↳ SIERRA-087

"Four of us and a thousand of them? Piss-poor odds for the little guys."

[thelvadams]

Master Chief throughout the years

[redvsbluniverse]

This scene was so tragic, but I feel it was necessary for Wash’s character development.

[oathclad]

APOLOGIES!

I didn't intend to suddenly disappear on everyone. RL circumstances were such that I found myself suddenly without internet for over a month. Sorry guys!

[ashleystlawrence]

Washington's  past

[thestupidmeanone]

"...wait, what?"

Give him a second, Kelly, he literally didn't plan for you to take his idea seriously. Well, shit... it's not like he'd be very difficult to carry, and he did enjoy himself a nice piggyback ride. What's the worst that could happen?

...knock on wood, Church.

After a long moment of deliberation, he could only mutter a reluctant, "Uh... gotcha," before stepping forward to... well, climb on her back, apparently. Christ, it felt more like he was climbing on a motorcycle than a person.

"You're sure this doesn't feel totally demeaning and weird?" He asked.

[oathclad]

In response, Kelly takes firm hold of one of Church's arms and loops it over her shoulder, tucking his fingers into a firm handhold on her cuirass. With that she frees him and allows him to find whatever position would work best, if not necessarily be comfortable.

"Demeaning for you? Absolutely. Me?" Kelly stands, aware of the weight on her back and quickly compensating, running through diagnostics on her HUD and making adjustments as needed to maintain stability with the extra weight on her back. "— Nah."

Kelly quickly transfers Church a data package through her neural lace. Maps depicting movements around this base of which they are already aware from overhead and thermal imaging; brief dossiers on key opponents, images of files; recreated manifests.

"I run, you gun." She crouches low, ready to begin sprinting. "Only if they get close enough for that to be necessary."

[rollie-muses]

Caboose spent a bit too long silently staring forward as he looked at Kelly. Inside, he was jumping off the walls with Excitement that a real Spartan was here in front of them.

" Yes, Ma'am. I'm Michael J. Caboose. " he said, spouting off his assigned name to the other. " Actually, Ma'am? I'm technically a Captain. But that's alright. I'm not sure if that counts in this timeline."

"... I shouldn't have said that. Ah , I was wondering if you knew where the other Spartans are. 'Cause I found out really recently that I'm a Spartan Three, and I think I want to find my other Spartan friends."

[oathclad]

In silent acknowledgement of the correction, Kelly updates her HUD to the proper designation with a curt nod. Timeline? Certainly not the strangest thing that she's ever heard. There are plenty of strange things that she herself has dealt with — she knows all too well how that goes, and as such, she's not going to dedicate too much time to soaking in that information.

Does she know where the other Spartans are? Well... "I see. I am acquainted with few IIIs. Don't know where they are right now though." Kelly shifts her hips where she sits, Oathsworn dissembled across her lap.

Uncomfortable? Unsure. She's never quite known what to do with the IIIs. It's not that she dislikes them on principle (quite the opposite), but they aren't IIs, and Kelly has been watching the few people she's known her entire life die.

There are hardly any IIs left now. But it's easier to keep track of where they are at all times. Not so with the IIIs, a fact that almost makes the Spartan... envious. Kelly looks back at Caboose evenly.

"But — you're likely to find one or two in the mess hall. I can take you."

[thecountofs]

"Cupid & His Angels" (Operation: SILENT STORM)

Blue Team (led by the Master Chief) pose alongside their mentor and friend, Sgt. Johnson. Tragically, after 25+ years of camaraderie, Johnson fell in battle in the final days of the War. His last words were witnessed by the Chief

[yourstrulylightstar283]

I adore this team's family-like chemistry between each other. 💕 It's sad that it ended tragically though. 😭

[oathclad]

@rollie-muses

"Private..." Kelly squints at the data display on her HUD, quirking a brow as she glances between it and the recruit in front of her. "Caboose?"

A shrug. Oh well, there are stranger names. At least this little fella is lucky enough to have a name that doesn't end with a designation code. Fucking Halsey.

"How may I be of service?"

[oathclad]

Like/reply for a starter. If you have multiple muses you'll need to tell me which muse you want it for or I won't write anything at all.

Updated rules page.

[thestupidmeanone]

"Hey, it shoots bullets, doesn't it?" Church didn't put much effort into defending his weapon--it's not like he thought very hard about what to bring. Plus, he was a little too busy fumbling to make sure he didn't drop the shotgun tossed his way. He was no firearm expert, but he knew a personalized and customized weapon when he saw one. Best to be careful.

"Right, I can--wait, hold on, 'keep up?' You're fucking with me, right?" He let out a scoffing laugh. "Lady, I can barely keep up with you at a brisk walk! You'd have better luck just carrying me on your damn back."

[oathclad]

Church cackles, and Kelly simply nods, peering down at him while she contemplates. It's just a scouting mission, and she's run plenty of them alone; there shouldn't be any reason for her to have company, unless...

"Not a bad idea, squirt." The Spartan nods. "Alright then."

She turns, bends down on one knee. Even in such a low position, the Spartan seems to suck up space, an imposing figure--currently offering a piggy-back ride? Well, shit, whatever gets the mission done, and clearly Church's "hacking" skills must be worth something to send him with her. There is no derision, no joke to her bending down to a knee. She's completely serious.

"Well?" And waiting.

[oathclad]

Kelly, how would you react if John was infested by the Flood?

The question lances through her chest even as she responds matter-of-factually: "I would kill it." Obviously. It wouldn't be John anymore. John would be gone, she knows. And by this point, she's lost too many II's to feel anything but the shape of loss.

She still hasn't even cried for Sam.

"... Because Spartans never die."

[counselor-of-project-freelancer]

[thestupidmeanone]

"Alright, well--ack!" God damn, did he even weigh anything to her if she could hoist him up like that? This android body wasn't light or small, after all. Even at six feet tall, though, he had to crane his neck to glower up at her faceplate... not that she could see his face any better than he could see hers right now. The only thing he could read was the tone of her voice.

"I, uh..." he trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself for a moment. Give him a second, Kelly. "I... can hack stuff pretty damn well. And obviously I have a gun!" He patted the pistol on his hip for emphasis. "So, y'know... I can probably shoot a bad guy."

He had pointedly not brought his sniper rifle, lest he be judged by a Spartan for being the galaxy's worst shot. The pistol wasn't much better... but hopefully he wouldn't have to use it.

[oathclad]

Though obviously he can't see Kelly's gaze flicker skeptically from the pistol to him, her silence is deafening.

"I meant a real firearm, not a peashooter," she clarifies, voice lacking the accent of judgement. It's not meant to be a assessment of him personally, but rather an observation. With a sigh, Kelly releases Oathsworn from her mag holster and tosses it to Church. "I'll expect that back when we're done."

She taps her visor, contemplating. "Can you keep up with me?"

Normally a trick question; nothing can keep up with her. But if this fellow isn't strictly human like her, then perhaps...

[oathclad]

@thestupidmeanone

Kelly's foot rap-tap-taps against the floor quickly, mechanically, before turning her head to shoot Church a look.

"Do you ever wonder why you're here?" She asks, voice perfectly neutral. The joke may be overdone, but she hadn't had a chance before now to make it and she won't allow anyone to take it from her.

[thestupidmeanone]

"Every day of my fucking life..." Church muttered.

He wasn't sure who had thought it was a good idea to have him work with a literal supersoldier, but they were clearly on some shit. And he was pretty sure Kelly was kind of a big deal, too.

"No, seriously, I don't even know what my job's supposed to be here," he continued, pausing to catch his breath--just trying to keep up with the Spartan's strides was taking a lot of effort. "I'm just gonna record you being a badass for some publicity stunt or something? Because I can do that."

[oathclad]

"I wouldn't bother trying to record," she quips, easily taking Church by the collar of his armor and lifting him off the ground before he tripped on a root. "Call it intuition." She gently places him back in contact with the ground as she stops walking, having to bend at the hip to look down at him.

"Besides, I don't do publicity stunts." Kelly pumps her shotgun once and then places it on her mag holster. "I do my mission. What do you do?" The SPARTAN-II looms over Church; even as one of the shorter members of Blue Team, 7'4" was still well above average.

"You don't know why you're here, you're not even properly kitted out..." She sniffs, then tilts her head to the side, the visor of her helmet remaining blissfully expressionless. "Tell me you're at least armed."

[oathclad]

@thestupidmeanone

Kelly's foot rap-tap-taps against the floor quickly, mechanically, before turning her head to shoot Church a look.

"Do you ever wonder why you're here?" She asks, voice perfectly neutral. The joke may be overdone, but she hadn't had a chance before now to make it and she won't allow anyone to take it from her.

[oathclad]

This is likely going to turn into a semi-sporadic multi-muse/personal-ish thing.

But seeing as how Kelly-087 is what I have up, if you're interested in a starter and/or have an idea for a starter, feel free to like/reply to the post (or however it works here now).

[oathclad]

Sometimes I think about Kelly-087 and I smile a bit. An unsung hero, just the way she likes it. Haven't thought about her a whole lot in the past few years, I've had a lot on my plate. But she's fun. 2nd only to Master Chief in amount of missions run. Still technically younger than him though. I don't rightly remember, it's been some time since I read a Halo novel.