Kalas

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Magic Magnum said
Congrats. :)

Thanks :)

reem said
Awesome, what do you do?

And I'm a Maintenance Engineer. It covers Gas, Electricity and Plumbing as well as Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. I was told this week that my company are transferring me to BMS Engineering which is basically controlling and monitoring every system in a building via computer. (i.e. Heating/Ventilation/Lighting etc.)

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Nallore said
Whats up peoples?

Just got into work. Feeling rough though because I went to the pub with my folks to celebrate my recent promotion. O.o

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Jace stood up from the metallic cargo box he'd reserved indefinitely as his shut-eye spot within the Staging Area. "A rogue AI, Bad drop conditions and no guarantee we'll even make it to the rally point if we land? Sounds like a walk in the park." He stated out loud, then, hearing Ross' question, answered with, "If an AI has gone rogue, it's probably starting to go Rampant, or it's gone fully Rampant. My bet is that Loki is more than just your average christmas decoration AI. Why else would Mrs Spook be so tight on the details?" Eying the monitor, he mulled over the layout of the city and downloaded it to his data pad. His best chance would be following the river if he survived the drop. There was plenty of building coverage to mask his approach and an unguarded route to the rally point. He doubted his luck, however. Thinking more about the mission objective and the active AI down below, he realised something that wasn't explained during the briefing.

Jason walked out of the Staging Area and towards the Drop Bay, noticing Archer up ahead. He'd been his Squad Sergeant since he'd joined the Detachment a year and a half ago. Archer was 11 years his senior but Jace had liked him from the off, the man was straight talking and didn't take shit from anyone. They'd been on quite a few missions together during his time in as a GHOST and Jace had found himself looking up to the man, almost. He jogged a couple of steps to catch up. "Hey Sarge." He said, as he closed upon his right shoulder. "This AI is still active right? Which means there's a chance he'll be able to spot us through any security systems still operational around the city, if he's connected himself to the Facility's databases. Should any of us land north of those Covie patrols, our best bet would be to head east for the river and track it south until we reach the rally point. The chances of the city's security systems being able to eyeball us would be reduced and we could probably set up sniper cover in the remains of the buildings to the east of the rally point." Jason often shared his views on how to approach each mission with the Sergeant. Due to his time spent on Victoria, Jace was somewhat of an expert in dodging enemy patrols and attacking from the right angle, which, on this mission, seemed to be exactly what they'd need to do.

"If shit hits the fan and the Op goes south once we reach the Rally Point..." He continued. "...We can fall back to the southern bridge out of the city. It might even be better to plant charges on the way past, just in case we need to delay any...followers." He stopped talking then to allow the Staff Sergeant to take in the information.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Nallore said
It's about the early days of the Covenant and the events that lead up to the Great Schism. Or The Covenant Civil War what ever you want to call it.

Oh so:

-The Chief dicks on the Covenant.
-Prophets blame the Arbiter.
-Arbiter does some shit.
-The Chief continues to dick on the Covies.
-The Arbiter begins to realize Prophet's falseness.
-Prophets get scared of Sangheili.
-Jiralhanae are employed to genocide Sangheili.
-Arbiter leads rebellion with other Sangheili leaders.
-Rebels join the Humans.
-Prophets get raped.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Enalais said
Writers block... @Kalas we have the same role in the squad too

*Fist Bump* Hell yeah! Recon, Tracking and Torture. First Squad's Anders & Brewers, putting the 'O' into 'ODST'. Other. Dudes. Seriously. Terminated. Oorah!

If you want, feel free to talk to Jace, he's always up for a chat.

Nallore said
New Halo book coming November 4th 2014. :)

What's it called?

Enalais said
Probably an extension of the forerunner series of events that confuses the crap out of me.

I can write a TL;DR version if you'd like?

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

Man Oh Maaan! Can't believe this is finally under way! :D

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

03:29 Hours
23 August, 2550
Marine Operations Staging Area

Jace waited in his usual spot, head down, eyes closed, trying to grab as much shut-eye as the universe could offer him. All the while his hands were running over his BR55HB SR Battle Rifle, which rested in his lap, making the necessary checks that he'd done hundreds, if not thousands, of times over. It was during this state of light sleeping that his thoughts plagued him the most. Memories mostly, of his parent's death, of his brother's choice to join up with the people who had caused his parents to be killed, of his later mission track down and abduct his brother, only to then torture him to comply with ONI's demands. He could see his mother and father's faces now, disappointed. But they no longer disturbed him as much as they used to. As the years slowly crept by, the once familiar pictures of their faces began to fade. Their heavily distinguished expressions gradually blurring together until they became just another set of dead people. Another pair to add to the countless others he'd seen.

The murmurs of ignorant privates roused him from his dosing state. Goddamn scrubs. It was the same wherever he went. Good, battle-tested troopers died and the brass saw fit to send in the most inexperienced and incompetent. Although he'd only been assigned to the GHOST Detachment for a nearly a year and a half, it still made him a long serving member. Despite ONI's attempts to portray GHOST as the most badass sons of bitches of the ODST, members still died just like anyone else fighting in the war. During their most recent mission to another asshole of the universe, six members had died. The largest amount of recorded deaths in a single mission for the detachment. One of them happened to be a good friend too. Corporal Jacob Yeager had transferred from the 37th Tactical Unit alongside him. Where the standard ODST Force was purely voluntary, the GHOST Detachment was selection based. This meant that these 'newbies' had either scored incredibly high during training exercises or they had genuinely seen some real combat. Jace preferred not to guess which.

Standing up, he laughed as Archer, his Staff Sergeant, silenced the new arrival, PFC Wiley. "You've got some boots to fill, Scrub." He chimed in. "Those weren't just any Troopers who stood where you are now. Probably best you learn that sooner rather than later." Jace then strode over to the weapons rack and grabbed his favorite sidearm, the M6C/SOCOM, complete with a built-in silencer. He'd used it on many of his previous missions as a GHOST and during his entire tenure on Victoria some years ago. It complemented his silenced Battle Rifle perfectly, both of which fit exactly into his role within the Detachment. Which, as a Specialist, could end up being a broad range of things. Jace's role, however, was simple. Based purely on his combat experience, the Corporal's role consisted of Forward Reconnaissance, usually behind enemy lines, Tracking & Field Craft, which came in handy more times than you'd imagine, and Information Gathering, often by less desirable means.

Jace ran through his check of the weapon quickly, then slotted it in its holster at his hip. The Gunny Sergeant would be here soon to brief them, accompanied by, if the rumors from the bridge officers were true, an ONI Spook. A female Field Operative who had supposedly made her position well known to Captain Ramsey, despite the ship being under his command. During his time in the 37th, Jason had met his fair share of Operatives. They didn't differ very much whether they were male or females, except the ladies tended to be a little worse. Each of them had cold glares that could send a shiver down the spine of even the stoutest marine and didn't seem to trust anyone but themselves. In their eyes, they were the elite not the ground troops who did the jobs they commanded them to. Jace wasn't really that bothered anyway, his orders had to come from someone and if that person just so happened to be the most stuck-up bitch of an ONI Spook the UNSC had to offer, then so be it.

He walked back over to his spot and waited, more sleep wouldn't hurt at all.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

I'm hoping that I can write something up at work.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

QueenOfTheBee said
We got guns for a reason!

I suppose that makes sense. :D

On another note, I wrote this up last week to tie in with my ODSTs history as well as background info for a potential Side-Arc that I'm gonna ask Swift about. Let me know what you guys think of it.

Operation: HUMMINGBIRD

Access to this document requires UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence Section-III level 4 clearance or above. If you do not possess such clearance and are viewing this material, you are currently committing crimes against the UNSC and by association, the Unified Earth Government. Punishment for these crimes will result in prosecution in a Military Court of Law which could end in Dishonourable Discharge, Lifetime Imprisonment and/or, in extreme cases, Execution.

Conflict: Insurrection

Date: 2545-2548

Outcome: Mission Objective Accomplished. Results are Ongoing. (See: Operation: WOODPECKER for further details)

Overview

Operation: HUMMINGBIRD was one of many Sub-Operations authorized by the Office of Naval Intelligence Section-III, under the umbrella of Operation: TREBUCHET, that were performed outside of the Epsilon Eridani and Eridanus systems. These so-called 'Black Operations', which took place during 2525-2550, were never meant to exist on record outside of Section-III's databases because the focus was supposed to be seen as fighting the Covenant, and Operation: TREBUCHET had supposedly been deactivated. As such, much of the data of these other 'Black Operations' has now been expunged or redacted. This report has not been altered, however, due to the continued events caused by this Operation. (See: Operation: WOODPECKER for further details)

The objective of Operation: HUMMINGBIRD was to infiltrate the Insurrectionist faction known as the United Rebel Front on the planet Victoria, by way of a double agent, to remain informed on the current movements of Insurrectionist Forces amongst all UNSC controlled systems. The target of this Operation was Insurrectionist Jonathan Anders; A known high-level Commander and well-respected Militant of Camp New Hope. After the capture and compromisation of the target, they were kept accountable and cooperative via blackmailing methods.

A specially drafted team was selected to perform this Operation. The 37th Tactical Deep Ground Surveillance Unit; An ODST Task Force, separate from UNSC Marine Corps control and answering directly to Section-III, was composed especially for the aforementioned 'Black Operations'. Five members of this Unit were chosen to complete the Mission Objective. The sixth and final member, Specialist Jason Anders (Now promoted to Corporal), who was, at the time serving in the 53rd Armoured Division on Actium, was ordered to be redeployed within the UNSC Marine Corps and immediately assigned to the 37th Tactical Unit. Specialist Anders' inclusion for this Operation was seen as a failsafe in the event of non-compliance from the target. Gunnery Sergeant Matthew D. Brown, who lead the team, was ordered that, in the event of non-compliance, he and the remainder of the team were to torture and threaten the life of Specialist Anders, after revealing his identity, to assure the target's cooperation.*

*This section is due for Expungement upon deactivation of Operation: HUMMINGBIRD.

Timeline of Events

February 17th 2545:

Operation: HUMMINGBIRD was sanctioned by Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Director of the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence.

February 28th 2545:

Gunnery Sergeant Matthew D. Brown hand-picks the team from candidates of the 37th Tactical Unit.

March 14th 2545:

The five-man team board the stealth corvette UNSC Dark Favour and begins travelling to the Eridanus system..

May 5th 2545:

The UNSC Dark Favour stations just outside of the Eridanus system and awaits further orders.

May 27th 2545:

Specialist Jason Anders is redeployed to the UNSC Marine Corps and assigned to the 37th Tactical Unit.

June 13th 2545:

Specialist Jason Anders rendezvous with Gunnery Sergeant Matthew D. Brown and the rest of the team onboard UNSC Dark Favour.

June 17th 2545:

The team boards the DCS Freighter UNSC An Apple a Day (AAD-000679842) which is headed to Victoria.

January 5th 2546:

UNSC An Apple a Day arrives on Victoria.

January 6th 2546:

The team begins Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol to acquire target's location and ascertain most suitable opportunity for abduction.

April 12th 2548:

Team executes ambush of an Insurrectionist Patrol Convoy which target is confirmed to be moving with. Target is captured and offered opportunity to comply. Target accepts offer immediately after Specialist Jason Anders reveals his identity and tortures target, preventing the need for Gunnery Sergeant Brown's secondary orders.

April 13th 2548:

Mission Accomplished. The team is shipped off world after setting up a secure communications relay for the target to send information via.

Halo: WE ARE ODST, Part One: Spooks, Ghosts, and the Devil.

QueenOfTheBee said
yeah, and you got shot down immediately xD

Getting shot by the Corpsman, how ironic. :D Haha!