Remember Reach

[Voltex]

[TRANSMISSION 73921 – SPARTAN B312, DESIGNATION NOBLE 6][DATE: AUGUST 30, 2552][LOCATION: REACH]“This is Spartan-B312, Designation Noble Six.” I said as I wandered the barren surface. “All... all other Noble Team members killed in action.”I paused to take a few breaths, glancing around to make sure I wasn’t being followed.“I am lost on Reach, requesting evac. Mission was a success. Cortana is in the hands of the UNSC.”I stopped again, noting a Covenant ship slowly growing closer in the distance, and decided to give Noble Team one last hoorah.“I’ve... recorded our mission. Sending video transmissions now...”[TRANSMISSION LOG: 49303 – SPARTAN B312, DESIGNATION NOBLE 6][DATE: AUGUST 14, 2552][LOCATION: REACH]“Hey Six, you better be ready to blow this place up!” Jorge bellowed from the next room.“Is everyone else out?” I asked, backing into the room and firing my shotgun twice, taking out two rather stupid Elites.“Since forever ago, where’ve you been, under a rock?”“Don’t remind me of that. Please don’t mention that ever again.” I shuddered at the memory of what had happened immediately upon entering the ship.“Hey, we told you not to run in guns blazing. It was your own bloody fault.” Jorge told me, turning his attention back to the console. “Alright... I’ve just about... got it! There! This place is now ready to blow up!”“Great!” I grinned from inside my helmet, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see me. “So, how long do we have to get out?”“That depends on your point of view.” Jorge turned away from me to gesture towards the console. “If we’re talking your point of view Six, then you’ve got as much time as you need, seeing as I’ll be pressing the button. Conversely, if we’re talking my point of view... well, let’s just say I’m already dead.”“That’s horrible!” I cried. “Why couldn’t you just set it up as a time bomb, seriously? You’re horrible at this!”“Meh, not as horrible as you are at playing this game.” Jorge commented.“What? I don’t understand...” I replied, confused.Jorge ignored me, glancing at a screen to his left and sighing.“Guess you don’t have all the time you need, Six. More Elites are on their way.”“I’ll stay here with you! We’ll fight them off! Together!” I protested, hopping away as he tried to grab me.“Look Six, either you jump out on your own and do your best to survive crash landing into the planet or I throw you out and you do your best to survive crash landing into the planet.” Jorge told me. “So, which one is it gonna be?”I remained silent for several minutes, trying to decide.“Option one or option two, Six?” Jorge asked again, sounding aggravated.“Option three. I stay here with you.” I replied. “And for the love of mankind, if you are going to refuse to call me by my name, I request that you at least use my full noble placement, Jorge.”“Whatever you say, Six.” Jorge responded, stepping forward and then lunging at me fast as lightning.“Hey! Let me go! Let me go! Put me down!” I yelled. “Jorge, stop this nonsense! There’s no way I’m going to survive this fall!”“It’s time for you to go.”He used his spare hand to shatter the window, and he then removed his helmet so that I could see his face.“Six, it’s been great knowing you.” Jorge told me. “Sure, you’re the most stupid person I’ve ever seen, but I was glad to know that there was somebody on Noble Team that I was actually smarter than. I was hoping I wouldn’t die first, but I guess I’ll take what I can get.”“Didn’t the original Noble Six die before you hired me?” I asked, not sure of how else to reply.Jorge paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face, before nodding in agreement and grinning.“You’re right, Six! Guess you’re smarter than you look... sometimes. I got both of my wishes after all! Well, it really is time for you to go, so good luck!”Before I could reply Jorge shoved me away and I began to fall out of the ship towards certain doom. In my last glimpse of him and in the final seconds I saw him his face turned somber, and he put his helmet back on, activating his radio to speak.“Tell ‘em to make it count.”“Make what count?!” I radioed back. “Jorge! Answer me! We can’t take on an entire planet by ourselves! Jorge!”I received no reply, and seconds later I saw the ship explode, erupting in a massive ball of fire. Alongside my desperate prayers that I would survive the impact to come, I began praying that the wreckage wouldn’t tear me apart- for there was no longer anything I could do for Jorge. Noble Five was gone.[TRANSMISSION 73921 – SPARTAN B312, DESIGNATION NOBLE 6][DATE: AUGUST 30, 2552][LOCATION: REACH]“Jorge might’ve... been my best friend... other than Kat.” I continued once the video ended. “Oh, Kat... she was something else. Except for that robotic arm, because to be honest, that thing was creepy, how it would just whir as it moved about. Her driving skills were awful as well- we nearly flew off of the cliff a few times, and on more than one occasion I had to scrounge up Covenant vehicles to replace our Warthogs.”I found a small cave and decided to hop in for a moment while I relayed the next video, hiding from the Covenant ship.“It was Kat who died next. We were all starting to think Jorge might be the only one to die as it had been over a week... her death was so sudden.”[TRANSMISSION LOG: 68454 – SPARTAN B312, DESIGNATION NOBLE 6][DATE: AUGUST 23, 2552][LOCATION: REACH]Kat and I sprinted into the elevator as the plasma bombing began, Kat only barely making it in time.“First glassing?” Kat panted, trembling and placing her helmet on her head. “Same here, you’re not alone.”“You didn’t give me time to respond.” I replied sourly. “You know, I have my reputation for a reason, Kat. I’ve survived three of them before now.”“You’ve survived three?!”“Yeah, it isn’t that hard.”“Try telling that to the rest of us, Six. I don’t know of anyone that has survived more than one.” Kat shook her head. “I think you’re lying.”“All of you always think I’m lying.” I muttered. “The only one that didn’t think I lied was Jorge, and he thought I was stupid.”“You’re stupid too.” Kat agreed absentmindedly, before answering a radio call from Carter.“Says the one who does her best to drive us off cliffs and find other assorted ways to kills us all while on Warthogs.” I muttered to myself, as the elevator lift came to a halt.The doors opened and the others ran across the small space free of rubble without incident, all of them chattering about the new mission we’d been given. Kat and I started to follow-ERROR. TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED. ERROR CODE 01104.ERROR. TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED. ERROR CODE 01105.ERROR. TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED. ERROR CODE 73811.On Reach:“Darn it, come on!” I muttered, slapping my helmet. “Why doesn’t the UNSC actually make equipment that works?”I took my helmet off and shook it a bit before placing it back on.ERROR CORRECTED.ERROR CORRECTED.ERROR IGNORED.SEND?“Let’s try this again...” I grumbled. “Maybe this time I’ll get to show them more than one tragic death.”End. I had fun writing this- it's my entry into the COT Library Summer Olympics 2012. If enough people want it I may consider completing Kat's scene and expanding the comedy to touch upon every Noble Team member, but right now I'm content to leave it as it.-ibrow

[Plague]

Wait... This was a comedy? Good writing, excellent. I love how all the other Noble Team call him stupid.

[Voltex]

Wait... This was a comedy? Good writing, excellent. I love how all the other Noble Team call him stupid.

I'm hoping that first comment was made in reference to the fact that the title does not imply a comedy. =PGood to know I got the writing alright. It was fun to do this up.-ibrow

[- JL -]

Found it funny. And also awesome. Maybe next year you'll do something similar, except instead of Noble Team, its Majestic Squad?

[Voltex]

Found it funny. And also awesome. Maybe next year you'll do something similar, except instead of Noble Team, its Majestic Squad?

Er, maybe. xD If you guys want though, I might go through to the end with this and do all of Noble Team.-ibrow

[Mare Tranquillitatis]

It would be nice to see how others, especially Emile, would comment on their adventure. Funny take on their actions. I loved the comment from Six about Kat's driving, it's exactly what happens in-game!I have to say I've been tricked by the title, it seemed this was gonna be a dramatic story, instead it isn't. Well, not completely. But it's a nice story, in my opinion.Hope that you put also Jun, Carter and Emile, it would be perfect. Hey, obviously if you think this won't ruin this first piece, I know how you'd feel.Anyways, great writing. I'll stay focused on this.

[Voltex]

It would be nice to see how others, especially Emile, would comment on their adventure. Funny take on their actions. I loved the comment from Six about Kat's driving, it's exactly what happens in-game!I have to say I've been tricked by the title, it seemed this was gonna be a dramatic story, instead it isn't. Well, not completely. But it's a nice story, in my opinion.Hope that you put also Jun, Carter and Emile, it would be perfect. Hey, obviously if you think this won't ruin this first piece, I know how you'd feel.Anyways, great writing. I'll stay focused on this.

The title I remembered from the advertising campaigns that Bungie did leading up to the game- and it was drawing close when I finished this to the point where I was on the line of making it for the contest on time, and I still didn't have a title. Remember Reach was the only one that stuck. I'll see if Chapter 2 comes to me when I'm writing. If so, you can expect Kat and Jun to be finished there.-ibrow