Spartan One 010

The stench of burned chitin, and expired xenos scum made Orion wrinkle his nose. He had turned off the environmental rebreather in his suit to get a breath of fresh air for a second, yet all he smelt was bug guts, and gunsmoke. 

Hundreds of Warrior Bugs lay scattered across the broken street, their armored bodies cracked open by rockets, machine-gun fire, and the Elephant's heavy machineguns. Pools of steaming yellow-green ichor clung to his boots like Nickelodeon slime creating a sticky suction under the hot summer sun. 

Sensing trace thoughts, Orion lowered his MA5 assault rifle to put a bullet in the nearest ‘corpse.’ The bug twitched, a claw going for him, but he was prepared, and its dying gasp ultimately resulted in nothing. 

Standing a head taller than the soldiers around him, his all black armor was scarred with fresh gouges where claws had scraped against his chestplate, only to die before they could get to him. A layer of bug blood coated one shoulder, and his left gauntlet was sore from when he punched one alien dead. Refusing to rub his knuckles-lest he look weak in front of the guys-he surveyed the battlefield one final time. 

All around them, the Infantrymen he had taken along for the ride were currently double tapping the ‘dead’ making sure that they stayed down. Whilst the rest of his squad were busy establishing a perimeter. 

"Sound off." Orion ordered. 

"Bravo One, green."

"Bravo Two, green."

"Heavy weapons operational."

"Medic up."

Johnson stepped over the corpse of a Warrior Bug, carrying an M41 rocket launcher over one shoulder while slapping a fresh magazine into his rifle.

"Private Johnson. Green, Lieutenant."

Orion gave a single nod.

"Outstanding."

He glanced toward the mid afternoon skyline, searching for any other aerial threats. Then, placing a hand on the ground, he closed his eyes, and concentrated to see if he could detect anything deep underground. Furrowing his brow, he felt as if…

“A hive has taken root within the sewer systems. Would you like to see the live feed?” Harper, noticing his actions, approached with a tablet, then gestured to a nearby secluded section under a broken awning away from prying eyes. 

Orion regarded the spook with suspicion as per usual, but couldn't help but feel some modicum of respect for the man. He had thought the psychic would be your average pencil pusher, a government stooge too afraid to get his hands dirty in the front lines. Not only did he come through with the Elephant-pissing off some corpos along the way-but he was also a crack shot. Although he remained weary of this ‘Illusive Man’, for now, Orion would tentatively rely upon him. After all, if Harper wanted to rise through the ranks of ONI, his primary mission of being the handler for the Spartans must go well. 

“What's the situation?” Orion said, holding his hand out for the tablet. 

“I gather During your drop, you noticed Warriors kidnapping several victims, so did I. Curious about this behavior, I dispatched several drones. A spore has crash landed deep into the city, and it appears a nascent colony is being formed.” Harper explained. 

Watching the live feed on the tablet, Orion frowned. It appeared a gestation chamber was being built, and many mini-Warriors the size of golden retrievers were breaking their way out of fluid sacs lining the walls. 

“This rate of gestation is remarkable, just how many Humans did they eat to grow this rapidly? Troy has been under siege for what, one week?” Orion said, deeply concerned, and with a voice tinged with barely contained anger. 

“You see what I am worried about. Our army group has less than 100,000 combat ready personnel. If the Arachnid population increases, we might not be able to manage this crisis. Furthermore, there is some bad news. Reinforcements are not coming.” Harper lowered his voice more and more, such that it became a whisper. 

Orion's eyes widened in alarm, and he glanced at Harper in disbelief. The ‘tech CEO look-alike grimly nodded to showcase the seriousness of this situation. 

“Several new fronts have developed during our transit from Klendauthu to Troy. Humanity is in peril, and our top companies are more interested in profits than defeating the enemy, handicapping our supply lines. I am afraid if we are to rescue Troy, we must coerce those private institutions to come to our aid.” Harper whispered conspiratorally.

“You want me to what, kidnap the Arasaka executives?” Orion questioned in a disbelieving tone. 

Not that he was entirely against the idea, mind you, but he still considered himself a law abiding citizen. He wasn't some maverick videogame character who would just kill people at random, nor was he a terrorist. If ONI wanted him to play as their puppet, then they'd better find someone else! 

“Nothing so crass as that, Lieutenant. We simply need to convince them.” Harper replied with a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes. 

For the first time since encountering the lithe, tall man, Orion felt his hackles rise, and he stood on guard. 

“And how do you plan to do that?” Orion asked, tilting his head. 

“Why with the only language those vampires understand: money.” Harper hissed like the Devil selling someone else's soul, and calling it a bargain. 

“I'll leave that to you, Captain. Now that this sector appears to be secure, I'll start mobilizing the men.” Orion said, trying not to appear to be in a hurry to leave. 

Stepping away from his commanding officer, Orion was surprised to see the two heavily armored ONI MP's-men who had all silver faceplates similar to Cobra Commanders giving them an ominous vibe-were holding a Corporal back at gunpoint. 

“Rico?” Orion muttered the question to himself, surprised to see the handsome son of Buenos Aires in the flesh, and main character of Starship Troopers. 

Funny enough, in future renditions of the games, Johnny ended up looking like Solid Snake! Behind him was the sexy, fiery redhead Izzy, and the tall blonde side character, Ace. 

Parting to let him pass, the silent MP's saluted, and lowered their weapons. 

“Tch, bunch of cowards.” Rico spat, and then saluted. “Corporal Johnny Rico, Lieutenant, sir! You've heard of me?” 

“I saw you on FedNet. ‘I'm from Buenos Aires, and I say kill them all!” Orion laughed out loud, mimicking the kid. 

Rico wiped some sweat from his forehead in embarrassment, and Izzy hugged him from behind with a mocking giggle, joining in with the laughter. “He got you there, Johnny.” She laughed. 

“I've got to say, it's a real honor, sir. About what I said on the Mad Cap, if you remember-” Ace got out, only to shut up when both his friends elbowed his ribs. 

“Haha, carry on, Corporal, I commend you for your defense of this building. I'll make sure to note your heroics in my report.” Orion said in a dismissive tone, then turned to reorganize the men, and depart. The patrol was just about over, and every second wasted here meant more time for the enemy to spawn more units. 

“Sir! We'd like to go with you.” Rico said in a pleading tone, and running alongside him like a puppy begging to go on walk outside. 

“W-we would?!” Ace stuttered. 

“Hell yeah we would.” Izzy firmly nodded, backing Rico up. 

“This newly established outpost only held out due to your leadership, Rico. Are you so quick to abandon the people you saved?” Orion said in a disapproving tone. 

“You just saved them too, why do you get to enjoy all the action.” Rico muttered, then upon seeing Orion stand still and stare at him, the young man gulped, and saluted. “Lieutenant, the Mad Cap is sending in a new wave, and will be ferrying these civvies to safety. Please, you saw my story on FedNet. My whole family, all my friends save a handful died back home. I need this.” 

Orion stared into Rico's eyes, and saw a burning need, nay, passion for revenge. His surface thoughts were clearer, and easier to sense than anyone else so-far. His pure, unadulterated hatred was so refined, it gave him pause. Not only that, but he also sensed something special around Rico. He didn't know what it was, but it was some unidentifiable quality. Luck? Destiny? Fortune? Determination? 

Whatever it was, Orion felt something special in the kid. Knowing he was destined for greatness-although who really knew in this fucked up mixed universe-he decided to take him along. 

“Very well. Take a squad of your most trusted personnel, the rest will manage this sight until reinforcements arrive. We depart in five minutes.” Orion said in a flat tone, and walked past the eighteen year old without so much as a second glance. 

“Dude…you just spoke up to the Spartan!” Ace said in shocked awe. 

“Damn right he did.” Izzy sassed, then punched Rico in his bandaged arm. “This idiot's going to get himself killed unless I'm around to watch his sorry ass.” 

“A Spartan, huh. Maybe one day, I can become one too.” Rico ignored his friends to speak to himself…until he was forced to tap out on Izzy's shoulder when she pulled him in for a surprise chokehold. 

Striding away from the trio, Orion mentally tallied his remaining ammo reserves, reloaded his guns, and reviewed his quests. About half his ammo was gone, he had enough left in him for another 1,000 to 3,000 foes depending on how liberal/conservative he was with his shots. Several quests had rewarded some exp, but he wasn't anywhere near leveling, so he put those to the back of his mind. 

Climbing up the Elephant's ramp, his squad was already inside cleaning their gear, and prepping for the next engagement. The surviving Mobile Infantrymen men filed in, and Rico was quick to haul ass inside. 

Standing on top of the Warthog, he addressed the crowd of 40ish people. 

“Intelligence has informed me that initial estimates of the enemy were underestimated. This past week, the bug has feasted upon the people of Troy, and used their biomass to build a hive. Multiplying in number, they pose a threat not only to us, but to the entire Federation. Should Troy fall, it will become a nesting ground for a new invasion force. Our current objective is to relieve the local Arasaka HQ, then link up with a company of Mobile Infantrymen, and purge this threat.” Orion succinctly communicated his plan. 

At the same time, he made sure not to include the info that reinforcements were not arriving. There wasn't anything more damaging to morale than knowing your allies were off somewhere else. For gamers, they would also understand, as having an AFK teammate in a competitive match was one of the most soul crushing feelings. Although he hated to withhold something like this, a leader had to consider the big picture. Unfortunately, sometimes the truth could be more damaging than silence. Feeling the weight of command on his shoulders, he sighed, then made a gesture. 

Hood-who was up on the second floor, nodded, and then ran inside the driver's cabin to start the engines. 

Once he was done giving his small pep talk, Orion was going to clean the goo off his gear, and find some time to take a shit in the onboard bathroom, when Rico raised his hand. 

“Go ahead.”

“Lieutenant, sir. My father was a high ranking executive for Militech, and I understand how these companies work. Arasaka won't help us even if we pulled their asses out of hell, sir.” Rico said, much to the muttered agreement of many other UNSC personnel. 

“Damned straight.” Johnson growled along. “Lost my aunt to a failed transplant at an Umbrella hospital. Said her credit wasn't good enough. Can't trust them types.” Johnson scowled as he lit himself up a cigar. 

Orion held up a hand, silencing the talk. 

“They'll help us, whether they want to or not.” Orion said, and meaningfully patted the gun maglocked to his side. 

This got him a group of cheers & wolf whistles. 

He once again felt scummy for lying to them, but how could he explain that his ONI handler planned on bribing some greedy assholes with money? Soldiers didn't get paid much to begin with. Watching tax dollars go to some mercs when their own gear was ass wasn't what a professional soldier wanted to see. Secretly clenching his fist, Orion vowed that once he achieved more influence, he would see not only his men, but the rest of the UNSC forces gain the equipment & weapons that they deserved. 

Having satisfied the troopers & their curiosity, Orion washed up, and allowed himself 5 minutes in the restroom to derez, to wipe his face down with a rag, and roll his tired shoulders. Alone and looking into a mirror, exhaustion, and fatigue met his eyes. Splashing water on his face, he took a deep breath. “You can do this man, they're counting on you.”