0830hrs, July 24, 2552, Visegrad Region, Planet Reach
The two UH-144 Falcons danced on the early morning thermals through the mountainous region of Reach. The trip from the base to check out the downed communications relay had been pleasant for the team. The scenery was ruggedly beautiful and the team's comm channel had been filled with the banter of soldiers who knew their job. Only Mike and Natalia refrained from joining in. Neither felt like they were part of the group but each for their own reasons.
Still in the mountains they could see the region of Visegrad open before them. Neatly plowed farmer's fields dotted the still rugged terrain as they moved into the agricultural area. Though a distance from the large interplanetary communications relay they could still be seen rising above the terrain. Instinctively each soldier sensed they were getting closer so the idle chatter died down until the team channel was clear.
Commander Carter was again impressed by the professionalism of his team. They'd been through a lot and he knew he could count on them when the chips were down. He took a moment to bask in the pride he felt. Looking around though his face clouded behind the reflective visor of his helmet. His new Six, Mike B-312 concerned him. The guy's rep was solid but he'd never been part of a team. Lone wolf. That was his nickname. The guy had a "hyper-lethal" rating. The rumors were he had almost as many kills as the legendary Master Chief. So the guy could fight, but could he serve?
The team leader was concerned about how B-312 and Emile would work together. Still, that was a lesser concern then the one he had for the addition of Lt. Comm. Natalia Misriah. Though she'd been given the designation 'Noble Seven' everyone knew this was only a six-person team. He could understand their shock and dismay at the addition. He'd only had a ninety minute head start with the call he'd gotten from Colonel Holland informing him of the addition to Noble Team. Why she was there was a mystery to him. Only one word could explain it-ONI. He snorted to himself in frustration. Some external agenda being forced on grunts yet again that they'd be expected to soldier through. Fortunately this seemed like it would be a straight-forward mission then he'd be rid of her. He figured Mike would work out to be a good Six and soon he'd be rid of Ms. Misriah. It would all work out in the end.
Looking at his datapad Carter saw they were approaching the outpost they needed to investigate. Time to button up. It was game time.
"Listen up, Noble Team," Carter called over the team channel to get them focused. "We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrád. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online."
"Just get me under the hood, Commander," Kat added confidently.
"Sir," Jorge cut in, "why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" He was originally from Reach so had mixed feelings about this mission.
Carter knew of Noble Five's reservations. "You get a chance; maybe you can ask them, Jorge."
The members of Noble Team began to shift about, adjusting their gear to its proper fit, prepping for their insertion.
"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ," Kat cut in, a surprised note in her voice.
"Backup channels?" Carter asked, irritated at the new development. Whoever had taken down the relay might be able to jam them. That or the mountains were playing havoc with the signal. That wasn't likely though.
"Searching...nada. Can't say what's jamming us," Kat confirmed.
"You heard her," Carter signaled the team. "Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip."
"I'm lonely already," Emile cut in sarcastically.
Carter stayed focused. There was something about this that didn't feel right. Suddenly this seemed way more complicated then dealing with Innies. "Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance," he warned the Falcon pilots.
"Yes, sir!" the pilot of Charlie One replied, voice tensing.
"Let's stay focused," Carter warned the team. "Watch your sectors."
The two Falcons split allowing them to have opposite approaches in order to cover more territory but also make for fewer targets. The Communications Relay Hub came into view but there was no movement on the ground or around the structure.
"There's the communications outpost," Jorge pointed out rhetorically. By now the whole team knew something wasn't right.
"Reading a distress beacon," Kat confirmed everyone's fears. At the same time everyone's Heads-Up-Display received a waypoint marked 'Distress Beacon – Investigate'.
"Could be the missing troopers," Carter called out. "Let's check it out." Looking around the commander of Noble Team found a good location for insertion. "Put us down on the bluff," he ordered the pilots. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky."
"Sir."
The Falcons circled around the outpost then moved towards the bluff. Green grass contrasted with the dark grey of the rising rock formations that dominated the area. Flaring before landing the helicopters rejoined then dropped down side by side allowing the Spartans to disembark. Hitting their thrusters the transports took off to hover several hundred meters above the outpost with Jun and Jorge providing overwatch. By that point the team was already several hundred meters away approaching the station.
"Alright, Noble Team, Spread out," Carter ordered. "Watch the approach. Misriah, you stay with Six."
There, it had been done. In the flow of the moment Commander Carter had shown where the new team members stood. Natalia was embarrassed. It was bad enough that Mike had been given the task of babysitting her but the woman's team ID hadn't been used either. She was a name, not a member.
Mike cursed under his breath. This was going to be tougher then he thought. Orders were orders. Though Natalia had been tagged on the 'Friend or Foe' indicator on his HUD he still swiveled his head to gauge her position and pace. There were some things the IFF didn't tell. The ONI officer was already lagging behind, moving tentatively through the rough, sloping terrain. Rather than take the lead like he wanted to do Mike fell back to shadow the woman already showing she was out of her element. The rest of the team moved steadily down the hillside they were traveling towards the relay station. Halfway down Emile held his hand up to signal a halt. The rest went into defensive postures as the Spartan climbed a rock to look down at the outpost from the peak.
With a seasoned eye he surveyed the quiet outpost, looking for an ambush. "Structure point 3-4," Emile radioed on the team's com channel, "looks clear from this angle."
He leapt down and moved in, shotgun at the ready. Carter and Kat fanned out approaching from different directions.
"Distress beacon's coming from just south of here, Commander," Kat confirmed, monitoring the signal and other open channels. "We're close."
"Roger that," Carter confirmed. "Eyes peeled. "
The three Spartans moved swiftly onto the position with Mike and Natalia following just behind. What appeared to be a Warthog burned beside the small building that acted as the housing for the communications relay. The smell of burning fuel and melting metal hung thick in the air despite the filters in the team's helmets. Other than the sound of the cracking fire no other sound could be heard. The building was searched while Mike and Natalia provided cover outside. Mike's instincts started to scream at him. He couldn't figure out why but something wasn't right. A sinking feeling was starting to grab at him he couldn't shake. He gripped his MA37 assault rifle a bit tighter.
Coming outside Emile began searching some of the debris outside the building. "Found the beacon," he confirmed, tossing it in one motion to Kat.
"Make out any ID?" Carter asked, coming over to take a look.
"Negative, but it's military," Kat confirmed, dropping the now useless object to the ground.
"So where are the troopers?" Jorge asked over the comms from his overwatch position in the Falcon circling overhead.
"Why are we not seeing explosives residue?" Kat ignored the question, wondering instead about the unusual signs of struggle obvious to the seasoned veteran.
Carter as well had been thinking the same thoughts. Things were not adding up. "Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?" he asked.
Jun looked at the sensors on the Falcon now wishing he was on the ground with his friends rather then up in the air circling overhead. "Hmm... Negative, sir."
"Plasma maybe," Emile mused.
"Can't be. Not on Reach," Jorge vigorously contradicted.
"There's a lot of blood on the ground," Emile declared.
There was. Multiple splatter spots with pools around yet no bodies. Weird.
Natalia could sense her heartbeat rising with anxiety. She could feel her breathing getting shallower too. The quiet of the base was eerily unsettling. She'd been through all sorts of training scenarios at the Academy, some even more realistic then this. But this was real, it was no simulation. That was real blood from real soldiers soaking up the ground. She looked over at Mike who stood unmoving. She wondered what he was thinking inside his visored helmet. Likely not having trouble controlling his heart rate she thought to herself. When Commander Carter had told her to stay with him she'd resented the implication she couldn't look after herself. Now, Natalia was glad she was being viewed as an extension of the seasoned warrior. The ONI officer would follow his lead and show these people what she was capable of.
"All right Noble," Carter signaled the rest, "looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on. There's some other structures not far from here," he tagged them as an objective on the team's HUD," let's go check them out. Charlie One and Two," he called to the Falcons,"we're going to hump it over to the settlement beyond the next rise. Noble Three, Noble Five, continue with overwatch until we get there. Call out if you see anything."
Two green acknowledgement lights winked receipt of the order and the team moved out. Emile took the point with Carter and Kat flanking. Mike motioned Natalia to his front and left so he could cover the rear. They moved swiftly through a defile towards the enclave passing several Moas along the way. The large, lizard-like flightless birds seemed spooked by something. The team moved in quickly. With nothing on their motion trackers there was a mixture of relief but apprehension.
Just below the rise Kat caught sight of something. "Smoke at the next structure, boss," she reported to the commander.
"Circle west and check it out," Carter ordered. He knew something was up and it was time to get serious. "Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence."
Safeties came off and Noble Team went weapons free. Moving the short distance towards the first structure through a series of rising rocks, the Spartans crested a small rise and moved to the left. Coming to a walkway leading to a deck Noble arrived at the first home in the community. Sitting on a cliff side the place had an impressive view of the valley below. It was likely pretty nice at sunset but no one was thinking of that at this point. The team came in, weapons tracking all around, looking for the missing soldiers or signs of hostiles. Still, there was nothing.
"Noble Six, move into the house," Carter ordered Mike. "Go in quiet. I'm right behind you."
Mike entered in low, hugging the wall to provide less of a target. MA37 leveled he went into the darkness of the unlit home. Natalia wasn't sure what to do since she'd been given no orders so followed Mike into the building. Carter came after her, ignoring the woman. Scanning quickly all around the place was clear. No one was home though there were signs it had been occupied recently.
"Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat-sigs in the structure ahead!" Jun reported from above over the team channel.
A marker popped up on the HUD so Carter hand-signaled Mike and Natalia to follow him to the location. Moving up a short flight of steps inside the structure they emerged onto the other side of the house just as one of the Falcons dropped Jorge off in the courtyard. The team fanned out moving cautiously towards the building where they were all picking up contacts. Though the IFF indicator showed neutral no one was taking any chances.
Halfway there a door opened and a middle aged man stepped out. Noble Team dropped into a covering position as the man who was dressed like a farmer began to yell in a high state of agitation in a language that wasn't familiar. Inside it seemed there were other civilians huddling together.
"Move! On your knees, now!" Emile ordered, aiming his shotgun at the center of the man's chest.
The farmer raised his hands and took a step back continuing to yell in a language neither Mike nor Natalia could understand but it was clear he was scared and wanted to tell them something.
Jorge stepped between Emile and the scared civilian."They're not rebels, they're farmers. Look at them," the big Spartan II declared in agitation blocking his teammate.
"Ask him what they're doing here," Carter ordered, scanning the perimeter for any movement.
Jorge began to question the man in his native tongue. The familiarity caused the farmer to settle down and he began to tell the Spartan what had been going on as Jorge translated. They had a back-and-forth conversation in what by now the others had figured out to be Hungarian before the pair paused
"They're hiding, sir," Jorge reported as the man looked around nervously. "Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise."
The man seemed to figure out what the big man was saying so added some further commentary in his native tongue.
"He says something in the fields...killed his son," Jorge translated, fingers tightening on his heavy machine gun.
"Something?" Carter asked, picking up on the civilians fear.
"Commander, be advised," Jun cut in on the comms, "I'm reading heat signatures at the structure directly east from your position. Over."
"Copy that," Carter acknowledged. He gestured to Jorge, "Get them back inside."
Jorge spoke to the civilian urgently, gesturing to the man and the others to get inside and stay there.
From there the team sprinted east towards the building the indicator was showing. Crossing a walkway the team moved around another rock outcropping and moved higher to where the building in question had been marked. With the team spread out to cover Jorge and Mike prepare to enter the dark structure.
"We're moving in, Commander," Jorge reported when the pair was set. Getting a thumbs up from the team leader they burst in.
The sight was startling, even for seasoned combat veterans. Several human bodies were in the room including two wearing uniforms who were pinned to the wall. Blood lay pooled all about, while flies buzzed happily around the beaten and battered bodies.
"Damn...," was all Carter could say as he entered in. Moving to the Army troopers he knelt down to examine the bodies.
Natalia came in behind the officer, not knowing what she'd find. Coming onto the dead humans the sight of their grotesquely twisted bodies and death masks marring their faces startled the woman. Gagging involuntarily she swore to herself since she'd done it on an open channel.
"First time, ma'am?" Kat asked derisively walking past Natalia.
"No, of course not," Natalia lied. "My stomachs just acting up. Must have been something I ate."
Kat snorted but said nothing, kneeling down to inspect a set of avian-like footprints that could be seen in the blood.
"Fill me in, Commander," Jun called out over the comms, "what are you seeing? Over."
"We've got military casualties, two of the missing troopers," Carter confirmed, hunched over the bloody bodies. "Looks like they were interrogated...It's messy."
Noble Team's commander stood up and though his face was hidden by his helmet it was obvious from the Spartan's body language he was seething with anger. Without saying a word Carter signaled the team to keep moving. Pressing on the team entered an adjacent room with another dead body in it. Then from above the sound of scrabbling feet on the metal roof could be heard. A red blip appeared on the team's IFF tracker for a moment and then was lost.
"Movement," Carter called out. "Watch your motion trackers."
"What the hell was that?" Emile wondered as the other moved around, looking up and down for signs of the hostile.
"Jun, you see anything?" Carter asked his sniper in the Falcon.
"Negative," Jun reported in a frustrated voice. "Thermal's clean."
The team moved out of the building and into the open. Traveling in a defensive posture Natalia realized Mike had moved her into the center of the diamond formation they went in. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or angry. Her emotions were on overdrive and she could feel her heart beating in her throat. The temperature control in her armor had already kicked in to compensate for her elevated body heat. Though she wore the same type of armor as the Spartans of Noble Team, since she hadn't been genetically altered she didn't have the physical ability to manage it but the suit had been modified instead to work for her, courtesy of her father.
Mike had the right flank as the team moved towards another building. It was quiet outside; there was no movement of animal or bird. The sight of the mutilated soldiers especially had upset him. He'd seen that too many times on previous assignments, feeling helpless. Coming into a situation too late was something that still angered him. He could tell Carter felt the same way which began to build a bond with him and the other Spartan III. He kept an eye though on Natalia Misriah who moved to his left in the center of their formation. The woman was keeping pace but it seemed from the way she kept jerking her head back and forth that she really wasn't sure what she was doing . Better be a fast learner he thought to himself because something was about to hit the fan. He could feel it. His instincts had kept him alive all these years and never lied to him.
Noble moved into the next building and began to sweep it from end to end. Thankfully there were no more bodies but the signs of a hasty departure were all over. Moving through light spilled in from their front indicating the likelihood of a large picture window.
"Boss, I see movement, outside your structure!" Jun urgently reported over the comms.
At the same time multiple red blips popped up on the team's IFFs.
"Noble Two, move up to the west," Carter ordered Kat immediately sensing danger. "We're about to be flanked."