The Equinox had lost. The Project so many people risked everything for, in hopes to rid the galaxy of the Covenant, had lost. Along with all hope for humankind. We lost everything. No word had come from the Director in days, but we knew the Project was over. We were done for, abandoned.Ā
We all knew we would always be disposable, that's how agents and soldiers were everywhere. If one dies, they're forgotten and replaced. That's why I joined the Project after all, to replace a dead agent, a dead leader. But to be abandoned like this, in a barren planet with no communication whatsoever to our so-called "leader", it was sad, to say the least. But there was nothing we could do, the Equinox had been reduced to mere debris after the crash, and there was no trace of our presence on this forsaken planet. There was nothing to do, but wither away.Ā
I remember that night as if it was yesterday - was it yesterday? I don't know, I've kind of lost track, there's no sun light in this planet. But I still remember it quite clearly. The Covenant attacked the ship again, only this time in such numbers that it was impossible to fight back. They destroyed our engines and killed our power, and it didn't take long before they killed other things. How many agents and A.I. fell as soon as the Covenant hit? That I don't remember, maybe because I've tried not to think about it. Some of those agents had become my friends, family..
For what seemed like hours we tried to fight the Covenant off our ship. They, too, suffered casualties, but did the Covenant even care about their fallen brethren? It didn't seem like they did, but we did. Every time one of ours fell, Agent or A.I, I could feel the pain of every single person in the Equinox, I could hear their cries even if no tears were shed. Even though they continued to fight, I could feel their fragile hearts shattering beneath their impenetrable armor. It's funny how fragile we can be, even with armor built to protect us from nearly anything. But it could never protect us from death. From the pain brought by the sight of our fallen comrades. No, not comrades, family.Ā
And no, it actually isn't funny.Ā
Just the thought of that battle now brought tears to my eyes, even those I didn't know very well, they didn't deserve deaths like that. But then again, who deserved death? Other than the Covenant. After all they did, they deserved death more than anything.Ā
Some of the Covenant died along with our ship when it crashed on this planet, but most had escaped just in time. They had gotten their deed done, after all. They damaged our ship enough to make it crash into an inhabited planet, and left us for dead. Seeing some of the dead Covenant's remains scattered throughout the debris of the crash pleased me, though I wished I could have killed them myself. Slow and painfully. We gave our own dead proper burials, but the Covenant corpses deserved nothing. They were lucky I didn't just burn them, or dump them into the black ocean that stood nearby.
Were we in an island? None of us had ventured out enough to find out.Ā
There was roughly forty of us left, down from the fifty-five agents and A.I. that charged into battle to protect the Equinox once again. And even after the hours, or days, that we've been in this planet, we still haven't moved very far. No one cares anymore, I guess. Being abandoned by the Director like this, and all of the deaths we experienced, it was difficult for everyone to become motivated to do anything. We were lucky to even have a fire. I don't know who made the fire, but they were smart, and possibly less hurt than the rest of us.Ā
From where I was sitting, I could see every single agent and A.I, all wounded physically, but near death mentally. Some A.I. were missing limbs, but even without arms of legs some still proved themselves useful, helping Helena care for the fatally wounded. Other A.I, however, might have as well been shut down, they hadn't moved since we crashed. They only stared at the ground, silent. If they had hearts, they were definitely shattered beyond repair. It was sad, honestly, to see A.I. reduced to nothing but this, just shallow shells left after their dead agents.Ā
I still didn't fully understand how strong the connection between the agents and A.I. was, but seeing them now.. it was scary to think about.Ā
I was happy to see that Nashville was still alive after the battle, and the crash, but even he wasn't himself right now. It was painful to see. He had suffered some incredible wounds, and for a second I thought I was going to lose the only true family I had left. Helena, however, reassured me that if he was willing to fight, he would definitely make it. I always knew my brother was a fighter, so I knew he would make it.
But what would he make it for, anyways? There was no future for any of us, were were abandoned, and the moment the supplies we scavenged from the wreckage were finished, we would begin to drop like flies. And even if we managed to survive off whatever resources this planet might hold, I hardly thought that would be a suitable life for any of us. We would die eventually, this I was sure of. I didn't want to think about it, but in our current condition, did we really have any hopes of survival in this planet?Ā
Unless the Director or the UNSC sent someone to rescue us, we would surely die, sooner or later. Some of us would surely die soon.
I managed to get on my feet, and walked over to several of the survivors, their mental health worrying me more than their physical wounds. Agents Cheyenne, Hartford, Phoenix and Concord were some of the agents I was most worried about, both because of their past files and the latest events. In a situation like this, we couldn't afford any of them being unstable or snapping at anyone. Of course, none of them said much, but I knew that any support would help. I would give them time, even though time was not something that was on our side.Ā
I felt responsible for every living agent at the moment, and I wanted to do everything in my power to help, but there really wasn't much I could do, was there? Maybe if I could find more supplies around this planet.. Some fresh water, fruit or maybe some game, anything might improve the morale of the group.Ā
I needed to do something, so I wandered into the vegetation that stood behind us. No one even noticed where I was going, which was a good thing. I didn't want anyone following me, I didn't want to put anyone else's well being in danger. We had no information on this planet or the dangers that it held, so it was better if I wandered the depths of this 'jungle' on my own.
I don't know exactly how long I walked, really, but there seemed to be nothing in this planet. No edible fruit, and not even animals or creatures we could potentially use for food. There were no streams of fresh water, just.. nothing. The hunt wasn't completely useless, however, for I found one thing of interest. A message from the Director left in a holographic pod, addressed to no one in specific. I didn't see any pods landing any time after the crash, so had it been inside the ship all along? I played the message, but the damage to the hologram made it difficult to understand.
I felt like there should be more to the message, but it all went to black. So the DirectorĀ wasĀ sending help.. but he could only rescue us four at a time? How long would it take for others to be rescued? And what was he talking about marked agents? The Covenant couldn't really possess human bodies, could they?
Then I remembered. The images of our wounded brethren flashed before my eyes, and suddenly the idea didn't seem so far-fetched. Some of the wounded agents didn't seem like themselves, and their wounds almost made a pattern on their skin.. could they really have been possessed by the aliens they had been fighting?
It that was the case, there were several people I remember seeing with those "marks", but could I really bring myself to kill them? Charleston, Providence, Dover, Augusta, Austin.. they all had unique wounds, and even if they truly were possessed by the Covenant, I honestly didn't think I could bring myself to kill any of them.Ā
Maybe I would joke about killing Providence so I could take her spot on the leader board, but this wasn't really the time for jokes. Nor did the leader board matter anymore. We were all on even ground now, and the ground wasn't exactly nice.Ā
With the Director's words in mind, I made my way back to the crash site. Not only did I now have to choose what four people would get on that first rescue ship.. I had to investigate this Covenant possession nonsense. I had to speak with everyone, investigate their wounds and behavior, and get to the bottom of this.
I held my knife tightly in my hand. I didn't know if the Director's words were true, but if they were, I had to be safe.Ā
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