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Legacy of the Precursors

Chapter 6: Jungle Blues

Six rummaged through his gear bag and pulled out the DMR he had retrieved from the sabre's survival kit. It had come with a suppressor and short range ACOG scope, perfect for the environment he had in mind. Placing the weapon and attachments to the table at his left, Six dug back into the bag.

He had investigated the mechanics workshop aboard the ship and was pleasantly surprised by it. It carried equipment and tools that were familiar and almost exact in design as ones he had seen before, allowing him to easily adapt to their use. If necessary, he could even effect more intensive repairs and upgrades on his MJOLNIR, given he had the right tools and materials.

The spartan removed the M45 from his bag and examined the chamber. The scattergun would prove to be instrumental in any close quarters engagements they might stumble upon in what he assumed would be a congested forest and would pair well with the marksman's rifle.

He was not certain how efficiently he would function fighting alongside such an inadequately equipped team. At best, he would be forced to divert vital combat time to ensure their survival, at worse, they would endanger his safety. Yet Without them he would expend more resources and ordinance than he could afford to waste.

Taking anything else would overburden him, so he extracted a suitable rationing of ammo for both firearms and sealed the bag's zipper, storing it under the table for later use. He…trusted that they would not tamper with his things. Doing so would lead to a premature death.

Six slid the weapons onto his back and checked the strength of the magnetic coils responsible for keeping them pinned to his spine. Satisfied that they would not fall or get torn off, the spartan turned his attention to the other room's occupant.

The toad had been mostly silent since he arrived, keeping to his area and trying to be undisruptive.

While clumsy and annoyingly upbeat, Six respected the toad's mechanical expertise and determination. He was a terrible warrior, but made for an excellent engineer.

The spartan watched as sparks flew from the table Slippy worked over, curious as to what the toad was doing with the mission so close to its advent. They were hours away from this Zoness, and yet here he was, working on something, as he had been every time Six had seen him for the past day.

Deciding to investigate, he approached the amphibian's workbench.

Upon closer inspection it appeared that he was welding something together. It looked to be in the early stages of development. It was an odd construct, with a long and narrow plane of steel about four and a half feet in length. He watched as the toad soldered a horizontal crossbar nearer to the lower half.

Before he could get a better look, Slippy leaned away from his project and flipped up the welding helm he had strapped to his bald head. He grabbed a dirty rag from his belt and whipped his shiny brow, turning to grab a spiral of wires when he spotted Six.

“Oh, h-hey t-there, Six, I d-didn't see you!" The toad exclaimed in shock and hurriedly draped a tarp over his work.

“What is it you are working on, Toad?" He enquired, studying the long shape underneath the covering.

“N-nothing, just a s-side project of m-mine is all!" Slippy stuttered loudly, doing little to convince him.

Six shrugged. The amphibian was obviously hiding something, but he cared little of what. What he cared for was whether the toad would be coming on the mission. Six considered it a grave tactical error to bring him along. By way of his previous thought, Slippy made a better engineer than soldier.

“Nah," The toad fiddled with the workbench, shifting tools around as he spoke, seemingly disappointed. “I'm sitting this one out. Fox wants me to go over the ship's systems again and fix up the Arwings. He thinks I'll be more important up here on the ship."

Six dipped his helmet in confirmation. “Mccloud is correct, your skills will be put to better use onboard the ship."

Slippy grinned up at him. “You think so? I know I'm not that great of a fighter."

“Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier." And the toad was definitely one of those that weren't.

“Yeah, you're right. I've never really been good at all that shooting and killing stuff." Slippy sighed and leaned back onto the tabletop.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of about that." Six knew that being a good soldier did not necessarily make you a good person, just a good killer.

The amphibian took on a contemplative air and scratched at his head. “I suppose not, thanks Six. I've never really thought of it like that before." The spartan's words made him feel a lot better about himself. He had always had a hard time knowing that all his friends were better at being a mercenary than he was. But now, he supposed it didn't mean he was any worse, just different.

He looked up after his mention of gratitude and noticed that the spartan had already departed the room.

Slippy chuckled.

“The silent warrior just might have a soft side."

*****

Fox idled next to the Great Fox's shuttle, purchased from a CDF shipyard for a decent sum. They rarely used the thing but it did an excellent job of ferrying them all down to a planet when they didn't need their arwings. It also helped that the thing could fit a large group, and carried a cargo holds worth of ammunition and supplies.

He toyed with his blaster's settings and waited for the others to join him. Falco and Miyu went back to the armory earlier that morning to finalize preparations on the gear they were going to take with them and Krystal was deep in meditation. Peppy of course was going to stay behind and he had made sure that Slippy would as well. He didn't like hurting his friend's feelings, but the toad really was not the kind of guy to take with on a mission like this.

Fox hadn't seen Six since the day before, and in fact he never really saw the spartan. He never ate his meals with the team and he didn't mingle during the free time they had. It had been three days since he joined the team, and since then, Fox had never seen him out of armor or for more than a few minutes at a time. He was curious as to what the spartan did all day.

It pained Fox somewhat. He wanted Six to smoothly integrate into his team, but he was not as foolish as to believe it would happen quickly. He was just thankful that the spartan had been relatively accommodating of the others' especially Falco. He had even heard from the avian that the spartan had come down to the armory and asked him to help get acquainted with their gear. Fox doubted it went as well as Falco insisted, but he was glad to hear that Six was acclimatizing well enough.

There was also Miyu to think about, the female Lynx had displayed a curious amount of interest in their new member, asking Fox and Krystal what they knew about him and sometimes searching for him. He wasn't sure what the cat was thinking, he just hoped it wouldn't end up with the spartan breaking something.

Krystal was different. Fox had known her for some time and he knew when she was gnawing on a metaphysical bone. She had been interested in Six as well, but her probing was far more subtle, an occasional inquiry as to where he was or what he was doing.

So far Fay had displayed the least concern, treating him as just any other member of the crew. But that could be more attributed to the canine's shyness than anything else. Six was probably incredibly intimidating to her, heck, he even intimidated Fox.

The hanger's side door opened and the man in question entered, the spartan's suit newly refurbished and his weapons securely fastened to his back.

His armor fascinated Fox, it seemed something straight out of mythology, masterfully crafted and painted with strange runes. The breastplate held a striking resemblance to a well-built torso, its plates crafted alike to anatomical muscle and sculpted close to his frame. It was easy to assume that underneath he looked much like the armor indicated, and Fox was somewhat jealous. He would kill to have a body like that.

Six's helmet was another marvel. Judging from its looks, at one point a plume must have been attached to the crest along its center, but seemed to have been torn off at some time in his past. Now it was just a ridge of cerulean steel.

His silver visor was almost curved as it narrowed slightly into a T, harkening its style back to an age when swords and shields had been the dominant form of warfare. All in all it made for an formidable and concurrently eye pleasing design.

“Six…" He greeted the spartan.

“Mccloud…" The warrior responded deferentially as he stationed himself beside Fox, who still found it odd to have the veteran concede to him.

It seemed that the team was taking their sweet time to get down to the hanger and Fox used it to examine the spartan.

Fox admired his composure. Six didn't so much as fidget as he stood there in wait, completely devoid of the slightest trace of motion. Once more he was reminded of a medieval sculpture of an armored knight. Although, Fox had the sneaking that the statue would happen to move before the spartan did.

He had said that he had a team before this hadn't he? Fox couldn't imagine there being five others like him. One was more than enough. Were all humans like him? Six had said that he was created so perhaps not. But then what did the spartan mean when he said he had been created? The covenant must have been truly terrible if soldiers like Six were needed to fight them. Guiltily, Fox was glad that they were far off from him and his system.

Fox coughed quietly and dusted off his vest with a paw.

Where were the others?

Now he was starting to feel uncomfortable. The silent and inert individual in close proximity to him edged in on his thoughts. Fox felt like he should say something to break the silence.

“Hey…Six?"

He watched as the spartan's helmet slowly rotated to look down at him.

“Have you ever fought in a jungle before?" Fox recalled his time on Sauria with both reluctance and joy. It had certainly been an interesting adventure, filled with magic, intrigue, danger, and annoying pet-sized reptilian princes.

“I have."

“What were you doing?"

“I was on assignment to assassinate a covenant HVT." Six replied offhandedly. He recalled the assignment quite easily. It had been a tiresome ordeal.

“And did you…do the job?"

“Affirmative, the target was eliminated, although, I spent the next week being hunted by elite kill-teams." He recalled the mission almost fondly. It had been quite an experience, his hunters had proved to be challenging opponents but in the end it was they who became the hunted. The bog he had made his hideout had ran purple with alien blood.

“Wow…sounds rough." Fox didn't know what an elite kill-team was, but it didn't sound all that pleasant.

“It was difficult, but rewarding in the end. The intel I recovered allowed the UNSC to preemptively evacuate a colony before the covenant glassed it." He had been told that millions of lives had been saved. All because he felt that the strange device the sangheili shipmaster had been holding might have been useful, turning out to be a covenant dataslate. They had even managed to leave a nice present for the covenant, a few HORNET nuclear mines. He was confident that they had appreciated the gifts.

“Sounds like you did good work." Saving the populace of an entire planet was an amazing feat, but he supposed it was just a normal occurrence for someone like Six.

Human lives had been saved and a decisive blow against the covenant was made. And so in a sense, he had done good work. Yet, how many more lives could have been saved if he had stayed? Of course he had not purposely come here, and by rights should have died, but still he wondered. Had he betrayed his principles? Had he strayed from his purpose? If the UNSC somehow discovered that he now worked for an alien would they condemn him as a traitor? There was no way to know the answer, and that offered him little comfort.

Six remained silent as the rest of the departing team arrived, Falco and Miyu lugging a heavy metal trunk, no doubt full of the gear they would need, behind them Krystal and Fay followed, deep in talk.

They went about the business of readying the ship for launch, heedless of the spartan's heavy thoughts.

“Six, come on let's go."

He shook away his worries and spotted Fox standing on the ramp, summoning him with a broad paw.

Nodding slowly, he marched up the ramp and settled in for the short flight.

*****

Zoness was just like any other jungle world Six had seen before, which went to say that it was dark, muggy, unpleasantly soggy, and oppressively hot.

It was fortunate that his MJOLNIR alleviated these problems for him. The rest of the team however…

“Did I ever tell you guys that I hate jungles?" Miyu growled as she slogged through the mushy terrain, her boots making distasteful suckling noises as she forced her way forwards. The feline was clearly exerting a great deal of effort judging by the darkened sheen to her fur and labored breath. “Parts of me are wet when I don't want them to be." She added with a mutter, tugging at her sticky flight suit in a most unladylike manner.

She was not the only one having a difficult time. Fay lagged behind with Krystal, the two women helping each other through the treacherous vegetation. Falco was a little ways ahead of them, slightly better at keeping his momentum.

Fox and Six led the disgruntled party, the vulpine marching determinedly behind the relentless spartan who continued on with no signs of difficulty. Just like Fox he had plenty of experience with traveling in hostile jungles and his augmented strength ensured his superiority.

“I had no idea, you've only said been saying that for the last couple of hours!" Falco snapped irritably. “How long is it until we get to the base? I thought you landed the shuttle close by." The avian demanded up the line.

Fox turned and stumbled on a surface root, his muzzle impacting painfully against Six's solid armor. Catching his fall using the spartan's forearm, he tenderly rubbed his injured snout. “I did, that was the closest clearing big enough for the shuttle." The vulpine's response was nasally as he wriggled his black nose and prodded it with a padded finger.

Six chose to ignore his touch to maintain his vigilant watch on their surroundings. Since the moment his boots touched the carpet of rotten leaves he felt that something was very wrong. Never had his instincts misled him. There was a danger in this dank jungle, what it is he had yet to discover. But he vowed to not get caught off guard.

Now only if they could stop bickering, he might be able to hear the natural sounds of the forest and filter out anything suspicious.

But such was not the case.

“Then why didn't we just land in the base? If we did we wouldn't have to slug through this damn forest!" Falco punctuated his aggressive reply by ripping a branch off a tree that had been hovering over his beak, violently throwing the unlucky length of wood to the damp jungle floor.

“If we did…" Fox retorted patiently. “Then there would have been no telling what awaited us. At least here we have time to prepare."

Falco scowled, knowing that Fox was right but not wanting to concede the point. “Well I don't have to like it!"

“None of us like it, Falco. Now do us a favor by keeping your beak shut." Miyu groaned, leaning against a tree and taking the time to rest and grab a swig from her canteen.

Six watched the exchange with some trace of amusement and more than a little frustration. It was just another example of why it was foolish to work with non-spartans. They were complaintive, weak, and prone to random bouts of emotion. Throw all of that together and they were unreliable and dangerously unpredictable.

He was debating on whether not to step in and quell the irrational argument when he detected a quick crack of noise out in the undergrowth. It would have been difficult to catch without his MJOLNIR and all but impossible for them to notice with the confrontation clouding their hearing.

Yet it had come to him as clear as day, the sharp sizzling report of laser weapon.

He scanned the avenue of emerald foliage and pinpointed the direction the noise had originated from, off to the east, in the bearing of the compound. A quick analysis allowed him to come to a few conclusions. First, only one shot had been made, which meant that either the shooter had effectively taken their target down in that single shot…or they had not. In any case, it was confirmed that someone was running around the jungle and that there was a threat. It would be better to find this danger before it found them.

But a glance at his companions made his decision all but apparent. Fox had settled the argument but now it seemed they were going to take a break. He did not understand why. They had only been walking for less than five hours.

With a sigh he turned in the direction of the weapon report and shouldered his shotgun before noiselessly vanishing into the depths of the jungle.

*****

Now that tempers had cooled, Fox had suggested they take a breather. Krystal had been glad to hear that. The vixen found the stump of an old tree and scrapped the moss off the top with her staff before placing her rear against the cool wood with a pleased sigh.

She was no pushover in the endurance department, but they had been walking for quite some time and even she had to admit that she could use a good rest.

Fay joined Krystal on her stump, dropping to the makeshift seat with a groan. She did not have an easy time either.

“Gah…this is exactly why I became a pilot, so I didn't have to slog through inhospitable worlds." The snow white canine muttered sullenly as she raised a leg and plucked a boot off, shaking out the dirty jungle water that had slunk its way inside.

“I admit that I had hoped for the same." Krystal smiled as she watched her friend repeat the process with her other boot before placing them both on ground to air dry and holding her legs up.

“When this is all over I'm going to demand that Fox take us to Aquas for some beach time. I could use a margarita and a few surfer hunks about now." She sighed.

Krystal had a random thought. What would Six look like in a bathing suit? Indeed what did he look like at all under that hulking armor? She knew that he was quite muscular. His physique was not completely concealed under his suit.

The thought of what he might look like under all that plate made her chops flush in an uncharacteristic blush.

“Hey…where did Six go?"

Krystal yanked her muzzle up and searched with her eyes, noticing the distinct lack of a seven foot supersoldier. He had disappeared without anyone being the wiser. That could be…problematic.

“Uh…Fox."

“Yeah Krys…?" The orange furred vulpine asked from his reclining pose against a curved tree.

“We're missing someone."

Fox leaned away from the oak and noticed what she had.

“…Shit."

*****

Six crouched down beside a trail of fresh footprints pressed into the sponge-like turf, tracing a gloved finger across the depression.

'Weight and size indicates male, only one pair of tracks, he's alone.'

Leaning closer, he examined the spacing between each step.

'Wide and irregular…he was on the run…and is that…blood?' An abrupt splash of crimson fluid decorated the fronds of a plant less than a meter from the trail. Judging by the freshness of the blood, whatever wound it came from had to have been inflicted less than an hour ago.

Six dabbed a finger in the ruby red liquid and brought it up for closer inspection. A flick of his eye and tightening of his jaw activated his HUD's analytical software. After a quick examination he discovered that the blood belonged to a male, probably in his late thirties, blood type O+, and should probably lay off fatty foods.

Wiping the crimson stain off his hand with a leaf, Six rose up from his crouch. The footprints wandered off haphazardly on an eastern course, still aimed in the direction of the CDF garrison.

He had little difficulty following the trail. The farther in, the more ragged and heavy the boot prints became, accompanied by an excess of recently spilt blood. Six was beginning to see the beginning signs of panic, visible in the disturbed foliage and erratic pattern to the prints.

Yet what concerned him most, was the second set he discovered hounding after the first, they were completely foreign in origin. He had not seen its like, even amongst the many species of the covenant. The earthen image was sunken deep into the ground, implying that whatever had made it weighed a hefty sum. The four indentations in the wet dirt also led him to believe that it wielded four deadly talons on each toe.

Further concerning him was the general size of the track, it had to stand more than five feet in height, and it was fast, if the gapping between each mark was to be believed.

'Chased by unknown entity, possibly bioweapon mentioned in briefing…'

“GAAAAAAHH!"

A hellish howl of agony warbled through the immediate vicinity of the jungle around him, the sound originating from his point of interest.

Six dropped into a dead sprint, heading directly for the source of the cry. With his augmented speed he arrived within minutes, stopping in a small clearing, barely large enough to accommodate his girth and the ghastly sight before his eyes.

He had witnessed many horrendous things in his career, but this was something else entirely.

Six could tell that the body in the small field, (or rather what was left of it), had been venomian once, testified by the scattered diminutive shards of matte black armor and the broken rifle wreathed in blood lying next to an abandoned leg.

The body had been thoroughly torn into gory pieces, as if a feral monster had been let loose upon it. With the shout having only occurred minutes before, whatever had attacked the unfortunate venomian was swift and incredibly lethal. The corpse's chest cavity had been flayed open and the internal organs removed, possibly consumed by the terror that had committed this gruesome deed.

Seeing what this thing was capable of made Six think of the team. If they encountered this thing, he was certain they would be poorly equipped to stop it. Most of their heavier weapons had been left in the shuttle, they not wanting to have to ferry the cumbersome equipment through the unforgiving forest. And with their flimsy flight suits, those claws would easily rend their flesh.

Chirrup

Six halted his attempt to leave, the bushes off to his left shuddering in the breeze…except there was no breeze down under the jungle's canopy. He heard that same odd chirping noise to his right and checked his motion tracker, but the abundance of forest life congested it to the point of near uselessness.

A flicker of movement behind him caused the spartan to whip around, shotgun at the ready. Yet he found nothing and the darkened jungle assumed a far more ominous tone.

Slowly, attempting to remain silent, he pumped the receiver and ensured that the buckshot shell was in place, using his HUD to enact one more scan of the area.

Without warning, the tracker in his suit went haywire, the proximity alarm he had activated upon arriving on the planet erupting loudly into his ears. And yet he did not see anything approach.

As he tried to figure out what was going on, he was thrown viciously against a tree as his barrier shattered. The droning wail of the siren replaced by the shrieking klaxon of his suits shield collapse warning system as he attempted to stand up.

Before he could fully rise, a heavy weight firmly planted itself on his torso and the spartan felt a sharp jolt of pain shock his system. Blood spurting from a sudden open wound on his right shoulder, in-between the protective plates. Something unseen was scraping against his clavicle bone and digging for an artery. The spray of blood revealed the outline of a massive clawed limb pinning his body to the tree.

That was why he had not seen it before. It was utilizing some type of active camouflage. Yet even his pain had given him an advantage.

Now able to somewhat see his foe, he yanked the kukri from its sheath and hacked at the newly visible appendage, feeling his limb judder as the solid steel met thick hide.

This time a piercing shriek came from his enemy and the weight suddenly lifted, the spartan listening as a pair of heavy footfalls fled into the distance with a fading growl.

Grabbing his shoulder and stemming the flow of blood with a clenched grip on the bleeding wound, Six glanced down to his feet at the reptilian limb that had appeared out of nowhere.

If this was one of the bioweapons he had been warned about, he could now see why they were able to cripple an entire garrison. He could also assume that judging by the fate of the venomian soldier, these creatures no longer reported to their masters.

Putting away his shotgun and grabbing the separated limb, he slipped away from the clearing and made haste back to the team, hoping that the creature or any of its friends had not made quick work of them in his absence. He rather not have to learn how to pilot the shuttle on his own.

*****

“No one saw him leave?" Fox demanded in disbelief. Angered and concerned, he berated his team. Not only were they standing around some godforsaken forest, hours away from the shuttle, but they had lost a member already.

Fox was confident that Six could handle himself, it was his team he worried about. With him gone, they were more vulnerable to whatever was between them and the CDF installation.

The spartan had been declared missing half an hour ago, the team stopping their progress, not wanting to continue without him. Now they just loitered around the clearing, waiting as time dragged inexhaustibly onwards. Fox was considering pressing forwards. Sitting around in wait was only making them better targets.

“Alright, we have to keep moving. Six will catch up later." He sighed reluctantly.

“That will not be necessary."

Fox whirled his muzzle around and spied the spartan entering the glade.

Relief washed away his concerns, but he was not happy.

“Where the hell did you go?" Fox demanded. As he spoke he noticed the oddly colored paint trickling down the spartan's armor. It was strange. He didn't know that Six had red dye at his disposal.

“Hunting…" Was his even toned response, the spartan hefting something in his free gauntlet.

“Six, you're hurt!" Krystal exclaimed in surprise, she having caught on faster than Fox and the others. The vixen had to resist the powerful urge to run to his side, finding that such an action would have been considered peculiar and inappropriate.

With her words the vulpine realized that it was not paint running down the spartan's suit, but rather blood, the fluid heavily decorating the right side of his armored frame.

“It is a minor injury not worthy of alarm. We have far more to be concerned of." Six tossed something to the jungle floor with a wet thud.

At a quick glance it looked like the hand of a reptilian venomian, although far larger and armed with a ridiculously long set of nasty claws.

“What the hell is that?" Falco grimaced as he nudged the severed hand with the tip of a boot.

“I happened upon one of the venomian bioweapons. Judging from the mangled corpse of one of their soldiers, it would be plausible to assume that they have lost control of their pet monsters. Needless to say I deem it would be prudent to seek shelter at the CDF garrison. If it still stands that is."

Seeing that one of the bioweapons had drawn the spartan's blood, Fox felt it wise to follow the warrior's advice. He had fought against Andross' creations before and he had no desire to do so again. They were formidable enough when he was safely inside the cockpit of his arwing, he didn't want to imagine how dangerous they might be to tussle with on foot.

“That settles it then. We head out immediately, double time people!" Fox holstered his blaster and motioned for them to hurry and follow his lead.

Seeing the monstrous hand lying on the ground, there was little resistance to his command.

Six decided to switch places in this instance, taking position in the back of the group. In the event of an attack these creatures would most likely strike from the rear, thinking them vulnerable. He wasn't sure if that was the case, (most animals did not plan strategic assaults), but it often paid to be cautious. These were clearly no normal animal.

There was no dragging of feet now, none of them wanted to hang around long enough for any of the creatures that Six had warned of to show up.

Krystal had started their trek somewhere near the front of the group, but as they doggedly plodded through the vines and low hanging branches, she found herself little by little falling back to the rear. Her turquoise eyes every so often straying to Six, worriedly studying the gradually leaking wound in his shoulder, where the thick plates were absent.

He showed no outward signs of pain or distress over his wound, and she didn't know what to think about that. Just from a glance she could tell that it must have been extremely painful, she could clearly see the ragged tear in his strange black underarmor and the crusted blood forming around the puncture.

Eventually, it got to the point that she was now walking side-by-side with the looming spartan, feeling the desire to speak out.

“Are you…alright, Six?"

The spartan barely glanced in her direction as he spoke.

“I will live. It is hardly the worst injury to befall me. And it will not be the last."

She grimaced.

He was not making it easy to be polite. No matter, he was on the team now, so she had to at least make some effort to be nice. Besides, she might have been a little on the hostile side on first meeting him. Krystal decided to give him a chance. After all, he had lost his homeworld too, so in that way they should have been able to find something in common, even if it was rather morbid in its reasoning.

“Would you like me to help you bandage it?" She had some knowledge and training in medicine, both from her teachers back on Cerinia and from her time with Starfox. She was fairly confident she could help him, differences in species or not. Applying a bandage was pretty much universal.

“I…thank you for the offer. But it would ill advised to do so while the possibility of attack looms over us."

At least he was being more civil.

She nodded her acceptance and went silent, deciding to continue to travel at his side for now. Krystal was not afraid to admit that in the event of danger, she would have a better chance if she was next to him.

Minutes later in their journey, she looked back to him and noticed that the wound had already ceased its oozing, and the blood had completely dried. It didn't look pretty, but it worked. She supposed that his race must have rapid healing abilities. It would certainly come in handy for his profession.

“How much farther, Fox?" Miyu demanded from further up the line, her muzzle peaking over Fay's shoulder.

The vulpine paused and glimpsed his bracer, studying the small map he had downloaded off of ROB.

“Shouldn't be much farther, less than two kilometers to go I suspect. We should be coming across the clear zone in a few minutes. He was of course referring to the area of jungle cleared out around the base's perimeter. At least then they would have an easy time entering.

“Finally, when we get there I'm gonna pass out." Falco rasped, waving a feathered hand and blowing humid air across his beak in a futile effort to cool down. His plumage must have made it a challenge to endure such a heated and steamy environment.

Six had little pity.

“We haven't even started the mission yet bozo!" Fay scolded. “If you've already forgotten, we have no idea what we'll be stepping into. For all we know the base could be swarming with venomians."

Six heard her declaration and doubted it highly. The venomian fleet had pulled out earlier and it looked like anyone left on the ground was being hunted by the bioweapons. If he was to guess, he would say that whatever plan they had, failed, and they had decided to call it quits while it was still a viable solution. It was the smart thing to do instead of wasting valuable resources trying to fix the error on an enemy controlled world. Better to let them deal with it. The precautions Fox had ordered Peppy to take were pointless. The venomians would not be coming back anytime soon. They would likely find either a slaughterhouse or something else as equally unpleasant waiting for them.

He had not gotten a detailed look at his attacker, but after their brief confrontation he knew that they were not the type of creature to make clean efficient kills. They were lethal and chaotic.

The spartan checked his motion tracker once more and saw the five neutral white dots next to and around him, as well as the plethora of smaller dots signifying the forest life surrounding them. He had boosted the tracker's range from the standard twenty-five meters to the heightened one-hundred and fifty and so far nothing anomalous had appeared on the scans. It was all pretty consistent from what he had observed of jungle worlds before. The readings of course were not flawless, the motion tracker was not meant to function at the level he had pushed it for very long, and he couldn't be completely sure it was reliable. But it beat having a shorter radius. These things were fast and invisible. Twenty-five meters would be a wholly inadequate warning.

“I think that would be a blessing to be honest!" Falco exclaimed, the spartan realizing that they were stilling talking. In that regard they were quite human, marines tended to run their mouths just as much. Six remembered that he had to work with these aliens and tried to not let it irritate him too much.

“At least then we would be doing something other than slogging through some godforsaken humid jungle." The pheasant continued, although he did pick up the pace and look somewhat more like a professional mercenary.

Six heard a faint tone emit inside his HUD and he scanned his tracker again. A trio of additional contacts had manifested at the periphery of his sensors. Judging by their size there were not many guesses as to what they could be.

This was unfortunate.

They still had a few minutes' worth of travel before they reached their destination, and he doubted that the team would be able to outrun these things. It was a low possibility that he could even do such a thing.

With a resigned sigh, he shouldered his M45.

“Mccloud…" His firm yet quiet voice carried up the line easily, and he noticed that the triangular ears atop the head of vixen at his side perked up curiously in his direction.

“What is it, Six?" Fox enquired distractedly as he focused on trying not to trip on the scattered roots littering the jungle floor.

He was correct, at this current pace they would not make the time they needed.

“You must move faster. We are now being hunted."

“What? How do you know that?"

“My tracking system has picked up a small group of large contacts approaching. At current speed they will arrive before we reach the base."

“Well…son of a bitch." Falco groaned. “Isn't that great? As if this damned jungle wasn't enough."

“I don't mean to be a downer here, Six. But we are going as fast as we can." Miyu was breathing heavily and looked to be running out of stamina.

“I am aware. That is why I will stay here and slow them down." The spartan slowing to a stop as he spoke.

The team decelerated as they realized what he had just suggested.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there," Fox shook his muzzle adamantly. “You're not staying behind. One of those things already did that to you." He pointed at the rather obvious wound. “We're all sticking together, and that's an order."

“That would be an unwise command, Mccloud." He countered just as resolutely. “If I do not, they will reach you before you can make it to the installation. You have not seen what they are capable of as I have and there is little time to debate."

Fox's muzzle twisted into a sharp grimace. The vulpine believed Six was telling the truth, but that did not make it any simpler of a decision to make. He had never left one of his team behind, and he had no desire to do so now. But he was also acutely aware that they were not given many options.

He scanned his team's faces, seeing a mixture of worry and perhaps, even a small sliver of fear. No one liked being hunted, and being in a foreboding jungle such as this did not make it an easier thought to think about.

“Time, Mccloud…we are running out of it."

With a heavy sigh, Fox conceded. “Fine, you have my permission. But you better not die, that's an order."

There was a faint grin in the spartan's response. “Agreed…now, I suggest you start moving. They will be here before long."

“Forget double time, leg it!" Fox and the others hurriedly jogged away.

Krystal was hesitant to get moving and found that her lips began to form words of their own volition as she slowly turned to leave.

“Stay safe, Six."

The spartan did not reply and soon she had lost sight of him in the jungle.

*****

Now they were gone, he could focus one more. This time he would not be caught off guard so easily. If they wished to use camouflage, then he would as well. He pulled out the small armor mod in his left thigh's equipment latch and attached the covenant device to the port built into the shallow divot on his lower spine.

With a snug click, the device slid effortlessly into the socket and his HUD instantaneously updated with the new software, running a system patch and integrating the alien tech smoothly with his armor systems.

The trio of contacts increased their speed, no doubt noticing that their quarry was attempting to run. They would fall upon him within moments.

Six activated the camo and faded into the jungle without a sound.

*****

Less than a minute later, three separate tracks slipped into the clearing the team had vacated, the unseen creatures sniffing around for a fresh scent of their recently departed prey. They had been tracking the small group of warm bloods since they had scented them and the abnormal hollow bird they had come from.

Their existence had been one of confusion and rage, dropped out of strange containers that could not be cut by claws and floundering in an environment that was not of the cold unforgiving womb they had originated from. This warm and thriving place was perfect for hunting.

There was much prey to be had, unusual creatures covered in a strange coating of material that clung unpleasantly to their fangs. But the soft meat inside was worth the discomfort. The animals they hunted came in a variety as well. The ones in black had been the easiest to catch, even approaching the pack upon seeing them. After the first few had been devoured, the rest of the black ones had not been as easy.

The ones in white and blue tasted sweeter, but were harder to catch. Many had escaped and were hiding inside their walled den. The rest of the pack had yet to find a way inside to the sweet meat, but now it seemed that more had been provided.

Sniffing at a deep print in the ground, the creature at the head of the party growled.

The scent was that of the one that had severed its limb.

It had been interested in the being. Its odor was unlike that of the others, almost scented like the womb.

After its curiosity had sated, it had tried to determine whether it tasted just as sweet inside its blue shell. But it had underestimated its prey. The thing was far more dangerous than first anticipated.

It was not prey, but a fellow hunter, with false claws and great strength.

It had no choice but to retreat and find more members of its pack. Now it could find this hunter, and see if its meat was the sweetest.

A chirp from its left alerted it that one of its pack mates had found the scent. The meat reeked of doubt and fear, a mouthwatering aroma.

The prey was trying to reach the den, no doubt to join the others. If that happened they would lose out on their meal. And that was unacceptable.

With a low growl, it ordered the pack to resume the hunt.

An odd noise halted it, watching as a rock fell from up above. Rocks did not fall from the great blue. With a curious trill, one of its pack mates went closer and nosed the object. The rock was not like any other it had seen, with unnatural grooves.

Nor did rocks leak smoke.

*****

Fox and the others raced towards the base, trying to distance themselves from the creatures Six had warned off. It was not easy, running through the jungle, but it was preferable to what was hunting them.

The sting of leaving Six the spartan behind was still very much present. But it had been the logical thing to do, not what he felt was the right thing. They should have all been traveling together. But whatever those things were would have caught up. And he really didn't want to fight them in this cluttered environment.

As they ran, a loud explosion shook the thick trunks around them, coming from father back down the path. Hearing the detonation made Fox hesitate for a moment, almost deciding turning back to help Six. But doing so would have made his effort pointless.

At least the spartan's offer meant that he put some value into their lives. So maybe he was starting to warm up to them. Fox decided that he would make more of an effort to get him to open up. Once this mission was over and if, Pepper had nothing else planned for them, he thought it would be a good idea to show the spartan some of the reasons why Corneria was worth fighting for.

“This doesn't feel right, Fox." Miyu muttered with a disheartened look on her muzzle.

He could see what the feline's point. Starfox was a team of friends rather than associates. Fox wanted it to be more of a family than a group of individuals there for their own desires. And as such, every member was important. It was one of the reasons Fox attributed to their success. It was far easier to work together when you were close to your team, and you would be far more liable to help them.

“It's alright. Six knows what he's doing. I doubt a couple of overgrown lizards could take him down." After Fox had seen the spartan's handiwork on Oikonny's dreadnought, he was certain of that much.

Some of his confidence must have passed on to her, as the feline's ears perked back up and she seemed to have picked up her pace.

“Yeah, I guess I should be more worried for the lizards." She attempted an untroubled chuckle rather successfully.

As he jogged, Fox glanced at his bracer and saw that they should be coming up on the clear zone at any moment. From there it should be a relatively quick walk to the base's defensive walls.

And low and behold, soon after that thought he pushed through a natural wall of undergrowth and found himself in a wide open space. Ahead of him, a tall and imposing ring of shining steel encircled a mid-sized compound. It was pretty standard for CDF military installations, and he would have given it more thought if not for the circumstances.

He stopped at the edge of the clearing and signaled for his team to hurry and make for the gates. A glance at the walls let him know that the base was still manned, as a dog in stained silver and blue armor looked quite surprised to see them.

The vulpine watched as he turned to look down into the base and began to bark down orders, hopefully they were to open the gate and not open fire.

His famous luck held as he watched the massive gates draw open with a low groan of rusted mechanisms.

Wanting to ensure that his team made it safely, he waited by the vegetation marking the cleared zone and counted them all.

Miyu was the first to blaze past him, the feline's natural speed bolstered by circumstance, allowed her to quickly cross the field and slip into the gates. Behind her, Falco helped Fay, the canine must have tripped and hurt her ankle while Fox was preoccupied because she limped as the avian held her up.

The last one to pass by was Krystal, the vixen looking somewhat concerned as she hurried by.

Fox was surprised to see her so openly worried about Six. It was quite unlike her. If not for the looming imminent danger, he might have put more thought into what that could mean.

He turned to pass into the gates himself when his sharp ears picked up on the deep roar of the spartan's weapon and the heart stopping shriek of a creature in pain. Judging by the sounds, he was not that far away.

Fox decided at that moment that enough was enough. It was time that he did something.

The vulpine unholstered his blaster and dashed back into the forest to the sounds of combat.

*****

Six snarled up into the enormous fanged jaws of the creature pinning him to the ground and savagely wrenched his gauntlets to his right with a series of spine rattling pops, instantly the reptilian ceased its movement and he hurled its lifeless corpse into a tree.

Swiftly, he surged back to his feet and snatched his shotgun from the ground just in time to send a burst of buckshot into another beast in the midst of trying to pounce on him. The torrent of pellets tore it out of the air in a spray of crimson gore.

The spartan racked the slide and watched as another pair of the large bioweapons slipped into view, grinding their massive jaws together with the clatter of deadly fangs as their yellow eyes locked onto him and narrowed into reptilian slits. Behind them he could see even more obscure shapes lurking in the shadowed depths of the jungle.

So far things were going rather well.

He sprung his trap successfully, the grenade doing an excellent job at lowering their numbers. But he had not counted on the swift arrival of more of these beasts. He had been almost overwhelmed by the sheer numbers suddenly thrown against him. Thankfully, while razor sharp, their claws and fangs were unable to pierce his MJOLNIR's reinforced plating. However they had managed to add quite a few new scores into the azure plate.

A flash of movement to his side signaled that another of these saurians was attempting to flank him. Six pivoted and smashed the stock of the M45 against the approaching reptilian's snout, feeling the cartilage give way under the hardened steel.

Mewling, it collapsed to the jungle floor and grasped at its broken muzzle.

The spartan lashed a heavy titanium greave at the wounded beast and caved its skull in with a sickening crunch. As its grey matter splattered against his armor he turned his shotgun and blasted back one of its cohorts in a shower of splintered bone.

A third jumped and latched onto his back, the spartan falling to his knees under its weight. He felt burning needles dig into his already wounded shoulder as the creature snapped its fang filled maw closed and sunk its incisors in deep.

Six gritted his teeth and reached over his back, digging his gauntlets into the hijacker and tossed it over his shoulder, ripping it away from its toothy grip. He slammed the reptilian into the ground with enough force to shatter its spine and crushed its skull with a mailed fist for good measure.

As he rose up he risked a fleeting look at his shoulder, spying several new additions to the tear already in his underarmor. Luckily, the beast did not have enough time to do much damage and his HUD informed him that the injuries were not severe, not that it made him any less furious, scolding himself for letting it happen.

He was not functioning at his normal level. These animals should never have been able to inflict such damage if any at all.

Six unloaded the remaining five shells in the M45 and cut down a pair of the creatures attempting to close with him.

The spartan knew what the problem was. He allowed himself to grow complacent and unfocused, thinking too much on his predicament. Six could not afford to let his mind wander.

He twisted to the side and evaded a swipe from a clawed hand, smashing his fist the attacker's chest and felt it yield under his augmented strength.

The saurian capsized and vomited forth a pinkish slurry of pulped organs from its lips as it fell. He stepped over its corpse and swung the empty shotgun into another creature, using it like a makeshift club. The shotgun brained his target and he finished it by pulverizing its windpipe under his heel and charging into the next one

Smashing it to the side, he lanced a boot out and the force of the blow impacted its companion and crushed the majority of the bones in its body into powder.

No more.

He would not tolerate further personal failure.

It seemed that these creatures had not received the vivid message, continuing to advance upon him, stepping over the corpses of their brethren. They seemed countless, the spartan seeing even more approaching from the distance, weaving in and out of the trees as they closed in.

One of the reptilians attempted a repeat attack, trying to jump at him from up high and possibly take him by surprise.

As he reached for his magnum a flurry of red bolts burned their way into its throat and cut its leap mid-flight, dropping the smoldering carcass to the dirt.

“Looks like you owe me one."

The spartan turned to his back in a rare moment of disbelief.

Fox stood behind him, the barrel of his blaster emitting a wispy trail of smoke.

So…Mccloud had come back for him. How…interesting.

Six leveled his magnum at Fox and pulled the trigger, cutting down the saurian attempting to ambush the unawares vulpine.

“Even…" The spartan grunted.

Fox looked shocked and turned to see the dead reptile, its claws only a few scant centimeters from his boot. He turned back to Six and grinned with a brief chuckle.

“So we are. Now let's get the hell out of here!" The vulpine's blaster crackled as its owner directed the weapon with remarkable accuracy. The crimson lances of energy hit eyes, throats, wherever the creatures were most vulnerable.

Using the vulpines covering fire, he reloaded the M45 and holstered his Magnum, following after Fox.

“Now, that is a wise command." The spartan rumbled in approval as he removed one of his remaining grenades and pulled the pin before tossing it behind them. “I suggest we vacate the area post haste."

“Agreed." Fox nodded and ducked his head, running as fast as he could.

Six jogged casually behind him and sheltered the vulpine from the explosion, feeling the shrapnel ping off his newly recovered shields.

The grenade had proved to be an effective deterrent and they were able to get ahead of the swarm of claws and fangs, but the creatures were relentless and their reprieve was short lived.

Fox cried out in surprise as a flash of scales bowled him over.

The vulpine was able to save his life by grabbing the jaws of the beast and keeping it at bay.

Six acted fast, lowering a shoulder and charging forwards. He collided with the saurian holding Fox down and the pair hit the dirt fighting.

It hissed and snarled as its talons scrabbled at his breastplate but was unable to find purchase on the smooth alloy. He planted his gauntlets firmly on its chest and pushed, throwing it off him and into the air.

The reptilian caught itself on a tree and recovered, but was stopped before it could move to attack.

Fox ran up from the spartan's left and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, his boot smashing into its chest. Unceremoniously, he aimed his blaster down at the fallen creature and released a volley of short range bolts, silencing its howls of pain.

Six and Fox shared a quick nod before resuming their escape, pushing through into a wide open clearing.

“There's the base!" Fox announced unnecessarily and ran for the open gates.

Six followed the vulpine into the compound and scanned his surroundings as the massive doors quickly slammed shut behind them and ended the pursuit.

He was surprised to see that the base was not deserted, but rather filled with a ragged bunch of cornerians in sullied uniforms.

The spartan turned to Fox, silently watching the vulpine as he wheezed and leaned forwards, bracing his paws on his knees.

He had come back for him, risked his life to help. Six could have easily handled it himself, but the sentiment was…welcomed.

“Well…that was fun…never want to do it again…but fun." Fox panted in-between breaths as he looked up to the spartan with a roguish grin.

“Fox…Six!" A cheerful voice cried out and both turned to see Krystal and the others hurry over.

The spartan watched as the cerulean vixen ran up to the vulpine and wrapped him up in a tight hug, seeing that made him feel…strange…hollow.

He didn't like it.

“Hey, guys!" Fox chuckled lightly.

“We were worried there for a moment." Miyu slowly walked up to them, glancing to Six briefly before focusing on Fox. “There was a lot of howling out there."

“Aw, nothing Six and I couldn't handle." Fox shrugged off before grinning widely. “You should have seen it! He threw one of those things into a tree like it was a toy. It was awesome!"

The spartan felt a small smirk tug at his lips. He wouldn't call what he did “awesome". But he found that the vulpine's enthusiasm to be somewhat amusing. It was not often that he was congratulated on his abilities.

Their reunion was cut short by a low and careworn voice.

“Ah yes, the legendary Fox Mccloud."

The identified vulpine turned to the speaker and saw a haggard greyhound in a frayed officer's uniform, his left arm wrapped in gauze and held up by a sling.

“Yeah…that's me. You are?" Fox asked curiously.

The grey furred canine sighed sadly.

“I am Captain Siegfried Galaleos, and the acting commander. Colonel Ash Howzer was killed in the line of duty last week."

Fox grimaced.

“I take it you are the reinforcements we requested? I must shamefully admit I had thought there would be…more." The Captain looked understandably disappointed.

“Unfortunately we're all there is. The General couldn't spare any more resources. This planet is not the only one under attack."

“So…it's as bad as I suspected." The canine muttered thoughtfully. “The Colonel and I figured this went bigger. How bad is it? You're companions tell me that we are not the only ones under attack. And as you might have noticed…" He gestured to the slagged remains of a radar dish sitting atop the concrete building at the center of the base. “We haven't had much opportunity to learn for ourselves."

“Macbeth, Katina, and Fortuna are also under siege by venomian forces, although they're holding last we heard."

“At least something's going right then." Siegfried muttered. “I hope they're doing better than we are."

The base was in shambles. Carbon scoring marked the walls and structures and dried patches of blood littered the field. The fighters sitting on the airfield were nothing but piles of scrap and a landmaster stuck out of the corner of a building, buried in rubble. It looked like the venomians had managed to do some damage before they were repelled and the bioweapons unleashed.

The base personnel's conditions were little better. Not a single one of them was free of injury, and many looked like they could barely stand. Fox counted about roughly a hundred of them sitting around or maintaining watch along the walls. There were probably a couple more inside the buildings, but there was supposed to be a full contingent of the 45th CDF marine core, tallying to two-hundred in total plus support staff.

There were a lot missing.

“Well in any case, Fox." The Captain sighed tiredly and gestured around him. “Welcome…to what's left of Fort Galahad."