Crimson

The Pelican was quiet of all noise but the engines, just the way Anastasia like things. She wasn't a particularly happy woman at the moment and she had a feeling this might be one of her last moments of peace before the others arrived and all of that was ruined. She had worked so hard to be a skilled soldier, received all of the specializations when most only went for one or two. She had hoped to be sent out into the field alone, the way she would have preferred it, and be fighting rebels. Instead here she was waiting for her team and they were going to be fighting the Covenant. She'd had her fill of the Covenant during the war and she really didn't know why they were fighting them again. She hadn't paid much attention to the mission briefing after she'd been told she’d be on a team.

Anastasia wasn't new to being on a team but this was different. She'd always been an ODST, and she'd always been ready for her squad to die. That was the cold reality of ODST. They fought hard and died often, all part of the job. It was what worked best for Anastasia. She didn't want to let anyone too close and tight bonds weren't exactly common in the ODST. For some people that close friend would come along, that person that kept surviving every mission with you, but Anastasia had never found a person like that. Though she hadn't really been looking. There was still the tight bond of a squad but ODST had to be able to step back from their emotions when a friend was injured or died. Anastasia had liked that part of being an ODST. She wasn't expected to make best friends and when someone died they moved on, didn't dwell on it. They still tried to save the injured until the moment their heart stopped beating but when it did they didn't fall apart over it. If anything they fought harder. 

In contrast to the high mortality rate of the ODST the Spartans seemed to have a very low death rate. That meant that whoever these people were she’d end up stuck with them for quite a while. Maybe she could outshine them all enough they'd realize her talent was being wasted with a team and she could handle missions on her own. She did have over a decade of fighting the Covenant under her belt after all. She could handle them, and as a Spartan she could do it alone.

There were footsteps on the metal floor of the pelican and Anastasia cursed silently. Her peace was broken. The man who entered had dark brown hair, dark enough it almost looked black. There was something wrong about the way that the man walked but Anastasia couldn't identify what it was. The man looks at her and smiled as he took a seat across from her. 

Another person walked onto the pelican and Anastasia's scowl deepened. This man's hair was actually black and his eyes were and unnatural golden color. She wondered if he was radioactive or something. There wasn't much else to note about the man. He moved over to take a seat beside the other man but a few seats down. He gave a polite smile to the first man but not much more.

The woman that walked in after the second man seemed normal enough. She had dark blond hair and hazel eyes. The only thing that was odd about her was that Anastasia could see no scars on the woman. Maybe she'd just gotten lucky and had avoided any injuries to her face but there was something in the way she carried herself that made Anastasia wonder if that was the case. She looked over the other members and smiled slightly. Anastasia wondered if she was the only one who didn't want to be here. The other woman took a seat beside Anastasia and across from the second man but didn't say anything. 

The rear to the pelican shut and Anastasia could feel the craft lifting. There was an awkward silence among the new team. It reminded Anastasia of when she'd first been moved to Reach and had been tossed into a brand new school with new kids, except they were all the new kids to class. They were silent and waiting for just one of the other people to break the ice so they wouldn't have to. Anastasia wondered if this was how all Spartans felt when put with their team or if the fact they hadn't been trained as a team was the cause of the silence.

The silence was finally broken by the first man who had entered. "Well if we're going to be a team we might as well get to know each other. I'll start." No one objected so he continued. "My name is Dylan Rodriguez. I was born on Madrigal and have been a soldier, an ODST, for twenty-four years. Old teammates used to call me Dragon warrior, or Spartan-024." 

"Only Spartan II get numbers," Anastasia pointed out. "You aren’t a Spartan II. Though if you used to be an ODST then I guess calling you a Spartan was their way of insulting you." She crossed her arms over her chest and Dylan just frowned a bit, apparently unsure what to do with the comment.

"I'm more interested in how you got your prosthetic legs." Evelyn raised an eyebrow and waited for him to answer. Dylan looked surprised by the question. Anastasia was just glad that now know what was wrong with his walk. 

"Lost them on a mission," Dylan answered. "It was some time ago. Who wants to go next?"

"I guess I should go next," the second man spoke up. He seemed cautious and a bit hesitant. "I'm Raimundo S. Riviera. Born on Jericho VII and have been a soldier for twenty years." Silence settled in the ship. "Sorry, I'm not missing any limbs." 

"But you're the only one that doesn't seem happy to be leaving Earth. I saw you hesitate before you got onto the pelican," Evelyn explained.

"Well let’s just say I have my reasons for wanting to stay." Raimundo didn't seem willing to give up more than that. "What's your story?" 

"My name is Evelyn LaCoste. I've been an active soldier for four years." The way that Evelyn said how long she'd been a soldier was a bit defensive, almost hesitant.

"Great, so our team not only has a cripple but a hot pocket. Just great," Anastasia gripped. Dylan frowned at her but Evelyn raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Like this couldn't get any worse. You do realize you have been a soldier for a third of the rest of us. I've been fighting the Covenant for twelve years. Hope you know to stand back and let the big kids handle the fight. Or run out and get yourself killed. Maybe they'll give us someone for the team that isn't wet behind the ears." 

"What is your problem," Dylan cut in. "Why are you being so grouchy?"

"Why? Maybe because I put all the effort into mastering all the specializations so I wouldn't need a team and now I'm stuck with you people." Anastasia slumped in her seat. 

"You mastered all the Specializations too?" Dylan asked.

"Maybe were just a team of those that didn't fit," Raimundo suggested. "I mean a disabled Spartan, an untested Spartan, and the Spartan with the worst attitude. I guess I'm just the unlucky guy stuck in the team." 

Silence settled again until Evelyn spoke up. "Raise your hand if you've mastered all specializations." All four of the soldiers lifted their hand. "Odd that they would put four people who have mastery in one team." They let their hands fall and considered the situation.

"Maybe they have something planned," Raimundo spoke up. "Maybe we just need to have a little faith." 

"The only place faith belongs is in a drop pod," Anastasia muttered.

Silence returned for a few seconds. "So...are you going to introduce yourself?" Dylan asked. 

Anastasia shrugged but gave in. " Anastasia Novara, Eridanus II, ODST twenty-two years." Silence settled in and stayed as they rose up to the ship.

~*~*~ 

The four soldiers moved out of the simulator, none of them happy. They made their way to the locker room to remove the attachments that allowed their holographic armor to be put on in the chamber. They started to store it away without a word. "Okay, I'll say it," Anastasia spoke up. "We are the worst team ever."

"There was a lack of team cohesion," Evelyn agreed. "We didn't work together at all and they tore us apart." Evelyn put away the last of her upper components. “If only I’d have more time. I could have figured out their weakness, what their strategy was.”

“Well news flash, Hot Pocket, there wasn’t more time. Life doesn’t give you a night to finish your homework and figure out how you’d react, it shoots you in the face if you don’t think fast enough.” Anastasia slammed one of her pieces into her locker. “Why don’t you just leave the strategy and fighting to the actually competent soldiers?”

“Just because I haven’t been in combat doesn’t mean I can’t fight. I didn’t see you coming up with any strategies,” Evelyn shot back.

"Well maybe if two of our teammates didn't go running off like idiots we would have been able to stick together and maybe wouldn't have been trounced. Maybe even make a game plan." Anastasia glared at the two male soldiers.

"Wait, why are you blaming us? We were killing people, what were you doing?" Raimundo glared back at her. 

"Fighting isn't going to do us any good," Dylan cut in. "We all did awfully and didn't work together. It takes four to fail that badly."

"I don't know, knocking him out might do me some good," Anastasia clenched her fist. 

"Maybe they'll see how horrible we are and they'll put us on different teams," Evelyn reasoned.

"What if they don't?" Dylan asked. 

The soldiers all looked at each other and Anastasia didn't know how to answer the question. With how awful they had performed it seemed impossible that they could remain a team. "We're screwed," Anastasia said before moving back to the task of removing the pieces from her suit.

~*~*~ 

Commander Sarah Palmer looked over the results from today's testing. She frowned at the results of Crimson team's first match. "It seems your experiment failed," the voice from the video chat said.

Sarah turned her attention to Admiral Osman. "It was only a first match, ma'am. Sometimes things that clash can become ideal matches." She glanced over her shoulder toward Captain Lasky who was talking to another Spartan. "The greatest teams don't always do well from the start." 

Admiral Osman nodded and her gaze became a bit distant. "True. The greatest team, maybe in UNSC history, came in last place in the first exercise they ever did together." Osman focused again. "Update me if they improve. If they don't, dissolve the team."

"Understood, ma'am. Palmer out." Sarah switched off the com and sighed. She had to have faith in Crimson. She looked bayside her as Lasky moved over to join her. "Captain." 

"How did the games go today? Will they be ready for the mission?" Lasky asked. He moved to look at the statistics but Palmer turned off the screen. He looked at her, unsure.

"They'll be ready," Sarah assured him. "Trust me, Tom." He let out a long breath and nodded, accepting her statement.