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John-117/Early life: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|Good morning, Spartans. I have good news for you. The word has come down. Command has decided to test your unique abilities. You have a new mission: an insurgent base in the Eridanus system.|Doctor Halsey briefs her Spartans on their first combat mission.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} | {{Quote|Good morning, Spartans. I have good news for you. The word has come down. Command has decided to test your unique abilities. You have a new mission: an insurgent base in the Eridanus system.|Doctor Halsey briefs her Spartans on their first combat mission.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} | ||
[[File:HTFoR AS - JohnDisguise.png|left|thumb|300px|John handpicked the team that accompanied him to Eridanus Secundus, but ONI had prepared disguises for each of the thirty-three Spartans.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}}]] | [[File:HTFoR AS - JohnDisguise.png|left|thumb|300px|John handpicked the team that accompanied him to Eridanus Secundus, but ONI had prepared disguises for each of the thirty-three Spartans.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}}]] | ||
At 0400 hours on [[2525#September|September 12, 2525]] the teens were mustered and ordered aboard the {{UNSCShip|Pioneer}}, a {{Class|Halberd|destroyer}} bound for the [[Eridanus system]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR8}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} They gathered within the ''Pioneer'''s briefing room while in transit at 0600 hours and by 0605 were greeted by the entrance of Halsey and Mendez. Halsey informed them that word had come down from [[Fleet Command]] permitting the first real mission for the Spartans. A team would be tasked with infiltrating [[Eridanus Secundus|an insurgent base]] in the Eridanus [[asteroid belt]] thought to be harboring [[United Rebel Front]] leader [[Robert Watts]]. In order to find the asteroid the rebels had been using, they would need to stow away aboard the ''[[Laden]]'', a {{Class|Parabola|freighter}} that would be departing dock over [[Eridanus II]] in just six hours. The ship was slated for routine recertification of its engines, but its current manifest and its captain betrayed it as almost assuredly being set to deliver supplies to the hidden insurgent base. For this mission, codenamed [[Operation: TALON]], John was promoted to Petty Officer Third Class and given his pick of whom to bring with him to complete it. He chose Sam, Linda, Kelly, and Fred and told the rest that they would have the harder job of having to stay behind. Over [[black body suit|form-fitting body armor]], each member of the mission donned grease-stained blue coveralls that matched what the crew of the ''Laden'' wore. John told the other four to stock up on their own preferred gear and weaponry at the destroyer's weapons locker on the condition that save for Linda's [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle|SRS99C-AM]], everyone use weapons that fired [[.390]]-caliber [[ammunition]] so they could share their collective supply. John took an [[MA2B assault rifle]], a [[combat knife]], and five ammo clips. In addition, he would carry a panic button—a tiny single-shot emergency beacon that could mark the location of the base for the UNSC or alert the ''Pioneer'' via [[UNSC Athens|a prowler]] on standby that they needed rescuing.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} | At 0400 hours on [[2525#September|September 12, 2525]] the teens were mustered and ordered aboard the {{UNSCShip|Pioneer}}, a {{Class|Halberd|light destroyer}} bound for the [[Eridanus system]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR8}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} They gathered within the ''Pioneer'''s briefing room while in transit at 0600 hours and by 0605 were greeted by the entrance of Halsey and Mendez. Halsey informed them that word had come down from [[Fleet Command]] permitting the first real mission for the Spartans. A team would be tasked with infiltrating [[Eridanus Secundus|an insurgent base]] in the Eridanus [[asteroid belt]] thought to be harboring [[United Rebel Front]] leader [[Robert Watts]]. In order to find the asteroid the rebels had been using, they would need to stow away aboard the ''[[Laden]]'', a {{Class|Parabola|freighter}} that would be departing dock over [[Eridanus II]] in just six hours. The ship was slated for routine recertification of its engines, but its current manifest and its captain betrayed it as almost assuredly being set to deliver supplies to the hidden insurgent base. For this mission, codenamed [[Operation: TALON]], John was promoted to Petty Officer Third Class and given his pick of whom to bring with him to complete it. He chose Sam, Linda, Kelly, and Fred and told the rest that they would have the harder job of having to stay behind. Over [[black body suit|form-fitting body armor]], each member of the mission donned grease-stained blue coveralls that matched what the crew of the ''Laden'' wore. John told the other four to stock up on their own preferred gear and weaponry at the destroyer's weapons locker on the condition that save for Linda's [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle|SRS99C-AM]], everyone use weapons that fired [[.390]]-caliber [[ammunition]] so they could share their collective supply. John took an [[MA2B assault rifle]], a [[combat knife]], and five ammo clips. In addition, he would carry a panic button—a tiny single-shot emergency beacon that could mark the location of the base for the UNSC or alert the ''Pioneer'' via [[UNSC Athens|a prowler]] on standby that they needed rescuing.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR9}} | ||
After disembarking at the space dock above Eridanus II at 0300 hours, the Spartans slipped past the lone guard in the freighter's cargo bay and took up residence in its deserted central rotating section.{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} It made for a perfect hiding spot, as the large volume of water that [[artificial gravity|ringed its inner surface]] masked their thermal signatures and blocked any motion sensors which might have detected the five of them otherwise.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} Through the ship had originally been scheduled to leave on the twelfth of September, it was not until shorty after 1210 hours on [[2525#September|September 14]] that it finally departed from dock.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}}<ref name="HTFOR19">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 19''</ref> John checked in with the {{UNSCShip|Athens}}, the prowler on standby, shortly before it left via a secure burst transmission. He let the prowler know that they were in position and would send another update at 0400 hours the next day. John and the others rigged support nets among the upper girders in the center of the spinning tank. Kelly was able to determine that their ETA was in around ten hours, so John gave instructions to sleep in shifts. Kelly additionally was able to pull up the ''Laden'''s cargo manifest, which exhibited several luxury items almost certainly meant for Watts or his officers. John decided to tag the items in question so they could track them once they docked with the [[Eridanus Secundus|asteroid hideout]]. Fred expressed some doubts about the mission but John reassured him by reminding him that every task they'd been assigned in training had been accomplished successfully. John lay down to sleep, telling Kelly to wake him in four hours.<ref name="HTFOR10">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 10''</ref> While he slept, John dreamed that he was alone in a desert environment when suddenly Kelly appeared before him, her face covered in blood.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}} When she spoke, he was then faced with the real Kelly, who was waking him up to let him know they had begun to decelerate and would evidently be arriving sooner than initially expected.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} John commanded all lights to be shut off before he popped a hatch above them to take a peek with a fiber optic probe. Seeing that the space above was clear, they all entered it and rappelled ten meters to clear the tank. Once they were free from the spinning section, they changed into their disguises and made sure all weapons and other pieces of equipment were stowed in duffel bags. The arrival of simulated gravity once they reached the cargo bay signaled that the ''Laden'' had docked to a spinning body larger than itself. Kelly led them to the crate of luxury goods and John, Linda, and Sam stood guard while she and Fred planted a tracking device inside it. John came very close to shooting a dockworker that almost noticed them, but the man moved on and John kept his finger from pulling the trigger of his MA2B. After confirming he could track the crate through his helmet's [[HUD]], John stowed it and led the others onto the base. The Spartans casually made their way to the dock's public showers to discuss their next moves. John decided the showers would serve as their fallback position and that a Pelican they'd noticed on the dock would be their chosen means of escape. Slipping on his helmet showed that the crate was on the move, so John had Blue Team move further into the city in pursuit. After pinpointing it one more time in an alley which they ducked into, he could see it was now being carried on a robotic tram. Following it at a discrete distance led them to a twelve-story building, where John and the others saw three men unload it and carry it inside.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} | After disembarking at the space dock above Eridanus II at 0300 hours, the Spartans slipped past the lone guard in the freighter's cargo bay and took up residence in its deserted central rotating section.{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} It made for a perfect hiding spot, as the large volume of water that [[artificial gravity|ringed its inner surface]] masked their thermal signatures and blocked any motion sensors which might have detected the five of them otherwise.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} Through the ship had originally been scheduled to leave on the twelfth of September, it was not until shorty after 1210 hours on [[2525#September|September 14]] that it finally departed from dock.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}}<ref name="HTFOR19">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 19''</ref> John checked in with the {{UNSCShip|Athens}}, the prowler on standby, shortly before it left via a secure burst transmission. He let the prowler know that they were in position and would send another update at 0400 hours the next day. John and the others rigged support nets among the upper girders in the center of the spinning tank. Kelly was able to determine that their ETA was in around ten hours, so John gave instructions to sleep in shifts. Kelly additionally was able to pull up the ''Laden'''s cargo manifest, which exhibited several luxury items almost certainly meant for Watts or his officers. John decided to tag the items in question so they could track them once they docked with the [[Eridanus Secundus|asteroid hideout]]. Fred expressed some doubts about the mission but John reassured him by reminding him that every task they'd been assigned in training had been accomplished successfully. John lay down to sleep, telling Kelly to wake him in four hours.<ref name="HTFOR10">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 10''</ref> While he slept, John dreamed that he was alone in a desert environment when suddenly Kelly appeared before him, her face covered in blood.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}} When she spoke, he was then faced with the real Kelly, who was waking him up to let him know they had begun to decelerate and would evidently be arriving sooner than initially expected.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} John commanded all lights to be shut off before he popped a hatch above them to take a peek with a fiber optic probe. Seeing that the space above was clear, they all entered it and rappelled ten meters to clear the tank. Once they were free from the spinning section, they changed into their disguises and made sure all weapons and other pieces of equipment were stowed in duffel bags. The arrival of simulated gravity once they reached the cargo bay signaled that the ''Laden'' had docked to a spinning body larger than itself. Kelly led them to the crate of luxury goods and John, Linda, and Sam stood guard while she and Fred planted a tracking device inside it. John came very close to shooting a dockworker that almost noticed them, but the man moved on and John kept his finger from pulling the trigger of his MA2B. After confirming he could track the crate through his helmet's [[HUD]], John stowed it and led the others onto the base. The Spartans casually made their way to the dock's public showers to discuss their next moves. John decided the showers would serve as their fallback position and that a Pelican they'd noticed on the dock would be their chosen means of escape. Slipping on his helmet showed that the crate was on the move, so John had Blue Team move further into the city in pursuit. After pinpointing it one more time in an alley which they ducked into, he could see it was now being carried on a robotic tram. Following it at a discrete distance led them to a twelve-story building, where John and the others saw three men unload it and carry it inside.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR10}} | ||