|
You remember your home, the green fields and blue sky, the countless stars lighing up the night. You remember how happy you were with your parents and your siblings. But that was before the monsters came.
You watched as the bulbous, blue and purple ships released glowing arcs of super-hot plasma and turned the surface of your home to molten glass. You watched as thier long, sleek fighters weaved and bobbed through the formations of the evac ships, burning the ships of your friends and family. You watched as the Navy warships melted and turned to slag as they stood thier ground and gave the surviving evac ships a chance to make the jump to Slipspace.
For weeks after that day, you laguished in the orphanage, sometimes weeping with the agony of your loss, sometimes seething with anger at the monsters that took your world from you. You learned the name of the monsters, one of the orderlies told you. They were called the Covanant. You learned that your world was not the only one lost to the alien menace. The human colonies had once numbered in the hundreds, now there were only a handfull.
You also learned about the Spartans. The news broadcasts showed huge people, close to three meters tall, and cased from head to toe in shiny green armor. You watched as one of the armored soldiers grabed a Covanant warrior and slamed it's head into the hard stone ground, spraying purple alien blood across the screen. The newsman said that the Spartans were going to win this war.
One day, a man dressed in a Navy uniform came into the orphanage. He walked right to you, past all of the other kids in the over-crowed bunk room. He walked up to you and asked your name. You answer nervously. He then askes you to place your thumb on a device he produced from his pocket. You feel the sharp prick as a blood sample is taken. The device begins to whir and hum. Suddenly your heart leaps to your throat, you know your future depends on whether or not this little box like what it finds in your blood. The hours seem to stretch into for hours as the humming continues, but finally the device makes a reassuring beep.
The Navy man kneels down, "Your home was distroyed by the Covanant?"
"Yes," you reply.
"How would you like to get a little payback?"
=D
"To say I want payback is the understatement of the century!"
"With all due respect grampa, I'm a gifted child coping with grief, trapped in an orphanage with legions of mindless mouth breathing germ factories who cry themselves to sleep every night, and I have no consolation. In fact, I have already cased this place out for an escape and the only reason I'm still here is because I'm broke and have nowhere to go. So, grampa, the way I see it, either you are an idiot or that was a rhetorical question. Having said that, there is one thing that is worrying me: if you guys are recruiting kids you must be seriously f!&~ed."
"Sure, what do you have in mind?" with sly grin.
"... all right..."
"So, how's the pay?"
"Hey grampa, where's the head in this hunk of junk cruiser? I'm sure you haven't done much parenting with this traveling work, so you probably don't know that 7 year old girls shouldn't hold their pee too long, it's not good for the kidneys."
"... you're too loud..."
To the other kids: "Those big metal things are called bulkheads, and that creaking sound--it means we are going to crash and all die."
** spoiler omitted **
|
|
The Navy man takes you to a ship. He leads you to the cryo tubes and puts you into stasis.
You awake. It feels like you just went to sleep. During the next few days, you are shufled through various medical, psych, and physical exams. Finally you are hearded onto a smaller ship and taken down to the surface of a planet.
As you disembark from the dropship, you see nearly a dozen other dropships disgorging children on to a flat green feild surounded on three sides by several buildings. You see adozen adults standing in a line in front of you. Two of them stand out from the rest. The first is dressed like the other adults, but where the others are young, this man seems to be nearly 100 years old . The other one is huge, about 2.5 meters tall and encased in green armor. He is a Spartan, one of the super soldiers you've seen on the brodcasts.
A voice bellows from the darkness, "In accordance to UNSC regulation 0537-92871, you are herby conscripted into the United Nations Space Command, welcome to the Navy." You can finally make out the loud speakers posistioned on poles around the feild. "I am Lt. Ambrose," the voice continues, "and I the comadant of Camp Curahee and your commanding officer. I am a Spartan, I am stronger, faster, and tougher than a normal person. Because of this, I am better able to kill Covenant scum. All of you have lost your homes and families to the Covenant. You are here because you want vengance. You will have a chance to become like me. But first, you must prove that you really want this chance."
The Spartan nods to the old man, whose voice doesn't need the speakers to be heard by everyone on the feild. "All right you maggots, back on the Pelicans," he shouts. The other men strap large heavy back-packs onto your back and you climb back into the ship. The doors close and the ship takes off. A minute later the doors open and the wind rushes into the cabin. The man grabs you by the shoulder and turns you toward the group of children.
"Everyone listen up. You are going to jump out of the back of the Pelican. After you jump, count to ten, then pull this cord." He points to the cord on your pack. "If you complete this test, you will get the chance to become Spartans. If you fail, you get shipped back to whatever hell hole they pulled you out of." He looks back at you and says, "You first, every body else, line up." He pushes you toward the edge. You stand there on the edge, looking down into the black void of the night.
SHOUTING: "DUDE, I FORGOT TO SIGN THE WAIVER!"
[Trainer points out the ass end of the pelican]
"OKAY, OKAY!..." Jumps... Heart pounds, wind screams.... "KOWABUNGAAAAAAA!... 3...4..."
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Now that I think about it, the +2 spotter's AID could only reduce range modifiers.
"...well, seeing as how I'm here, may as well make the most of everything. "
<jump off pelican, hoping the pack they gave me was a parachute>
"Banzai!!!!"
Ginny looks at the spartan and walks casually to the end of the pelican. Then she just dives out of the plane.
Ashley, having stayed in the back of the group, was one of the last to jump. 'But... if we fail the test, then we'll just die. So, that means that you only have to live to make it into the program...?' Ashley thought as he shuffled up to the door.
'... That's harsh...' were his last coherent thoughts before the Spartan pushed him out into the screaming sky.
Dan looks out the open doors with apprehension. Then, realizing he has no other choice, he leaps out the door with a scream.
|
|
The weeks following the jump are a blur of running, sit-ups, and obstacle courses. During these weeks, you learn the basics of military life and tactics.
One day, several weeks into your training, the drill instructors lead you out to a long table lined with pistols, shooting goggels, and hearing protection. Thirty meters from the table is a row of human shaped targets. Chief Menendez steps in front of the orderly line of cadets and gives you a rundown of how the firearms work.
"This is the M6D Magnum sidearm. It fires a 14.5mm semi-armor piercing round. It is the standard sidearm of the UNSC. Every body step-up to the table and grap a pistol. Look it over and get a feel for the weapon, then when I tell you, load the firearm and fire eight shots at the target in front of you."
Rolls: [12] [12] [11] [8] [3] [20] [3] [17]
*puts it back on the table where she got it*
To Menendez: "Many fail to understand the importance of gun safety education for children. Statistics suggest that as many of 7% of children who live in households with accessible firearms play with them and of those one quarter accidentally discharge the weapon because they don't realize that if a round was chambered it stays in the chamber after the gun has been discharged. Luckily very few of those actually result in a fatal injury, but nevertheless it does point to the great risk in giving a fully loaded weapon to a 7 year old girl. I don't know about you but if my parents were alive they would be appalled at your handing me a loaded weapon without any proper instruction. To tell you the truth, you're lucky I didn't accidentally shoot you."
Unused to the recoil of the pistol, Ashley's first shot ricochet's off of the stand for the target, and his next shot misses nearly as badly. Pausing for a moment, he lined up the sights, and managed to hit the target. Mood uplifting, he slowly but surely began hitting the target, one shot driving straight through the bulls-eye.
Menendez, are we gonna be shooting humans?
*gestures toward human shaped targets*
*Ha's chin wobbles a little, tears well out*
"No"
...
"Sir"
'... Finally, someone made her be quiet...'
Ginny picks up the gun and aims at the target. She til she hears fire, then unloads her gun into the target. She sits the gun back on the table when she is done. and fusses at herself for missing some shots.
attack 1 (1d20-4=8)
attack 2 (1d20-4=12)
attack 3 (1d20-4=9)
attack 4 (1d20-4=1)
attack 5 (1d20-4=11)
attack 6 (1d20-4=-2)
attack 7 (1d20-4=-1)
attack 8 (1d20-4=4)
hehe
*Ha gloats silently about her six hits*
Shot 1 = 9
Shot 2 = 7
Shot 3 = 20
Shot 4 = 18
Shot 5 = 16
Shot 6 = 20
Shot 7 = 14
Shot 8 = 9
Dan's perfectionist attitude shows true as he blasts every target with a methodical accuracy. He spins the gun around his finger and places it back on the table with a grin.
Dice Rolled. Results: 6, 7, 14, 13, 15, 3, 15, 15
Confidently placing 7 of 8 shots directly in center of mass, Jacob places the M6 on safe, and continues to inspect it for a minute or so, before placing it back on the table.
"Test complete, Sergeant."
(PSST, sorry to interrupt, V, but Arctaris is languishing in the d20 Halo discussion thread wondering how you want to work him in. Just in case you haven't checked there.)
Sean steps forward and picks up the weapon, examining it before giving a cocky smile and firing eight quick shots at the targets. Six of the eight bullets strike home and he grins as he places the gun back on the table, barely holding back comments and boasting.
|
|
"Is that the best you can do? My grandmother shoots better than that and she's been dead longer that you've been breathin'," Menendez shouts as the last echos of the gunfire fades. His smile, however; betrays the pride he feels.
"Now on to something a little harder. I want you to aim for the head of the target it's a much harder shot, but in combat headshots are far more effective in taking down enemies. Reload and fire eight more shots."
Dan takes up the gun first, a bit overconfidently and lets the wind shake his aim slightly resulting in 5 misses. Three of them wide and 2 barely missing the targets head.
-4,10,4,-4,-6,12,4,9
Silent for the first time after the reprimand, Ha, chin still wrinkled and a little teary eyed, reloads the gun with some difficulty, braces her hand just like the movies, and lets 8 shots rip, with a few deep breaths between each shot. The kick, after all, is tremendous when you are 7.
Invisible Castle:[15][20][20][2][14][17][8][6]
Ha puts 5 rounds in the target's head. She stands and stares at the gun for a long time with a stunned expression on her face. In fact Menendez will have to shout at her before she comes out of the trance.
After Menendez gets her attention Ha will ask him "can your grandmother do that?"
Ashley stared at the near perfect accuracy of the loud mouthed girl, then turned back to his target. Nervous, he aimed and fired.
Breathing heavily, Ashley looked at the two shots clipping the head of the target.
I step forward again and pick up the gun. I aim carefully at the target, hoping to hit with at least a few shots and also inwardly hoping that we'll have a test involving fire later on.
I brace myself and fire. The recoil knocks me back on the first shot and I get up, shaken.
Ginny grabs the gun and thinks to herself not agian. She's tired of shoting targets. I hope I aleast hit more then the last, she says to herself.
Ginny quietly sits the gun down with head hung low. She then slips to the back of the group embarassed from not hiting the target.