Halo: Front Lines [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Two - Jessica

UNSC Colony World: Tribute,
Epsilon Eridanus System,
1930 Hours, September 24th, 2524

It had been around a week since Gray's near death experience in the bar, but every detail was still fresh in his mind. He needed to stop thinking about it, but how could he? He envied Brown's ability to seemingly shake such a harrowing event off his conscience so seamlessly.

"Maybe it's just a façade..." Gray had thought to himself as he went about his daily duties. His unit had returned to the city after another two days of R and R to maintain order, so Gray often found himself on guard duty or patrols. That was, of course, until Brown came to him with a new mission.

His expression was of boredom as he explained that Charlie Company's "Skipper", one Captain Johnathan White, had received solid intel that a high ranking member of the United Rebel Front was holed up in an apartment complex amongst the city outskirts. He wanted Brown to pick someone from his platoon to accompany a squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers on a kill/capture mission, with a preference for the former.

"Word is he's laying low until we leave the skeleton crew behind." Brown explained to Gray in the unit's planning room. Charlie Company had set up a Forward Operating Base, more commonly referred to as a FOB, a few miles inland from the coastal metropolis to ensure their own safety.

If the Insurrection truly wanted to uproot the UNSC infantry quickly, they'd have to leave their hiding places and fight. Playing the long game is all about willpower and determination, something that the UNSC had an abundance of considering their latest victories on Tribute.

"And you want me to go with you, sir?" Gray asked. His arms were folded in concern.

"This is gonna be a night time op and lad. You need the experience. You've begun to handle yourself well when the shite hits the fan, but you're still dwelling on last week far too deeply," Brown explained. Gray opened his mouth, but Brown stopped him by raising a gloved hand. "And I've been noticing. These patrols and guard duties are only giving you time to dwell about what you could've done differently. It's eating you up inside. You have the potential to be a real good soldier for the UNSC one day, but not if you keep doing this to yourself."

"Sir, I'm dwelling on last week because that guy was threatening our families. He knew where you live, he knew our names and-" Gray began to ramble.

"And we've already filed our report with the Captain. An investigation is under way, we've done all we can do. He's angry at the world because he lost someone he loved, and who can blame him? Lad, he doesn't have the resources to actually follow through with anything. He's just some office guy who got the shite end of the stick." Brown interrupted, still bored and unfazed. He'd done this a hundred times on his multiple tours of duty. He'd probably seen countless families broken by war. The only difference to Brown was that this dad had a hell of a lot more guts than the others.

"Sir, who walks into a bar filled with Marines wearing a suicide vest if he doesn't have some kind of plan already thought out?" Gray asked.

"Me, if you don't shut the hell up about it son. You need to be focused on the tasks at hand," Brown said reassuringly as he clasped Gray's shoulder. "Because tonight we take down another white-collared Innie. Tonight we move one step closer to finally putting an end to all this bloodshed." He waited for Gray to respond, but seeing the look of worry still painted across his face he added, "Follow me."

"Yes sir." Gray said as he followed his Lieutenant out of the prefabricated structure and into the main, unpaved road that split the FOB in two. The road was occupied by two jet-black pickup trucks, all sporting tinted windows so dark that everything inside each vehicle was completely obscured. Surrounding the vehicles were some of the most intimidating soldiers Gray had ever seen.