Aegis Team

## Introduction

Aegis Team was a small contingent of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, assembled and approved for field duty by the UNSC AI Echo and initially led by Spartan Bella-036 during the earliest days of the Fall of Reach, having been intended to be utilised for recon and special operations. The team itself was made up of survivors from various squads, strays, each having lost some or all of their previous squad.

## Founding

The team was founded at some point in July 2552 in the early days of the invasion, Bella-036 having proposed assembling a team under her command with the intention of putting her Spartan training and tactical knowledge to better use, although initially reluctant, the AI eventually agreed to put together a small team that she would lead.

Despite complying with the their request, Echo also had an ulterior motive, having purposely soldiers that had lost their previous teammates in engagements in the Covenant. Shortly after the team had been brought together, they were dispatched to go on patrol around the base’s perimeter, a task that was meant to be trivial in order to act a team-bonding exercise and allow the teammates to get to know one another better.

## An Unforeseen Tragedy

During the before-mentioned team-bonding exercise, the team came across a nearby river while patrolling, having figured that this would be a good time to let the squad get to know one-another before they finished up. Lao having been instructed to set up a small campfire while the others inspected their surroundings, returning to the now lite fire shortly after having found nothing that would indicate the threat.

The team exchanged introductions and words, an interaction that seemed to serve as a break from the chaos of war, but only temporarily given what happened next. While the members Aegis were distracted, an injured and frenzied Hunter emerged from the river, having been blown into the water and almost killed in an explosive weapons test several hours prior, the same event had killed its Bond Brother, sending it into a rage.

The team was attacked and quickly returned fire, a prolonged firefight took place in which Bella-036 was severely wounded, leaving the ODSTs to complete the mission with a less than entirely thought out plan. Elliot acted as bait in order to draw the Hunters attention while Lao fired at its back repeatedly in order to destroy its armour, the engagement was brought to an end when Sofia climbed aboard the squads Warthog and drove it into the Hunters exposed back, tearing it apart with the wheels and tusks. Following this event, the team loaded the fallen Spartans body onto the Warthog and returned to the Forward Operating Base.

## Lost in Transition

As the conflicts on Reach became more widespread and the UNSC began losing ground, the Forward Operating Base that the team was stationed in was attacked, forcing the majority of forces to evacuate. Sofia was able to successfully escape via Falcon while Elliot linked up with a Warthog escort, Lao however was unable to obtain transport, being cut off by assaulting Covenant forces.

The ODST managed to escape the compound before it was bombarded, narrowly escaping the blast radius and moving into the nearby forest in order to evade detection, it was during this time that Lao Fai was identified as MIA for several days. The two other members of Aegis Team were relocated to the Olympic Tower in New Alexandria, alongside the majority of surviving UNSC Personnel.

Despite being presumed dead, Fai reached the Olympic Tower days after their teammates were accounted for, via Falcon transport among a squad of marines en route after evacuating their outpost. Though debriefed by a superior officer, the ODST has maintained their usual quiet nature and has yet to explain just how they survived the conflict.