Spartan One 001

AN: I heard some of ya'll wanted that Halo/Starship Troopers story. Well, this isn't anything scheduled, but if it's popular enough (averaging 20+ likes) I'll try to get it out at least once a month, maybe more. It could even take up week 3's time slot~? For now, don't have any grand expectations. 

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Name: Orion Winters

Level 3 Sentinel 

1000 EXP to Next Level

Powers: Warp, Shredder Ammo, Tech Armor

Missions: 

1) Survive the Klendauthu Drop 1HR: 1,000xp

2) Slay 100 enemies: 500xp

3) Slay 10 enemies SMG/Assault Rifle/Sniper/Shotgun/Rocket...100xp each.

Snapping his eyes open, Orion saw the System interface for the character he had made for Mass Effect 2 the other night. One moment he was asleep, the next, he was here…

A splitting migraine pierced his skull as he absorbed countless memories. Grueling special forces training, hours spent shooting guns at the range, and then the torturous injections he had endured in one of humanity's burgeoning super soldier projects. 

Staring through the lens of a helmet, he saw a blackclad trooper sitting across from him. In their visor, he caught his own reflection. 

A-01 was emblazoned on his chest. 

For a second, he felt his breath hitch, as he realized he had taken part in Dr. Halsey's experiment, that he was the very first Spartan. He was a Lieutenant leading a squad of 12 commandos to act as a proof of concept, justifying the billions spent on this super soldier project. Ironically, it was known as the ORION Project…but he'd just refer to them as Spartan I's all the same. 

“Five minutes until drop.” An emotionless voice said over the comms. 

Orion blinked as the shuttle he found himself in violently shook as it entered the atmosphere of a planet. Grabbing onto a safety tether to stabilize himself, he realized that this wasn't 100% the Halo universe he was aware of. No, this was the beginning of Starship Troopers! 

Thirty days had passed since Buenos Aires had been flattened by a gigantic meteor, and he was amongst humanity's response force! As any proud Human, he'd love to rip & tear his way through the upcoming bug horde like the Doomslayer, or Master Chief. Unfortunately, he was wearing armor that could be easily pierced by one of those insects! A mixture between ODST armor, and standard Mobile Infantry armor, his gear came equipped with comms, thermal/night vision, void seal (for space), IFF, semi-mecha legs for enhanced running, and perhaps most importantly countermeasures against thermal vision masking their own heat signature. Additionally, he had a Morita Assault Rifle containing 60 rounds, and a magnum as his sidearm. 

The UNSC had yet to develop shielding technology since they hadn't reverse engineered Covenant technology, leaving him naked and exposed…is what he would say, however, thanks to the Powers he had chosen earlier, he actually had a shield! 

Tech Armor: Generates an energy armor suit. When the armor is destroyed, it sends out a pulse of energy, knocking back and damaging all nearby enemies.

This gave him the confidence to tank a single hit. Although if he had an actual shield, Tech Armor would make him even more powerful. 

The other two enhancements he took were also helpful for facing the upcoming horde. 

Warp: Inflicts 6 damage every second and lowers damage protection by 50%. Radius: 4 m. Duration: 7 s. Recharge Time: 60 s. Accuracy Cost: 80%.

Shredder Ammo: This ammo tears through soft targets, inflicting more damage to unshielded organic enemies.

Duration: Lasts until overridden by another ammo power.

Health Damage: +40.00% weapon damage.

As he was facing organic opponents without shields-ones with thick chitinous armor, yet soft tissue if one knew where to aim-these two offensive abilities would do well to help him survive. 

However, he couldn't help but recall a few details about the Klendathu drop. 

[Deployed: 500,000

Killed in Action (KIA): 205,000

Missing in Action (MIA): 105,000]

Surviving this clusterfuck was going to be a nightmare. A nighttime assault against an enemy that outnumbers them, and will be attacking them in hordes from all sides…fuck!

“You doing alright, Lieutenant? Not scared of those bugs are ya?” A young, but somewhat gruff voice called out to him. 

Snapping to attention, he saw A-009 on the trooper's chest piece. It was none other than Pvt. Avery Johnson! 

“Stow that lip, Johnson!” The Sergeant on deck growled. 

“One minute.” The pilot said over the intercom a second later. 

The shuttlecraft began to violently shake now, making Orion feel like he was on the world's roughest rollercoaster. Putting his hand on his helmet as if he were in contact with someone, he then turned on squad comms. 

“Listen up, men! The bugs’ primary method of sight includes infrared, so engage your armor's ‘stealth’ mode. Additionally, they have a weakness beneath their jaws, aim at the gaps in their armor or their eyes if possible. Avoid shooting at their center mass, and above all else, do not get close to them, maintain your distance! The critters like to play dead. You get me?!” 

“We get you, sir!” The other 11 men & women in the squad barked back. 

“Sergeant, you take point.” 

“Sir!” 

Orion nodded his head, then walked to the back of the shuttle where several weapons & ammo were locked in place. A shotgun, sniper, BTR, several magnums, multiple grenades, and one rocket launcher were all within sight. Once everyone disembarked, he'd place whatever he could fit into his inventory.

Seconds later, the shuttlecraft landed, and the Spartans were out of their harnesses. Dressed in midnight black, they rushed out. Snatching some weapons/gear, and a few medical supplies, Orion was soon to follow them. 

All around them, countless soldiers belonging to the Mobile Infantry were pouring out of their assault craft. Their mechanized leg armor let them run at up to 43mph, meaning they advanced onto the open, rocky terrain rather quickly. 

“Let's climb that ridgeline, and serve as overwatch for the Mobile Infantry.” Orion said in an authoritative voice. 

Although he was issuing commands, his heart was pounding a million times a second, and sweat was pouring down his back in waves. Once they reached the top of the ridge, what awaited them down below was a nightmare. 

“Contact!” Johnson sharply declared, and pointed down at the enemy. 

Reaching the top of the ridgeline, he saw them. A swarm of insects the size of a hippo or small elephant were running at the scattered groups of Mobile Infantrymen in an unstoppable horde. The sound of yelling, of the bugs’ galloping stride that shook the earth, the smell of blood & unique disgusting insect biology flooded the air. For a heart stopping moment, Orion froze. 

“Stomp the bugs, give'em Hell!” Johnson roared, and began to unload his rifle. 

Everyone else followed suit, and started to unload. Waking up from his stupor, Orion grit his teeth. He might die here, but he wasn't some coward! 

“Pick your shots, make every bullet count!” Orion growled, and then quick-swapped his weapon for the iconic sniper from the Halo series. 

An aiming reticle spawned in at the center of his vision, and for a second, Orion felt like he was aiming with a mouse & keyboard, it was that intuitive. Raising his gun up high, zoomed in like it was second nature, spotted a gap in a xenos's armor, and pulled the trigger. 

The sound of the shot was deafened by his armor, and the weapon recoil absorbed by his enhanced biology, yet the slug it unleashed was lethal. Shredder Ammo was in full effect as bright yellow blood erupted from the beast's thorax, causing it to stumble forward a few feet, then drop dead. 

Orion didn't have time to celebrate, and readjusted his aim. 

Breath in. 

Shoot upon exhale. 

Breath in.

Shoot upon exhale. 

One second passed. 

One bug died. 

His reflexes and senses were enhanced beyond that of any ordinary man. His eyes interpreted the world at a higher FPS than the ordinary Human, and the information his brain could handle was faster, if only so slightly. Although he wasn't anywhere near as amazing as a Spartan II, Orion was a peak specimen! Reflexes like the most skilled God gamer, and a body like a Greek sculpture, his gun almost never missed! 

In short order, he had already slain 60 enemies, eventually running out of sniper ammo. At the same time, he had completed Part One & Two of Slay 10 & 25 enemies with a Sniper Rifle, netting 200exp. The next phase of the quest was to claim 50 lives, still 100xp as the reward. 

“It's a Goddamn massacre! Sir, we were trained to close with the enemy! From here, our rifles are barely putting a dent in them!” Johnson said in repressed rage. 

Looking at the rest of his troops, although he couldn't see their faces, Orion knew that although there was some fear in them, they had come to Klendauthu to exact revenge. That all their training had been for this. 

“...very well, we'll close with the bugs. Although their primary eyesight is infrared, do not assume they can't see you. Don't get cocky.” Orion said in a reluctant tone of voice. 

Although he would like to camp uptop for the next 50 minutes to wait out his main quest, that would probably see them isolated, and eventually surrounded. By fighting amongst the Mobile Infantry, all he had to survive was to run faster than the guy behind him. It was a grim thought, but reality was hardcore like that…if he was fortunate, he could rack up a bunch of kills on his weapons, and level up. A new point for his Powers could be the thing that let him survive this nightmare. 

“You heard the LT, move out!” The Sergeant barked. 

Rushing down the ridgeline, they came across a unit that was being routed. Thousands of soldiers were running away from tens of thousands of bugs. A man was gored through the chest, and was instantly pounced upon, torn apart wholesale. A woman had her leg cut off, then was dragged away screaming her fate likely to have her brain sucked out by the Brain Bug. Countless horrors of mutilation took place every second. This made Orion sick to his stomach, but more than that, it made him angry. 

Grabbing a running man by his chest, he flipped him around to face a Warrior Bug. Drawing a magnum from his side, he accurately shot it in the eye, forcing it to fall down dead. 

“If it can bleed, it can die!” He declared. 

The trooper furrowed his brow, then began to unload his assault rifle “AHHHHH!!!” 

“Lieutenant!” Johnson shouted out in warning. 

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Orion rolled to the side, dodging a claw that stomped down where he had been. Unfortunately, the man who had been fleeing a second ago was caught up in the attack, and had his thigh pierced all the way through, pinning him to the rocky ground. 

“Argh!” The man screamed in agony. 

Lowering its maw to feast upon the man, the bug never saw the shotgun blast coming. A near pointblank scattering of shells blew off a chunk of its head, making it collapse to the ground. Ordinarily, since he didn't hit a weakpoint, this wouldn't be entirely lethal, but Shredder Ammo made it so! 

“Bandage this man up!” Orion shouted as he ran at another bug. 

It raised a claw, only to meet a face full of buckshot. Racking the gun, another spent shell flew out of the chamber. Turning to the left, he blasted a beast. To the right, another. Then another. All 12 rounds were unloaded, killing a bug every second. 

“Now that's what I'm talking about. Damned bugs! All your slimy blood is making my boots dirty, you know how much I hate cleaning?!” Johnson complained as he shot one bug in the thorax, then parried aside an incoming claw with the butt of his rifle, only to quick draw his pistol, and shoot its eye out. 

The Spartan squad had followed behind Orion, and tore a small pocket of resistance into the oncoming horde. 

Several dozen Mobile Infantrymen halted in their tracks, joining their firing line, however, most were still fleeing for their lives. 

Pulling out one grenade after another from his inventory, Orion tossed a total of 24 frags into the mass of hungering insects. 

“Sweet Mother Teresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz, you never told us you were a psychic, Lieutenant!” Johnson swore from the side. 

Orion knew that keeping his powers a secret was impossible, and was glad Johnson gave him an excuse. In Starship Troopers, psychics were very much a real thing. Although they weren't as exaggerated as what Orion was pulling off…who was to say he wasn't some secret weapon? Wars needed heroes, especially since several extinction events were on Humanity's horizon. 

“It is called the ORION Project.” Orion cheekily laughed, feeling that Johnson's banter was helping him cope with this terrifying reality. 

“Well hot damn, how many kills have you all got? My specs say I'm at 78!” Johnson proclaimed with pride. 

Perhaps infected by his enthusiasm, the rest of the squad began to chime in: 

“27.” 

“43.” 

“22…”

Glancing at a corner of his HUD, Orion saw a number. 105. He then saw the countless Human corpses surrounding him, and red splotches flowing upon the ground, and his jaw clenched. 

When it was his turn, Johnson glanced at him expectantly. 

“Not enough.” 

A trio of Warriors lunged at him, to which, with a flick of his hand, he unleashed Warp. The pale orb landed upon them, causing the beasts to roar in agony as they were eaten apart by psychic energies. Although the game text said one thing, the reality was that they were being engulfed in a Mass Effect field that shreds a target apart. At that very moment those bugs were experiencing a molecular disintegration. 

This was a skill with a 60 second cooldown. He had been reserving it, concerned that his special powers might be revealed, and the government would lock him up in some lab…but looking at the sea of Human corpses, and taking his own survival into account…

HE WAS DONE HOLDING BACK. 

Dual wielding pistols, he ran at a squad being overrun. His suit contained all of his body heat, to these bloodthirsty, frenzied bugs, his full black bodysuit was practically a blur under the night sky as he approached. One man was about to be gored through, only for the bug's thorax to explode in a shower of yellow blood. He looked up blankly as he was covered in hot goo. Another man was closing his eyes, and squeezing the trigger lying on his back, yet death never came. 

The squad of Mobile Infantrymen stood slackjawed as one man ran perpendicular to the horde, and unleashed accurate, precise shots. Miraculously, wherever he aimed, a bug dropped down dead. 

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and a big black-blue beetle bug the size of a double decker bus crawled out of the ground. A pit formed, and several troopers fell in, screaming all the way. 

Orange-hot liquid sprayed from the monster's mouth, engulfing a dozen more. Many troopers unleashed a hail of led at its face, but this merely made the bug angry. Opening its jaws wide, it melted another group of men. Just as everyone present were going to flee once more, something had them pause in their steps. 

The man dressed in all black shot out a white orb from his hand at the creature, causing it to rear up on its hind legs, and roar in pain. Then, pulling a rocket launcher from who-knows-where, he ran to its backside, and upon shooting his rocket, exploded the bug! Orange blood shot up into the sky, and the approaching horde halted in their step. 

Disappearing the rocket launcher, a BTR appeared in the man's hands. Several more similarly dressed troopers flanked him, eying the horde. 

One of the rescued Mobile Infantrymen stepped forward, flanking them. Then another, and another untill 100, 500, a thousand men gathered. 

“Just who are you?” Someone asked. 

Raising his gun to take aim, the man at the center of the group tilted his head to the side. 

“We're Spartans.”