Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Hell, General Whitcomb said, twirling his beard. We evacuated this area of ​​space almost at the beginning of the war. The Covenant arrived and burned Eridani and other outer colonies without batting an eye. Just keep pushing forward.”

Eridanus? The Master Chief took a step forward and touched the scrolling data next to the galaxy. I know this place. He turned to face the general, There is a human colony there, sir, but the UNSC has abandoned it long ago. If I had to guess, I'd bet the Covenant never found it either. We could go there and speed up the ship's refurbishment work.

The general stared at him seriously, Are you sure? Are you sure enough to bet our lives and the Earth on that planet, Master Chief?

The Master Chief looked at the dot on the map again. What was on his mind was not Eridanus, but the asteroid field surrounding it and a mission he and his team had carried out twenty years earlier.

Yes, sir, I'm sure.

****

0605 hours, September 12, 2525 in the military calendar

The UNSC destroyer Vanguard is en route to Eridanus.

Twenty-seven years ago.

John and the other Spartans stood at ease.

The lecture hall on the UNSC destroyer Vanguard made him feel uncomfortable. The stereoscopic projector in front shows the star map in front of the spacecraft. John was not used to looking at such a large space at once, and he couldn't help but secretly hope that it could suddenly be compressed.

The stars shone past us, the lights ahead turned on, and Sergeant Mendez and Dr. Halsey walked in.

The Spartans immediately stood at attention.

Take a break, Mendez said. His hands were clasped behind his back, and the muscles on his cheeks were tense, looking nervous.

This made John nervous too.

Dr. Halsey walked up to the podium, the light reflecting off the lenses of his glasses. Good morning, Spartans, I have good news. An order was issued from above to test your unparalleled talents. You have a new target: a rebel base in the Eridanus constellation.

A constellation picture appeared on the wall, and then it was enlarged so that people could clearly see an orange-red star with twelve planets in the picture. In 2513, an armed rebellion was suppressed by UNSC troops, and the operation was codenamed 'Slingshot'.

A strategic map appeared on the screen, dotted with small icons representing destroyers and aircraft carriers. They slowly surrounded more than a hundred small spaceships, and little flames of war lit up in the darkness.

The rebellion was extinguished, but the main rebel force escaped and later regrouped in the asteroid field.

The ring around the star is magnified on the map.

There are billions of asteroids here. Dr. Halsey continued. They use this to avoid the attacks of our military, and they have been surviving to this day. For a long time, the Military Intelligence Agency thought that they were just stragglers, lacking organization and not capable of fighting. No longer threatening. However, things have changed recently.”

There is evidence that one of the asteroids has been hollowed out and they have built a base inside. After the UNSC search force entered the area, they either found nothing or were attacked by powerful forces.

She paused and pushed up her glasses. Military Intelligence has evidence that there was a security breach within Fleet Command - that someone sympathetic to the rebels was passing information to them.

John and the other Spartans shifted uncomfortably. Leak! possible. Deya told them many examples in history of using intelligence personnel to win or losing due to undercover agents. But he never expected that something like this would happen in the UNSC.

A photo appeared on the map: a middle-aged man with gray eyes, thin hair, and a neat beard.

This is the leader of the rebels, Dr. Halsey explained. Colonel Robert Watts. This is a computer age simulation of the photos taken after Operation Catapult.

Your mission is to infiltrate the rebel base and bring Watts to the star domain controlled by the UNSC. Make sure he is alive and unharmed. This will deprive them of a new leader, and the military intelligence may also find a traitor in him. .”

Dr. Halsey paused. Sergeant Mendez?

Mendez breathed out, loosened his wrists tightly behind his back, walked to the stage, and cleared his throat. This operation is different from previous ones. You will fight with the enemy with live ammunition. How you treat them will be treated by them. If you have any doubts or confusion - try not to make this mistake, even in the battle There will always be something to confuse you - don't push your luck. Kill first, ask questions later.

The support we can provide is limited to the ammunition and supplies on this ship, Mendez continued, this is to minimize the possibility of leaks.

Mendez walked over to the star map. Colonel Robert Watts' face disappeared, replaced by the blueprints of a cargo ship.

Although we cannot yet determine the location of the base, we can confirm that it regularly receives supplies from Eridani. This cargo ship, the Raiden, which is not affiliated with any company, will leave the spaceport in six hours for the second A routine engine check voyage. It carried enough food and water to meet the needs of a small city. In addition, the captain was also confirmed to be a rebel officer who was thought to have died during the 'Slinger' suppression operation.

You have to sneak into the spaceship, take a boat to their base, then sneak into the base, capture Watts, and then try to get away from the hollowed-out stone.

He finally said, Any more questions?

Sir, John asked, how do we evacuate?

You have two options: one is to press the pre-arranged emergency button linked to the cruise ship and send a signal; the other is to return directly to the Pioneer. We will stay at the station. But we are not waiting for you indefinitely. The deadline is It's thirteen hours. He clicked on the star map, and a blue UNSC mark appeared on one side of the asteroid belt. You can choose for yourself. But I must point out that this asteroid belt is billions of kilometers long. Even if Even the Military Intelligence Bureau can't conduct a blanket search. So once the situation becomes difficult, you have to rely on yourself.

Any more questions?

The Spartans stood still.

No more? Good. Listen, rookies. Mendez added, I'm telling you everything I know this time. Be prepared for any situation. He looked at John, Captain, you are now Sergeant Third Class.”

Yes, sir! John replied loudly.

Distribute equipment and weapons. Assemble at 0300. We will drop you off at the port of Eridanus, and then you will be on your own. (End of Chapter)