The Wilted Planet

Chapter Ten: Dream Change

Caleb looked at his hands and frowned wondering where his gloves had gone. He ran his hands through his hair, his helmet was gone too. Caleb was scared and confused as the realization hit him that all of his body armor was in fact gone. He checked the rest of himself.

His magnum and his miltary grade cargo pants and boots seemed to be with him. Besides those, his dogtags, and a white tank Caleb always wore, he had nothing else. He felt almost naked without his armor. Caleb looked up hearing the sound of gunfire and ran down a strangely familar hallway. Towards the source of the sounds.

Marines shouting and the twisted chatter of grunts and jackals mixed together in the distance. Plasma hissed and rifles rhythmically fired. Screams of pain echoed from both sides, human and Covenant. Caleb sprinted as fast as he could towards a set of doors the noises were coming from. He burst through the doors to outside, the sight that was revealed felt far too familiar.

Serge and some fellow marines stood against an army of Covenant. The few soldiers were hiding behind a blockade of debris from fallen buildings, that was their only cover. Serge was yelling commands as he fired his makeshift turrent he had once showed Caleb the first week he had gotten to base.

Caleb remembered the words Serge had said when he had shown him the turrent and how easily he could set it up. Serge had built it up in a minute flat and then had patted the barrel turning to him. "Son you're young and have never seen combat correct?" He asked. Caleb nodded. "Yes sir that is correct." He replied. Serge chuckled with a slight shake of his head and loaded the turrent.

"Call me Serge or Sergeant. Understood? None of this sir business if you can help it." Serge said. Caleb nodded. "Yes si- Serge." He corrected himself. Serge chuckled more and finished loading the turrent. "Come here, give it a try." He invited stepping to the side. Caleb eagerly stepped forward and knelt down grabbing the triggers. He moved the aim a bit to get a feel for the device.

Serge gripped his shoulder and took his cigar from his mouth blowing out a puff of smoke. "Son. You know why I carry this heavy thing around on every mission we have?" Caleb hesitated and looked up at his superior with a frown realizing he did do that. "Umm.. no sir." He said slipping back into the formal training speech. Serge grinned and put the cigar back in his mouth.

"I've fought in the war son. I've seen what those Covenant monsters can do." He paused for a second lost in his own memories then continued. "I bring this toy with me so I'm always ready." Serge said. Caleb aimed down the sights on the turrent and then looked up again. "Ready for what Serge?" He asked. The Sergeant gave him a sad smile and took out his cigar and put it out. "Protecting you boys. You men who have so much left to see. So much left to do."

Serge paused and dropped his cigar crushing it with his boot. "And if need be, dying." Caleb shook his head. "You'll never die Serge." Sergeant Newman smiled and gripped his shoulder. "If I do die. I plan on taking as many of those blasted things down with me when I do. Not a hundred of their lives are worth the life of a single human. Remember that son. Remember that."

Suddenly a shout of pain roused Caleb from his memory. He looked to see the marine who had given him the m.r.e drop like a fly. A large purple plasma crystal sticking out of his chest. It had found a weak point in the marine's armor. He screamed as the needle exploded in his grip and then he lay still. Caleb rushed forward pulling out his magnum he still had strapped to his leg.

As he neared the combat, Caleb fired his first round into the closest Covenant troops. Jackals and grunts fell, bullets piercing through their bodies. Purple and blue blood stained the ground from every kill he could manage to achieve. Hearing the click of his gun going empty, Caleb tossed it aside and sprinted for a blockade for cover.