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Desolation
Posted By: Havok<Tactical_Havok@hotmail.com>
Date: 27 April 2003, 9:01 PM
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Silence. The word permeates through my mind as I wander aimlessly across the broad expanse of nothingness. The dust kicked up by my staggering footfalls hand in the air. My uniform is dusty and torn, worn from weeks of use. This planet once teamed with life. Plants, animals, humans and machines. Now only dust and echoes.
This was once a very important planet. Billions of lives depended on the products that were made on this world. The men who worked those machines knew the importance of their job, but for all their effort and exertion, they failed.
This was a planet once called Reach, a military fortress thought invincible. A fortress though capable to defy the onslaught of the Covenant juggernaut. A collection of alien species, brought together by a terrible religious belief. And through their combined strength, they succeeded.
I am not the only wanderer. Even after the massive plasma bombardment from space, those in the impenetrable depths of ONI's CASTLE survived the death rained down upon the surface. No one knows how much longer the atmosphere would support us. We subsist on the supplies stored far beneath the surface.
Among our number are seven SPARTANS and the famous Dr. Halsey. They are the eight survivors among us that have not given up hope of getting off this god forsaken rock. I do not share their optimism.
So I wander this desolated landscape, searching for nothing. Or maybe searching for something. Maybe, subconsciously my mind is desperately grasping at a faint light called hope.
In the dust, a shard of metal catches my eye. I slowly crouch to examine it. Inscribed on it are the words: Teamwork
I brush some dust away and see that the shard of metal is actually a scuffed and dented bell. So this must be where the obstacle course used to be. Used to train the best and brightest humanity had to offer; now only this dirty dented bell remains.
The sun begins to settle behind the endless desert. I stand, and leaving the bell to its repose, I start the long walk back to shelter. As the sun dips below the horizon, I notice my shadow cast in front of me. I stop and stare at my shadow. The shadow shows a man bent with fatigue and depression. It shows a man with a fading grip on reality, on the edge of the abyss.
I trudge on, and soon see light coming out of the ground. Shelter. As I draw nearer, I begin to hear sounds I must be imagining. Sounds I haven heard in ages. Sounds of jubilation and joy. Impossible. A tall figure stands at the entrance, looking at me. I stop and look back. The helmeted figure beckons to me. I walk to the entrance.
"Come on in, Andreas. Just you wait to hear what has happened!" the figure steps out into the darkness, taking hold of my hand and pulling me in.
"What the hell is it Kelly? The covenant come back to finish us off?" I ask wearily.
"Nope. Something better than a quick death. How does a ride home sound to you?" Kelly asks, her reflective face shield showing my weary reflection.
"Ride home?" my mind isn't registering this.
"Yeah! Today we were snooping around downstairs, and found the main hangar.
"We got a nice cushy ride off this rock!" Kelly almost yells back. Even without seeing her face, I can tell just how much she wants to get back into the war, if there was still a war going on.
"Sounds good." I reply, still not fully understanding. I had resigned myself to death for days now. The light at the end of the tunnel was coming back, but very slowly.
"Have you made contact with any other UNSC forces?"
Kelly drops her head. "Not yet. So far no sign of anything. Not even Covenant."
This comes as no surprise to me. I had already resigned myself to thinking there were no other humans left. "when are we leaving?"
'Right after everyone finishes eating. Come inside, have a good time." She beckons inside, and I go.
Every person known to have survived the attack is inside. The survivors total somewhere in the vicinity of three hundred. A shocking contrast to the millions who had inhabited this planet days before.
I sit down with my tray heaped with steaming food. I am starving. I attack the food with gluttony and barely pause to catch my breath. Mashed potato spills onto my lap and chocolate brownies spot my lips.
Dr. Halsey leads us to the main hangar. They have selected the largest ship, a presidential corvette, for us to ride in, and a light troop transport, which the SPARTANS have filled to the brim with food and supplies. The SPARTANS herd us onto the corvette and seal the ship. Power is applied to the engines and the ship lifts off the ground and turns to face the fused hangar doors. A MAC heavy round tears the hangar doors off the hinges, and the corvette blasts out into space with the troop transport close behind.
I stand on the bridge, alone amongst the makeshift crew piloting the ship. I stare out into the impenetrable blackness of space. I contemplate my newfound future. Hours ago, I was walking across a wasteland, hope evaporated from my being. Now I am aboard a starship headed for a possible reunion with the rest of my species. Startling contrast. I am amazed at how versatile the human mind can be, going from one extreme to another in so short a time. I turn from the panoramic view of the stars, suddenly very tired. I exit the bridge and head for the barracks.
I wake up to the sound of a klaxon blaring in my ears. I sit up and look around. A SPARTAN is standing in the doorway, issuing orders. By the time I get to the door, all posts have been manned, and there is no job for me. I head for the bridge, and make it just before the doors seal, compartmentalizing the ship I case of a hull breach. I stand next to a SPARTAN on the bridge, and look out into space.
Earth. It is still the way I remember it. Vast blue oceans, broad expanses of brown and green continents, swirls of white clouds twisting their way around the planet. Not all is lost, and we are not too late to make a difference. In the distance, a line of human ships stand ready to meet the covenant advance. So many ships. I never knew we had so many. Red streaks of MAC projectiles burned across space, mixed with ruby plasma.
"It looks as if we are just in time." The SPARTAN turned and looked at me. "We've got a job to do."
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