The dropship's engines hummed in my ears, and the familiar sway of low-altitude flight brought a sense of calm I hadn't felt since I crash-landed in this strange universe. My shotgun rested across my lap, and I kept my visor down, blocking out the sight of the Covenant forces below. For now, we were out of the fire, but I knew it wouldn't last.
As I sat there, the voices of my new allies drifted through the cabin. Ruby was explaining something to Jaune in quick, excited tones, while Yang was laughing with Nora about the "big boom" she had made earlier with that rocket launcher. These people weren't just survivors—they were friends, bonded by more than just the war. It reminded me of my old squad back in the Frontier.
I leaned back, the weight of the day settling in. For all their bravado and battlefield prowess, none of them knew me. Not really. They didn't know who I was before I was "Hawk," before the callsign, before the crash. Jasper Spears. That was my real name, the one I hadn't spoken in a long time.
Objective Update: Debrief with ODST Command.
The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. "ETA five minutes to base. Gear up."
I clicked my helmet back on, locking my thoughts away with it. Time to get back in the fight. The others were already securing their weapons, and I followed suit, my mind still half-focused on what lay ahead.
As the ship descended, the base came into view—a small, heavily fortified compound surrounded by a sea of dust and smoke. Covenant cruisers still loomed in the distance, and occasional bursts of plasma lit up the horizon, but the immediate area seemed clear for now.
The landing was rough, but by now, I was used to rough landings. We disembarked, boots hitting the cracked ground with a satisfying thud.
"Welcome to Outpost Delta," Bishop said, gesturing toward the cluster of UNSC personnel scrambling around the base. "Not much to look at, but it's home for now."
New Objective: Report to Command
I followed Bishop, Ruby, and Jaune toward the command tent. The rest of their teams peeled off to help with base defenses and supplies, but I could see the weariness in their steps. They had been fighting for a long time. It was something I understood well.
Inside the tent, the tension was palpable. A holo-map of Earth flickered at the center, displaying red markers all across the globe. It didn't take a tactical genius to see that humanity was losing ground fast.
A grizzled man in ODST armor stood over the map, deep in conversation with a few other officers. His name tag read "Major Thorn," and he looked up as we approached.
"Bishop. Ruby. Jaune. Glad to see you made it," he greeted, his tone clipped but respectful. His eyes lingered on me for a second, taking in my unfamiliar armor. "And you must be the pilot we've heard about."
"Hawk," I said with a nod.
"Jasper Spears," Bishop added quietly, surprising me.
I shot him a glance, but his expression was unreadable beneath the visor. Somehow, he had figured it out. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. ODSTs weren't exactly known for missing details.
Major Thorn raised an eyebrow. "Jasper Spears, huh? You've made quite the impression, Hawk. We could use more fighters like you around here."
New Mission Unlocked: Reinforce ODST Operations
I shrugged. "Just doing my part. What's the next move?"
Thorn turned back to the holo-map. "The Covenant's been hitting us hard. We've lost comms with several key outposts, and the civilian population's scattered. But we've got intel that suggests they're building a forward base somewhere nearby. That's our next target."
He pointed to a location on the map, just west of our current position. "We need to recon that area, figure out what they're planning, and hit them before they can mobilize. It'll be dangerous, but with the teams we've got here, I think we stand a chance."
Bishop nodded. "When do we move out?"
"Tomorrow morning," Thorn replied. "Get some rest, resupply, and be ready to hit hard. This isn't just another skirmish. If we fail, they'll roll over us and take Earth."
New Objective: Prepare for Assault.
As we exited the command tent, I lingered for a moment, glancing up at the sky. It was growing darker, stars barely visible through the smoke and haze. Somewhere up there, the Covenant cruisers were preparing their next move, and we were their targets.
"Jasper Spears, huh?" Ruby's voice pulled me from my thoughts. She and Jaune had fallen in step beside me, curiosity glinting in her silver eyes. "Not sure I've heard that name before."
"Didn't think I needed it here," I replied, keeping my tone light. "Hawk's been my callsign for as long as I can remember."
Jaune grinned. "Well, it fits. You've got a real knack for diving into the thick of it."
"You could say that," I muttered, though I couldn't help but return the grin.
Ruby tilted her head, still studying me. "You fought before this, didn't you? Before you ended up here."
I hesitated. I wasn't used to opening up. Hell, I wasn't even sure how I'd explain my situation to them without sounding like a lunatic. "Yeah. Different place, different war. But it's all the same, really."
New Dialogue Option: Open Up to Team RWBY and JNPR.
Jaune's grin faded, his expression turning serious. "We've all lost a lot in this war. But if you're here now, you're one of us. You're ODST, whether you've got the title or not."
I gave a slow nod, appreciating the gesture. Maybe they didn't know my full story, but that didn't matter. We were soldiers. We fought together. That was enough.
"Alright," Ruby said, her usual cheer creeping back into her voice. "Tomorrow we take the fight to the Covenant, but tonight? We rest. And maybe grab some of those rations that don't taste like cardboard."
As we headed toward the barracks, I felt a strange sense of belonging I hadn't felt in years. These ODSTs—Ruby, Jaune, Bishop, all of them—they were the closest thing I had to a squad now. And in this war, that was everything.
Mission Update: Rest and Resupply.
Bonus Objective: Connect with Your New Team.
Tomorrow, we'd face the Covenant again. But tonight, I'd rest. Jasper Spears, Hawk, whoever I was now, I had people I could trust watching my back.
And maybe, just maybe, we'd live long enough to win this thing.