Colonel Morrel was currently commanding the Blade's Edge to the best of his ability, issuing orders and disseminating information. When comms arrived that the Spartan team was nearly prepped for dispatch Morrel was quick to delegate his command to a senior subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Scarborough, before heading down to the armory to equip himself. The resounding clacks of cleared weapons and rustle of secured body armor made the old infantry commander feel right at home.
Unfortunately, as he was not a Spartan, getting the good colonel into a set of powered armor would prove impossible. Instead the older man chose a simple pair of non-descript grey fatigues that had been sterilized of any UNSC logos or insignia. Indeed, the outfit without armor made him appear more like a planetary militiaman than a UNSC commander. Next came the plated body armor, then armaments to include an MA5D, a few grenades, and an M6C. Of note for the last item was the nature of its age. The M6C as a service pistol had been retired for nearly a decade, though, to the colonel it felt as right now as it did nearly twenty years ago when he took his first platoon.
With all of these things done the colonel waited for the Spartans to move to the drop area before accessing the rear of the armory. As most people knew ONI liked to keep its secrets and fail-safes. What the colonel was accessing was one of them. It took only a minute or so to confirm that the item was indeed stowed away on the drop pods as arranged, having been attached to the interior of the colonel's personally. As soon as the team set down his 'deception' would be known, though in the end these too were simply orders.
Closing down to the control panel Morrel moved towards his respective pod, getting inside and securing himself via the restraint harnesses. The automatic tighteners did their work and in an instant he was pulled flush against the pod's rear padding. At his feet the large mystery item remained inert, danger graphics and bio-hazard warnings littering its sides.
"Fire team quantum this is colonel Morrel, prepare for drop."
