Future glories lost

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:03:05 GMT

Haven't written anything in here for too long. Got to catch up...

Well, things've been okay overall. If I don't count 'Turamee and his ravings. I know I shouldn't put the shipmaster down, but, dear gods - only body count that man gets is droning people to death, I swear. Have to wonder what strings got pulled to drop him in charge. Or what stroke of luck he had.

Pretty much routine cleanup, at the moment. Nothing unusual to report. Wait - one thing, perhaps. Few rookies in the unit at the moment; fresh-faced kids, armour almost too big for them. This is their first posting away from home.
Welcome to real life, you lot. Welcome to the real world.

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:04:53 GMT

Ugh, last few months've been bad.
Let's start with the fact that somehow, we ended up with a whole load of godsdamned Flood breaking loose on the AV. I mean, damn. How does that work? Who'd be stupid enough to let them on the transports in the first place? They'd've been blown up soon as there was any idea they were infected! Just to make things worse, my damn powers decided to drop out at that moment. I suppose this is what you get when the Nexus gives you something good. It runs out when you need it most.

So we had to abandon ship. Dropped out of Slipspace to the only planet we could even risk making it to that looked like it could handle life.

And that was pushing it.
Most of it'd been glassed already. Managed to find a spot that hadn't been as badly hit (we were damn lucky there *was* one), there was actually water we could purify, but still; it's the most miserable thing you could imagine, trying to camp out in a wasteland like that, hoping your rations last out long enough for someone to come on a rescue mission (must've been twice as bad for the little guys with the gas deal); it was damn close. I think all of us were praying, and the big guys didn't seem to care that humans were praying right along with them.
I saw something made me wonder. Made me a bit sick, too. Melted carvings, looked like they were in old English once. I think it was a human colony before it got hit. Tried not to think about it, 'cause it's something you don't want to down there.

We got picked up a little while ago. It's only a cargo ship, so it's kind of cramped, but it's going to drop us on a nearby orbital station so everything can be worked out. Not glamourous, but I don't care, it's off that godsforsaken melted rock.

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:30:55 GMT

There's reports running around the ship of a strange creature, all black spikes and glowing eyes, causing trouble. The higher ups are denying it, but there's so many people saying they've seen something it's crazy.

Thing is? I ain't used that form on the ship for ages. I test it out in the Nexus now and then, but that's all. (Keep feeling a bit strange when I come back from it. Eh, just something new to cope with.)

Something's FUBAR'd, or someone's lying.

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:46:44 GMT

...that did the job. Just getting out there, getting my feet on a damn planet again, not bouncing off the walls like someone shot me out'f a needler - cures everything. Ain't felt this alive in a long time. Feel like a little kid who's just got his hands on his first set of armour.

Got to calm down, now.
Get some of the crap off my kit, too. Close call; lost shields for too damn long at one point. Nearly risked changing and using my own; figured it'd be just too many things to explain at a bad time. Got them back just in time, gods be praised.
All the same; infection form slime is a pain.

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:33:34 GMT

...strange how differently things work out in different worlds.

But besides the point.

Finally; getting out of here. Seems like a pretty routine cleanup job, most of the colony's evacuated already but Flood hit the 'port and no-one else has got anywhere to run. Thank the gods - action. I mean, I feel for th' people down there, wouldn't be much good if I didn't, but I'm sick of waiting around.

Just as long as I don't fall asleep in my armour. I mean - this gets much worse'n I'll be no good for fighting, but damn if fresh air isn't going to help. Any chance I'm getting, I'm opening the vents.
Anyway. Here we go.

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:38:29 GMT

...okay, the - different form thing is definitely a factor in this tiredness deal. I'm trying to see if staying normal is making it better, but so far I haven't recovered any. Actually starting to get rather hungry with it. Wake up and I'm starving.

Can't see the docs about this one, now. Better just hope it clears up. The stimulant packs do the job for long enough when they've got to, so that's something.

So I've gotten 'what' worked out.
Time to get on to 'why'.

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:30:30 GMT

Feeling so tired it's untrue, and I haven't even done anything much recently. Most action I've had is a few rounds in the gym with L and TC the other day. Should go make an appointment with the doc but it's probably nothing.

That creepy kid, going on about 'the darkness'. Wish I knew what in the name of the gods he was talking about. Physically, okay, could lose myself in a dark room when I'm like that but I know that wasn't what he meant. He expected me to know 'cause of what I am, and I don't.

Been running around the Nexus the other way to try and test out what I can actually do like that except frighten the life out of the new guys. Some useful things there from what I can tell; I need to find a way to practice. Though every time I do them, it feels odd. If I can use them, though, it'll all help.

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:57:35 GMT

...No matter what I am, who I am doesn't change. It's still me on the inside; it's just like putting on my armour. Just comes from a different place.

Everyone gets fidgety on these long Slipspace hops. Try to keep occupied but it always seems to get a bit nasty at the end. And we're the ones who always end up on the wrong end of it, 'cause some idiot (I shouldn't say that) takes it into their head that we're not doing our job right and we shouldn't be on here. All that crap. Always the same.

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 23:57:03 GMT

...dear gods, those ODSTS, when I went and... I've never seen them so freaked out in all my life. These're the sorts'f guys who'll face the Flood head-on without our armour, and I had them spooked. Went back in as my normal self later and they were all trying to act like it'd been nothing. "I could've taken him" and all that.
Time to surprise a few Grunts later.
Haven't dared trigger a transformation when I'm in armour yet. Don't want to imagine the damage those spikes (I need to get this right in my head - my spikes - damn, that sounds weird) could do to it. Or what damage it could do to me right back. It doesn't seem to affect my normal clothes for some reason, but armour's that much tougher, after all.

Wondering how long this is going to last.

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:07:15 GMT

Handling this better than I did the Elite. The instincts have come with the package this time. Think I can tell how I change back, too; it's just something I say, and I've got a good idea what. No need to rush. It feels kind of good - about the same as actually having my armour on. Only this is - part of me. Touch it, I can feel it. Need to go test it out, but I'm not sure where. Ain't like I can make sure no-one catches me in the gym.
The instincts are pretty bad, though. It's easy enough to act human, but I can just hear it inside me, something worse than the Flood. Can keep it under control for the moment. If I don't think I can, I go back... and hope the thing doesn't follow me.
Another sort of demon, huh?

((In this form, his abilities roughly parallel those he has in armour, only coming in a non-technological form. His shields are telekinetic and about as strong as usual - he has a certain amount of control within the rough radius of said shields (about 6in-1ft); in place of radio, he has some telepathic ability - although he can't just hear thoughts at random, only those that are 'directed' at him. His armour plates will 'bleed' if damaged, but will heal with the rest of him. He's not quite as strong or as fast as in his *real* armour.))

[private journal]

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 21:13:27 GMT

Notes re: differences in worlds

- Spartans, all from worlds where UNSC(?) still govt.? (stating obvious, wouldn't be Spartans otherwise!)
-- Aiden, 687, know details.
-- Danni knows I'm not from world like hers? Doesn't know further.
-- York etc apparently don't know; haven't had any reaction from them.

- Heretic, Grave, Higralda, still at war? maybe.
-- World where things went wrong? Don't trust what Heretic says.
- Female Ultra, Prophet, Engineer, no signs things are different for them and that's a relief. Honoured to meet a Prophet there; hadn't expected it.

No Grunts, Brutes, Drones present that I've seen/met.
No other humans from this world or one like it that I know of. Just chance?

[private journal]

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:12:55 GMT

Every time I go out there and every time I go talk to them, I'm lying because they're afraid. Just because it'll make it easier.

Why should I hide what I am?
I'm a Demon. Not a 'Spartan' (what does that mean, anyway?). Their problem if they can't adapt to the idea. Two of them did already, the rest'll have to some day.

Shame, though. They're a decent group from everything I know of them. Kind of guys I wouldn't mind fighting alongside. But to them, I'm the enemy and that's that.

And one tear was closed...

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:19:52 GMT

K almost fell out of bed that morning. Shakily, he managed to pull himself back onto his feet; it took a little while for him to stop himself standing on tiptoe. Everything seemed to be ...back to normal. Couple of human troops in the corridors, ODSTs he recognised - he gave them a smile as he went past, confusing them somewhat. Too normal.

"Hey, you!" he yelled, picking on a hapless Grunt. "Y' ...noticed anything odd over th' past few days?"
It almost squeaked. "N-no!"

...Well.

But how come he knew?

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 09:44:47 GMT

Adapting had been awkward, to say the least. This wasn't him, K knew. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be. But they were. Some trick of the gods, or some bend in reality, he still hadn't decided. Any time that there'd been no-one to see, he'd put a hand on the wall bracing himself - he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to fall down a lot of the time. The eating situation had been a mess; he'd had to take meals back to his quarters to hide from the eyes of the others, who would no doubt have been confused as to how he wasn't able to accomplish the simplest of things. Four jaws were a lot more complicated than just the one... and the other personal issues had been equally awkward to work out.

Still, it did have a couple of good points.
Kei 'Saituvee had a lot more status around here than K-7204 ever had. And he intended to take advantage of it while he could.
...He was trying not to consider the possibility that it might be for good.

Plans

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 23:26:54 GMT

Two human figures walked down the Vengeance's corridors. No-one had ever accused K of being the most formal of leaders.
"M-4122? You sort things out this evenin'. If anyone gives ya trouble, you've got my full permission to smack their heads into each other."
"Major? What's going on, sir?"
"Nothin' you need to worry about. It's just personal things I've got t' take care of."

Making excuses to run off to a party. He really hadn't expected to be doing that...

No place like home.

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 17:26:36 GMT

It'd been hard to find his way home, but it'd been doable after enough searching and backtracking. Gods, it'd been a relief to see the familiar corridors of the Vengeance again; the comfortable blues and purples that he'd been used to for so long. Something real, again.

"Hey! We've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?"
He sighed. "Y'wouldn't believe me if I told you." He wasn't sure he could entirely believe it either. Everything he'd heard - sounded impossible. How things could have happened like that, so differently to how they had here... he rested a hand on the ammo pouch where he'd stashed the PINpoint.

"You're going to be in trouble with the commanders."
"Yeah, no kidding?"

It was still hard to visualise what he'd been told...

Damn, he was glad his world had been lucky.

Testing, testing.

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:07:04 GMT

...piece of Grunt-crap radio, can't get the damn thing to work for five seconds - pfft. Okay, picking up a signal. Testing, testing, one, two, K-7204 transmitting - can anyone hear me?