Generations

Chapter Ten: Machine

15th of April, 17 AJ

Time: 0600

Location: UNSC Phoenix, hanger

POV: Hearth, age 35, Fireborn

Hearth walked into the hanger. They were on the Phoenix, a ship built for NOBLE Team. Hearth tried to reject the offer, but ONI wouldn't have any of it. The Phoenix was an average sized cruiser, and it had been decorated with phoenixes here and there. The only reason this ship existed was to make it more convenient for ONI to deploy NOBLE. Hearth looked at his assembled team and noticed an extra helmet. Four, actually. Three of the helmets belonged to the survivors of the original NOBLE Team, Kat, Jun and Hearth's dad, Blade. The other one, Hearth didn't know. He walked up to the Spartan and they snapped to attention. Hearth rolled his eyes under his helmet.

Rook.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was assigned to your team, sir."

Hearth shook his head. "On whose authority?"

"ONI, sir."

Hearth sighed. Why is ONI making my life harder? "Let me guess, you just came out of training."

"Sir, yes sir."

Hearth rolled his eyes again. "Kid, you've got a lot to learn. First things first. I've read your record. Glad to have your skill set, but we're a team, got it? That lone wolf stuff? It stays behind. Second, you're a Spartan. So stop acting like a Marine, got it? And third, we're equal. So stop fucking saluting."

"O-oh."

The Spartan lowered his arm. Jun walked up to Hearth and gave him four taps on the neck. Hearth tapped him back and sighed. Jun had been posted on the bridge.

"Kid, we're down a member. Looks like you'll be inserting with us. Give Spartans B-312 and B-320 the utmost respect, got it?"

"Wait, B-312? B-320? Aren't those Noble Six and Kat?"

"Yeah, they are. Now come on. We're about to leave."

Hearth stepped onto the Pelican and the new blood followed close behind. Lightning sent Hearth an encrypted message.

"New blood?"

"Yep. Gunna be hassel."

"Fuck. I'll take care of it."

"Thx."

Hearth briefed the team on their objective, the destruction of a Forerunner base set up by the rouge Cortana. Blade and Kat shifted in their seats, obviously uneased by this mission. Hearth turned off the hologram and sat down next to Dawn. She didn't grab his hand, but he knew she wanted to. Lightning flew them down into the fray, dodging the shrapnel that was flying from Covenant and Forerunner ships, locked in combat. The two sides never noticed that the UNSC had arrived. Lightning got out of the cockpit and Hearth stood up. He walked over to the door and waited.

He punched the deployment button and the Pelican opened up.

"Noble! The light is green!"

Hearth, Lightning, and Smoke where the first to leap out. Dawn, Eagle and Goldy jumped out next, and they were followed by the rook and vets. The Pelican pulled up and dodged the flak, returning back to the Phoenix. The Spartans hit the ground and they began to sprint down the hill. Hearth tapped into the hostile battlenet, listening in on Covenant movements. The Spartans rushed down the hill and rolled into the Forerunner base right as the door closed. NOBLE scanned the halls for activity and found nothing.