{A/N: We have passed 50k words, and I would really appreciate a review or two if you guys wouldn't mind posting one}
{A/N #2: Quick question, who do you like more:
Jorge S-052, nothing really needs to be said about him.
William S-043, the Spartan who literally boxed a hunter before ripping it apart.}
"But I gotta say, Captain, I didn't expect that to be your backstory. I wouldn't have asked had I known," Sheila said, waving her skewer around.
"Don't worry about it. With how much I know about all of you," I motioned to the group, "It's only fair that you know some things about me."
"But it is kinda cool you're like Batman! Or the Punisher!" Benjamin said with a hint of excitement.
"It does sound like you are out for revenge," Cal offered
I shook my head, "I'm not on some revenge quest, but I do want to stop the insurrectionist and make sure they never hurt anyone again." That got some words of agreement. By now most had finished their food, and we continued talking and planning until-
*scrraaatch*
All of us fell silent at once. We listened closely, doing our best to block out the noise from the crackling campfire. Lowly, we began to hear what sounded like a faint rubbing?
"Scratching?" Daisy mouthed to me as she began to reach for her rifle.
"Stupid fucking thing," this time, we heard clearly the mumbled frustrations of someone through what was supposed to be the solid rock back wall. I motioned with my hand for everyone to retreat to the mouth of the cave. Meanwhile, I took up my rifle, keeping it angled down but holding it firmly.
The moment that Benjamin got out of sight of the cave, a section of rock, maybe 3 feet tall. Like a painting hung on a wall, the piece of stone was slowly pushed out from its place in the puzzle.
I very quietly inched back away from the hole, in case whoever it was moving the rock set it where I was standing. I raised my rifle, aiming it at about where head level would be, but I remained patient.
No telling if there were more than 1 behind that wall.
The stone shook as the person moving it struggled to move it away from their exit. Grunts and deep breaths echoed toward me as I remained like a statue.
"Shit!-" At once, the wall section fell over with a loud thud as it broke into pieces on the rock floor. Dust from the impact was kicked into the air, and I held my breath, not daring to cough or sneeze.
A figure crawled out of the hole, waving his hand to move the dust from his face, "Mendez is going to kill me," he whispered in exaggeration after finding the broken slab.
*SNAP*
A single shot passed out of the barrel of my rifle before slamming into the man's head just above his ear. He fell over to the side. No dramatic faint. No final words. Just a simple rustling of clothes as his body went limp on the dirty and cold floor.
I methodically crouched before moving to clear the hole. My weapon raised as I panned from one side to the other before stepping over the body and checking the depth to see if anyone was waiting.
"Clear," I gave the order and the rest of my team.
" *whistle* Where do you think this thing leads to?" Sheila asked, peering into the tunnel.
The tunnel itself was dimly lit up only by what looked like old coal mining lanterns that hung by stakes driven into the walls. It was barely big enough for a single person to move through, and just tall enough for an adult to stand up in.
I raised a hand to my chin, thinking until Benjamin spoke up as if he had a eureka moment, "The trap doors!" he snapped his fingers and began explaining, "They have a bunch of these tunnels that lead from those trap doors between their tents to everywhere on the island! It accounts for how they were able to get behind us every time. How they just appeared after we entered the outpost, it fits perfectly!"
"Meaning this tunnel leads right to the center of their base," Cal offered with a contemplative look.
"This guy is just a scout. The only things he has are a radio, binoculars, and part of a map," Daisy said after running through the pockets of our captive. She kicked him in the ribs, the man remaining unresponsive, "He's out cold. The outpost is going to want to hear from him soon."
I nodded, but I couldn't help but glance back at the tunnel. My mind had begun to cook up a scheme. I had a plan, a reckless one, but something I doubt they'd expect to happen in the dead of night.
"We'll have to move camp then," Sheila remarked, "Unless…" she gave me a side eye look. One that told me that we were both thinking the same thing.
I sighed while Sheila snickered, "Great minds think alike."
I turned around, "Grab all the ammo you can carry and still run. Ditch everything else. Benjamin, take my rifle and give me your pistol. We got a golden opportunity here, so we're going to take it." I got a collective nod, and everyone began to get ready for a final raid. I traded my rifle magazines to Benjamin for his pistol mags, clipping them onto my belt and various pockets and pouches I wore.
I finished and I glanced over and did a double take as I saw Daisy going to town ripping off the shirt of the downed enemy with Cal helping her. I didn't say anything immediately, just watched for a moment as they ripped the shirt into strips of clothing. Both stopped glancing at me as they each noticed my gaze.
It only took me a second before I realized what they were doing. I gave them my most disappointed look that I possibly could, "Arson, really? You two are crazy," I shook my head. They looked at each other and dejectedly began to stand up, only for me to hold up a hand to stop them. I couldn't keep the act up anymore and smiled.
"But unfortunately for everyone involved. I like crazy," I said before looking over my shoulder at a grinning Sheila, "Sheila, grab some firestarters." She gave me a salute and went to digging in a pack.
'I swear my team is full of lunatics… and I'm one of them,'
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(3rd Pov)
Just as the night before, all was quiet in Outpost KRAKEN. Only the chirps of grasshoppers, as faint as they were, filled the air in and around its fenced-in perimeter. Yet, the outpost was not in the same position as it was before.
The Moc insurgent force had many sleeping in their barracks. Alpha team, though outgunned tremendously and was forced to retreat had managed to incapacitate and land shots on many men and women. Leading to them feeling a near hangover sensation after they had woken up naturally in the morning.
They breathed a sigh of relief that it had begun to rain heavily. The rain wet and chipped away at the red blotches that covered most of the outpost. Dragging the anesthetic and paint toward drainage grates and ditches that led out of the outpost. Meaning that no one was going to be put on cleaning duty.
Despite this and the triumph from the night before, the outpost remained with its guard high even when they weren't expecting an attack so soon after a devastating defeat. Lookouts still remained in their towers, and more than a couple in each barracks were still awake in case they were going to be raided, though they played cards to pass the time. Whilst the ones still feeling the effects from the bullets the night before tried to sleep off the medicine.
All in all, the outpost was ready, but not prepared for what was to come.
*CREAK*
A small hinge creaked open, producing a minimal amount of noise that went unheard through the tent canvas and flaps. Out came one girl with red shaven hair and a rifle, she pushed herself up onto the concrete pad with both hands and immediately took a defensive position, scanning the area. With a thumbs up, another came out of the hole, this time a boy who set upon the task of helping the rest of their team out of the tunnel.
Once everyone was out, they all huddled as a girl with platinum hair pulled out a pack filled with only five small items, firestarters wrapped in cloth. Each grabbed one as the lead boy pulled out a small item from his pocket: a lighter. He flicked it open and with a jerk of a thumb, he produced a small, inch orange flame. Carefully, he brought it to each member's bundle, setting them alight, and within a minute, each was carrying a torch.
The five shared a nod, every member knowing the plan and what to do.
In sync, they spread out, each member running to one of the large tents. The platinum-haired girl, Cal, methodically pressed her torch to the edges of the tent on the ground and at each back corner before moving to burn the upper part of the canvas. Beside her, the red-haired girl, Sheila, lacked the calculated approach that Cal had, instead opting to randomly set patches of her tent on fire.
Across Benjamin cautiously did his best to light as much as he could while staying out of sight before tossing his torch onto the canopy of the tent. With golden hair, Daisy caught a couple of pieces of canvas on fire before waiting for a hole to be burnt into the tent and tossed her torch onto the body of a sleeping soldier.
Lastly, David seemed to haphazardly combine all of the team's styles. Randomly sticking his torch into pieces of fabric, whilst making sure to get the core structural points. Reaching into partially burnt holes and trying to light the equipment inside on fire. He finished by throwing his torch onto another tent.
By now, the camp had begun to stir with screaming and yelling that could barely be heard over the crackling flames. The team grouped back up away from the tents and watched as a sharp breeze picked up a torch that lay on top of one of the tents, lobbing it into one of the watch towers.
Chaos had set in, and Alpha team seized the opportunity.
They moved in formation across the wet stone ground running while the enemy hadn't recovered. The members who had rifles mowed down any soldier nearby that they could, making sure they were still undetected. Buckets in the frantic soldiers' hands clattered to the ground.
"THE DOOR'S LOCKED," Benjamin yelled as he tried to bash into the room. Yet David was prepared.
He pointed to the crate he had planned to use the night before, "MOVE THE CRATE." Most would stop to ask him what he meant, but not those under his command. They stowed their weapons in holsters and around themselves with straps, and all five moved to push the crate. The metal scratching gouged into the concrete, but the box began to slide slowly. Distant snaps from the direction of the tents could be heard as pings of paint rounds reverberated from the crate.
As they got it against the wall, Daisy crouched down, making a basket with her hands, boosting David onto the crate. Just like before with the tunnel, he reached down, pulling up one after another with each hopping onto the roof from the crate, forming a perimeter around the flag.
Not one dared to touch until the entire team was ready to secure it.
Finally, with Benjamin being the final member, was pulled up and got onto the rooftop. With bullets whizzing by their heads. All of them had looks of satisfaction, and with a final effort, they grabbed onto the flag post at the center of the building. Yanking it free, it would be a lie to say none of them cheered. Nonetheless, David had but one thing on his mind as he felt the flag between his calloused fingers.
Objective Complete
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Wanna hear some nerd shit?
So I am writing up the Battle of Chi Ceti rn and was looking at the original events in both the book, the comic, and the fall of Reach movie from 2015/2016.
While doing that I found a major discrepency between the movie and the other two sources. Basically in the movie John and Blue team uses a HAVOK nuclear bomb to destroy the Unrelenting placing it in the center of the ship or something like that.
Now... that makes no sense. Why? Well I am glad you ask a HAVOK apparently releases 30 MEGATONS of energy. For referrence it is double the power of the Castle Bravo nuclear tests in the fifties. It is 1363.6 and 1666.7 times more powerful then fat man and little boy respectively. The Unrelenting was like 2 percent the size of the Truth and Reconciliation from Halo: CE. There is no SHOT that a HAVOK placed anywhere inside the ship would not obliterate it. Which makes sense because in the comic, book, and the wiki they actually use Anvil air-to-air missiles, like the ones that pelicans use to destroy light vehicles and infantry.
And as I write this I find another discrepency. In the comics and book only Samuel, John, and Kelly are able to make it into the ship, the wiki backs it up. But in the movie they have all five members of Blue team inside the ship.
Anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk. Augmentations are next, hope you've prepared your stomaches.