The Story of Hope

“Rise and shine, Spartans.” our Sargent said gruffly, as he turned on the lights.

“Do we have to? It's only 4 weeks left 'till we're out sarge.” Maliha yawned, speaking to the Sarge sarcastically.

I looked at her, admiring her creamy brown hair and her big, soft blue eyes. Just her smile fills my heart up with- well hope. My thoughts were cut short when I heard a thump to my right. Turning, I looked down and saw my friend Mike laying on the floor after falling from the top bunk.

“Ow that hurt.” Mike paused, rubbing his head, Mahila stood to check up on him. "Oh hey Maliha! How’s the weather up there?!”

Mike always made that joke to her. After all, she was 6’2''.

After he made that remark, I slapped Mike upside the head, and Mike got the memo not to say that again. I jumped a bit as I was struck on the back of the head as well by the Sarge. I turned, staring deep into the Sarge's eyes with a death stare.

“Stand down soldier.” Sarge growled. "Ten HUT!"

All four of my friends and I got out of bed and stood in front of the Sergeant, who still remained nameless to us. Everyone was present; Mike, Maliha, Drake, Cammy, and I. That was the order the recruits were trained to be in, and I hated that I was always the 'child' of the group.

“Today we're going to learn about Medical Treatment. If you don't know any basic First Aid, how the hell do you plan on working as a team?” Sarge said gruffly, staring at me.

“When do we start Sarge?” Maliha asked as the Sarge walked past us, arms folded behind his back.

“0600 is when we start. Which gives you promptly an hour to suit up. From now on, you call me Blake.” Blake said as he stopped in front of me, staring angrily.

“Sir I have a question." Cammy asked in worry. "Is this training simulated?”

“No it’s not Cammy its real. Real pain, real bullets, real blood.” Blake replied, pulling out his pistol.

We all tensed at the sight of the weapon, as the clip dropped to the floor, the Sergeant skillfully placing a new, fresh clip into the chamber.

Suddenly, the lights in the room flashed red, as the intercom came alive.

“Sir we're under attack by the rebels!" the Marine said, panicked. "They even brought a Scorpion this time!”

“How in the hell did they get their hands on firepower like that?!” Blake said in confusion, turning to us. "But that's alright, we've got the trainees to take care of it."

“Sir, I have a question?" Mahila asked, concerned about the attack. "I heard that this is program is illegal-?"

“YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING YOU BIT….” Blake yelled, advancing towards her as I swung my right fist, interrupting the deceitful bastard with a clean jab to the face, and we suddenly got what he meant. We were decieved .

“RUN!" I barked, as we ran down each hallway.

I paused for a second, remembering that I had memorized the way out. I had had plans to escape long before now, but it wasn't until now that these months of planning began to pay off. I took a right, then a left, and then another left. Making the final right turn and outside, to freedom.

Little did I know, in my thoughts of escape, that I had run right in to the Scorpion tank. The rebels pointed their guns at us, as we put our hands up in a fake surrender. Once their guards were down, I looked at my team-mates, my friends, and we darted right for the tank. Mahila pulled the turret gunner out, throwing him into the group of confused rebels, Drake, Cammy, and Mike fought them, as they were trained. I myself clambered onto the tank, the Driver still a major threat. Mahila smiled to me as she jumped into the turret.

I thrust my hand onto the hatch, ripped it open, and pulled the Driver out, throwing him next to his Gunner. Hopping into the Driver's seat, at least I was safe from bullets.

“Kill that kid damn it kill hi-!” the Driver roared as Mahila filled him with bullets.

“We need to get to the other kids! We got to get them!” Mike yelled over the barrage of bullets.

The combined firing from my friends was enough to cut down the group of Rebels, as I finally learned how to drive the tank itself.

I stopped, hopping out of the tank. Mahila and the others joined me by my sides, as we lifted Assault Rifles off of the dead rebels. I walked over, where two recruits, two kids like us, laid on the floor in front of us. One of the I checked for a pulse, when I felt nothing, I declared him killed during the attack. I felt the other's pulse, it was light, but it was there.

“You think Leo is still alive?” Cammy asked in worry, her eyes were ready to cry.

“He’ll be alright. He was the second best soldier here.” Mike said to bring her spirit up.

"I think you mean he IS the second best soldier here." Mahila replied. "He's not dead yet."

“I hope you're right.” Cammy replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

“I know he is Cammy." Mike said, smiling at her.

Cammy and Leo have always had a thing going on ever since they meet. I was happy knowing that Mahila was still fine. See, Maliha and I have the same thing going on, a special relationship. Drake and Mike always rag on us about it, but they'll never fully understand.

Mahila smiled at me as I stood, she fumbled with an object on her neck. It was her most prized possession; a blue crystal necklace. She says it has a special trait to it, but I've never seen anything special about it. But my love for her made me go along with it. At this point, she seemed too interested in getting out of here. I was thinking that she was going to blow the gate up with the Scorpion because we heard the comms turn on again, this time with Blake the fake.

“Lock-down! We're going in to fucking lock down! We have runners” Blake's voice barked.

I thought for a moment, before I put a finger up to my lips to signal them to be quiet. I moved closer to them, closer to Maliha. Mustering all the courage that I could, I leaned forward and kissed Maliha right on the lips. She had been surprised by the act, dropping her Assault Rifle, the gun clattered to the ground, thankfully no-one else was around to hear it.

We left each other's embrace, as she smiled. The others looked at us in awe, before I signaled them to move up. Mike reached down, grabbing Leo's unconscious form, and slung him over his shoulder.

I pointed over to the armory, where our Armor was located. Maliha nodded, turning to the others, relaying the message. We'd need our armor before we could leave.

Blaine stood at the bridge of the UNSC Infinity, acting as the second in command for the ship. The current Commander of the vessel, Thomas Lasky, turned to face him.

"I know you see it, Admiral." Lasky said. "Our scanners have-"

"I know what the scanners see." Blaine said, a bit too coldly. "Sergeant Blake Donovan, traitor to the UNSC, and he's in charge of making Innie Spartans."

"Autumn has told me that the Insurrection grows tired of waiting for the next batch. Heaven knows how many are down there." Lasky looked at the Spartan, whose fists were clenched. "What do you plan to do."

"Depends on how indoctrinated into the rebellion they are." Blaine growled. "Everyone else I see on campus is dead.

"At least try to convince them to take our side?" Lasky asked. "I know you don't like rebels, but there is a chance for these kids."

Blaine nodded, making his way to the Infinity's docking bay.

"And Blaine?" Lasky asked, turning on his feet, Blaine stopping in his tracks. "It's a Legion-UNSC op. Your old pal Manny, he's sent a Legionaire to tag alongside you. Make nice, will you?"

"Hmph." Blaine clenched his fists again, continuing on his path.

"Manuel-324 this is Captain Tom Lasky of the Infinity. The Eagle is on his way to meet with your Operative."

"Yes sir?" Siegfried-333 asked entering a fairly dark room. The only light came from the window outside, and it was rainy day.

"Siegfried is it?" a figure said, turning around. It was Manuel-324. Siegfried had known this was an important mission but he didn't know that 324 himself would be here.

"333 if you prefer sir. I'm just a soldier who seeks Humanity's advancement" Siegfried replied.

"Glad to hear it. Are you aware of Spartans outside the Legion or the UNSC?" he asked.

"...The Freelancers?" Siegfried asked.

"Well yes, there's them. You are here today because someone else has decided to follow in the Legion's footsteps. They've created Spartans." 324 said, fairly calmly.

"How long as this program been running?" Siegfried asked.

"A while. However it seems an Insurrectionist cell that we were tracking has attacked the facility where these Spartans were located. From what we've gathered from orbital imaging; these Spartans have scattered."

"My mission?" Siegfried asked.

"Investigate what the conditions were like in the facility, and if possible recruit these Spartans into the Legion.

I'm sure the 'morally upright' UNSC won't conscript these Spartans, but then again...neither will we," 324 stopped to ponder the situation.

"You want me to persuade them?" Siegfried asked.

"Yes. We have more in common with them than the Spartans of the UNSC. We were an illegal PMC once, as I'm sure you remember. Make them sympathize with you, gain their trust... and when you have it make the offer," 324 paused.

"Understood?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Siegfried said bowing his head.

"Now head to the vehicle. Look for a Blaine-115. This is a joint UNSC-Legion operation" 324 said before Siegfried walked out, heading down to meet this "Blaine".

I led my friends down one of the many halls, paying very close attention to our surroundings, as we were taught. I held up a hand, the others in my group pausing at my silent command. We heard footsteps, causing us to freeze in our current positions. Maliha, anxious as ever, was ready to fire, the last thing we needed was to draw attention, so I pushed down her rifle and pointed to the door next to her. She gently entered a code, but it didn't take. The door was locked.

"Of course." I muttered to myself.

I was the technical genius of the group, so I was the one that had to hack it. The others peered down the hallway, at both ends, as the footsteps got closer. Sweat poured down my forehead as I gently bit my bottom lip, focusing on the matrixes of the door's control panel.

"Hurry up man!" Drake hissed.

"Trust me, this isn't a job you want to rush." I hissed back, turning back to my job. "I just need to rewire this and..."

*Click!*, the lock on the door unhitched, as the door opened. My friends and I scrambled inside, as I locked the door behind us. I foolishly continued to run, despite the others, as I ran right into what appeared to be a captive. This beast was not human, however, rather it was an Elite, something we had only heard rumors about. They're appropriate name was Sangheili, but I honestly don't give a shit what their called or not, I didn't trust them as far as I could through them.

“Watch it!” the Elite said as I hit the ground. "You sniveling pests."

“Um… sorry." I stammered, looking over to Mahila. "When did he get here?”

“This log says he was brought here a month ago.” Maliha said, looking through a relevent data pad.

“I see, and when is this 'Sangheili' supposed to be executed?" Mike asked bluntly, observing a grate on the floor. " Isn’t that what they do kill captive Covvies?”

My first instinct was to open the grate and peek inside. Peering down into the crevice, there was plenty of room for each of us to crawl to safety. We all froze as we heard the footsteps again, this time right outside of the door. I knew my hack would hold them out for a while, but not much.

I held my index finger to my lips, walking as quietly as I could to the door. Placing my ear against it, I could hear three people talking, one of which was Blake the fake.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THEY GOT AWAY?! DO YOU MORONS KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE UNSC OR THE LEGION GETS THEIR HANDS ON THESE LITTLE DEMONS?!” Blake said as he hit the door and made me jump a little. "I WANT RESULTS PEOPLE, FIND THEM! I'VE GOT A MASSIVE BOUNTY ON MY NECK, AND IF WE DON'T CONTAIN THE SITUATION, WE'RE JUST AS WELL PUTTING A FUCKING TARGET ON MY HEAD!"

“Sir, if I were them, I'd be headed to the armory to get my suits. I imagine they are thinking the same.” The Marine replied nervously.

“Then why the FUCK aren't you there already!?" Blake roared angrily.

“Sir, what if we run into them and they HAVE gotten their suits, we don't stand a-.” There was a loud bang on the other side of the door, as the other Marine screamed in terror.

I jumped a little as I heard something thump against the door, a pool of blood forming beneath it. I backed away carefully, still able to hear the others on the other side.

"Does this face look like I care?" Blake growled. "You got a problem?"

"N-no sir." The last remain stammered.

"Good, now let's get the FUCK moving, eh?!"

The footsteps echoed through the halls once more, as my friends and I sighed in relief. I turned to the Elite, pointing at him.

“Hey, you got a name?” I said as Mahila freed him of his restraints.

“Why do you want to know human?” he said, clicking his mandibles together.

“If you're going to be with us, I need to call you something, and I think 'big ass alien' won't cut it.” I said.

“My name is Jackua 'Sonamee. But my human name is 'Jackson'.” Jackson replied, bowing.

“I know we don't really like each other.” I said as I swept my eyes over my colleagues. "But I think we should be allies."

It was no surprise to see the shock in their eyes, the only exception was Maliha, who understood that any help was good for our situation. She started to speak, as a loud explosion collapsed the room around us.

As the dust settled, I grunted, pulling rubble off of me. My first thought went to those friends of mine. Climbing around, I pulled them all out, one by one, except for Mike.

“Shit, where is Mike?!” I asked worried, searching through the debris.

“Over here! In the grate!” Mike groaned in pain.

“Are you okay?” Maliha asked as she climbed down

“Yeah, yeah I am.” Mike said, wincing in pain as I climbed down.

He tried to get up, his knees locked up, and he fell back down, landing on Leo, who finally started to come to.

“Ow, get off of me Mike!” Leo barked, trying to push him off.

“You're awake!!” Cammy laughed, pushing Mike off.

Everyone shook their heads as the couple locked lips in a very well deserved kiss. I looked down in the grate, watching Jackson crawl in the direction of the Armory. I followed him, as he allowed me to squeeze by and direct people to the Armory.

Everyone followed me for a great distance, before we heard the creaking. We paused for a second, as the metal of the ventilation shaft around us groaned again. Moving in a much more hurried motion, the vent collapsed, as we all found our self in the middle of the Marine's barracks.

The Soldiers held a look of stupor on their faces, before they trained their weapons on us. It was going to be one hell of a fight to the Armory, I could tell.

There were too many to take on without risking someone. Suddenly, Jackson miraculously grabbed the soldier closest to him by the gun, ripping the armament out of the human's hands. Kicking the soldier into a nearby group, the force sent them barreling into a group of lockers, incapacitating them. Turning on his hooves, the massive Elite opened fire with the Designated Marksman Rifle, the heads of the soldiers popping like balloons before they could even react.

My group and I stared in amazement, as the Elite tossed the weapon onto the floor, disgusted by it.

“Thanks Jackson, how can we repay you?” I said, as the others looted the lockers.

“You can start by getting me out of here human.” Jackson replied, peeking out the door.

“We can do that as long, so long as you keep your split jaws closed and do whatever the fuck we tell you to Elite! This includes pulling your own weight!!" Drake growled, getting in Jackson’s face.

“Drake, stand down, that’s an order” I barked, separating them.

“Who put you in charge Hope? You're nothing but the runt of the litter!” Drake said poking me in the chest.

“I’m in charge because I PLANNED this escape you idiot” I growled pushing him in to a locker.

“Oh, that’s it you little shit!” Drake roared, tackling me in to a pool of blood.

The two of us floundered around the floor, beating each other to high hell. I threw a nasty punch to his eye, as he pitched his head forward into a devastating headbutt. While I was dazed, he drilled his fists into my ribs. Thrusting my knee into his stomach, the bastard grabbed me by the ankle and tossed me into a row of lockers. Things were blurry, but I could see Maliha poking Drake in the chest angrily, as Cammy tried to pull her off.

Annoyed, Jackson lifted the two nearly brawling women and separated them, snapping his mandibles together menacingly.

"You whelps have more urgent issues to attend to, not dominance over your fellow squad-mate." Jackson said looking back and forth between Drake and me.

“You're right Jackson.” I paused and looked at Maliha, she was concerned and disappointed in me. I could tell that much.

“Lets just get to the armory.” I growled, looking away from Maliha.

I brushed past Drake, who tensed as I passed. As a group, we sprinted down the hall, our new weapons in hand, to the Armory, which wasn't too far off, thankfully. Once we entered, a row of machines outfitted with the task of armoring Spartans in front of us.

We spared no extra time getting into the machines, which lifted us above the ground, the armor placed on our bodies. Jackson grunted, grasping a confiscated Storm Rifle out of a weapon's cache. He peered out the door for a second, his weapon's bolts of plasma whined, followed by the scream of some of our pursuers being burnt.

"So what's the plan?!" Maliha asked expectantly, looking over to me as her helmet was fit onto her head.

“We need to get to the Scorpion so we can blow the wall!” I said as the machine put the last piece of armor on.

“Got it.” Maliha paused, looking at me again. “This isn't the place I had hoped to say this- but we might not have the time later; I love you Hope.”

My heart filled with delight as I heard the words.

“I love you too Maliha.” I said as I put my helmet on.

My visor came up and did the self check:

-Shields: Optimal

- Health: Yellow

- Miscellaneous: Optimal.

My shield systems recharged, as I hopped off of the machine, clenching my fists a few times to readjust to the armor. I looked back, as everyone else had just about finished, except for Drake, who glared at me.

Jackson had moved from the door at this point, and was busy rummaging around inside one of the chests in the far corner, not far from where he had retrieved the Storm Rifle.

"I doubt you'll find anything in there that fits you."

Jackson huffed in laughter, raising his Combat Harness, okay, maybe I was wrong.

“Ok every one ready?” I said as I got my weapons.

The weapons weren't special like my visor, which changed color based on my mood. Instead, they were merely just a normal sniper and a shotgun. The other's armed themselves with Assault Rifles, DMRs, and Magnums. I was the scout of the team but today I was leader, and boy did it feel good!

“We’re ready Hope, whenever you are.” Maliha nodded, looking around for the other's responses.

We opened the door and walked in to a hail of bullets. Thankfully our shields took most of the damage, but they wouldn't last. The group sprang into action, our combined spread out fire was too overwhelming for both factions, the Insurrection and Blake the Fake's militia.

We'd need to get to that Scorpion soon, before reinforcements arrived.

"This is Sierra-115. Siegfred-333? Respond. I'm in a Pelican drop-ship, waiting for you.

Who the hell was that, and why were they talking on our frequency? I figured I'd find out soon, but we needed to hurry.

"TO THE SCORPION!" I barked, as the group and I made our ways back outside.

Siegfried walked into the hanger and looked around. Sure enough, his ally waypoint was inside a pelican. The Legionnaire walked up to it and stepped into the blood tray.

"Admiral 115? I'm Siegfried-333, or just 333 if you prefer. I was told we would be working together on this mission, seeing as how the Legion has more experience with Spartan PMCs" Siegfried said, introducing himself and the reason why he was here. He moved on, he doubted the Admiral had time to waste.

"I'm sure you have many things to do Admiral, so let's get to it." Siegfried said as the pelican began its flight towards the planet. Siegfried wasted no time into formulating a plan.

"These Spartans, depending on how far along their post augmentation training is, will either be scared and distrustful, or aggressive and violent. Either scenario is not a good one, since they have he to become full accustomed to them. As we both know Admiral, augmentations take a while to get used to,"

"My suggestion is that to in fairly neutral, negotiate with them. They are Spartans after all, and Humanity can use all the Spartans it can get"

"Jesus Christ boyo." Blaine said, poking his head around the cabin and into the troop bay. "I have a name. It's Blaine, and you're right. You'll be my expert on PMC's today, I've been a part of a few raids on Spartan PMC facilities in my time, but it ended unfavorably for the Spartan wannabees. It's not something I'm particularly proud of, either."

Blaine started the flight sequence, as Siegfried took his seat.

"Nothing bothers me more than to see people going through the same thing I did when I was a younger fella." Blaine said, maneuvering out of the ship. "Especially when it's done unsupervised by a non-UNSC affiliate. The thought that I might have to kill these poor kids today- it frustrates me."

Blaine huffed, shaking his head.

"I won't lie to you, I've always had a soft side for the kids. Even if they are the enemy, it's only because they were brainwashed to be so, you know?"

It was silent for a moment, as the specially outfitted Pelican lowered into the atmosphere. Blaine chuckled softly, before speaking again.

"So you're Manny's protege, huh?" Blaine asked, curious. "How's he doing? Haven't seen him in years. We've saved each other's asses more times than I can count long ago."

Blaine paused as Siegfried gave his answer.

"We'll go with your plan. Stay frosty, I'll let you handle the talking. If things go south though, let me handle that."

"Well then Admiral Blaine, I'll drop the formalities," Siegfried wasn't used to calling anyone above his rank by name. Then again, the only people Siegfried called by name were his friends. Blaine's comment about raids on Spartan PMCs annoyed him.

"...I'm going to assume that those raids were before the Covenant waged war on us. That was one of the main reasons we were hired by ONI. With the right funding and training, PMCs can produce quality soldiers."

Regardless, if these children won't submit to us... Show no mercy 'Blaine'. As a soldier, you are to follow orders, as am I," Siegfried had assumed Blaine would have been somewhat desensitized to cruel actions by now. You didn't get to the rank of Admiral without seeing some nasty things, more so as a Spartan.

Siegfried snorted at Blaine's comment of "brainwashing" seemingly oblivious to the fact that he UNSC was no better in that aspect. Hell, they had started the SPARTAN program. He decided to divert attention from his reaction by answering the question about "Manny".

"If by 'Manny' you mean 324, then he is doing fine 'Blaine'. What he did during his time with ONI is as much of a mystery to us as what he did before then is to you... He hasn't spoken about it very often" Siegfried said, watching the pelican steadily approach the surface of the planet.

" Anyways, 324 doesn't play favourites amongst the Legion's IIs and IIIs. We're all soldiers in service of humanity, having given everything for other humans. We've earned our keep," Siegfried finished, leaving out the Spartan IVs. They would have to earn the respect of their fellow Legionnaires... And they had a long way to go. Having augments and wearing MJOLNIR didn't make you a Spartan. Siegfried had seen Marines more worthy of the name than some of Spartan IVs he had seen. Being a Spartan meant protecting Humanity, no matter the cost. Even if it meant your own humanity.

"Those PMC raids were AFTER the war." Blaine replied, looking aback. "They were already fully indoctrinated into their Leadership's ways. They were happy to die at the expense of keeping their Leader safe. Regrettably, reason was not enough, and my team and I had to use deadly force. As I said, I'm not proud of it. They would have been a good asset to the UNSC, but they were just too stubborn."

Blaine paused as Siegfried spoke about soldiers following orders.

"There is a saying that goes around the Infinity, boyo." Blaine gritted his teeth, annoyed by Siegfried's utter bluntness. "You don't get to where I am by being a pansy. In this instance, we say; 'Humanity and Soldiers aren't two different things, we're just people.'"

"You may know what it means to be a Spartan, judging by the fact 'Manuel' wouldn't have sent you if you didn't. But also remember that the Spartan title doesn't belong to the coldest killers that the military can send at it's enemies, it's about being the bravest, and doing everything you can for Humanity, while following some principles of the Human consciousness. This includes compassion for your enemies, ESPECIALLY Humans."

"You might be thinking I'm desensitized, thanks to my years of training and combat. But I can assure you that the thought of killing kids, considering how I've been a guardian to over forty or fifty kids, and an extremely happy Grandfather for all that time, will never desensitize me."

Blaine paused for a moment, thinking to Katie, his Spartan IVs, and to Marissa and George.

"Can I honestly be surprised?" Blaine replied to Siegfried's comment on Manuel. "The only way I got any info on the guy was some access to his file. He was a good ally to me and the men that I work with. He's got a lot on his plate now, I would imagine, and I can only hope he makes the right decisions, should the time come."

The Pelican rocked to the side a bit, as they finally broke atmosphere, the turbulence in the clouds causing the ship to be a little jumpy.

"We've broken atmosphere. Approaching target in approximately five minutes. I'd prepare for war, 333, this doesn't look pretty out here."

Immediately after running out of the building we were blinded by the sun. When we got our sight back we could see the scorpion before it was blasted to high hell. We stopped dead in our tracks as we heard sarcastic clapping. We looked over to where it was coming from and there stood Blake.

"Bravo, you little brat I'm surprised how you even managed to get this far after all you were planted with little micro bugs that i can track you.," Blake growled at us.

"Wait if you knew why didn't you stop us.," mike hissed

"I wanted to show the rebels how skilled you are.," Blake walked over to the scorpion that was now on fire

"You... you bastard," Cammy said

"Now now, Cammy no need for that," Blake said as he started to walk over to us

I pointed my gun at him ready to blow his head off, but something surprised me he was smiling. As I was ready to pull the trigger a sharp pain ran down my arm and I dropped my weapon. The pain was unbearable as I fell to my knees.

"Hope!!," my friends yelled as they ran to my side

"What... what did you do to me" I stuttered

"I activated the micro bugs to make you drop your weapon," Blake said

"Stop please stop" Maliha said, she sounded like she was crying

"Only if you do what I say" Blake said with a wicked smile

"Ok just stop" Maliha said with more tears rolling down her face

"No don't..." I said before another wave of pain washed over me

The pain was gone as son the group put their weapons on the ground and Blake's men moved in and kicked our weapons away. We thought all was lost when we heard a pelican coming. We looked all around to see it so did Blake, then we could see it in the air. All I know is they better be friendly

Blaine put down the Pelican, deciding not to use the drop-ship's weapons against the Marines. Rushing out of the back of the vehicle, Blaine raised his DMR, fixing directly on Blake's head.

"Ex Sergeant Blake, have your men drop their weapons." Blaine barked. "You are under arrest."

Blake sneered at the Spartan-II's voice.

"It only took you fourteen years to find me, Blaine." Blake said.

Some of Blake's men turned to face Blaine, their weapons trained on him.

"If you kiddies were smart." Blaine said to the Marines. "You'd observe that I have your boss, who happens to write your checks at gunpoint. Drop the guns and step away from the kids, or I will use lethal force."

One of the soldiers started to drop their weapon, as Blake raised his pistol and shot the soldier in the face, Blaine tensed, grabbing Blake in a head-lock.

"That wasn't very nice." Blaine said through gritted teeth.

"Shoot him you assholes!" Blake hissed, the air being choked out of him.

"They do that, it's curtains for you." Blaine said. "Stand down, and I'll spare your lives."

Pressing a button in his hand, Blake used his micro chips to stand the Spartan trainees into a fighting stance.

"Kill this man, and I shall free you from the restraints!" Blake barked, as the Spartans, against their wills, grabbed their weapons and trained them on Blaine.

Blaine tensed the arm holding Blake's neck, as the wind-pipe in the man's throat collapsed. Jerking his arm up, Blaine felt as Blake the fake's spine was pulled multiple inches up, killing him instantly.

"Boring conversation anyways." Blaine grabbed the receiver in Blake's hand, momentarily shutting down the chips. "Is everyone here alright?"

It's a bit much, but I know Manny will work something out. Besides, he knows PMC's.

I signaled my group to huddle up. I told them that I'd do all the talking and that they would just have to stay on guard. I walked over to the stranger and he looked at me.

"Hi, I am Hope, this is Maliha, Cammy, Mike, Drake, and Jackson. For an Elite, he's okay, what's your name?" I said as I picked up my weapon, waiting for his answer.

"Admiral Blaine-115. UNSC Navy, Spartan-II." He replied, curious.

"So you're Blaine." I paused, watching another figure step out of the Pelican, then tensed. "Whose the guy in the pelican?" I walked over to Blake's dead body, kicking it out of frustration.

"I just barely met him myself." Blaine replied bluntly. "Goes by Siegfried or 333."

"Siegfried?, Okay, we need to get out of here. Do you have a plan?" I said as my friends walked over to the pelican.

We tried to get in the pelican, as the one called Siegfried stopped us. I looked around, analyzing all the damage the rebels had caused. It was bad. The Pelican looked like a brand new one, off the line, perhaps a new model. Of course, I had really never seen one before. Glancing around, I watched as Siegfried unmercifully dispatched the remaining Marines, against Blaine's word.

The behemoth Spartan II towered over all of us easily, and here he was making small talk with my friends. The thought slipped my mind, when a noise suddenly filled the air, causing us all to pause momentarily.

"Do you guys hear that?" I asked as I looked around.

"Yeah, it's a bad sign." Blaine replied, clenching his fists. "We got a Wraith inbound boyo! Do what you gotta do 333!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Siegfried said, arm streched out to prevent the illegal Spartans from getting in the Pelican. As soon as he was out, the blood tray to the Pelican closed and he aimed his assault rifle aimed at Blake's men. They had just witnessed Blaine snap their leader's neck, a move Siegfried approved of. However, the men still had to be dealt with.

"I'll be fine, once they're dealt with" Siegfried nodded towards Blake's men. The tone in his voice didn't suggest being merciful with them.

"As enemies of the UNSC, you're not going to escape so easily. You will return with us, as prisoners of war, and tell us everything that you know. That's the only way you're going to get out of this... Alive," 333 took a step towards the men.

Some of them tensed their fingers around their weapons, readying themselves for a fight. Not the wisest of decisions when dealing with Spartans.

"Tend to the Spartans Blaine. I'll deal with these rebel scum," Siegfried replied.

His attention was drawn away for a split second by the sound of alien machinery. Hope had heard it as well apparently.

"Change of plans gentlemen. You can earn your keep with our group for the time being if you side with us against the Storm. I can hear them approaching," Siegfried announced, never losing sight of the rebels.

"Talk time is over people." Blaine growled. "That's the sound of a Wraith. If you want to live, we're going to have to work together."

Blaine turned to Hope, who had just introduced himself. "Who's the leader of your team here?"

"Me." The one called Drake scoffed, as the one called Mahila shoved him aside.

"Hope is our leader, sir." Mahila said, saluting Blaine.

Blaine turned to Hope, who continued to look at Blaine.

"I hope you don't mind me taking command of your men, Hope?" Blaine asked.

Pointing to the militia of Marines, Blaine whistled to Siegfried.

"Siegfried, you, half the Marines, and half of the Spartans will hide in the forest. The rest of us will remain here and act as a distraction. When the Storm's attention is on us, I want your group to flank around behind them, prevent their inevitable retreat." Blaine turned to Hope once more. "Divide your group into two halves. Decide which of us you want to go with, Siegfried or me. Time is of the essence Spartan."

"ok, drake, maliha, and me will go with you Blaine the rest wil go with Siegfried" I replied to Blaine

I waited for Blaine's command. I was ready to knock some heads and kill some elites.The sound was getting closer as we raised our weapons. The wraith came out of the forest and so did a whole army of aliens.

I was about to yell fire but Blaine beat me to it so I juts decided to pull out my shotgun and started to shot them

The remaining three: Cammy, Mike, and Jackson, gathered around Seigfried and the marines closest to him.

"What the hell is this Elite doing here?" Siegfried asked. Most Legionnaires didn't swear very much, and they didn't yell in anger. Putting emphasis on a "swear word" was essentially a Legionnaire screaming at the top of their lungs, while maintaining a professional atmosphere.

Seigfried raised his rifle, aiming right at the Elite. The sounds of the enemy were getting louder, which meant they were getting closer. He didn't have time to argue.

"Well Spartans and Marines, let's set our differences aside and fight the true enemy," Siegfried looked right at the Elite.

"Oh yeah? Whom might that be?" one marine asked. Siegfried was astounded by his stupidity at the moment.

"Those whom would see Humanity crushed; the species leading the Storm. The Kig-Yar are mercenaries and the Uggnoy are slaves. Our enemies are the Elites here, so let's move out," Siegfried said before heading towards the forest. After a slow jog, by Spartan standards, they had arrived and were hidden among the bushes and trees. Siegfried had constantly been looking over his shoulder, distrustful of the Sangheili. He turned around fully to speak with his team.

"We'll take them by surprise when Blaine gives me the order. Let me make that clear. When I, Siegfried-333, get the order from the Admiral, Blaine-115, then, and only then, will we move out," Siegfried looked around before speaking again.

"Three things need to be made clear right now. One, cowardice in battle is not tolerated," Siegfried looked at the Marines and the new Spartans. He wasn't sure how they're training was done but clearly their handlers had been useless at maintaining authority.

"Two, betrayal is not tolerated," Siegfried looked at the Marines, and then stopped his gaze on the Elite. The Elite held his gaze for a while, before Siegfried broke it and continued speaking.

"Three, insubordination WILL result in death. If you don't listen to my orders then you WILL die. IF not by the enemy's hand then by my own. Understood?"

Siegfried stared at all his allies, intending to carry out his threat regardless of their faction.

i ran for cover from plasma from their weapons, the wraith shot a round of hot molting plasma and nearly melted my cover.

"Maliha aim for the driver, drake get in the tank and suppress them" i said as i poped off a few rounds

I don't know what Blaine was up to, he doesn't even remember me, but i had to focus. I aimed at the wraith before its turret forced me to go back in to cover.

"blake whats taking..." i said turning to see that he was unconscious with a elite general standing above him

"Blaine behind us" i yelled as more of them came at me, Blaine and a few marines,we stareted shooting the general as it grabbed drake by the neck i took aim and fired as the brains of the alien was spread on the concrete. i told some of the marines to cover me as i go for drake as more of them came in. Maliha was on the wraith pounding at the drivers hatch while i was fighting off some elites. i heard Seigfried and the others in the back but i was buys to look.

"Maliha whats the status on the wraith" i yelled over my gun fire "Maliha!"
i looked at the wraith as it drove off with Maliha tied up on it ,how the hell did she get caught, the large vehicle plowed the trees making a new road with the covenant following.

"hey, every one they are taking Maliha, after her" i yelled running for her

i ran and ran before i fell to my nees and started to cry Maliha was gone and i could do nothing to stop them. i seen something in the bushes i crawled over and it was her necklace the only thing i have left of her. as i sat there staring at the necklace the rebles started to fire againts us but i just sat there

Siegfried had been firing upon the Covenant forces, keeping a close eye on this "Jackson". Never letting the Elite out of his sight, Siegfried was constantly on the move. The illegal Spartans had held their own fairly well, something Siegfried was pleased with. It meant less work for him. The rebels on the other hand were less than adequate, preferring attrition warfare as evidence by them running in there like crazed commandos.

Siegfried finally let the Elite out of sight when he noticed that the one named "Hope" was shouting something about being attacked from behind. Turning around, the Legionnaire noticed a Spartan strapped onto the top of a wraith.

"What is going on?" Siegfried wondered as his squad pushed the Covenant out of their area, going in to assist their allies. The aliens were retreating and they had limited ammo, no need to waste it... no matter how much he wanted.

Suddenly the rebels began to open fire on their temporary allies, causing their shields to spark.

"Traitors..." Siegfried thought as he opened fire on them. Their inferior body armour proved quite inadequate against Siegfried's shrapnel rounds and Jackson's plasma bolts. One rebel had jumped Siegfried from behind, but the Spartan simply grabbed him and threw him at the Elite. The alien stumbled and the rebels took advantage of this.

The illegal Spartans had other plans. "Cammy" and "Mike" saved the Elite from death, finishing off the remaining rebels. Siegfried turned around to check on the Admiral's status, but he had killed his traitors as well.

Eventually the two groups gathered around Hope, who was crying over the loss of his comrade. Siegfried knew that losing a Legionnaire in battle hurt, but to cry over their death was to dishonour them. The Elite stayed at the back of the group, not used to watching Humans grieve.

Siegfried approached the young Spartan, and put his hand on Hope's shoulder awkwardly.

"Losing a comrade may hurt 'Hope', but crying is not the solution. I don't think she'd want to see you broken like this. Instead, rise up and fight. If you cannot save her, then avenge her. Crying is no way to honour their loss," Siegfried finished, removing his hand from the younger Spartan's shoulder.

"And what would you know of honour?" the Elite spoke from the back, approaching the Spartan.

"Honour is not a Sangheili exclusive concept," the Spartan replied calmly.

"You know what I speak of," the Elite looked at the Spartan visor intently.

"Purely accidental. You weren't watching your back, plain and simple. That is your job, not mine," Siegfried replied, standing firm and tall.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...and we'll see what happens 'demon'..." Jackson replied in turn.

"Our primary concern should be saving Hope's friend here, not settling imaginary grudges. I'm sure everyone here can agree, yes?" Siegfreid asked, holding his arms out as if to collect the Spartans' agreements.

After what Siegfried said I tightened my grip on my sniper and put the necklace around my neck “well then let’s go get her back” I said to them as I started to get up

As I dusted myself off I heard the sound of multiple guns being loaded as I looked up I seen my friends Mike, Drake, Cammy, Leo,  Jackson, Blaine, and Siegfried  standing there ready to go to hell and back. I had a plan ready before i stood up “ok so Mike, Drake, Leo, and Maliha take the left side of the trail staying in the forest while Cammy, Jackson, Blaine, and Siegfried take the right while I take the center taking there fire got it” I said looking at them waiting for a response.

"I hope I'm not soundin' blunt. But we barely just met boyo, and even then, there's still the fact that you are Spartans created under Illegal pretenses. You have no authority to order us around." Blaine replied flatly. "However, if saving Mahila will mean you revoke your Insurrectionist teachings and side with the UNSC, we have no choice but to save her."

Standing firm, Blaine looked over the remaining forces at their disposal, the traitorous Marines lay slain on the ground beneath their feet.

"You, and you." Blaine pointed to Mike, Drake. "You flank to the right with Siegfried.

"Jackson, you, Cammy, and Leo will flank to the left." Blaine pointed them off to the left, near the building. "That leaves me and Hope in the center, drawing the enemy's fire. There is no way in hell I'm letting you do this alone."

"The situation is growing a bit beyond our control." Captain Laskey spoke calmly, relaxed. It wasn't a high pressure operation, but having an Admiral and a Legionnaire on the line was no laughing matter. "I'm sure the Admiral can handle himself, being a Spartan, but We'd feel better if we had some..."

Sarah Palmer, in the corner, smiled as she finished his sentence. "Insurance. Nothing against Blaine or the Legion kid, but I want boots on the ground that I can trust. Crimson is occupied, and I have a bit of a history with one of your agents."

Both Palmer and Laskey were addressing a single woman in a pristine, white labcoat. The head of the Freelancer Program, Doctor Bailey. "So, you're asking for Agent Nine?"

Laskey shook his head. "We'd like him sent in as soon as possible."

Bailey leaned her head to the side. "Then it's a good thing I suited him up and sent him forty minutes ago." She sipped her thermos of coffee. "I even sent Lucy for good measure. Rest assured, they're some of the best Spartans we can offer."

Palmer sneered playfully. "Best, huh? If I were down there, I'd have the mission done in six minutes." Being a Spartan, it was natural for her to question the ability of her peers, and to challenge legends.

Bailey met her gaze, a competitive gleam in her eye. "If you can do it in six, Nine can do it in three."

Five seconds to impact. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The impact shook Nine's teeth. He seized his submachine gun, and the door to his pod shot off like a rocket.

He jumped of of his pod, his HUD whirring to life. His vitality was in the blue. His ammunition was fairly decent, but he didn't want waste his own ammunition yet.

Lucy's pod came down next to his. It screamed through the air, tearing a small tree in half as it landed. Her friendly tag came online, as she kicked the door open.

"Alright. Our targets are moving east." Lucy's optical array zoomed in on the targeted Wraith. She couldn't see it, but her helmet was designed to track last known locations of larger vehicles. It made hunting simpler. "They should come through that clearing. Did you bring something heavy?"

Nine reached into his pod, and pulled out a Spartan Laser. "Of course." With a grunt, he pulled free a Spartan laser, bolted to the side of his pod.

"Good pick." Lucy laid low in the grass. "Get that thing ready, and stay LOW."

Nine dropped to one knee, shouldering his laser. "Why are we targeting this wraith specifically? What's special about it?"

Lucy watched as a ghost, and several Covenant infantry exited the woods. The wraith, behind them, smashed trees aside. "They sure don't give a fuck about the environment. There's the lead wraith. Start charging your laser."

Nine aimed, and prepared to shoot, when Lucy lifted her hand. "WAIT. Look."

Both Spartans spotted the same grim sight. Another Spartan, in purple and pink armor, was tied in the wraith. A prisoner.

"DAMMIT." Nine grunted. "This complicates things. How'd she get captured?"

"Might be the bright purple and pink armor." Lucy chuckled. "What an eyesore. Look, this changes a FEW things, but not too many. Give me the laser. You go down there. I'll draw their fire, and you cut her loose."

Nine nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Lucy held her arms out, and Nine tossed her the laser. The weapon was satisfyingly heavy. Big, but not too bulky. She shouldered it, and knelt down, using its scope to zero in on any problematic targets.

"I see four elites, five jackals, and six grunts. Watch yourself." Lucy watched carefully as she gave Nine the order.

"Got it."

Nine jumped down the hill, sliding slowly as Lucy targeted the ghost with her laser. The weapon slowly charged, the red pointer on the ghost's hood.

BLAAAAAAAAM!!! The ghost's driver was evaporated, the vehicle split in half by the shot. The enemy soldiers panicked, not knowing what had happened, or where the attack had come from.

Nine took his opportunity. He slid faster down the hill, drawing his knife. He swung it as he came close to a jackal, splitting the birdlike creature's throat. He drew his magnum and fired twice, braining two grunts.

"Get the girl so I can take out the wraith!" Lucy dropped her laser and drew her sniper rifle. She fired, and the bullet found a home inside of an elite's skull, killing him instantly. A second elite aimed his needle rifle at Lucy's position. She backed up as needle rounds whizzed over her head.

Nine reached Maliha, his knife drawn. He began cutting at the tight, sturdy ropes. His smooth knife lacked a serrated edge, but he was strong enough to saw through the bindings on her feet.

Before he could fully free her, an elite holding a sword charged Nine, his eyes full of rage and malice. "Sit tight! I'll handle this guy first!"

The elite was a General. Nine wanted to end the fight quickly, but lacked a choice. He rolled away from the elite's first swing. The General was quickly joined by a special operations elite, both sporting blades.

Nine wasn't just inconvenienced, he was in mortal danger. He simply wasn't BIG enough to fight two experienced sword elites. Not without backup. To fight both would be risking his life.

The Wraith sped up, moving away from Nine and turning towards him. The special operations elite charged him, and swung its sword. Nine ducked the spec ops blade, and retaliated with a one two punch, knocking the elite back. The general joined in on the attack, and Nine sidestepped his swing. Two on one was never good odds, but Nine held his own.

He was stalling for Lucy to take her shot.

Lucy aimed and fired. Her shot brained the special operations elite. The General barked in surprise, and leaped onto the Wraith. The vehicle turned its mortar towards Lucy, and on the General's orders, fired.

The massive mortar shot burned the air around it as it arced up the hill. Lucy leaped away, and the impact heated her back, sending her rolling down the hill, dazed.

The Wraith turned towards Nine next, who was out of options. Firing his guns would risk hurting the captured Spartan, and charging the wraith would do him little good. The wraith fired at him, and he leaped away from the mortar shot. Just as it had done to Lucy, the impact of the blast hurled him away, leaving him addled and coughing.

The Wraith drove away, the Elite General escaping with Maliha.

"Ulgh..." Nine took off his helmet, coughing and wiping his face. Lucy helped him to his feet. "You alright, Lucy?"

"I'm fine." She grunted the answer under her breath. She hated when a plan fell apart.

"There wasn't much we could do." Nine patted her on the back. "Let's link up with the others, and we'll rescue the chick next time."

Lucy removed her helmet, and nodded. "I'm more interested in taking care of that bastard who got the better of us," she hissed.

"That's the spirit." Nine patted her on the back. "Let's go meet up with the others."

“fine but we are going to do it my way” I said to him “we could use the scorpion if it still works and maybe we could look around the base for some weapons” I said before the sound of gun and plasma fire filled the forest “that’s bad, Leo, drake, mike, Cammy, and Jackson get on” as I finished they hoped on mike taking the gunner seat “Siegfried and Blaine go check the garage maybe there’s a warthog” I said as I drove off towards the gun fire.

As I got there the place had burnt trees and dead bodies but what got my attention was the two other Spartans, one had a sniper in her hands and the other had his weapons holstered but he looked familiar, I poked my head out “who the hell are you and what have you done”

Nine raised his eyebrow. "It's rude to ask someone's name before giving yours." He stepped towards the Spartan. "John-B694. Freelancer Agent Nine. You might have heard of me. So, who're YOU supposed to be?"

Nine and Hope stood toe to toe for a moment.

"Nine, we're not here to pick a fight." Lucy put a hand on his shoulder, and Nine stood down. "Mind explaining what's happening? Our objective was to cut off that small Wraith battalion, but they had a hostage. a SPARTAN hostage."

Nine folded his arms. "Someone in your squad, I'm guessing. We tried to rescue her, but they slipped away from us before we could get her. I'm guessing we're here to save her, so we're going to have to work together. Alright?"

“im hope this is Cammy, drake, mike, Leo, and Jackson the elite the other two are finding a vehicle.” I said looking at him waiting for an answer as my team checked the dead bodies and took their weapons and i jumping back in to the scorpion turning it back on and told my team to get on “you coming or not”

Siegfried turned to look at Blaine, disapproval dripping off his voice.

"The boy lacks discipline. You just told him that doing what he suggested was a rather rushed expectancy of our trust, and then he insists on doing things 'his way'," The Legionnaire shook his head as he headed back to find a vehicle. Unfortunately the only working vehicle he could find was transport Warthog.

"I'm not too sure if he has any respect for veteran Spartans and chain of command," Siegfried continued, scanning the area. He walked over to the corpses of various grunts, recovering their fallen Fuel Rod guns and ammunition. Siegfried threw them into the back of the Warthog. Some of the rebels had sticky detonators on them as well, so Siegried threw those into the back as well.

"That's something we'll need to work on, won't we Admiral?" Siegfried asked, finishing up his scavanging of their fallen foes. He hefted a SAW from one of the rebels, discarding his empty magnum. He picked up the final piece of equipment, which was the torn off turret of a destroyed Warthog. Siegfried went back to the transport Warthog, hefting the turret into the back.

"Shall I drive or you?" He asked politely, willing to do either.

Nine nodded. "Alright, kid. Sorry I came off as a bit pissy before." He offered his hand to shake, giving Hope a smile. "The name's John. Most folks call me Nine, since there's a million Johns out there."

Nine visibly relaxed, putting one hand on his hip. He quickly re-adopted his typical personable attitude. He pushed his helmet onto his head, Lucy doing the same. "The lady is Lucy." Nine shook Hope's hand.

Lucy stepped forward, holding her sniper rifle on her shoulder. It was an older model, sleek and black. Her favorite model, the SRS99C-S2 AM. She had it outfitted with sound and flash suppressors, easy to take off if she wanted enemies to notice her.

It could be as quiet as a whisper, or loud as thunder, but in her hands, the rifle was always deadly.

"We're going to do everything we can to get your squadmate back, and take down the General that took her. Rescue is a Freelancer specialty." Lucy leaned her head to the side. "So is wetwork. We're not afraid to get our hands dirty, or in Nine's case, our knuckles."

Nine chortled. When you say it like that, my job sounds somewhat inelegant.

Stepping forward, Nine turned and looked down the road. "Any idea where they're taking your friend? Regardless of where they're headed, we gotta get after them, pronto."