Prologue: The Strong Will Survive
The Strong survive, the weak are eliminated, but either way. Spartans never die.
The sky was black with smoke and threatened to suffocate the covenant ships glassing the planet. Their beams could only be seen, slicing through the smoke like a hot knife through butter. Buildings were collapsing from the failing supports that eventually fell underneath the weight and pressure of the entirety of ninety-story buildings. The sound and sight of these buildings was both sorrowful and awesome for Spartan-019.
He flexed his gauntleted hand and formed his black-gloved fingers into a fist, it shook violently with anger, his bones threatened to snap under his own strength. “Reach… my home, reduced to nothing.” He managed in a choked voice as a tear rolled down his right cheek. His mind was in turmoil and the Marines around him gazed out of the rear of the Pelican dropship they were being evacuated in. Every single one of them seemed to be looking for something they lost. A relative, uncle, girlfriend, Parents, whatever it was it would never amount to what Spartan-019 lost that day. He lost everything, his home, his brothers, everything and everyone he had ever known or grown up with was dead. The covenant were glassing New Alexandria and would continue to glass the planet, nothing would be able to stop them. To Spartan-019’s knowledge, all the Spartans had been neutralized.
He was the last Spartan- and every single one of these covenant ******** was going to pay for making that so. Every god damned one of them.
He felt the rage begin to overcome his control and he slammed his fist into the weapon compartment above his head and to the right, bringing his fist up in a swift uppercut motion. The compartment bent inwards immediately, a crater took its place.
The Marines all shrunk down into their seats as though they’d be targeted by the Spartan, they must’ve thought he wasn’t human. Hell… who wouldn’t if they saw a 6’4” figure wearing armor that added to his height even further?
-019 grunted and mumbled incoherently as he walked over to the drop ship exit and held onto a handle above his head. Though it was unnecessary because he was wearing boots with magnetic components; they held him in place, in other words. His mind slowly became blank as he stared at the blaze below him.
“You lose somebody?” A man with a gruff sounding voice asked him, sounded smooth, calm, controlled, sympathetic.
“Yeah.” -019 stated bluntly and glanced over at him through his golden visor, the man didn’t know he had the spartan’s attention. The Spartan only offered his attention because he was actually being talked to. It had never happened to -019 in his lifetime, he was only ever made fun of or something along that line.
“Care to share?” He asked, still talking In that same voice. It unnerved -019, he wondered how he could talk with such calmness to a Spartan. He had either worked with them before or was just tough-as-nails.
“My brothers, and sisters.” He answered and slowly turned his helmet so he was facing the Marine, he immediately noticed the tri-chevrons and nodded slightly. Realizing he was talking to a UNSC Marine Sergeant.
The marine had a noticeable five ‘o’ clock shadow and a growing mustache, he’d been on the field fighting for at least a few days. The bags underneath his eyes indicated he had little to no sleep. His natural hair color was brown and his eyes appeared to be a near-white. If -019 wasn’t a foot taller than him, or a Spartan, he may as well have just been intimidated.
“You didn’t lose them all.” The man said, giving him a slight sympathetic smile. “You still got us, and don’t give me that ‘but I grew up with them’ bull****. I understand that, but on the field we’re all brothers-in-arms. We got your back Spartan, whether you or my men like it or not.” He said and nodded, -019’s anger and sorrow slowly began to fade as he listened to the sergeant. He could feel the morale building up once again.
“You hear me marines?!” He asked with a booming and quickly turned and looked over the weary faces.
“Yes sir.” They answered, sounding tired and weak like a horse that needed to be put out of its misery.
“Men! When we joined the Marines, we swore an oath! And that oath is to defend earth and her colonies from the covenant ********! And what in the **** are we doing now? Running scared with our tails covering our asses! Today! Oh ho ho! Today we’re taking the fight to the dumb alien ******** and pretty much hijacking one of their ******* super-carriers with only one pelican and a bunch of tough-as-nails badasses who want to get back at the covenant for destroying their home, their planet, and killing billions of innocent lives in a single day!” He shouted and paused for a moment before slamming a fresh clip of prototype MA5C into the weapon and chambering a round. “DO YOU HEAR ME MARINES?!” He shouted again and growled through his teeth as he looked over the faces of the remnants of his fire-team.
“SIR YES SIR!” They shouted back at him and it almost deafened Spartan-019 with the sheer power of the sound.
“That’s what I like to hear!” He shouted and pressed a button on his helmet. “Pilot set a course for the nearest Covenant capital ship… and get ready for evasive action.” He ordered even if it wasn’t in his authority.
“Spartan, Oh… do I have a job for you.” The Sergeant said and chuckled darkly to himself.