Halo: Front Lines [BOOK ONE]

Prologue

UNSC Colony World: Redacted,
Solar System Unknown,
1645 Hours December 1st, 2554 (Military Calendar)
Current Population: 10,058
Former Population: 1,087,500
Status: Glassed

UNSC light infantry Captain Joseph Gray cautiously made his way into the dimly lit kitchen. Around him were family photos, memories of a past that now seemed so distant and dream-like. This house, these pictures and everything in it, were not his own. Nor were they the belongings of the Insurrectionist sitting at the kitchen table at the far end of the room.

This man, in a show of good faith, offered Gray a seat at the table opposite of him, but the experienced Captain knew better. Despite being at war with the Covenant for roughly thirty years he knew that his fellow man was just as dangerous of an adversary, if not more so, than the genocidal alien alliance that had so viciously ravaged the human race. The tension in the room grew palpable when Gray continued to stare at the middle aged man, his hand resting on his standard issue sidearm.

"I didn't come here for coffee and breakfast." Gray growled.

"No...no I guess you didn't. You came here to tell me and my people that we have no right staying here anymore," The Insurrectionist said, his combat vest rustling as he leaned back in his chair. A knowing smile spread across his face. "You came here to tell me the same thing you've been telling everyone else in this sector. That a UNSC colony is a UNSC colony whether it's been glassed or not. That it's time for the rightful owners of these homes to reclaim their land."

Gray stayed silent, his hand still resting on his holster. He knew about the gun strapped to the right side of the Insurrectionists' chair. He knew about the other two terrorists who were watching him from darkened corners of the home. It's what he would do if he were setting up an ambush.

"What if I told you we could work together, Captain?" The Insurrectionist leader prodded with a wary smile. "What if I told you that there didn't have to be any more killing?"

"Then I'd say that sounds great. When will you be leaving?" Gray retorted.

"See, that's not an option Captain. The UNSC lost its jurisdiction here when it failed to defend this colony from the Covenant invasion." The man said.

"The families of those who rightfully settled this planet would disagree," Gray said with a clenched fist. "It's not a negotiation..."

The Insurrectionist leader set his jaw. Then after a moment of thought, he leaned forward and replied: "Imagine if it were, Captain. Imagine if we decided to just work something out. I'm sure that there's plenty of places those families can go, I know full well how the UNSC treats it's citizens."

With a patronizing tone he continued. "How many of the original settlers even survived the invasion of this colony? Huh? Was it five percent? Ten percent? If you were lucky it could've been fifteen. They could easily be relocated to somewhere much nicer...like Reach."

Gray's face changed at the mention of his home world. Everything he ever held dear was obliterated when the Covenant found and burned the UNSC military capital to a cinder in less than a months time. The rebel leader, knowing he had just struck a nerve, asked: "You were there, weren't you?"

"You sure as hell weren't..." Gray hissed.

"Was that, according to your imperialistic bias, because we're just some band of cowards with no morals? Or was it really because the UNSC spent so much of its resources trying to subjugate it's own people that the Covenant were just finishing the job?" The Insurrectionist inquired. "Now, not even a year after the war ended, you come knocking on our door and demand that we relocate to some desolate part of the galaxy. Imagine if we were to set aside our differences and come to our senses before some unfortunate tragedy occurs."

As he finished, two Insurrectionist militia men in full combat gear emerged from the shadows, one to Gray's front and the other to his rear, right where he suspected they'd be.

"Yeah, imagine..." Gray said as he stared deeply into the bright green eyes of his enemy. Then, he saw the leader slide his hand down the right side of his chair, and knew what was about to come. In one fluent motion, Gray pulled his sidearm and shot the Insurrectionist leader in the chest, then shifted his aim right and put two nine millimeter rounds into the throat of the next enemy combatant.

As the young soldier fell to his knees choking with blood spurting through his fingers, Gray turned just in time to press the barrel of his handgun into the head of the man who tried to flank him. They stared at each other in silence. Recognizing his position, the assailant slowly raised his hands and got on his knees in surrender.

Gray pulled the trigger and sent the rebel's brains hurtling into the wall behind him. His body fell, and with a slightly trembling hand Gray let his pistol fall to his side. He turned his attention to the rebel leader and approached him.

"I gave you a choice..." Gray said as he put a hand on the leader's shoulder and sat his wheezing body upright. The Captain had punctured his lung, a mortal wound. Blood had already pooled in the man's mouth, and on the table. "The UNSC isn't asking for your cooperation. We don't give a damn if your group lives, or dies. Humanity is on the brink of extinction...and the last thing we need is some rag tag militia of dumbasses like you raiding our trade routes or stealing our homes."

Then, with a disbelieving hiss to his tone, Gray added: "We have a common enemy, don't you get that?" He let the soldier's shoulder go and he instantly grabbed at his chest with both hands. Gray walked back and forth with a hand on his left hip for a few moments before taking a step back and raising his pistol to the man's head. He fired twice into his adversaries' temple, then holstered his weapon.

"Black Actual, this is Black One-Zero." Gray calmly spoke into his helmet-mounted microphone. "All targets eliminated, commence relocation efforts of all surrounding residents." 

"Understood One-Zero. Excellent work." Came the smooth, cool reply of an Office of Naval Intelligence handler. "Return to your unit and lead the way. Stop by the FOB to get some hot chow when you're done."

"Affirmative." Gray said as he continued to stare at the bodies in the room. "One-Zero, out."