Title:           Spartanon-Beta in Eq.
Author:          Anonymous
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/5aav0h8L
First Edit:      Saturday 15th of August 2015 09:01:27 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Saturday 15th of August 2015 09:01:27 PM CDT

>”Omega three. Execute now! NOW!”
>You are Anon-B094
>You look up from the dying Elite to see several dark grey and purple ships descend from the clouds
>Dozens of teardrop-shaped Seraph fighters pour out from each, diving into strafing runs
>You can see grav lifts engaging and dumping thousands of fresh troops onto the red, dusty field
>With those kinds of numbers against two hundred Spartans, you all will most likely be dead in the next few minutes
>But teams are already inside the refinery, and they need a minute to plant the charges
>There’s only one thing you can do now, and it’s not to run
>Even from hundreds of meters away you can hear Covenant crying out prayers to their gods along with curses aimed at you
>Some are already firing their weapons as they run, not caring that their fire is completely inaccurate
 
>You grab the dead Elite’s energy sword and charge with a hundred other Spartans of Beta Company behind you
>They yell out another warcry, and you join them as you cross the reddened field
 
>You fire your MA5K in bursts as you run, each round hitting its mark
>Scores of Elites, Jackals, and Grunts die as your fellow Spartans do the same with Battle Rifles and the few M19-B launchers that still have ammunition
>The aliens respond shortly afterward with a wave of plasma and explosive crystals
>To your right, Jane lurches back as a bolt of blue hits her neck
>She tumbles to the ground and out of sight, her heartbeat and blood pressure dropping rapidly
 
>The Covenant are now only a hundred meters away
>You load your last mag with the need to murder on your mind
>You break into a dead sprint, nearing 30 kilometers an hour
>The Covenant line is running at full tilt as well, with Elites breaking off from the lowly rabble to meet you first
>The one minor directly in front of you raises duel plasma rifles and fires
>As the bolts fly towards you, you raise your left arm and activate your looted shield gauntlet
>The rounded plasma barrier flashes into existence, then blinks white an instant later when plasma slams into it
>The shield quickly turns red and collapses after only two bursts, but it’s done its job:
>You fire point-blank as you lunge at the two-meter tall alien
 
>The next minute is nothing but deadly chaos
>You and your fellow Spartans move through the melee like reapers, moving with speeds not even Elites can follow
>You snap necks, stab hearts, and shoot the heads of dozens of Covenant
>At some point you wield your stolen energy sword and bisect an oblivious Elites
 
>You are about to turn around to stab another when a new sun appears to the north
>There is a pause, a moment of silence before the blast hits
>Then you and everyone around you are blown off of your feet and into oblivion
 
>For an instant, there is only light and heat
>Then darkness
>Then light again and a sense of falling
 
>You open your eyes to find clear, blue sky instead of Pegasi’s dusty orange
>For the several seconds of being in freefall, you are confused
>You turn your head to look down just in time to see a mountainside come up to meet you
>You hit the hardened, sloped rocks with a *CRUNCH* and you bounce into the air
>Blurry greys, blues, and greens mix as you spin wildly
>With your inner ear overwhelmed and your body suddenly wracked with pain, you are unable to stop yourself from descending the mountain
 
>You finally hit the grassy bottom and stop on your still-churning stomach
>It takes a minute for your mind to catch up to what just happened
>What the fuck just happened?
>The refinery detonated, then suddenly you’re wherever you are right now
>Everyone…   
>No, don’t think about that
>Make sure you’re safe first
 
>You allow yourself another minute to rest your aching everything
>You slow your breathing to listen what’s around you
>At first there is silence
>But as you lay there, birds begins to renew their calls
>You can hear rodents move through the foliage around you
>Even through your suit’s filtration system, the air feels musky and contains a number of smells
>So much activity
>Jungle
>The complete opposite environment of Pegasi Delta
 
>Another sound you hear are rocks rolling after you
>Nothing huge, but they do budge you a bit when they hit
>Metallic rattling catches your ear, though
>Rather large, long judging by the pattern of the rattles
>Your rifle
>It comes to a stop right beside you
>You strain your neck to turn your head
>Your MA5K lays there, intact
>A small victory
 
>Enough resting, it’s time to move
>Carefully, you start to lift yourself up
>A sharp pain in your right arm suggests you may have strained something
>Nothing broken, though
>It would take a lot more than a mere fall to break your augmented bones
 
>You rise into a crouch and look around for the first time
>An actual jungle
>The colors remind you a bit of Onyx
>…Dammit
>Jane, Adam
>Everyone’s gone
>You look into the cloudless sky
>There’s no trace of whatever brought you here
>Is this heaven?
 
>No
>If this was heaven, you wouldn’t be in your armor
>Your gun wouldn’t be here
>Speaking of which, you reach over and pick it up
>Your Semi-Powered Infiltration armor links with the weapon and shows the amount of rounds you have left
>Seven 7.62x51mm FMJ rounds left
>Enough to kill an unshielded Elite if you go for the upper body
>You check yourself, and the Jackal shield gauntlet is still intact
>You also have the energy sword, along with your combat knife
 
>And you’re still alive
>If you’re still alive, that means others could be alive too
>Yeah, there’s still a chance
>You still have something to keep going for
 
>You look into the dense forest again
>You slowly stand up, ready to start the search
()()()
“This is Spartan Be-Zero-Nine-Four to Beta Company elements.”
>…
“Beta Company, please respond.”
>*RRRrrRrrrw*
>A couple of hours have passed
>Your stomach has been getting really loud lately
>Considering the last time you’ve eaten was on the carrier All Under Heaven, roughly ten hours ago, it’s understandable
>So, what to eat in this lively jungle?
 
>You’ve seen several critters that look nearly identical to those native of Earth, and you’ve passed plenty of wild berries
>The problem is, despite the rather eerie resemblance to Earth fauna and flora, you’re not sure if everything’s poisonous to you or not
>Well, your suit doesn’t have anything that can help you, so the only way of finding out is actually trying something
>If you’re going to do that, it better be in a safe spot away from any threats
>And judging by the few roars you’ve heard earlier, you know there are bigger creatures out there
 
>With your stomach rumbling again, you walk over to a bush and casually snap off a stick filled with red berries
>You then start looking around for a secluded spot
>Hmm, there
>You hop into a ring of trees covered by thick bushes
>After checking to make sure there were no traps, you sit down and remove your helmet
>The smells of the jungle come at you in full force, both pleasant and foul
>You do your best to ignore it and focus on your potential food source
 
>You set down your helmet and pick a berry from the stick
>You hold it up in a small ray of light to examine it
>Bright red, spotless
>The stem comes right off
>It doesn’t have a sent either
>You pop it in your mouth
>Smooth besides some dirt
>You bite into it
>It’s filled with a gel-like substance
>Very sweet
>One of the sweetest things you have ever tasted, actually
 
>You chew the berry for a minute, turning it into a tasty paste
>You haven’t gone into cardiac arrest yet
>Or started hallucinating
>These berries should be clean, then
>You quickly devour all of the berries on the branch
>Absolutely delicious
>You take the time to head back to the bush you found them and pick off some more berries
>You eat until you’re filled, which consisted of picking the bush bear
>Hopefully you can find more of those berries
>But your stomach’s satiated for now, so it’s time to keep moving
>Another hour and six futile broadcasts later, and you come across another bush of those sweet berries
>Instead of eating them on the spot, you make a pouch made out of large, thick leaves and a kudzu-like vine
>You store the berries inside and then strap it to your belt before moving on
 
>As you continue moving through the forest, the terrain begins to change
>The ground starts to flatten out
>More space appears in between trees
>Despite the sun lowering, the place is becoming brighter
>Not that it mattered to you, since your eyes could practically see in the dark
>Finally, you push through some thick ground cover and come across a clearing
 
>A dirt trail
>It’s narrow and being encroach on by plants, but it’s something artificial
>Man made?
>The Covenant do make trails of their own
>Usually they just glass the place, though
>Either way, it’s something to follow
>Heck, maybe other Spartans might be down this trail
>It’s worth a shot
 
>You start to walk down it, away from the mountains, when you hear voices
>You spin around and drop into a crouch
>”…it’s nothing good!”
>”But what if something good IS at the end?”
>”Nothing good is ever at the end! The last time we followed prints almost had us eaten!”
>Footprints?
>You look down, and sure enough you could see the depressions of your boots in the grass
>Shit, you’re an idiot
>Time to hide
 
>You flex your fingers in a certain order, and your photoreactive panels activate
>The light around you begins to bend until you are nearly invisible
>You make it doubly so by carefully moving just to the side of the path and lying flat
>You wait for the assumingly two unknowns to come closer, still arguing on whether or not they should keep following your trail
>Their voices seem off
>They sound too deep to be Grunts, but not as…civilized as Elites usually talk
>Whoever they are, they’re speaking English, so you’re going to get some answers out of them
 
>The voices get closer, and you shift your weight onto your legs, ready to pounce
>You slowly take your rifle and mag-lock it to your back
>You might not need it
 
>The leaves start to rustle
>One, two figures emerge
>There’s a flash of metal
>”They stop he-“
>You lunge with your fist
>*CLANG*
>”What?!”
>Before he can say another word, you drive your fist into the furry gut of the next unknown
>He-it, doubles over, yelping in pain
>You grab the back of its huge neck and slam it into the bushes
>It doesn’t attempt to get up
>Instead it whimpers, like a dog
 
>Now that you can take a look at it, it does look like a dog
>Man
>Thing, with clothes
>You look to the first dog man, and it’s wearing a medieval-age knight’s helmet
>It’s clutching its head in agony
>Looking back down at the prone dog man, you figure how you’re going to interrogate these two
 
>You crouch by the non-human, and position your knee just over its neck
>You take out your knife and present it in front of the thing’s face
>Its yellow eyes finally open, then widen at the sight of it
 
“Hello there.”
>The thing’s eyes switch between you and the knife
“I’m not one for small talk, so you better answer my questions. Understood?”
>The thing frantically nods
“Where are we?”
>”E-Everfree! Big forest, lots of beasties.”
 
>You’re about to ask your second question when you notice the other dog thing is shaking itself out of its stunned state
>You apply pressure to your captive’s neck and point your knife at it
“You’re going to answer my next question: what are you two?”
>It stares at you behind darkened slits before answering, “Diamond Dogs”
“Dogs that like diamonds?”
>It nods hesitantly
>Interesting
 
>You lift your knee off of your captive, and he takes in a big gulp of air
>Still keeping the standing dog in your peripheral vision, you focus back on your captive
“Next question:”
>You point at the trail
“Where does that path lead?”
>”Path leads to Ponyville. L-lots of smelly ponies.”
 
>Ponyville?
>Lots of ponies?
>Must be some major trading hub
 
“Last question: have you seen any more of me?”
>”No! Not at all! First time we’ve seen beastie like you.”
>Damn
>Well, you still got some information
>Such as there apparently being a human settlement not far from here, albeit strangely named
>Ponyville?
 
>”W-what are you? Minotuar?”
>You step off of the dog and back away, keeping your distance from both of them
“You could say that.
Listen, I’m going to pretend I never saw you two. I suggest you do the same about me, or else I’ll find you. Understood?”
>The prone Diamond Dog quickly stands up and joins its partner
>Both nod enthusiastically
“Good. Now get!”
 
>The two are out of sight in just a few seconds
>You watch them go, sheathing you knife in afterthought
>You start to back up down the path as you take out your rifle again
>When you’re certain the dogs won’t follow you, you turn and start jogging down the side of the dirt trail
>Ponyville?
>That better be just a nickname
()()()
>The sun’s almost down
>Your pouch, off of your belt and next to you, is now filled with berries
>Most are the red ones, but you also found some blue ones that had a bitter sent and a sour taste to them
>A nice contrast with the sweet ones
>You grab a bunch and dump them into your mouth as you huddle inside the little shelter you made out of branches and leaves
>It’ll do for a while
>While you could keep going, you really need some sleep
>Pegasi and your trip here has taken a toll on you, even with your augmented body
>A good night’s sleep is your best option right now
>If you can get a good night’s sleep, that is
 
>The only two things keeping you from breaking down are six years of training, and the fact you’re still alive
>That meltdown wasn’t an ordinary explosion
>It somehow sent your whole body and equipment to a different place instead of scattering your atoms everywhere
>Unless you were a special case, which you doubt, then everyone was sent somewhere as well
>But since you appeared here alone, then other “rules” are in play too
>Perhaps distance was scaled by that explosion
>Someone a meter behind you was tele’d a continent away, or at least a ways outside of comms range
>This forest doesn’t help with transmissions either
>Maybe you should’ve climbed the mountain first
>Oh well, it’d be a waste to turn back now
>You’ll find someone, sooner or later
 
>You replace your helmet and shift into a sitting position against a tree, knife in hand
>Eyes shut, you try to relax mentally, wishing you could fall asleep instantly
>Because now you can hear /everything/
>A rodent is scampering for its hole here and there
>Nocturnal predators both on the ground and in the air are on the prowl, occasionally catching a nightly meal
>Nothing disturbs you, though
>Like they collectively avoid foreign elements
>That or they all know to avoid things carrying sharp objects
>Or perhaps… they all…
 
>”Okay Mr. and Ms. Badger-“
>Human, female
>Hundred-four degrees
>Thirty meters
>Not someone you know
>You activate camo and snap forward onto your armored belly
>All of your attention is focused on that voice
>”He should be fine now. Make sure he gets some sleep, and if he gets worse come right back to me, okay?”
>Sounds like a doctor
>Or considering this a sketchy forest at twilight, a rather brave veterinarian
 
>You slowly crawl to a small opening in your shelter
>No sight of the owner of the voice, but she’s there
>You’re tempted to break cover and get sights on her, but if you cause too much of a ruckus getting out of your carefully-built shelter you might spook her
>Slowly, then
>You stretch your arm forward, cautiously pushing aside stiff twigs and loose wood
>You can hear them softly snap and cr-
 
>Something big smashes your shelter and onto your leg
>It’s on fire
>You turn to face whatever found you, but the giant paws that’ve clawed into your leg pull you right out
>The beast roars as it rips you from your shelter and flings you to the side
>In the moment you’re spinning in the air, you catch a glimpse of what somehow caught you
>A lion with wings and a scorpion’s tail
>You have no idea how it snuck up on you
>You spin around, and your vision is filled with a tree trunk
>Glass shatters
 
>You hit the ground still spinning
>With your free arm, you throw yourself back onto your feet
>You ready your knife to-
 
>You can’t see
>You try to open your eyes, but they feel like they’re open
>You can’t see
 
>You hear growling in front, ten meters
>The lion is circling you
>You keep your knife raised as you match it
>You may be blind, but you’re far from helpless
 
>”WAIT!”
>What?
 
>The female starts to talk in a scolding tone, but you start to have trouble hearing
>The adrenaline’s already wearing o-Christ, your face!
>It takes physical effort not to claw at your ruined visor
>Are your eyes even intact?
>You can’t feel anything besides a hot brand in your eyes
 
>With erratic breathing, you try and listen for the lion
>Or the girl, if she hasn’t been eaten already
>”Um, mister, can you hear me?”
>Oh
>That’s surprising
 
>You slowly nod, not sure what to do
>From the sound of it, she’s pretty tall
>And coming a little too close for your liking
 
>”Are you-“
>You hear the softest of gasps “You’re bleeding.”
>You hear a faint *swoosh* and you sense something coming up to mere centimeters from your face
>You tense up and grip your knife even tighter
>Scaring (for all you know to be) a civvie won’t get you anywhere, but yet anyone can slit your throat right now
>”Oh no, that glass is pretty deep.”
>Well, that ain’t good
>You suddenly feel something grab and tug on your free hand
>”Come on. I can help you at my house.”
>Between being surprised of this girl not being nervous in front of a Spartan and your face melting, you don’t resist being led by her
>You almost want to say, “Yes, ma’am.”
 
>With the lion thing completely forgotten, you’re led by a tall girl, who sounds like a very young adult, to what she claims to be her house
>All the while a large bird is flapping its wings right where she is
>Constantly, too
>Ah, screw it, she’s helping you out and sounds kind enough, so what if she has wings?
 
>Your brain’s /really/ starting to hurt now