> Rebirth of a Ghost (adopted by Armageden) > by Blackwatch9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 00: Be human > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2545AD] [Algolis] They say life flashes before ones eyes when death is upon them showing them what they’ve accomplished in the time they lived as well as what they’ve lost. Friends. Families. Comrades. Everything that shaped them what they are today is what flashed before them reminding of how they’ve lived their lives to the fullest as best they could before finally death embraces them for eternity. I have no such luxury. Instead I have a short dream of THAT night, the night that made me into my very callsign. A Ghost surrounded by the death of his platoon with one of his own dying in his arms whilst it yelled to the high heavens. Even though it has been three years since then I doubt I was ever gonna atone for failing to protect them even fighting the enemy who wants us exterminated in a prototype combat suit wasn’t gonna change that. Though my bloodied and flickered vision inside said suit I could see two exhaust trails come into view as they climb into the sky away from the hellhole I find myself in. One trail carried the lives of at least a thousand civilians and research personnel who worked on the UNSC facility here on Algolis. The other the lives of men and women who I COULD save who aren’t dying because I refuse to act, soldiers who can live to fight another day because I did what a human COULD do. Buy time. As the trails of the two transports reflects off the prototype’s golden visor I, with great effort and pain, lifted the machine to a standing position it’s internal machinery keeping us upright as I stare down a massive horde of covenant forces. Just as I did a count-down on the bottom right side of the suit’s HUD reaches zero, the suit has a self-destruction mechanism which requires a count-down before a final voice command could be issued. It was suicide obviously but at least I would be taking out a bunch of the bastards with me. “[Count-Down complete voice comments required]” the computer said as I struggled through the pain of simply just standing before it then said “[Speak the voice command exactly as displayed]”. I don’t know why but that got me to pause for a second there, as I looked up at the voice command that the computer was requesting my mind went back to that day again this time with one of the last of my platoon. [Three years ago] “L-let me ask you something just one last thing..it won’t hurt I promise...w-what was I to you?” Corporal Sarah “Ash” Kennedy said as I watch over her with her head resting on my left wrist. Not understanding her question I replied “What do you mean? You’re a soldier, a soldier with a promising future ahead of you, your a soldier”. “And you’re a ghost aren’t you?” She asked catching me off for a second. “What?” Was all I said as I let her continue. “Feelings past right through you don’t they?” She elaborated razing her head to meet my eyes. “So cold and unforgiving and every choice you’ve made in battle. If you’re a sooldier I think what’s let us trust you-“ Before she continued I interrupted by simply saying. “Don’t talk save your strength.” “I won’t need it.” was her response. Closing her green eyes for a moment she said “I need you to be strong, strong enough to do what you’ve never done in your live, can you be strong enough to allow yourself to be-can you just be human? If not for your then for all of us if you would just allow yourself to feel something....” [Present] “Maybe you wouldn’t be a ghost any longer..“ Those last words rang in my ears as I’m brought back to the current situation and in that moment I gathered that strength to feel something. Regret. Regret that I’ve failed my men that day, regret that I’ve got them killed but most of all. Regret that I was never human to them until now. With that I stared at the screen with a little smirk and said “Voice Command authorisation. BE HUMAN.” The next thing I knew was a sudden warmth all around me before my vision went white and then black. Unknown I don’t know what to expect when I finally died but I wasn’t expecting to look up at a sea of stars before me. Sitting from my prone position I had a look at my surroundings. I was in a clearing of a a forest though it was different to the ones I’ve seen, from my position I could see lots of stars in patterns I don’t recognize so I’m not on any recorded planet that the UEG is aware of... hell, I don’t know if “another planet” applies in this situation. If I’ve died I could probably be in a whole other dimension or something. Yeah I know that sounds crazy but it makes sense in a way... Laying back down I could only think of one thing. What the fuck? [Canterlot castle/ Equestria] [22/3/2020CE] High Queen Celestia woke with a sudden jolt. She had just felt a large surge of energy burst from somewhere, one that she had not felt before. Quickly calming herself she sat up on her bed and turned her attention to her window, the origin of that burst was coming from the west, that much she could tell, but as to where precisely Celestia couldn’t say, but she had a start. Hearing the sound of a teleportation spell the Solar avatar turned towards her door opposite of her window to see her sister Luna still in her nightgown like her. And from the small drops of sweat on her forehead she too felt the massive burst of power from the west. “You’ve felt it too Tia?” She asked. Laying back down on her bed the Solar avatar replied “Indeed and it’s best we discover what it was before something happens” Siting besides her sister Luna said “What about Twilight? Last I hear she was heading towards the old castle, what if something happens to her?” Getting back up and on her feet, Celestia walked to the window admiring the view before sighing “I too worry for her sister but right now the best we could do is send a team and give them instructions to inform Twilight of these developments if they come across her and her guard.” Later that night a expedition was assembled to pin-point the source of the power burst and learn its effects. Still if the burst was powerful in both the spiritual AND mental realms then the High Queen might be in for a political storm tomorrow morning. > 01: New world > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [UNKNOWN] [Ghost POV] It’s been a couple of minutes since I “awoke” I guess is the right term and since then I’ve learned two things. One I’ve only got the equipment I had before I hopped into the prototype suit, which includes a MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System or assault rifle, my standard Marine Battle Dress Uniform or BDU and a few fragmentation grenades plus a M6G PDWS locked to my wast. Two IF I did die then I doubt I can reach any UNSC assets even if I tried because why would I still be alive in my own universe? It stands to reason that I’m not in my own plain of existence anymore, plus would HIGHCOM really send someone for one marine? A marine who disobeyed a direct order and almost broke procedure by hopping into the most powerful suit of armour humanity created? Yeah doubtful. “At least I saved who I can” I muttered as I lay against a tree on the edge of the clearing I woke up in. As I lay there I began to consider what to do next, I’ve easily decided to try and find somewhere to hunker down for the night since anything could be in this forest. The small question in the back of my mind about the inhabitants of this forest was answered when I heard a strange howl in the distance, it sounded like a wolf but I didn’t stay to find out. I got up and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction of the howl hopping that they haven’t picked up my sent. I ran for a few minutes before slowing down a bit to catch my breath, though after a bit I chuckled to myself whilst smiling. “Guess I really am human again if a simple howl was enough to get me going“ I thought to myself as I try to relax a bit before continuing on. However before I could get a minute of relaxation in I heard a noise, it wasn’t a howl rather a deep-. BANG! Another one followed then another before a rhythm settled in, knowing what the sound was I headed towards it. As I ran through the forest I could hear the rhythm intensify, before long I arrived at the scene. It looks like a wide clearing on the side of a cliff face with most of it occupied by a large castle. Outside of said castle were some odd looking soldiers, at first they looked liked knights from the medieval ages but then I noticed the guns and webbing they had, they’re clearly modern soldiers of a sort. There were about thirty of them plus one who I assume is an officer or something given that his armour is coloured red like Elite majors. They were surrounding one side of the castle behind them is a gap pushing towards my right into the forest, connecting the two sides is a wooden-roped bridge that has seen better days. I was on the opposite side of the gap where I got a good line of sight of the enemy platoon, they had their backs to me focusing entirely on the castle particularly a hole in the wall where I could see movement but at this range even my HUD has a hard time of identifying the occupants. Taking stock of what I learned I quickly devised a plan, albeit a blunt one. Taking position besides the bridge I got to a prone stance and aiming by the hip with the HUD ridicule I fired off a few bursts of ammunition, taking down two and killing one more. That got their attention as I noticed the officer make a motion with his arm and ten of the soldiers from the left shifted their fire onto me. Reacting quickly I got up from my prone position and slowly but quickly made my way across the bridge whilst spraying fire down range in short bursts to get as much accuracy as possible. Whilst I made my way across I noticed the officer make another motion and this time the seven survivors from the right began to move into the castle, followed shortly by the officer and his ten men leaving the remaining ten to take care of me. By the time I crossed over and found cover behind a large rock they were already inside. The remaining hostiles lad down suppressing fire on my position, from the streaks passing by and into the forest I figured that they suspected there were others in the tree line and I was just the first across. Not a bad choice but the lack of fire that could’ve been brought onto me allowed myself to quickly peek out from cover and using my HUD I lined up a shot on the far left soldier, then with a quick burst he falls dead. The remaining nine then put some distance between themselves and me whilst also spreading out amongst the ruins for cover. During which I noticed the gunfire coming from inside the ruin, knowing the implications I grabbed a frag from my webbing and tossed it over my cover, a few seconds later it exploded taking out at least two before I threw myself into a roll and once I’ve stopped I quickly pulled the trigger in rapid succession killing four more. I then got to a crouch but before I could do anything a massive explosion occurred in one of the towers in the castle, the remaining four soldiers took my distraction as an opportunity to fall back and probably join their comrades. Keeping my sights on the hole they went through I decided to move to one of the bodies and examine what I could. Now that I’ve got a closer look I can definitely say that the armour does share resemblance to old medieval knights, with the webbing interlocking with the armour. There’s less armour on the legs but I guess that’s because of movement risks, the weapon appears to be a single-shot rifle using chemicals and gunpowder like standard UNSC firearms. After checking the other bodies but not finding anything of interest I move into the castle and hope I’m not too late.