Chapter 6 Redux

+++***Chapter 6- The Admiral's Court***+++
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Admiral Ackerson walked onto the Bridge just as a video blipped off the front view screen. Everyone was cheering; it must have been the video Cortana attached to the message, showing the Prophet of Truth's death at the hands of the Arbiter. He had already seen it, just like the three other people with him. Ackerson smoothed his hairless head, then walked forward toward Lord Hood. Hood's hair was pure white, and he was close to being sixty-five years old. He looked like a leader on ht eoutside, and was exactly that. He had been granted the power of all United Nation Space Command soldiers ever since he led a small group of Marines to victory against the Flood infection of Voi.

  Lord Hood turned around, and openly waved Ackerson and the rest over. "Come over, here soldiers." Lord Hood said. "I have your new assignment."

  All of them had the same assignment? Ackerson looked toward them. They returned the look, equally confused. None of them were even from the same regiment, and Ackerson was the only Marine. That's when it hit him:

  They were the only four that tried to go against the SPARTAN II program, or attempted to get rid of the Spartans before too much funds went into them. Something was seriously bad about this.

  The four men stopped, and then saluted to Lord Hood. He returned the salute, then told them to relax. He offerred them seats, which he graciously accepted. Two of the main view screens came alive; one showed Reach, the other showed Earth. The screen in between them came alive, and the Planet Onyx appeared. "Well gentlemen, I think you could tell me what these three planets have in common?"

  "Yes, sir." Captain Hicks replied. He once controlled the air base that Admiral Ackerson used to order an air strike during one of the Masterchief's training excersizes. "All three of them are closest to humanity and contain the most Forerunner technology."

  "Correct, Captain." Lord Hood said, nodding. "Now," Planet reach faded out. "What does Earth and Onyx have in common?"

  Ackerson raced thoughts through his head as fast as he could. Five seconds later, he found the answer. "Sir," the Admiral replied. "Earth has had a Flood attack, and Onyx is under attack by the Flood. Both also have a super portal that can send ships to the Ark within two days upon enterring."

  "Good job, Admiral." Lord Hood answerred. "Now that you know the basics, here's what your new assignment is."

  The door Admiral Ackerson had enterred openned, and four tall figures marched toward them. Ackerson looked back; they were all Spartan IIs.

  The Spartans stopped and saluted all five of the higher ranks in front of them. "Lord Hood, Spartan 123 was unable to attend personally."

  "Understood." Lord Hood replied. "Be at ease, or as at ease as Spartan IIs can get. Now, Admiral Ackerson, Captain Hicks, Leuitenant Haverson, General Grev, you're new assignment is the Planet Onyx. You are to help the Spartans reach the portal that will-"

  "Sorry to cut in, sir." The general replied, irritation and puzzlement in his voice. "We outrank the Spartans. Why are we helping them, exactly?"

  Lord Hood grinned from ear to ear aat the answer he had the honor of telling them. "By UNSC Code, you have all been charged with Herecy Against the United Nations Space Command, and demoted to First-Class Privates."

  Admiral Ackerson jumped to his feet in anger. "We've done nothing of the sort! If anything, the Spartans have-" Two strong hands landed on his shoulders, and he slammed down into his seat so hard the wood cracked. Ackerson felt his shoulder bones almost become displaced.

  "Now that the Human Covemant War is forever over," Lord Hood said, walking to the view screens with only the lanet Onyx left. "And the only real threat to humanity on Onyx, it's time for you to pay for going against all Protocols to try and terminate the SPARTAN II Program." The general was the only one to slowly nod; he knew duty and honor better than them all. "But, the only way to regain those ranks," Lord nodded toward the Spartans. "is if one of them recommend it to me."

  'Crap...' Ackerson thought to himself. He could kiss that chance goodbye. "So," Lord Hood continued, "You're punishment for herecy will be to accompany these Spartans on their mission. That way you know just how much more important they are than you four. Spartans, have Spartan 410 lead until you rendevous with Fred, Linda, and Kelly. Then Fred regains control. Dismissed."

  "It's about time." Spartan 310 said excitedly. "Those idiots finally got demoted!" Spartan 310 was the second best Spartan sniper, right behind Linda. He wore the Mark VI E.V.A. helmet, a small helmet with the visor coverring more than half of his head. On his shoulders were Q.C.B pads, the same Fred was issued.

  "Yeah," Spartan 410 replied. "I think Lord Hood knows they are'nt going to live through the Flood." Spartan 410 was middle-aged in the Spartan group, but he was by the far the calmest and most tactically brilliant. Fred used his advice many times when they hopped from world to world, trying to hold off the Covenant. His Mark VI resembled the Japanese samurai, with thick metal plates overlapping each other for shoulder pads and the classic Mark VI helmet and chest plate, with the added combat knife on it. Spartan 410 was also responsible for holding off an entire battalion of Covenant by himself with only scavenged weapons during the invasion of Reach.

  "There's no chance at it, sir." Spartan S-363 laughed as he answerred. Spartan S-363 was commonly referred to as Flame Psycho. He could use a flamethrower and watch his enemies burn just was easily as Linda could watch through her sniper scope as a 50 calibur sniper round blew someone's head to pieces in an explosion of blood and brains. That was supposedly psychological impossible, but Spartan S-363 had proved Deja, his old AI teacher, wrong on that.

  "Well, no matter what," Spartan 130 added as they walked off the Bridge and toward the Pelican Bay. "John's coming home by our hands, right, sir?" Spartan 410 nodded. Spartan 130 was the second youngest Spartan II at only 16 years old. He was augmentated at only ten because of a genetic quirk, and then his mind was erased during a failed training excersize. Four years later when the Covenant attacked Reach, he was reassigned to duty with no real idea what the heck was going on. Within only a few months, however, his memory returned and he was just another Spartan. The only differenc ebetween him and the other Spartans now was his armour preferences. He used a samurai "Harabuysa" shoulder pad on his right shoulder, a QCB pad on his left with a bare shoulder, then the standard issue helmet and chest plate. He used the closest shade to his old armour as he could find, with a white stripe across his helmet, upper left leg, and white trim around the overlapping pieces of the Harbyusa pads.