Watch the Battlefield Burn

Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke, Spartan 003 class II. Those who not know know me but have commanded me refer to me as Blaze. Born on Harvest and forged on Reach. I am one of the surviving Spartan II's from the Human-Covenant war and despite my advancing age I still serve the U.N.S.C. with every minute of my life. I am a master at using heavy weaponry, I tower above my fellow brothers and sisters in arms to lay down overwhelming amounts of suppressing fire. They call me a tank, but I call myself a pillar of death.

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[s003blaze-blog]

Blaze continued to back pedal as she kept her weapon firing in brief bursts, scoring hits on enemy and cover alike. She then unleashed a sustained burst of fire as she unleashed a wave of bullets that sent nearly all of the advancing forces ducking for cover. Dirt flung up into the air and trees begun to splinter. Blaze soon turned on her heel and flowed into a powerful sprint. Now Spartan IV’s were light on their feet. Hell Spartan IIIs as well, however a Spartan II running at full speed was comparable to that of a Rhinoceros charging. Her boots left heavy imprints as she weaved through the forced with the touch of an expert. Her VISR soon lit up the friendlies that were within the area. The mission had just started… and everything was going far worse than what she had wanted… then again… when did anything go according to plan.

However… nothing could prepare Apex what was going to happen next. Nor could anything have prepared Blaze for what was to come.

The Spartan soon cleared the tree line to spot her comrades already in a heated firefight. The ODSTs were engaged in what appeared to be a fairly nasty battle against six Promethean Knights, and at least sixty crawlers accompanied by several Elites and a Hunter pair. The Spartan soon trained her weapon and opened fire, laying down a hail of bullets from above. They were in a kill zone, and there was little that Blaze could do to change that fact. Her M41’s barrel begun to glow an angry orange as several of the Knights shifted their attention and teleported away to engage the large Spartan in close combat.

The first promethean flung itself into reality once more and rushed the Spartan, swinging it’s sword arm for a decapitation, however the spartan ducked and smacked the barrel of her weapon into the chest of her enemy and released a burst of rounds. The knight slumped to the ground just as the second Knight rushed forward as well to swing it’s blade in an overhead strike. The spartan evaded the first swing and soon felt the sting of the second blow as the blade dug into her right shoulder plating, inflicting a minor cut within the Spartan’s arm. The Spartan reached out for the Promethean’s sword arm and tore it from her arm and flung the larger creature over her body and into the ground where she drove the heel of her boot into the creature’s head. A satisfying crack could be heard. Blaze quickly turned her attention towards her squadmates below. What she saw had infected her mind with an unspeakable amount of rage. Apex lay on the ground. Dead. Cut down to piles of armor and meat through the use of both brute force and bladed weapons.

For the first time in a very long time… Blaze was furious. She opened up her comlink to the last surviving member of Apex and when she spoke it was grim. “Lieutenant, on me. Evade the Pelican at all costs. We need to link up with U.N.S.C. forces. We’re grossly outnumbered.”

Blaze soon ceased fire and and retreated from view as she marked herself with a Navpoint on the Lieutenant’s display. Higher ground. They needed to get to higher ground and they needed to do it fast.

[spartancristiano-blog]

Castiel nodded as he received his next orders. With a quick slid down the side of a hill to avoid silhouetting himself, he was precising using the micro terrain of Requiem to move toward the NAVPOINT. Taking a moment to pause underneath a tree line that gave him concealment from airborne units. Castiel would proceed to compress and store files of the terrain and area into an encrypted folder. Castiel would open the storage compartments on his breastplate and remove components to his long range scan device. 

“Preparing for long range scan.. “

Castiel barked, as he primed his device. Castiel would move away from the device taking a position hidden within the military crest of a hill only a few meters away from the NAVPOINT that was set by his teamleader. Castiel’s vision began to sweep the battlefield, as his device began emitting the sonar like scan. He needed to protect the device, because this scan would give him a broader scan of the battlefield. 

Castiel began analyzing the scanned areas, and began to place NAVPOINTs assigning the markers to different choke points. Then, Castiel would uncover a large covenant structure which appeared to be almost like a communication tower. The area was filled with enemy units, but he know he would need to make his way to this point. It was weird to Castiel though, where was the rest of Apex? They were all dead quiet over the comm link, but why? 

“Blaze, we got a covenant structure about 4 klicks from my position. From the appearance of it, it might be what is jamming our long range communication links in this area..” 

[s003blaze-blog]

Her footing never faltered as she rushed through the forest of Requiem. Never did she look back, but nothing would repair the emptiness within her chest. The void that seemed to be intent on swallowing her whole. A mere element of losing those in which she had called brother... and sister. Her footing never faltered. Not even when her own mind stuck on the mere sight of everything she had held closest to her person... destroyed. It was an inevitable truth in which all soldiers would face, but to be robbed of friends that she made since harvest was all too... burdening.

She had seen such an event multiple times, but it never failed to shake her to the very core... however, she was a Spartan and to be a Spartan was to be... different. She did not cry nor did she hesitate. Instead she would replace this loss with the strategic value of homicidal rage. She wanted to exterminate everything within the garrison, though she would never act on such impulses. To do such was to become a liability towards the mission and such was to violate everything she held sacred. Blaze's comlink then crackled to life as she heard the rookie's input. It was a sound suggestion and as she continued to sprint away from the disaster area she would speak her response.

"Very well. Then we should take it down as quickly as possible." She stated as she came to a forced stop. She then shifted her direction towards the younger Spartan without missing a single step as she sprinted in the shadows of the trees. Finally she settled about a klick away from the rookie Spartan before she spoke through the com again. "Would you rather I link with you, or would you like to send me it's location to me and I'll converge on the structure separately?"

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[s003blaze-blog]

Lance shots of burning orange would pierce through the trees as Blaze quickly sidestepped to the left to avoid direct hits. One of the lances grazed her shielded body, causing her shields to flare brightly and snap off for a brief moment. Blaze soon hefted her weapon and begun to cycle the barrel. The hiss of the automated barrel would soon dwarf any noise that these enemies could muster as the loud roar of fire that exploded from her weapon silenced the forest. A hailstorm of bullets exploded from her weapon, cutting through wood and leaf alike. Her VISR could spot at least forty contacts and decreasing. Blaze rushed forward, her heavy boots smashing onto the ground as she continued to fire her weapon in bursts.

Several of her targets took to the skies with long leaps, her bullet trail tracking them with near perfection as her armor was pegged with super heated rounds. She staggered backwards as a piece of her shoulder paudron was shot clean off due to her inactive shields. Still she would stand tall against such an assault. The roar of her weapon and the angry orange glow of the barrels now made her a beacon of hostility. If left unchecked, she would decimate their forces with obscene ease. A dark blue portal would open and a large creature would launch itself from the portal and unleash a visceral roar. It then rushed forward as it aimed it’s shotgun like weapon at the older Spartan. The immense female flowed into a powerful roll to close range and evade the first shot. She then performed another combat roll to the right despite the weight she carried. The perks of her ‘out dated’ suit was that she could perform acts that others could not.

She was still a Spartan II… and she was a battle hardened veteran. The Spartan rushed forward with her M41 held in one hand while a knife the size of a short sword in the other. She smacked her shoulder into the Promethean Battlewagon and threw it onto the ground as she was quick to plunge her knife into what seemed to pass as it’s head. She then rolled off of the still very much alive Battlewagon and trained her M41 LAAG onto the recovering creature. She opened fire once more, riddling the creature with countless holes as the body was flung to the side from the sheer force of her weapon’s bullets. She paid no heed to the disintegration as she turned her attention towards the skies.

“Wraith mortar. We need to move Spartan. Now! To the Pelican Rook!” she barked as she evaded the impact and trained her weapon on the multiplying enemies. She opened fire, offering the Spartan covering fire while she radioed to Apex. “Alright boys and girls we got a shit ton of enemies on approach, we have several Prometheans and a hotbed of Covenant. Keep your eyes to the skies as well. I hear banshees.”

“ROOKIE! GET YOUR ASS INTO GEAR AND FALL BACK TO THE PELICAN! I’LL COVER YOUR GREEN ASS!” The Spartan roared as she took several fragmentation grenades and tossed them carelessly towards the advancing prometheans. A delaying action. Shortly after… the banshees came.

[spartancristiano-blog]

Castiel’s body kicked into overdrive, releasing a combat cocktail. This cocktail was a mixture of Epinephrine, and Endorphins throughout his body. The initial wave of effects were stronger than they had ever been. The excessive energy created from the spike in adrenaline caused a slight shake. This was the first sign for Castiel to employ self-discipline taught though constant training. He needed to control this but, he had never experienced such an overwhelming adrenaline rush. MOVE! MOVE NOW! an inner shouted, as his eyes locked onto a cloud of plasma mortar inbound on his location. 

His body was responding to his natural Fight or Flight response. Without thought, the young Spartan was moving through the area. The sounds of chaos washed away, and the only sounds received were the sound of his own thoughts. More effects of the Epinephrine spike, Castiel was suddenly drawn to look to Blaze. Why didn’t see respond to him? Castiel thought, then the loud boom of her voice rang in his eyes through his helmet. Castiel’s mind focused solely on the task at hand. 

“Roger that team leader, I’m Oscar Mike on your six.”

Castiel said as he took a moment to drop a battle scanner onto the ground. It was his job to collect intel given to him by a classified source. Collecting intel on the amount of enemies and types was key for other forces. Slinging his M392 DMR, he would push through the terrain avoiding obstacles as they came. He began accessing his equipment remote control that was attached to his inner forearm gauntlet. With a quick tap, a pulse emitted from the scanner and Identified the targets that would pass through the area for about 500 meters. 

“Uploading information from battle scanner 1..”

Castiel spoke over his short range communication link with Apex.  Castiel looked to his rear, as he came to an opening following Blaze’s link and a green light engulfed his vision. A exploding round from a strafing Banshee propelled concussive force into Castiel’s body. Castiel’s body was ragged sent flying back about 10 meters. Coming to a tumbling stop, Castiel managed to regain his upright composure and quickly use the moment to turn and continue to sprint. 

“They’re own my tail guys… I brought company home for dinner!”

He screamed, wincing underneath his helmet he felt sharp pains shooting through his abdomen region. He knew this was an injury, hopefully the rib was not broken. But Castiel’s intuition told him that something was wrong, but now was not the time to handle that. He was too busy dodging enemy fire that destroyed everything behind him. 

[s003blaze-blog]

Blaze continued to back pedal as she kept her weapon firing in brief bursts, scoring hits on enemy and cover alike. She then unleashed a sustained burst of fire as she unleashed a wave of bullets that sent nearly all of the advancing forces ducking for cover. Dirt flung up into the air and trees begun to splinter. Blaze soon turned on her heel and flowed into a powerful sprint. Now Spartan IV's were light on their feet. Hell Spartan IIIs as well, however a Spartan II running at full speed was comparable to that of a Rhinoceros charging. Her boots left heavy imprints as she weaved through the forced with the touch of an expert. Her VISR soon lit up the friendlies that were within the area. The mission had just started... and everything was going far worse than what she had wanted... then again... when did anything go according to plan.

However... nothing could prepare Apex what was going to happen next. Nor could anything have prepared Blaze for what was to come.

The Spartan soon cleared the tree line to spot her comrades already in a heated firefight. The ODSTs were engaged in what appeared to be a fairly nasty battle against six Promethean Knights, and at least sixty crawlers accompanied by several Elites and a Hunter pair. The Spartan soon trained her weapon and opened fire, laying down a hail of bullets from above. They were in a kill zone, and there was little that Blaze could do to change that fact. Her M41's barrel begun to glow an angry orange as several of the Knights shifted their attention and teleported away to engage the large Spartan in close combat.

The first promethean flung itself into reality once more and rushed the Spartan, swinging it's sword arm for a decapitation, however the spartan ducked and smacked the barrel of her weapon into the chest of her enemy and released a burst of rounds. The knight slumped to the ground just as the second Knight rushed forward as well to swing it's blade in an overhead strike. The spartan evaded the first swing and soon felt the sting of the second blow as the blade dug into her right shoulder plating, inflicting a minor cut within the Spartan's arm. The Spartan reached out for the Promethean's sword arm and tore it from her arm and flung the larger creature over her body and into the ground where she drove the heel of her boot into the creature's head. A satisfying crack could be heard. Blaze quickly turned her attention towards her squadmates below. What she saw had infected her mind with an unspeakable amount of rage. Apex lay on the ground. Dead. Cut down to piles of armor and meat through the use of both brute force and bladed weapons.

For the first time in a very long time... Blaze was furious. She opened up her comlink to the last surviving member of Apex and when she spoke it was grim. "Lieutenant, on me. Evade the Pelican at all costs. We need to link up with U.N.S.C. forces. We're grossly outnumbered."

Blaze soon ceased fire and and retreated from view as she marked herself with a Navpoint on the Lieutenant's display. Higher ground. They needed to get to higher ground and they needed to do it fast.

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[s003blaze-blog]

Blaze had to formulate a plan quickly and in a timely manner as the rookie had seemingly disappeared. It was then that she received a ping. Her gaze shifted to the lower corner of her VISR display to read the incoming information. The type of beacon it was and who it belonged to. The U.N.S.C. said that A.I’s were expensive. They were expensive and useful. The immense Spartan shifted her footing as she informed her squad of what came next. “I’m going to go and pick up the rookie, secure a perimeter and salvage what gear we can. We’re going to have to assault the garrison if we want to accomplish our objective.”

With that said, she shouldered her M41 as she bolted through the thick forest, her footing never losing it’s traction as she hopped up onto the rocky cliff that they fell in. The Pelican was defensible, and the area was far too wide to truly cover one hundred percent. Her mind raced. The possibilities of his beacon being detected by the enemy was high. A possibility she wanted to avoid. She had told command that no more Spartans would die under her watch, and now this was the chance to prove it. Through the forest she ran until she spotted the impact wounds upon the ground. She hopped over a rock and begun to slide down the slope to where the Lieutenant lay.

She turned her attention to a small pad that was locked onto her left forearm as she set her M41 on the ground. She quickly moved through the interface with flawless and practiced precision. She then pulled several small wires and hooked them into the suit. She then unlocked the suit and knocked the rookie on the side of the helmet and spoke through external speakers to ensure that everything was working properly.

“Lieutenant. Nod if you can hear me, we have to get moving. I unlocked your armor but give it time and it should restore itself to peak capacity. I had to use an old interface.. It’s not kind with the newer technology you IV’s are packing.” Blaze then stood tall and hefted her M41 and begun to jog up the hill. “Come on if you think you’re man enough. We got a garrison to lay siege to… and an Elite General to murder.”

[spartancristiano-blog]

Cristiano would quickly activate an interface scan, to see what systems were damaged in the impact. The sight of Blaze was relieving to him, it was almost dream like. He nodded to her with extreme gratitude, making his move to recover his weapon. Cristiano was happy that his weapon did not get lost, because it would have been a pain in the ass to acquire another weapon. 

“Thank you, Boss..but do you have any idea what that was?”

Cristiano asked, as he focused on performing a functions check with his M392 D.M.R. With a series of green lights flicking on his display, Cristiano’s systems showed clear. He turned toward Blaze with the typical new guy bravado and asked the expected question.

“So What do we do now, Boss?”

Orange beams of light would slice through the air, the super heated concentrated light beams left vapors in the air in front of him. “CONTACT!” Cristiano instinctively yelled. The impacted areas dissolved in a light of orange, as they seem to disconnect particle by particle. Castiel’s reaction sent him sprinting forward toward an adjacent shooting position made of stone. Using his peripheral vision, he began to spot out shooters. He had never seen these type of enemies in person but the reports of these flooded through the ship.

“We have an assload of contacts 200 meters North!” 

Castiel said as he slid toward the corner of the cover to avoid a flurry of light rounds. Once behind the cover, Castiel focused himself, to allow his fundamentals to be rehearsed within his mind. This was real, and he needed to focus. Leaning from the right of the cover, only a small portion of his body was visible. Sighting in, and using an extended respiratory pause in conjunction with controlled trigger pulls in quick session, Castiel engaged effectively downing two targets before having to reloaded.

“These guys are tough….”

Castiel whispered into his mic, as he continued his assault on the element moving toward them.

“It appears to be at least eight enemy units left, Boss.”

[s003blaze-blog]

Lance shots of burning orange would pierce through the trees as Blaze quickly sidestepped to the left to avoid direct hits. One of the lances grazed her shielded body, causing her shields to flare brightly and snap off for a brief moment. Blaze soon hefted her weapon and begun to cycle the barrel. The hiss of the automated barrel would soon dwarf any noise that these enemies could muster as the loud roar of fire that exploded from her weapon silenced the forest. A hailstorm of bullets exploded from her weapon, cutting through wood and leaf alike. Her VISR could spot at least forty contacts and decreasing. Blaze rushed forward, her heavy boots smashing onto the ground as she continued to fire her weapon in bursts.

Several of her targets took to the skies with long leaps, her bullet trail tracking them with near perfection as her armor was pegged with super heated rounds. She staggered backwards as a piece of her shoulder paudron was shot clean off due to her inactive shields. Still she would stand tall against such an assault. The roar of her weapon and the angry orange glow of the barrels now made her a beacon of hostility. If left unchecked, she would decimate their forces with obscene ease. A dark blue portal would open and a large creature would launch itself from the portal and unleash a visceral roar. It then rushed forward as it aimed it's shotgun like weapon at the older Spartan. The immense female flowed into a powerful roll to close range and evade the first shot. She then performed another combat roll to the right despite the weight she carried. The perks of her 'out dated' suit was that she could perform acts that others could not.

She was still a Spartan II... and she was a battle hardened veteran. The Spartan rushed forward with her M41 held in one hand while a knife the size of a short sword in the other. She smacked her shoulder into the Promethean Battlewagon and threw it onto the ground as she was quick to plunge her knife into what seemed to pass as it's head. She then rolled off of the still very much alive Battlewagon and trained her M41 LAAG onto the recovering creature. She opened fire once more, riddling the creature with countless holes as the body was flung to the side from the sheer force of her weapon's bullets. She paid no heed to the disintegration as she turned her attention towards the skies.

"Wraith mortar. We need to move Spartan. Now! To the Pelican Rook!" she barked as she evaded the impact and trained her weapon on the multiplying enemies. She opened fire, offering the Spartan covering fire while she radioed to Apex. "Alright boys and girls we got a shit ton of enemies on approach, we have several Prometheans and a hotbed of Covenant. Keep your eyes to the skies as well. I hear banshees."

"ROOKIE! GET YOUR ASS INTO GEAR AND FALL BACK TO THE PELICAN! I'LL COVER YOUR GREEN ASS!" The Spartan roared as she took several fragmentation grenades and tossed them carelessly towards the advancing prometheans. A delaying action. Shortly after... the banshees came.

[tikhon415]

s003blaze replied to your post: Spartan.

Small Spartan.

Yellow Spartan.

[s003blaze-blog]

Mint Spartan.

[spartan-l118-blog]

s003blaze replied to your post: Spartan, a pleasure.

The immense Spartan offers her hand as a greeting. “Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke of Apex Squad, call me Blaze Corporal.” She states with a fairly friendly tone.

Reece took her hand and shook it firmly. “Well then, it’s nice to meet you, Blaze.” Hearing the woman’s ranking only served to intimidate her a bit more, but the meeting was casual, void of the formalities that would warrant her to stand at attention or salute her superior. She was curious about the Spartan, though. Her size alone was cause for question. She knew damn well the Spartan augmentations added size, but Reece dwarfed next to Blaze. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

[s003blaze-blog]

Faceless as she was, it was best to remain as such. She always wore her helm along with her armor and rarely was she without it. It was an old habit, plus it allowed her to avoid retelling the tales of her scares as well as the unwanted stares. She shifted her footing at the rather peculiar question. Her past wasn't much to talk about... at least she didn't believe so. It wasn't something she was asked often and even if she had the option... there wasn't much to talk about. Her history was the military's history practically. She lived through the darkest days of humanity and came out worse for wear. Scarred up and with nowhere to go but the Military.

"Well I suppose that I'm a Spartan II is blatantly obvious due to my size, most of my history is classified and I wouldn't believe it to be proper of me to list my engagements." She stated with a rather bemused tone, finding the Spartan's question amusing. "What I can say is that I like building things in my spare time. As you can tell with my armor... almost nothing about it is regulation anymore and since my rating is as it is... I'm free to do what I wish with it... within reason" She said with a brief chuckle. "Though I specialize in heavy weapons... Big guns and the like. I suppose it's probably due to the fact that I can't exactly use standard weapons like the small people can." She joked.

[spartan-h802]

s003blaze replied to your post: Spartan.

“I’d rather you not salute. It makes me feel old.” A feminine voice would come from the external speakers. “It’s my first time meeting you. I am Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke, Spartan 003… Call me blaze.” She said.. offering her hand.

Andrew reached forward, his hand being engulfed within her own. These were the Spartans he had grown up hearing about. Larger than life with a kill count to match. He spoke, somewhat hesitantly, “It’s a pleasure, Ma’am. Andrew Hoffman, Generation IV Spartan. Current rifleman and medic for Phoenix squad.”

[s003blaze-blog]

Indeed her hand was larger than Andrew's own, along with the rest of him. She was apart of the legendary warriors that had kept the U.N.S.C. going. One of the 'Original Spartans' and yet her very posture lacked the threatening stance of a trained killer... but rather of a soul filled with compassion. "Phoenix Squad... I've heard great things from your squad, though I would only suspect the best having seen Seth in action before." There was a brief pause shortly before she chuckled as though she found him amusing. "Please. Don't call me 'mam either. It's just Clarke... or Blaze."

[s003blaze-blog]

'Almost Human'

[s003blaze-blog]

The larger Spartan halted all movement the moment that Seth departed to perform his dark deeds. She paid no heed to his own actions, trusting him to perform his duty as any Spartan would. Instead her gaze was directed towards what lay down range. She would place the Sniper rifle down for a brief moment as she slid her helm on, allowing her VISR to kick in only moments after connecting with the rest of the suit. She could already see the outlines of the grunts, Unggoy or whatever they were named. She could also see the terrain and the distance every ten meters as they were labeled. She lifted the Sniper rifle as though it were a mere tooth pick and bolted down towards Seth.

Her steps were swift for her size and for the amount of weight that the Spartan had upon her body. The mere fact that she could sprint at all was astonishing. As she bolted towards Seth, she could already see the outlines of twenty five contacts. Each of them flashing red. She would fall short three meters of Seth as she tossed him his weapon and gripped her weapon with both hands. “Twenty five foot mobiles, assorted infantry. I’ll distract, you flank or snipe. Your choice Spartan. Their direction is towards friendlies.” She then moved forward as she turned her M41’s rotation on. She could already feel the vibrations shaking from the gun as she stepped out into the open.

Moments later her weapon roared to life and soon angry flashes exploded from the muzzle of her LAAG. This caused all of their attention to fixate upon her as their plasma fire, needle rounds and lances of carbine rounds sailed towards her. The Spartan’s shields would flash with every impact and yet they still held… and she still held down the trigger. A fountain of bullet shells showered onto the ground as she continued to hold the trigger down. Soon she would begin to fire her weapon in bursts. The three barrels of her weapon seemed rather content to glow with a furious orange as she unleashed sustained bursts to allow her weapon to not only cool off slowly but also to unleash concentrated suppressing fire. You can’t shoot straight if you’re in cover now can you?

[spartan-t510]

Seth caught his sniper rifle, immediately noticing the red dots appearing on the mini map of his HUD. “Well, shit.” He mumbled, immediately running and sliding into cover. Soon after, he heard Blaze’s gun go off. The sound that came out of it was beast like. Seth didn’t even have to poke his head out of cover to know that no matter kind of enemy she was shooting at, it was being demolished by her gun. The male Spartan placed his sniper rifle on a flat surface and looked down the scope. “Alright, then.” His index finger instinctively found a spot on the trigger. The wave of covies coming in was astounding. Sure enough, he was going to have to get rid of any target that tried to flank Blaze. A couple of jackals moved to the side, avoiding fire. Little did they know, Seth had them targeted. “Not today.” He whispered, as his Deadeye helmet elegantly marked the target’s heads. This was one of the many wonders of this helmet. Seth pulled the trigger; the sound his 5th series sniper rifle made when shot was way too familiar. Purple blood splattered on the wall behind the jackal; the bullet had pierced straight through its brain. Three more rounds were fired, each having the same impact on different jackals. The purple tint that came out of their heads with each hit seemed surreal. The damage the sniper rifle did to them was atrocious. Had they not caused so much chaos, Seth would even feel bad for what he was doing to them. “Reloading. Watch out, Blaze. More Covies incoming.” He spoke through comm. Seth reloaded his rifle with tremendous speed; the years he had doing this, had made it second nature. 

He looked down the scope once again, immediately taking out four more targets. “I can do this all day.” 

[s003blaze-blog]

Blaze's VISR activated and not only tagged but also labeled enemies and what weapons they were using as her pack's communication system would feed such information to Seth's own VISR. One of the magnificent accomplishments that Blaze had claimed was to create a system that identifies weapons and marks enemies that are tracked by both her VISR and motion tracker. She shifted her direction of fire as she lit up another group, but it appeared that one of the Elites had decided to charge into the immense Spartan. Blaze was knocked off of her feet as the Elite attempted to impale her in the neck with a small plasma dagger that was emitted from the suit's forearm. Blaze would counter by delivering a throat crushing blow to the Elite and rolled over on to the Elite as she forced his own dagger into the mouth of the alien... impaling the head.

The Spartan then sidestepped off as she recovered from the fall and picked her weapon off of the ground as she resumed firing her M41. The weapon's roar would continue until the last of their opponents would drop onto the ground, soon after her attention would turn towards where she could see Seth. She motioned for him to break cover as her armor couldn't detect any additional enemies within the area.  It was a small amount of enemies for a regrouping attempt. More like stragglers or an elite wishing to claim vengeance for his fallen comrades. She cast a glance upon the fallen Alien while a pool of it's blood begun to gather upon the floor. She frowned. The war had taught her one thing about her self... and that was she disliked killing. During battle there wasn't a moment of hesitation... but in the aftermath she felt as though she committed some dirty act. Like she was staining the world with her own existence.

"I don't like this." She mumbled silently.

[spartan-h802]

For the sake of both of us, I don’t think I will if it’s all the same, Ma’am.

[echospartan]

Oh.  Okay.  

[s003blaze-blog]

Echo. Perhaps I can help you with you're dilemma. What was it you asked Andrew?

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[s003blaze-blog]

The Pelican was soon out of the U.N.S.C. infinity and finally airborne, quickly the dropship would lower it’s altitude in hopes of maintaining a small profile on active sensors. Requiem below was nothing more than a distraction for the pilots as they now focused on their designated approach route. The Captain had informed them that banshee patrols were within the area and the times in which they were conducted. However, there was very little that could prepare what was to happen next. Thirty minutes passed and suddenly a pair of small portals would open just a few feet in front of the Pelican as two large silver bodies would land firmly on the wings of the dropship. Promethean Knights. The two hulking constructs released their nightmarish roars and impaled their blades into the engine housing, causing both engines of the Pelican to fail… while one of them quickly rushed towards the cockpit and lodged it’s blade through the cockpit to slaughter both of the pilots.

Smoke billowed from the Pelican as it begun to quickly descend from the sky while the two Promethean Knights leaped off of the falling dropship and vanished in the same manner in which they arrived. Blaze towards the cockpit while her squadmates braced themselves as she attempted to acquire a stable descent. Regardless of what they wanted, they were going to crash. She lessened the angle and hoped that the impact would spell their end. The Spartan II barked her first order to everyone, and she expected them to follow it. “Brace, I’m going to land us in a few moments!” She shouted as she angled the nose first so that their landing wouldn’t be too catastrophic.

Finally the impact came. The Pelican landed on it’s right wing first, causing the dropship the flow into a powerful roll that sheered both wings from their sockets as the top of the pelican fell into a small ravine and smacked into the cliff wall.

Blaze was quick to recover as she was thrown from the Pelican’s cockpit only a hundred feet back. Not entirely wanting to wait around, she picked up her M41 LAAG that had come out of the Pelican with her and bolted towards where the dropship impacted. There she leaped off of the side, and slid down the slope as she  slowed to a halt as she spotted her squad stepping out of the pelican or recovering. She had yet to find the Spartan. “Lieutenant.” She stated over the communications channel, waiting for only a few moments before stating it again. “Lieutenant…” She then checked their medical signatures within her own Helmet’s display. They were all alive. So the Lieutenant had to either be within the Pelican, or he fell out somewhere…

Either way, they had to find him.

[spartancristiano-blog]

The events that unfolded within the Pelican sent Castiel into a state of awe. The metal around him being sliced apart, and the compressed air escaping. This created a vacuum of concussive force that ejected him from the Pelican. The concussive gel that his suit’s systems employed would cause a temporary system lock. Castiel’s was completely paralyzed, falling to the planet below. Not the brightest start to his career, Castiel thought. 

Within moments Castiel would impact the terrain. The force of the fall sent Castiel’s body into anguish but the system lock held him unable to move. The pain began to subside as he laid locked into place. His visor going dark, as he realized he would need some help to unlock his suit. Castiel was a sitting duck in unknown terrain, with a beacon going off until he was found. Hopefully, his team or whomever survived could find him before their enemies did. 

“C’mon…”

Castiel muttered, his eyes examing the area he could see. He was anxious, nervous even.. The impact ensured he understood this was not a simulated mission, so the possibility of enemy contact was extreme high. This presence of anxiety kept Castiel alert, but his intelligence left him with pure facts. He could not defend himself, so his only hope was to pray a friendly unit found him..

[s003blaze-blog]

Blaze had to formulate a plan quickly and in a timely manner as the rookie had seemingly disappeared. It was then that she received a ping. Her gaze shifted to the lower corner of her VISR display to read the incoming information. The type of beacon it was and who it belonged to. The U.N.S.C. said that A.I's were expensive. They were expensive and useful. The immense Spartan shifted her footing as she informed her squad of what came next. "I'm going to go and pick up the rookie, secure a perimeter and salvage what gear we can. We're going to have to assault the garrison if we want to accomplish our objective."

With that said, she shouldered her M41 as she bolted through the thick forest, her footing never losing it's traction as she hopped up onto the rocky cliff that they fell in. The Pelican was defensible, and the area was far too wide to truly cover one hundred percent. Her mind raced. The possibilities of his beacon being detected by the enemy was high. A possibility she wanted to avoid. She had told command that no more Spartans would die under her watch, and now this was the chance to prove it. Through the forest she ran until she spotted the impact wounds upon the ground. She hopped over a rock and begun to slide down the slope to where the Lieutenant lay.

She turned her attention to a small pad that was locked onto her left forearm as she set her M41 on the ground. She quickly moved through the interface with flawless and practiced precision. She then pulled several small wires and hooked them into the suit. She then unlocked the suit and knocked the rookie on the side of the helmet and spoke through external speakers to ensure that everything was working properly.

"Lieutenant. Nod if you can hear me, we have to get moving. I unlocked your armor but give it time and it should restore itself to peak capacity. I had to use an old interface.. It's not kind with the newer technology you IV's are packing." Blaze then stood tall and hefted her M41 and begun to jog up the hill. "Come on if you think you're man enough. We got a garrison to lay siege to... and an Elite General to murder."

[echospartan]

s003blaze replied to your post: Are you shipped with Seth?

I do not believe that is what the faceless meant Spartan…

Explain.

[s003blaze-blog]

The faceless refers to the act of pairing two individuals in which they fantasize upon the acting of both involved parties mating. A marine that I once worked with had the nickname 'Shipper'. A charming young lad, but I doubt that his family was appreciative for his liking of juvenile subject matter.

Regardless, I believe that what the faceless is inciting is that the faceless believes you are in sexual contact and emotional connection with you're squad leader. Seth. 

[s003blaze-blog]

'Almost Human'

[s003blaze-blog]

The taller woman peered down at the fallen soldier, her expression was sympathetic. An expression that was all too unreal for the ‘original’ Spartans. She shifted her attention towards the smaller Spartan that approached. She could see no sign of rank upon his armor, but she wouldn’t question it just yet. Currently she was alone while Apex helped with the holdout fights scattered through the area. For now she would turn her attention towards the male who approached, never discounting the presence of the body only a few steps away from them.

“I agree with your judgement, scouting would be best. I do not wish for another ambush like this to happen… again.” The Spartan stated while she shifted her footing, fixing her grip upon the M41 LAAG that seemed to hang lazily by her side. She accepted the greeting, gripping the smaller Spartan’s hand firmly. “Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke. My squadmates call me Blaze, currently they’re participating in the holdout fights but for now it seems that things are calming down… for the moment.”

She let go of his hand and gestured for him to take the lead. “After you… Seth.” The helmetless Spartan stated with a fairly serene tone. “I feel like a brisk walk would help to scout out the area.”

[spartan-t510]

“Nice to meet you, Blaze.” With that, Seth reached for the sniper rifle on his back, switching it out for the DMR. As soon as he heard a click, he walked towards the destroyed building’s exit. The Spartan looked down the scope, scouting the area ahead. A somewhat mechanical noise came out of the sniper rifle as he shifted the scope. “Hm…” Amongst the ruins of the city, Seth managed to spot a couple of targets. “We’ve got two grunts up ahead.” He bit his lower lip as he kept looking down the scope. “That’s all I see.” Seth lowered the rifle and looked back at the taller Spartan. “We can take them down silently if we move cautiously.” There was a problem though. A Spartan’s armor by itself could give away their location if they moved rashly. Given that he was the smaller Spartan, and that his armor was significantly lighter, it was better if he moved up ahead and disposed of the targets on his own before scouting the area. “I’ve got an idea. Stay here and watch my six. I’ll take those grunts down silently. After that’s done, we keep moving.” Seth put his sniper rifle down on the ground. “Bring this to me when I signal you.” With that, he was off, moving stealthily towards the enemy. He reached for his combat knife as he got closer, his feet now barely lifting off the ground. The Spartan could hear them mumbling in their native language. The squeaky and somewhat inoffensive voice of the unggoy never ceased to amuse him. A smirk creeped on his lips as he was barely inches away from the grunts. In the blink of an eye, he moved up towards one of them and snapped its neck with ease. The other’s eyes widened, but before he could yell for aid, Seth’s combat knife had already found a spot between its eyes. The soldier walked towards the grunt, removing the knife from it’s head, only to hear a tearing sound. The blood oozed from the dead unggoy’s head. Seth reached for his helmet; “Clear. Move up.” He told Blaze through comm. 

[s003blaze-blog]

The larger Spartan halted all movement the moment that Seth departed to perform his dark deeds. She paid no heed to his own actions, trusting him to perform his duty as any Spartan would. Instead her gaze was directed towards what lay down range. She would place the Sniper rifle down for a brief moment as she slid her helm on, allowing her VISR to kick in only moments after connecting with the rest of the suit. She could already see the outlines of the grunts, Unggoy or whatever they were named. She could also see the terrain and the distance every ten meters as they were labeled. She lifted the Sniper rifle as though it were a mere tooth pick and bolted down towards Seth.

Her steps were swift for her size and for the amount of weight that the Spartan had upon her body. The mere fact that she could sprint at all was astonishing. As she bolted towards Seth, she could already see the outlines of twenty five contacts. Each of them flashing red. She would fall short three meters of Seth as she tossed him his weapon and gripped her weapon with both hands. "Twenty five foot mobiles, assorted infantry. I'll distract, you flank or snipe. Your choice Spartan. Their direction is towards friendlies." She then moved forward as she turned her M41's rotation on. She could already feel the vibrations shaking from the gun as she stepped out into the open.

Moments later her weapon roared to life and soon angry flashes exploded from the muzzle of her LAAG. This caused all of their attention to fixate upon her as their plasma fire, needle rounds and lances of carbine rounds sailed towards her. The Spartan's shields would flash with every impact and yet they still held... and she still held down the trigger. A fountain of bullet shells showered onto the ground as she continued to hold the trigger down. Soon she would begin to fire her weapon in bursts. The three barrels of her weapon seemed rather content to glow with a furious orange as she unleashed sustained bursts to allow her weapon to not only cool off slowly but also to unleash concentrated suppressing fire. You can't shoot straight if you're in cover now can you?

[s003blaze-blog]

'Almost Human'

[spartan-t510]

Seth removed his helmet, pressing it to his side. He closed his eyes and lowered his head for a moment; as if saying his goodbyes to the passing marine. “It’s a shame…” He started, clearing his throat and looking up at the significantly taller Spartan. “Watching them fight and die for this cause.” The male Spartan looked around. The area was severely destroyed. “Seems like they were pinned in a firefight for hours. Hm.” Seth let out a sigh. “What’s done is done. Our best bet now is to scout the area and help the marines regroup. The more casualties we prevent, the better.” With that, Seth put on his helmet. As soon as his HUD loaded, he pressed his rifle against him with one hand and reached up to the side of his helmet with the other. “Phoenix, This is Seth, come in.” A muffled noise was heard. “Nothing. We were too late. How are things on your end?” There was a pause before the same noise was heard. “Keep looking. Try your best to find any marines and have them regroup with others. Trayson out.” As soon as he was done talking to his team, Seth held his rifle in both hands and looked at the Spartan in front of him. 

“I’m Seth, by the way. Seth Trayson, leader of Fireteam Phoenix… and you are?” Once again he held his gun in one hand, and extended his other hand towards the soldier. 

[s003blaze-blog]

The taller woman peered down at the fallen soldier, her expression was sympathetic. An expression that was all too unreal for the 'original' Spartans. She shifted her attention towards the smaller Spartan that approached. She could see no sign of rank upon his armor, but she wouldn't question it just yet. Currently she was alone while Apex helped with the holdout fights scattered through the area. For now she would turn her attention towards the male who approached, never discounting the presence of the body only a few steps away from them.

"I agree with your judgement, scouting would be best. I do not wish for another ambush like this to happen... again." The Spartan stated while she shifted her footing, fixing her grip upon the M41 LAAG that seemed to hang lazily by her side. She accepted the greeting, gripping the smaller Spartan's hand firmly. "Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke. My squadmates call me Blaze, currently they're participating in the holdout fights but for now it seems that things are calming down... for the moment."

She let go of his hand and gestured for him to take the lead. "After you... Seth." The helmetless Spartan stated with a fairly serene tone. "I feel like a brisk walk would help to scout out the area."

[s003blaze-blog]

'Almost Human'

Spartan 003 ignored the explosion of com chatter that exploded into her ears through the audio within her helm. The battle had calmed down and yet she was confronted with the image of a marine who's back was against the floor, resting in a pool of their own blood as their breathing fell short. The pink crystalline needles had impacted into the male's stomach, ruining any chance for recovery. The wound was far too severe for any amount of aid to be given to him. A fatal wound.

Blaze would remove her helm almost carelessly, ignoring the threat of the battlefield as she knelt onto the ground while she placed her weapon upon the ground. She would then reach for the young man's hand and hold it gently within her armored gauntlet. The size difference was almost comical. Like a giant kneeling down upon the ground and yet the expression upon the giant's face was concern. Being what she was... did it matter if she could make such a face? Surely not. She had been human once. When she was a child, she attempted to smile. A small expression as she spoke words of comfort... whatever words she could manage.

"Know that you are not alone right now... Marine. Know that you will not pass alone." She stated. Her tone gentle and calm, and soon the Marine would attempt to respond... only to have blood pour from his mouth and soon his eyes closed slowly and passed into shadow. "I will be with you shortly Marine."

With that said, she rested the marine's head upon the ground and slowly stood up to her height as she hefted her M41 LAAG and turned her attention to the man that wasn't too much of a distance away. "Sir. All we have left are holdout fights on the fringes of our perimeter... I believe they'll try and regroup within the next few hours or possibly tomorrow if they're not feeling up to it." 

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[spartancristiano-blog]

Castiel nodded as he found himself seated inside the pelican. The humming of the engines warming, and igniting signaled the beginning of their mission. Castiel would examine his gear, a Designated Marksmen Rifle with a full compliment of ammunition to accompany. Castiel moved with distinct precision as he ran through a functions check of his rifle. Ensuring his rifle was properly lubricated and maintained so that there were no weapon malfunctions on the battlefield. Castiel brought the essential reconnaissance equipment, portable cameras for collecting intel. 

Castiel held a lot of classified mission objectives in his personal logs. He reviewed them as he watched the veterans go through their rituals. Castiel understood this tradition, and the fact that it brought peace to each individual before entering a world of chaos. He would close his eyes, and let the hum of a familiar melody in his head relax his muscles. He would prepare himself mentally for the challenge ahead. The moment his short prosperous career would be undoubtedly effected was moments away. Opening his eyes, he would peer directly toward Blaze. The stone cold demeanor was reassuring for him.

“Archangel Michael, watch over us as we prepare our hands for combat..”

Castiel whispered in a low tone that pierced through the static noise within the pelican.  

[s003blaze-blog]

The Pelican was soon out of the U.N.S.C. infinity and finally airborne, quickly the dropship would lower it's altitude in hopes of maintaining a small profile on active sensors. Requiem below was nothing more than a distraction for the pilots as they now focused on their designated approach route. The Captain had informed them that banshee patrols were within the area and the times in which they were conducted. However, there was very little that could prepare what was to happen next. Thirty minutes passed and suddenly a pair of small portals would open just a few feet in front of the Pelican as two large silver bodies would land firmly on the wings of the dropship. Promethean Knights. The two hulking constructs released their nightmarish roars and impaled their blades into the engine housing, causing both engines of the Pelican to fail... while one of them quickly rushed towards the cockpit and lodged it's blade through the cockpit to slaughter both of the pilots.

Smoke billowed from the Pelican as it begun to quickly descend from the sky while the two Promethean Knights leaped off of the falling dropship and vanished in the same manner in which they arrived. Blaze towards the cockpit while her squadmates braced themselves as she attempted to acquire a stable descent. Regardless of what they wanted, they were going to crash. She lessened the angle and hoped that the impact would spell their end. The Spartan II barked her first order to everyone, and she expected them to follow it. "Brace, I'm going to land us in a few moments!" She shouted as she angled the nose first so that their landing wouldn't be too catastrophic.

Finally the impact came. The Pelican landed on it's right wing first, causing the dropship the flow into a powerful roll that sheered both wings from their sockets as the top of the pelican fell into a small ravine and smacked into the cliff wall.

Blaze was quick to recover as she was thrown from the Pelican's cockpit only a hundred feet back. Not entirely wanting to wait around, she picked up her M41 LAAG that had come out of the Pelican with her and bolted towards where the dropship impacted. There she leaped off of the side, and slid down the slope as she  slowed to a halt as she spotted her squad stepping out of the pelican or recovering. She had yet to find the Spartan. "Lieutenant." She stated over the communications channel, waiting for only a few moments before stating it again. "Lieutenant..." She then checked their medical signatures within her own Helmet's display. They were all alive. So the Lieutenant had to either be within the Pelican, or he fell out somewhere...

Either way, they had to find him.

[tikhon415]

[When a joke gets out of hand and keeps me awake til 6 AM. Goodnight.]

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

[spartancristiano-blog]

The feeling of anticipation filled through Castiel’s veins as he came closer to finding his team leader. Today was his new beginning as a Spartan, his first live scenario as a Spartan IV. Castiel’s fingers twitched as a pre-augmentation habit surfaced within himself. A trait that was uncommon among any of his spartan predecessors. Castiel was the fourth generation, and he was informed that his team leader was a Spartan II. The true first generation augmented spartan, a lot of experience and even more glory surrounded that fabled program.   Much respect was given to past generations, but Castiel felt as if it was time for the old kings be dethroned.

Castiel moved through the staging area with ease, making a direct shot for location of Apex. Castiel was the newest member to this squad, and his first combat mission. Castiel was fresh meat, an Officer Candidate Training School graduate he now joined the ranks of Spartan IVs. Castiel had went through a series of months competing within the War Games aboard Infinity before the began to his glorious legacy. Castiel held a steady position at the top of the rankings in competition. A supernova explosion among a program filled of the famed. The rate of acceleration in his career was phenomenal, he was the example of tactically sound mind. He calculated his movements, and his precise planning his paid off. 

“This must be her…”

Castiel’s H.U.D focused on the behemoth of a spartan that towered over most. Though the bone structure at the core of the armor’s design was less masculine than the average spartan male. Indeed, a gloriously armored female juggernaut was his team leader. Impressive… but terribly inefficient. Castiel’s ego boasted at the thought of engaging the II. To prove to himself, his legacy was much bigger than any older and broken variants. Castiel barnished a smile behind his standard blue polarized visor. 

“Lt. Cristiano. Reporting for duty, ma’am!”

Castiel’s voice output speakers emitted, as he stood before his team leader. He was nervous though, the human aspect of his being still at it’s core afraid for his own life. Castiel was too discipline, the ability to operate under the oppression of fear became an instinct for Castiel. It would not effect his performance. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something terribly tragic, but beautiful was about to take place. This was the beginning to an interesting story, and Castiel readied himself standing in front of a team filled of legendary soldiers of fame.. and he himself having no actual live combat experience. Yet, he felt he was still the most qualified to be there.. and he would prove this on the battlefield… or die trying. 

[s003blaze-blog]

Her gaze rested upon the spartan that approached her, noticing that he did indeed don the Generation IV armor and recognizing that he would be of great use within the mission parameters. He would be more agile than any of them, and in doing so, he could do things that none of them could not on their own. Was this a compliment? Or an Insult. She couldn't decide yet, but she would simply nod to him as he introduced himself properly while noting the tone that he took with her. Professional, but through how he carried himself she could tell that he was proud. However he would soon be proven that 'War Games' and true combat were entirely different situations. He would acquire the crash course of a life time, she was certain of that much. 

"Welcome to Apex Spartan." Blaze's voice flushed out of her helm's external speakers, she then turned towards the Pelican and motioned for him to follow. "Apex is comprised of myself and six other O.D.S.T. Marines. Rank holds little sway in Apex, but experience and ingenuity does. We're going to be thrown into a hot bed of hostiles. Our target is an Elite Brigadier General, unfortunately we will not have any amount of support."

The Spartan stepped onto the ramp as the other members of Apex had already boarded the Pelican and were prepping their weapons. The immense Spartan had to duck in order to step into the Pelican properly and she took a seat inside, while she set her M41 LAAG onto the floor of the Pelican as she directed her gaze towards the younger Spartan. "This operation will be a simple insertion, but once we're on ground and we can see the field of battle for ourselves, we will devise a strategy. I hardly trust much of what intelligence has to say since I doubt it's up to date in a proper sense." There was a brief pause in her statements. "I don't want any theatrics from you, and I don't want you to bring any record of what you've done in wargames onto the field of battle." Blaze stated with a cautious tone, not wanting to place the lives in her care in danger. "This isn't playtime, but now that such is out of the way... I'm Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke, also referred to as Blaze." She stated, pointing to the side of her helmet which bore the etchings of the word, she then gestured to each of the ODST Marines that occupied the pelican. "Warrant Officers Daniel Bourne, Sam Blackstone, Lucy Temple and Alath Walker." She stated, gesturing to each of the ODST Marines as they were decked out in full armor, their helms polarized as they went about their work.

"Welcome to Apex Spartan" They all stated as one as they finished prepping while the Pelican begun to lift off.

[s003blaze-blog]

Apex: Last Deployment

"This will be an easy assignment for your team Blaze. What we want from you today is a quick drop in a hostile area and exterminate an Split jaw called Kalasu Belana..."

The briefing had lasted another forty minutes before those being instructed would disperse and fall out of the room as though they were one person, already was there an armored individual in their presence. A giant of a Spartan, clearing everyone in the room. Easily. She stepped silently with her squad, each of them veterans of a war that had finally ended. From the very initial assault on Reach to the battle of Voi did these band of brothers and sisters fight, and each of them had survived to see the culmination of the conflict... and yet they could not see how it ended. The Spartan regretted never going with John to the Ark. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but she had duties to attend to while stuck on Earth, such as rebuilding the damages that had been inflicted upon the various cities that had been assaulted. Though she was a Spartan, she had a squad that she looked after and she had done so since day one of the conflict. Together they had faced a great many dangers, and each of them knew one another much like anyone would know their family. To them, this was much more than work. It was their life.

She had nothing to return to while they did, and in fact, she had met their families at one point or another. She was as much as a friend to them as any other soldier, and to her... they were her family. She had done a great amount to see to their welfare and she had gone through great lengths to ensure that she had remained with them. Now? Now they were stationed on the U.N.S.C. Infinity. She stepped silently through the halls of the Infinity towards her destination. The hangar deck where their ride would be waiting along with their newest addition to Apex. A Spartan IV. Blaze had been 'informed' in some form of their newest member and she had not been at all impressed with the decision of the brass that loomed over her. Their decisions when involving herself seemed to always be rather... last minute. Procrastination, possibly or maybe it was the fact that she was a Spartan II? She doubted that line of thought and tossed such into the back of her mind.

Wherever she walked, eyes seemed to follow. She was adorned in thick MJOLNIR generation I armor that made her seem at least twice the size of any known spartan. Her heavy foot falls seemed to be the herald of her passing as she seemed to move far easier than anyone would have expected for someone dressed in full armor such as her own. It was obvious that she was female, but it appeared that her own armor was designed to be nothing more than a humanoid tank. Her construction yellow breast plate was supplemented with a crimson red neck guard as the rest of her armor appeared to support a light tan for color as the helm that she wore was a bleach white with a reflective gold on her face plate. Her armor was covered in stripes of both white and yellow while a thick pack seemed to rest upon her back where she stored the chain feed for whatever weapon she carried. Her armor appeared as though it was far more customized than anything in circulation. Such as additional armored plating on her bracers and even the addition of what appeared to be a welding torch to be used on field. This was Spartan 003. Master Chief Warrant Officer Clarke, otherwise known as Blaze. Team leader of Apex. 

As towering as she was, there was little else she could do outside from use weapons meant for mounting as her hands were far too large to use any standard U.N.S.C. standard issue weapon. So she would lift the M41 LAAG that had been modified for her use. Carol, a member of Blaze's Squad then helped the large spartan by pulling the bullet feed from her back and fed it into the weapon that she had lifted up. A silent nod was given to the aging O.D.S.T.. Though a natural rivalry sprout from both sides of the U.N.S.C.... this particular group seemed to be rather alright with having a Spartan around as she had proven exactly what kind of a squadmate she had been. Hell, there had been a time where Blaze dragged them all back to their rally point. Blaze was a woman who valued the lives of her squadmates, and she would make no exceptions today. Their newest member would be like a little brother to her... and she would take it upon herself to watch over him. The lumbering Spartan would scan the hangar deck for their newest member... hoping he would be on time as she would fill him in on the way down to their objective.

Still... Blaze had an ill feeling about this combat drop. Why deploy them? A squad of veterans to do something that a team of Spartans could do in an hour? It didn't make sense... and Blaze didn't like bad feelings.

She felt that she would be facing snags in her future, and snags weren't things that she felt like dealing with today... in fact she never felt like dealing with such. Ever.