Dawn of Redemption (A Spartan-III Headhunter Story)

Part 1
(Prologue) 2546 January 16th, 1945 hr
Planet Onyx, ONI Facility, Headhunter Training Base
Kevin’s arms were trembling. Doing push-ups all day had taken their toll. He looked up at the orange skies of Onyx, the setting sun creating a perfect shade of bright tangerine and yellow colours. As he watched, a single Pelican Dropship could be seen in the far horizon.  
He felt a nudge on his shoulder, and turned to see his close friends gathered behind him. The girl who nudged him, pointed into the distance, tracking the Pelican as it came closer and closer.  “He’s here, he’s here!” squealed the girl, “oh my god its been so long… how long has it been?” 
“It’s only been 11 months Tessa,” reminded Kevin as he gazed at the Pelican. 
“Still one year is a long time,” mentioned another girl as she tucked a strand of stray ashen-black hair away from her face. “It’ll be nice to see him again after so long,” mentioned Kevin as he lent on Raquel’s shoulder. Raquel merely stepped to one side, causing Kevin to lose his balance. 
“Agh it been too long… I wonder what he’s been up to all this time. I mean, the last time we saw him was around the time when we first arrived here and that was so long ago. I wonder if he’s changed. I wonder if we’ve changed. Have we changed, I can’t tell? Oh its been sooooooo, long.”
“Tessa,”
“Yes Kev,”
“Your motor mouth is on over drive again,” reminded Kevin, giving the blonde girl a sideways look. “Sorry Top,” she said with a big beaming smile. Kevin smiled back, having gotten used to Tessa’s bubbly personality. For seven years they had been training under the mentorship of Kurt Ambrose and the stern Training Chiefs.  For years they had been trained to fight and win. Endless hours of lectures, small unit tactics, weapons training and more had filled their lives. All of them had made it this far and beyond, not knowing what the next day would bring. 
Kevin looked at the crowd around him. So many of them had the same look on his face. The look of a child moulded into a defender of humanity and a killing machine. All of them had been hand picked from Beta-Company. Specially trained to become more than just Spartans. 
The Pelican was only a few hundred yards away from them now. The low rumble of the engines could be heard clearly as it came in to land. Kevin’s hands began to sweat as the Pelican descended in a graceful landing. The back hatch of the Pelican opened with a slight hiss and a thud as it hit the ground. Kevin held his breathe, hoping…praying. 
Slowly, dark figures began moving within the bowls of the Pelican. With barley a sound or an order, a steady steam of young looking teens began matching out in ones and twos. Kevin recognised all of them, kids he had trained, fought and played beside. All of them looked tired, shocked, and above all else, there were fewer than he had expected.
Tessa beside him was counting the new arrivals to herself quietly as they exited the Pelican. “Thirteen,” she whispered quietly, barley loud enough for Kevin to hear. “There are only thirteen of them.”
Kevin did a quick count of his own. She was right. “Thirty right… thirty left a year ago. Where are the others?” he asked to no one in particular. “I think we’re about to find out,” stated Raquel.  Kevin gazed over the arrivals, all were wearing Navy service uniforms and despite the exhausted looks in their eyes, their heads were held high. The arrivals began moving forward again, this time with smiles and looks of joy on their faces as they greeted old teammates and close friends. Kevin and the two girls made their way through the crowd looking for one particular new arrival. It wasn’t long before they found him. 
Black hair, lean body, piercing cold blue eyes.  He looked as if the world was about to end. But his lips turned into a slight smile as he noticed them approaching. 
“Ryan!” screamed Tessa as she ran forward, wrapping her arms around the solemn boy. Ryan returned the hug in kind, looking past Tessa at Kevin and Raquel. “It’s been too long,” remarked Kevin as he joined the hug. 
“Far to long,” responded Ryan as he broke away from the hug. Raquel then stepped in, squeezing Ryan in another tight hug.  “Where are the others?” asked Kevin looking into the empty Pelican. All three turned to Ryan, the wearied boy looked at them with his unbreakable stare before responding. 
“They’re dead,” he said bluntly. All four of them were silent for a moment, the sounds of the crowd pressing around them. 
“Dead…” whispered Tessa. 
“Jake, Collin, Becca, Reilly, James... Anna and all the others… they died,” reported Ryan returning to his solemn look. 
“How?” asked Kevin, quietly placing his hand on his friends shoulder.  Ryan didn’t responded, only looking at the crowd around them. 
“How?” demanded Kevin again with more urgency in his voice. He tried to make his voce steady, but it still slightly quivered with sorrow. 
“Didn’t you hear? Spartans never die,” reminded Ryan trying to cheer his friend up. 
Kevin looked at him sorrowfully, “We’re not Spartan yet.”
Ryan nodded placing his hand on his friends shoulder, “I know… That’s what they died to become. Be glad you’ll never have to join them.”
The rest of them remained silent not knowing what to say. “I’m just glad your back,” stated Kevin. 
“We all are,” added Raquel stepping forward, placing a reassuring hand on Ryan’s arm.
“Not all of us,” whispered Ryan, his gaze not even looking up. The pain was still trapped inside of him, wanting to burst out. It was agony for him to keep it within, but speaking further would only worsen the mood.
Kevin didn’t press the subject any further, seeing the pain it brought his friend. He looked back at the sky as it began to turn to a shade of red, and wondered how much had happened in the last year. He no longer wanted to know, for he knew more was to come.  
Later they gathered in the cafeteria of The Facility. A secret base on the far side of Onyx that had and would be their home for the rest of their Training. Tessa was busy devouring a half roasted chicken, while Raquel was reading over an old book she had found. 
Kevin and Ryan were busy talking away about weapons tactics, a subject they both knew bored Tessa. Kevin knew the subject would cheer Ryan up a little, but it wasn’t long before the conversation became stale. All around them their fellow Spartan candidates chatted and talked. The sound of youth surrounding them, as they conversed with each other, rekindling old friendship and catching up on the latest news.  
Kurt Ambrose watched from the atrium high above. The children below were oblivious to his presence. But he wasn’t surprised. They were too busy catching up with old friends they hadn’t seen for months. Chief August handed him tablet, which Kurt accepted reluctantly. Using his finger he began scrolling through the list of candidates and looked sorrowfully over the seventeen names that had been blanked out. 
“Only thirteen pasted,” he said quietly, “so few… far too few.”
“I received the medial reports yesterday,” reported August, “I knew you wouldn’t want to look over them yourself, so I did it personally.”
“Thank you for doing so…What happened to them?” asked Kurt lowering the tablet.
“Nine killed during live fire exercises, three of which to friendly fire, eight died during the demarcation process.”
Kurt looked angrily at the tablet again, agony and sadness in his eyes. “The Office of Naval Intelligence has a lot to answer for,” he stated as he handed back the tablet.
“It was a necessary evil that had to be done,” reminded August as she took back the tablet. 
“One that I hope I will never have to commit again,” hoped Kurt as he began to leave the atrium. 
“By the way a new fleet of ships arrived just a few hours ago and I believe the Admiral himself is here personally,” informed August as they walked out.
Kurt came to sudden halt in
the hall, “If he came all this way from Reach… there’s only one thing he’s after.”
“There not ready,” reminded August, “You can say no.”
Kurt looked back at her with assurance, “That’s something he’ll have to understand and get use too.”
“I hope he does,” agreed August, “we can’t send them on deployments just yet. They still need to finish their training.”
Kurt nodded in agreement then began marching down the hall again the weight of his position growing heavier with every step.  
Kurt Ambrose returned to his temporary office in The Facility. Inside stood a man in full navy dress uniform, the look on his face was stern and proud and his slightly grey hair was combed back neatly. Kurt nodded at him as he walked past, sitting at his desk. The Chief stood behind him standing at rigid attention. 
“Its good to see you again Rear Admiral, its not common for you to travel with your fleet. So why have you travelled all the way from Reach? Surely not to see me.”
“Please call me Alexander, there’s no need for formalities between friends?” asked Alexander as he sat opposite Kurt. 
“I didn’t know we were friends,” stated Kurt. He then turned and nodded at the Chief, who promptly strode out of the room. As the door slid behind her, Kurt turned back to the aging Admiral. “Why are you here?” he asked steadily.
Alexander smiled meekly, “Well you know how much I like Onyx this time of year and from what I can hear down stairs so do all your children.”
“The weather is nice this year, but the small fleet outside my window spoils the view from my office,” stated Kurt as he turned to gaze out the window. 
“Of course, the weather is what brought them here,” remarked Alexander also looking out the window. “The Gibraltar is a fine vassal. One of the best Naval Carriers built on Camber, and the centre piece of my new Carrier Battlegroup.”
“I know travel between colonies is dangerous these days, but do you really need that many frigates and a carrier?” inquired Kurt turning back to Alexander. 
Alexander looked at him with heavy eyes. “Kurt… you and I both know why I brought those ships.” 
Kurt let out a long sigh; uncommon for him to do so. “There not ready yet.”
“I know,” reminded Alexander, “but you and I both know that they are needed.”
Kurt looked concerned, but continued the conversation, “Operation Torpedo will be launched in a few months by Beta-Company. But these new Headhunters are still in training. I will not send half trained Spartans in to combat, not now… Not while I’m in command.” 
“But what if the rumours are true. If the Covenant is really preparing for another offensive and if the Colonial People’s Front has truly found a….”
“Then my Spartans will be ready,” Kurt interrupted, “but for now they still new some tuning.” The look on Alexander’s face turned from concern to frustration, but the expression quickly disappeared. 
“I hope they’ll be ready for what is to come, but in till then my fleet will remain here,” informed Alexander as he rose from his chair. He began walking towards the door stopping half way. 
“Tell me Kurt do you really think your children can end this war?” he asked. 
Before Kurt could answer he opened the door and left, leaving a solemn Kurt behind. 
“No,” whispered Kurt, “but they will be the beginning of the end.”
__FORCETOC__
Category:Dawn of Redemption
Category:Part-1