You Don't Just Walk Away... (OPEN)

[Ward, J.]

1800 Hours, February 1, 2556 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
Camp Lejuene, North Carolina, URNA, Planet Earth,
Sol System

"You have a long and colorful record, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Jonathan Ward sat uncomfortably in front of a metal desk, his brown eyes transfixed upon the Spook across from him. No formal introduction were made, but Ward knew a Spook when he saw him. The man wore the working uniform of a Navy serviceman, though it lacked any form of rank identifier or nametape. He wondered, in the back of his mind, why he had been called to meet with him.

The battalion sergeant major had been especially vague when he had called on him to report to the base's operations building. He had assumed it was in response to his request for mast with the commanding general of the Twenty-First Marine Division. There had been some decisions that had been made up top that he didn't quite approve of, and he wanted to address his concerns with the woman responsible for them. Instead he had been whisked away to a storage closet where he found himself face-to-face with one of ONI's many agents.

"Yes, sir," Ward replied succinctly. He stared at the agent with both curiosity and distrust.

The agent chuckled. "Served with distinction as an infantry Marine with Oscar Company, First Battalion, Twelfth Marines until '48 when you volunteered for ODST. Served as an ODST Squad Leader until '50 when your squad was absorbed by ONI and placed under the command of then-Lieutenant Rommel. Your files are surprisingly well classified."

Jon leaned back in his seat as a string of memories flooded his mind at the mention of Rommel's name. Lieutenant Commander Rommel had been the most interesting officer and Spook that Ward had ever served under. Practically an unstoppable force of death and destruction, Rommel was not one that he would ever trifle with if he valued his own life. His time under Rommel's command had been some of the best and worst years of his life.

A lot of good ODSTs were lost under his command, though he couldn't say that the Spook was at fault for it. It was just war. War was nasty and unpredictable; like the missions that Rommel's Squad were tasked to complete. The horrors of Operation: SHOWSTOPPER still haunted his nightmares.

Ward shook his head, snapping out of his stupor. He smiled, though it lacked any sense of humor or humility. The agent before him had made the mistake of showing his hand far too early in the game. That one little tidbit of information revealed much to Ward. "I take it you're Section III? Perhaps a Beta-5 operative?"

The agent smiled. "Not much gets by you, eh, Lieutenant?"

He shook his head. "No, sir."

"Very well," the Spook said with a sigh, "I suppose it's time I give up the charade. I'm Commander Elmsworth, Section-III, Beta-5 Division. I command a special unit."

"An AAG." It was a statement, not a question.

"Correct," Elmsworth replied. "I requested this meeting in light of your experience with this line of work. The work that you did with the Oxide Company AAG stood out to me. It made me realize you were perfect for the job."

Jon's brow arched in confusion. "Job? What job?"

Elmsworth shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "All in due time; but first, I have a question of my own. It says here that shortly after the war ended you handled one last mission to destroy the Human League. Afterwards, you volunteered for OCS and got your commission, leaving the ODSTs and ONI behind in favor of being an infantry platoon commander. Why is that? With your skills and experience, why would you return to the droll and unappreciated work of a line unit?"

Ward sighed. "I got tired of the cloak and dagger work that ONI is so brilliantly good at," he said in a matter of fact tone. "I started out as a grunt and decided to return to that life in hopes that my training and skills could be put to good use. My platoon is the best in the company."

He paused for a moment, fighting the sea of memories that threatened to rise to the surface. The days of clandestine missions and high-risk ops were over. He enjoyed the simplicity of grunt life. "And as for your job offer, I'm not interested. I enjoy where I'm at and I get to see my daughter quite frequently."

Commander Elmsworth glared at him for a long moment in silence. Ward stared back, not breaking eye contact for a second. He would not be pushed around and bullied by a Spook. No one was as intimidating as Edward Wolffe Rommel, and that man was dead, so far as he knew. This guy was nothing for him to fear.

"One does not simply walk away from ONI, Lieutenant," Elmsworth said, his tone threatening. "I understand you have a daughter in which you must think about, especially since her mother perished on Reach -"

"Don't you fucking mention her!" Ward growled.

The Spook continued, ignoring the interruption. "However, we need someone with your skill set to handle a task of a very sensitive nature. I cannot disclose any details here, but I can tell you the UNSC has been dealing with some very dangerous characters since the war ended. We've worked hard to keep it under wraps, but there are some of us who believe we cannot keep it secret forever."

"What're you getting at?" Ward demanded.

Elmsworth smiled. "You will be attached to a Beta-5 AAG as its second-in-command. It is a joint team of our operatives and Sangheili working to stabilize militant activity in one of our J-O zones. I cannot disclose much more than that at this present time. Officially, you will be on a two month leave of absence from your unit. Unofficially, you will board a Pelican to take you aboard the Prowler Wolf In Sheep's Clothing where you will meet your team and head off for your mission. I shouldn't have to remind you that this is classified, top secret."

Jonathan sighed, defeated. He did not like being voluntold to do anything, and here this Spook was, doing exactly that. Ward knew he had no choice in the matter and would have to do as he was told.

This was why he had left ONI.

"Roger that, sir," he said. "But I have one condition."

The Commander nodded. "Yes?"

"I want my old set of armor awaiting me when I arrive aboard the Prowler, and full access to the dossiers on my team. No redtape or any BS."

"Done."

-------

0600 Hours, February 2, 2556 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
Aboard UNSC Prowler Wolf In Sheep's Clothing,
In orbit above Earth, Sol System

The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing was nothing special from what Ward could tell. It was just another Prowler like any other in ONI's fleet. Its paint scheme made it nearly invisible to the naked eye against the obsidian backdrop of outer space. Ward watched from the cockpit of the Pelican drop-ship as it neared the stealth vessel. He had spent the remainder of the day before reading up on his team.

The bulk of the team was comprised of experienced ONI operatives and SPARTAN-IVs alongside a slew of battle-hardened Sangheili warriors. Ward grimaced at the thought of working with the aliens. He remembered the atrocities committed by them during the war in the name of their false gods, and had not fully forgiven them for said transgressions. He's lost his entire family because of the bastards.

Of course that did not mean he hated all of them. There were a few Elites he'd worked with after the Great Schism that he'd grown to respect and even admire for their warrior spirit and tenacity in battle. By and large, however, he could not stand them.

The commanding officer of the team was a seasoned ONI operative and veteran of the Human-Covenant War. From what Ward read, he had handled many a clandestine op in his time, though nothing quite on the scale that Ward had been a part of during his time as a tool of ONI. The man was no Edward Rommel, but he was not a boot either.

The Pelican docked with the Prowler shortly thereafter, and Ward made his way into the blood tray as the ramp lowered. Ward, adorned in his old suit of ODST armor sans helmet, marched down the ramp to meet his new commanding officer. He spotted him standing a few meters away, likely having been awaiting his arrival all morning, and approached him.

Jon snapped to attention and executed a crisp salute. "Second Lieutenant Jonathan Ward reporting for duty, sir!"

((OOC: Anyone can and are welcome to join in on this thread. Whoever decides to play the role of the ONI Commander will be given the info on the mission that is to be tackled by the team via PM. The first part of this thread will serve as an introduction to all of your characters, and then we will move on to the juicy and exciting stuff.))

[Faclan]

(Sorry for the wait.)

Nek Dal - T'vaoan merchant
On board Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Calm? This was a job hiring not a kidnapping.

Slowly kneading the armrest of the chair he was in Nek kept trying to remind himself that the war was over. The storm had passed and the seas had calmed. Old grudges and hatreds wouldn't rear their heads now when people were trying to work together. But the GIANT eye on the wall made it impossible to forget. He was on a Human ship, normally not an issue as during the war he had done similar for trade and deals. And now that the war ended it should be even less of an issue...But it was ONI! The group that had tortured and murder countless aliens to learn the best way to murder him slowly and painfully through venoms and food and their own sick electric fetish. The T'vaoan coughing a little before ughing and taking another drink from her thermos. Drinking down the warm herbal tea and taking a few breaths to calm himself.

The Supply Captain currently sitting in what would be considered the break room on the Prowler as he waited for the ONI Humans to show up so they could go over the plan. The mission they had hired him for. But in what he imagined was typical ONI fashion he had been told very little. First time working for that black intelligence organization...But if this went well it would mean good relations...Right? Help all of them get over the unpleasantness of the war and work together for a brighter tomorrow? The bird currently the only one in the break room as his ship was holding position a short ways off waiting for him and the team if they were hitching a ride with him.

But still he was waiting, Nek glancing down at his chest and smiling as he patted the small pendant around his neck. He didn't have to worry about his children now...Zahl had finally allowed him to see them and she herself was accepting of Nek too. And they had recently become Nestmates. It probably helped that she got to have her way with most things as Nek still had very little spine when it came to females but Nek didn't give a single care. He now had his family again, had survived everything the war had thrown at him, got quite wealthily off it all, and had even managed to set up some work relations for some Kig-Yar Guilds to help them work with the Humans and other races to try and make sure everyone was nice and happy.

There was finally the sound of the door opening so Nek finally stopped day dreaming and stood up. Turning to face the door as he smoothed back his feather mane and smiled at whoever was entering. It was work time after all, need to make a good impression to actual people besides the voice that had hired him.

[Deleted]

JC Torngate
UNSC ODST, Ret.
Onboard civilian refueling station and spaceport in orbit of Earth, Sol system.
0600 Hours, 2 Feb. 2256


JC was at the bar, as usual. He spent more time there than anywhere else, after being  discharged from the UNSC. He stood by the window, in civilian clothes. He was looking out at the stars, the other spaceships. One in particular caught his eye, a Prowler that just looked... Off. Out of place.
He sighed as he took another sip of his drink, the alcoholic fire running down his throat. Despite his civilian demeanor, he had retained the military look to himself, the regulation haircut and boots, as well as some other features, such as always packing light. He was between jobs, currently unemployed and no job in sight. There was no more war, there was no more use for him. He was hoping something showed up soon, his bank account was frighteningly low. He paid his tab and left, his rifle in storage and his future uncertain as he headed to the observation lounge to inspect the Prowler more closely.

[Ward, J.]

((OOC: Was expecting a bit more of a turn out, but that's okay. There's a party. Haha.))

"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant."

The ONI officer returned his salute in similar fashion and waved at him dismissively. Ward clasped his hands together in front of his stomach and relaxed, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. Like he'd assumed, the innards of the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing was unremarkable in every way. It was a typical Prowler in the ONI fleet, adorned with the infamous All-Seeing Eye in every foreseeable nook and crevice, as was the shadow agency's standard operating procedure.

He never understood the purpose behind that. Even on the Mitternacht, a Prowler custom designed for Oxide Five-Nine by ONI thanks to Rommel's carefully crafted blueprints, the bastards had seen fit to emblazon its halls with the ONI crest. It was almost as if they were worried their agents would somehow forget who they were working for.

He shook his head. The Office of Naval Intelligence was an enigma. There was no point in trying to understand it, because it was designed specifically to belay any understanding. This was an organization that kept secrets about their secrets, and compartmentalized almost every last morsel of information to the point of redundancy. Perhaps there was some sort of grand scheme behind it all, but he would never know.

Perhaps ignorance was bliss.

"I'm Captain Garcia," the Spook said, breaking Ward from his introspection. "I command this vessel. Your team leader is on the crew level. The majority of your team has already been assembled, but I'm afraid we're still fetching some stragglers. Last minute additions. You understand."

"Yes, sir," Ward replied, nodding.

"Feel free to take a trip up the lift to meet all the important people you'll be working with. The mission brief is scheduled for an hour from now. That should give you plenty of time to get acquainted with your teammates and get the lay of the land."

Ward nodded again. "Aye, sir. I'm pretty sure I already know the layout of the ship."

Garcia smiled. "Then you're ahead of the curve, it would seem," he said. "Outstanding. Well, carry on, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir."

----

Chief Petty Officer Angelica Johansson moved with a purpose behind each step as she navigated the space station. Tucked underneath her armpit was a datapad, the contents of which constitutes the CSV of a retired veteran of the war. A veteran that the Office of Naval Intelligence sought to sink its claws into.

She stepped through a doorway, entering the observation bay. The room was filled to capacity with people from all walks of life. She even spotted a few aliens milling about, most of them Sangheili. It was not an uncommon sight. Since the end of the Human-Covenant War, Earth had seen an influx of extraterrestrial refugees from all corners of the galaxy. She'd heard a rumor once that a large portion of the refugees had settled into Buenas Aires, and even managed to find employment there.

Johansson never checked the validity of that rumor, but given the state of relations with the former Covenant client races, she was not about to dismiss it altogether as a lie. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she spotted her target standing near one of the large, open viewports into the cosmos. Starting forward, she moved the datapad from under her armpit to her hands, and activated the screen in preparation for what was to come.

"JC Torngate?" she called to the lone man standing by the window.

[Deleted]

He turned around at the name, appraising the person who stood before him. "That depends who's asking, Chief Petty Officer...?" he said, leaving the question open ended, not quite sure who she was, how she knew him, and most importantly of all why she was looking for him. He ran down possibilities in his head. He hadn't broken any major laws (at least recently), he was well out of his military tenure, he hadn't done anything to land him on the UNSC's radar at all... But then again there was the other side. ONI always had their hands in hundreds of pies, but he didn't know how they would have dragged his name up, much less found him. He stood at a relaxed stance, but still at a form of parade rest, an old habit from the military.

[Ward, J.]

Chief Johansson smiled - the kind of smile one might find akin to a murderer overlooking unwitting prey from the shadows - and glanced down at her datapad, Torngate's CSV open on it. The file didn't mention he was a cheeky bastard, she thought to herself. It mattered little. She could work with it.

"You're Sergeant Torngate," she inquired, using the CSV as a reference. "Formerly an ODST with the 153rd? You EAS'd in June of 2553 on an honorable discharge?"

She waited for his response before continuing. Johansson scanned the area around her, noting the number of potential eavesdroppers within proximity of her. With that many ears nearby, she needed to choose her words very carefully. "I represent a party very interested in your unique skillset. Respectfully, we are asking for your services for a job that needs a bit of a... shall we say... deft touch?"

[tetsu]

(Hope you don’t mind if I just pop in this open thread here, If not my apologies)

Captain Luíz “Viper” Javier Selva
UNSC 103rd Force Recon Marine Corp 3rd Company
Onboard civilian refueling station and spaceport in orbit of Earth: Observation Deck, Sol System

The utter silence that grasped the quaint observation bay was just expressive of the bashful nature of the new era that had only just begun to unfold. The quite that ensued after such brutal warfare was chilling to say the least. After the war, Selva had been placed back into what it was that Force Recon was known for, its counterterrorism and reconnaissance, similar to that of the Shock Troops of the ODST, without the space drop of course. With that in mind, he folded his hands behind his back and exhaled. He was not quite accustom to the eye patch that now covered his left eye, expressing the long gash that ran diagonally along where the eye had been. Thank God for modern science, he thought to himself as he felt the odd node that had been placed within his swollen, scarred eye socket so that his optical nerve could be linked to the space age HUD device that had been added to his eye patch itself. It wasn’t a total loss in the end, Selva thought to himself as he suddenly heard a pair of footsteps breaking the silence of the observation deck.

The fellow that rose from the lower levels that Selva now observed by turning his head as to remove his blind spot from play as the now older fellow made note of how the similarly aged fellow carried himself. Selva’s Olive Drab BDU uniform had its sleeve’s rolled up about to the elbow with nothing more than a butt bag strapped on his belt. Housed inside his butt bag at the moment was a few magazines for the M6 side arm that resided on his left leg holster ready to be used if needed. His combat knife occupied the other side of his belt, as to allow him the opportunity to use it with his free hand if need be. His scruff was beginning to grow back since the last time he had shaved, and overall he appeared as if he had been on campaign for much longer than he should have been. His Dark brown, greying hair, expressed his growing age, and even more so proved how strange it was that he would find himself here at the observation deck of some orbital pit stop watching the prowler class ship in its natural habitat.

“You’re Sergeant Torngate,” He heard a voice emit to his left as he let his focus carry over towards the conversation between the officer and the what sounded like a retired ODST. Luíz listened quietly at first as he wondered what the woman would ever want with a retired soldier who was suffering from the phantom pains of being taken from the battlefield. Obviously there was a reason that more than likely required his skillset as a former special operations member. Selva had seen so much in his days as a 1st Lieutenant during the horrid war that would cost him his left eye, his brother, and his left leg; which was also a binary prosthetic that had proven to be quite useful, even though the nub still tingled form time to time he was able to walk and run as if he had not lost a leg at all. It’s hard to continue on being a soldier after such injury; however such drive and willingness to try out new technologies had paid off in full. Deciding that it was his time to approach at about the moment that the woman offered the idea of a proposition, Captain Selva slowly let his body turn before taking his first steps towards the pair.

Taking note of the fact that the woman, whom had introduced herself as some sort of navel Chief Petty Officer, scanned around the room for eavesdroppers was ironically quite intelligent move, because obviously Selva had been listening, and more importantly others could be as well. Choosing his moment to speak with care as he casually made his way over to where the woman and the fellow stood, he made his way through the majority Sangheili group that quietly milled about the place; which gave the Captain such an urge to chuckle. It had not been too long ago where he would have slaughtered every single being that now sought safety on his home world. How quickly things can change. Finally making his way within ear shot, Selva would subtly make his comment when it was fitting to do so. “Hiring Assassins are we Chief Petty Officer?” Selva teased as he made his presence known subtly whispering the phrase as to not attract any unwanted attention to himself, but to still convey his message. “It seems I’m not the only one who has been looking forward to meeting this fellow.” The Captain said with a chuckle as his left eye HUD quickly began to pull data that he had access to, seeing as Force Recon and ODST aren’t too foreign to each other.

“Sorry for the intrusion Chief Petty Officer,” He said firmly nodding in her direction before putting himself in the game. Might as well have someone on my side, He thought to himself as he prepared his introduction. “Captain Luíz Selva UNSC Force Recon, at your service.” He said bluntly now losing what little hint of humor he carried in his tone to something much more serious. His normally lighthearted demeanor had been killed by the long fought battles that had changed him psychologically, not just physically. “It seems that your fame proceeds yourself Sergeant, but be that as it may, let me extend to you my warmest greetings.” He said softening his tone finally as he wondered how the pair would receive his interruption as he extended his right hand out towards the Sergeant first, which if warmly received would find itself equally offered to the Chief Petty Officer.

SPOILER: Click to show

Just some quick notes to help out since I haven't modified the bio for Post war quite yet.

Selva is a bit older, being now in his 30's-40's seeing as he was a LT. During the war starting with and ending with the Force Recon. be that as it may, I'm confident that going from a 1st LT. to Captain is a logical jump eventually for a fellow. If there are any questions, I'll gladly answer them for you via PM. I'm excited, and hopefully this thread turns out to be a bucket of fun Roleplay!

[Deleted]

He looked taken aback at first by the intrusion, but masked any feelings he had quickly. He accepted the offered hand, shaking it before stepping back to view them both.
"Glad to meet you," he said, his voice still giving away his misgivings of the two of them out of nowhere "Ok so first off, yes that is me. Secondly, You still haven't told me your name, Chief. And what, per say, would be the job? I do hope this man here isn't right, I've got enough innocent blood on my hands..." He drifted off into memories quickly before returning.
He then looked them both up and down quickly, before addressing the Force Recon. "Force Recon, hunh? Same job just without the fun part. What can I do for the both of you." He had no data on them. He sighed inwardly, and began looking around, trying to see any ways either out or other people who had a bit too much interest in him. Per station policy he was VISIBLY unarmed, but his hand went slowly toward the knife he had hidden at his side, hoping he wouldn't need it.

((OOC: Welcome on! Glad to have you here Tetsu.))

[MrKill]

(Just popping in on this thread. Since I know John will be around this rank by 2554/2555 on Yappas, I'm going to make a guest appearance with this character on this thread. Very brief, but hopefully enjoyable. No actual... change in the outcome of the mission itself.)

Lieutenant General Johnathon B'Sheau Killinger
02-FEB-2556
XVIII Marine Expeditionary Force
Tasked with reclaiming lost or still 'contested' worlds by the Covenant Remnant

Lieutenant General Killinger strode onto the civilian fuelling station located in the SOL system with a certain attitude in his stride. In the distance, during his approach, remains from the Battle of Earth a mere four years earlier still remained. The battle saw hundreds of ships on both sides destroyed, over one hundred UNSC warships and thrice - if not more - Covenant ships as well. Thanks to the largest fleet in recorded history arriving during the later stages of combat the Orbital Defence Platforms created millions, if not billions, of new debris formations in the solar system when they reduced that fleet to a mere forty ships; it was safe to say the debris had created navigational hazards for the next half century. Though - obviously - travel through, to and from the system was still granted by the UEG politicians.

The Unified Earth Government had taken power once again, a new president was elected, and the military handed over control to the civilian body. With a peace treaty being signed, and an official declaration of peace agreed upon previous to that, the human - covenant war had ended; though, consequentially, another had started against those who remained; the 'remnants' as the Sangheili had started to call them, adopted shortly after by the UNSC as well.

"General, wha' can I do ye' for?" A deck hand asked.

"Ah, well, some fuel would be nice 'ya know?" John replied with an aged sigh. The kid, no older than sixteen or seventeen, had probably no idea what it meant to serve for a purpose. He was still sucking nipples and gargling milk out of his mouth when the heaviest fighting was going on; back when humanity had been pushed back to the brink.

"Will do," The kid replied. "I guess... just take 'er out of the card?"

John hadn't forgotten that personal fuel wasn't paid for by the UNSC any more. Since the war had ended, John had invested in his own shuttle, sort of like owning a boat but instead of sailing through water on Earth he sailed through space. "No, but fill her up." John said. "Please."

The kid filled his personal shuttle up and took the credits John had offered. Staggering prices they paid, but in reality, it wasn't too bad.

Is there a cafeteria? John wondered. He checked his watch, he still had a few hours to linger. Maybe some decent food was worth spending some extra credits.


(OOC2: Feel free to approach him. He will be looking for food. )

[Faclan]

Nek Dal - T'vaoan merchant
On board Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
You'd think they could afford some brighter colors.

Pretty disheartened when the guest to the break room turned out to be just a normal ONI and not who was supposed to meet him Nek was informed that the briefing had been rescheduled. Apparently he now had almost a full unit or an hour to wait? Great...stuck on this ship too as he was informed that he was to stay on the Prowler. Well that was just great. Surrounded by all these secret intelligence Agents would could at any moment whack him with their stun batons or stab him or inject him with some horrible sleeping Agent. But Nek just nodded as the ONI looked back at his tac-pad and then walked off. Well then...an hour to kill. And he could spend it in the chair doodling on his own tac-pad, thankfully allowed to keep it after giving up his weapons, or he could talk a walk around...

Soon finding himself in the Prowlers hallway Nek was a lot more observant this time then when he was first led through them. It was an odd mix of clever and just ass end design in here. The T'vaoan keeping on the opposite side of the narrow hallways so others could move past as his head zipped around like the bird he was often called. Such good use of the tiny space they had to work with inside the ship. Hallways just big enough for two people to pass without touching and, after stopping and spreading his arms, just wide enough for a standard UNSC shipping crate as well. Impressive. But then they had to go and ruin it all by painting everything such dark and drab colors. They could have the lights in her lower and save on power if they just had less light sucking colors. It was all non reflective too. No wonder these ONI humans were always so dour if they were around this all day.

Nek taking a break from his mental appraisal of the Prowler to look down at his Tac-Pad as he got a message from his ship; asking him what was happening. The supply Captain typing out a message on his arm as he half looked where he was going. Telling them that the meeting had been delayed and he would keep them posted when it started as he neared a corner. Something about knowing the ship layout or something. But Nek was more focused on his message as he and the voice were about to reach the same corner.

(Hope that works for ya Ward, J. hopefully they don't bump into each other too hard.)

[Ward, J.]

Ward climbed aboard the lift to the upper decks and watched as the doors shut before him. He leaned forward and selected the Crew Deck as his destination. There was a sudden jolt as the lift engaged and began to ascend, almost catching the veteran Marine off guard. Had he not suffered through this process countless times in the past, it would have probably jarred him.

The lift came to a screeching halt as it arrived at the Crew Deck. Ward stepped through the doorway as the doors parted way, admitting him into a narrow, rectangular corridor. Staring back at him from the wall across from the lift was the bone white ONI insignia. Jon shook his head and turned to the left, which if he recalled correctly would eventually land him in the crew quarters, where he could stow his belongings and finally get settled in.

Memories of his time with ONI were rampart in his mind as he marched along the narrow, empty corridor. He remembered his old team and all the (highly classified) adventures they'd had. Very few people could say with any ounce of truth that they'd been to a Covenant staging world, shot down, and forced to survive for three weeks against a hostile environment and legions of Covenant troops out for their heads.

Operation: SHOWSTOPPER had been the single most perilous mission he had ever survived - save for Reach - and one of the most costly he'd ever endured. The name alone should have said it all. Nothing ever good came out of a mission named out of blind hope and ignorance. Jon sighed, fighting the memories to the back of his psyche. SHOWSTOPPER had happened a long time ago. It did him no good to dwell on it now.

Jon rounded a corner and found himself staring down another hallway. At the end of the hall was the door to the crew quarters, but just before that, to the left, was another bend that certainly led to another corridor. Prowlers may have been small vessels, but their layout still managed to be infuriatingly nonsensical. The Lieutenant sighed inwardly and started towards the door at the end of the hall. "Good thing I know the layout of these things," he mused aloud.

Just as Ward reached the bend before the door, something - more accurately someone - tore around the corner. The two slammed into each other, the force of the blow strong enough to cause him to stumble back, and he looked up to see whom he had ran into. Ward was met with the sight of a Skirmisher, a few inches taller than himself, standing there dumbstruck by what had happened. He placed his hand on the empty holster on his thigh out of force of habit before realizing his pistol was in his seabag back aboard the Pelican, which a few Navy crewman had taken the liberty to carry up to the crew quarters for him while he'd been talking with the ship's captain.

"You alright?" Ward asked, only marginally concerned.

----

Johansson noted someone approaching as she awaited an answer from Torngate. The man walked up and rooted himself in their conversation, much to her annoyance. She paid little mind to the man as he talked like he was aware of what was going on. He had not the faintest clue what her intentions were or why she was here in the first place, but it seemed be had his assumptions.

After a moment of cold silence from the stoic Navy NCO, he finally apologized and introduced himself as a captain with Marine Force Recon. Figures, she thought, shaking her head ever so slightly, only a Marine would be that arrogant. Once the officer had finished talking aimlessly, the Chief Petty Officer returned her attention to her true target. Sergeant Torngate.

"If I wanted someone for an assassination op, I would not be searching for someone here. Nor would I be approaching a retired ODST, despite his... obvious skills," she said, the comment directed at the both of them. "No, what I have to offer is of the utmost importance to the state of galactic security. My employer is interested in you, Mr. Torngate, because of your background and exemplary service record. I cannot disclose due to our present surrounding anything more than that. You, of course, have a choice here."

She paused and turned her attention to the Captain. "And since you have so rudely intervened on this conversation, I suppose we could use you as well. So, you two have a choice. You can come with me and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes, or you can walk away and you will never see me again. However, I assure you it will be a decision that you will regret."

Johansson smiled, though it lacked warmth. "What say you?"

[Deleted]

He processed the information, weighing the costs against the benefits. If he left, there was always the possibility he wouldn't see the next day. He recognized her style. ONI had the skills to make good on this threat, however much implied, if they wished.

If he went, he was in danger. If he stayed he was almost certainly dead.

He smiled back, just as cold, staring at her with his grey eyes. "Seems you have yourself a deal there." he paused, took a breath, and turned to the Captain. "If you come along as well I'd be more than glad to hear what you have to say. Or if you don't want to, I can always catch up with you after this, provided I make it through. Although I'm not sure these people know how to take No for an answer." He stood up and knocked back the last dregs of his drink before tossing the barkeep a coin for payment. "Oh," he noted "and I'm not going to let you off the hook on that name." he said toward the CPO, a small smile forming and almost as quick going away as he waited to see what the Captain would say.

[tetsu]

Captain Luiz “Viper” Javier Selva
UNSCMC Force Recon, 103rd Marine Expeditionary Force, 6th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, First Company.
It seems your title was accurate Petty Officer

“Woah, I was only kidding Petty Officer,” Captain Selva said waving his left hand to hopefully pacify the obviously annoyed Petty Officer. She was obviously annoyed by the marine captain’s intrusion, and to that effect probably thought very little of him. This was quite amusing to take in as he let a chuckle emit from his throat as he cleared his voice in attempt to not sound as gruff, even if only for a moment. “It seems the Navy’s as feisty as ever.” He said chuckling as he relinquished his gripping handshake with Thorngate. He shook his head in discontent at how easily the woman disregarded him. Being as stoic as the trio seemed to be, if he remained silent then what would be accomplished? With that in mind, Captain Selva affirmed that in order to get anywhere, especially in espionage, one would have to actually attempt to gather information. Sighing he shifted his positioning so that he was standing shoulders parallel with the sergeant. With the offer being presented, he knew that from what little he understood of Thorngate that he would more than likely accept the offer. This was confirmed when he did exactly as he had figured. “damn it,” he muttered quietly to himself as he began to figure the complexity that was being created by the damned Navy, meddling like it always seemed to do.

“Hold on a minute Sergeant, maybe you should ask a little more about what it is that you’re doing before you get too hasty in accepting.” Captain Selva expressed as he threw his left arm out in front of the fellow to gesture his halting words. His rolled up sleeves exposed some of the plasma produced scars that were mostly visible just below his rolled up sleeves. “So my lovely Chief Petty Officer, It seems that ONI should explain itself a bit more…However I guess tagging along with you means I can look at that pretty face a bit longer.” He said as his HUD which was directly linked to his eye patch and his left eye socket’s optic nerve pulled up the information upon the ONI officer, though a good portion of what was presented was blacked out. Selva figured that would have been the case, if the NCO had pulled up his file, she would have discovered a similar result, seeing as Force Reconnaissance dealt in touch information more often than any regular force other than ONI itself. It was Force Recon that did most of the reconnaissance and reporting to the Naval Intelligence as it was; which just deepened his honest distrust of the Petty Officer.

“Just like Mike…” He muttered referring to the Lieutenant commander for which he had encountered many times before. All of the ONI personnel Selva had the great honor of working with had proven to be pompous assholes, and Petty Officer Johansson was no different in this regard. If the Marines produced arrogance, then the Navy and ONI produced Pompous. With that amusing thought in mind, Selva slowly took his arm away from Sergeant Thorngate. He nodded his head in agreement. What was ONI all about? He wondered curiously to himself as he figured that being drug along would more than likely tell more than sitting and complaining about the lack of explanation. “So Petty Officer, as you so humbly advise, seeing as I did RUDELY interrupt your important meeting here, I will gladly tag along.” He said nodding his head with a slow smile peeking at the corner of his left lip as he allowed Thorngate to hold his position of agreement, letting the words he had just uttered sink in.

“As to why I was looking for you Sergeant Thorngate, I have to say now that I’ll be accompanying you, I’m sure we will have lots of time to discuss this in detail.” He said letting his hands rest behind his back once again now having no need to worry as the issue slowly came to rest at the backburner of his mind. “In all honesty I came to request employment of you myself with the Force Recon, but that’s not anything pressing now that this has presented itself I suppose.” He said calmly thinking. “I suppose I’ll get to see you in action first though, which I guess is a surprising treat, Thank you Petty Officer for such an opportunity to observe such Skill at work.” Selva said kindly as he patted the future Lieutenant on the shoulder with his left arm before making his way towards the Chief Petty Officer. “So Petty Officer, How about you elaborate, let the three of us walk and talk, shall we?” He said walking forward, making a gesture with his left arm before offering his right to the Petty Officer as a jest which was more than likely pissing her off. For now he would have to play the part of the arrogant Marine Captain to keep this NCO guessing. After having been blown up, and wounded countless times, one learns to appreciate what they have left. With that he let a sly smile cross his lips as his gesture was either accepted or denied. If the latter was accepted, he would shove his hands into his BDU pant pockets, following the NCO’s directions otherwise.

[Faclan]

Nek Dal - T'vaoan Merchant
On board Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Hai?

Just hitting send on his Tac-Pad Nek looked up as he rounded the corner, if he saw the sign correctly a little ways back this was toward the stairs and elevator. But he head tilted a bit when he heard someone taking about knowing the layout? Which turned out to be a good thing as when he turned the corner and ran into a Human his sharp beak just missed the Humans eyes and face. Good for all involved really. The T'vaoan jumping a bit in shock before taking a step back from the impact before looking at the thing he had hit. A human obviously, but from the look of him he didn't really look like an ONI. Someone hired like him perhaps? His beak now centered again Nek started to open his beak to ask the same thing the Human was about to ask before he saw the man reach for his pistol. Thankfully it wasn't there as Nek held up his hands a bit, palms facing the Human, to show that he had nothing. Well nothing besides his claws, talons, and beak but besides those. The Human probably thought it odd that an alien was walking around a Prowler and not sedated on tied to a table but there one was.

"I am yes, are you also good?" He would ask before carefully holding out his right hand - guessing the Human was right handed as well from where his holster was. "Nek Dal, are you here for that meeting as well?" Despite likely limited knowledge it would probably be easy to tell the bird was a bit jumpy. Not only because of his jump when the impact happened but how he kept looking around every so often at everything.

(Gah short, sawry)

[rx1334]

(OOC) Could I be the Ship - Board AI? Just wanna know.

[Ward, J.]

Ward scrutinized the alien for a moment. He looked standard for a member of the Jackal sub-species. Tall, lithe, and sporting dangerously sharp claws, the creature would have been an intimidating figure had it not been for his non-threatening demeanor. Jon had dealt with many a Skirmisher in his time, and found it fortunate this one, for once, seemed to be on his side. The bastards were generally stubbornly hard to kill and were deadly in close quarters environments (such as the interior of a Prowler).

"I'm fine," Ward replied sharply, standing straighter in the presence of the alien. Despite the non-threatening the vibes the alien put off, he was not about to let his guard fall for a second. After having fought the Covenant for ten years, it would take more than a mere cordial encounter for Ward to let old habits die.

The alien introduced itself as Nek Dal. It was a weird name, but then again, human making conventions were probably weird to the avian creature as well. "Lieutenant Jonathan Ward," he said briskly. "I'll be at the briefing in an hour, yes."

Jon wanted to pinch himself. He was actually engaging a Skirmisher in casual conversation and neither him nor it were trying to kill each other. It felt surreal, like he was trapped in some kind of sick, twisted dream. This alien belonged at one point or another to the alien hegemony that was responsible for not only the destruction of hundreds of worlds - but more importantly - his homeworld.

Reach.

To make matters worse, all but his daughter was left of the family he once had, and she was mentally scarred from the ordeal. Nightmares that forced her out of sleep screaming uncontrollably were a regular occurrence, so far therapy was not producing even the slightest positive results. The trauma Sarah had suffered had been severe, and what was worse, was that she did not understand any of it. She was too young to comprehend what the Covenant were and why they had destroyed her homeworld and slaughtered her mother.

His fist clenched at the thought. He himself had not quite come to terms with the trauma, though he hid it very well. The psychological evaluation he had undergone when he re-enlisted and volunteered for OCS had highlighted the trauma as a probable hindrance to the performance of his duties, but he had adamantly assured those in charge that that was not the case and that he was fine. After all, everyone was scarred from the war in one way or another.

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. "This your first time dealing with ONI?"

-----

"Chief Petty Officer, Captain."

Johansson shook her head. She had the officer pegged from the moment he opened his mouth. Cocky, head strong, and capable of doing no wrong was his MO. He was the worst type of Marine one had to suffer with, and now he was like an annoying pest buzzing around her head. The more she tried to swat him away, the bolder he became. Torngate was not the easiest to deal with either, but at least he kept quiet for the most part.

Sighing as she started through the crowd, the two Marines following closely behind, she decided it was time to divulge a little. At least in hopes it would shut up the entirely too curious Captain. "The two of you will board a transport which will take you out to a ship in space," she began, not bothering to glance back at them. "Torngate, you're officially on full expense paid vacation to one of the UEG's few standing luxury worlds. Captain, you've just been approved for emergency leave due to a death in your family. Your great uncle Joseph was very close to you. Stick to that story."

She rounded a corner and marched down the narrow, empty corridor. The shuttle bay was not too far up ahead, and they were on a time schedule. "The two of you will join... others... that will be accompanying you on this mission. That said, I cannot disclose more. You will be briefed aboard the ship of your mission. And remember, you are not to speak of this to anyone. This mission is classified top secret and a violation of secrecy would put you in breach of the Official Secrets Act, punishable by death or lifetime imprisonment."

They arrived at the door to the shuttle bay. She turned around and smiled at both of them, her smile still lacking even the slightest vestige of warmth. "Have a safe trip."

[Deleted]

JC Torngate
En Route to Shuttlecraft
Forward into the Dark

"Chief Petty Officer, Captain."

JC listened as the CPO reprimanded the Captain, as he watched the exchange of verbal firepower, smiling inward. He didn't trust her much, but then again he had no reason to not trust her. 

He listened to her as she described his cover, nodding silently. Typical ONI style, he thought. "Lucky Me" he said quietly when the CPO described his cover. "And I do hope my gear will be transferred from storage here, though I doubt that you overlooked that little detail." ONI was through, and was unlikely to overlook that kind of thing, but it never hurt to check.

As they went toward the trasnport, JC thought out their layout in the staion. The wing they were being lead toward was reserved for shuttles and inter-system travel, so it was even more likely that he was ending up onboard the Prowler he was eyeing earlier. He knew that ship looked out of place. 

As he was led into the shuttle, he was thinking. He was disconcerted by the lack of knowledge, and hoped that the knife he had still concealed in his arm wasn't going to be needed, and he especially  didn't like the fact that the Captain had a pistol at his ankle and JC was going in relatively unarmed. He wanted his weapons back, especially going to a heavily armed vessel where he was likely to be under heavy watch and little freedom, and going on a mission that was unknown to him. 

"What I wouldn't give for a hand grenade" he muttered under his breath, forgetting too late that there was a Captain next to him. He shifted his attention to the Captain next to him.

"So, you were offering employment?" he said, and waited to hear the response.

[rx1334]

Aatos checked the systems of the ONI prowler, making sure that the party had everything they needed to stay alive. The ship was a marvel of engineering and technology. Its kit consisted of perfected active camoflauge, higher yield hornet mines, energy lance projectors, and an expanded deployment chamber for the ODSTs.

However, he was most fascinated by the new reactor core that had been installed, a prototype reverse engineered from the smaller operating cores of forerunner sentinels. It projected a orange hue within the reactor room, characteristic of its forerunner counterparts. It emitted no heat, and it's radiation footprint was almost untraceable. The AI had run simulations and found that, at full operating capacity, there was a 0.007 percent chance of detection by state of the art sensors. Throughout the room huragok floated, fixing and modifying parts of the ship as Aatos issued orders to them via the speakers within the room.

"Captain, initiating engine test sequence. Further reports from ONI have arrived, encryption code GRANDFEAST, they seem to be annoyed regarding our progress."


Aatos began the booting sequence for the engines and masee the announcement.

"All hands be advised, main engine testing is commencing, please secure your person and strap down loose equipment."

[Faclan]

Nek Dal - T'vaoan Merchant
Hallways of Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
We can work through your anger.

It soon became very obvious, almost painfully so, that this Human had no idea what to do about him. Well besides shoot him. He seemed to know how to and wanted to do that. Nek slowly moving the hand he had held out to shake back to his side as the Human straightened up and harshly replied back with his name. Someone sure felt threatened. It made Nek frown as the Human said he was going to be at the briefing in an hour. Well if he was going to be working with this Human it would be in both their interests for him to loosen up. And since that wasn't going to be a thing Nek suspected - since he looked as if he had served through a large part of the war to act so stiff around him. So it would be a work in progress. No problem. The merchant and trader was used to that from his during the war workings.

He was glad the Human didn't have a weapon though, or else he would likely be killed at some time today. And the Human was still staring at him with pretty evident disdain and rage. And with fist clenching too? This was going to be quite the wave to row against...

"It is not, during the war ONeI and I had several run ins with either myself or my employees and members of the fleet I used to be in. Very few of them good but I am hopeful that this one will help mend some of the holes in the big boat of cooperation. Help us all work together to build a brighter future and all that." The T'vaoan would do his best to smile as he adjusted the leather jacket he wore, still with the Captain star on the shoulder as he decided to try and dissuade some of the Humans concerns.

"Since I'm sure you are curious, or already assumed about myself, I did not serve in the Covenant in any capacity. I was and still am an Independent merchant, trader, and pilot. I believe I was hired for this job to help get the team into risky Space in my ship. In fact the Covenant were as much my enemy as they were yours during the war and in the past. The San 'Shyuum and Sangheili, what you would call Elites and Prophets, had we Kig-Yar subjugated for over a thousand years and we are as happy as you are that the Covenant has on the whole collapsed."

Reaching up to scratch the back of his head through his mane Nek hoped that he had helped to break some of the ice between the two of them. Turning his beak to the side as he coughed a few times before looking back at the man. But before he could speak up the ship wide comms warned everyone to secure themselves. Nek just nodding as he moves to stand against the wall and grab onto the bar that ran along the wall at head height. Bracing he looked back at the man and tried to smile again.

"If you have any questions about myself or the Kig-Yar in general I would be happy to answer them. We're going to be working together so getting over the rightly justified anger at me and aliens in general I think is a good first step."

[rx1334]

The soft rumble of the engines followed shortly after the announcement, the Huragok reported back all clears and the systems check was green. All systems were green, technology wise at least. The crew was, less so.

The Kig Yar and the Marines were hostile, to say the least. Elites were hopefully not going to hop in on the action, their honor code did not mix well with the style of the ODSTs. Plus, not even the human crew was fully willing or trustful of eachother.

Aatos, wasnt exactly approving of the mission crew. "Sir, I hope you would reconsider some of the here candidates, they are rather.... volatile." Along with the message, the AI sent a list of other possible personnel to the here he captains sommelier ad and proceeded with its daily fascinations.

[tetsu]

Captain Selva chuckled as the Chief Petty Officer was obviously peeved with his mannerisms. As she rejected his offer, he shrugged just a bit. “Fine, suit yourself.” He said letting an expression of stoic preparedness as he figured the CPO wouldn’t reciprocate his approach. Sadly enough, he found her emotionless expression to be much more attractive than when she had been trying to persuade the ODST vet. Earlier. “You know, something about this emotionless, I control your life vibe is extremely attractive.” He said with a chuckle before letting her explain as to how they were being placed on leave or what not. It was the classic ONI arranging the records. “Oh my great uncle, he was a good man back in Bogotá…” He said shaking his head with a fake sense of remorse. “Anyway, I’m sure we will be seeing each other soon enough,” He said calmly as he figured that the woman wouldn’t take him too seriously. “If I don’t die doing whatever ONI has us do, How about I buy you a drink, on me.” He said giving the CPO a weak salute as he turned to enter the shuttle with the ODST Torngate.

“Yeah I was going to ask you to join my staff.” He responded calmly as he found himself a calm place to sit down on the shuttle that would surely take them to more danger. “Your record was extensive, and I thought that a fellow veteran of the Spec Ops. Might help this old dog out as my XO and a First Lieutenant of First Company of my Force Recon Marines.” He said calmly as his slight growth of a beard found itself being brushed with his hand as he let the retired ODST take in the thought of retuning the armor once again as he relaxed, closing his good eye as the shuttle more than likely began to take them towards the ship they were destined to board.

[Deleted]

JC Torngate
Onboard Shuttlecraft Tyson
A job at last.

JC sighed at the Captain. Was it really necessary to flirt with the CPO? She was obviously just doing as she ordered, and flirting with rogue Captains wasn't in the job description. He rolled his eyes behind the Captain toward the CPO as Selva made his advances. As the shuttle doors closed and they launched off, JC noted the lack of a living pilot in the shuttle, and the lack of any visible cockpit.

The shuttle slid smoothly through space, slipping at .25 c, or one quarter of lightspeed. The small shuttle sped past civilian ships, entering the secured airspace of the Prowler, and came up to the starboard dorsal docking bay.

While en route, JC listened to the Captain's offer. It was interesting, to say the least. He listed off the pros and cons in his head.

It was stable employment, with a reputable employer, and was legal work, but it was back in the front lines, dangerous to a fault. It was also back to the restrictions and limitations of the military, but then again...

"Well, you're crazy for wanting someone like me. But unfortunately for us, I like crazy. You've got yourself an XO, Sir." he said, smiling. "Just tell me what to do, I'll start as soon as you wish."

The shuttle docked, and JC stood up. "After the job at hand, of course." he said, as the shuttle doors opened.

[Deleted]

((OOC Poke to the people here... Y'all still alive? It's been about a week now... You're worrying me ))

[tetsu]

(I'm here XD, I've been waiting for ward but I can go ahead and post since its been like a week now)

[Faclan]

(I was also waiting for Ward, J. and unfortunately its his thread so we kinda need him for the briefing. I'll try to get his attention on his forum to come and poke around.)

[Deleted]

((I have a few ideas for when my charcter gets to his quarters before the briefing so Tetsu if you want to post so we at least arrive on the station go ahead.))

[Ward, J.]

Ward listened to the Skirmisher with half-interest. It seemed friendly enough, although the thought came with a great deal of skepticism. Skirmishers had been the bane of his existence during the war; fast, agile, and extremely sneaky, they had caused him and his team a lot of grief over the years. He found it hard to imagine that this one would be any different. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe not.

Only time would tell.

"If anything comes to mind, I'll be sure to ask," he said to the alien, still mildly uncomfortable being unarmed in the presence of the creature. Times had definitely changed since the war ended. The more and more he carried on, the more and more he realized just how different the Marine Corps was than it had been just a few short years ago.

It seemed over night the client races of the former genocidal hegemony had been forgiven for their transgressions against humanity. Ward knew that wasn't exactly true. Too many people had lost friends and family to the Covenant and their genocidal campaign to let bygones be bygones, but with the peace treaty between humanity and the Swords of Sangheilios, and the acceptance of Covenant refugees over the last couple years, ONI and the media tried to keep their distance from any negative press involving the former client races.

Jon shook his head. After all they had done to humanity, and to him, humans were afraid of angering their former mortal enemies by speaking the truth. It frustrated him that humanity had all of a sudden lost its backbone in such a short span of time. Political tensions were high, what with the resurgence of the Insurrection and the many disparate remnants of the former Covenant Empire wreaking havoc across human and Sangheili space, and the politicians in the UEG were scared to call out their former enemies on their BS.

He sighed. Times were definitely changing. "I suppose I will see you at the briefing," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

After the Skirmisher responded, he nodded and walked away, his destination: the crew quarters.

----

Captain Garcia straightened his uniform, smoothing out the creases, and clasped his hands behind his back. The Pelican was inbound from the space station with the last minute arrivals to the ship. A few minutes passed in relative silence - the only noise was the gentle thrum of the ship's engines - before the Pelican arrived and touched down. When the two Marines exited, the Captain smiled.

"Welcome aboard the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, gentlemen. Your belongings will be brought topside to your quarters. There will be a briefing in an hour. Make sure you're there. Now I must remind you that communication with the outside world whilst aboard this ship will be breach of protocol and a violation of the Official Secrets Act. Silence is golden, Marines."

[Faclan]

Nek Del - T'vaoan Merchant
Hallways of Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Ummm bye?

Due to Neks years of working with Humans it was apparent to him that this Human, Ward if he remembered right, wasn't paying full attention to him. How honestly rude of him. But Nek also knew that it wouldn't be good for either of them for Nek to point that out. As he doubted the Human cared what he did to Nek really and seemed like the best thing for both of them to walk away. Give him time to get over the fact that he was indeed an alien and some of his species likely tried to kill him in the past. It wasn't like Humans had treated Nek great either but eh, he was used to cooperation and Mr Ward clearly was not. His loss.

"Alright, hopefully they will help you...relax a little around me and any of our other allies if they happen to not be Human." Nek replied with, trying to be diplomatic about it and then nodding as he moved to the side to let the Human move past him. "You will, I'll be around the ship if you think of anything." And with that the man slightly stormed off. Shrugging about that Nek coughed again before rubbing his throat and thinking about what he was going to do for an hour...Well if it was still an hour shouldn't the others in the mission be arriving? The hanger would hopefully have things for him to do or at least something with more space and not these silly hallways.

Heading down the opposite way of the Human Nek soon found himself in the hanger. The T'vaoan finally able to stand up fully straight without his mane brushing the ceiling and now even able to stretching his arms over his head. Doing that and leaning back too Nek let out a small happy coo before straighting up again and moving off to the side so he wasn't as near the doorway as he found himself a box to sit himself on as he waited to see if he would see anyone else arrive. Going back to his tacpad to entertain himself until then.

The unarmored unarmed T'vaoan certainly an odd sight in a Prowler hanger.

[Deleted]

Mar 23, 2016 15:11:32 GMT -6 Ward, J. said:

Captain Garcia straightened his uniform, smoothing out the creases, and clasped his hands behind his back. The Pelican was inbound from the space station with the last minute arrivals to the ship. A few minutes passed in relative silence - the only noise was the gentle thrum of the ship's engines - before the Pelican arrived and touched down. When the two Marines exited, the Captain smiled.

"Welcome aboard the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, gentlemen. Your belongings will be brought topside to your quarters. There will be a briefing in an hour. Make sure you're there. Now I must remind you that communication with the outside world whilst aboard this ship will be breach of protocol and a violation of the Official Secrets Act. Silence is golden, Marines."

He stepped out of the shuttle, looking at the Captain. "Thank you, Sir. Glad to be of service to the UNSC once again." he smiled, smelling the processed air and feeling the thrumm of the engine under his feet. "I will be there, assuming the standard layout of a prowler deck six briefing room?" he was comfortable there, he was used to the types of ships. He quickly saluted the Captain and went off to find his room. He noticed something that made his pause for a minute, an unguarded and unarmed alien playing games. In the past, on a ship like this, he would have been attacking the alien. But times change and the alien, he was sure, had reasons for being where he was. 

As he entered he wasn't expecting much, just his civilian guns. He was very much surprised. ONI was used to surprising him, but this was something beyond. On the bed was a stack of gear, What looked like ODST armor. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't his civilian ODST armor, nor was it just another set of armor. It was His. His old ODST armor. Updated and repaired, yes, but it was the same suit. There was the scarring that it got on some of his tours! He laughed audibly, grinning broadly like a small child as he suited up. The Armor had been upgraded, parts of the S-1/ONI Recon BDU suite added on and the firmware upgraded of course. His weapons were also there, not the civilian knockoff, but fully functional and up to date weapons. He strapped the now-loaded BR85HB battle rifle to his back and holstered the M6/SOCOM to his thigh. It was his old usual combination. It seemed ONI knew what they were doing.

He but on his helmet, and activated the suit, the firmware coming online and all sensors working. He removed the helmet after the self test and exited his room, walking toward the breifing room. He knew that he wasn't alone and was on edge, the Eye everywhere making him think he was always under observation. As he left, he thought back to the alien, likely that his armor pattern, that of the ODST's, might not go over that well with some of the alien races, as his comrades and shock troops had been frontline fighters in the war, and he knew that the Sangheili were less than fond of the tactics his specific brand of soldiers employed. He was comforted to be back in the armor once again.

[RiddL]

(Gday guys, thought I might jump in , also I'm using mobile so forgive me)

Former ODST Lieutenant Alexei (Titan) Krevchenkov

Alexei looked at himself in the mirror, thinking back to when he was all but blackmailed by ONI into joining this task force, if they could even be called that.

He pulled down the mask covering his disfigured mouth, his lips and left cheek missing where a Kig-yar had hooked its talons into him during an ambush, that of which claimed his squad mates and battle brothers, reminiscing about the war and his childhood friend Sergei.

"What have I gotten myself dragged into Sergei?" His voice deep gravely and dead, his Russian accent barely audible as he asked the emptiness around him.

He sighed and drew himself up into full height, the 6"6' mountain of muscle that had gotten him the nickname 'Titan', he pulled his mask back up and over his nose, covering the horrific scars and showing only his dead eyes, the warmth once in them now diminished, leaving only an intimidating look.

He glanced down at his watch and rolled his shoulders, relieving the tension as he mentally prepared himself for the journey ahead. He stepped out of one of the doors and bumped into a man wearing ODST armor like himself.

"Apologies, I wasn't watching where I was going" he said as he held his hand out to shake in apology.

"My name is Krevchenkov, not many helljumpers around here" he said as he stood up straight.

(OOC, I'm out of practice, sorry if I barge in like this \end OOC)