Most of you guys from the Old Database know Blaine's story. But due to recent feedback from a good friend of mine, Uprising, Homecoming, and Orion will be totally changed to make the story a much more enjoyable story.
What is written here is subject to change, and I urge you NOT to read it until after I have completed Uprising, Homecoming, and Orion respectively. Blaine needs a re-work done on his character development, and there will be some plot points that will change. Some deceased characters will actually survive and, assuming they die, WILL remain that way.
I'm getting off track, hopefully by the time you read this, all of the things above will have been read by you. This is the final chapter in Blaine's life, and I can only hope that you enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it.
Without further adieu:
Hunted: Fall of the UNSC
Prologue: First Strike
UNSC Designation Sierra-115. Authorization code: 11510395-BH. This is a story that will, in no doubt, be lost in history, as did the Covenant-Human war. As a Spartan, this hurts me to say to no end- we have failed...
There is no sugar coating this. I should have done more than I did, maybe then he'd still be alive. This story starts right after the Didact's attack on Earth, which took place shortly after Pestilence lead those dreadful riots. I had received a transmission, kept throughout many centuries, which served of a warning of a follow up strike.
"Child, you must seek out those that allied with the Forerunners during the Great War. Only then can you truly stop my Husband's treachery-"
That damned message, I spent the last ten years searching every single Forerunner planet, Halo or Shield World alike, and found little to nothing on them. Hell, I'd of been more satisfied if she had given me a name for them, but perhaps that was what was cut out.
After ten years, without hearing a peep out of the Didact, Humanity slowly forgot about the threat he posed. New Phoenix stood as the only remaining reminder of the attack, and hardly anyone dares go near it. The Infinity continued in it's quest to locate and disable as many Forerunner weapons as they could.
Throughout the years, almost every Halo ring had been repurposed, and each now house a separate UNSC base of Operations for further studies. Master Chief, Jorge-052, Linda, Kelly, Fred, Katie, and myself have all but retired, donning our suits once in a blue moon to help where we can.
David and Naomi messaged me often, they told me they'd had twins; Marissa and George Harlowe. Hard to believe at first that I'm a Grandfather. When they were on duty with the Infinity, Katie and I opted to watch over them. George took a quick likening to my war stories, while Katie and Marissa bonded closer than a Scot to his alcohol.
Look at me, with my old age I've forgotten how to stay on a single topic. After ten years, I had given up finding anything on the race the Librarian had warned me about. Halsey, before her untimely passing, had discovered that it had a biographical scanner on it, and the partial data was in part from the fact that my DNA did not meet who it was meant for.
Of course, soon after I had given up on finding this race, something more dangerous than the Flood or the Forerunner showed...
0420 Hours, January 5th, 2567 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Aura of Armaggedon, Epsilon Eridani System, Reach's Orbit.
"Sir, you really must get those kids acclimated to be on board this ship." The nurse insisted, as Blaine waved his hand and growled.
"Bah, they're ten years old fer Christ's sake. I've been serving on these ships since I was at least ten."
"Fleet Admiral, I'm more than proud to serve and follow your wise judgement, but these kids aren't Spartans. There is no need for this risk, and crying children will only disrupt your crew."
Blaine, dressed in a finely trimmed dress suit, worked his way into the bridge. Normally he'd wear his armor, but under the special occasion he decided it be best not to show them his armor.
Entering the Bridge, his loyal crew turned to face him, snapping into a crisp salute. Blaine waved them off, as he settled into the Captain's chair. George hopped up onto his lap, as Marissa went around curiously checking out the navigation's officer station.
"Sir." Lieutenant Louis Phillips, his ODST guardsman, whispered into his ear. "Kids aboard the bridge?"
"They're ten years old, and they live in a time of peace. There is no threats, and therefore I don't think it will hurt for them to see where I've worked most of my life."
"Aye Aye sir, but your Granddaughter is tugging on Sergeant Varga's skirt."
Looking over, Marissa was tugging on Sgt. Varga's skirt, as the navigation's officer blushed, trying to gently remove the kid's hands.
"Ms. Harlowe!" Blaine barked, as Marissa looked over. "Please come over here."
Marissa, in a cute, innocent fashion, attempted to salute Blaine.
"Aye Aye Admiwal." She replied, marching over to Blaine, who grinned.
Lifting her gently under the arms, Blaine hefted the young girl onto his lap. Removing the Admiral's hat from his head, he placed it on George's head, who marveled at it. Pulling his pin from his shirt, Blaine gently fastened it to Marissa's blouse, kissing his Grandchildren on the forehead.
Corporal Hannibal walked over, offering a hand to George, who clutched it immediately. Despite his age, Blaine could still hear the bone inside crack slightly from the grip. They weren't indoctrinated into the UNSC, but they did have the strength of Spartans.
"YOWCH!" Hannibal roared as George let go.
"It's okay George, just be a bit more gentler this time." Blaine replied, as George held out his hand.
I had had no idea of what was going to happen next, but if I did, I would have told Hannibal to return to the Weapons station sooner.
"SIR, UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT DETECTED, AND IT'S HEADED RIGHT TOWARDS US!"
"It's probably just a commuter that has yet to be logged into the database, happens all the tim-"
Suddenly, the lights flickered and the Aura shuddered violently.
"Impact detected on Starboard bow!" his Ensign cried. "Weapons, Shields, hell- EVERYTHING is offline! We are sitting ducks sir!"
"With one hit?!" Blaine roared, as the kids stiffened.
"Sir, that vessel isn't Forerunner in origin." Sergeant Varga replied.
Blaine looked out the observation deck window. Sure enough, the ship looked sleek, metal similar to that of the Didact's ship, but shaped like that of a trident.
"Sir, something is headed straight for us!" Blaine tensed, as he ran back towards his Grandchildren.
"EVERYONE GET TO THE VEHICLE BAY! THIS SHIP IS DOOMED!" Blaine roared. "GET AS MANY PEOPLE OUT AS YOU CAN!"
With that, he lifted the children and ran out the door, his crew right behind him. The Aura shuddered again, this time the lights stayed out. Placing the children at his feet, he instructed them to get to the vehicle bay and wait for him. Turning into the armory, Blaine grabbed a plate from his locker, and made his way to the bay.
It wasn't long before he made it to the Golden Eagle, as he watched the numerous men and women of the Aura panic to the nearest escape vehicle. Jumping into the Eagle, one of his trusted pilots took the stick, as he held his kin close.
"We have to go now pilot!" Blaine barked.
"But, there are still people out there."
"There is no more room in this Eagle. Get us the hell out of here!"
The pilot sighed and lifted the Eagle up, closing the hatch shut. Blaine placed the kids in his chair, moving his way into the cockpit. The alien ship was closer to the Aura now, as a big blue ball appeared on it's front. Blaine closed his eyes, the comm. of the men and women still inside of his vehicle bay screamed in panic, as a synthetic roar echoed in the distance, most likely from the ship. Cutting the line, Blaine's heart broke when the blue ball on the ship exploded forward, a massive blue beam cut through the Aura.
Blaine watched as his ship was slagged nearly in half, explosions rippled along it's hull, until it finally erupted completely. Content with it's kill, the ship made it's way into Reach's orbit.
We called them the Orions. Where the name came from, I'll never fully understand. One thing I did know, however, was what I had been searching for from the past ten years had finally found me.
"We need to get to the surface." Blaine replied. "Can you do that for me boyo."
The pilot nodded sagely, lowering the Eagle to Reach. No-one made a noise, minus George and Marissa, who whimpered in fright. Once they lowered themselves to a respectable level. Blaine dropped his plate to the floor and stood on it. Within a matter of minutes, his suit assembled itself to him, his helmet popped out of the back of his suit, building itself around his face.
"Pilot, take us to this address. We're doing a routine pick up here."
"I thought there wasn't any spare room sir." The Pilot growled nastily.
"Trust my judgement Pilot, I know what I'm doing."
Without further hesitation, the Pilot lowered the Eagle to Blaine's house, as Katie rushed out, her suit already on. The Spartan jumped out of the Eagle, as it landed behind him. Katie embraced him, Jorge rushing out as well.
"Are you okay?!" Katie roared. "What's happened."
"Unknown alien ship just destroyed the Aura, it's currently above the Polar ice cap. Dunno what it's doing, but we need to get George and Marissa off planet, quick."
"We can't just leave Reach!" Katie roared.
"You're right, I'm not." Before Katie could realize what was happening, Blaine lifted his wife, who struggled, and placed her on the Eagle, where the two kids swarmed her. Closing the hatch, Blaine tapped the side of the craft. "Get to the Mason-Dixen pronto. Get as far away from Reach as you can, and warn the Fleet. Jorge and I will gather a militia and keep them at bay as long as we can!"
"You bastard!" Katie roared.
"I love you."
Before she could reply, the Eagle was up and away, flying straight for the center of the city, where the UNSC Destroyer waited for them. Blaine turned to Jorge, knowing that it was just like the days of the Fall of Reach. Blaine ran inside his home, grabbing his DMR and his souvenir Light Rifle from his time on Requiem.
Running back outside, Jorge held Bertha, his .50 caliber Machine Gun Turret. Looking high above, another one of the Trident shaped ships broke atmosphere, as it split apart into three separate pieces, the biggest of which landed right on top of Blaine's house. The impact of the vessel was enough to splinter the house into nothing, the windows and even some of the neighboring frailer houses exploded violently. Again, the synthetic roar echoed throughout the town, as a ramp open from the flawless hull of the steel grey ship.
Tensing, the Spartans didn't know what was going to happen next. The beasts that poured out of the ship were immense, easily twice the height of Blaine, who stood roughly at seven foot six. Clad in armor made of the same sleek metal of their ships, blue energy poured out from crevices of their armor. Blaine assumed that these markings were a symbol of rank or status.
The beasts themselves were humanoid in stature and mostly in anatomy. The one heavy distinction was their scaly skin, which sickeningly took on the same hues of a Caucasian male. Surprising enough, these entities lacked tails, despite their reptilian DNA. Flicking their tongues out into the air, they took immediately to assaulting the civilians who dared exit their homes to discover the commotion. Their methods of war, despite their endless technology, was sloppy and crude. They used their weapons, which appeared to have the same hard light ammunition commonly found with the Forerunners, but when their supposed clips emptied, cooled down similar to a Covenant plasma weapon.
The two Spartans were helpless to watch as their neighbors were cut down swiftly and unmercifully, tossed aside as the beasts went on their genocidal ways.
Us Reacheans stood little chance against their armies. The sights I saw brought me back to the Covenant, how the Sanghieli brutally killed us with little remorse.
Blaine raised his DMR towards one of the beasts. Something must have caught it's attention though, because it's head instantly snapped towards Blaine. Opening it's wretched, almost human mouth, sharp fangs jutted out, as saliva dribbled to the floor. The sound of hissing filled the air, and the beast charged at the two. Jorge fired Bertha, the rounds glided ahead. The advanced technology of the beast prevented the rounds from hitting home.
Time slowed for Blaine, who had also been firing at the lizard, with Jorge's assistance. There was a blue veil with each bullet that raced towards it, and Blaine could see the same veils behind it, the bullets continuing their trajectory.
"Jorge, move." Blaine huffed, as the two Spartans dove in opposite directions, the lizard missing them completely.
"It's using slip-space technology in the place of shields!" Blaine growled. "Ballistics won't work!"
The beast's head snapped towards him again, it's tongue flicked the air, and it raised it's rifle. Blaine, who had been exceptionally fast at the draw, was clearly no match for this beast's speed. Before he could blink, the lizard's hard light rounds pounded against his shields, popping them almost instantly. Jorge jumped on the creature from behind, plunging his blade deep into it's neck. It gargled for a moment, and finally fell to the ground, dead.
There had to be thousands of them! If just one was a problem for two Spartans, I could only imagine how the ODSTs and even the Marines would feel.
"Bravo, sapien." A rich, intellectual voice said from behind Blaine.
Turning to face the voice, Blaine saw him, standing side by side with one of the other lizards. This figure had a bald held, tiny black hairs jutting out of his skull. His fangs dug gently into his lower lip, his crimson red eyes peering into the Spartan's visor.
"A fool's gambit to try and fight a Mez 'Khar lieutenant. You were lucky that this particular one was inexperienced. You will find that these Mez 'Khars are a very adaptive species. A huge ally to my cause, don't you think?"
Blaine tried rushing the beast, as the creature raised his hand. Blaine clenched his fists together as the armored beast lifted him with unknown forces he couldn't fathom.
"It is quite humorous, watching you Humans run. It appears to be the one thing you were always truly skilled at, running." This creature was unlike the Mez 'Khars, and Blaine knew this was likely the Didact. "You ran from the Flood, and you now run from the Forerunners. You're race was not meant for the Mantle."
Jorge attempted to open fire, as the Didact waved his hand, and orange wave of energy floated over to Jorge. Suddenly, the Spartan's shields were emp'd and his suit immobilized. Blaine stared out of his visor with a distinct hatred, the Didact peering back in kind.
"You are the Admiral of Fleets. My how you have stayed the same over the years. Broken, Beaten, and at my mercy." The Didact grinned. "You cannot escape the inevitable."
"Neither can you." Blaine coughed angrily. "Species shall rise and fall. Battles can be won or lost. Lives can begin... and end. But friendship- is an eternal brotherhood!"
"You sicken me with your words, Human." Didact said, squeezing his hand further, as Blaine felt the life being choked out of him. "It's a pity that I can't compose you, after all, your Champion and his Ancilla removed that kind gift for all of mankind."
"Bite.... me." Blaine said, struggling to raise his hand.
Defiantly, his middle right finger lifted itself, symboling something to the Didact, one symbol that he was not quite familiar with. Blaine stared to see red and black on the corners of his eyes, as every breath became more and more of a chore, until finally a crack filled the air, and the Didact released his grip, stumbling backwards.
Blaine fell to his knees, grasping his throat. Above him, he could hear the whining of a Pelican moving in. Rolling to the side and off of the ramp, Blaine saw his Golden Eagle, Katie sat there, a Sniper Rifle smoking from the barrel. Blaine raised his Light Rifle and fired up the ramp at the Didact, who eventually retreated back into the ship, the Mez 'Khar joined him.
The Pelican lowered itself, as Katie and a handful of Spartans serving aboard the Mason-Dixon grabbed him and Jorge, loading them into the bird. Tapping the side, Katie hopped in, as the Pilot raced back off towards the UNSC Destroyer. Blaine faded in and out, looking at the three pieces of one of the ships.
They rose from their landing spots, conjoining into one complete Trident. The synthetic roar filled the air again, as the giant blue ball formed on the hull of the ship once more. Blaine closed his eyes, as the machine fired.
