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 Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:53 pm
Seth nodded at the Captain's orders.
"Alright," he said into an open com, "Marines I want you to-"
Seth got cut off in mid sentence by the A.I. Angel.
With the startling information, Seth looked briefly at the Captain, "I'm on my way." he commented and giving the Captain one last look--as he did the Captain himself took off and issued orders. Seth was right on his heels every step of the way. The Captain was fast. Mid run Seth pulled back the hammer of his BR55 in preparation for whatever may come.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:05 pm
That faint glimmer in the distance flew straight towards the Marines of Able Company and their cargo. It's glowing blue eye in its silver mass was trained on them, and inside it's circuitry buzzed melodically.
It slowed its descent and came to a stop in front of Able Company, turning back and forth on an invisible axis two meters off the ground observing the humans.
It's metallic voice filled the air at a pleasant volume to the humans, "reclaimers!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:17 pm
Seth continued his run with the Captain until he reached the edge of the group. "s**t." He mumbled.
"It's a Monitor." As though the Captain didn't know that already. "Stand ready Marines, but hold your fire." Seth ordered briefly over the Com system.
Slowly he made his way closer to the group. Getting a better look at the Monitor. His first thought was that it was bigger than he had pictured. All the circuitry was beyond Seth's guessing abilities. He assumed it all had it's purpose. But the size of the thing, it was almost oppressive.
They'd have to talk to it. If it decided the "reclaimers" were a problem the sentinels would attack...And they stood little chance against that.
This had better go well.
Seth kept his gun pressed on his shoulder, but aimed downwards if this all went to hell, he'd be ready.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:18 pm
The marines of Able company raised their weapons as one when the shining orb descended into their midsts. The hover-sled operators slowed down, stopping as the metallic voice trilled in amusement the tones that designated their race.
A few hundred meters behind, Lee and Seth were quickly catching up to the group. Meanwhile, the men of Able surrounded the orb, riflemen positioning themselves between orb and cryo-tube so as to protect them with their lives, if necessary.
Finally, the Captain caught up to Able, a small sweat having broken out along the sides of his temples while he ran. Slowing down to a reasonable speed, he kept his battle rifle in front of him as he approached the strange machine. A nearby marine whispered to the Captain.
"It called us reclaimers, sir. Don't know what it wants, yet."
Lee nodded, continuing to advance as he lowered his battle rifle even more.
Looking up at the machine, he tried not to squint even more than he usually did but the low glow of the creature's circuitry seemed to hint at more than met the eye.
Understanding that for all he knew, the machine was still friendly, Lee finally stepped forwards from the circle of marines and addressed the orb.
"I am Captain Xiang Hao Lee of the UNSC Marine Corps, in command of this small expedition into this installation.
And you are?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:32 pm
"I am 704-Transient Shadow, and this is my installation, Reclaimer" said the monitor turning to look between the man and the cryopods.
"I must ask where you are taking the others?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:38 pm
Lee reflected for a few seconds on his answer. For all he knew, this monitor had the same abilities the ones on each of the previous Halos' had exhibited and could probably teleport people around at will. Choosing to speak conservatively, he left out any details he felt the machine didn't have to know about.
"The "others", as you called them, are part of the UNSC like I and the members of this expedition are. We are bringing them back to a safe location where they can be debriefed and resuscitated."
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:45 pm
"Negative. I do not understand" said the monitor, his sensors telling him to remain calm. Each algorithm betrayed his intelligence.
"We must put you into crytostasis immediately, reclaimer. The other installations are active."
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:51 pm
Seth gave the Captain a sharp warning look. This was getting dangerous.
Seth decided to hold his tongue, the Monitor might act if communication began. Seth had no doubt it could hear even a whisper, if not read lips and detect their heart rates.
But this monitor wanted to keep them in stasis ... Possibly because the other Halos were active, as a kind of safety protocol. To ensure survival of the reclaimers.
This was not good. If they inform him that the other installations will not fire he would surely protest. If they did not he'll lock them in stasis. Seth hoped the Captain would come up with something good. Or else this was going to get real bad, real fast.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:57 pm
Lee's heart stopped for a second as the monitor began to protest. It wanted them frozen. Now. And it said the "installations", which probably meant the Halo rings, were active. Also right now. However, one of the rings had recently been destroyed by the Master Chief, with another one possibly destroyed though unconfirmed.
If the installations being active was a reason for them being put into stasis, then it was a reasoning full of holes. And if the alien skeletons inside that village had been any indication, this installation's cryogenic preservation methods left a little to be desired.
"Look, 704, we're not going into anything that isn't our ship for the next few hours, but tell you what.
Give me a few hours to work over the details with my CO, and we'll see if we can get a more civilized conversation started. In the mean time, we're going to get back on our pelicans and get our wounded man treated, and our frozen buddies defrosted.
It's that, or we have a disagreement. And then the installations' activation won't matter anyways, will it?"
Behind his back, he gave Seth the hand gestures forming the order MOVE CARGO LZ. Hopefully the lieutenant would understand.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:12 pm
704-Transient Shadow swiveled around to watch the dropship land on the neatly kept grass and logged it for later study. It then turned around and watched as the cryopods began moving towards the pelican.
"A direct violation of my programming is unacceptable! You must go into stasis immediately!" his volume raising, tone urgent. The bulbous eye began to illuminate brighter from within as it calculated several different variables using complex algorithms.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:17 pm
Seth's eyes flickered briefly down to the Captain's hands.
They came back up to the Monitor just as quick. Seth turned his head, and used his other hand -- blocked by his body-- to give a signal to the Marines.
LZ ON THE WAY. They in turn flashed others.
The Monitor cut in, the situation went bad.
Seth put a hand on his ear piece opening a com to the Pelican pilots "Change of plans boys, you're coming to pick us up. Hostile Sentinels are in-bound. We need you here now." Seth watched as the Pelicans began to lift up once again and cruise over to Able Company.
"Let's go." Seth said hurriedly over an Open com channel to Able company.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:25 pm
"You will abide by the protocol!" said the monitor raising it's voice. It's bulbous eye had turned a bright red, and it's tone commanding. It was definitely hostile, and deep inside a beacon switched on. Sentinels from all over the Dyson Sphere began their approach at a quickening pace, limbs and features curled inward for speed. Each and every one of the robot/sentient beings were intent on one thing: keeping the reclaimers from leaving.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:34 pm
"lets go..." rang through Karr's ears as he awoke from a deep slumber. Not knowing he had drifted off in the bay, hugging his rifle close, he jerked his head back and forth; looking for his team.
Just then the thought dawned on him: They had left him behind.
"s**t!" Anthony swore from the inside of his helmet. He immediatly opened a COM with the Captain.
"Captain, this is First Sergeant Karr. I belive your missing me. Orders sir?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:58 pm
[James Mitchell]
James brought his MA5C to bear and was ready to destroy aything that got in Able Company's way. "Sir, Lets get the hell out of here!" He shouted to Adams. He really didn't want to stay and get burnt to a crisp, but he would do what he had too. He steeled himself for what was to come, most likely an onslaught of Sentinels.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:14 pm
Ashton looked up to notice the Monitor conversing angrily with the Captain, its luminescant and blindingly bright red eye looking like a demon's glare, filled with obstinate rage and barely-checked fury. He watched in nothing short of pure horror as all of the Tender Sentinels, who were maintaining the Installation, turn on a dime, and made bee-lines back towards Able.
He ran up close enough to hear the Monitor demand that Able be sent into Cryostasis. Wha-- Hell no! Dansmith thought furiously. Just then, he saw Master Sergeant Henry, bloody and oozing fluids, buckle-kneed as two marines struggled to drag him closer to the inbound Pelicans.
"Warren!!" He called out: no response. He knew he should have helped Captain Lee hold the position against the Sentinels, but Henry wouldn't last five minutes without his help. He bolted as fast as he could towards the marine, whipping out his Medical kit as he went.
"Henry!? Henry, dammit soldier, answer me!!" He waved for the marines ot put him down, but easily. One gave a skeptical look: "Lance Corporal, we need him on the Pelican, sir."
"Pelican?! He won't last that long, Marine. Remove his helmet for me, quick-like." Dansmith reached in to his medical cache and found multiple coagulant patches, 10cm x 10cm in size, and they could stop all but the hardiest of gushers in a heartbeat: literally. He applied the patches, one at a time but as quickly as possible, to Dansmith's proximal injuries, where the force of flow was strongest. He injected a Platelet solution into his IV valve, built into his suit like the rest of the Marines. The flow of blood slowed visibly, and he activated his banded-constricters around the soldier's remaining serious injuries. The increased pressure not only physically slowed the blood, but broke open the remaining wounded cells, releasing a natural coagulant-agent into the local area.
The soldiers were running by now, and another pair stopped, to help move him faster if they needed to. But he wasn't done yet: without a massive return of vital nutrients to Henry's systems, he would die of hypothermia within 5 minutes from the sheer volume of blood lost, and the lower metabolism of his injured and shocked organs. He undid the safety on a second IV Valve, and attached a back-pack- like sac, filled with enough pure nutrients to put a soldier on an energised high, equivalent to morphine, for a solid 36 hours. Henry would need his replaced within the day. The accelerant agent inside the pack, combined with further injections of Stem Cells, stabilized the Marine's condiditon. He was now, officially, safe for transport.
"Get him out of here!" He cried to the four assembled marines (who weren't exactly patient with the 2-minute procedure), and they lifted the marine, horizontal, between them, and carried him off to where the Pelicans would land soon. Feeling renewed purpose, Dansmith made a smart and fast jog back to the Captain's position. Things seemed to be heating up between the Monitor and.. well, everyone.
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