winner is Aqua Team!" Mendez's voice proclaimed over their COM. "Teams Gold and Crimson will be joining Aqua on their resort. The rest of you will just have to try harder next time. Pelicans will be arriving shortly to pick up the casualties."
"So how did the last three teams do, Halsey?" Luna asked, looking over her shoulder and looking at her laptop screen.
"Teams Gold and Crimson suffered 100 percent casualties, while Team Aqua suffered 80 percent casualties." Halsey replied, not turning away from her laptop. "I have prepared a debriefing for you. I sent it to your computer."
"I'll be back." Luna said, turning away and walking out of Halsey's office.
"Nice job, mare. I'd share a foxhole with anytime, anyday." Artemis said to Scootaloo as they stripped off their paint soaked BDU's.
"Thanks, didn't do half bad yourself. Nice shot, by the way." Scootaloo complimented.
"You and me, Artemis!" Firefly called out. "One on one!"
"Sounds like a good time..." Artemis said, licking her lips slightly.
Everyone there knew Artemis and her ways, including the occasional molestation. Everyone typically laughs when she says something like that.
"I'm not into mares, Artemis." Firefly pointed out.
"You don't have to be." Artemis replied.
"Quiet back there!" Mendez shouted from the pelicans cockpit. "You're soldiers, not teenage girls!"
"Did anypony else notice the irony in that statement?" Surprise asked to no one in particular.
"Quiet 231! Or it will be your flank!" Mendez shouted. The Spartans fell quiet, but their smiles didn't disappear. After months of non-stop training, they were getting a well needed break.
"Solstice, bring up file number twenty one hundred D." Luna ordered her AI as she plopped down on her couch, levitating her laptop over to her. On a nearby holotank, an avatar that looked exactly like her sister, Celestia, appeared. Even her near Godlike magical abilities and the humans science combined, they weren't able to bring back her sister like they were with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Zephyr. Alicorns were too complex to recreate. Instead, they were able to bring recreate her brain and make a Smart AI based on her. Due to a complication in the cloning process leading to the loss of memory of their previous lives (which first appeared in Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Zephyr, who lost their memory in the first couple hours), the first few cloned brains had to be disposed of. After multiple failed attempts, they were finally able to successfully implement Celestia's memory and personality into a Smart AI, who was named Solstice.
"Hmm? Give me a second, sister." Solstice replied. After a three second delay, the files that Luna requested appeared on her laptops screen. Luna knew damn well that Solstice did this on purpose. An Eighth Generation Smart AI like Solstice would take much less than a fraction of a second to do such a simple task. Solstice, sadly, had adopted her sisters tendency to "troll". While it wasn't as bad as it was with Celestia, it still occasionally interrupted her work.
"Solstice, what have I told you about that?" Luna asked, scowling at the AI's avatar.
"What ever do you mean, sister?" Solstice asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.
Due to Celestia's personality, Solstice also had, like her sister, split personalities. There was the personality that Celestia normally used when she had her royal duties, which was the most normal one, the personality Celestia used when she "trolled" her servants, family, and friends (nicknamed Trollestia), and the one when Celestia would grow... horny, in simple terms (Molestia, if you would). Due to this, she would be labelled as rampant and be destroyed, or recreated, according UNSC regulations. Of course, it would be impossible that Solstice would be rampant just seven months after her creation.
Luna scimmed the technical details of the debriefing, which stated the overall mental and physical preformance of the Spartans, as well as how efficiently they used their firearms, and how efficient their tactics were. That was not what Luna cared about. Finally, she reached the final couple paragraphs, detailing the battle between Spartan Teams Gold, Aqua, and Crimson.
"At 1732 hours, SPARTAN Aqua Team came into contact with SPARTAN Crimson Team. It is unclear which team was spotted first by the other, but it is known that Crimson Teams marksman, SPARTAN-013, fired the first shot, which almost hit SPARTAN-332. SPARTAN-332 returned fire on Spartan-013, who was able to dodge the shot. The other four members of Crimson Team began to suppress Aqua Team, resulting in the casualties of SPARTAN-083 and SPARTAN-231. SPARTAN-013 managed to flank Aqua Team, downing SPARTAN-332 with a single shot to the head, but not before SPARTAN-332 was able to take out SPARTAN-882 and SPARTAN-485."
"Shortly after, SPARTAN Gold Team made its appearance, flanking SPARTAN's 893 and 377 from behind and taking them out with expert efficiency. SPARTAN-013 moved to Aqua Team's position, convincing the remaining members of Aqua Team to team up with her in an effort to take out Gold Team. As Gold Team advanced up the hill, the remaining members Aqua Team and Crimson Team played dead. As Gold Team reached their position, they were able to notice this ploy, resulting in the downing of SPARTAN-053. SPARTAN's 013 and 132 rose from their positions, ambushing Gold Team. After a short firefight, Aqua Team rose victorious, Gold Team suffering 100% casualties and SPARTAN-013 getting hit by a burst in the chest from SPARTAN-741's LWC."
"Solstice, transfer this to my homestead on Luna." Luna ordered, before picking up a nearby phone. "Get me Mendez."
After a short pause, Mendez's gruff voice spoke out of the phone. "Yes, Admiral?"
"Mendez, I believe Teams Gold, Aqua, and Crimson are ready for the mission ONI whipped up for us." Luna stated.
"Right, I'll go get them suited up and equipped. I'll give you a call when they are ready." Mendez stated, before hanging up. Luna put the phone down, before teliporting to her home on Earths moon, Luna.
"Alright... let's take a look at what our Spartans have asked for." Mendez said, pulling up a file on his laptop. The moment the Spartans returned, they were brought to an armory, with orders to choose any firearms they wanted, and that they could customize it anyway they want. They even had a few Covenant weapons set aside for them.
Password Identification Required: _
Mendez flexed his fingers, quickly typing in the password (Oly Oly Oxen Free) upon hearing a satisfactory crack from his knuckles.
Password Identification Comfirmed...
...
...
Open File #4092F (Spartan Firearm Customization)? [Y/N] _
Mendez glided his hands over the keyboard, pressing down on the 'Y' key.
Downloading File #4092F...
...
...
...
Download Complete, Would You Like To Open File #4092F Now? [Y/N]
"Damn computers..." Mendez muttered, pressing down on the 'Y' key once more.
Loading Spartan Firearm Customizations...
...
...
Load Successful!
Crimson Team:
Spartan-013 (Artemis)
-One XM412 DMR, with an underslung shotgun attachment and an ACOG scope. -One SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle with a laser sight. -One Covenant energy sword. -Two M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Four Covenant plasma grenades. -Several extended magazines for her DMR. -Several extended magazines loaded with HE rounds for her sniper rifle.
Spartan-893 (Pipsqueak)
-One MA5C with a red dot sight attachment. -Two M6C SOCOM's. -Four M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of his firearms.
Spartan-485 (Oscar)
-One MA5B with a SAW configuration. -One M6D Pistol. -Four M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Two hi-cap magazines for his SAW. -Several magazines for his M6, loaded with HE rounds.
Spartan-882 (Shooting Star)
-One M312A1 LWC, with a grip and holographic sight. -One SRS99D-S2 AM. -Two M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-377 (Emily)
-One M312 DMR, with a grip, laser sight, and a rifle scope. -One M312A1 LWC with a tactical flashlight and a red dot sight attachment. -One M6C Magnum. -Two Covenant plasma grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Aqua Team:
Spartan-053 (Sweetie Belle)
-Two M7 SMG's with supressors attached to them. -Two M6C SOCOM's. -Four M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-083 (Applebloom)
-One M45E Tactical Shotgun, with a red dot sight attachment and a laser sight. -One M312A1 LWC with a laser sight and a holographic sight attachment. -One M6C Magnum. -Three M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-132 (Scootaloo)
-One M312A1 LWC, with an underbarrel grenade launcher and a red dot sight attachment. -Two M6G Mark II Magnums. -Four M9 High-Explosive Dual Purpose grenades. -Two flashbangs. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-231 (Surprise)
-One XBR66HB SR with a suppressor, grip, and holographic sight attachement. -Two M6C SOCOM's. -One SRS99D-S2 AM[CQ]. -Two flashbangs. -Two M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-332 (Firefly)
-One SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle -Two M7 SMG's. -Two M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several extended magazines for her SMG's. -Several extended magazines loaded with HE rounds for her sniper rifle.
Gold Team:
Spartan-923 (Rainbow Dash)
-One M312A1 LWC with a red dot sight attachment. -Two Covenant plasma rifles. -Four Covenant plasma grenades. -Several magazines for her LWC.
Spartan-438 (Applejack)
-One XM90A2 Tactical Shotgun. -Two M6D Pistols. -Two M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of her firearms.
Spartan-741 (Zephyr)
-One BR55HB SR with a grip. -One M6C Magnum. -Four M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades. -Several magazines for each of his firearms.
Mendez dragged the files folder and dropped it into another folder. A few seconds later, and almost 400,000 kilometers away, Admiral Luna's AI, Solstice, would receive the file and send it to ONI.
"I hope they really are ready." Mendez muttered. "They're going to need all the help they can get."
"Does anypony else find it weird that they are actually lettin' us have a vacation?" Applebloom asked, barely audible over the whine of their pelicans thrusters.
"Don't jinx it." Surprise stated coldly. Despite her typical hyperactive personality, she always seemed to get this way when it came to the supernatural. She had always been a deep believer in the supernatural.
Applebloom shrugged it off. "Come on! Yall gotta be thinking the same thing. ONI would never allow it."
Firefly nodded in agreement. "Why would we have all this equipment if we were just going on vacation?" She asked, nodding to the three large crates in the center of the pelican, containing prototype MJOLNIR Markose VII P Variant Power Armor, as well as various small arms, all personally chosen and customized by the Spartans.
Artemis's signature smile spread across her face. "Vacation my flank. We're being deployed!" She exclaimed, rubbing her hooves together in anticipation.
"And judging by the type of ammunation we are hauling, this isn't one of Mendez's traps. This is the real deal!" Scootaloo pointed out, a smile almost as wide as Artemis's spread across her face.
"It would appear your problem solving skills are also more advanced than the other Spartans, as I have predicted." An angelic, familiar voice said, coming seemingly out of no where. "My name is Solstice, though I have gone by other names in the past. I am the eighth generation A.I. that is in charge of helping manage the Spartan IV program, and I am also Princess Luna's personal A.I."
"Don't you mean Admiral Luna?" Oscar inquired.
"Not in my eyes." Solstice stated. "I knew her for the majority of my life as Princess Luna. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle , Scootaloo, it is very nice to see you again. My, my, you three little fillies have grown a lot in the past couple years."
"Princess Celestia...?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused.
"Correct. Though, my name is Solstice now. The original Celestia died when Canterlot was glassed." As Solstice said this, a holoimage popped up in front of them, showing a Covenant cruiser glassing the iconic castle that the Princesses used to dwell in. In the background, several pelican dropships were flying away, narrowly escaping getting blown out of the sky by the Cruisers plasma turrets. "Princess Celestia stayed behind to distract the Covenant with a much more important target than the citizens who were being evacuated, herself. Her ploy was successful, as none of the evac flights were shot down. A year later, they attempted to resurrect her using unicorn magic, and human technology. While it did work with other clones, the alicorn was much too powerful to be cloned. So we cloned her brain, and after dozens of failed attempts, we were successful. They used this brain for an eighth generation Smart A.I., aka, me."
"Your mission, Spartans, is to find and kill Insurrectionist leader Robert Watts. Back in 2525, he was captured by the Spartan-II team, Grey Team. For the past forty years, he spent his time in a UNSC detention center in Europe. A few months ago, a large Insurrectionist force attacked the detention center and busted him out. He disappeared without a trace, until three weeks ago, where he was spotted in a village in the Himalayas. Several ONI surveillance teams were deployed and confirmed he was held up in a large Insurrectionist stronghold. Due to the large amounts of armor, infantry, and fortifications, a large ground operation is out of the question. Too many lives would be at risk. You will be sent in with Mark VII [P] prototype power armor, where its abilities will be very useful in a stealth mission. You will be further briefed by your ONI adviser when you arrive. Spartan Zero Five Three, you will be in charge of this op. Any questions?"
"So, what about taking him alive?" Oscar asked.
"Negative, Spartan. It's too risky. ONI doesn't want to risk taking him alive. Anymore questions?"
None of the Spartans spoke.
"None? Good. We will arrive in 20 minutes. Get suited up, Spartans."
"Dismount!" Oscar called out, as the pelican bay door lowered. The Spartans rolled out of the pelican one by one, the snow crunching under each of their armored boots as they landed.
"Sierra's are on the ground, sir!" Sweetie Belle announced over the COM.
"Roger that, Sierra Zero Five Three. You know your mission, get it done. Your armor system has a new advanced active camouflage device that is just as advanced, if not more, than the active camouflage systems the Covenant uses. However, keep in mind this is a prototype, so be ready to go hot if your active camouflage fails."
"Well no shit..." Artemis muttered to no one in particular.
"Acknowledged command, I'm guessing this is a stealth mission?" Sweetie Belle asked
"Correct," their adviser confirmed after a short pause, "Insurrectionists have at least a brigade of infantry in and around the stronghold, as well as plenty of armor support, both light and heavy. The HVT also has plenty of protection. Intel suggests his bodyguards are all made up of former ODST's.
"Well, that makes things more interesting." Firefly stated, overhearing this.
"As for entering the stronghold, wait until the dark until you move out. Make sure to use suppressors, and do NOT take them off unless you are compromised. Recommend you position sharpshooters on the hills overlooking the stronghold."
"Wait, what about seeing each other when we are all using our active camouflage?" Shooting Star inquired.
"We got that covered. Your helmets have been upgraded with a VISR system. You will be able to see friendlies no matter what with it, even when they are using active camouflage. Your VISR system will also be effective for navigating through the dark and seeing enemies."
"Acknowledged. Anything else we need to know, command?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Negative, Sierra Lead. Good luck. I need you guys to maintain radio silence from now on, except for when you guys are using your COM channels. No one can penetrate those channels. When you need extraction, or need the Calvary, give me a call. Command, out." And with the end of that sentence, the COM channel fell deathly silent.
"Suppressors on." Oscar whispered, before placing her SMG's aside and pulling out two suppressors out of her rucksack, before twisting a suppressor onto the SMG's barrels. The other Spartans quickly did the same with their firearms.
"Pull up the map of the area on your HUD." Sweetie Belle whispered. Everyones acknowledgement lights blinked green as they pulled up their maps. "Okay, Firefly, Artemis, I'm designating you two Sniper Team Alpha. I want you guys to camp out on the hill to the south." Sweetie Belle set up a marker for them on a hill about two kilometers away. "Star, Surprise, I'm designating you two Sniper Team Bravo. You want you two to camp out on the hill to the east." As she said this, she set up a marker for them on a hill about a kilometer and a half away. "The rest of you, I'm splitting you up into two assault teams, designated Charlie and Delta. Oscar, Emily, Pip, Zephyr, Scootaloo, you guys are Charlie team. Oscar, I'm placing you in charge of Charlie. Applebloom, R.D., and... uh..." Sweetie Belle looked over the mare in front of her. She was easily twice her size, taller than even Applebloom. There was a gold stripe running diagonally down her chestplate, marking her as a member of Spartan Gold Team. On her right shoulder, there were three red apples. There was also an orange stripe running down the middle of her helmet as well, probably a little customization the Spartan added to it.
"AJ, ma'am. Ya can call me AJ." She stated.
"Pardon?" Applebloom inquired. She swore she knew that voice from somewhere.
"AJ." AJ repeated.
"Sorry, didn't recognize you, Spartan." Sweetie Belle stated, rubbing the back of her helmet. AJ shrugged it off. "I want you three to be with me. Now, let's get some rest. We're going to need it for tonight."
Sweetie Belle awoke to find someone shaking her awake. However, she couldn't tell who it was. A heavy snow storm must have rolled in while they were asleep. She could barely make out the armored hoof shaking her.
"Activate your VISR," the Spartan shaking her stated, who Sweetie Belle was able to identify as Scootaloo from the tone of her voice, "you want be able to see a foot in front of you without it in this soup."
Not even a second later, her VISR featured clicked on. Unlike the Mark V's and Mark VI's helmet, where you actually had to press buttons INSIDE your helmet to activate its features, the Mark VII's helmet was literally linked to the wearers mind. If Sweetie Belle wanted to use one of the armors various features, all she had to do was think about it.
"In front of her stood eight lime green outlines of her fellow Spartans, the green marking them as friendlies. In the distance, she could see the outlines of the two sniper teams, though they looked more like dots from this distance. They must have moved out while they were resting. The stronghold that they were assaulting was outlined in orange, marking it as their objective. Inside it was hundreds of small red dots, as was as a few red outlines of Innie scorpion main battle tanks.
"Charlie, I want you guys to enter through the western entrance. Sniper Team Alpha will cover you while you advance. Delta, we're going in through the eastern entrance, with Sniper Team Bravo performing overwatch. Remember to use your active camouflage, VISR, and suppressors. If we do this right, this should go off without a hitch. Let's get a move on."
In a seemingly simultaneous manner, the Spartans activated their active camouflage and split up into two groups. Sweetie Belle slid down a nearby hill and came to a stop about a hundred feet away from the stronghold. Two guards stood there, talking idly and holding their MA5's like recruits in boot. Completely suspecting of the face there was four Spartans standing right in front of them. Sweetie Belle cautiously clipped her SMG's to her waist and pulled her two magnums out from their holsters. She aimed them at both of the guards heads, before putting a round into both of their temples.
"Tango down... move up..." Sweetie Belle whispered. Delta Team slowly crept up to the strongholds eastern entrance and crouched low to the ground.
"Delta is in position." Sweetie Belle announced over the COM.
"Took you long enough," Oscar's voice responded in a hushed tone, "Charlie arrived about five minutes ago."
"What type of opposition are you looking at?" RD inquired.
"Twenty plus infantry, two- no, three warthogs, and a scorpion. Bout' an even match if you ask me." Oscar commented.
"This is a stealth op, Oscar. You give away your position, you're all dead. And our chances of taking out the HVT will become slim to none." Zephyr stated, agitation clear in his voice.
"Chill man, you don't have to worry about a thing. We're ready to move whenever you are, Delta Lead." Oscar assured.
"Good. Snipers, you guys ready?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Always." Artemis grunted.
"Yes ma'am." Shooting Star replied calmly.
"Good. Take out any rebels that are on their lonesome. The less there are, the better." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Fun." Stay heard Artemis say over the COM.
"Affirmative. Leave some of them for us, Delta Lead." Star said, before glancing at the pegasus beside her. Like her, Surprise was suited up with the sniper variant of the Mark VII [P] Power Armor. Instead of the active camouflage the regular Mark VII and the Mark VII [P] uses, the sniper variant uses an older cloaking device originally fielded right before the Fall of Reach. While it isn't nearly as effective when you're moving, you are literally invisible when you stand still. Right now, however, it wasn't necessary. Star could barely see Surprise, who was lying down right beside her. The rebels would have no chance of spotting them almost a mile away.
"Got the shot?" Surprise asked. Star nodded, adjusting her scope and zooming in on the head of a lone Insurrectionist patrolling outside the stronghold.
"Take him out." Surprise ordered.
"How do you know it's a guy?" Star inquired, putting a little more pressure on the trigger.
"Just take the shot." Surprise stated coldly. Star took a deep breath and press down on the trigger, the round rocketing out of the barrel of her sniper rifle. It streaked across the sky and passed right through the rebels head, who fell limp onto the snow covered ground.
"Tango down." Star whispered.
"New target, Innie sniper on the eastern end of the stronghold wall." Surprise said.
"Got him." Star stated, shifting her sniper rifle rifle ever so slightly and firing, scoring another headshot.
"Enemy sniper down." Surprise confirmed. "New targets. Enemy patrol a kilometer east from the first target. Five contacts. I got the two trailing behind, you get the three up front."
Surprise opened up a large, metal briefcase lying beside her. Inside was a compact variant of the standard model UNSC sniper rifle, the SRS99D-S2 AM[CQ]. She assembled it with deft precision and set it up on its bipod.
"Ready?" Star asked. Surprise nodded, chambering a round into her sniper rifle and zooming in on the farthest rebel to the right.
"On three..." Surprise whispered, "one... two..."
As Surprise reach the number three, two shots rang out simultaneously.
"Direct hit!" Surprise called out, as she aimed at the rebel next to the body of her previous target, who was staring down at the the headless body of his comrade, frozen in shock. The stock of her sniper rifle shot back into Surprise's shoulder as another round shot out of its barrel. The round swayed a little to the left and ripped through the rebels right arm, blowing it clean off. Surprise rotated her rifle to the right slightly, in time to see Star blow off the head of one of the two remaining rebels. The last one raised his MA5 and fired wildly in all directions, before Star silenced him with a round to the chest.
AJ held her hoof up, signalling the rest of Delta Team to come to a halt. They were within 500 feet from the manor that the HVT was held up in. Sweetie Belle scanned the perimeter and spotted two guards in old Marine BDU's, armed with M7 SMG's.
"Gunfire..." AJ whispered, "sounds like an MA5B... ah think we maybe compromised."
"We need to do this quickly, then. Applebloom, RD, take out those two guards. The rest of you, get ready to breach." Sweetie Belle ordered.
The rest of the Spartans nodded, as Applebloom and RD slowly stalked up to the two guards, who were stationed outside the large, iron doors that led inside the manor. RD pulled her combat knife out of its sheath, walked up to the nearest guard, and pulled him down to the ground, slamming its blade into the base of his spine. The other guard jumped as he saw the other guard go down, and caught the shimmer of the Spartans active camouflage.
"Covenant!" The guard called out, likely mistaking the Spartan for a brute stalker or a stealth elite. He raised his SMG up to his shoulder, but before he had the chance to fire a single round, he was tackled and had his throat slit open by the blade of Applebloom combat knife.
RD nodded at her respectfully. "I owe ya one, kid." She stated, before crouching next to one of the guards and started rolling up the sleeves of his BDU.
"What're ya doin?" Applebloom inquired.
"Comfirming intel. Look." RD stated. On the mans left bicep was a tattoo of the ODST emblem. It was a custom that an ODST would get this tattoo, normally on their left or right biceps.
"Well, things just got more interesting." Applebloom said.
"Guys, ONI was dead on. Guards are confirmed to be former ODST's. Be extra cautious, guys." RD announced over the Spartans COM channel.
"Charlie copies. We're almost in position. You guys alright? We heard gunshots earlier." Oscar asked.
"We're fine. We heard the shots earlier as well. Might want to get this done quickly. Sweetie Belle stated.
"Right. We'll be there ASAP." Oscar replied. Not even a minute later, the five green outlines of Charlie Team rounded the corner of a nearby building and jogged up to where Delta was waiting.
"What's the plan, boss?" Oscar asked.
"A very simple one. First, I want Emily and Pip to go take out their electricity." She nodded to the two and pointed a few generators outside the manor. "Once they do that, we will wait ten seconds and then breach. Sniper teams, are you getting this?" Sweetie Belle inquired.
"Affirmative." Star voice responded over the Spartans COM channel.
"I'm already liking the sound of this." Artemis's voice stated.
"Good, I want the sniper teams to reposition themselves so they can cover the east and west sides of the manor."
"Got it." Artemis responded.
"Yes ma'am." Star replied.
"But, don't start shooting until we're engaged. They won't even notice it, and when they do, they will have no time to get to cover." Sweetie Belle said. "Pip, Emily, try to catch up with us. Just follow the piles of bodies. When we find the HVT, kill him immediately."
"Why can't we take him alive?" Oscar inquired.
"As much as I would like to, ONI determined it would be too risky, remember?"
"And then what?" Scootaloo asked.
"We get the hell out of there and kill anything in our way." Sweetie Belle stated coldly. "Spartans, stack up! Emily, make sure Pip doesn't get hurt. And Pip?" Pip looked up at her as she tossed him a timed EMP charge. "You know what to do."
Pip nodded and ran off with Emily in tow. Emily looked back to see the other Spartans get in positions around the door.
"Snipers are in position." Stars voice announced over the COM. The two Spartans pumped their legs faster and faster, not wanting to waste a precious second. There was no way that those gunshots went unnoticed. And that's when it hit them. Not the realization that something went completely wrong. That came afterward, when five rebels in old ODST armor stepped out of the shadows, all armed with the modern UNSC assault rifle, the MA5C.
"Take out those alien bastards!" One ODST shouted, as the rest of the ODST's opened fire, several rounds managing to strike Pip before his active camo faltered and flashed out of existence. Emily pulled Pip behind cover, firing a few short bursts blindly at the rebels.
"Shit! Spartans!" Another ODST shouted.
"This is Zulu Two, we have Spartans inside the base!" The lead ODST shouted.
"Shite..." Pip muttered to himself.
"Delta lead, we've been engaged!" Star shouted into her helmets radio. "They know we're here."
"Roger that." Sweetie Belle's voice responded. "I'll have Zephyr come and back you up." After a couple seconds, Sweetie Belles voice was heard over the main COM channel.
"Command, this is Aqua Lead, we have been compromised."
"Affirmative. What is your current position?" Their adviser asked.
"We're right outside the HVT's manor and are preparing the breach." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Roger that, Sierra Lead, I need you to-" their adviser began, before a new voice interrupted him.
"Sorry to interrupt!" Artemis announced over the COM. "We have a bit of a problem."
"Elaborate, Crimson Two." Their adviser demanded.
"Gladly, we- get down!" Artemis called out in the background, shortly before a large explosion was heard. "We need to pull back! We're coming to you, Delta Lead."
"We're on our way as well," Star began, "the Innies must have sent two entire platoons after us. Be advised, Delta Lead, you have a buck load of enemy contacts heading your way."
"How many?!" Sweetie Belle demanded.
"The ENTIRE base is coming after you!" Star shouted. "We will be there in five."
"Good. Sniper Teams, Pip, Emily, I want you guys to take positions outside the manor. Make sure no one comes behind us. Spartans, stack up!" Sweetie Belle ordered.
Pip rose from his cover, shouldering his assault rifle, and unloading a burst into the faceplate of one of the ODST's. He fell over and went limp, his blood covering the snow around him. His energy shield flared as another ODST moved out from behind his cover, firing at the Spartan. Zephyr charged up behind Pip, shouldering his battle rifle and firing a burst into the ODST's chest, then a burst into his faceplate.
"Welcome to the party!" Emily shouted.
Zephyr dove behind cover and fired a few blind bursts in the enemies direction. "Always a pleasure. What do we got?"
"Five ODST's ambushed and pinned us. We managed to take out one and you got one." Emily stated.
"Well, let's finish them off." Zephyr suggested, before rising from his cover and firing a burst into one of the ODST's chests. Pip charged past him, kicking one of the ODST's in the fact, the helmet caving in from the force of the blow. The last ODST charged at Pip, firing his assault rifle non-stop at him. Pip rolled out of the way, as Emily aimed her DMR at the ODST and firing two rounds into his chest. The ODST fell forward and went limp, blood flooding out of his body and covering the ground surrounding his body.
One by one, the Spartans took up positions around the door, their active camouflage now deactivated and the suppressors taken off their firearms.
"Contacts have been neutralized." Emily announced. "Pip is now working on taking out the generators."
Right as she said that, the lights inside the manor all shut off in unison.
"Good work, head on back. Scootaloo, get the door." Sweetie Belle ordered, but instead, AJ walked up.
"Ah got this." She said. She cautiously walked up to the doors and ran her hoof down it. "A breachin charge won't do da job."
"What will?" Scootaloo asked.
"Observe." She said calmly, before turning her back to the door and bucking it with all her strength. The doors flew down the hall, crashing into a squad of bodyguards that were waiting for them.
"Go go go!" AJ shouted, cocking her tactical shotgun and running in. The other Spartans trailed behind her, before ducking behind cover as a machine gun set up on the other side of the room opened fire. Several more bodyguards, dressed in old ODST armor like the others, entered the room and dived behind a few hastily set up sandbag barriers, firing their MA5's blindly in the Spartans direction.
"Throw a flashbang." Sweetie Belle ordered, rising from her cover and firing two bursts into an advancing Innies chest.
"Flashbang out!" Scootaloo shouted, pulling a flashbang out of its pouch and checking it behind the enemies cover, with fragmentation grenade from Oscar right behind it.
"Flashbang!" One of the former ODST's shouted right before it detonated. A split second later, Oscar's frag detonated right in the middle of the group of ODST's.
As the smoke cleared, the Spartans peaked up from their cover. "AJ, Applebloom, get my six. The rest of you, cover us." Sweetie Belle ordered, loading a fresh magazine into each of her SMG's before advancing, two shotgun wielding Spartans right behind her.
"Gross." Applebloom said, picking up a severed arm that belonged to one of the ODST's.
"Ah've seen worse." AJ stated, marching past the two other Spartans. She stopped as she heard a moan eminate from one of the bodyguards. She trotted up to him, cocked her shotgun, and pressed its barrel against the former ODST's faceplate. The lower half of his body was missing, obviously having lost it in the explosion. Looking closely, she could see his eyes through the visor. Instead of being filled with hate like usual, they were filled with fear and pain.
"Do it..." He managed to whisper hoarsely. AJ nodded and pulled the trigger, the shotguns blast reducing the ODST's head to a bloodied pulp.
"Clear!" AJ shouted, before reaching inside the Innie's armor and ripping out his dog tags.
"What are you doing?" Oscar demanded.
AJ stood up and looked down at Oscar. "From is' eyes, Ah could tell he changed. For the few remaining seconds of is' life, he was an ODST again, not an Innie." She stated, placing the dog tags in an empty pouch.
"Enough chit chat! We need to move!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Pip, there is a turret in here. Run in here and set it up outside!"
"Aye aye!" Pip responded.
"Sweetie Belle pointed her hoof at a nearby flight of stairs. "Scootaloo, toss a flash in there."
"Yes ma'am." Scootaloo responded, pulling a flashbang out of one of the pouches and tossing it inside the doorway leading to the stairway. As the flashbang detonated, the Spartans charged in. There was one bodyguard waiting, this time wearing a suit and some body armor and armed with a shotgun, still suffering from the side effects of the flashbangs detonation. Scootaloo turned towards him and shouldered her LWC, firing a burst into his chest.
"Applebloom, take point!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
Applebloom nodded, charging up the stairwell. She ducked as several bullets whizzed past her head. She raised her shotgun to her shoulder and fired a blast into the stomach of the rebel firing on her.
"Man down!" Another rebel shouted. According to her VISR, there was another five rebels hiding in the stairwell. A grenade rolled down the stairwell and stopped at Appleblooms hooves.
"Shit, grenade!" Applebloom shouted, punting the grenade up the stairs.
"Oh fu-" One of the rebels began, before getting cut off as the grenades explosion consumed him.
"Clear!" Applebloom shouted.
"Okay! Team, move up!" Sweetie Belle ordered, as the rest of the Spartans charged up to the stairwell, scanning for additional ambushes. Thankfully, they reached the top floor without anymore trouble.
"He should be in here." Oscar said.
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Oscar, get the door."
Oscar nodded, slinging his SAW over his back and pulling out his sidearm.
"Breaching!" Oscar called out as he kicked in the door, which shattered under the strength of the Spartans legs.
"Claymores! Shit!" Oscar shouted, before the claymores set up outside the door detonated. Oscars shields flared and died out, before his blood covered the wall behind him.
"Oscar!" Scootaloo shouted as he crashed into the wall behind him, going limp and slumping over. Sweetie Belle pulled up his vitals on her HUD. He had no pulse.
"Sierra down!" Sweetie Belle shouted over the COM. "Move in!"
The five other Spartans charged into the room, to be met with a wall of bullets. The Spartans ducked behind cover.
"Anyone hit?!" Sweetie Belle shouted, barely audible over the gunfire.
"We're fine!" Scootaloo responded, firing a few blind bursts over her cover.
"Protect the Colonel!" One of the bodyguards shouted. Sweetie Belle peaked over her cover to see two bodyguards in modern ODST armor covering Robert Watts as he made his escape. There were eight other bodyguards, either dressed in old ODST armor or a suit. All were armed with MA5's and SMG's.
The window behind the ODST's shattered as a Spartan in active camouflage rolled into the middle of the group. Her active camo deactivated as she activated her energy sword, slicing off the head of the nearest bodyguard. The majority of the bodyguards turned their attention to Artemis, allowing the other Spartans to sneak past the bodyguards.
"AJ, Applebloom, go help Artemis. We'll take out the HVT." Sweetie Belle stated. AJ and Applebloom both nodded and charged into the fray, shotguns blazing. The remaining trio of Spartans, made up of Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and RD, charged down the hall. Two fireteams of rebel infantry rounded the corner, armed with shotguns and assault rifles. RD pulled a frag out of its pouch and tossed it in the middle of them, the resulting explosion killing the majority of them. The survivors were mowed down by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. They rounded the corner, to see Robert Watts running down the hallway. RD raised her LWC and pulled the trigger, but nothing came out.
"Jammed!" She shouted, before tossing it aside and pulling up her two plasma rifles.
"Scootaloo, take the shot!" Sweetie Belle ordered. Scootaloo nodded, shouldering her LWC and firing a short burst at Watts. Three small clouds of blood sprayed out of his back as the rounds made contact. He fell down and screamed in agony. RD ran up to him, stomping on his head, his head caving in under the strength of the Spartans armored hoof.
"HVT has been eliminated." RD announced over the COM.
"Excellent work, team. Get out of there and head to the evac point." Their adviser said.
"Sir, we cannot comply. Oscar Four Eight Five is down. We will not leave him behind." Sweetie Belle stated.
"We will send someone to get his body. Get out of there!" Their adviser shouted.
An explosion outside shook the manor, as four scorpion tanks rolled up towards the manor, followed by a flood of Innie infantry.
"Shit!" RD shouted.
"Innie reinforcements have arrived!" Emily's voice shouted over the COM.
"Well no shit!" Artemis's voice called out.
"Everyone head downstairs! We need to hold them off!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Command, we're going to need some air support!"
"This is Foxtrot Nine Nine overflight Charlie Six, I have visual of Sierra teams Gold, Aqua, and Crimson. They are heavily engaged by Insurrectionist infantry and armor. How copy?" The Lieutenant "piloting" the Wombat asked, staring at the monitor in front of him.
"Command copies your last, Charlie Six. Sierra's on ground have requested air support. We need you to comfirm Insurrectionist targets marked by Sierra's on ground. Shortsword bombers are a few minutes out and are closing fast." Command stated.
"Command, wouldn't this strike be danger close for the Spartans?" The Lieutenant asked.
"Charlie Six, Sierra's on ground will be slaughtered if they do not receive any air support. We already have two Sierra's down."
"Wounded?"
"Negative. Sierra's Three Seven Seven and Four Eight Five are KIA." A chill ran down the Lieutenants spine when he heard that a SPARTAN was dead. Spartans never officially die, according to ONI. The only Spartan that was recorded as KIA was Spartan-117, who was found ten years later right before the Battle for Equis.
"Charlie Six, I am patching through Sierra Zero Five Three to you. She will give you the sitrep you likely need." Command stated. "Switch to frequency 1088."
As the Lieutenant adjusted his COM's frequency, his headset crackled to life. In the background, the Lieutenant could hear gunfire and explosions. "Sierra Zero Five Three," The Lieutenant began calmly, "this is Charlie Six. Can you hear me?"
"I hear you, Charlie Six." The Spartan replied.
"What is the current situation down there?" The Lieutenant asked.
"Charlie Six, we need immediate air support!" The Lieutenant could hear the Spartan practically scream, "we are down two Spartan's! Spartans Three Seven Seven and Four Eight Five are KIA!"
"Dammit..." the Lieutenant muttered to himself, "Sierra Zero Five Three, hold your position. Shortsword bombers are closing fast to provide you close air support. We need you to lase enemy armor immediately."
"Roger that!" Sweetie Belle shouted into her helmets radio. Zephyr ran past her, carrying the body of Emily over his shoulder. She died taking out one of the scorpion tanks, being blown away by two squads of Innie infantry. Sweetie Belles attention turned back to the battle as her energy shield flared up. An Innie was able to catch her off guard, unloading on her with his MA5. Sweetie rolled behind cover, alarms blaring in her helmet as her energy shield came close to failing. The beeping stopped and a whirring sound could be heard as her shield recharged. When they were fully charged, she rose up from her cover and held up her two SMG's, firing off two short bursts into the Innies chest.
"Tank!" Firefly shouted, as another scorpion tank rolled up towards the manor and fired, the ground shaking as its main cannon fired.
"Spartan down!" Sweetie Belle heard someone shout. She glanced over her shoulder to see Scootaloo slumped over against a partially destroyed wall, one of her forelegs missing. Sweetie pulled up her status on HUD, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing that Scootaloo was still alive. She was about to run over and aid her friend, but her radio crackled back to life.
"What are you waiting for, Sierra?! Lase those targets!" She heard Charlie Six shout. Sweetie glanced back at Scootaloo's limp form. Zephyr, who was one of the medics in the Spartan-IV program, was kneeling beside her, injecting biofoam into the little stub that used to be her right foreleg only moments ago.
"Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle shouted, "get out that laser designator and light up those tanks! The calvary is coming!"
"Yes'm!" Applebloom shouted back, placing her shotgun aside and opening up a nearby briefcase, containing the parts to Aqua Teams laser designator. As she started to assemble it, an Innie rose from his cover and opened fire on the defenseless Spartan with his DMR. Appleblooms energy shield flared up as she scrambled for cover, trying her best to avoid getting shot.
"Hold up! Ah got ya!" A familiar Southern voice shouted at Applebloom, as AJ, clad in her olive drab MJOLNLR power armor, charged forward and shot down the Innie with a single blast from her tactical shotgun.
And that's when it hit her. "Applejack...?" She barely managed to ask, looking up at her formally deceased sister in awe.
"Stop yer gawking and move!" Applejack shouted. Applebloom regained her senses and quickly assembled the laser designator. She rose up and shouldered it, aiming the laser at the group of scorpions and infantry assaulting them.
"Target confirmed. Here comes the rain, recommend you get to cover!" The Lieutenant called out. He zoomed in and started jotting down notes, taking time to study the Innie equipment and armor.
The Insurrectionist infantry seemed to be armed with MA5B's and M312 DMR's, though a few were armed with MA5C's, BR55's, and the battle rifles heavier variant, the BR55HB SR. Most of the armor the Innies were using was the long phased out M808A Main Battle Tank, though there were a few of the more modern variant of the scorpion mixed in there, the M808B Main Battle Tank, which was recently phased out by the M808C Main Battle Tank.
How the Insurrectionists got ahold of all this equipment, the Lieutenant would never know. All the evidence was likely about to be destroyed in the incoming bombing runs.
"Charlie Six, this is command, please relay to Sierra's on ground that there are three Alpha Charlie Two Two Zero Heavy's inbound to provide close fire support. They are loaded for bear and ready to rain hellfire on the enemy contacts."
"I copy." The Lieutenabnt responded, before switching to the Spartans frequency. "Sierra Zero Five Three, this is Charlie Six, three vulture gunships are inbound to provide close fire support."
"Roger that, Charlie Six! How far out is the shortswords?" The Spartan inquired.
A new voice spoke out over the radio. "This is shortsword flight lead Theta Eight, we are one minute out. Is this danger close for Sierra's on ground?"
"Correct, this is a danger close strike. We know what we are doing, pilot. I hope you have good aim." The Lieutenant swore he could hear the Spartan snigger in background.
"Don't worry about a thing, Sierra. My boys know what they are doing. Dropping our payload now." Theta Eight stated.
The Lieutenant turned his attention back to the monitor. "Confirmed, payload dropped." Charlie Six stated, upon seeing hundred of small, white blips falling towards the Insurrectionists position.
Surprise and Zephyr both looked up from the stabilized, but unconscious, form of Scootaloo to see a flight of five shortsword bombers screech overhead.
"Hey Surprise?" Zephyr asked.
"Yeah?" She responded.
"Know how in movies when bombs are falling, it sounds like they are screeching towards the Earth to the people on the ground?"
Surprise nodded as she continued to watch the shortswords, bombs falling out of their bomb bays, "Uh huh."
"We're about to test that theory!" Zephyr stated, before pulling Suprise and Scootaloo's unconscious body behind cover.
The Lieutenant watched as hundreds of very small craters formed in the ground as the bombs dug into the earth, some only a few hundred feet away from the Spartans position. Not ever a second later, the bombs detonated, crating several large large lines of fire that spread through the ranks of the Insurrectionists. As the smoke began to clear out, the Lieutenant was able to make more than a dozen charred skeletons of scorpion tanks, as well as almost a hundred charred corpses among the flames.
"Sierra, what's your status?" Charlie Six demanded.
"We have two Sierra's KIA, as well as two others that are WIA. One has been stabilized, it doesn't appear the other Sierra will make it." Sweetie Belle stated solemnly.
The Lieutenant took a moment to absorb this information. 'Two, possible three dead Spartans? This can't be true.' He thought to himself. "Roger that, Medvac enroute."
The Lieutenant switched back to his thermal, and noticed several dozen enemy infantry running towards the Spartans positions, trailed by seven M12 FAV's. The "dumb" AI on board the Wombat counted up the new enemy contacts barely a second later.
"Thirty seven contacts inbound, plus light armor support." The AI stated in the cold manner that was typical for "dumb" AI.
"Sierra Zero Five Three, you have roughly three dozen enemy infantry heading your way, reinforced by light armor." The Lieutenant said into his headset."
"I copy. Where are those vultures, Charlie Six?!" The Spartan demanded.
"They are about three mikes out. Medvac is right behind it. I have word that an Army convoy with the 233th Mechanized is being rerouted to reinforce you."
"Tell them I said welcome to the party. We are now engaging enemy forces."
"Good luck, Spartan." The Lieutenant stated.
[Note: Sorry about how short this chapter is. I'm taking a break from the majority of my stories while I focus on Haylo 2. I'm kind of suffering from writers block with everything else, but with Haylo 2, I have practically an unlimited amount of resources for the plot. I will continue Boot Camp, Final Harvest, and Among the Stars after the conclusion of Haylo 2.]
"Lieutenant Commander Parsons?" A mysterious voice asked as Parson radio crackled to life.
"Yes?" Parsons responded, rotating his warthogs steering wheel as he turned it onto a different street.
"Your unit is being commandeered by ONI Section Three. You are to proceed south on the highlighted route." The mysterious voice ordered, as a new route was highlighted on the map on the warthogs HUD.
"With all due respect, we have orders to search for a downed pelican. I don't intend on belaying that order." Parsons stated sternly.
"That order has been overridden, Commander. We will have another unit search for the pelican and its crew. But, if you don't want to follow orders, we will relieve you of your command and find someone who will. Now, do I have your attention?"
Parsons grimaced a little and shifted uneasily in his seat. "Okay, spook, I'm listening."\
"Excellent. We have three teams of Sierras about to be overran in an Insurrectionist stronghold approximately seven mikes away from your current position. They are heavily outnumbered, outgunned, and are taking casualties. You are the only unit in the area that is close enough to be able to make it in time. How copy?"
"I copy your last, ONI, so we're going in to save Spartans?" Parsons inquired.
"Correct, don't fail us Commander. These are some of the best assets we have available to us. If you succeed, you and your men will be rewarded in a most generous manner."
"I copy. We will not fail you, ONI." Parsons promised, before pulling up their inventory on his HUD. His unit had several M12 Force Application Vehicles, as well as a couple M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicles, five M831 Troop Transports, and for M808C Main Battle Tanks, as well as roughly 50 Army troopers, armed with M412 DMR's, MA57 Assault Rifles, and MA57A1 Carbines.
"We have a new mission, people!" Parsons shouted into his headset. "We're being deployed to help support some Spartans, who are currently heavily engaged by Insurrection infantry and armor. Lock and load, troopers! Let's show the brass who really runs this show!"
"Hooah!" A chorus of voices called out in unison over the COM.
"Sierra Lead, MEDVAC is one minute out. The Army convoy is right behind it." The Spartans adviser announced.
"Roger!" Sweetie Belle responded. An Innie warthog zoomed past her, firing its M41 wildly into the air, before turning into a charred skeleton a few seconds later. One of the Vultures passed overhead, its auto-cannons booming as it rained hell on the enemy contacts.
Suddenly, hundreds, possibly thousands, of tracer rounds ripped into the Vulture, shredding it to shreds and causing it to crash into the ground. Two nearby Vultures suffered similar fates, exploding violently as they crashed into the ground.
"They have an anti-air battery!" One of the remaining Vulture pilots announced desperately over the COM.
"Copy that. Pull out! Pull out!" Sweetie Belle shouted desperately into her helmets radio. The Vultures slowly started to turn around. As they started flying away, one of them was gutted by a round from one of the Innies scorpions. The last one managed to escape.
"MEDVAC, hold off. Innies have an anti-air battery. We will take it out, then you can evac our casualties."
"Copy that, Sierra Lead." The pelicans pilot responded.
"RD, Applebloom, AJ, on me." Sweetie Belle ordered over the COM.
"What do ya need, boss?" Applebloom asked, as she slid next to Sweetie Belle, closely followed by AJ and RD.
"Innies have set up an anti-air battery. MEDVAC can't enter the airspace unless we're able to take it out. You three up to the challenge?" She asked. The three Spartans nodded.
"Alright, attach suppressors and activate your active camouflage," Sweetie Belle stated, pulling out two suppressors and attaching them to the barrels of her SMG's, "I don't even want them to know what happened."
This story is officially being put on hold. The reason being is that when I release the new version of Haylo: A New World later this year, the Hayloverse will change drastically with it. However, this story will remain, but will be changed to fit the new canon set up by the newest version of the first installment.
I estimate this story will continue in mid 2014, after I finish rewriting Haylo: Dark Abyss.
I have decided that I am going to wait till I read Halo: The Fall of Reach before I continue on this story, because that story offers an in depth look at the training of the Spartan-II's, which the training of the Spartan-IV's will be based on. In the meantime, I will be working on Halo: Among the Stars, which will be following Nova, Backdraft, and the other members of O.D.S.T. Squad Delta in their struggle against the Covenant. I hope you will enjoy. :3
