The Start Of Something Great

The ODST

The moment we landed back on the MCS Dawn, medics were already at the window, ready to pull John out of the dropship. They quickly whisked him away to the medbay, and as for Ray and me, we were met by Kaleb.

"Ray, Carver, you're with me," Kaleb said, his tone firm but not unkind.

"Yes, sir," I replied, offering a quick salute.

Ray followed suit. "With you, sir."

We fell in step behind Kaleb as he led us through the bustling corridors of the MCS Dawn. The ship was massive, but as we walked deeper into its heart, I began to notice something odd. There were soldiers around us, all dressed in black, their presence almost unnerving. Who were they? I wondered.

We continued walking in silence until Kaleb led us to one of the restricted sections of the ship, a place I hadn't seen before. Finally, we arrived at a large, reinforced door that slid open with a soft hiss. Inside was an armory.

"Give your armor to the armorer," Kaleb instructed. "Then follow me."

Ray and I exchanged a glance before heading into separate changing rooms. We stripped out of our combat gear and donned the undersuits provided by the armorer. They were simple, standard issue, but the color was different—black, all black. Once dressed, we met up again with Kaleb, who started showing us around.

"This section of the ship is home to the best soldiers the MCS Dawn has to offer," Kaleb said, leading us through the maze of corridors. "And the MCS Dawn is the only ship with this type of soldier."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "What kind of soldier is that, sir?"

Kaleb looked over at us, clearly pleased by the question. "Glad you asked. This is the home of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or ODST for short."

I frowned, trying to make sense of it. "What makes them different from regular ground soldiers?"

Kaleb's expression grew more serious. "The ODST have a motto: 'Feet First Into Hell.' They're special operations soldiers, typically deployed behind enemy lines or on silent, high-risk operations. The kind of missions that no one else is crazy enough to take."

Ray's curiosity grew. "And why are you telling us this now?"

"Because," Kaleb said, his tone shifting slightly. "You two have been selected to join the ODST. You proved your skill on Erberus. From now on, you'll be under the command of 1st Lt. Buck. You'll follow his orders, no questions. Understood?"

Ray gave a sharp salute. "Understood, sir."

I followed suit. "Aye, sir."

Kaleb nodded once, the slightest hint of approval in his eyes. "At ease. Head to your barracks."

With that, we were dismissed. Ray and I made our way through the ship until we arrived at the barracks. Inside, we found Buck, along with two other soldiers: Simmons, codenamed Red, and Micky, codenamed Heavy.

"What's up?" Red greeted us with a casual wave.

"Welcome aboard," Micky added, giving us a nod.

Buck flashed a grin when he saw us. "Good to see you guys."

"Good to see you, sir," I replied.

Ray smiled politely. "Nice to meet you guys."

Buck chuckled. "Cut the 'sir' shit. I'm not that old."

I raised an eyebrow. "Aye, sir."

Ray grinned. "Okay."

Micky clapped his hands together, drawing our attention. "Given my name, I'm the heavy weapons expert."

Red gave a brief salute. "And I'm the recon specialist."

Buck flashed a smug grin. "And clearly, I keep you guys in line. But I'm the tech expert."

Ray's smile turned wry. "I'm Ray, an expert marksman."

I nodded. "I'm Carver, a demo expert and trained in hand-to-hand combat."

Red gave us an approving nod. "Welcome to Team Inferno."

Buck gestured toward a bunk bed. "Your bunks are over there."

Ray immediately pointed to the top. "Dibs on top."

I groaned, already knowing what that meant. "Dammit."

Ray laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Sucks to suck."

With that, we made our way back to our old rooms to grab our things and bring them to the ODST barracks. Kaleb had given us ID cards to access the restricted area, and we wasted no time getting our gear together.

As we walked down the hall, Ray broke the silence. "You think the rest of the riflemen will miss us?"

I shrugged, my mind elsewhere. "Maybe."

"Probably best not to dwell on it," she said with a quiet smile.

"Probably," I agreed, though I couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty.

We finally made it back to the barracks with our bags in hand. Once inside, I noticed a shift. This was it—no turning back now. The ODST had claimed us.