Chapter Four
2000 HOURS, SEPTEMBER 20 2569 (MILITARY CALENDER) \
SYSTEM: CLASSIFIED, ERROR: CLASSIFIED
PLANET: CLASSIFIED
“Celestia... I swear if I get my hands on you I am going to deactivate you” Brimstone growled over the COM on his way back up to the war room. Night had fallen and they needed to get there plan underway fast or they would be over run. They quickly walk into the war room to see an annoyed looking Major and an AI grinning like an idiot “Alright sir change of plans, we need vehicles. Three Mantacore class terrain vehicles, Mongooses if available” Brimstone said as he and his team started to fine tune there equipment. The major nodded “Your lucky because we have Mantacore’s and they were for you specifically. I will have three of them prepped in the main entrance but I have to ask, what is this plan?” The major asked
Brimstone pulled the bolt back on his AR before answering “Me and my team are going to ride in there and take as much out as we can. You and any personnel you may bring head to the vehicle depot and get there by morning, avoid any combat if you can. You do not fire a single round or you could all get killed and this plan would be rendered pointless so not a single death unless you have too” Brimstone said, before walking to the map again “You need to get to the Depot by sun rise because that’s when we will be leaving and I am sorry sir, but I am putting discipline so I will leave any stragglers including you if I have too. As I understand me and my team are priority one and priority two is the scientists. If the scientists are late we will wait no more than twenty minutes before we head out do you understand” Brimstone said. The Major just smiled and nodded “I do son, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to have been the one to train you all. Which reminds me, I have something for you” The Major said bringing up the personnel records for the camp “Upon graduation you were to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and I think that this you be graduation. Congratulations Lieutenant, I think you earned it” He said typing on the keyboard. As he did this Brimstones IFF changed to indicate his rank as Lieutenant, which made him feel a little weird.
“Lieutenant now huh” Smash said in a tense voice. Brimstone knew this would happen if he got promoted, and with a promotion as big as this Smash must be very angry. “Sir, this means that the rest of my team has graduated as well correct?” He asked nervously, to which the Major nodded. “Yes but I promoted you on the field. They will be promoted to there respective ranks when I can fill in there paperwork” He said nodding at the other Spartans “However, because you have always been there superior officer while on the field we felt it was only right to actually make you an officer once you got out to actual combat, but enough with dealing with titles for now. We need to get off this planet now or we will end up glassed with our heads up our asses arguing about rank.” He said scolding slightly at the wasted time “We will meet you at the depot by sunrise, so you better have it cleared. We have your transport ready” He said as he called down the elevator.
Brimstone could still feel the slight tension in his team, causing him to shift uncomfortably. Even with the suit on his body language had always spoke volumes to the rest of the team. A hoof found itself on Brimstones shoulder “Don’t worry sir, your still our leader and nothing else” Amethyst said quietly. “Yea, we will follow you till the end, just like we always have sir” Click added in “And I know you will never be to high of a rank to spill a flank joke now and then” Star Shine said bumping into Smash, who just grunted. Brimstone couldn’t take it “Don’t call me sir. I am Brimstone to you guys, just like your Star Shine and not corporal, or you’re Smash and not Private. Nothing here changes the fact that your my family, and not my team” Brimstone said finally. The Major just smiled “You five have done more in the four years that you have been together than I have in my thirty hears of service. You have surpassed my expectations time and time again, leaving me with no one else in this galaxy that I would rather give my life to. If we don’t make it out of here, the UNSC doesn’t stand a chance. Not because you will change the tide of the war, but because if they can break your friendship then we are truly lost” The major said just as the elevator door opened.
Brimstone nodded at the Major “I hope we can get you off this planet sir because I don’t know if we can win without you” He said before he and his team started up the Mantacores. The Mantacore was the UNSCs solutions to Ponies complaining about sever discomfort while driving a Mongoose. “Click, you will be riding on your own. Amethyst you’re with Smash, Star Shine you’re with me” He said as the team got ready. Approaching his Mantacore Star Shine went to drive but he stopped her “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, the armor isn’t ‘protection’” He said, resulting in him getting a stiff smack. He shook it off and started up the engine, allowing Star Shine to mount up the back. As the rest of the team got on there Mantacores .
“Be at the depot by sunrise sir, or we will be forced to leave you” Brimstone said before revving the engine and taking off. Moments like these made Brimstone feel agonizingly imprisoned, and he didn’t understand why. He could feel the air rushing under his wings, actively fighting him to burst open and allow him to fly but he couldn’t. He felt that the ability to fly removed him from the rest of his team, and it’s not like he needed to use them, right? He could get his job done all the same without them, and has never needed to use them during any of there war games. Sure he knew how to fly, having to learn for the sheer fact that he had wings but he never felt it mandatory or needed. He would not so much as twitch his wings around a pelican however in fears he would end up like that girl who still haunted his dreams. He didn’t know why but it bothered him, and no one at the base could tell why.
“Hey Lieutenant, are you alright?” Star Shine said through a COM link “We almost crashed like three times now, is something eating at you?” She asked. He just shook his head “Don’t worry, just some shit from the past, that’s all” He said, reaching around to pat her in reassurance. What he didn’t expect was her to head butt him “I swear you may be my superior but if you pat my flank ever again, I will turn your manhood into a soup and feed it to the brutes” She said with a hiss causing him to shrink a little. “Well shit Star Shine, I can’t really make sure of where my hooves are while driving” He said in a slightly scared tone. “Sure now get back to driving, were almost there” She said in an unbelieving tone.
Stopping about five clicks from the base Brimstone was getting unnerved. “They have ghosts patrolling rather thickly after this point” Brimstone said as they heard a ghost off in the distance floating around. Star Shine had the scope to her SRS out and was peering through it “It looks like a ghost comes around every five minutes. So what should we do?” She asked. Brimstone thought for a moment “Hey Click, how explosive is the battery to your Laser?” He asked. “Uhh I don’t know, strong enough to take out a large chunk of camp ironhorse if tampered with properly why?” He asked. Brimstone shrugged “I don’t know, I was just wondering if a few lotus mines, and few plasma grenades and the power source of both a Spartan Laser and a Ghost would make a nice light show” He said, his large grin could be heard through everything. Smash and Amethyst just looked a little confused but Click was practically beaming. “It would be like your first explosion, only a lot bigger” Star Shine said. Brimstone could almost feel the anticipation that Click was going through. “Let’s do this” He said.
“Why the fuck did he need to take apart all of the Matacores?” Smash complained quietly. “I don’t know! It’s Click, and that’s all I need to know. Besides, that tells me Click has a lot more up his sleeve then he’s telling us and to be quite honest, I really don’t want to know. Now get ready, here comes the target.” He said as a grunt on a Ghost started to drive up. Before the grunt even knew what was happening he was thrown off the Ghost and knocked out. Brimstone just looked at the thing before looking at Smash “Well, I guess you can work your magic when he wakes up” Brimstone said, to which Smash started to trot around excitedly.
“Alright, the Ghost has been rigged for remote detonation, but if all else fails Star Shine here will plant a round on the Ghost’s power plant. I have jerry rigged it to explode and removed a large amount of armouring from that area” Click said. Brimstone just looked at him funny “And how did you manage that?” He asked. “I dunno, I just used this grinder here” He said pulling out a hand portable grinder. “Where the hell did you get that! I didn’t see you pack one!” Brimstone almost shouted. Click once again shrugged “Hammer Space” was all he said before the grunt started to stir. Brimstone looked over to Smash “Alright bud, your up!” He said taking a step back.
Turnloig started to stir and opened his eyes to see five of the weird four legged human things standing around him wearing armor. He started to try and walk away before he was grabbed and thrown to the ground by the really REALLY big monster. “Please don’t hurt me monsters! I swear I won’t tell anyone you are here just please don’t hurt me!” He started to squawk. The big thing just hit him “We are PONIES you idiot, and we have a message for your head of command, understand?” The big pony said to him in the unngoy language. Turnloig just looked confused “Yes... Ok I can deliver the message!” He said trying to stay good with these monsters. “Alright look, we are gonna give you back you pathetic little ghost, and what your going to do is drive it right to your damn chieftain and tell him this. His worse night mare is gonna strike in five seconds, got it?” He snapped. The grunt just shook his head “What ever you say! Drive ghost to Chieftain and tell him about nightmare in five seconds! Please don’t kill me” He said cowering. Suddenly two of the monsters started talking, and the big one moved away for a smaller one. “Hey bud listen, I know my friend here scared you but we need you to send this message” She said quietly. Her voice was obviously female, but it had this quality to it that made him relax. “Drive to chieftain, tell him about nightmare in five seconds, I continue on the path to the great journey?” Turnloig said to confirm. The pony just nodded “That’s what we need you to do alright? But if you fail, I will have to let my scary friend here deal with you how he wishes, and he has a thing for tearing limbs off people” She said, causing Turnloig to shake. He quickly got to his feet and ran to the ghost “I deliver message I swear!” He said, speeding off. The ponies just looked at each other and moved away.
Turnloig quickly found himself in the vehicle depot and quickly searched out the chieftain. He drove up to him panting causing the Brute to stare down at the pathetic thing. “What are you doing leaving your post so quickly!” The brute snapped. Turnloig winced “I have a message! It’s from weird pony humans! They told me to tell you that your worst nightmare would strike in five seconds” He said. The brute just scoffed *five* “They don’t stand a chance *four* against me, let alone my base *three*” He said looking around “I am just the *two* messenger! I don’t know *one* what they...” Turnloig was interrupted by a bright white and blue light, then total darkness.
The Spartans quickly ran into the depot, putting down the enemy at a startling rate. The explosion had been brilliant, the plum ranging up to four hundred feet in the air, decimating the center of the depot and leaving a large amount of loyalists outside the blast radius stunned or crippled. The team just went through and put the remaining casualties out of there misery with little to no resistance at all. “That had to be your most awesome plan ever” Smash went on “I have never seen an explosion that big thrown together with such common materials!” He said blasting a brute in the face. Click just sighed “But now I am down five shots on my Laser, what if we have to fight a scarab or something!” He said. “Rather fight a single scarab, then a base filled with pissed off brutes who can outflank us” Brimstone said as they double checked the depot once more. He was surprised that nothing else heard the explosion, but was quickly relieved to see the major and the scientists come running through.
“Good work team, we felt that explosion from two clicks away! How did you manage that?” The Major asked. “Click threw together a bomb out of a ghost, a Spartan Laser battery, a few anti tank mines and the Mantacore power plants” Brimstone said nodding at Click “We couldn’t have done this with out him, but enough about that we need to find a working ship.” Brimstone said trying to find a phantom that wasn’t damaged by the explosion.
“Sir I think you should see this” Amethyst said over the radio, beckoning him to move to her position. “What did you find Amethyst?” Brimstone asked walking over, but couldn’t help but smile at what he saw. A single Phantom with two banshee interceptors outfitted for orbital flight. “This must be the chieftains if it has its own set of escort banshees” Amethyst said quietly. Brimstone couldn’t believe his luck here. “Alright, get everyone over here pronto, I want this thing loaded up five minutes ago” Brimstone said running into the phantom. He took a good long look at the controls before giving up. “I guess Click is driving this thing, I can’t figure it out for the life of me” He said to himself before walking out again.
“I can’t WAIT to try this puppy out!” Click said gawking over one of the Banshees. “I mean come on! It’s the covenant equivalent to a space dog fighter! Ours are big and bulky and these things just dance around us like nothing!” He said continuing to look the craft over. Brimstone shook his head “Sorry Click but we need you to drive the phantom. That’s what’s gonna get hailed and we need the best we have to deal with that” He said, noticing Clicks shoulders droop a little. “But sir!” Click whined, even though he knew he lost. “No can do Click, but I’ll be extra careful in mine, just so you can drive it if we all survive, alright?” Brimstone said with a chuckle. Click just started walking to the phantom “Yea yea, you better keep that thing intact” He said before walking on.
Brimstone started to prep the banshee, knowing it’s layout and control scheme better than the phantoms when the Major walked up to him. “Know son, I know your team is pretty damn good, but I want you to have Celestia. She will do a better job in your hands, and we can say she went down with the base” He said handing Brimstone a containment crystal. “There should be a slot for her in the back of your helmet” He stated, which Brimstone found to be true. Clicking her in he felt the sudden cool feel of mercury and then the odd feel of clutter.
“Hello, my name is Celestia V2 and I am a...” “Yea yea Celestia I know, it’s me Brimstone so you don’t need to do that” He said coolly. “Oh I see, well that changes matters completely! Now let me just reorganize here, and do some quick calibrations, and we should be ready” Celestia said with a cheerful voice. As she spoke he felt the clutter suddenly disappear and felt his mind clear as day. “Thanks for cleaning up, but I have a job to do, and a ship to take over” Brimstone said climbing into the banshee and activating it. Star Shine followed suit while Click went about prepping the Phantom quickly before getting in and starting it up. Now they only had one more obstacle, and they would be free from the Loyalists.
(God I know I suck at endings)