The scene opens with a shot of the UNSC Destroyer DD-993, which then moves to the mess hall where a squad of ODSTs are talking. Another soldier, Berger, sees them and tries to listen to them.
Marine: Hey, easy there, Berger! What do you think you're doing?
Berger: What?
Marine: They're Helljumpers!Every one of those guys are ODSTs from the 105th! They're in a whole different league. Let's go!
Berger: Aw, come on! I wanna hear what they're saying!
Marine: No.
The Marine drags Berger away by his collar while the ODSTs converse. One of them, O'Brien, is clearly upset about something.
O'Brien: I don't get it. How the hell did everybody forget that I'm the best shot this side of Eridanus? Getting assigned a backup is a bunch of BS!
Dutch:Contingency. It's an important mission. If the first sniper misses the target, they take the shot.
O'Brien: I don't miss. I never miss! This sucks and you know it! I'm nobody's babysitter. Especially not some farm-boy moose hunter!
Cortez: I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but you weren't selected to be the primary shooter on this mission. So it seems they want your "farm-boy" to do it? I guess that makes you the backup. Sorry, O'Brien.
O'Brien slams his hand on the table.
O'Brien: I'm the backup?!
Cortez: And the shooter...is a Spartan.
Dutch: What?
Cortez: And that means this mission... just got escalated.
The troopers are shocked to hear that they'll be conducting a mission with a SPARTAN. Later on, the squad is briefed by an officer and Cortez, with the SPARTAN present.
Officer: This is SPARTAN Cal-141, who will be the ranking officer on this mission. I realize that is highly unusual, and you have strong feelings about SPARTANs. You will keep those feelings out of the mission and follow the plan. Satellite recon shows radar and magnetic signatures on Heian in the Ark Star Cluster. These signatures indicate a complex of buildings. It's a logistical base. The Prophet you are targeting is in control of this entire sector. Our mission is simple. We want this Prophet dead. We take out the Prophet, we will take out the Covenant chain of supply. If we achieve the goal of this mission, we will be able to buy ourselves months of tactical advantage. And we will do all of this with minimal risk to the UNSC. Other than to this group, of course. Cortez! Fill them in on the details.
The screen shows the target planet, Heian, as Cortez takes over the briefing.
Cortez: Alright, we'll be flying into the atmosphere with the Leonid-class meteor shower. Meteor showers of this nature are a regular occurrence on this planet, so that means entry and landing should go unnoticed. Calculations show that reaching the target will take a fourteen-hour fast march from your entry point. Once you reach the target, you will take out the prophet as soon as he steps off that ship. Then you are to gather all data relating on the unidentified alien ruins.
O'Brien: What do you mean, they're not identified?
Cortez: The architecture is not Covenant design and it sure as hell wasn't built by humans. They predate both sides. This site is of the utmost importance. We photograph everything.
Officer: That will be all, Master Sergeant. You can rejoin to your men now. We will be dropping in precisely five minutes. With this mission there is no room for delay or error. Good luck, and godspeed.
The destroyer deploys the SOEIV pods with the Helljumpers inside them straight into the meteor shower.
Checkman's pod is struck by a meteor, tumbling off course and burning up in the atmosphere. The Covenant look skywards, not knowing that the pods are mixed with the meteors.
We see our Spartan Ash climbing up a rocky hill and he looks up and sees the meteor shower.
Xi appears on his shoulder. "I-I-I picked up some UNSC s-s-singal's."
"Cal." Ash whispers. "Can they track us?"
"N-N-No and I cannnnnnn't track them, Sorry."
"It's fine. Now we just gotta find them, while also staying out of the Covenant's sight." Ash continues his trek as his stomach growls. "I still want some pizza."
The other SOEIVs land safely, save for O'Brien's, which glances off a rock and lands in a swamp and begins to sink. The Helljumpers blow their hatches and climb out
Cortez (COM): Dutch? Come in
Dutch (COM): I'm all right. Where's O'Brien?
Dutch recovers and activates a tracker.
Dutch: Over there!
The two find O'Brien's pod sinking into the mud. The SOEIV is leaking gas while the two struggle through the mud.
Cortez: His oxygen tank! Dutch! Get the gear. We gotta get him outta there!
Dutch turns to find the SPARTAN wading through the mud easily, despite weighing half a ton. The soldier uses the Spartan-II strength augmentations to heft the pod out of the swamp and throw it clear of the swamp.
The pod opens as the three make their way to the pod. The ODSTs opens the pod and O'Brien falls out, gasping for air.
O'Brien: Are you guys nuts? Why're you throwing me around like that?
O'Brien looks up to find the supersoldier looking down at him. The SPARTAN acknowledges O'Brien, then calmly walks away.
Dutch: We lost Checkman in the atmosphere. And we almost lost you too.
Later further in the forest the group stops as the sun is starting to rise on the horizon. Cal is keeping watch as Cortez unfolds a map, pointing out their target.
Cortez: The logistics and refuelling base is here. We're here. The Prophet will be coming in at exactly 0800. Everything depends on us getting a clear shot from this location and we've got to hit him as soon as he's exiting that ship. It's two miles from the target, and should give us the elevation for the shot. It's pretty far. But it will give us enough cover to make our extraction.
O'Brien: Assuming the SPARTAN can make the shot, that is.
The SPARTAN continues to appraise the situation, apparently unfazed by the loaded comment.
Dutch: And if we don't make it to the target in time?
Cortez: There won't be any second chances.
O'Brien: That's a long-ass march.
Dutch: Then we'd better get marching.
The four begin their march, with the SPARTAN ever vigilant. The sun is up in the air.
As the soldiers and Spartan continue their march we move back to Ash. Ash is kneeling down to some footprints on the forest floor.
"Looks like they came through here." Ash says as he looks forward. "Hopefully I'm close."
Back with the others.
The group stops just beyond the ruins. The SPARTAN observes though a compact telescope.
O'Brien: Wanna take the lens cap off?
Cortez: Knock it off, O'Brien!
The team joins the SPARTAN. They come across the ruins, which have a distinctly Japanese look to them, down to the lanterns hanging off the eaves.
The ruins are occupied by Covenant. The four get closer to the ruins, where the SPARTAN indicates that they should neutralize the threat... quietly. Cal, Cortez and Dutch kill three of the Grunts successfully, but O'Brien steps on a twig, alerting his Grunt to his presence. O'Brien then opts to shoot the Grunt with his M7S, unaware of a much more dangerous foe behind him. A Brute Chieftain swings his Gravity Hammer down at O'Brien, a blow that would have killed him, but is once again saved by the SPARTAN's immense strength. The supersoldier grabs the hammer mid-swing and engages the chieftain, knocking O'Brien clear, trading blows with the chieftain in hand-to-hammer combat. O'Brein is knocked over a cliff above a waterfall as the SPARTAN throws the chieftain, hammer and all, over the edge of the cliff. O'Brien falls over the edge, losing both his weapons, and is about to lose his grip when he is once again saved by the SPARTAN, who pulls him up and carries him over to where the other two ODSTs have arrived.
O'Brien: I'm not crippled! Put me down!
The SPARTAN obliges, placing the Helljumper on the ground and, once again, calmly walks away. Dutch goes over to O'Brien.
Dutch: You bitch any louder and this place will be crawling with Covenant.
O'Brien: Shut your mouth! He just got lucky.
The four arrive back to the ruins, taking in the surprisingly atypical Forerunner architecture. Dutch appears behind O'Brien and hits him on the back.
Dutch: That's twice. Twice he had to save your dumb ass already. You could at least say thank you.
The sun has started to set as the four continue towards the target area. In order to work their way up to the area they come across some large steps, each as tall as the ODSTs. O'Brien appears exhausted. The SPARTAN climbs them easily.
O'Brien: Man, those are some stairs!
The four arrive at the target area. Cal sets up the remaining Sniper Rifle and prepares to take the shot. The ODSTs join the SPARTAN.
Cortez: The shuttle will be touching down in two minutes.
O'Brien: After all this, he'd better everything they said he was.
The SPARTAN observes the staging area through the rifle's scope, which is filled with Honor Guards. The Phantom carrying the Prophet arrives, delivering the Prophet. Before the SPARTAN can take the shot, however, the Brute Chieftain seen earlier, having survived the fall and followed them, prepares to pulverize the oblivious O'Brien with his Gravity Hammer.
Cal pushes O'Brien out of the way as the Gravity Hammer descends down onto Cal. But a familiar Freelancer jumps onto the Brute back and tries to choke him, causing the Gravity Hammer to strike the ground next to Cal. Cal flies back a few feet, the Helljumpers are stunned to see another Spartan with them.
The brute chieftain roars and tries to grab at Ash, but he pulls back his left metallic fist and punches the brute in the face. The brute growls and throws his back into the wall, smashing Ash against it.
Ash groans as his helmet smashes against the wall and he falls of the brute.
The brute takes a few stagger steps as it growls and holds its head.
Ash stands up and holds his head in pain and all he hears is ringing. Ash grabs the bottom of his helmet and takes it off and tosses it to the side.
Ash's white hair flows within a breeze. Ash's left eye is cloudy white with a scar starts thin at the top left of his forehead and as it travels down it becomes wider and deeper. The scar travels down his face and barely misses his left eye and the scar is the widest just under his eye. It thins out as it travels down his cheek and stops at the bottom of his chin.
Ash's golden eye looks at Cal, who's getting back up.
"Cal, a little help here!" Ash yells.
Ash ducks under a swing from the Brute's gravity hammer. Then the Brute brings its gravity hammer above its head and tries to bring it down, but Cal grabs it and holds the Brute in place.
Cal looks to the side at O'Brien. "Take the shot! O'Brien, now! You're the only one who can do it!"
O'Brien runs over to the sniper rifle and readies his shot.
Ash punches the brute in the stomach with his metal fits and it lets go of the gravity hammer and doubles over. Ash then swiftly brings his right metal leg up and kicks the Brute in the face. A few cracks are heard from the brute's face as it flies across the ruins and smashes into a wall and falls to the ground.
Blood splatters behind it as it falls. Ash then runs over to it as the brute tries to stand up. Ash jumps onto the brute's chest, keeping it from getting up and he grabs his plasma repeater off his back and fires many rounds into the brute's face.
O'Brien fires the sniper rifle, striking the Prophet in the head, killing him. The Honor Guards, realizing that they have failed in their supreme duty to protect the Prophet, roar in anger.
Back up with the group.
Cal walks over to Ash and stands in front of him. Cal is much taller than Ash. With him being at 5'10'' and Cal is at 7'1''. Cal reaches up to her helmet and takes it off.
Cal's white hair billows in the winds as the two siblings golden eyes meet.
(Just imagine there's no blood.)
"Hey, Cal." Ash greets. "It's been awhile."
"Yes, it has." Cal says.
Ash hugs Cal and she hugs him back. After a few seconds they stop hugging and Cal puts her helmet back on. O'Brien walks over to the two.
"Mission accomplished." O'Brien states.
Cal nods her head and begins to walk away.
"Good job kid." Ash says as he walks over to his helmet and puts it back on.
The helljumpers group up and looks at the two Spartans walking away.
"I didn't know Spartans could have siblings." Dutch says.
"He came just in time." Cortez says.
Later back on the UNSC destroyer, the three ODSTs meet again in the mess hall. Berger once again rushes over to join them, handing the three of them apples.
"Heard about what you guys did down there." Berger states. "You took out a Prophet and stopped the Covenant supply chain dead for the entire Ark sector. They say another Spartan appeared and saved all of you. Must been real difficult if they had to send another down to you guys."
The mess hall goes quiet and everyone looks over, including the four at the table, and sees Ash walk into the room. Ash walks over to lunch line and the marines around step back and look at him in awe as he grabs a couple plates of food and nods to the lunch ladies.
Ash then walks out of the room and people go back to talking.
"Y'know, I thought Spartans were supposed to be taller?" Berger avers. "And what's with those prosthetics?"
With Ash.
Ash is walking down a hall and Marines step to the side and salute him as he passes. Then he comes to a stop at a room and opens the door.
Ash walks inside and sees Cal with her armor off and cleaning it. Cal is wearing a black tank top with her Spartan number on it and a pair of green cargo pants.
Ash walks over to her and she looks up and gives him a warm smile as he sets a plate of food next to her.
"Thank you, Ash."
"No problem." Ash sits down and takes off his helmet and begins to eat. "It's not pizza, but it'll do." He mumbles.
Cal sets her armor down and begins to eat. "How's your time in Project Freelancer?"
"It's... good."
"You feeling better now?"
"Better?" Ash questions.
"A couple weeks ago when you called me, you told me a friend died."
"C.T?" Ash mumbles. "Uh... yeah, I'm feeling better now. Been busy with assignments, but I got some time off and came to see you."
Cal smiles again "I'm happy to see you again, it's been years."
"Yeah... it sure has."
Later.
Ash, now in a black tank top and cargo pants, sets his armor on a table and he holds his helmet in his hands. Xi appears and gives him a thumbs up before she disappears.
Ash sets his helmet down and looks over to Cal, she's writing a report.
Ash walks over to his bed and takes off his tank top and stretches his arms.
"Ash?" Cal calls out.
"Yes?" Ash turns around and
Ash turns around and he notices Cal looking at his scars. Mainly the two on his stomach. A very large one from the Meta's blade and another from Zsh's knife, still fresh looking.
"How did you get all those scars?" Cal asks.
Ash looks down at himself and sees all the scars he's collected over the years. A bunch of scars are on his right shoulder.
"Being a freelancer doesn't come without its dangers." Ash says as he lays down on a makeshift bed. His weapons, including the portal gun, are next to the bed.
"I'm guessing the prosthetics are 'The Dangers of the job' too?"
"Yeah."
Cal looks at Ash with a worried look. "When you go back, please be careful."
"I will." Ash says as he closes his eyes. 'Like I'm ever leaving this.' He thinks to himself.
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10-13-2022
