In the Footsteps of Odin: A Halo ODST RP (Started)

[socialtangent]

[hr]

11:32 HOURS

20 June 2547 (MILITARY CALENDAR)

UNSC DIVINE INTERVENTION, IN ORBIT AROUND PLANET TOBIN

Captain Tanner Barret stood over the shoulder of the young technician as the latter entered in a series of commands at the terminal before him. It was finally time to wake up the rest of the Intervention's crew from cryosleep. Barret and the essential crew members were roused from their slumber five days ago by Tyr, the ship's AI. Beyond the reinforced glass window was the main holding room for the cryo pods. The control room was elevated about two stories, so Barret had a rather good view of the rows of pods lining the walls. Each one contained an individual person, in suspended animation. They would lay there, and until someone popped the seal, they would not age a second. For them, time had stopped entirely.

In the 20th Century, a man by the name of Albert Einstein proposed that time was relative. The advent of Slipspace travel delivered a swift kick to the loins of Einsteinian physics. In normal space, it was impossible to travel faster than light, and objects approaching that speed were subject to the problem of relativistic distortions of time. Since traversing Slipspace meant traveling through wrinkles in multiple dimensions, spacecraft were not affected by these laws. However, due to 'eddies' in the slipstream, there were still discrepancies between time experienced by the Slipspace traveler, and the real space observer. By the ship's time, the jump to Tobin had taken approximately two months, but in real time it was potentially longer. Or shorter. Such anomalies in time were notoriously unpredictable.

"Defrosting systems are online," the technician announced. "Thawing out pods Alpha 1 through 8 in thirty seconds."

Barret nodded. In thirty seconds, the men and women down below would be given a rather unpleasant awakening. It was never fun to wake up from cryo. Especially with the slimy paste they put into the lungs to prevent them from being damaged in the freezing process. The Captain had given himself a nasty headache from all the coughing and retching from when he was thawed. It ain't perfect, but it works, he thought with a mental shrug.

On the pedestal beside him, the holographic image of Tyr manifested itself. Smart AIs such as Tyr had a tendency to give themselves a distinct appearance and personality 'quirk'. His chosen appearance was that of the Norse god of his namesake. A man in a battle tunic with a flowing cloak slung over the right shoulder and a missing right hand. Characters scrolled up and down his transparent blue form as he surveyed the occupants of the cryopods. "Vital signs appear normal in the specified pods," the AI reported, his voice flavored by a vaguely Scandinavian accent.

"Excellent," Barret replied. "Continue to monitor them. When they come to, instruct them to meet me in the briefing room. I'll be waiting for them."

Tyr's response was curt. "Yes, Captain."

The occupants of those pods were eight of the most highly skilled soldiers the UNSC had to offer. They were Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, handpicked by Captain Barret himself. For sake of organization, the crew would be woken up in groups at a time. The ODSTs were to be thawed first so they could get ready and be briefed as soon as possible.

Barret reached the briefing room after a brief walk through the Intervention's long hallways. A pair of Marines stood by the door and snapped to attention as the Captain approached them. He acknowledged them with an approving nod. The Marine to his right reached over to a number pad and quickly entered a security code. With an affirmative beep and a green light, the door opened. Barret stepped past the pair of guards and entered the briefing room. There was much to prepare for by the time the ODSTs arrived.

[hr]

Gunnery Sergeant Virgil Landon awoke to the loud hiss of the opening cryopod. When the pod opened, he took his first deep breath and started coughing. He doubled over hacking as the goop in his lungs refused to dislodge. After about a minute or so of gut-wrenching heaves, the slimy stuff finally found its way out. A foul chemical taste lingered in his mouth as he caught his breath, leaning over the side of his pod. Never will get used to this shit. With his airways clear, Virgil climbed out of his pod and stretched a little. It was refreshing to be out and awake after two months in cryosleep.

Standard procedure was that personnel in cryo enter the pod naked, since covered skin reacted badly to the freezing process. After being frozen so many times, Virgil began to care less and less about being naked in front of his fellow soldiers, male or female. Regardless, he preferred to be in uniform. But before any of that, a shower had to be taken. Virgil made his way over to the showers as he heard the sound of the other pods opening up.

Spoiler: OOC

The accepted sheets:

Avashka - Ava "Mockingbird" Carcer [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13671924]
Captainguy42 - Darryl Simpson [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13671724]
CounterAttack - Natalie Paladin [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13685879]
Elementsoul - Myles Almightyvoice [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13705866]
Lost In The Void - Forrest Chapman [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13672166]
Socialtangent - Virgil Landon [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread?page=2#13719857]
Sputnik133 - Bernard 'Snowman' Snow [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13686799]
UnusualStranger - Amy "Storm" Lenghart [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.338104-In-the-Footsteps-of-Odin-A-Halo-ODST-RP-Interest-Thread#13692976]

 

[CounterAttack]

Another of the cryo-pods hissed open, and the eyes of the woman inside flew open. A tentative hand reached out to the edge of the 'freezer' once the pod's hatch was fully opened, closely followed by the other hand. The second hand, however, was entirely mechanical: an artificial limb. If soldiers had cybernetic arms and legs, the metal was put through cryo-sleep like the rest of the person in question. The hand, and the arm to which it was attached, was one of the two mechanical limbs that the woman possessed.

This cryo-pod's inhabitant, too, began to hack, cough and wheeze to clear the blockages in her throat and lungs. Even after many times travelling via cryo-pod, Lance Corporal Natalie Paladin, call-sign Longsword, was still entirely uncomfortable with the "bronchial surfactant" used to maintain sleep during slipspace journeys. Eventually she managed to get it out, though, leaving the clearish liquid in a mess on the floor of the pod. That was going to be someone else's problem, she reasoned.

"Agh... merde," Natalie weakly gasped out, bent over as she struggled to come to terms with breathing again. Sleeping for so long did that to people. Soon enough she stood up and clambered out of the cryo-pod, doing so with the familiar - to her - clang of metal on metal. She began to stretch for a couple of minutes, limbering up and getting used to life outside of cryo-sleep. Which was the way it should be, in her mind.

Once Natalie was sure that she was properly back on her feet, a shower and then her uniform were her two highest priorities. She was not too big a fan of standing around without any clothes on for extended periods of time. Natalie headed for the shower block and stepped inside, a somewhat loud clank generated with every step of her right leg as she walked. Just like her right arm, it had once been an organic limb. These days, metal had succeeded flesh.

 

[UnusualStranger]

The pod cracked open, the hiss of the air outside equalizing the chilled air inside, and snapping awake the individual inside. Amy had been thawed and frozen more times than she really cared to remember, and frankly did not want to remember. Her first step out of the pod was a shaky one as it always was upon awakening. Of course, then came the fit of coughs and heaves as the stuff they put in her before came back out. After a few quick coughs, her airways were clear again, and she gasped a few times, and then stood, reorienting herself to the surroundings.

Lance Corporal Amy Lenghart, after spitting out the cyro-gel, stood straight, regaining her composure. She noted the other pods opening up, and someone else already stepping out of them. Shaking her head, and knowing she needed to clean up before putting on her uniform and armor, she quickly made her way over to the showers. One of the few times she would get to be clean most likely. Going a brisk pace, she finally got into the showers, and started washing up. Quick and simple.

 

[Captainguy42]

A wet, gasping wheeze was the first sound Buckshot had made in weeks. They took most of the gunk out of his lungs when he still knocked out, but it clunge to the sides, he'd be coughing it out for a few hours. His joints would all be stiff as hell, pain management training taught him how to ignore that, but it slows you down. Isn't graceful but it works. This wasn't just based on his immediate feelings, but also a month of cryo-dreams. They tried to make him dream of fighting, being in battles that relied on grit and courage. A samurai in a showdown, a Knight jousting, and hunter facing down a rhino, even facing down a sword wielding Elite. Overtime he couldn't help but contrast their weapons, he arrived on the conclusion that in the UNSC, nothing was elegant, things just did what they were supposed to. From his equipement, to his environment, to his training, everything echoed some sort of utilitarian focus. As he got up, coughed a few more times, and took his first few stinging blinks, he tried to remember. Name, number, rank, mission, recent history, and then older memories. All of those things he managed to dredge up from the back of his mind. He stumbled out, took his first unassisted breath and stumbled towards the showers. He found a shower head, activated it, and took a moment to soak in the water. He noticed he wasn't alone.

"Morning." He croaked,

 

[Lost In The Void]

Though it was more the temperature change than anything, the sharp hiss and whine of the cryo pod opening always reminded Forrest of an alarm clock. Shifting slightly in the pod allowing the feeling to return to his limbs, he eventually lifted himself out of the pod, swinging his legs under him and standing up for the first time in a couple months. It felt good, but his head always felt a little groggy after waking. His first breath was shallow and result in a coughing fit that shifted the various substances in his lungs. He spat out a bit of the 'goop' and allowed himself a real draw of breath, tasting the sterile air and remains of the goop in his throat.

Stretching a bit, he felt the familiar cracks and pops of his joints and muscles getting used to movement again. Walking across the room, he found a locker with his name on it. He slowly got dressed working the stiffness out of his movements. It was your standard issue clothing, nothing special but Forrest always did wish he was back on Earth if only so he could wear a pair of jeans again.

After he had his clothes he moved to the showers. Seemed like a waste of time, but procedure was procedure.

 

[Avashka]

Cryosleep. Dull, dreamless, more akin to drifting senselessly through the void than true slumber. Carcer knew it. It always disturbed her, but when one is dreamless, months spent unconscious pass by unnoticed. It seemed only moments since she climbed into the pod that she was doubled over, prosthetic arm steadying her against the side of the pod, retching out the cryogenic surfactant onto the floor.

First priority. Stretching. Second priority? Trundling to the showers. She didn't even comment about her colleagues' nakedness. It was one of the eventualities of cryo.

Ava Carcer. Mockingbird. "Morning," she replied to Buckshot, her voice raspy. No tone of mocking there.

With no further words, she went to the showers. Swift, brisk cleanup. Uniform. Done. The cryo-fatigue, however, would last for hours.

 

[Captainguy42]

Buckshot nodded at Mockingbird's response, people weren't much for small talk after being frozen. Buckshot took a few minutes to was the rest of the Cryo goo off of him, and to get some measure of warmth back in his body. Then made a quick detour to head. Feeling marginally refreshed, he went to the lockers and found his. He opened the door and took stock of what was inside, Uniform, boots, cap, workout uniform, toiletries, etc... Then there were his personal effect, sealed in a small white, plastic box where he put them before. Watch, pictures, wallet, all there.

 

[UnusualStranger]

As Amy washed up, she noted others coming in. They all did their best to wash up quickly, and made their way to get all changed up. Amy was in no such rush, making sure that she got to enjoy her first moments of waking up so she could deal with the rest of her days. Finally satisfied with being clean, and having coughed up a bit more of the cryo-gel, she figured she was all prepared now.

She made her way out of the showers, drying off, and made her way to the lockers, finding it labeled and all in good order, with uniform, boots pins, and all that other fun stuff. She tossed on the fatigues quickly, not bothering too much with any of her personal affects, knowing how cranky command could be when they were taking their time right after waking up. Glancing herself over, she figured it was neat enough, and got to making sure her boots were secured, wondering where they were this time.

Hopefully this isn't going to be some mess that we have to clean up. Having to do that from time to time is great, but it seems to be a constant theme of going around to clean up a mess. No pushing back.

 

[Heracles]

As the cryopod opened with a hiss, Bernard Snow takes a long, hard breath before slowly rising out of the pod onto the cryodeck. Using the first breath he has had in a long time, he started coughing the Inhalant that coated his throat and lungs, stopping to swallow after some gets dislodged. After a moment, he straightens up with a grin and whispers to himself "20 seconds, 2 seconds longer than last time."

Stretching his stiff, sore muscles, Snowman takes care to avoid the puddles of gunk on the floor as he makes his way towards the showers.

"That stuff is important you know, it has been designed for consumption after a freeze. vital nutrients, that" he says to the group gathering in and near the showers.

 

[CounterAttack]

Natalie often wondered whether a stray drop of water would get into her cybernetics: she was forced to shower with them still attached to her body, since they were impossible for her to remove. A single droplet could wreak havoc with the limbs' circuitry. Still, the robotics had held thus far, and she saw no reason why they would short-circuit now.

The shower proceeded with no problems, short of coughing up some more of the surfactant partway through, and Natalie promptly headed for the lockers once she had dried herself off. Her hair was still slightly damp, but she didn't really care. It'll dry itself out in time, she thought as she pulled on her fatigues, minus a sleeve, half a pant leg and a boot. She took a moment afterwards to double-check each of the joints in her metal arm and leg. Each of them was functioning perfectly, which was what she expected.

Once satisfied, Natalie leaned up against her locker and studied the black-haired woman nearby. She bore a fair few of what looked like plasma scars. But then, who didn't have them? Natalie quickly realised the irony - was it irony? - of that thought, when she herself had no burns from Covenant plasma weapons. She dredged up the woman's name from her memory, just before she had been put on ice.

"Hey. 'Storm' Lenghart, right?" she asked casually, hoping to start a conversation.

 

[Captainguy42]

Buckshot took care when putting his uniform on, ensuring his pants didn't drag, his boots were laced, and his cuffs were straight. He checked his insignia one last time, and put on his watch. He took out a micro fiber cloth and polished the face till it was perfectly clear.

That stuff is important you know, it has been designed for consumption after a freeze. vital nutrients, that.

"It also tastes feels like tar and tastes like glue." Buckshot retorted lightly, the Cryo process may have been a miracle of modern technology, and it may be vital to the UNSC's logistics, but it was still one of the most uncomfortable processes you could go through. "Your Snowman right? The medic?"

That was one of the "wonders" of cryo sleep, they had been introduced two months ago, but to them it felt like yesterday.

 

[Heracles]

"Corpsman, please. Medics are for the army." Bernard says as he towels himself off. After making sure he's properly dry, he heads towards the lockers and finds his own, then picks out some fatigues, and pulls an armband with the red cross onto his arm.

Now fully clothed, he approached Buckshot to shake his hand "Petty officer 3rd class, Bernard Snow, at your service. I don't think we had much time to be properly introduced."

 

[socialtangent]

Virgil's shower was brief, just long enough to warm himself up. After toweling off, he walked back to the lockers, where the other ODSTs were dressing and talking among themselves. He didn't pay any mind to their conversations as he opened his locker and withdrew his uniform. Getting dressed in a timely fashion was a routine drilled into every Marine very early on in their careers; he was fully clothed in no time at all. As he tightly secured the laces to his boots, a voice blared over the intercom.

"Good to see you awake, Helljumpers. I am Tyr, the Divine Intervention's artificial intelligence. Captain Barret requests your presence in the briefing room, ASAP."

Already time to be briefed? Virgil could hardly wait. With both his boots laced and ready to go, he stood up. Out of this group of eight, he outranked everyone, which meant he had to ensure they followed orders. "You all heard the AI, let's double-time it to the briefing room. Hate to keep the Captain waiting." With that, he about faced and made his way toward the briefing room. In their rather rushed introduction to the Intervention, the Captain had shown them the way to the briefing room. Thankfully, Virgil's memory was good, so he remembered where exactly to go.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Amy perked up as another member of the crew went to address her, and then the announcement sounded. With a quick grin, she stopped trying to make sure her boots were perfect and started walking towards the briefing.

"Yeah, that would be me. You're Longsword Paladin, right? I think I got that right. Seems we got business as soon as we wake up, with probably little prep time as usual. Hope we can save some more pleasantries for later." Amy said, realizing that she probably should be a bit more....formal, but she was still slightly tired from the quick wakening. She didn't know how long it probably took, but she imagined that it was longer than she wanted to sleep at any time in her life.

 

[elementsoul]

Myles was the last one to exit his Cryo-chamber. It had taken him about a minute to leave the chamber and dislodge enough of the gel in his throat and lungs to breath. Although he had a general stiffness throughout his body, the stiffness in his scared arm, neck, and shoulder was more prominent as he walked over to the showers. This was likely due to the freezing on the scars, and the fact that he hadn?t been able to stretch them out in the two months.

After entering the showers he turned his shower to a fairly warm temperature. As the warm water passed over his body and washed away the residue of the freeing process, Myles' body and mind started to fully unthaw. Why couldn?t they have just left me awake like I requested. Two months of travel is a lot better spent training and updating on the latest news in the war. I?d much rather learn about any tactics that have been found work well or no longer work against the Covenant, than sleep dreamlessly.

Myles finished his shower after ousting the last of the gel that could be removed for the time being. In the end he had to cut it short in order to catch up with the rest of the squad?s pace. A quick toweling off was performed, before Myles found his locker and got to work with his uniform. It was a quick process to get everything on, and the AI had come over the intercom just as Myles finished his check to make sure everything was regulation.

"You all heard the AI, let's double-time it to the briefing room. Hate to keep the Captain waiting."

With that order Myles few silently in tow behind the Gunnery Sergeant. I hope he remembers the way. I can only remember about half of it due to the rushed introduction and the ensuing insta-freeze.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Indeed. In my experience, the only 'prep time' I get is to put on the uniform, load up my SOEIV and strap myself in," Natalie answered, resigned to this inevitability. She pronounced each letter in the acronym individually, as she always did: Natalie didn't use nicknames or sarcastic references to vital equipment such as the SOEIV, though she did use the acronym rather than the full title: 'Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle' was a bit too wordy even for her.

"And you are correct. I am Lance-Corporal Natalie E. Paladin, call-sign Longsword," she added to formally introduce herself.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Lance Corporal Darryl Simpson," Buckshot said as he shook Bernard's hand, "You can call me Buckshot." He added. While it had been years since he served with the squad where he earned that nickname, it had grown on Darryl and he honestly couldn't imagine anything he would preffered more, so he tried to carry it with him whenever he was re-assigned. "Better get moving, don't want to be the last one to the briefing." He said as he walked after Sergent.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Amy kept pace with the Gunnery Sergeant while having this quick conversation, confident he knew what he was doing on this ship which she had been quickly shipped off to. At least she could have a quick morning chat while they were on their way there with Natalie, who seemed a lot more...formal than herself.

"A pleasure to meet you, Natalie. I'm Amy Lenghart, and I go by Storm, as you are already aware. Lance Corporal like yourself." Amy introduced, not quite as formal but as politely as she could manage.

"I gotta ask, where did your name come from? It is an interesting title to take on, so I am kind of curious." Amy asked, deciding to be inquisitive. Her own name being from the 'bullet-storms' that her squad-mates had come to appreciate when they had been holding off Covenant in a line of engagements. Longsword made her curious though....unless she had picked up one of those Covenant blades and killed one with it, she wanted to know how someone got a name like that.

 

[CounterAttack]

Natalie cracked a smile for the first time that day. 'Day,' in this case, meaning the past twenty-four hours that she remembered, including stepping into the cryo-pod. "Well, you know the rules: you never get to pick your own call-sign. At least, as far as I know," she began. "The name Longsword came from my original squad: everyone ended up with a call-sign based on a melee weapon, usually related to their fighting style. Switchblade, Shuriken, Rapier, Brass Knuckles, to name a few." Natalie's smile widened a little at the thought of her old squad.

"I got the name Longsword after showing the rest of the team just what I could do with my sniper rifle," she explained. "A longsword has a greater reach than most other bladed weapons, and that extra range can be instrumental in eliminating your foe, be it with blade or bullet."

 

[UnusualStranger]

Amy grinned back as Natalie explained her title, which was an interesting story all the same. It wasn't quite what she had expected, seeing as a sniper was long range and not a blade at all, but it somehow fit the title and story just right. A story, of course, needed a story in turn.

"That is an interesting way to get a title. Mine isn't quite as interesting, unfortunately. Squad and myself spent a lot of time travelling from one planet to another, and we were often called upon to hold a line, or charge one. We were pretty damn good at it too. After a few of these times, some of the squad mentioned that when I was tossed into the mix, there seemed to be a 'storm' of gunfire which the covenant seemed to like avoiding. So, few of the guys started just calling me to make it storm, and the name just kind of evolved out of that." Amy explained, her odd grin sticking around while she told the story. It hadn't been that long ago since she had gotten that title, had it?

Time sure does fly when there is a war going on, I guess. Man, I wonder where everyone even is after I volunteered to do this work. Hope they are still doing alright out there, wherever they are.