Halo: Hunters of Orion/Volume One

==Chapter 1: Hard Luck==
'The bright sun dominated the near-cloudless Earth sky, as the heat bore down on a small athletics complex, characterized by the artificially green baseball and football fields, and a hi-tech indoor gym and basketball court. The surrounding area was filled with hi-tech urban townhouses and small parks that defined the typical, middle-class lifestyle in the city of Chicago. The smoothed-out streets filled with bustling cars and trams, and the nearby factories and industrial plants towered over the residents that walked past them.
 
A pair of blue sneakers stomped across a busy sidewalk brim with school kids and suburban citizens accompanying them. The notorious Chicago summer heat was at its peak, and a teenage boy placed his blue baseball cap on, to shelter his eyes from the annoying brightness of the sun. The teenager’s sports backpack was slung around his shoulder and baseball glove in hand, as he watched bicycles from other teens zip past him on the sidewalk.
 
15-year-old Daniel Contreras had finished his Friday school day and he was on his way home from playing another baseball game for his local league. With wireless earbuds in his ears, synthwave music blasted through Daniel’s mind from his handheld player in his jeans back pocket. Contreras massaged his right wrist, as it was still sore from another game a few days ago. He was running the game back in his head, wondering about what he could have done better.
 
Daniel did well in the scrimmage, as he went 2-for-3 with a Double and two runs scored. He even turned a nice double play to save a run for his team. The boy smiled, as he recalled the dirt-brown baseball smoothly landing in his glove at second base and his arm firing a laser to first base for an important out.
 
He even got a little smug, when he recalled the crack of his aluminum bat when he smacked a line drive over the lanky left fielder to drive in his runs. However, the self-satisfaction faded when he recalled the fly-out he hit that nearly became a home run and a couple of balls that just escaped his grasp. His team might have won if he had made those plays.
 
“Good, but I still could do much better. I’ve got to get a bigger jump with the groundballs. Coach is going to ride my butt until I start gobbling that crap,” thought Daniel.
 
Daniel overheard loud engines passing over his head as he made his way toward home. He looked up to see a couple of Pelican dropships, with their distinct wing-shaped design, making their usual flights, zipping past the tall plants and structures, heading towards the direction of the local UNSC Air Force Base in Chicago.
 
Daniel’s father, Victor, had taken him a couple of times to meet with family friends stationed on the base, whenever he was at home for leave. He remembered the steel fencing, large hangers, sleek Pelicans, and the friendly pilots that let him look around their ships. He wondered if the baseball did not workout, would a pilot be a good second choice to have. After several minutes of walking past the tidy suburbs, Daniel was soon in the heart of the industrial zones of Chicago, dominated by gravel streets, temple-like factories, small segments of townhouses, and various apartment complexes. Daniel waved goodbye to some of his classmates, as he entered his family’s townhouse.
 
It was a relatively clean home, defined by its bumpy, white walls and black doors. Contreras climbed the stairs to reach his residence and unlocked the door through the key he always kept. The home was still silent, the kitchen was empty, and the living room was barren. Daniel found it odd that his mom was not here, since her shift at the local Lethbridge plant was not for another couple of hours.
 
Unbothered, Daniel glanced at the electronic calendar screen on their refrigerator, as he counted the days until his father could return home for leave. Tickets for a weekend baseball series at Wrigley Field in August sat on the kitchen counter. It was something that the whole family had planned since they learned when Victor could return home. Daniel grabbed the tickets, double-checking the times, and dates.
 
A small grin of excitement formed on his face.
 
After climbing the stairs, Daniel approached his room to leave his backpack and glove, and to get some credits for the local arcade that was a small walk-trip away. However, before he even laid his hand on the doorknob, shuffling noises and weeping murmurs caught Daniel’s attention. It was coming from down the hall, in Alessandra’s, his mother, home office. Daniel quietly approached the room, and gently pushed the cracked door open to see the source of the noise.
 
In front of Daniel were his mother sitting in front of her computer screen, wildly sobbing and her left hand covering her eyes. She was nearly inconsolable and did not even notice her son had entered the room. Pencils, pens, staples, documents, and other materials were strewn across the floor of the study.
 
Daniel slowly approached his mother, about to gently place his hand on her and ask what happened. He then noticed a pre-recorded transmission on Alessandra’s screen, asking whether to repeat the video. Alessandra rushed out the room and slammed the bathroom door behind her, leaving her son alone and confused in her office. Looking back at the screen, the young boy tapped “Yes” with his finger, and the video began to play again.
 
On the screen, a man in the familiar blue dress uniform of a Navy officer appeared and began to make his address:
 
“Dear Misses Contreras”, said the officer with his low booming voice.
 
“On behalf of the men and women of the United Nations Space Command, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to you and your family on the tragic loss of your husband, Ensign Victor Contreras. He gave his life in patriotic service to Earth, defending his comrades and starship in combat. You should be so proud of his accomplishments, not only through his service but also through his character”.
 
After a slight pause, the uncomfortable officer cleared his throat and began to speak again.
 
“Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with you in these difficult times. Please let me know if I can be of any help to you. Your husband’s service will never be forgotten. Please contact the office or me at any time for arrangements and expenses. You have our deepest sympathies”.
 
The screen went black and reset the video to begin playing, and a long silence filled the room.
 
Alessandra, returning from the bathroom and fighting back her tears, pulled her in-shock son for an embrace. Daniel barely felt her grasp, as he felt his whole body go numb. Streams of tears began to roll down the young man’s cheeks. Alessandra pulled her stunned son close to her, whispering words that Daniel blocked out in his shocked daze.
 
The home was filled with a deafening silence that was suited for ghosts, with muffled cries coming from the dark end of a hallway as the sun began to set outside their windows.
 
“DANIEL, GET UP HERE”, yelled a drunken voice as Daniel returned home, after another day at school. He dreaded what was coming, as he climbed to the stairs to meet his mother, who was already in one of those moods.
 
“GET YOUR MISERABLE AND USELESS ASS IN HERE”, yelled Alessandra. Daniel burst into her mother’s office, seeing her mother sitting with a bottle of wine in one hand and a look on her face that showed contempt for him.
 
“THIS WAS THE LAST BOTTLE, I TOLD YOU TO GET MORE YESTERDAY.”
 
Daniel gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to raise his voice. Examining her office, Daniel realized that there was messages, mail, marked “URGENT”, and “PLEASE READ”, on her computer screen. He a;sp noticed that papers strewn across the office, noticing one of them looking like some kind of notice from Lethbridge. He noticed words like “discipline board”, “demotion”, and “suspension”.
 
“Well, we need food, Mom. I think liquor is the last thing we need. Also, what is that letter at your feet?” asked Daniel. Alessandra looked down to see what her son was referring, and her eyes rolled over as she realized what he meant.”
 
“None of your business, you focus on buying what I need, while I handle the money.”
 
Daniel was confused by that response, probably because she was drunk and could not string a coherent sentence right now. However, he could guess; They were barely able to pay the house and it was a mere miracle that Daniel could still stay in school. “Look, Mom. If you need help, I can-“. Alessandra cut him off, as she threw the bottle to the wall next her in rage, smashing into pieces, startling Daniel.
 
“OH, NOW YOU WANNA HELP. I TRIED TO HELP YOU, INSTEAD, WHAT DID YOU DO INSTEAD? THAT’S RIGHT, YOU SHUT ME OUT AND NOW YOU ARE SKIPPING SCHOOL AND HANGING OUT WITH A BUNCH BUMS DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT!”
 
Daniel remained silent; as he hung his head in shame. She was not wrong. He barely attended school, just getting by his classes. He had stopping talking with his mom after Victor’s passing, and when she tried to reach out, he practically ignored her. Alessandra struggled at work, as she lost her managerial promotion and found her peace at the bottom of a barrel. She had been demoted multiple time, and was close to being fired sooner rather than later. Daniel was now a loner at school and at home.
 
“JUST…just get out”, Alessandra said as she took a swig from a glass of wine nearby. Daniel shook his head, and turned to exit the doorway. Before her son disappeared, Alessandra mumbled one last, insult as she turned to back to her computer screen.
 
“I’m glad that Victor is not alive to see what you’ve become.”
 
Daniel, stopping cold in his tracks, glanced back, seeing her mother opening a video file, seeing his father’s face pop up, his gentle brown eyes, a soft smile, and wearing his Navy uniform. Alessandra tightly gripping her glass, as Daniel could hear her mother start sniffling and fighting back the urge to cry, like she has done for the last several weeks.
 
“Right back at ya, Mom,” snapped Daniel as he exited the room. As he left to head to his room, the boy could hear the sobbing get a little louder, and closed the door on his room.
 
 
Raindrops pounded the hustling streets and the darkened high-rises of the Lake View district of Chicago, as the rainclouds were nearly done with their usual shower. The massive Chicago skyscrapers gleamed with fading sunlight off their windows, as the sun rays poked through the dispersing clouds. Holographic ads run across the building windows, switching at a breakneck speed.
 
In the streets below, Fossa and Genet vehicles zipped through the streets, rushing to whatever were their destinations. The numerous citizens, some pulling down their umbrellas and others putting away their raincoats, marched down the sidewalks with little regard for others as they bumped and moved. The neon-lined city begins penetrating all dark, enclosed spaces, as the nightlife drew near. The typically loud industrial zones grew quieter, and the temple-like industrial structures were turning into sleeping edifices for the night.
 
17-year-old Daniel Contreras, soon to be 18, lifted his hoodie to cover his scraggly hair, quickly stepped down the stone stairs of a neon-lit apartment complex, and made his way into the crowded Chicago sidewalks, blending in with other citizens.
 
He knew that the night was slowly approaching and hastened his pace to avoid the incoming partygoers and drunken business folks that would soon occupy the streets, clubs, and dives of Chicago.
 
It had been two years since Daniel lost his father, and four months since her mother packed up and traveled off world without a word. Daniel was in foster care, placed in families that never really wanted him. School did not matter as much anymore, and he stopped altogether indulging in his pastimes. Now, he was embroiled in the life of petty crime and underworld gangs of the Chicagoland streets. He often did jobs for decent cash, whether he was breaking into liquor stores or even robbing the homes of some of Chicago’s wealthy suburbs.
 
Daniel entered an alleyway, with neon lights and the occasional lighting up the way. At the end of the alley, several other street urchins gathered. They had been planning a robbery from a worn-down nightclub, known as Serpent’s Tale, which held a decent size of credits inside. Daniel was promised a fair cut if he helped and accepted their offer.
 
With Daniel now in tow, the kids huddled over a crudely drawn map of the layout of the club to go over the plan. A tall, but skinny teen wearing an oversized jacket began to lay out his “grand scheme”. He went by the name of Taven, even though his real name was Norman.
 
“Alright, boys and girls, this is going to be a great score for us. Serpent’s security is pretty garbage, so this should be simple. The owner’s got a safe in his office, but my inside man gave me his combination. An opportunity like this is rare, so I need everyone to not be morons. Got it?”
 
Everyone nodded in agreement.
 
Taven pointed toward Daniel and motioned for him to step forward, to which Daniel obliged him.
 
“I’ve asked this dude, Daniel, to help us since he has some experience, so treat him like he’s part of the family got it?”
 
They all nodded again.
 
“Alight, Karl, Jess, and I are going to enter the club and cause a huge distraction. Breaking shit, being loud, and maybe even starting a fight. Meanwhile, Daniel, with our inside man’s help, will sneak into the owner’s office, crack his safe, and get out of dodge. Once we’re all out, we’ll get out of dodge, and make our way back here. all right?”
 
Once more, heads bobbed in approval.
 
Taven smiled in giddy excitement and broke out an obnoxious, toothy grin as he stood over his gang of street kids.
 
“Alright, as long as we stick to the plan, nothing can go wrong”.
 
An hour later…
 
With his hair dripping with Scotch, Daniel sprinted out of the nightclub doors, short of breath and pushing past a line of patrons trying to get in. Looking behind him, a couple of angry bouncers were hot on his tail and yelling for him to stop.
 
“HEY STOP. GET BACK HE— “
 
“Nothing can go wrong, he said”, thought Daniel as he turned the corner into the crowded streets before him, hoping to lose his pursuers.
 
Everything went wrong from the get-go, there was more security than expected, the safe combination wasn’t correct, and Daniel was quickly discovered. In brighter news, Daniel managed to nab a couple of envelopes filled with credits laying around the owner’s office.
Although, He was not left completely empty-handed.
 
Running through the crowded sidewalks, Daniel looked back to see a bouncer still on his tail. Judging from his slender frame, this bouncer was going to give him a harder time. Contreras turned into an alleyway, to see a fence in front of him.
 
On the other side of that fence were “Tyrus” and Jess, the only other ones to escape their debacle at the nightclub. Daniel jumped on the fence and began to climb, and Jess would climb up and she would try to help him over.
 
Taven, noticing the envelopes in Daniel’s hand and a bouncer quickly making their way towards them, ordered Jess to grab envelopes and push him off.
 
“GRAB THE CREDITS AND LEAVE HIM. WE HAVE GOT TO GO”, yelled a frantic Taven.
 
A confused Daniel looked at Jess, who quickly ripped the envelopes from him.
 
“I’m sorry,” said Jess in a guilty tone.
 
Jess pie-faced Daniel and he fell flat on his back. Daniel lifted his head to see Taven and Jess disappear from his view from the other side of the fence. Now, staring up at the Chicago night sky, the bouncer came into view and hovered over him. Daniel looked into the man’s face, seeing nothing but pity and a smirk.
 
“Tough break, kid”, said the bouncer as he grabbed Daniel by the collar and dragged him back to the club.
 
Story of my life.
 
 
Sitting in his small kitchen, Daniel was picking stuff out of his box, as he got a box of parents’ belongings that was supposed to arrive months ago. Daniel was stuck, as he lost out on potential scholarships to universities and barely made ends meet by taking small, odd jobs such as food delivery.
 
This was not how envisioned his life would be.
 
Daniel grabbed his remote to turn on the screen in front of him to play some background noise for him as he tried to settle in and unpack. Intersystem News came on the screen, continuing their wall-to-wall coverage of the violent turmoil in the Outer colonies. Every day it was a new death toll, footage of Army and militia soldiers moving through the streets and fields of various colonies, and bodies being carried away from the carnage.
 
All this bloodshed had almost become numb to Daniel at this point.
 
Daniel sat on the couch, with a box in front of him. He opened to box, to discover that it was his father’s belongings inside. He had forgotten to put this stuff in storage. Daniel decided to go through with the unpacking anyways. Daniel picked out his father’s things, such as his baseball glove, a picture of him and his crew on the cruiser he was stationed on, and a disk. He also found a model of a Halcyon cruiser, the ship that Victor was on at the time of his death. It was called the Blue Tiger. He shoved it back in the box in revulsion, nearly breaking the model itself.
 
After unpacking, Daniel focused on the disk he found and, after finding a label titled “Pine Tress Vacation”, realized what it was. He placed the disk inside the port, next to the TV screen. Immediately, the screen transitioned into a view of beautiful rows of trees and a breathtaking sunset sky.
 
“It’s a beautiful view, Alessandra is missing out on something special”, said a faceless voice, a voice that Daniel recognized as his father.
 
The view shifted to a young boy sitting on the porch of a wooden cabin, playing with a baseball in his hands.
 
“Hmm, you haven’t let go of that ball since I bought it for you, huh?”, said a soft, calming voice to the young Daniel.
 
“When I get back from deployment, we’ll play some catch, okay?”
 
Victor rested the camera on the porch and sat next to his son. The video showed father and son staring out at the skyline.
 
Daniel saw the recognizable beard and bright green eyes of his father and watched him flash his all-to-familiar smile that he used to remember seeing in his youth.
 
“Hey, kiddo. I got something you need to hear. You listening?”, Victor asked.
 
“Whatever happens from now on, you are going to walk down your path soon as you get older. Hardships will come and go, and change will come”.
 
The boy gazed up at his father, attentive to his words.
 
“Fight for what you believe in and never give up. Pursue what makes YOU happy and gives you fulfillment”.
 
Victor placed his hand on Daniel’s head, as both turned their attention to the setting sun.
 
“Remember, believe in yourself, and create your purpose. Don’t ever fear failure”.
 
With tears welling up, Daniel rubbed his eyes and refocused his vision. Victor’s words echoed in his head.
 
Soon, Alessandra, in a red summer outfit, came into view, exiting the cabin door behind them.
 
“Sorry, I took so lo— “, she said as she caught a view of the sunset.
 
“Oh wow, that sunset is so pretty. What are you two up to?
 
Victor stood up and moved to pick up the camera.
 
“Just having a little chat about the trail we’re going on tomorrow”.
 
The screen wobbled around before it settled on a view of the sunset before it turned black.
 
Sitting on his couch, Daniel wiped some of his tears and looked back into the box at his feet. He noticed a small wooden case, pristine and in good condition. Daniel reached and grabbed the small case out of the box. He opened it to see it was his father’s Navy Cross, which was awarded for his actions in fending off rebel boarding parties on the Blue Tiger, buying time for surviving crew members to escape off the ship. The darkened screen quickly reverted to the Intersystem news broadcast, displaying urban street fighting on Eridanus II between UNSC troopers and Eridanus rebels.
 
“UNSC forces have clashed with Insurrectionists once again, as Eridanus II becomes more volatile with each passing week.”, said a newscaster’s faceless, feminine voice.
 
“Civilians continue to get caught in the crossfire, as UNSC peacekeepers suffer heavy losses. There seems to be no end in sight as the uprisings destabilize the Outer colonies."
 
Daniel stared at the screen, watching the destruction in front of him, and looked back at his father’s medal.
 
The young man’s dark eyes lit up, and renewed vigor seemed to enter him. Squeezing the medal in his hand, the boy stood up and moved to his laptop that was sitting on the kitchen table. He opened his laptop, going on Waypoint. Daniel, cracking his neck, began to type the following:
 
“UNSC Armed Forces Recruitment”.
 
 
A red-lifted pickup truck-coupe utility slowly rolled up to a crowded gate of a terminal. Sitting in the truck bed, Daniel jumped out and slings his duffle bag over his shoulder. He takes a good look at what lies in front of his eyes.
 
Cargo ships and transports traversed the skies, as the intercom of the pristine Chicago spaceport lists off the departing vessels on their schedule. The port boardwalks were crowded with pilots, crewmen, and travelers alike. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel spotted UNSC Air Force personnel walking toward the docking station. Daniel approached the driver’s seat area and handed the driver several credits for his service. With his long beard and cap, the ruffed man counted the credits and thanked him.
 
“Safe travels, kid. Good luck on your fresh start”, said the driver as he sped off into the bustling streets, disappearing from Daniel’s view.
 
The young man stepped inside and searched for his designated transport, which was to embark for Reach, a human colony that was the nexus of the UNSC military and the site of many military-industrial facilities that fueled their war machine. It was also where Daniel would conduct his basic training for the next several weeks with the Marine Corps, the backbone of the UNSC Armed Forces. Making his way past crowded walkways and baggage checks at security posts, Daniel searched and found the transport ship he was supposed to be on. There, he saw a Marine Officer waiting by the entrance ramp, with a glare that could kill and muscles looking ready to burst at the seams of his uniform.
 
“Hey, why are you gawking at me and this ship? Get over here if you’re a recruit, dumbass. “
 
Daniel quickly ran to the officer, who looked ready to rip his eyes out of his sockets.
 
“Name”
 
Clearing his throat, Daniel did his best to sound as confident as possible.
 
“Contreras, Daniel Contreras”.
 
The Marine looked down at the holo-pad, and found his name, tapping through several commands and notifications to confirm Daniel’s arrival.
 
“Get in there, recruit. I hope the Marines can screw your backward ass together. I doubt it, but they’ve worked miracles before.”
 
Daniel rushed past him and made his way to the entrance ramp, hearing the officer yell at another unfortunate recruit who was also staring at the ship.
 
“Jesus Christ on a cracker, hey, get your goofy, ginger ass over— “.
 
Daniel entered the transport ship and studied the interior. Judging from the decent condition and familiar trappings of a typical, old-school Greyhound bus, Daniel summarized it as a civilian ship that was being appropriated to bring in recruits. He saw only young, fresh-faced men sitting nervously, and some slightly older-looking gentleman already catching some sleep before take-off. One thing was for sure to Daniel, they were all Marine recruits.
 
Daniel found a seat in the back and took that spot. Daniel laid his head back, and pulled his old music player out, putting his headphones on. He knew sleep would be hard to come by once they got planet side on Reach. So, he was going to enjoy the last vestiges of peace he was going to have. Soon, familiar guitar strings and drums of a classic 20th-century rock song, one of his father’s favorites, played in Daniel’s ears, drowning out all the noise.
 
Daniel let everything fall away from him, as the music and his memories let him slip into a slumber that he wished lasted a lifetime.
==Chapter 2: Baptism by Fire==
Feeling his head jolt a bit, Corporal Contreras, laying in his seat inside the bay of a Pelican dropship, opened his eyes to see some of his fellow Marine squaddies checking their weapons and equipment. Some were making light conversation, and others sat quietly alone in their thoughts. Daniel felt a tap on the top of his CH252 combat helmet and turned to see the adjacent marine motioning to his ears. Daniel removed his earbuds and turned off his player.
 
“Sarge is on the comms and says we’re about three mikes from the objective”, stated the neighboring Marine. Contreras stood up and grabbed the MA5 assault rifle that was resting next to him, checking the rifle. A sitting marine to his left side him a freshly filled magazine of 7.62x51mm rounds, which Contreras swiftly inserted into his AR. The Pelican’s pilot voice came over the radio.
 
“All right, I’m getting comms that the zone will be hot, so be ready to hit the dirt running once you touch down”. Contreras’s Sergeant, Brooks, who was on one of the other Pelicans in formation, would soon follow with his voice booming through their comm lines.
 
“Raiders, ears open. Be briefed or be sorry”. The mood in the Pelican’s bay shifted, as the chatter stopped, and the sitting Marines sounded off in affirmation.
 
“YES, SERGEANT.”
 
“Local rebels have taken an abandoned refinery and have transformed it into a nice little hacienda for themselves. The Marine Raiders have been given the blessed task of taking this facility from their grubby hands”.
 
Contreras stood up, moved closer to the Pelican’s bay door, as he motioned for a Marine to switch seats with him, who obliged him, and sat right next to the bay’s exit.
 
“Normally, we would have the element of surprise, but recent intel suggests otherwise. Roving patrols, increased security around the facility, and heavy weapon emplacements. You know, the usual shit."
 
“Someone gave us away, again," scowled a Marine. The Pilot’s voice came over the radio again.
 
“60 seconds."
 
“Luckily, the depot is taking a beating from our Longswords, as we speak. Alpha and Bravo squads will drop in and assault the factory’s front entrance, while we will be dropped directly into the facility and take control of the communications hub. Once inside, we take out the ammo dumps and await extraction."
 
The faint noise of gunfire and explosions began to grow louder, as the seconds ran by. Soon, they could hear bullets ricocheting off their dropship and thundering booms of explosions going off near them.
 
“30 seconds."
 
“Raiders lock and load, Oorah?”
 
“OORAH," yelled Contreras and the Marines in the bay.
 
“10 seconds."
 
As the bay doors opened, Madrigal’s familiar desert range came into view for the Contreras and the Marines. Nothing but sand, red dirt, and rocky mountain peaks as far as the eye can see. Lifting his balaclava cover over his mouth and nose, Contreras looked back at his fireteam, seeing them ready and eager to hit the ground.
 
This was it. Daniel’s first real test in combat, and he was anxious to prove himself. For the first months of his first deployment, the corporal and his unit had been stuck doing base and convoy security on various colonies. Sure, there were some small skirmishes with the rebels, but they were also uneventful as only a few rounds were exchanged before the insurgents retreated into their holes. The boredom was driving Contreras up a wall; it was mind numbing and frustrating.
 
Until now.
 
Looking back outside, Contreras was met with the sight of other Marines pouring out of other Pelicans, moving and firing at the fortified and rusted gate entrance, with returning fire trickling out. Contreras could make out what looked like a couple of destroyed M12s and burning automated gun turrets that were knocked out. Contreras could now only see a field of pipes, smoking fueling tanks, towers and armored vehicles blown to pieces, and rustic steel structures and buildings, as his Pelican made his way inside the refinery.
 
Contreras’s Pelican slowed its speed and descended onto the main landing pad of the facility, with another dropship following close behind them. As soon as they could see the dirt on the pad, Contreras, with his hands gripping his rifle tightly, and the rest of the Marines jumped out, under fire from hostile insurgents taking potshots at them.
 
“SET UP A DEFENSIVE PERIMETER AND COVER THE REST OF THE SQUAD”, yelled Contreras as he and his Marines returned to fire to cover the Marines, including Sergeant Brooks, dispersing from the second Pelican.
 
Crouched down and looking down at his rifle, Contreras fired concentrated bursts at the rebels hiding behind the sandbags, bombed-out wreckage, and structures, killing a few insurgents and forcing others nearby to remain in cover.
 
“Like fish in a barrel”.
 
Once all the Marines landed, the insurgents, unable to repel their attackers and taking substantial casualties, began to retreat from their positions. With the landing zone secured, Sergeant Brooks motioned for Contreras and his other Corporal, Lyall, to regroup with him.
 
“Good shit, boys. Contreras take your team and clear out the holdouts. Destroy any ammo dumps you find. Corporal Lyall and I will take the rest of the squad and take the station’s communications hub.”mBoth corporals replied with a “Yes, Sergeant”. Brooks took a glance at Contreras, searching in his eyes for something.
 
“Regroup with us when you’re done, Contreras. Stay alive, Raider. That’s an order.”
 
Brooks drifted off with Lyall, as several other Marines followed their lead. Another Marine approached Contreras from behind.
 
“Orders, Dee?” asked a Marine. Contreras cleared his throat, wishing he had taken the extra gulp of water before touching down in this scorching heat.
 
“Sergeant wants us to move into the site, clear it out, and blow up the caches”.
 
Contreras motioned for his Fireteam to regroup on him, and they followed him deep into the maze of metal and steel, turning this place into a mechanical forest.
 
The quiet steps and clanking of gear against the pipes made Contreras nervous, as he and three other Marines, with their rifles pointed and readied, moved through the narrow pathways surrounded by rustic steel and pipelines that seemed endless. They encountered little resistance, with most rebels retreating or being cut down quickly before they could respond. Contreras and his Fireteam had already fragged two small weapons caches, but the Corporal doubted that was it.
 
The Marine on point, Private Beck, raised her fist to signal a stop as she approached a turn. She peeked over the turn, before quickly jerking her head back, as a couple of bullets whizzed by. Contreras called out to her.
 
“What is it, Beck?” whispered the Corporal. She looked back at the corporal with nervous eyes.
 
‘Looks to be an area of loading docks. I think there is a garage and a possible control station. I guess about two squads of hostiles.” Contreras himself peered the corner, confirming Beck’s assessment.
 
Daniel could see surrounding pipework, metallic walls, and dirt-covered loading docks laid out in front of him, where insurgents were hiding behind stacks of crates, pipes, and sandbags that occupied the junction. Beyond that, the corporal could see loading docks and some kind of building structure, either a warehouse or garage. Contreras was able to spot several other hostiles before being forced to jerk his head back to avoid the incoming bullets.
 
Contreras pressed his ear.
 
“Overlord, this is Charlie 2-2. I’ve got about 20 plus hostiles. We need support”.
 
“Copy, Charlie 2-2. Outlaw 2-1 is en route to your location”.
 
As the rebels unloaded barrages of bullets on Contreras and his fireteam from their cover, a Pelican came into view, appearing behind the unaware rebels. The dropship’s two wing-mounted miniguns spooled up and unleashed a rain of bullets on the entrenched Madrigal insurgents. Bullets tore into their bodies, and their makeshift cover was torn to pieces. The rebels who weren’t immediately cut down either retreated to other pieces of cover or fired upon the gunship in a futile act.
 
Contreras and the Raiders sprinted into cover within the ravaged docking bays, and began firing at the distracted insurgents from their concealed positions, taking several of them down in the process.
 
With their numbers now dwindling, several of the rebels retreated into one of the garages and proceeded to shut the silver, steel door behind them. However, a few of the insurgents stayed behind to engage the UNSC Marine Raiders, taking up positions behind some sandbags and pipe works at the control station that was neighboring said building structure. Hiding behind a crate with Stokes, Contreras yelled for Beck and Myer to lay down suppressive fire on the rebels.
 
"PUT SOME FIRE ON THOSE INNIES"
 
As the two Raiders fired on the cowering insurgents, Contreras and Stokes approached from the right, making their way past crates and sandbags, hoping to expose their unguarded flank. As they slowly approached, one of the rebels noticed them approaching and stood up to fire upon them, only to be cut down by Contreras, as he unloaded a burst of rounds in his head. The two remaining hostiles took notice, crouched over to one of the electrical panels, and smashed them to pieces.
 
“WE NEED TO BUY TIME FOR THEM TO- “
 
However, before she could finish the order, Contreras and Stokes fired at the rebel and her compatriot, and they fell back onto the floor grates. Blood dripped into the holes from their fatal wounds. Stokes examined the scene and groaned at the sight of the destroyed panel.
 
“They were trying to make sure we couldn’t get in the building, probably trying to buy time for their friends to escape or something”, exclaimed Stokes.
 
As the team regrouped outside of the building, Contreras sized up the building, guessing what the interior was like, and how they were going to get inside.
 
“Stack up, we’re gonna breach this bitch”.
 
As soon as they were in position, lining up near the door, Contreras ordered the breach, and Myers fasteners a satchel charge onto the door.
 
Several seconds pass.
 
‘’BOOM’’
 
The steel doors are blown in, with the hinges of the door nearly ripped out. Stokes throws a flashbang in and, as soon as the blinding explosion went off, the Marines pushed into the entrance, greeted by a dark room with minimal lighting and dazed insurgents.
 
Contreras and Stokes neutralized four blinded rebels, taking them down with precise bursts from their ARs, while Beck and Myers eliminate a duo of rebels that were about to fire from a staircase nearby, with one tumbling down the stairs and the other falling over the railing.
 
With the insurgents seemingly dispatched, Contreras orders Beck to find a switch to turn on the lights inside the dark building. Beck, using the flashlight from her rife, searched for a switch and found it hiding behind a mountain of crates. As the lights turned on, Contreras and his Marines would find themselves in front of a massive cache at the center of an unkempt and rustic garage, crates of semi-automatic and heavy weapons, cases of explosive devices, piles of ammunition, and even a pair of Scorpion tanks that looked to be undergoing some kind of maintenance check.
 
“Where in the hell did they get Scorpions?” exclaimed Stokes.
 
Beck inspects the crates, opening them to find weapons and military hardware that seemed to belong to the UNSC or a variety of private arms manufacturers.
 
“The rebels must have some rich backers to get all this shit”, stated Beck as she continued to go through the cache.
 
Contreras, also pondering the same questions, wanders to a workbench, finding shipping manifestos and lists of requested items. Stuffing the documents into his BDU, Contreras motions for his team to regroup on him. All of sudden, Sergeant Brooks comes over the coms.
 
“Corporal, do you copy?”
 
“Loud and clear, Sergeant,” responded Contreras.
 
“Sitrep, Corporal”.
 
“We’ve taken out a couple of ammo caches, and I think we’ve found their largest stash. Weapons, equipment, explosive devices, and even Scorpions. I also found some intel that could be useful on where they’re getting this crap from”.
 
“Excellent. We just took their communications hub and found our goldmine of Intel. Alpha and Bravo have already breached the entrance way and are making their way through the facility. They will take care of the rest of the facility. Regroup with us at the landing pad. Once Alpha and Bravo finish mopping up, Pelicans will come by for extraction”.
 
“Copy.’
 
Contreras motioned for Beck and Myers to come over.
 
“Beck, Myers. Use whatever charges you have left on this site. We’re going to blow this shit into the next colony”.
 
Beck nodded and tilted her head over to Myers for him to follow her. Both gingerly pull out their remaining satchel charges and begin placing them around the building. Stokes leaned on a support beam, inspecting an oilcan in his hand, and let out a chuckle.
 
“This was way too easy. Briefing made it sound like we were going to walk into a meat grinder”.
 
Contreras nodded in agreement.
 
“There were fewer rebels than expected. My guess? A lot of them were cowards and left, or they don’t think this place was worth defending. I am leaning toward cowardice. Let’s head out and wait for Beck and Myers to finish up”. The Raiders jogged outside the warehouse, and began checking their weapons and gear as they gather in circle.
 
“Explosives set?” asks Contreras.
 
Both Myers and Beck nodded in stern affirmation.
 
“All right let’s get back to Brooks before he has a stroke for how long we took”.
 
Contreras began to jog his way back to the pad, with his team in tow. The wind picked up and the dust began to fly. While moving through the narrows and the steel of this rustic refinery, Contreras could hear distant gunfire erupt, only for it to die down in seconds. It was clear to him that the rebels were barely putting up a fight.
 
As Contreras and his team arrived at the landing pad, they were greeted with the sight of several Pelicans arriving, and Raiders pouring into their bay. Brooks, standing at the edge of the pad, waved them over and Contreras and his team quickly scaled the stairs to meet their sergeant.
 
“Outstanding work, Raiders. The facility has been cleared and their caches destroyed, and we’ll be long gone before locals in the area arrive to take back the site”.
 
Contreras pulled out some crumpled papers from a slit in his BDU and handed them to Brooks.
 
“Shipping manifestos, inventories, requests. It’s all in there, Sarge.”
 
Brooks nodded in approval and turned towards the Pelican. As he climbed, Contreras motioned for Beck to throw him her detonator. Catching it, Contreras looked to the area of the structure where the ammo cache, was and pressed the button down as hard as he could.
 
A massive boom was heard that caught the attention of departing Marines and shook the whole facility. Bursts of fire rose into the sky, and soon a small chain reaction of explosions followed suit. The cheers and hollering of Marines were so loud you can clearly hear them over the successive explosions that rocked the corroded refinery.
 
Daniel sat back in his seat, watching the flames consume the entire facility. He laid back, as he put his earphones back in, and the synth carried him into his dreams as he closed his eyes.
 
 
Laying on his bunk, Contreras was throwing a baseball with his right hand and catching it with a mitt in his left hand. Other Marines in barracks were catching sleep, cleaning their weapons, or general horseplay. The music in his earbuds drowned out the clanging of equipment, booming voices, and any other noise that would distract Contreras from his relaxation.
 
It had been two years of vicious counter-insurgency warfare. Contreras and his Marine Raider team had been fighting a war of attrition against terrorists and insurgents in the Outer colonies. Daniel was more seasoned and learned several new tricks that have kept him alive.
 
However, the lounging Raider was also growing discontent with what was happening. Seething and frustrated at the recent developments in the colonies.
 
Rebellion against Earth and her influence continued to spread like wildfire through the Outer region. The United Nations Space Command was throwing a good chunk of its military might at this uprising, but these rebels were becoming organized, and well-equipped, and were now being led by experienced combatants.
 
Worst of all, they were growing.
 
It only got worse after the nuking of Far Isle. Local cells and militias grew in numbers, even gaining defectors from the UNSC. It was all turning into an Insurrection. New factions and cells of insurgents keep popping up, such as the Secessionist Union, one of the prominent Insurrectionist organizations. They had been driving the cry for “independence” on the political front, however, there were rumors that they were also amassing soldiers, weapons, and equipment for their army.
 
For Contreras, a peaceful solution was never on the table.
 
Contreras and the Marine Raiders were on the frontlines, engaging in counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and specialized reconnaissance operations in hostile territory against the growing insurgency threat. The Marines ventured to different Outer colonies to combat the colonial rebels, ranging from the desert basins of Madrigal to the rural landscapes of Eridanus II. For a while, Contreras and his Raider team were easily able to handle the insurgency and even took some joy in doing so. However, the rebels became more brutal and daring in their tactics, leading to higher casualties in their missions. There were more terror bombings against civilians, more roving ambushes on UNSC convoys, frequent sabotage of UNSC equipment, and constant attacks on military installations.
 
Fighting for Independence? Please.
 
In Daniel's mind, they were rebelling because they wanted power and riches all to themselves. The constant terror attacks on civilian populations, the war crimes of executing POWs or UEG civilian contractors, and the fact these so-called "freedom fighters" were working with criminal elements of human society, including the more unsavory businesses, were the markings of hypocrites and power mongers according to Daniel.
 
Contreras stood up from his bed, placed his leisure tools under his bed, and strained his neck. Before he could take his next action, Sergeant Brooks burst into the barracks, with a civilian-looking man wearing aviators following in tow. Marines turned their focus to the sergeant. Brooks was never much of a hard ass, but he was respected and revered by the squad. He could motivate anyone, and they would run face-first into a wall of spikes for the sergeant. When he was in the room, everyone gave Brooks all the attention he deserved.
 
“At ease, ladies and germs. I’ve got a special guest with us”, Brooks exclaimed as he motioned to the well-dressed man.
 
“Mr. Shades here works for Naval Intelligence”.
 
A few audible whispers were heard.
 
The Office of Naval Intelligence, but most call it ONI for brevity’s sake. It was the intelligence service of the UNSC Navy. However, rumors and scuttlebutt suggest that it is more than that.
 
Wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans, the man looked nothing like a soldier or even a typical “company man”. He cleaned up well, with a nice haircut and pristine aviators that shielded his eyes.
 
Brooks piped up.
 
“It looks like Naval Intelligence wants the Raiders for an operation in the Castra region. This is a small-scale operation, so only a few of you are going with Shades here.”
 
Brooks met Contreras’s gaze.
 
“Contreras, Myers, Hoyt, and Antonov. All four of you are going with our friend here. He picked you four out specifically.”
 
"What’s the op, and Why us?”, asked Myers, with his arms folded and a curious look on his face.
 
Before Brooks responded, “Mr. Shades” let out his first words.
 
“All four of you have demonstrated skills that will be valuable for this task, and you’ll be briefed as soon as possible”.
 
The blond-haired man looked to Contreras.
 
“This mission only happens thanks to one of the operations you conducted a couple of years back. I believe Corporal Contreras was present, and he acquired some intelligence during a raid on one of the rebel holdouts.”
 
Contreras was still puzzled.
 
“Shipping manifests, inventory lists, request lists. Any of that ring a bell?”, asked the ONI agent.
 
It hit Daniel immediately. It was the operation where he and the Raiders assaulted a munitions depot held by Madrigal rebels.
 
Before Beck was killed in an ambush.
 
Before Stokes got paralyzed by a building that fell on him from a terror bombing.
 
“So, everyone but Brooks and those four should vacate the barracks. We’ve got a briefing to go over.”
 
The remaining Marines cleared out quickly, and after a few minutes, the ONI officer spoke up again.
 
“All right, gentleman. Let’s get down to brass tacks..."
 
 
The midnight air was cool, and the stars illuminated the sky over the forest below. Two armed men, wearing a mixture of fatigues and typical civilian garb, were both enjoying a smoke break outside their guard post, illuminated by a lamppost nearby.
 
“So, they got you on guard duty again, huh?”, asked one of the men, as he threw his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his foot.
 
The other one, brandishing his Colt Blaster, groaned and prepared to retort with sarcasm.
 
“Well, if you must know, I was called here beca- “.
 
Muffled pings and pangs rang out, and both of the guards hit the ground before they could realize what happened.
 
Seconds later, five soldiers, adorned in woodland camo and all armed with silenced MA5, DMR, and Colt Blaster rifles emerged from the tree line nearby. They quickly moved past the guard post and faded back into the darkened forest ahead of them. For the past several hours, the Marines were traversing the forested region of Castra, quickly moving to their objective, deep into hostile territory.
 
Contreras, who would normally take point on these missions and followed Sergeant Brooks, followed the lead of Mr. Shades, who was adorned with a sleek spec ops BDU and a custom Colt Blaster. A few hours ago, Daniel thought he was an unassuming Intelligence stooge, but now he is an efficient killing machine that just took out two guys with ease.
 
“Who was this guy?”
 
Shades stopped at the edge of a ridge and signaled for the Raiders to stop in their tracks. He pulled out his binoculars to survey what lay beyond the ridge line.
 
An abandoned BXR ore refinery and mine that was now being used as a supply depot for the rebel paramilitaries on Madrigal. It had been hidden from UNSC eyes for years, and intel suggested that it now held a dangerous shipment of VX-7 nerve gas, along with other stolen UNSC weaponry, vehicles, and equipment to be sent off to paramilitary groups in the Outer colonies.
 
Shades could see some trucks move in, large crates being moved in and out of their respective vehicles, and armed men roaming the facility, The searchlights of the guard towers shined on the surrounding tree lines. The smokestack and power station were also well-protected. Shades could also make out what looked like warehouses and loading docks filled with steel and wooden crates, as well.
 
Contreras, observing the site with the ONI agent, could see Mr. Shades pulling down his binoculars and talking into his communication wristwatch.
 
“Firefly 2, this is Kilo 3-1. Hostiles in the open, west gate, and central junction. You are cleared hot...”
 
“Roger, 3-1, target acquired. Weapons free in 5 seconds.”
 
“Five seconds” stated Shades.
 
The roar of a Broadsword bomber came and went, launching its missiles at the site below. Multiple explosions occurred throughout the area. A booming alarm can be heard going off down below.
 
“Let’s go” ordered Shades.
 
Mr. Shades and the Marines moved down the hillside, past the trees and bushes, and made their way into the facility’s main gates. Charred corpses, destroyed vehicles, and embers from burning buildings, the team picked up the pace to a nearby guardhouse.
 
A burning man emerged from a fiery cargo truck, wildly flailing and screaming in an indiscernible language, likely crying for help.
 
“Put him out of his misery.”
 
Contreras put two shots from his silenced MA5 rifle into the man’s skull.
 
Moving to the guardhouse, the Marines took up breaching positions on either side of the door, with Shades watching from the rear.
 
“Now.”
 
The Marines burst through the door and opened fire on three insurgents inside the guardhouse, still in confusion over what had happened. The rebels couldn’t respond in time and were dead before they could draw their weapons. After a quick scan of the guardhouse, the Marines prepared to exit out the other side of the building as they pry open the doors with their crowbar.
 
“Stay sharp- we're blind on this breach." stated Contreras.
 
Myers pried it open, and the team quickly moved into the facility’s yard, with burning warehouses and ruined loading docks coming into their view. Cargo trucks and ammo dumps were found to be destroyed by the airstrike. The charred and mutilated corpses of the occupants spread out like confetti.
 
“Talk about overkill," a silent whisper from one of the Marines.
 
As they move into the burning yard, a searchlight from the balcony of a building turns on and illuminates the Marines. A machine gun opens fire from the upper level of a building across the yard and, with the searchlight's aid, suppresses the strike team, forcing them to find cover amongst the burning wreckage.
 
“He's dug in! Lay suppression and get up there!” orders Contreras.
 
Finding cover behind some crates, Shades opened fire on the searchlight where the machine gun is located and forcing the gunner down behind the cover and even shooting out the searchlight in the process.
 
“Force out! We need to secure the VX-7 before they move it!” yelled Shades.
 
The strike team moved through the burning yard and encountered the surviving, scattered rebels, trying to regroup and eliminate the Raiders.
 
It was a futile effort.
 
Rebels were cut down with ease by the Raiders, with very few getting their shots before meeting their end. Approaching the MG nest, Contreras pulled out his frag grenade, cooking and lobbing it into the window of the building, and the resulting explosion throws the gunner out of the window.
 
Once the area was seemingly clear, Shades and the team regrouped and moved into another section of the depot. The team made their way to a nearby warehouse and checked their weapons as they stand at the building’s entrance.
 
“All right, this site has been skunked. We’ve got to check out the shipping warehouse and see if we can recover the VX-7 and head to the primary exfil point”, stated Shades.
 
Contreras and the Raiders, with Shades bringing up the rear, throwing on their gas masks and preparing to enter deeper into the warehouse as they took up positions by a sliding door. Myers quickly slid the door open, and the team found the entire building to be pitch black due to no power. The Marines turned on their flashlights and walked through the doorway, clearing through the many crates and boxes inside. Suddenly, the team heard a clanging sound inside the storage room nearby.
 
“You hear that?” asked Myers.
 
“Could just be crap falling from the strike”, responded Hoyt.
 
As the Raiders proceed through the darkened room, a silhouette ran behind several crates quickly on the other side of the room.
 
“Contact”, whispered Contreras.
 
The team noticed some small movement on the upper catwalk and the shelves, and immediately took cover behind the crates and forklifts.
 
“Fucking UNSC scum!”, a voice cried out.
 
A firefight erupted, as the muzzle flashes lit up the room, and shots rang out in the warehouses. Contreras, moving from crate to crate, fired at the catwalk, killing the rebel taking potshots at them from that position, as his body fell over and lands awkwardly on the crate below. With his clip exhausted, Contreras quickly switched to his sidearm and fired at the sources of muzzle flashes, while taking cover from incoming fire using cargo containers.
 
However, while taking cover, Contreras could hear well-placed shots and dying groans of men being shot. Soon, everything went quiet, and Raiders emerge from their cover to find Mr. Shades standing over the corpses of a few insurgents.
 
“Clear”, stated Contreras.
 
The Marines opened the sliding door leading into the garage and entered that same garage. They immediately spotted several barrels sitting inside the rear of a military transport truck. Mr. Shades inspected the truck's contents by taking a small marking device and rubbing it against the barrels to measure the gas content. After sealing the device, he squeezed it, revealing the gas to be what he and the Marines came for.
 
“Bingo. Positive ID on the VX-7. Let’s get the canisters outside”, orders Shades.
 
The Marines carry the canisters, carefully and in pairs, to a landing pad outside for minutes. On the radio, Shades called for extraction, and several minutes pass before a Pelican dropship came into view. The Pelican turned its belly, to reveal Brooks and another Marine motioning for the canisters to be handed to them.
 
Suddenly, a rocket darts into the ship’s bay.
 
“BOOM”
 
The fire engulfs the bay, consuming Brooks and the Marine in a blaze. The Pelican began to spiral out of control, before crashing into a nearby building and violently exploding upon landing.
 
Bullets began to rain down on the Marines, as dozens of insurgents pour into the burning yard. The team takes cover, but not before Hoyt takes a round to his head. Contreras and Myers take cover behind a burning M12 Warthog and try returning fire. Mr. Shades is seen trying to help Antonov carry Hoyt’s body into cover.
 
However, Antonov gets shot in the back in the process, and Contreras watched as his body crumpled to the ground.
 
Shades retreated into the smoke and flames, as Contreras fumbled for the radio from Antonov's corpse.
 
“CONTROL, WE GOT CONTACTS, TWO ARE- “
 
Before he could finish, another explosion threw Contreras, along with the Hoyt, from another rocket fired from an M41 launcher. Contreras, with blood pouring out of his head and his ribs in searing pain, lay on the ground as the enemy fire continues to fly over him. He could see Myers nearby, also badly wounded and crawling to him.
 
Out of the smoke, a hooded insurgent, in a gas mask and wearing distinctive, black combat fatigues, approaches Myers from behind and points an automatic pistol at him. Myers turned to see Contreras, as if he wanted say something.
 
“BRRRRT’
 
Myers went limp.
 
Then, this insurgent noticed the VX-7 canisters sitting on the pad. Several other insurgents, also outfitted with more advanced weapons and BDUs than the typical rebel, would appear behind the enigmatic insurgent.
 
“Take the canisters, and load them up on the truck nearby”, barked the insurgent.
 
Contreras helplessly watched the rebels take the canisters. Spotting his weapon nearby, Contreras slowly crawled to his MA5 nearby. However, footstep sounds got closer, and Contreras felt a foot on his back that gently pushed him to his side. Contreras came face to face with the hooded insurgent, with the barrel of the pistol pointed at him.
 
“Your war is over”, remarked the rebel in a rough voice with a thick Russian accent.
 
Contreras closed his eyes, waiting for the last bang that he'll ever hear.
 
“BANG-BANG”
 
Contreras opened his eyes to see his hooded executioner retreat, clutching his neck and firing back with his auto pistol. Other insurgents came to his aid, providing cover as the trucks they commandeered bolted through one of the gates of the facility. They disappeared from Contreras’s view.
 
Mr. Shades came into view, crouching over Contreras and checking his wounds.
 
“You’re fine, Raider. You’ll be fine”, exclaimed the agent.
 
Contreras felt his sight get hazy, and the sight of Shades over his body, frantically using his communicator was the last thing he saw before losing consciousness.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Contreras laid on the hospital bed, watching the screen above relay news broadcasts and updates scroll on the chyron in his darkened room.
 
“GAS ATTACK ON MADRIGAL, DOZENS DEAD”.
 
It had been a few weeks since the disastrous mission at Castra. From what he could gather, an unknown, large group of paramilitaries had arrived and ambushed the team. They were able to retrieve the VX-7 canisters and vanished before UNSC reinforcements could arrive. Contreras and the ONI operative were the only survivors.
 
Now Daniel was confined to a hospital, recovering from a concussion, broken ribs, and shrapnel wounds from a rocket that missed him by a few meters. With the loss of Brooks and Myers, he was now the lone survivor of his original Marine Raider squad. Today, Contreras was watching reports of a UNSC air base attacked by VX-7 gas, with several Marines and civilians caught in the blast. There was no doubt where that gas came from in Daniel’s mind.
 
Contreras was gripping his sheets, gritting his teeth as he watched the scenes of carnage unfold in front of him. He could feel himself getting short of breath and felt a slight tremble in his body. He hadn’t felt this way since his father’s passing. If it were not for his injuries, this entire room would look like it had been hit by a whirlwind.
 
A knock came at his door.
 
“Come in”, said Daniel as he quickly regained his composure.
 
To Daniel’s surprise, it was not a doctor that came through, but two individuals, one man, and one woman. Both were dressed in suits and ties that looked seemingly tailored to their respective fits. The man stopped a few feet from Daniel’s hospital bed.
 
“Well, Raider. It looks like you’re healing well. Hopefully, those cuts on your face will heal up nice”.
 
Daniel remained silent, with a quizzical look on his face as he stared at the two suits in front of him. A cough from the woman broke the awkward silence.
 
“Right then. Corporal Contreras. You don’t know us. However, we’ve been watching you for some time now. You’ve impressed some important people at Naval Intelligence.”.
 
The woman, with her blond hair tied in a ponytail, handed her male colleague a data pad for him to examine.
 
“You do have an impressive service record, Marine. I mean, you became a Corporal in Marine Infantry rather quickly, and you were on the fast track to being Sergeant had you stayed in the 1st Marines. You were also quite the crack shot, probably could’ve been a Marine sniper if you wanted to. Then, you joined Marine Raiders and continued to prove yourself to be a capable operator”.
 
The man twisted his face in confusion looking at the pad.
 
“Interesting, you avoided promotions to Sergeant. You should be a Lieutenant by now. You were given some solo ops, mostly recon, and scouting. It seems like you’re a team player, but you rather not be one”.
 
The man handed back the data pad to the woman.
 
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is what you bring to the table, and you bring a lot”.
 
“Like what?” asked Contreras.
 
“Potential.”
 
Contreras rolled his eyes.
 
“Hudson was right; this one isn’t quite the social butterfly. Must be why he likes him”, said the man to his female colleague.
 
“Hudson?” asked Daniel in an annoyed tone.
 
“Oh right, you know him as the suit with the aviators, the “Company man” that accompanied you on your last operation and also gave a glowing report for you. That reminds me, I’m sorry for the loss of your team. Excuse my lack of sensitivity.”
 
Daniel was losing his patience; he knew when he was being buttered up for an offer and wasn’t keen on what he might be offering. The woman, watching from behind her partner, noticed this as well, as she stepped forward.
 
“Corporal Contreras, we’re here to offer you an opportunity of a lifetime”, the woman stated with a surprisingly stern voice.
 
“I’m not interested in being a “Company Ma---“, Contreras retorted before being cut off.
 
“It’s nothing like that. You see, the Colonial Military Administration is putting together a special program, a “special special force” if you will, and you meet those parameters for that program”.
 
Contreras went from being annoyed to being mildly curious, though not fully convinced.
 
“A program?”
 
The man quickly stepped forward in front of her colleague to grab Marine’s attention.
 
“Yes, it's to make you a better soldier, a better man. The colonial rebellions and insurgency are spiraling out of control, and this program is the best answer to that. You’ll be given specialized training, given the best weapons and equipment, and our medical experts will help mold you soldiers into weapons”.
 
Contreras looked down at his sheets, and a hush came over the hospital room only for the woman to break the silence.
 
“We know this is personal for you, Corporal, Not just for what happened to your friends, but what happened to your family, and what happened to you. This is your chance to right those wrongs, and this chance doesn’t come around often”.
 
Several seconds of still silence filled the air in this lifeless, white room. It was all that Daniel needed to make his decision.
 
“All right then, I’m in”.
 
The man gave a slight smile, pleased at the answer.
 
“So, what’s this program called?”, asks Daniel.
 
The women responded with one word.
 
“Orion.”
==Chapter 3: Initiation==
In a bright, sleek room of steel walls, lines of men and women stood at attention, staring at the steel wall. Other uniformed men, likely drill instructors, circled them quietly and gave sneering looks at them.
 
Contreras, also standing at attention in the second row and squeezed between two other trainees, wondered as to what was going on. This was nothing like the special warfare training that he underwent when he was with the Raiders. All of a sudden, a drill instructor, sporting an olive cover and his hands rolled into fists, bursts into the room with a glare that startled even the most hardened operator was a bit surprised. All of a sudden, a drill instructor, sporting an olive cover and his hands rolled into fists, bursts into the room with a glare that startled even the most hardened operator was a bit surprised.
 
“You people think that you’re hot shit. That you’ve seen it all and done it all. Deltas, Raiders, Rangers, Force Recon, Scout Snipers, Froggies, Pararescue, Special Tactics, almost all of you, right?”
 
The room remained silent as the drill sergeant stared daggers into the trainees, with a frown so noticeable you would think it was etched into his face permanently.
 
“Well guess what, beautiful people? I don’t give a damn if you blew up Innies and screwed their significant others afterward. This program is only for the best of the best, and our job is to make these next months of your lives an utter hell. Only the absolute finest will thrive and become the greatest generation of soldiers that humanity has bear fruit”.
 
The senior drill sergeant got in the trainees’ faces and began sizing them up, with his large size becoming more apparent as he got closer to them. Contreras even got a look at the nametag on his vest.
 
“Horton, huh.”
 
“Jesus, no wonder the Innies have been whipping our asses, they let anyone join Spec Ops these days, huh?” yelled the drill sergeant with an unquestionable accent of a Mississippian in North America.
 
The other assistant instructors left some laughs.
 
Contreras could hear some mumbling from the trainees, the disrespect was bothering some of them. Contreras was more curious if anything. He wondered what makes this training program so much more challenging than his previous training.
 
“You people have no idea what is coming, and it’s going to be a joy to see your faces change from those smug looks to absolute misery.”
 
Contreras and a trainee next to him shared a glance at each other, both scoffing at the drill sergeant’s bravado. Contreras was determined to show Ross that he was more than up for the task and to excel in this program.
 
“This should be fun”, thought Contreras as a slight grin emerged.
 
 
Contreras’s face slammed hard into the mud, as he rose to keep moving. He felt a hand come from behind and slam his head back into the ground.
 
“EVERY TIME YOU SLIP AND FALL LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER, I” M SMASHING YOUR FUCKING FACE TO THE FLOOR. DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU PRICK?”, yelled an instructor.
 
Contreras simply stood up and kept going, there was no point in arguing unless he wanted to end up like the last guy who fought back. Beaten so badly by Horton and his legion of DIs that his left eye was closed for a week.
 
“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” thought Contreras, as he dived into the dirt and crawled under barbwire, with a drill instructor firing his AR into the dirt near him, and yelling at the top of his lungs.
 
“GIVE ME A REASON TO SHOOT YOU MORONS. I DARE YOU”.
 
The rain was practically pouring and hitting so hard it felt like small walnuts were being pelted at you. It had been 48 hours of nonstop training, only getting four hours of sleep before they began. Obstacle courses, marches, closed-fist sparring, and constant weapons training. Not to mention, the drill instructors were beating them like they were unwanted stepchildren.
 
After crawling past the barbwire, Contreras and his fellow trainees made a mad dash to the finish line, nearly stumbling over themselves to get there.
 
With his hands on his knees, Contreras tried to catch his breath and a female trainee came into his view as she fell to the mud face first. A shadow loomed over them, and Daniel raised his head to see Horton right in front of him.
 
“Congrats, dipshits. You are this close to finishing another 48 hours of fun! I’ll be the first to admit that I’m impressed that none of you have dropped out. But that’s coming, I can feel it…”
 
Contreras motioned to help his fellow trainee, as he clasped her hand to help her up. The march was next before they could finally rest.
 
He could see the look on everybody’s faces.
 
Exhausted. Frustrated. Anxious.
 
Several minutes later….
 
Contreras, now packed with his gear and jogging alongside other trainees on the roadside, could hear a Warthog drive right beside him, filled with hollering, taunting DIs.
 
The road led to a steep hillside that the ORION candidates have been marching on ever since the training began. It was now time to run it up again.
 
The rain ramped up, and visibility was nearly gone. Contreras and the other candidates struggled to move forward, slowly becoming unsure of where they were going. However, the DIs were nipping at their heels, ready to pounce on the first person to stop.
 
For what seemed like days, Contreras jogged up the hill, relying on pure instinct to get to the top. Daniel’s whole body felt like an albatross, his legs were heavy, his shoulders suffering with soreness, and exhaustion was setting in again. He could also see the other candidates were feeling the same way. Many candidates that started well and were already now grasping for any strength inside them.
 
It was all written on their pained and desperate faces. All of sudden, a trainee stumbled and fell face-first into the gravel in front of Daniel. Contreras and the others ran past him, as the DIs disembarked from the Warthog and circled the trainee like vultures.
 
A beating was coming.
 
As Contreras jogged, his pace slowed as heard the sounds of batons thumping on flesh. The former Raider soon stopped in his tracks and looked back to see the candidates getting pounded back into the ground as he tried to get up. Contreras, with a look of resignation, ran back and broke into the huddle around the fallen trainee picking him up, and slinging his arm over him to help him move.
 
The DIs were not thrilled.
 
“DID I TELL YOU COULD COME BACK FOR HIM?!”
 
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, CANDIDATE?!”
 
Suddenly, Contreras felt a swift thump, as a baton cracked the back of his head. Both of them fell onto the graveled road. As Daniel raised his head, he felt a boot land on his head, and his head bounced off the floor. Soon, the wet ground was mixed with a dark substance.
 
His blood.
 
“Well, Daniel, you knew this was coming”.
 
Contreras turned over to see the DIs around him, eager to lay down a beatdown. One of them motioned closer to him, with a slimy grin on his face. The chuckling and cackling got louder.
 
“Just hurry up, you pansies”, said a defiant Daniel, ready to take the beating. A beating that he was all too familiar with in his years as a street rat.
 
Then, as the DIs raised their batons to strike, a large, hulking figure bursts into Daniel’s view, tackling one of the DIs to the ground. The vicious instructors were caught off guard, as they turned their focus on their attacker. Daniel’s would-be savior was a brick house and he looked like a giant from where Daniel was laying. Batons seemed to do very little but slightly stagger him. The hulking figure grabbed one and threw him like a rag doll while swinging wildly at the DIs.
 
Contreras glanced at the other trainee, who looked out cold, and then stared up into the grey sky.
 
"Screw it."
 
Contreras slowly got up and craned his neck until he heard a pop. He then ran towards the first DI he saw and charged at him as fast as he could. As said DI turned around, Daniel's fist came crashing into his face, knocking him down and clutching his jaw in pain.
 
Contreras came into eye contact with the behemoth, who had just gotten through with slamming a DI into the ground, which saved him and the other trainee. He could see his dark beard and surprisingly friendly eyes. Both glared at each other, before quietly nodding in agreement to their new partnership. Contreras proceeded to sock another DI in his face, knocking him out cold.
 
Five DIs were sprawled on the roadside, either unconscious or writhing in pain. Daniel and his new friend picked up their unconscious comrade, with his arms slung over their respective shoulders. They walked up the hillside, as the rain began to let up a bit.
 
“Mi Nombre es Javier. Yours?”
 
“Daniel. It’s nice to have someone that has my back.”
 
As the three slowly walked their way to end, a Warthog was driving with Horton standing up as they pulled up.
 
"What in the FUCK happened here? Why are you three granny walking? AND Where the hell are Lynch and his posse, they should be on you like flies on cow pies."
 
"They're all taking naps, Drill Sergeant. They got tired with all the motivating they've been doing, Drill Sergeant."
 
Horton looked at the three trainees, with bruising on their faces and hands. It didn't take long for Horton to realize what happened.
 
"Huh, well then. Hurry the hell up. I'm going to wake our sleeping friends, and you better be finished by the time I get back".
 
"Yes, Drill Sergeant", replied all three men in weak and tired voices.
 
As the Warthog sped off, Contreras looked at Rivas and gave him a nod of thanks, and the two picked up the pace as they jogged up the hillside, with both beaten trainees carrying their barely conscious companion.
 
 
Sitting alone at his table, Contreras was swirling the mashed potatoes with his plastic spoon, as his head lay resting on his right hand. Daniel’s eyes struggled to stay open, and he daydreamed about the pillowcase waiting for him in his barracks. He was still tired from CQC training yesterday since Ross decided to pull a near all-nighter with his training unit.
 
Again.
 
Luckily, today was supposed to be relaxing. At least, whatever counts as relaxing right now.
 
The first couple of months of training in ORION was the stuff of nightmares for Daniel. Now, with about 100 or so volunteers still around after several weeks, the DIs switched gears to be more focused on combat and weapons training, instead of their glorified torture sessions. Did not mean it was easier, it simply got “tolerable”. The intensity was still there, DIs still pushed their weight, and simple rest was still hard to come by. Even so, the “Orion candidates” had proven their mettle and were able to handle whatever was thrown at them.
 
Daniel let out a yawn, and his eyes began to feel heavier and heavier.
 
‘CRASH’
 
The sound of a loud tray crashing on the table startled Contreras, and he looked to see who was joining him.
 
“Jesus, Javy”.
 
Javier Rivas, the man who saved his ass from a beating in those early dog days of training, and now his friend. Contreras and Rivas had become near inseparable. With both coming from street urchin backgrounds, both soldiers were able to connect.
 
“Wake up, D. It’s another beautiful morning in paradise”, said Rivas.
 
“You and I have very different interpretations of what paradise is”, replied Contreras as he stuffed a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.
 
“Oh, come on, Cabron. What’s not to love? Shitty cooking, asshole DIs, endless hours of training, and, most importantly, the weather!”
 
Daniel could not help but crack a smile.
 
“I think we both know that the slums are far more luxurious than this slice of hell”.
 
Rivas let out a hearty chuckle.
 
“So, have you checked out the team roster announcements at the training deck?”
 
“Shit,” groaned Daniel.
 
Daniel suddenly remembered in his daze that the Orion candidates were going to be placed into fireteams before the next phase of training began. He was not keen on working with others, except for Javy, of course. Javy has had his back since they fought Horton's DIs months ago, and Daniel wanted to do the same for him.
 
Contreras was often working with others in his days with the Marine Raiders, but on the few scouting runs he ran by himself, he felt freer and could accomplish more on his own than with a team. Moreover, there was the bonus of not having to see his friends getting killed or maimed.
 
The thought of working with others was simply anxiety inducing for Daniel.
 
From a few feet behind them, leaning on the walls with her arms folded, a red-haired woman observed the duo at the table. She watched these two, trying to get a read on them before she met them.
 
“So, have you found our two new partners-in-crime?”, said the man standing next to her.
 
She pointed to Contreras and Rivas. “Yup, see those two goofs there, Riley. The giant and the munchkin.”
 
The man looked at her in confusion.
 
“You’re the last person to be calling anyone tiny, Karina.”
 
Both of them looked at the table, and they looked back at each other.
 
“C’mon, let’s introduce ourselves”, stated the man.
 
Both of them casually walked over to them and proceeded to take a seat right in front of them. Rivas greeted them with his typical smile, while Contreras took a glance at them before focusing on finishing his food.
 
“So, you two are Contreras and Rivas, right?”, asked Karina.
 
“Yes, ma’am. I take it you two are our new teammates?”, replied Rivas.
 
“So, what makes you two so special to get into this program?”, said Karina ignoring Rivas’s question. Contreras picked his eyes up again after he heard her ask that question, getting a sense of hostility from her.
 
The man, with the nametag of Franklin on his left breast, quickly interrupted.
 
“Excuse my friend here, she is a “to-the-point” kind of gal”.
 
Karina spoke up again.
 
“I’m not asking anything wrong, am I? I just want to see what makes our new friends tick”.
 
Contreras put down his spoon and seemed to have a bit more pep in his demeanor.
 
“Marine Raiders. Served in the Outer Colonies.”
 
“Raiders, huh? I remember seeing you guys when I was on Eridanus in my Ranger days. Maybe we crossed paths and didn’t know it.”, said Franklin.
 
“Maybe”, said Contreras as he took a sip from his cup.
 
“The scuttlebutt in our barracks was that there was a crack shot down at the range, even the DIs seemed impressed. He was described as pint-sized and kept to himself a lot. Considering that you match that down to a T, I take it was you”, asked Karina.
 
“If you say so”.
 
Annoyed at Contreras's dismissive attitude, Karina then focused her attention on the smiling giant, Javier.
 
“How ‘bout you? Raiders, Force Recon, SRT? It’s clear you’re a jarhead yourself”.
 
Rivas let out his grin.
 
“That obvious, huh? 1st Combat Engineer Battalion”.
 
Both Karina and Franklin were a bit taken aback, then Karina chuckled.
 
“Oh good, a joker. No, seriously, what was your unit? Karina asked again with a tinge of annoyance in her voice and clearly thinking that Rivas was joking.
 
Javy simply shrugged his shoulders, and Karina had a look of disbelief on her. Franklin interjected, getting the sense that a misunderstanding could happen.
 
“C’mon, Karina. It’s not that surprising. It’s not like there aren’t a few regs here, too”.
 
Karina glared at Franklin and backed off immediately, putting her hands up in resignation. However, it was clear that she wanted to ask more from them.
 
“Excuse our lack of manners, we should’ve introduced ourselves. The name is Riley Franklin, Army Rangers. My rather blunt friend here is- “.
 
Karina cut Riley off before he could finish.
 
“Karina Liberatore, Navy, Special Tactics Squadron. I hope you two are not disappointments. I am told that we would be working with the best. So far, you two leave a lot to be desired”.
 
Karina then stood up and simply walked out of the mess hall, putting on her cap as she walked outside. Both Contreras and Rivas looked in confusion at Franklin, a look that asked what her issue with them was.
 
Riley simply pinched his eyes in frustration.
 
“I promise you; she is cool once you get to know her”.
 
 
With the sun at its highest, four soldiers, outfitted with their training gear and MA5 assault rifles filled with non-lethal but still painful paintball rounds, slowly moved through the trees and bushes in some valley. The lead soldier, Riley Franklin, raised his fist to signal a stop in their movement. Silence filled the air for several seconds.
 
Liberatore, who was close behind him, made a slow approach to Franklin to confer on their next move. Contreras and Rivas were crouched, watching the rear for any hostiles.
 
Franklin whistled for Contreras to come over, which he did.
 
“Ok, we’re not far from the objective, and we haven’t run into any of the other teams, yet. Contreras scout up ahead of us”.
 
Contreras nodded and moved up to the small hill ahead. As soon as he got up to the top, he hit the dirt immediately upon discovering what was up ahead.
 
A roaming patrol of DIs, acting as an enemy squad, was guarding the flag that was sitting in the open woodlands. The goal for Contreras and his team was to take the flag and return to the rally point with it. Contreras quietly motioned his team to move towards him. As they slowly walked their way toward Contreras, Franklin joined him at his side.
 
“I’ve got a team guarding the flag up ahead. It looks like it is just them. If we can take them down quickly, we can grab the flag, and then fly back to our base before others show up”, stated Contreras.
 
“All right, then. Rivas, move behind that tree line on the left flank. Karina, you are with me. We will push them on their right flank. Contreras, need you stay here and provide overwatch. Once we are in position, Contreras and Rivas will lay down suppressive fire, while we sweep up and get the flag. Got it?’
 
Everyone nodded in agreement.
 
Rivas disappeared into the shrubs, while Franklin and Liberatore quietly moved through the bushes. Contreras lay on his belly, aiming his rifle at the soldiers that were clearly on the lookout for the trainees. He scanned the area, picked his target, and took a deep breath.
 
Then, he squeezed the trigger.
 
Rubber rounds, dubbed “stun shots” for their excruciating and sudden pain, hit a DI in the chest, knocking him down. Before the other DIs could react, Rivas opened fire from his position, taking one down and forcing the others into cover. Contreras and Rivas continued to lay down suppressing fire.
 
As Contreras fires his weapon, he takes notice of Franklin and Liberatore slowly moving through the shrubbery and watches as they take some DIs down, whether by coaxing a surrender or a single paintball shot to their back. After a few minutes, the remaining DIs retreated to get needed cover. This allows Liberatore to make a dash to the flag and grab it. She raises her hand in triumph and Contreras lets out a slight grin in satisfaction.
 
That is until a stun shot hits her in the back, knocking her down.
 
Contreras immediately scans the woodlands in front of him, looking for the source. Only to see that the DIs have been reinforced by other hostile DIs. For a brief second, Contreras dropped his guard.
 
Now frantically firing at the approaching hostiles, Contreras sees Franklin running for cover behind some resting boulders. While Rivas, hiding in the tree line, is suppressed by concentrated fire. Over the horizon, a new batch of DIs arrives, already complicating the scenario.
 
“FALL BACK”, yells Franklin as stun rounds whizz over the fallen trunk that he is taking cover in. As Contreras prepares to lay down cover fire, he sees a visibly perturbed Liberatore on the ground with the red flag right next to her.
 
With little hesitation, Contreras rushes out from his spot and sprints toward Liberatore, dodging and weaving incoming stun rounds.
 
“WAIT, DEE. GET BACK”, yells Rivas as he begins to return fire from behind his tree.
 
Rivas and Franklin, seeing this, yell for Contreras to get back, but it’s clear that he is already committed.
 
Contreras dives into the ground and picks up the dirt-covered flag. He glances at Liberatore, who gives a look mixed with bafflement and irritation.
 
“What the hell are you doing?”, she says.
 
“Getting the job done”, replies Contreras.
 
“You’re supposed to be covering our retreat! This is not the ti-“, she is cut off by a stray stun round that hits her again, and Karina writes in pain.
 
“Later, K”.
 
Contreras quickly rose from the ground to begin his dash back. However, as he turned to return to his original position, another group of DIs appears from the hillside and proceeds to take out Rivas. They had flanked them and now Contreras and Franklin were encircled. Franklin glanced at Contreras, with nothing but displeasure in his eyes.
 
“Shit”.
 
A volley of hard-hitting stun shots quickly ended the exercise.
 
35 minutes later...
 
With sweat dripping from his head and dents marking his BDU, Contreras sits on the bench in a locker room, head down and defeated. He ran the situation over his head, repeatedly, wondering what could have been done differently. He already knew he should have stayed to cover their retreat, and probably should have remained focused on the tree line in front of him.
 
However, what was also running through his head was how his team would react.
 
After switching out of his BDU and back into his fatigues, Contreras walked out of the lockers into the halls, only to see a visibly bothered Liberatore waiting for him outside, leaning on the wall and with a look that slightly unnerved him
 
“Fuck.”
 
Bouncing off the wall, Liberatore walked over and smacked Contreras over the upside of his head.
 
“Really? You went off on your own again, and this time it cost us big time.”
 
Contreras rubbed his head.
 
“Give it a rest, Karina. Both Horton and Franklin already reamed me. I get it already, and I don't need you rubbing it in my face”.
 
Karina scoffed.
 
“I doubt that you've learned a goddamn thing. This is becoming too much of a habit with you. The only reason you have not been called on your lone wolf bull is that you’ve been lucky. That is, until today…”
 
Contreras rolled his eyes.
 
“Lucky? I’m not the one who took their eyes off the prize. Maybe you need some luck if you’re going to screw up like that…”
 
Karina did not take kindly to that and proceeded to get into his face. Both stared each other down for several seconds, but it seemed like minutes for both.
 
“Whoa, hey easy. It was just one exercise, chicos. No need to get worked up over this”, yelled Rivas as he walked towards them in the hallway.
 
As soon as he got to them, Rivas placed his large arms around both Daniel and Karina, shaking them a bit in a friendly manner to ease the tension.
 
“Look, this is just one setback. We’ve been dominating these so-called “war games” with the DIs. We just got to learn from this, and we’ll be fine”.
 
Karina glanced at Rivas, before looking back at Contreras who was now avoiding eye contact with her.
 
“Whatever…”
 
Pushing Javier's arm away, Karina left the two alone and exited the hallway through the doors on the far end. As soon as she was gone, Rivas’s relaxed demeanor slightly shifted, and his eyes focused on Contreras and let out a loud whistle.
 
“I just saved your ass. She could’ve clocked you, and I wouldn’t blame her for doing so”.
 
Contreras let out a sigh, knowing that Javy was right.
 
He usually was.
 
“Look, I get it, you like to be your man. However, we are a team now. All four of us need each other. We either succeed or fail together. If we don't figure this out, we're going to wash out. It's that simple.”
 
Daniel shrugged in resignation. He knew what was at stake, and they couldn't afford any screw-ups at this point even if it was just one.
 
"I suggest that you figure it out, Dee", said Riley as he emerged from the locker room.
 
Franklin's piercing eyes focused on Daniel, as he adjusted his cap and crossed his arms, leaning on the back of the wall.
 
"You two haven't exactly been cooperative ever since we were put together. Both of you have shown little willingness to work together, and it's a miracle we haven't been washed out till now. But talent only gets you so far".
 
Daniel looked down, like a child disciplined, and every word Franklin had said was piercing through his head like a needle.
 
"You both need to get over yourselves, and focus on what's best for this unit. Otherwise, you don't belong here".
 
Franklin and Rivas both walk off as they head out the hallway, leaving Daniel alone slumped on the wall and looking at the ceiling lights.
 
 
With the sun beating down on him, Contreras lay on his belly, looking through the scope of his DMR, as he patiently waits to squeeze the trigger again. The shooting target, the typical silhouette steel target, looked pristine from a distance. However, a closer examination revealed that grouped shots at the head and chest areas created two dents that were the size of a tennis ball. Contreras took a breath and squeezed.
 
A distant pang rang out
 
"Excellent shots, Contreras. It looks like our dwarf can actually shoot", said a drill sergeant sitting nearby, as he watched through a scope himself.
 
"Thank you, Drill Sergeant".
 
Contreras fired off the last round in his clip, and the drill sergeant let out a whistle of approval.
 
"Good shit, all 15 rounds hit the target. Lay the rifle down and report back to barracks".
 
As the Sergeant stood up and walked away, Contreras glanced at this left to see other candidates firing their rifles. Among them was Liberatore, who had a look of frustration on her face. She was a solid shot, but being solid was never enough for her.
 
Contreras took a deep breath and walked out of the range, dreading on what was coming next.
 
10 minutes later...
 
As Karina walked out of the range, she noticed her pint-sized headache was sitting on some handbags, looking down and twiddling his hands. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, knowing he was supposed to be at the barracks getting ready for another march.
 
"What are you doing, we've got about thirty befor--", began Karina.
 
"I know, I know. I just figured this was the best opportunity to address some things".
 
Karina immediately picked up what was happening.
 
"If you are expecting an apology, you are about to be sorely disappointed".
 
Daniel groaned.
 
"I'm not looking for one. I just want to say that..."
 
Daniel paused, carefully thinking about what his next words would be. Karina, with crossed arms, looked impatient and looked as if she was about to punch him before Daniel let out his next words.
 
"You're right, ok? You were right. I know I have been a pain to work with, and I have done no favors to this team. I have been trying to solo this shit when I should be following Riley's lead and not leaving you guys high and dry. We've gotten by so far, but I screwed up big time in that field exercise in November and that shit has been bothering me since."
 
Karina slowly uncrossed her arms, more attentive to every word now and her eyes going from stern to somewhat relaxed.
 
"What I'm trying to say is that I'm done being a problem, and I'm focused on making this team work like it's supposed to. I'm not asking for forgiveness, nor am I asking for an apology. I'm asking if you can give me a shot to earn your trust, so we can be the best that we can be".
 
Karina thought about it as she stared at him, which seemed like an eternity for Daniel.
 
Karina looked straight at Daniel and shook her head with a chuckle.
 
Karina was not expecting someone like Daniel to bury his ego as he did and humble himself. She had been used to dealing with people, mainly her parents or superiors, giving her guff over her attitude. In fact, Karina realized that she should have probably taken the same approach as Daniel did. It would have saved her a lot of trouble early on.
 
She sighed and a slight smile broke out.
 
"Well, I, uh, appreciate this. Not going to lie, you really caught me off guard. I was expecting you to call me a bitch, and then I punch you in the face. Nice change of pace this time".
 
Karina noticed how Daniel became more relaxed with his body language.
 
"Maybe I've been giving you too much of a hard time, too. How about this? You cut the lone wolf crap, and I won't clock you. Deal?” said Karina with a sarcastic smile.
 
"Sounds about fair,” Contreras chuckled, and both shook hands.
 
"Let's get back to the barracks, shorty. We don't want to give Riley a fit".
 
"You do realize we are about the same height, right?” responded Contreras.
 
"Yeah, and?”
 
Contreras shrugged in defeat, and both walked towards their barracks.
 
 
"You've got this...”
 
Contreras, outfitted in full gear and sitting on a log under the damp sky, was muttering under his breath. The rest of his team was also there, with Karina sitting next to him and Franklin and Rivas conversing with each other nearby.
 
After several months of ever-intensifying combat exercises and advanced weapons training, the training phase for the ORION project was entering its final stage. Contreras could feel the end was near, and he had been able to endure and thrive these last few months. Contreras also had to learn to work as a team again. These were not his Raider friends that he fought alongside him and let him lead; it was an entirely new dynamic for him.
 
Now, they were going through the “Crucible”, the final phase of their training. This was a navigational combat exercises in the preserve, conducted day and night under heavy loads of equipment and gear, in varied weather conditions, and in rough environments. Not only that, but they were also hunted by “enemy fighters”, drill instructors organized into squads, and they had to either evade or neutralize them.
 
The goal was simple: Navigate the preserve, survive the encounters with hostile DIs, and reach your objective before time expires.
 
Contreras and his team had undergone two trips, both failing. They could not afford to fail anymore without risking washout. They had planned meticulously for this exercise this time, and things were going better this time around, avoiding enemy patrols and making good time.
 
Contreras looked up to the sky, as small raindrops hit his mud-covered face. Karina approached and tapped his shoulder, where Contreras turned to see Liberatore motioning for him to get up.
 
“Breaks over, Riley says we need to keep pace”, said Karina.
 
Contreras sat up from the log and fell in with his team, as they huddled in to plan their next move as the rain started trickling a little harder.
 
“All right, boys and girls, we are not that far from the objective. We’ve made it this far with no screw-ups. Keep yourselves frosty”, states Riley as he looks at the tac map on his wrist.
 
Karina took point and led them deeper into the dense woods, as Franklin and Rivas watched their flanks and Contreras watched the rear. With his eyes scanning the tree lines and bushes, Contreras’s mind was going into overdrive, thoughts of possible ambush locations raced through his head, and he constantly checked his Assault rifle to ensure that it would not jam. The rain began to fall at a rapid pace.
 
“Focus, Daniel. Just be present.”
 
‘’Several hours later...”
 
As the night sky faded in, the four troopers waded through the heavy trees, crossed rivers, and ascended hillsides toward their objective. At this point, fatigue was starting to set in for them. Contreras could feel his legs get heavier with every step, and his focus waning. Looking at his teammates, he could see that the march was also taking its toll on them, as their collective feet noticeably dragged across the dirt.
 
However, they could not stop, not with the objective so close and with the DIs likely on their tail.
 
After several minutes of navigating the woods and reaching a riverbed, Franklin signaled for a stop with his fist, and the team immediately crouched down, keeping still for a minute or two. Franklin motioned for Contreras to come to him, in which Daniel quickly stepped to him.
 
“All right, we’re not that far off from the objective. We made good time, so let’s take this carefully. D, I’m going to need you to scout what’s waiting for us beyond the ridge”.
 
Contreras gives a nod to Franklin and begins his climb up the ridge in front of them. As he came over the top, Contreras quickly got on his belly, hugging his rifle, and crawled slowly to the tree line. As he crawled, he could feel that his body was in pain.
 
Daniel wasn’t sure if he had gotten hurt, or he was just weary beyond comprehension. Either way, it wasn’t stopping him from pushing forward.
 
As Daniel reached the tree line in front of him, he could see the objective, their ultimate goal.
 
A small, grassy hill with markers to indicate the team had reached the safe zone, making them the “Kings of the Hill”. However, something stood in their way.
 
A squad of DIs, armed with their rifles, taking up defensive positions, and patrolling routes in the small valley below him, looking to ambush any incoming trainees.
 
Contreras pressed his ear.
 
“Delta-One, I’ve got eyes on our objective, but a dozen of our DIs guarding the site. It doesn’t look easy”
 
“Shit, it probably means we need to act quickly and with surprise, especially with their patrolling pals not too far off from us. We’re making our way to you”, responded Franklin on the comms.
 
Daniel turned back to see his teammates pull themselves up and over the ridge and slowly make their way.
 
Franklin pulls up next to Contreras and scans the area before him.
 
“All right, this shit should be easy. Contreras, you’re on overwatch. Rivas and Liberatore take up positions behind the boulders on the left flank and prepare to fire. I’ll take up a firing position on the right flank, near that tree line. We go on Contreras’s shot. Let’s get this done”.
 
Rivas and Liberatore immediately began slow crawling through the tall grass, slowly and methodically making their way behind the set of small boulders on the left flank. Making sure not to attract the attention of the wandering DIIs, Franklin slowly crawled and makes his way behind the tree line, shooting a nod of confidence at Daniel as he disappeared from view.
 
Contreras adjusted his firing stance, selecting his first target, and lay on his belly, patiently waiting for the order from Riley. Minutes passed as Daniel had his eyes and rifle aimed at a DI that looked to be calling shots for one of the squads roaming the
 
The radio crackled.
 
“Delta One, in position”, said Franklin.
 
A few seconds pass.
 
“Delta Two and Three in position”, said Liberatore.
 
“Delta Four, you are green”
 
Contreras, taking a deep inhale and steadying his assault rifle, watches as his target moved up the hillside with his back to him.
 
As he relaxes his shoulders, Daniel squeezes the trigger.
 
The DI fell to the ground, reaching for his back as he yelped in pain. The other DIs had a brief moment of shock before regaining their wits.
 
However, all Daniel needed was a moment.
 
As the DIs panicky scanned for the source shout, Contreras focused on the two DIs closest to his position and aimed his rifle at their chests.
 
Two loud bursts led those two DIs to crumple to the ground.
 
Within seconds, the remaining DIs came running to the source of the sound and quickly noticed the source of the sniper fire. However, before they could return fire, a barrage of stun rounds came at them. Contreras watched them crumple to the ground, as stun rounds can be seen being shot from the boulders on their left side.
 
Two of them escape the barrage and desperately try to run up the hillside for cover.
 
Stun rounds from the tree line crashed into their backs, and their stiff bodies rolled down the hillside.
 
“Good shit”.
 
Franklin emerges from behind the boulders, and motions for Liberatore and Rivas to move on up with him to the hilltop. Franklin shot a thumb up at Contreras and motioned for him to join them. As he watched them slowly make their way, Contreras hears rustling from behind and turns to peek over the ridge, to see what is making the noise.
 
He came into eye contact with a 12-man patrol of DIs that were about to climb up the ridge towards him.
 
“Crap”
 
Daniel jerked his head back to avoid the stun rounds that nearly hit his head.
 
Contreras got up, jumping down the hill into the slope below, landing hard, and nearly face planting. He sprinted towards the hilltop, just as the DIs had climbed over the ridge. They opened fire on Contreras, as he tried to weave past the incoming rounds lobbed at him. Franklin and the team, hearing the commotion, took cover in the tall grass and laid down cover for Contreras. As he got closer to the hillside, Contreras could hear the frantic yelling from Rivas and Franklin to hurry up the hill.
 
As soon as Contreras reached them in the tall grass, the team made a desperate dash to the hilltop, their salvation. However, as soon as they turned their backs to make their way, Liberatore went down on one knee, as a stun round hit her in the left leg. Contreras, being the nearest to her, turned around and quickly hoisted her over his shoulders in a firefighter’s carry.
 
“Leave me, get to the objective”, mumbled Karina in a strained tone.
 
Ignoring her, Contreras climbed up the slope, with rounds hitting the dirt and whizzing around him. As the peak of the hill came into view, he could see Franklin and Rivas making their first steps into the safe zone and yelled for Contreras to hurry. Mustering up the strength in his fatigued legs, Contreras ran hard to the safe zone but took a stun round in his right thigh. Contreras’s right leg went limp and had to limp the rest of the way.
 
The objective was a few feet away, and Contreras, a glare of determination, would not be denied this time. When he was within inches, Contreras dove into the objective zone, flinging his body and Liberatore into the safe zone as the stun rounds just missed his head. A loud buzzer horn went off as Contreras’s face landed into the dirt.
 
They made it.
 
All of them.
 
Contreras lay face down on the dirt for a few moments, mimicking the stillness of a corpse. He felt the cold dirt and prickly grass, but it gave him the comfort of a queen-sized bed.
 
“You jackass, you didn’t need to go back for me. You just only got yourself stunned” said an exhausted Karina, who was on her back and her eyes looking straight into the sky.
 
Daniel slowly lifted his head and turned to Karina, with some dirt stuck to his face and glazed eyes.
 
“I just wanted to have something to hold over you for the next time you call me a screw-up. Trust me, I’ll leave you behind next time” replied a smiling Daniel.
 
Karina looked over in his direction and chuckled.
 
“That won't last long, I'm going to be pulling your ass out of the fire soon enough”, responded Karina.
 
Rivas and Franklin, who were lying on the side of a tree trunk, approached the still bodies of their two teammates. Rivas picked up Contreras, while Franklin helped Liberatore up to her feet.
 
“What this? Is our dysfunctional dynamic duo actually getting along? Wonders never cease.” said a sarcastic Franklin.
 
“Fuck off,” blurted Contreras and Liberatore in unison.
 
“All right, chicos, let’s get you guys checked at the infirmary,” said Rivas.
 
As the team walked out of the training preserve to the medical facilities, they walked past a group of DIs observing them from the observation deck. A weary Contreras, with his arm over Rivas’s shoulder, looked over to see the familiar white mustache and stern face of Senior Drill Instructor Horton.
 
For a split second, as his view faded, Contreras thought Horton gave him a slight nod of approval.
 
 
Looking at his arms and squeezing his hands into fists while sitting on the bench, Daniel was in disbelief at what he was seeing and feeling. He picked up the dumbbell with ease for a set of curls. As his right arm curled, Daniel could barely feel any strain on his arm.
 
As soon as he finished his fifteenth curl, Daniel dropped the 15 kg dumbbell on the floor, and a loud clang echoed throughout the training room.
 
Contreras looked to his right, seeing Liberatore hitting the heavy bag with punches that sounded like hammers hitting steel.
 
She was hitting with jabs and uppercuts quickly and efficiently. It wasn’t just the punches that were impressive, but her movements and reflexes seemed supernatural to Contreras. She finished it off with an uppercut that went through the bag like a knife through butter.
 
She quickly removed her fist, and sand poured out of the hole she just left.
 
“That’s the fifth one, Karina. How about saving it for the enemy, huh?” said Contreras.
 
“I was holding back”.
 
Franklin and Rivas, who were just finished bench-pressing the equivalent of a bundle of cement blocks, approached the bag to examine the extent of the damage. Rivas let out a long whistle as he examined the fist-sized hole.
 
“Well, it sounds like you boys and girls are enjoying your new augmentations. Almost a little too much…”, states Franklin.
 
Rivas, who is even more of a giant now than he was before, lets out a hearty laugh as he sits on the bench next to Daniel with a loud thud.
 
“Well, it’s not every day that you are given abilities that make you closet thing to Superman”, says Rivas.
 
“I guess not,” says Franklin with a smile.
 
After completing their months-long intensive combat training, the ORION candidates underwent augmentation procedures on their bodies. These medical procedures made them faster, stronger, and more resilient, and other benefits that probably hadn’t been made known yet to ORION operatives.
 
Contreras, who was no stranger to being in good physical condition due to his days in athletics, was in utter shock that someone could be so fast and so strong with a few medical surgeries.
 
“Well, the workout is over now. We have to get ready for the briefing. So, hit the showers and meet me outside the barracks”, ordered Franklin as he was replacing the heavy bag and attacking the new one.
 
Franklin lobbed the deflated bag into a pile of a dozen or so ripped-up bags in the corner of the weight room.
 
A few hours later…
 
The briefing room filled with chatter from dozens upon dozens of ORION trainees, with some DIs even exchanging some words as well. As training progressed, tensions died down a bit with the DIs. They went through hell in their training exercises, but there was now an unspoken respect between the two parties.
 
Contreras, who had his cap covering his face as he sat behind the wooden table, was trying to a few winks in, as he expected another brutal all-night training exercise. Rivas and Franklin were chatting it up with other ORIONs, and Karina, sitting next to Daniel, was showing a trainee how hit a proper jab combination.
 
All of a sudden, the door swung open, and Ross came bursting in.
 
The ORIONs immediately stood at attention, before Ross quickly uttered “at ease”.
 
Another officer, accompanied by several suits, came into the room, standing behind Ross, who cleared his throat before uttering his next words.
 
“Ladies and Gentlemen, for months, and for some of you, years, you have all endured grueling and punishing training that would break even the most hardened soldiers and operators in the UNSC. You have endured, you have overcome, and now, you have finished. There is nothing left to learn, and you will now be thrown to hell itself”.
 
The mood in the room went from mildly relaxed to thick tension. Contreras sat upright as Horton’s speech went on, realizing what was coming.
 
“These gentlemen behind me, who you will be taking orders from now on. Whatever happens now, know that I’m proud to have trained you all.”
 
Horton made a quick exit out the door, never looking back and vanishing from view. The officer, who was in a clean-cut officer’s uniform with no ribbon out of place, stepped forward with all the attention now on him.
 
“I’m Commander Lorreta, Naval Intelligence, and I’m one of your new bosses. The ORION program is nearing its final phase and now it’s time for what you’ve been training to do, and that is to become the vanguard for the Earth and her colonies against chaos, terrorism, and insurrection”.
 
The Colonel motioned his hand to one of the suits standing behind him to come forward, which she approached and activated the holo-table in front of them, which displayed the colony of Eridanus II.
 
“This is Eridanus II, most of you are familiar with this planet so I’ll get to the point. The Secessionist Union, one of the more prominent factions in the Insurrectionist movement, has been orchestrating. a methodical and thorough series of attacks involving terrorist bombings, political assassinations, assaults on military installations, and kidnappings that have allowed them to seize substantial control of Eridanus II They have also amassed a small fleet of starships to blockade the planet”.
 
The Colonel moved in front of the table and got up in front of the crowd in the auditorium, looking into their collective eyes.
 
“This was all accomplished by Colonel Robert Watts, a decorated and highly regarded commander of the Marine Corps. These rebels are not like the ones you’ve fought before, they are well-equipped, well-trained, and very familiar with our tactics. They have dug in and fortified their positions, ready to fight us to the bitter end”.
 
The Colonel began to slowly pace across the room, as he looked up and down the auditorium into the eyes of his large band of elite soldiers that sat before him.
 
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now being called upon to end the occupation on Eridanus II and bring those responsible to a swift and righteous end. You have been training for this moment, a moment that will create a ripple effect in human history”.
 
The auditorium shifted and changed, as a sense of anxiety and excitement started to fill the room.
 
“To be blunt, it’s game time and you’re all on deck. Any questions?”
 
A quiet stillness filled the room for what seemed like an eternity, and then someone from darkened corners of the audience piped up in response.
 
“Yeah, when do we kill ‘em?”
==Chapter 4: Charlemagne's Horses==
In the bay of a Pelican cruising through the night skies of Eridanus II, ORION operators, blazoned with sleek black armor, kitted with the best weapons, and advanced equipment; preparing to offload as they approach their objective. The sounds of rummaging rifles and equipment juggling filled the silent Pelican bay with nervous energy.
 
“Thirty seconds,” a crackled voice came over the comms.
 
Riley Franklin, leading this chalk, walks down the line of the bay and turns to face the men and women that he is charged with, looking into the darkened visors of their pitch-black helmets.
 
“Delta Team offloads here. Echo Team stays onboard to land downrange. Both teams meet in the middle. We do this quickly and quietly and surround the target before he escapes. Remember, this is a capture or kill op.”
 
As soon as those last words left Riley’s lips, the bay doors open with the tall grass rustling as the Pelican touched down. Six ORION operators quickly rush out the dropship and get in formation at the landing zone.
 
Contreras, bringing up the rear, stands up and trades fist-bumps with a fellow operator as he disembarks from the Pelican and joins his team on the ground.
 
As the Pelicans lifts off and flies to the next landing zone, Riley motions his team to move forward into the target area, a lightly wooded forest that surrounded a small farming settlement that had been turned into a command outpost for the Secessionist insurgents. Intel had suggested that this one of the possible locations for Colonel Watts, due to its unusually high troop presence in the area.
 
After reaching the settlement’s wired paddock, Delta team quickly moves through the area to its first target building, several rebels guarded a two-story pioneer dormitory building that. Outfitted with stolen Army and Marine BDUs and armed with MA5 rifles, these rebel sentries were on guard but were also not alert to the area around them.
 
Sitting ducks.’’
 
As the team hid in the tree line near the target building. Franklin motioned for Contreras and Liberatore to take up overwatch positions. Both nod in the affirmative, as Contreras slowly crouched to the right flank of paddock while Liberatore slinked away to the left side of field to find her firing position.
 
After low-crawling and taking cover behind some crates and barrels, Contreras aims his silenced M295 marksman riffle at the concrete building in front of him. He watched through his scope as Franklin and Rivas moved behind some farming equipment and machines, and two other ORION troopers, Allen Jackson and Judy Carlson, moved behind some workbenches for cover.
 
Franklin came over the comms.
 
“Delta-Four, we go on your shot. The rest of us will breach the building while you and Delta-Two take out the sentries and ward off the curious”.
 
“Copy,” replied Contreras and Liberatore in unison.
 
Scanning for targets, Contreras watched a pair of sentries pace the balcony of what looked to be the kiva’s concrete dormitory, with two other rebels having a smoke break in front of the building. He picked out one of the rebels on the balcony, who was staring up in the night sky and completely out of view of his friend that was with him.
 
“On your mark. Delta-Four” said Liberatore over the radio.
 
Contreras squeezed the trigger, as a silent pop cracked his rifle.
 
The dozing insurgent’s head violently jerked back as his body slowly fell to ground with a thud. Before his accompanying guard could check up on his friend and ask him what the sound was, he slumped to the floor as Liberatore’s round entered the back of his skull.
 
As soon as the two sentries went down, Riley and the rest of the team rushed towards the building, stacking up in breaching positions.
Jackson brushes past Riley, as he slaps a door charge and speeds back to his position.
 
“Jackson, do it”, whispered Riley.
 
The trooper, with a small pen-like device in his hand, pressed hard on the button.
 
BOOM
 
Daniel watched through his scope as Riley and his team rushed into blown doorway and could faintly see muzzle flashes and a few loud gunshots from wildly shooting rebels, as shadows danced through the doorways and windows of the building.
Then, it all went silent.
 
“Clear” said Riley over the comms.
 
The others repeated the “clear” soon after.
 
“Delta-Four, Delta-Two, regroup with us in the building,” ordered Riley.
 
“Roger” said the two ORION sharpshooters in unison.
 
Both Daniel and Karina strolled into the living room of the building, with a body slumped over a coffee table and another lying face down near the door. He noticed a trail blood leading into the bedroom nearby.
 
“Good shit, guys,” remarked Liberatore as she surveyed the room as Contreras searched the bodies.
 
“No sign of Watts, but there is some good intel upstairs,” said Javier as he stomped down the stairs with a data pad in his hand.
Riley snatched the data pad, giving it a look before throwing to Karina for her to inspect and to stuff with her gear.
 
“Jackson, Carlson. Bag what you can on the second floor and meet us outside. Everyone else on me.”
 
The four operators walked out of the building, facing the field in front of them, filled with decayed farming equipment and ruined crops. Riley looked at the tac-pad on his wrist before he turned to face his team.
 
“Alright, no Colonel Watts, but intel says there is a nearby warehouse that is housing weapons, vehicles, and equipment for the rebels. He could be there.”
 
“Or it could another dead end.” replied Karina.
 
“Wouldn’t surprise me if Intel was off again” scoffed Daniel.
 
Riley put his hand up, cutting the chatter off and getting the focus back on him.
 
“Even if he is not there, we still need take that warehouse before we link back up with Echo. We cannot let SU have this area.”
Jackson and Carlson walked out the building, with their rucksacks and soft cases looking a bit bulkier.
 
“We grabbed what we can, sir.” said Jackson.
 
“Roger. Let us cut across that field. The target building is on the other side,” ordered Franklin.
 
The six-man fireteam, with their weapons ready and in a V-formation, slowly walked into the field, moving past the farming tractors and dead crops like wind through trees.
 
Contreras, being the point man, rigorously scanned the area in front of him, with his DMR at the ready. As they reached the edge of the field, Contreras spotted the warehouse and noticed the roll-up door was open, with the inside view too dark to see from his view. Contreras raised his fist for a stop, with the entire team stopping and squatting down.
 
“Spotted the warehouse. Roll up door is open. Might be contacts inside”, Contreras whispered to Franklin.
 
“Copy, Let’s clear it out then.”
 
Contreras and the team quickly crouched under the door and entered the darkened warehouse. It was dark and difficult to see, and. before they could move further, Franklin motioned for the team to halt.
 
“Adjust your visors, and set it to enhanced Night visi-"
 
Suddenly, the warehouse lights turned on and SU soldiers busted out of hiding. Contreras dived behind some metal containers, while the rest of the ORION team ran to nearby pieces of cover, be it crates, containers, or sandbags, as the Secessionist soldiers fired wildly at them.
 
“DIE UEG SCUM”
 
“CONTACT, CONTACT!”
 
Contreras, hunched behind a crate and his rifle at the ready, listened intently as bullets whizzed over him. He waited for his moment, slowing his breathing and getting his finger on the trigger.
 
Then, he heard the clicks of empty MA5s and clanging of falling magazines.
 
Contreras rose from his cover, and aimed his rifle at the catwalk where two rebels were frantically reloaded their weapons. As soon as his crosshair was on the head of his target, Contreras squeezed the trigger.
 
The insurgent’s head jerked back, and his compatriot watched in horror as the man’s body fell over the railing to the ground below. The panicked rebel reloaded his weapon but, before he could return fire, another shot rang out and bullet entered the side of his skull, where his body slumped face down on the catwalk.
 
The other ORION soldiers followed suit, returned fire from their covered positions. The other rebels, who were now trying to reload their weapons and return fire, were cut down one by one, until a frag grenade lobbed by Rivas shred the last two SU soldiers.
 
With no more bullets showering them, the troopers moved out of their cover and quickly began to secure the warehouse, searching the rooms and corners of the building.
 
“We clear?”
 
“All Clear.”
 
“Alright, search this place. Let us see why they were so desperate to defend this building”, ordered Franklin. As the troopers searched, Contreras came across a large tank treads being covered by a cover, and began to tug on it.
 
“Rivas, over here. Help me get this thing down.”
 
Contreras and Rivas ripped the heavy cover down, revealing an ASGM-7 missile loaded on large cargo truck being prepped for transport. Contreras let out an audible ‘’Holy shit’’ that caught the attention of the rest of the squad. The troopers marveled at the sight, and began whispering among themselves. Franklin stepped in front of them, getting their focus on him.
 
“Stay focused. We still got more shit to cover,” barked Franklin. As the troopers dispersed and continued to search the warehouse, Franklin pressed on his ear and focused his gaze on the weapon in front of him.
 
“Eagle-Actual, this is Delta-One, how copy?’
 
“Eagle-Actual reads, send traffic”.
 
“Area secured, and LZ established. We secured the warehouse and found a weapons cache, and got eyes on a missile”.
 
“Delta-One, repeat last transmission”.
 
“I say again, SU has a missile”.
 
The silence over the comms lasted several seconds before Eagle-Actual responded.
 
“Alright, Delta-One, leave a tracker for the Marines to find, so we can recover that missile. Then, rendezvous with Bravo team nearby for tasking. Sergeant Coney has some targets for you to deal with”.
 
“Roger, Delta-One out”.
 
Franklin twirled his finger in a circle, signaling for the team to form up around. The troopers quickly circled Riley, with their weapons at the ready. Franklin could feel the tension in their stares.
 
“Jackson, tag the missile for the grunts”.
 
The trooper nodded in affirmation and jogged to the rear of the vehicle.
 
“We’ve got some new tasking. So, we’re rounding up Bravo team first before we head out.”
 
“Lieutenant, what about our main objective? Sunrise is near and we cou—“, asked Contreras before being cut off by Franklin.
 
“Relax, Dee. We’re going to get to those bastards don’t you worry. What you need to worry about is not to give Sergeant Coney a reason to tear your ass asunder because you were thirty seconds late”.
 
Slight chuckles rang out from Rivas and Carlson, as Liberatore grabbed Contreras’s shoulder, giving a reassured look to the nervous Daniel. The troopers then jogged into the tree line nearby, disappearing behind the grass and shrubbery.
 
 
“Where the hell are they?”
 
Franklin checked his wrist, looking at his TacPad to update him on his mission time.
 
“Contreras and Liberatore better be here soon”, thought an impatient Riley, as he and his platoon of twenty operatives were crouched on the top of hillside, overlooking the SU’s large base of operations couched into Eridanus’s forestry and their next objective.
 
Franklin was hoping that his two troopers would be back by now. They had been tasked by Sergeant Coney to assist in eliminating fleeing rebel survivors that could alert the Secessionists to their presence.
 
It’s been nearly two hours since they were tasked.
 
Suddenly, Franklin and his squad were alerted by movement behind them, as the sounds of grass being crunched by foots. forcing the ORION operators to ready their weapons and turn their gaze on the shrubbery behind them.
 
“Star”, whispered Franklin.
 
“Texas”, replied Liberatore.
 
Franklin sighed and relaxed himself, along with the rest of the squad, as Contreras and Liberatore emerged from the dark.
 
“Sorry that we took a while. Coney had a lot of targets for us to take care of”, said Liberatore.
 
“All that matters is you made it in time to hit our next objective, replied a resting Rivas nearby.
 
Franklin turned his attention back to the target that laid before him, as he used his binoculars to inspect the rebel forward operating base resting in the valley below him.
 
The FOB, which was nestled in the valley’s dense woodlands, was surrounded by large fencing, with its entranceways guarded by makeshift machinegun nests, concrete sniper towers, and roaming patrols. Inside the rebel's forward operating base, a large concrete control tower overlooked the entire area within, which included a helipad, a runway, barracks, hangers, garages, and concrete bunkers housing ammo and fuel. He could also see Pelicans and S-14 Strike Fighters in their hangers, alongside some radar devices and operational Surface to Air Missile launchers.
Within the base, Franklin could spot several dozen rebels roaming the grounds, seemingly relaxed and unaware of any UNSC presence. Riley twirled his finger for everyone to gather on him as he put away his binoculars.
“Alright, the rest of the task force is likely in position right now and about to hit their objectives. We need to get down there, and get this done. It needs to be quiet and quick. Everybody got that?”, stated Franklin.
 
“Copy”, stated the ORION operatives in unison.
 
“Then, boys and girls, let’s get to work”.
 
0700 Hours
 
Contreras knew they were behind schedule, as he and his team trudged their ways through woods towards the firebase. They were supposed to have taken this base about an hour ago, making way for the incoming Marines that were supposed to be here soon. However, the more-than-expected rebel presence had definitely slowed their progress.
 
Contreras and the platoon were at least able to make quick time, as they were quickly turned a near two-hour trek into little less than one hour. Contreras realized that he barely broke a sweat during this entire mission, and fatigue had not even set in. These augments were definitely doing their part, that much was sure.
 
Franklin then raised his fist, signaling for his platoon to stop and crouch down behind the shrubbery and trees.
 
“We’re here”, said Franklin over the radio.
 
Before them was one base’s entrances, guarded by four nonchalant, talkative insurgents having a smoke at the checkpoint and overlooked by two concrete towers that was occupied by a pair of snipers. One of the many rebel patrols made their way to the entrance, having a brief conversation with the guards before continuing their run around base.
 
“We’ve got to take out the guards before another patrol comes back around. Contreras, you’ve got the snipers, everyone else target the hostiles on the ground”.
 
Contreras took aim with his DMR, with crosshairs focused on rifleman on the tower on the right, gazing around. Taking a deep breath, Contreras squeezed the trigger and silent pang cracked from his rifle. The guard’s head jerked back and his body slumped down.
 
Contreras immediately turn his attention on the left tower, as he scoped on his next target, a careless rebel gazing at the sky. Deep breath, trigger squeezed, a silent crack, and another corpse crumpled on the ground.
 
Rinse and repeat.
 
“All elements, open fire on the four guards”, ordered Franklin as he witnessed the last sniper go down. The four chitchatting rebels hit the floor before they knew what hit them, as a hail of silenced fire took them down.
 
“Nice work, let’s get moving”.
 
The operators quickly emerged from their positions and sprinted towards the entranceway, scanning for any incoming hostiles as they made their way. 
“Rivas, Jackson, hide those bodies. I can see them from here. Everyone else group up with me”, ordered Franklin. As Rivas and Jackson dragged the bodies behind the guardhouses, the troopers gathered behind the entranceway, as Franklin checked his TacPad before giving his next orders.
 
“Alright, let’s split in two teams. We need to cover as much ground as quickly as we can. I’ll take Alpha Team to the left side, while Liberatore leads Bravo on the right. We converge on the Control Tower”.
 
“Copy”, Liberatore responded. Karina motioned for Rivas and four others to follow her, as Contreras stayed with Franklin and rest of the outfit.
 
“See you on the other side, Dee”, Rivas joked as he gave Daniel a fist bump on his way out. Contreras watched as Bravo vanished from his sight disappearing into dense woodlands. Riley huddled with Alpha team at the gateway, motioning for them to listen with his hand gesture.
 
“Ears open. All right, we are going to approach the command building as quietly as we can. Take out as many tangos as you can. Go loud if we need to.”
 
Riley signaled for them to move out.
 
Contreras and the troopers crouched walked and moved cover to cover, nestling themselves behind ammo caches, sandbags, concrete roadblocks, and empty barracks. A few minutes in, Franklin spotted a trio of hostiles walking out of one of the hanger bays nearby. The troopers hit the floor or hid behind cover.
 
“Three tangos, coming out of the hangers. Let’s wait for them to get close”.
 
As the three rebels, armed with MA5s and in ragged fatigues, walked down the runway, the ORION troopers took cover behind the concrete road blocks and barracks nearby, their weapons trained on the insurgents. Contreras, looking through the scope of his DMR, set his crosshairs on the lead rebel, slowly squeezing his rifle as they got closer.
 
‘’Wait. Wait…’’
 
Then, another rebel appeared behind his targets, running to them and in a panic.
 
The three rebels turned to face their compatriot, where Contreras watched the insurgents converse and their demeanors change from relaxed to alert.
 
“Franklin?” Contreras asked with a tinge of concern.
 
“I see it”.
 
“What’s the score, Bossman?” said Jackson.
 
Contreras watched as one of the rebels barked some orders, and whistled for a few other rebels to come with them.
 
“I think we’ve been made”, said Contreras over the comms.
 
“How? No one saw or hea—”
 
Franklin cut off Carlson before she could finish.
 
“Doesn’t matter. Plans change. Top off your rifles and get ready to move quickly. Carlson, tell Bravo to double time it and that surprise is no longer with us”.
 
Several squads of insurgents scurried out of their barracks and bunkers, moving around the base grounds getting their weapons and gear. After removing his silencer from his DMR Contreras trained his scope on a shouting rebel that was frantically barking orders, possibly one of their squad leaders.
 
“Pick your targets, get ready to fire”, whispered Franklin, as he also poked his Assault Rifle from behind the sandbags that he was behind, alongside Jackson.
 
Contreras took a deep breath, and his finger firmly on the trigger.
 
“3…2…”
 
Before Franklin could finish his countdown, one of the hangers, housing a Pelican dropship, exploded and burst into flames. Rebels came running out of the hanger, on fire and screaming.
 
“What the he—”
 
After a moment of sudden shock, a stunned Contreras refocused, took aim, and fired his rifle.
 
The rebel squad leader’s head flew back, and fell backwards as his helmet rolled off his head. The rest of Alpha followed suit, opening fire on the crowds of confused and stunned rebels, who were now blindly firing in different directions. Gunfire could be heard coming from different directions now. 
 
Contreras and Alpha methodically moved from cover to cover, neutralizing hostiles along the way. Contreras, with his DMR, moved slowly and with his right eye still on his scope as he moved along. Through that scope, the corporal watched his targets go down to his rounds, and witnessed their final expressions, fear.
 
On his peripheral vision, Contreras could his fellow operators moved alongside him, firing bursts from their ARs and seeing them take down numerous hostiles. They stepped over their bodies, and the burning light of the hanger and brightening sky began to illuminate the carnage before them. As Alpha made their way past the hangers and barracks, Franklin spotted Rivas and Bravo team emerging from a nearby building, smoke simmering from the rifles.
 
“Took out their Comm station back there, before they called in backup,” said Rivas as he pointed back to the building behind them.
 
“Reinforcements won’t be coming."
 
“Good work."
 
Franklin looked behind them and around Rivas, scanning the rest of Bravo.
 
“Liberatore?” Franklin asked Rivas.
 
“We got separated, she got caug---"
 
All of a sudden, the nearby radar truck exploded, catching the ORION operators off guard and forcing them to retreat behind some debris and roadblocks. Contreras noticed movement from one of the nearby cargo trucks, and readied his rifle.
 
Emerging from behind the burned-out truck was Karina, with her pistol in one hand and bloodied combat knife in the other. As she jogged to regroup with them, she had a bored look on her face and confronted with the befuddled looks of several ORION troopers.
 
“Something on my face?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Contreras slammed his back on the metal wall, right next to the steel doors with Rivas and Franklin following suite as they stacked up behind him. Carlson placed herself on the opposite of the steel doorway.
 
In front of them was the command bunker for the rebel base, closely resembling a mobile home made of steel. With the entire base in chaos and burning wreckage everywhere, several rebels locked themselves inside, and there was a hope that Colonel Watts was there, as well.
 
“Carlson, get this door open”, ordered Franklin.
 
“On it, “replied Carlson as she pulled out a Systems Diagnostic Device, and connected the wires to the keypad next to doorway. She began tuning the frequency and entering callback codes to get steel doors to open.
 
Franklin pressed on his ear.
 
“Liberatore, you and Bravo in position?”
 
“On the opposite end, waiting for your go”, Karina’s voice crackled over the comms. “30 seconds, boss”, said Carlson.
 
“Places people. Eyes on the prize”, barked Franklin.
 
Contreras quickly inspected his assault rifle, a weapon he switched to from his DMR, now slung over his back. He looked closely at his AR before turning back his attention to the steel doors.
 
“10 seconds.”
 
Contreras gripped his rifle and gritted his teeth, and could feel the tense air around. He looked back to see Rivas and Franklin, with intense focus in their eyes.
 
“5..4..3…”
 
Carlson went silent and gave the hand signal that the door was ready to open.
 
“BREACH, BREACH”, yelled Franklin as Carlson pressed the slid the steel doors wide open.
 
As Contreras turned into the room, rifle pointed, he could see several rebels in a panic, as they reached for their weapons. He also saw the opposite end of the room open wide open, where Liberatore and couple ORION operators came into view.
 
The firefight did not even last 10 seconds.
 
For Contreras, time moved slowly. He picked off the first rebel he saw, throwing an assault rifle to his compatriot in his final moments before taking a shot to side of his skull. However, that effort was in vain as Contreras placed two shots in that rebel’s chest before he could even touch the weapon. Contreras took another one down, as that rebel could not get his pistol up faster before a round entered his skull. Contreras could also see other insurgents get gun down with little effort, as the ORION troopers perfectly sandwiched the unprepared insurgents, who only got a shot or two off before the whole thing was over.
 
Twelve dead insurgents laid on the ground when the gunfire stopped.
 
“Clear.”
 
“Clear here.”
 
Franklin barked more orders. “Search the bodies. We need a positive ID on Watts.” After a few minutes of scouring bodies and going through their stuff on their corpses, it became apparent Watts was not here.
 
“Negative ID,” said Contreras.
 
“Nothing here,” stated a masked ORION operator as he searched bodies with Karina.
 
“He is not here,” said Rivas.
 
Franklin sighed in disappointment, and looked at his Tac Pad.
 
“Alright, take five and wait outside. I’ve got to notify command that we took Objective Yankee and Watts isn’t here”.
 
Contreras and the rest of the ORION troopers exited the bunker, with a sunrise greeting them.
 
“Things got dicey there, but we handled it,” stated Rivas.
 
Liberatore snorted in response. “Dicey? Is that what you call all this?”, retorted Karina as she directed them to sight of the firebase littered with dead rebels and burning wreckage
.
“She’s right. This was nothing less than annihilation. The Secs never stood a chance,” remarked Contreras.
 
“Damn straight,” said Jackson.
The ORIONs began to get chirpy, as they murmured their bravado, giving fist bumps, and congratulating each other on their recent deeds.
 
“Aye, señor y señores. Let’s not get cocky here”, replied Rivas trying to calm them a bit.
 
“Rivas is right, we’re not done here. We have new orders, there is a base of operations and the entire ORION task force is going to hit it. Let's go people, let's not miss out on the fun”, ordered Franklin.
 
The troopers began to jog their way out of the burning ruins of the base, moving past the embers and corpses that now occupy the area. The carnage that surrounded them barely registered with the operators, as their faces were etched in focus and intensity, with their minds already on what comes next. As they exited the FOB, Contreras looked over his shoulder and got one last look at the scene of carnage left behind.
 
A smile of satisfaction slowly crept on his face.
 
As the sun began to rise on Eridanus II, dozens of troopers marched through the forests, a bit relaxed but still on guard. The grass crunched and ripped beneath their boots, as they traversed treacherous rivers and steep climbs. Suddenly, the unfamiliar chirping of the planet’s native birds could be heard, as insects emerged from the dirt to witness the giants walk pass them without notice. The Orion operatives were all now headed to their next destination.
 
Home.
 
The ORIONs had just concluded the final phase of Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, as they assaulted the Secessionist’s main base of operations, virtually wiping the rebel forces in the base. No prisoners, no witnesses, just the burning wreckage and ruins of a hi-tech fortress with the corpses flung everywhere across the base grounds like ornaments.
 
However, their main prize was still out of reach. Colonel Watts was nowhere to be found, and likely had fled the planet, as soon as he got wind of what was happening on Eridanus II. Even so, the operation was clearly a rousing success, the Insurrectionist presence virtually wiped out, and no one would find out how and why.
 
In the midst of the marching ORIONs, Contreras, gripping his DMR, pulled up on Rivas, who was admiring the forest’s beautiful plant-life and trees. Rivas had always known one home world, and never explored the planets when he was Combat Engineer for the Marine Corps, so it was quite something to get a view that was not industrial.
 
“You know, minus all the death and destruction, this planet can be beautiful.”
 
Contreras started to look around, but not nearly as impressed by the sight “I don’t know how you got in the Marines, Javy. After the night we just had, how is your first thought about pretty-looking flowers and trees?’
 
“Easy, because there is more to life than war and I can’t wait to live it when I’m out of here,” replied Javy. Daniel shook his head in disbelief at his nonchalant response, and watched Rivas walk ahead of him.
 
“Our gentle giant,” said Franklin as he pulled up on Daniel, with Liberatore also pulling up alongside Daniel as well.
 
“You did well, Dee”, remarked Riley as he patted his back. “I know Johnson is the best shot in this whole program, but the gap isn’t big.”
 
“Thanks, Sergeant.”
 
“Yeah, you’re going to range with me and Riley next time. I need to see how you were able to hit those shots. No way, I’m letting you out-shoot me,” said Karina as she motioned to his DMR while saying this.
 
Daniel let out a sigh but also grinned, amused at Karina’s competitiveness with him. “Karina, you are like better than me in like everything else, just let me have this one.”
 
Karina smirked at that comment.
 
“Not a chance.”
 
Karina moved up, as she began to start conversation with Rivas.
 
“Hey, Javy, sorry about the little stunt I pulled at the firebase earlier in the night, didn’t mean to-“
 
The conversation trailed off, as the two marched farther away from Contreras. Riley and Daniel walked side-by-side, as they both looked around their surroundings.
 
“You’ve got admit, Javy is right about this place”, Riley remarked. Daniel began to look around, as he flowers with blooming blue pedals, and alien-like tree branches sprawling like over him like a leaf-covered dome. He admittedly felt the same, but he was not looking to get caught up in the moment. He still had a goal to achieve.
 
Retribution.
 
After several minutes of quiet marching in the dense forestlands, the ORIONs emerged out into the recognizable plains of Eridanus II, where red smoke rose from a nearby patch of grasslands, where even more ORION operators were waiting around for extraction, surrounding the LZ as they carefully scanned their surroundings for any activity.
 
On their approach, Contreras and the rest of his incoming team looked to the sky behind them, as the familiar rumblings of Pelican dropships got louder. Several Pelicans came into view and slowly descended and opened the bay doors.
 
“Let’s go people. Our ride home is here”.
 
Scores of ORION operators quickly poured into the Pelicans hovering above the grasslands, and took their seats. Franklin, the last to board his Pelican, stood on the bay as the doors closed. He looked to see his team, faces filled with pride and enthusiasm. Franklin smiled, as one thought came to his head.
 
“Sucks that the Corps is going to take all the credit”, said Jackson as he took his seat between Javy and Wagner.
 
“Eh, let them. The Marines could use a win right about now,” Rivas responded, Wagner nodding along with approval. As the Pelicans ascended into space, Contreras looked out though the window of the now-closed bay door, as he saw the sky slowly disappear into the starry black of space and seeing Eridanus II fade from his view.
 
“That was for you, Dad.”
==Chapter 5: Orion's First Hunt==
 
The bay doors of a Pelican opened up as the landing fixtures gently hit the landing pad. Four soldiers emerge from the Pelican’s bay, outfitted in custom-BDUs and the latest tactical gear, and walked out into a busy military base. Fleets of Warthogs and Bison APCs rumbled passed them, as soldiers and civilian contractors scurried around the base. A brown-haired, with a well-groomed mustache, with a head tilt, motioned for the three individuals to take out their belongings from the overhead of the Pelican bay.
 
A Warthog drops off a grizzled Marine, in his officer’s field uniform, and approaches the landing pad. The brown-haired trooper climbs down stairs off the pad to meet to the Marine, and stuck his hand out; as the Marine officer returned the gesture with firm shake.
 
“Lieutenant Franklin, welcome to our little slice heaven.”
 
“Thank you, Captain. We got more operators inbound, they’re bringing hardware,” stated Franklin.
 
“We’ll make room.” The Colonel looked behind him to examine the rest of Franklin’s team, as he saw a bearded giant of a soldier, a woman with her red hair tied up in a ponytail, as both walked towards him and the Lieutenant, holding their bulky duffel bags in one had.
 
“Colonel, this is Sergeant Liberatore, she is my second, and Corporal Rivas.”, said Franklin as the Colonel shook both their hands.
 
The Colonel then noticed the a soldier climb down the stairs from the landing pad, a short, scruffy-haired soldier, carrying his duffel bag as he quickly jogged to join his team. The solider reached out in his free hand to shake the Colonel’s hand.
 
“Last but not least, Corporal Contreras”, Franklin said as he introduced him. The Colonel noticed that this Corporal, while just as a tall as the typical Marine, stood out among his peers for how short he was in comparison.
 
The Colonel motioned for them to follow him, as a Troop Transport Warthog pulled up in front of them. The four troopers climbed into the rear of the transport, duffel bag stuffed with them, as the Colonel jumped into the Passenger. The Warthog then slowly took off, navigating the busy traffic on the base.
 
“Well, Lieutenant. I have heard your task force are bunch of killers, and have been wreaking havoc on the Innies. I hope you and your boys, and the lady, can get fix our little problem here on this colony,” said the Colonel as they drove to the commander center of the base.
 
“We’ll get it done, Colonel”, replied Karina. The transport slowly rumbled past a medical field tent, where numerous wounded UNSC troopers resided. Faint moaning and screaming could be heard from inside as bandaged and bloodied soldiers wandered in and out of the tent.
 
Contreras and Rivas took notice of a few rows of body bags that laid next to the tent, as soldiers properly sealed the bags and entered info on their data pads. Contreras and Rivas shared varying glances of uneasiness, as the Colonel also took note of the sight.
 
“I hope so, Sergeant. I truly do”.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sitting in a hanger bay, surrounded by impromptu desks and their weapons laying on a table nearby, Contreras, Franklin, Liberatore, and Rivas sat in chairs as the Colonel stood in front of a holo-table, reading his data pad. Holo-stills of carnage popped up on the holo-table, including images of gunmen firing into crowds in a city square, burned-out vehicles in the streets, and UNSC soldiers and militiamen under fire during a battle in some rural settlement.
 
“Welcome to Levosia, a hellhole that is only beat by Paradise Falls,” remarked the Colonel as he stood in front of the holo-table.
 
“Ever since the Calisto Incident, the Insurrection has blown up in the Outer Colonies, and Levosia was central to that. Now, the planet is plagued by an armed insurgency and criminal elements that have been overwhelming the UNSC and CMA on the colony.”
 
The Holo-table shared new images, showing mugshots and profile shots of various figures, some looked like typical civilians while others looked more hardened and militant. The Colonel moved his fingers to move and enlarge images, as six images enlarged. Contreras took notice of one individual, as the scar on his eye was familiar. He began to recall
 
“These individuals are Colonel Watt’s subordinates or at least his collaborators; they carry out his orders and manage their own operations on various colonies in the region. Our local intelligence believes that one of them is here on Levosia, planning some kind of massive attack.”
 
The image of the man with his scarred, left eye grew larger, showing his mouth hiding behind a half-mask respirator and wearing a hood over his head. Daniel’s eyes widened as soon as he got a clearer look. The man’s last words echoed in his head.
 
”Your war is over”’.
 
Daniel stood and marched up to the holo-table, fists balled and eyes filled with fury. The Colonel was a bit startled by his reaction, and took a step back to analyze the pissed-off Corporal. The rest of the team also shared concern, as both Liberatore and Rivas glanced at each other with confused expressions, as they watched what Contreras was going to do next as they sat on their chairs.
 
Franklin, also showing some apprehension, rose from his seat and cautiously approached the Corporal.
 
“Everything alright, Dee?” asked Franklin.
 
Daniel, realizing that he was causing a scene, immediately composed himself as he let out nervous laugh to ease the tension.
 
“Sorry, Lieutenant. It’s nothing I just-.”
 
“You know him, don’t you Corporal?” chimed the Colonel, who was quietly watching the trooper as he seethed at the image.
 
“It’s long story, Colonel. I’m sorry, I’ll go sit back down,” said Contreras, as slinked away to a chair between Javy and Karina, both troopers still studying Daniel carefully as they noticed he still wore a wrathful expression.
 
The Colonel continued, pointing towards this holo-still with his finger, “Well, the man your Corporal wants to rip apart is Grigori Kuzmin, leader of a small group of rebels, and has been active for some time. Ex-Naval Intelligence apparently has some experience with chemical weapons and seems to be outfitted with some high-end shit. Kuzmin was last seen weeks ago, here on Levosia, paying a visit to a nearby settlement.”
 
“Any idea, why?” asked Karina.
 
“No clue, but if he is here, then it’s clear he has something in the works. We have a solid ping on his location, and, if the Intel is right, we bag this asshole before dinner. I have a convoy of Army Troopers that will be ready move in thirty, so suit up and let’s go this bastard,” stated the Colonel as he turned to shut down the holo-table
 
Contreras stood up and immediately walked over the table, readying his DMR as he checked the scope. Javy came over to him, watching as Daniel fervently adjusted the scope sighting. Karina and Riley followed closely behind.
 
“Dee, are you cool?” asked Javy, as he rest his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel looked back to see concerned faces on all three of his teammates’ faces. Daniel sighed, as put down his rifle.
 
“Back on Madrigal, before the Project, I had run in with gruesome over there. We were sent on a mission to recover some VX, and the bastard got the drop on us. My entire squad was killed, and he had a gun to my head, seconds from blowing my brains out. If it were not from some ONI ghoul that saved my ass, I would be six feet under”.
 
Daniel paused, as he stared back at his rifle.
 
“I ended up here because of him, what he did to me and my friends. I hoped I get another shot at that fucker.”
 
Daniel looked back to see the collective looks of his team. Riley nodded in approval, slapping his shoulder. “Well, guess what, we’re going to help you nab this prick.”
 
Karina showed a look of assurance, as she grabbed Daniel’s shoulder. “Now, this is personal for me, too. No one fucks with my friends and gets away with it. You get me?”
 
Javy put out a fist-bump, which Daniel obliged.
 
“We got your back, Dee.”
With large mountains looming over the valley below in the sunny skies, Warthogs and Sandcats rumbled on the dirt road, taking a left turn as they move down a slope into a village of kivas and huts. The vehicles park on the outskirts of the rural settlement, as Army troopers dismount their vehicles. Contreras and Rivas both jump from the back of the Warthog, as Liberatore and Franklin exit their Sandcat to link with the Army troopers
. 
Franklin walks up to Sergeant Bly, as he led the fireteam of Army troopers accompanying Delta team.
 
“Where they holding Kuzmin?” asks Riley.
 
“A safe house, yellow two-story building at the other end of town.”
 
In formation, Delta team took point, their rifles at the ready, and entered into the settlement through the open entrance gates, as the Army troopers followed closely behind watching their rear.
 
The settlement was tight, as narrow lanes were squeezed between small, rustic concrete houses packed in together. It was also quiet, as a few civilians scurried into their homes, but nothing more than that. Contreras, with his silenced DMR equipped with a holographic sight, watched the house windows and doors closely, as eyes peeked out of the darkened eyes spots to watch these soldiers.
 
“This place is a practically a ghost town,” remarked Rivas. The Army Sergeant replied in a hushed tone.
 
“The civilians in the settlement left a few weeks ago, no idea why until we got Intel that Kuzmin was here. It seems the rebels decided to take this for their own.”
 
Delta team and the troopers reached a bend, Franklin looked back to find Contreras.
 
“Dee, take point.”
 
Contreras nodded, and quickly stacked up on the wall of a house, readying his rifle. Contreras aggressively pushed, looking through the sights of his rifle, as he scanned the narrow pathway and the surrounding one-floor homes. The rest of Delta followed closely Suddenly, Contreras picked up footsteps from a two-floor house near him, and aimed at the outside balcony on second floor.
 
“PANG, PANG”
 
A gunman with a HMG-38 heavy machine gun moved into view, and Contreras fired two shots in his skull. The gunman feel back as his weapon fell off from the balcony.
 
Another gunman burst out from a home, aiming his Carbine at Contreras. Contreras quickly shifted his rifle at the gunman, and got off a shot to the skull, as the gunman’s body disappeared into the darkened doorway. Contreras pushed further, as Delta team followed closely. Two more gunmen appeared in the windows of house, directly to the left of Contreras’s blind spot.
 
“BRRRRT”
 
As they aimed their own rifles at the Corporal, a flurry of bullets crashed into the windows, as their bodies flopped onto the ground.
 
Smoke slipped out of the barrels of Franklin and Rivas’s MA5 assault rifles, and two operators refocused on covering Contreras.
 
Sergeant Bly and his Army Troopers, covering Delta’s rear, had their mouths agape and looked at each other with confusion, as they witnessed these operators dispatch the hostiles with such quickness and ease. They had never seen soldiers with such reflexes and skill in action before, nor did it think was possible.
 
The troopers quietly whispered gossip as they moved through the corridor, following Delta team’s lead into the settlement.
 
“Christ almighty, who are these people?” remarked an Army Private.
 
Reaching a dead end on their path, surrounded by small homes, Franklin turned to Sergeant Bly, in which the Sergeant motioned to the house on his left as an exit. Delta team quickly tack up on the doorway, hearing commotion and voices inside the building.
 
“You’re up Sergeant.”
 
Liberatore bashes the door open, and pushes inside the cramped house. As she looks down a hallway, an ambusher pops out the doorway, but is put down quickly by several rounds from Karina’s silenced M7 submachine gun.
 
Bullets from the other side abruptly shred a doorway on the right of the hallway, as a gunman hiding prematurely fired his shotgun, hoping to hit someone. As the firing stop, Karina slid in front of the door, and aimed her SMG through one of the holes on the shredded door. She fired a quick burst, and her target slumped from view.
 
Unexpectedly, a man, emerging from the adjacent room, lunged at Karina with a combat knife from behind. A bullet hits the assailant’s hand, and drops the knife. Karina quickly back fists the man, and brings him down as she throws him over her shoulder to the ground. She pulls out her sidearm and fires two shots in his head.
 
Karina looks back to see Riley, his rifle still aimed and watching the end of the hallway. Contreras and Rivas followed behind, watching the living room.
 
“I had him, Riley,” said Karina in her usual stern, focused tone.
 
Karina emerges out of the hall, and into an empty kitchen, where a doorway leading them back outside was waiting.
 
“Apologies, Sergeant,” Franklin replied in a half-hearted voice.
 
“Clear,” yelled Liberatore. Delta team and the Army fireteam quickly gather in the kitchen, and prepared to make quick exit. Contreras and Sergeant Bly looked through windows, and spotting a Yellow, two-story home, sitting outside with the windows boarded up.
 
“Safe house is up ahead, Lieutenant,” states Sergeant Bly to Franklin, as he points at the shuttered building.
 
“Let’s move. On Liberatore”, orders Franklin. Karina opens the door, and leads Delta and the Army troopers outside. Faint bird noise and whistling wind is the only source of noise, as the troopers quickly and quietly move across the yard towards the target building.
 
“Rivas, stay with troopers in the yard to provide security, Liberatore and I will take the main entrance. Contreras go with Sergeant Bly and his man to take the back.”
 
Contreras, Bly, and an Army trooper quickly skirt to the back of the building, stacking at he locked doorway. The Army trooper breaches with a shotgun, as he shoots the handles and kick the door in, and Bly tosses a flashing grenade into the house. Contreras and Bly enter, as they both gun down two disoriented insurgents before they could gather their senses.
 
Peering into the kitchen, Contreras sees another dead hostile slumped over the table, as Franklin and Liberatore continue to clear the first floor.
 
“Second deck, on me Corporal”, orders Bly. Contreras follows the Sergeant slowly up the stairs into the second deck.
 
“BAM, BAM”
 
As soon as the Sergeant’s helmet peeked over the second floor, shotgun pellets flew over his helmet as the Sergeant fell back to avoid the pellets. Contreras pulled Bly back, as he readied his rifle for the running footsteps moving to him. As soon as the crazed shotgunner appeared in view, Contreras squeezed off two shots, and the gunman fell over.
 
Contreras took lead, as an Army Trooper checked on Bly and pulled the dazed Sergeant back, Franklin quickly ran to back up Contreras. Contreras slid into cover behind a wall, as the lone gunman fired blindly behind an overturned table.
 
After frenzied burst from his SMG, the hostile rebel retreated from cover. Franklin, in cover in the stairwell, quickly moved towards cover. The gunman raised his weapon to fire, as he heard the footsteps.
 
“PANG”
 
As his head moved out of cover from the table, the gunman’s head jerked back and fell to floor, blood splattered on the wall behind. Contreras, peeking over the wall with his rifle, moved forward as he scanned the scanned the floor.
 
“Clear,” yelled Contreras. Contreras moved to check the body, see a dead mid-30s male with his dead eyes staring at the wall above. Delta team emerged from the stairwell, as they began look around the floor. “Kuzmin is not here.”
 
The second floor was a large office room, with weapons and credits on the dining table nearby, and an office table with maps and a laptop of some kind. Contreras and the team began to search the office, with the Corporal noticing a flag with an unfamiliar symbol, as he looked at the stack of weapons on the dining table.
 
“Nothing I’ve ever seen, before.”
 
“HEY, I’ve got something,” yelled Karina as she was looking through the laptop sitting on the office desk. “What is it?” asked Riley as he looked over Karina’s shoulder to look at the screen himself. A list of financial was flashing on the screen, tracking a variety of payments and shipments. Karina pointed to a column, where a name flashed.
 
“That name keeps popping up, on these records,” remarked Karina. “Minerva Duvall”. Franklin studied list, noticing numerous shipments and requests from this Minerva Duvall. “I know her,” said voice from the back of the room.
 
Sergeant Bly walked, as an Army Trooper walked closely behind and watched him careful. “You okay, Sergeant?” Rivas asked as he followed the trooper’s lead in making sure Bly was fine, as well.
 
“I’m good, Corporal,” replied Bly as he stood in front of the office desk. “Minerva Duvall is a local magnate on Levosia; she runs a shipping business across the Outer colonies. For the last couple of years, CAA has suspected that she was pocketing and selling off refined selenium and technetium in the black market, not to mention that she has some ties to the local criminal elements on the colony.”
 
“I take it we haven’t moved on her because she covers her tracks well,” said Franklin. Bly smirked, noting how the Lieutenant was sharper than expected. “Precisely, this is the closest to concrete evidence we have to go after her. Although, we didn’t expect she was doing business with the Innies.”
 
“If Kuzmin is working with Duvall, she may be our best lead on his whereabouts,” interjected Contreras. Franklin looked up from the laptop, seeing the determined eyes of Contreras staring back at him. Franklin could tell Contreras wanted to move on this Intel, badly. Riley shut the laptop, and handed it off to Bly.
 
“Then, let’s pay a visit to Miss Duvall, shall we?”
 
 
The sun was setting on a small rocky island, where a luxurious manor sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the island’s beach. A series of small, quaint town houses and bathhouses laid still and empty. Walking the silent beaches and roaming the outside of the homes were various armed guards from a little-known private security firm, dressed in casual business suits and body armor, eyed their surroundings and conversed with other guards.
 
Minerva Duvall, sitting at her desk and sipping a glass of red wine without a care in the comfort of her private island, was one of Levosia’s most prolific businesspersons, and well respected on the planet. She had been long suspected of financing Insurrectionist militias and criminal organizations, and using her business to divert mining and resource shipments to the black market. However, money and influence has kept Duvall out of trouble, as the investigations and inquiries by the Colonial Administration Authority amounted to nothing.
 
Until now.
 
Emerging from the water, Corporal Contreras, adorned in a black, tactical uniform, presses on his right ear. “Delta-Four, on site. Going on the hunt”.
 
Contreras slowly swam, as he spotted a security guard on the island dock, taking a smoke break and oblivious to the body of water behind him. Quietly and carefully, Contreras swam to the edge of deck, with his head barely peeking over the water, and pulled his silenced M6C magnum out. The Corporal lined up the shot on the careless guard.
 
“BIP”
 
The guard’s body went limp, as it gently splashed into the water. Contreras climbed up the dock. Unwrapping his silenced DMR that was slung over his back, Contreras quickly moved off the docks and onto the beach, as he quickly scanned the island. “Delta-Four, sweeping the beach”.
 
Contreras spotted a guard walking on the beach, and halted behind a cabana to observe moments. Another guard came into view, and the two started conversing. Knowing that he could not proceed without risk with those guards still there, Contreras prepared for his next move.
 
Looking through his thermal scope, Contreras waited for the guards to line up for his shot and, as the guard reached for a cigarette his friend pulled out, took his shot.
 
“BAP”
 
Both dropped to the ground, as trail of blood began to stain the small batch of sand their bodies laid on. Contreras moved up the stairs in front of him, watching the empty homes for any signs of life. As he climbed the stairs, with tiny town houses squeezing his flanks, Contreras hit the deck as he slid underneath one of the homes as a squad of heavily-armored guards walked across the pathway in front of them.
 
These guards were supposedly nothing more than private security. However, the laptop found in the safe house suggested something more, due to the Duvall's financial connections with suspected Insurrectionists and local criminal underbosses. Contreras watched them walk by, as he emerged from his darkened hiding spot, as he continued his ascension to the target building, a security station that would grant him access to the mansion sitting on the cliffside.
 
“Delta-Four, this is Delta-One. The shuttle and the crew have been neutralized; there is no escape for her. On my way to linking with Two and Three, as they should be done with securing the surveillance bunker and extracting any data they found. SITREP?” stated the voice in Contreras’s earpiece.
 
“Off the beach, moving to the security station.” Contreras, reaching the top of stairs and arriving the checkpoint, observed the white security station, with two guards inside. As he silently crouched towards the station, Contreras readied a knife and his silenced sidearm. Reaching the door, the Corporal gently pushed it open, as the two gunmen were busy inspecting the security cams, with their screens static and fuzzy due to Liberatore and Rivas handy work at the bunker at the other end of the island.
 
“FIP”
 
Contreras squeezed a round off into the back of the skull of one guard, and quickly rushed up to the surprised guard, as he thrusted a knife into his throat. Gently laying down the dying guard, Contreras quickly removed the knife, and shook the blood off it. Contreras noticed the control panel, where the red button opening the gates to the two-story marble-white mansion. The Corporal slammed the button, and the gates slowly swung open.
 
Entering into the mansion’s courtyard, where a white fountain spraying water laid central and a couple of luxury Genets parked around. Contreras took cover behind the fountain, and began observing the mansion, planning his next move.
 
“Delta-One, I’m at the courtyard, got the mansion in front of me. Got about six tangos roaming the place through the windows”. Franklin’s voice came over.
 
“Roger, Delta-Four. We are on our way, but it’s your call if you think you can handle it yourself before we get there.”
 
Contreras looked through his scope thermal scope, picking out a guard walking on the balcony. He watched him walk around, and waited for his moment. As the guard turned the corner into the next room, Contreras fired a shot, as the familiar silent crack from his DMR rang out. The guard fell out of a view.
 
Another guard on the second floor heard the commotion from the other side of the building. Before he could reach his dead friend, he also slumped to the ground as another rifle round entered his skull. Contreras moved up, and slipped into cover behind a stone block before the entranceway, where two guards were in front of the door.
 
Contreras, with his pistol ready, took a deep breath and emerged out of cover. Before the guards could even raise their voices, Contreras let out two shots into their heads, and both stumbled down to the ground. Now at the door, Contreras checked it and found the doors locked. Contreras looked around for an entrance, and as he walked towards the left side of the mansion. He found a veranda to climb to the second floor. After scaling the structure, Contreras dropped into the second floor balcony, and entered into one of the rooms that one of the dead guards exited
 
Once in, Contreras found a house directed brown, woodwork and paintings that could be afforded by the upper echelons of high society. A marble statute dominated the center of the mansion where two guards were also roving, as Contreras peeked downstairs.
 
Then, he saw it.
 
The office entranceway, the door slightly creaked open, and glass of wine resting on a carved wooden desk from the small glimpse that Contreras could view through the slit. Aware of the two guards below, Contreras looked back down to make sure they would not venture upstairs.
 
Just like before, two well-placed shots from his sidearm ensured a private conversation.
 
Contreras quickly busted through the door, where Minerva sat on her desk, with an unsurprised look on her face.
 
“UNSC SPECIAL OPS. SHOW ME YOUR HANDS.”
 
Minerva showed her hands, her glass of wine still in one of them.
 
“Ahh, you took your time to get here. I guess the UNSC doesn’t teach being timeliness in the service anymore,” remarked Minerva as she took another sip from her glass.
 
“Where’s Kuzmin?”
 
“Fuck off.”
 
“Delta-One, I have the target. Second floor.”
 
“Rog, we’re inbound.”
 
Minerva smirked, as she sized up Contreras. “You’re not good at this. The rest of my security is probably on their way right now, and they will make you pay.” The sound of doors being broken open could be heard, and the shuffling of feet moving up the stairs. Minerva took another swig of her wine.
 
Emerging into the office, the rest of Delta, Riley, Karina, and Javy, came into view, clad in their black, tactical BDUs and silenced weapons. “I’m not so sure about, Miss Duvall.”
 
She clapped sarcastically, setting down her wine. “Congratulations, you killed off my second-rate security guards. Let me guess, you want to know about Kuzmin. Well, guess what, I don’t know anything.”
 
“Bullshit,” remarked Karina.
 
“Keep that mutt on a leash, she smells of-“
 
“Finish that sentence, and let’s see what happens”.
 
Franklin quickly stepped in, as he grabbed a leather seat from the table and sat in it in front of Minerva. He pulled out a data tablet, and swiped until he found the screen he was looking. “These are your banking accounts, a lot of money I see. Let’s see what happens when I do this.” After some pressing and swiping, Franklin showed his tablet to Minerva, whose smug face morphed into seething rage. “We can keep going if you want.”
 
“You’re not typical UNSC, CMA goons. Earth must be really desperate to turn to these kinds of tactics.” Riley sighed, turned the tablet back to himself, and started pressing on the tablet again.
 
“STOP, I'll tell you, not like it will matter." Minerva took another swig of her wine, quickly gulping as she refocused on her captors. "Kuzmin is in Andesia.”
 
“Doing what?” asked Rivas.
 
“I don’t know, really I don’t. I just financed him, helped get him stuff for his operation, gas canisters, guns, explosives, whatever he wants”.
 
Franklin put away the tablet, and looked at Minerva, returning his own smug look. He stood and began to walk away, with the rest of Delta following him. “Pleasure doing business, Miss Duvall. CAA and CMA will be interested in your finances, expect a house call”.
 
Minerva broke out in laugher, nearly spilling over drink. Stopping in their tracks, Delta team looked upon her as if she was insane and wondering what was funny. Minerva, wiping a tear, looked back at their faces and had to hold back even more laughter.
 
“Do you really think I’m going to prison? At worst, I get house arrest. The friends I’ve made in the CAA and the local Levosia government will make sure I never see the inside of a cell. You people are amateurs.” Duval began to giggle in glee, as she reached to her wine bottle to pour more for herself.
 
Delta team looked at each other, with a look of acceptance from Karina coming over her face.
 
“She’s right”.
 
Karina pulled out her sidearm, pointing it at Minerva, whose face turned into fear as she realized what was about to happen.
 
“BIP, BAP”
 
With two shots in her forehead, Minerva’s body slumped back into her chair, as the wine bottle spilled down the wooden floor, with her blood and wine mingling and mixing.
 
Karina, holstered her sidearm, and walked out the room with Riley. Contreras and Rivas stared at the body. Rivas could not hide his disappointment at what Karina did, and looked back to Contreras.
 
All Daniel could do was shrug.
==Chapter 6: Crisis Prevention==
==Chapter 7: Hey Man, Nice Shot==
Category:Delta Pistol