New Assignment

The quiet hum of the ONI facility was interrupted by the soft beep of the comms terminal. Marcus looked up from where he sat in the crew quarters, his mind still lingering on the memories of Harvest, though he had long since buried them beneath layers of focus. The message was clear and direct, cutting through the stillness like a knife.

"All personnel assigned to Task Force Viper report to Briefing Room 3."

Alyssa glanced over from her bunk, already rising to her feet and grabbing her gear. "Looks like we're up again."

Marcus nodded, standing and stretching the stiffness out of his limbs. His body still felt the aches of their last mission, though the system had done its part to speed up his recovery. The constant presence of the system—its quiet, cold calculations—was always there, lurking just below the surface.

[Energy: 85%.]

He wasn't sure how he felt about it anymore. It had saved his life more times than he could count, pushed him beyond his natural limits, but at what cost? Every time it intervened, he felt a little less like himself.

Alyssa slung her rifle over her shoulder, giving him a quick nod. "Come on. Lachlan's probably already waiting for us."

"Yeah," Marcus muttered, following her out of the quarters. Lachlan, despite being a relatively new addition to the team, had a way of making his presence known. His loud, carefree attitude was a sharp contrast to the grim, sterile world of ONI operations.

As they made their way through the winding corridors of the facility, Marcus couldn't help but wonder what this next mission would bring. ONI had been pushing them harder and harder lately, their assignments becoming more dangerous with every passing day. The Forerunner artifact was still fresh in his mind—its strange energy, the way it had interacted with him. It wasn't something he could easily forget.

They reached the briefing room to find Lachlan already there, leaning casually against the wall with a smug grin on his face.

"Took you two long enough," he said with a wink. "Thought maybe you were ditching me for a quiet life somewhere off the radar."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "You wish."

Marcus gave Lachlan a nod, though his expression remained serious. "What's this about?"

Before Lachlan could answer, the door hissed open, and Commander Tate strode into the room, his face as unreadable as ever. He was a man of few words, but every word he spoke carried weight—an authority that was impossible to ignore.

"Take a seat," Tate said, his voice cold and clipped.

The three of them sat at the table, the holo-screen in front of them flickering to life. A map of a distant planet appeared, its surface marked by the unmistakable signs of Covenant activity. The name of the planet flashed across the screen: Phaeton Minor.

"This is your next mission," Tate began, his tone matter-of-fact. "We've received intel that the Covenant is conducting a large-scale operation on Phaeton Minor. We don't know exactly what they're after, but it's enough to warrant ONI's attention."

Marcus's eyes narrowed as he studied the map. Phaeton Minor was another remote world, far from UNSC-controlled space. The Covenant's interest in such isolated locations had always been suspicious—more often than not, it was connected to Forerunner relics or technology.

"We've intercepted communications suggesting that they've found something of importance. Your objective is to infiltrate the Covenant base, gather intel, and—if possible—disrupt their operation. We need to know what they're after and stop them before they can secure it."

Tate's gaze shifted to Marcus, his eyes hard. "And if you encounter another artifact, you know the drill. Secure it for ONI."

The mention of an artifact sent a chill through Marcus. His mind flashed back to the mission on Phaethon and the surge of energy that had nearly overwhelmed him when he touched the Forerunner relic. The system had malfunctioned back then, and he wasn't sure what would happen if it happened again.

"Understood," Marcus said quietly.

Tate continued, his expression unchanged. "You'll have standard support, but this mission is primarily off the grid. Stealth is your priority—do not engage unless absolutely necessary. We can't afford another full-scale battle like the one on Phaethon."

Alyssa nodded, her face set in determination. "We'll handle it."

Lachlan leaned back in his chair, a casual smile on his face. "Sounds like another day in paradise. Let's just hope this one doesn't have any giant Hunters, eh?"

Tate's eyes flicked to Lachlan, his expression unamused. "You're dismissed. The mission begins in four hours. Be ready."

With that, Tate turned and left the room, leaving the three of them alone once more. The holo-screen blinked off, plunging the room into a brief silence.

"Well," Lachlan said, standing up and stretching, "seems like we're about to get cozy with the Covenant again. Lovely bunch, aren't they?"

Alyssa gave him a half-smile. "You're way too cheerful for someone who's about to dive headfirst into enemy territory."

"Gotta keep it light, love," Lachlan replied with a wink. "Otherwise this whole mercenary gig gets a bit grim, don't you think?"

Marcus stayed quiet, his mind already turning over the details of the mission. Another Forerunner artifact. Another high-risk operation. He knew the system would keep pushing him, and part of him was starting to wonder how much longer he could keep this up.

As they left the briefing room, Lachlan fell into step beside Marcus, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "You alright, mate? You've been awfully quiet."

"I'm fine," Marcus said, though he wasn't sure if he believed it.

Lachlan raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You know, I get it. You've been through the wringer more times than I can count, and this ONI lot isn't exactly known for their... compassion." He paused, his expression softening slightly. "But if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Can't promise I'll make much sense, but I'll listen."

Marcus glanced at him, surprised by the sincerity in Lachlan's tone. He had expected the usual quips and banter, but this... this was something different.

"I appreciate that," Marcus said, his voice quieter than usual.

Lachlan gave him a small grin. "No worries, mate. Just don't go all broody on me now. We've got a job to do."

Alyssa rejoined them as they reached the hangar, her rifle slung across her back. "Alright, let's gear up. We've got four hours before we deploy."

The three of them moved toward the armory, the weight of the mission already settling over them. As Marcus checked his equipment, he couldn't shake the feeling that this mission was going to push him further than ever before. The system was quiet now, but he knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

And whatever they found on Phaeton Minor, it wouldn't be the end.