//------------------------------// // Echoes of the past // Story: Xenophage: Part 1 // by slayer792 //------------------------------// Xenophage Euqestira Chapter VI Echoes of the past ___________________________________________________________________________________________ “Dimension: Earth V, Year: 2576, Location: Harvest, Mission: Search for life on the glassed planet. “Hey, Orion? Ready for some sweet jumps?” Asked an unseen voice. “Hell yeah, Baker! You ready for some intense speeds?” Asked a younger, happier Orion. “Pipe down Alpha! “ Barked an old grizzly voice. “We’re here to look for life, Harvest was our beach-head, this was hit first, so it’s more than likely life as clawed it’s way back. Maybe we’ll find humans.” Finished the Voice. “Or Sangheili.” Came a deep, echoing voice. “Or Sangheili yes, odds are the monkey sons a bitches left some behind. If so, Jhachs Von Sheal will talk to them, order them on the ship, take them home as war heros.” Said the grizzly voice. “Ura, this is going to be so fun.” Came a very sarcastic Russian voice. “You didn’t need to sign up for this mission.” Replied Orion. “REALLY!? I seem to remember some Native Canadian asshole saying ‘Oh, you need to go on this mission. It’ll be fun, just like patrols back home’. Except for the fact Harmony was a warm planet!! We’re being dropped back in the middle of the arctic circle!!” Yelled the angry Russian “Well, you were raised in Russia, and I was born in the northern part of Canada, so I was telling the truth.” Replied Orion ever so calmly “Hahahahaha!!! So fucking true! Victor you were burned!!” Called the very enthusiastic voice Baker. “Shut the fuck up! Calm the fuck down and strap in! Hard drop in thirty! Once we hit and that door opens, we’re on our own for a whole week, we lose you in the snow, we leave you!” Boomed the captain. The whole room went silent. “Ah!, nice and quiet, just like a proper drop ship.” Commented Jhachs. “Yeah, that’s the one thing I admired about the Covenant, they knew how to play soldier boy.” Replied the grizzly voiced captain. “Yes captain Edwards, that is one of the many things the Covenant did right. We’ll continue this conversation later, we’re touching down.” And a if he timed it, the ship slammed into the ground and the bay doors opened, letting icy wind in, cutting Orion’s face, well what he left uncovered. “Alright men, and Elite, we’re heading to the nearest cave, it’s two clicks that was!” Shouted the Edwards as he pointed to the north. “Activate your thermal and metal vision and set the so they alternate. You need to see the man in front of you at all times! I’ll go first, then Jhachs, Orion you next, Victor, and followed up by Baker! Sound off every ten seconds, I don’t want any loses on this easy mission, got it?!” Asked Edwards, their was a short pause, but all three men and one Sangheili sounded off “Sir, yes sir!!” With that they ran off in to the howling wind. True these were the best of the best, Helljumpers of the 105th airborne, but the dangers of the icy weather can kill even the best easily. “So, Jhachs? How are you holding up, Sangheili aren't really the best snow troops.” Asked Orion as he looked at the hulking creature, who was wearing a fur pelt. “ Extremely well, I may be a ‘lizard’ but I am warmed blooded, the cold is a moinor annoyance, how about you?” Asked Jhachs. “Great, been a long time since I've been in a real snow storm. Wish I could do it more.” “I have to ask, is you file correct?” Asked Jhachs. “It said you were ‘Native American’, but Victor called you ‘Canadian’. And through my research, Native Americans had a darker skin color. Yet you are so pale.” “Well, two reasons, the first, everyone who is descended from the original inhabits of North America are called ‘Native Americans’. Even thou I’m an Ojibwa, I’m called Native American, much like how a English or a German are often called European. It’s just habit. The second, I hate the sun, don’t know why, but that fucker in the sky? No, just no.”Replied Orion as he looked around. “Ah, even with the war of the Covenant, you still refer to your self in such a certain way. Your kind is truly odd.” Replied Jhachs. “The same could be side for you, willing to give your life for your people at the age of 15? Most humans would never even think of that. Also, death or victory? I believe the Romans were like that.” Replied Orion. As Jhachs as about to reply he was cut off by an ear splitting sound. “AHHHH!!” Screamed Baker, Baker as the COMMs officer so is was his job to kept everyone connected, however his radio overloaded and exploded. When Orion and Edwards got to Baker thanks to the wind, he was already dead, he lost his right arm and most of his right side. His head was almost ripped clean off, however it was only torn and burnt on the right side and back. “He coughed up some blood and said he would meet us up in heave, then he died from his wounds, sorry Captain.”Replied Victor as he handed Edwards Baker’s dog tags. “Leave him, but set a beacon, we’ll get him when we’re done, let’s move Alpha!” Barked Edwards as he turned and started walking. Victor had already closed his eyes and said a short prayer for Baker. “You are religious?” Asked Jhachs as they began walking, “No, Baker was, thought is was appropriate.” Said Victor as he followed Jhachs, “How the fuck did this even happen?!” Asked Orion a he looked back to his fallen comrade. “His radio equipment overloaded, how I have no clue, the cold should have prevented that, however, it happened. Are you well, Victor?”Asked Jhachs “No, just lost a friend, he may have been an asshole, but his was still a friend I talked to.” Replied Victor in a very defeated tone, Jhachs knew Victor might snap. Ice Cave 1-00-G _________________________________________________________________________________________________ “This is were we make camp, Orion and Jachs you’ll look throughout the cave for life, if you find it come to us, if not keep looking until you either hit a dead end or get called back.” Said Edwards as he throw down a heating stick, the snow around it began to melt, Both nodded and were off, “Jhachs?, Do you think Victor will be okay for the rest of the mission? I mean losing a friend less than ten minutes in is hard, trust me I know.” Said Orion as he looked over the deep shaft that layed in front of the two. “I know what losing a brother in arms his like, from what I read, Victor and Baker were squad mates for quite some time, both hated and loved each other like brothers, in a way the were.” Replied Jhachs as he shot a harpoon into the ground and tied a rope to is. “Ah, so, is he going to snap?” Asked Orion as he picked up the rope to Jhachs, who tied it to his safety harness “ I do not know.” Replied Jhachs as he jumped into to the obyess of the dark black, Orion looked down and watched for around ten minutes, no doubt Jhachs was going slowly. However Orion soon saw the light of a Covenant Energy Sword illuminating the deep shaft. Without hesitation Orion jumped down the shaft and grabbed the rope when he was about half was down and slowed his descent. He could now hear Jhachs screaming ‘die’ and swinging his sword vilontly, Orion quickly turned on his thermal goggles and looked around, the shaft opened up in to a large cavern, a few monds of snow were warm, warm enough to sport life. Orion looked down only to see a snarling Sangheili with half of his face ripped off stabbing a giant corps. “JHACHS!!” Yelled Orion as he descended deeper, Jhachs kept slicing and stabbing. “Jhachs! Caml down! I’m comming down!” Yelled Orion, but the closer he got the more he could see, Jhachs face was life less, yes his face was pure rage, but it didn’t move. As soon as Orion hit the bottom he saw Jhachs very clearly. He was missing three of his four mandables, his left eye was missing and his right eye was blood shot, he was gone. “Jhachs! Don’t make me do this!” Yelled Orion as he raised his gun, Jhachs responded with a yell and a lunge. Orion quickly pulled the trigger and killed the raging Sangheili. Orion quickly holstered his weapon and ran to his side and popped a flare. Jhachs’s skin was ripped and oozing this gold gunk. Orion quickly rolled him over only to reveal seven large spikes in his back. “No, no, no, no, no, no! This can’t be happening! Not the Flood! No, no, no! Fuck! Okay, Flood prodocal! Set charges and blow them to hell, call for Sangheili war ships, glass the planet. Set beacons telling all that it is a Flood infested planet! Good, now to find the main cell.”Said Orion as he looked around in panic, he’d fought the Flood before, but not like this, he was alone, in the dark, and had UNSC weapons. Well one Covenant Energy Sword. In the other times, he had Covenant plasma weapons, hundreds of troops at his side and it was still day light. “Okay, the largest mount shoold be the main cell, blow that mother fucker to hell and get up the rope and run, call for pick up, alert them of the Flood, blow those mother fuckers to hell with hundreds of plasma ships. Okay this should go great! Unless.... I fail. NO! I can’t think about that now, I never failed the Enclave or Brotherhood, so I’m not failing now, not while I have my race on the line.” Said Orion as he readied his chest plate for nuclear detonation, overcharged his shield, and got ready to sprint. “Orion, Jhachs. Report.” Barked Edwards over Jhachs’s COMM, the entire cave started to shake. Something had awoken. Orion was about to run after the mound when he was pulled back, into a portal and returned to the Nexus.” Canterlot Main Gate. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ “That happened? But only two soldiers died? How could it change him?” Asked Zed. “Let’s just say the mission changed Orion, and not in a good way, it’s the reason the way’s he his now.” Finished John as they walked down the dusty path. Zed nodded and kept walking. John looked at Orion and wondered. “Hey, Nathan, Orion. What do you think of us getting wings?” Asked James as he watched a pegasas move a cloud. “Us? Anthroes? Don’t know, Nathan?” Asked Orion as he thought over the idea. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: L. John Wilder [Willam] Age: 15 Eye color: Light Brown Hair color: Brown Height: 5‘11 Weight: 152.3 Race: Human, Native American Affiliation: New Brotherhood of Steel/ Enclave/ NCR Rank: High General of the New Brotherhood of Steel Karma: Evil S: 8 P: 10 E: 9 C: 10 I: 9 A: 10 L: 10 Perks: Rad Resistance [25% more resistance], and Rad Requiem [75% more resistance], Grim Reaper’s Sprint, Action Boy, Solar Powered, Night Person, Infiltrator, Computer Whiz, Robotics Expert, Cyborg, Adamantium Skeleton, Animal Friend [Rank 3], Silent Running, Light Step, Strong Back [Rank 4], Commando, Sniper, Toughness, Bloody Mess, Iron Fist, Child at Heart, Nerves of Steel, Almost Perfect, Nuclear Anomaly. Master Perks: Hematophage, Wired Reflexes, Rad Regeneration, Ghoul Ecology, Xenotech Expert, Covert Ops., Power Armour Training, Ant Might, Survival Expert, Booster Shot, Pitt Fight, Punga Power, Superior Defender.