Halo 2: Shadowed pasts and Ancient Runes

Chapter 4: That gray area
Planet Equis October 5, 2552
01232

Twilight shot up from her desk when the cloud sensors were tripped. She galloped over to the control console and saw four objects, falling fast.

"General alert!" Shining Armors voice came over the com. "All hooves! Man your stations!"

Twilight shot up and began wiping her documents. "Almya, purge data, now!"

"On it, ma'am!" She said quickly.

Nathan was on the other side of the hanger, inspecting weapons with Cam when the alarm sounded. They both looked to one another, then ran for the lockers. They flung them open and began to don their armor, with the help of Unicorn scientists of course.

Twilight ran in the locker room as they had finished getting ready. "Well, looks like you guys didn't need any incentive to get ready." She said with a smile.

"What do we have?" Nathan asked, putting on his helmet. She frowned.

"We have four objects coming down fast. Take a look." She held up her hoof held video screen and showed him a snap shot of the objects. Nathan recognized them instantly.

"Drop pods?" He blurted. Cam stood and looked at the screen.

"What the hell is the UNSC doing back here? And why aren't they sending a diplomat? They're just putting soldiers on the field? This goes against every regulation in the book."

"They're invading!" Nathan shouted angrily. He ran out of the room, grabbing some of the original Covenant weapons still in stock.

Nathan ran for Twilight's office and placed his gauntlet on the holopad Almya jumped into the chip in his head and sighed happily.

"It's been a long time since I was in here." She chuckled. Nathan ran out the room, followed by Cam and jumped into one of the experimental craft.

It hummed to life, lifting a foot off the ground. Twilight ran over and smiled up at him. He removed his helmet and leaned down to her.

"Come back safe, Nathan. That's an order." She kissed him hard on the lips.

He nodded and put his helmet back on. "I promise." Nathan and Cam hit the clutch and zoomed off into the direction the drop pods.

Laurence felt the pods shoot open and slam hard into the ground. He activated the explosive bolts and the door flew free.

Laurence dove free and ran forward as bright balls of red and green plasma erupted the earth around him. He dove behind a rock as his teammates ran up on his position.

"Forward stationary guns, guys. Lets see what this armor can do." Laurence said happily. They nodded and burst from the cover.

They ran at fifty miles per hour, nearly double the speed their old armor could handle. Laurence rolled as a plasma mortar landed just a few feet away.

What would have drained his old shield system instantly, barely left a mark. The new armor worked like a charm!

Laurence dove into the encampment, Battle Rifle poised. He shot the gunner, but a shield system deflected the bullets.

"These bastards have shields too?" Selina yelled. Gary grabbed her and rolled as another mortar detonated a few feet from her previous position.

"Keep shooting!" Laurence yelled. The creatures ran forward, clutching plasma weapons in their mouths, and some gripped them with nothing. They just floated around them.

Laurence and the others decided the only way to end this was with a good old fashioned fist fight. He dove at the gunner in the turret and threw him to the ground. He stomped the stallion, taking it's shields down, then shot it in the head.

The other stallions fired on him and his team furiously, but his shields held strong.

Gary was about to break a Pegasus's neck, when something fell on him from above. Laurence whirled to see a man clad in green armor, the bright Security helmet glistening in the sunlight.

Nathan!

Laurence fired on him with his BR, his armor blocking the recoil. Nathan rolled and shot his dual wielded plasma rifles at him.

"Almya, link me to his com system!" Nathan yelled, taking a BR shot to his head. Luckily the shields took it.

"I'm in." She said. Nathan spoke.

"Stand down, soldier! Now!"

Laurence tackled Nathan to the dirt, but Nathan tucked into it, kicking him off. "I said stand down! NOW!" He yelled one last time. Laurence didn't listen.

"You are under arrest by order of the UNSC on grounds of treason!"

Nathan knew that voice. "Spartan G399. Laurence, right?" He asked. Laurence hesitated but quickly recovered grabbing Nathan's head and throwing him to the ground. Nathan grabbed Laurence's arm and smashed him to the ground as well.

Laurence threw a punch, but Nathan grabbed his arm and locked his gauntlet. Frustrated, he threw another, only to have the same thing happen. Nathan stood, wrapped his arm around the Spartan's neck and locked it in place, closing the mans windpipe enough so he wouldn't fight back.

Gary, Selina, and Sharif aimed at Nathan, but he kept himself behind Laurence the whole time.

"Let him go, traiter!" Sharif yelled. Nathan smiled in his helmet.

"Ah, Spartan G354. How's it been Sharif?"

"Do as he says!" Selina yelled back to him.

"Spartan G221. Selina." Nathan said nodding.

"And I'm Spartan G190. Gary! Whoopee! Now that we're all reacquainted, how about you put him down, accept your arrest, and hand over the other two!"

Nathan laughed. "I didn't know my Spartans turned into invaders! Tell me, how does it feel to be no better than the Covenant?" He asked.

Laurence shouted and tried to break free, but Nathan clamped his arm around the man tighter. Nathan leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"You were always a terrible fighter, Larry! You shouldn't have come here."

The ponies came over and surrounded them all. Selina, Gary and Sharif went back to back holding their weapons at the ready.

"Tell your men to stand down now, Spartan, and we'll let you live." Nathan ordered. Laurence remained silent.

"Ah, fuck this!" Selina yelled. She began to fire her weapon, the bullets pinged off the shields of the ponies in front of her.

"Bad idea!" A voice said from above. She looked up to see Cam jump on her and tackle her to the ground. They rolled twenty feet and came to a stop in a mud puddle. He landed with his knee in her back and her face down in the puddle.

"Hello, Selina. Still fucking sloppy as always!" He goaded. She let out a frustrated scream and tried to roll away, but was unsuccessful as well.

Sharif and Gary put their weapons to the ground and put their hands up. Nathan pushed Laurence to the ground.

He stood, about to challenge Nathan, but Nathan pointed an M6D pistol at his face.

Laurence smiled. "My shields will just deflect it." He challenged. Nathan smiled and waved a power cell in his face.

"Not without this." He laughed.

Laurence checked his HUD, and to his surprise, the shield bar was gone, as well as radar, and health monitors.

"You're sloppy, kid. You could stand to learn a thing or two about what it takes to be a soldier!"

He finished by punching Laurence in the head, knocking him out cold. Nathan looked over to the others and removed his helmet.

"You are now prisoners of Princess Celestia. I hope your punishment is as severe as your crimes." Nathan said coldly. They looked to one another and shifted.

"Get them to the Phantom!" he said loudly. The Royal guards nodded and guided the Spartan captors to the transport. Cam walked over to Nathan and took off his helmet.

"Jesus, even our own brothers are against us." He said rubbing his head in frustration. Nathan kicked the dirt.

"Yeah, well, they stopped being our brothers when they betrayed us..."