Chapter 233: Prologue

Open in deep space. A lone Pelican is seen. A large ship, the UNSC Tartarus, emerges into frame. Cut to the interior of the ship.

Mayers: There she is. (over the radio) Unidentified Pelican dropship, this is Captain Mayers of the UNSC Tartarus responding to your distress signal. Come in, over.

Cut to the interior of the Tartarus. A video of Chairman Malcolm Hargrove is playing on a soldier's computer.

Mayers: Unidentified Pelican, please respond.

Pelican readout on computer terminal screen: 57% DAMAGE TO EXTERNAL THRUSTER

Pilot: Eh. Comms are acting kind of funny. Maybe they can’t hear us?

Stassney: (watching an interview on KOX NEWS with Malcom Hargrove.) Or maybe they fell asleep at the wheel.

Mayers: Pelican, can you just give us a sign that you’re reading us?

The Pelican’s lights flash once.

Pilot: Oh hey, she lives!

Mayers: Pelican, are you able to make your way to our starboard docking bay? We’ll be able to assist you from there.

The Pelican's lights flash once

Pilot: Well. There you go.

Mayers: Stassney, meet up with Blanton and Kilgore in docking. Let’s see what this is all about.

Stassney: Wait, how the hell you know that meant yes? What if two flashes means “yes,” and one flash means “stay away, alien zombies”?

Outside the Tartarus, the Pelican’s thrusters can be seen turning on before the Pelican moves toward the docking bay.

Mayers: You were saying?

Stassney: (sighs) Fine. The signal sucks out here anyway.

Camera moves in toward the computer screen with Hargrove and the caption “WE ARE STILL AT WAR.”

Hargrove: …and we should all prepare ourselves for whatever may come next.

Cut to Stassney on the upper level deck of the prisoner holding room, in front of a control panel. Various prisoners are shouting and heckling.

Prisoner 1: Hey Stassney, why we stoppin’?

Prisoner 2: Lemmee guess, you’re letting us go?

Prisoners laugh.

Stassney: (Striding past the cells.) Quiet down. Just picking up what I hope are hitchhiking cheerleaders.

Prisoner 3: In your dreams, asshole!

Cut to Stassney entering Starboard Docking Bay, as seen through a security camera.

Blanton: Come on, Stas, hurry up.

Kilgore: It’s just…weird, seeing a military bird out here on her own like this, y’know?

Stassney: Oooh, maybe it’s some top secret covert ops. Some hush-hush “you never saw us” type of shit.

Kilgore: Yeah, and if we’re lucky they’ll kill you to keep this quiet.

Blanton: Hey, we got a deadline to meet, all right? Ready up!

They turn to face the Pelican.

Blanton: Pelican crew! You may now open your bay door and slowly exit the vehicle!

Pelican door opens and hatch descends. A silhouetted figure steps into view.

Blanton: Hands in the air!

Felix: (Hands up.) Yes, sir.

Kilgore: It’s… just one guy?

Felix: (Chuckles) Won’t find anyone else on this ship.

Blanton: Come on out. Take it slow.

Felix descends down the ramp.

Stassney: You all right?

Felix: Yeah. I’m just glad ya found me.

Stassney: (Leaning toward Kilgore) This guy don’t sit right with me...

Cut to the Tartarus’ control deck. Crewmates are laughing.

Stassney: (Leaning on Felix’s shoulder, smacking the armor plate.) This guy's my fuckin’ hero!

Felix: Oh come on, you tell me every single one of you wouldn’t have done the same thing. I mean, come on, a-am I right?

Mayers: That is a helluva story, son, but it’s time we got you fixed up and went on our way. Lord knows we’ve wasted enough of the UNSC’s time.

Felix: Well hey, are you hourly? (Crewmates laugh again.)

Stassney: Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Felix: Seriously though, this ship looks like a fuckin' antique. Higher-ups couldn’t spare the extra cash to fix her up?

Stassney: Ha. Yeah, right.

Mayers: Military prison transport isn’t very high on their budgetary priorities. No use wastin' money on cryo for lawbreakers. So they threw together a skeleton crew to make sure the cargo just makes it over alive.

Felix: Yeesh. Kinda scary.

Mayers: Ah, nothing these men can’t handle.

Stassney: Yeah, we’ve got guns and the purge if things get bad, but the real killer out here is fuckin’ boredom.

Felix: What about all the disappearances all over the news? Ships not making it to port? I mean, what do you do if you’re attacked?

Kilgore: Yeah, I doubt anybody’s coming for our cargo.

Stassney: It ain’t scavengers. I think it’s them fuckin’ aliens, man.

Kilgore: Not this again...

Stassney: Oh sure, they say we’re at peace, but you know them squid-heads will put a laser through our heads faster’n greased lightnin' if we gave ’em the chance!

Soldier with Visor: Hey, that’s intolerant!

Stassney: You’re intolerant!

Mayers: Quiet. (Crewmates settle down) Truth be told, no one gives a rat’s ass about the people on this ship. Anybody out there really wanted 'em, they could have them.

Crewmates chuckle.

Felix: All right. I’ll take them.

Stassney: What—uh. What’cha mean?

Felix: I mean, I’m going to kill you... and take your prisoners.

The soldiers in the room share tense, uncomfortable looks.

Stassney: Huh...?

Mayers hesitates, before unholstering his pistol and drawing it at Felix. Felix kicks it out of his hand, sending the gun flying into Stassney’s head. Felix punches Mayers in the face several times before heel-kicking Stassney in the groin, then snaps his arm into the base of Mayers’ neck, knocking him to the floor. Kilgore grabs Felix’s arm and spins him around just as Felix kicks Stassney in the head.

Kilgore: Come ‘ere!

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Kilgore swings a punch at Felix in succession, both of which Felix catches, before twisting Kilgore’s arms and headbutting him. Felix descends into a ground-level kick, sweeping Kilgore out from under his feet and careening into a soldier.

Kilgore: Shit! Sorry!

Kilgore staggers around in a circle to face Felix, only to have his punch deflected, his body spun around, and his arm broken with a loud crunch. Soldier with Visor accidentally punches Kilgore, sending Kilgore sprawling to the floor.

Stassney: (Scrabbling for gun) Come on! Come on! (Shoots the soldier in the head)

Felix whirls around.

Stassney: Oh.

Felix rams into his legs, flipping Stassney on his back. Felix proceeds to unsheathe his knife and throw it at the pilot, embedding it in his face.

Felix: Bullseye.

Mayers drags himself toward the command console and slams his hand into the security alarm. The ship goes dark as red lights and sirens start to blare and flash.

Blanton: (In the docking bay) Huh-? (A cloaked figure behind him snaps his neck. Locus materializes into view, along with eight Space Pirates)

Locus: No survivors.

Scene transitions to control room. Generic Soldiers run into room.

Generic Soldier 1: Captain Mayers!

Felix: (Standing behind Mayers’ body, propping him up like a puppet) At ease, gentlemen. (Pushes body aside and shoots the soldiers)

Stassney starts to reaches for the rifle of the dead soldier.

Felix: Calm down, Stassney. I’m not gonna kill you.

Stassney: You—Y-You’re not?

Felix: No. (Twirls gun in his hand.) He is.

Stassney: (Looks up to see Locus standing over him, his shotgun held at point-blank range.) Oh, son of a bitch-

Shotgun goes off. Cut to Locus and Felix walking side-by-side on a catwalk in the prisoner holding room, as Space Pirates are eliminating the remaining guards.

Space Pirate 1: Sector 1, clear.

Space Pirate 2: Sector 2, clear.

Space Pirate 3: Sector 3, clear.

Prisoners yell from their cells.

Locus: (Grabs the intercom) Quiet.

Prisoners stop talking.

Locus: As of this moment, we are the new crew of this ship.

Prisoner: Well who the hell are you?

Felix: (to Locus) Why don’t you let the people-person handle this, okay? (Takes the intercom from Locus) Listen up. We’re looking for soldiers who aren’t afraid of killing lots of people for lots of money. We don’t care who you are and we don’t care what you've done, because quite frankly, we’ve probably done a helluva lot worse. All we want are men who can follow orders and hold their own on the battlefield. We’re goin' to war, folks. Now, our enemies are weak, but there’s a lot of 'em, and they’ve got a couple of badass Freelancer agents on their side. But...! If you survive, you’ll be rich enough to live out the rest of your lives as free men. (Prisoners murmur amongst themselves) Now, if this totally awesome idea doesn’t sound like your kind of job, we’ll let you off the ship. But if you’re ready to fight for your freedom, then please, firmly grasp the bars of your cell in a sign of solidarity.

Several prisoners grab the cell bars.

Felix: Well. All right then.

Felix flips up the lid over a red button labeled “PURGE” and slams it. Airlock doors in the prisoners’ cells open, sucking those that didn’t grab the bars, as well as those who did but were not strong enough to hold on, into the vacuum of space. Prisoners started to yell and scream in panic while Locus and Felix remain unaffected due to their gravity boots. Felix presses the button again, shutting the doors.

Prisoner: Oh my god!

Locus: (Over the intercom) Congratulations; you’re hired.

Cut to Felix and Locus reentering the control room.

Felix: Before you say anything, yes, I know they triggered the alarm, and yes, I did have more fun because of it, thank you for asking.

Locus: These prisoners lack our men’s discipline.

Felix: Control wants to even the numbers. You got a better idea?

Control room door slides open

Space Pirate: Locus. Felix. We’ve got a prisoner who doesn’t really look up to par. Smartass put two and two together and tied his bedsheets around his waist before the purge.

Felix: Quick thinking.

Space Pirate: He asked to speak with you. Says he has something you need.

Locus: Bring him in.

The space pirate escorts the prisoner into the room.

Counselor: Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aiden Price.

Felix: Okay. Well, Price, here’s the deal: we’re looking for soldiers, not whatever the hell you’re supposed to be.

Locus: You say you have something we want?

Counselor: No. I have something you need. The Freelancers you mentioned—am I correct in assuming they’re Agents Carolina, Minnesota, and Washington?

Locus: How would you know that?

Counselor: I know everything there is to know about my agents. As the… former Counselor of Project Freelancer, I helped mold them. Psychiatric analyses. Medical histories. They’re all housed (taps the side of his head) right here. And I can give them to you.

Felix: (Chuckles) Hate to cut your lifeline short, Counselor, but we’ve already got access to all of Freelancers’ confiscated records—

Counselor: If you’re referring to the documents recovered by the UNSC, you should know, that is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Felix: (Levels his gun at the Counselor) I think you’re bluffing.

Counselor: Did you know Agent Washington refuses Artificial Intelligence access to his neural implants? Or that Agent Minnesota has a slight fear of being alone? Or that Agent Carolina’s 57% more likely to neglect her teammates when presented with a competitive scenario? No? Then I also doubt you realize there is another inmate aboard this ship that shares a history with the Freelancers. One who would undoubtedly prove useful to you if he were... properly guided.

Felix: (A moment of silence passes, pulls his gun away) Quick thinker and quick talker! (Chuckles and puts an arm around the Counselor’s shoulder.) We’re gonna get along grrreat!

Locus: This second inmate—take us to him.

Counselor: Of course.

Camera pans to monitor screen with Malcom Hargrove concluding his interview.

Hargrove: Now, now... that’s enough questions for today.

Cut to the prison cell being opened by Locus, Felix, and the Counselor. The prisoner stands.

Hargrove: (voice over) Remember. All good things must come to an end.

Camera zooms in on the prisoner's face, revealing a prosthetic eye, tattoos similar to Sharkface's armor, and scarring along his face from burns. 

With Caboose and Grif at an unknown base.

Grif: Caboose!

Caboose: Gah! What?

Grif: Have you seen- wait a minute, what the hell are you doing?

Caboose: Uhh... You ever get the feeling something really, really bad is going to happen...?

Grif: Only every single fucking time I have to talk to you...

Grif leaves.

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07-25-2022

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