boxfullofcats | [Log] Big Game Hunters

Entry tags:

[Log] Big Game Hunters

Characters: Master Chief | John (

one_one_se7en), Mizuno Ami | Sailor Mercury (

waterfell
Where: One of the abandoned Halo rings.
When: Morning, during a scouting run.
Summary: Two companions decide to eat outside for a change. Cultural exchange happens, some more delicious than others.
Warnings: Some descriptive alien kills, hunting.

It was a too-familiar sight, the horizon that split in two through the sunlight and night, with its own traces of seas and land extending beyond the sky. The one way he could tell he size differences of the ring was by the thickness of the line splitting the sky, and through it he realized there would still be some differences on the way to fire.

This was supposed to be a scouting run, although a Covenant camp settling in the distance far below him, while looking below a vast mountain and through the jungles, eventually revealed this mission would shift a little.

The moment he does, the Master Chief turns to Mercury, and hands her over a Sniper rifle, and nods her downward for a more secluded, comfortable position to shoot from, as he retrieved elements from his rutsack for a sniping mission. Likewise, what was going to be a calm walk beside Mercury to simply be in eachother's company was silently agreed to become another hunting lesson.

He also offers a sheet, in the form of a ghilly suit, for protection.

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John understood the powers of the senshi uniform. Even as a single piece, it matched in power to the MJOLNIR. But his reason to hand her over a ghillie suit wasn't so much for stealth, but to protect her from the local fauna. God knows the MJOLNIR wasn't stealthy on its own when painted in bright colors, but it protected against the elements perhaps too well. If the senshi outfit wouldn't cover her against them, the sheet could.

That, and through either Mendez' care or sadism, Spartans became paranoid enough to declare everything inside of an armory as their own. Including ghillie suits.

"Let's take a covered spot. Any glint could give us away." He cut through the foliage of the jungle, a great cover on its own. A window through the vast, entangled trees appeared letting sunlight in. And a plateau to use.

A nod. Not only the weapons, but even parts of her uniform might catch the sun and provide an unwanted beacon to be used by the enemy - though that threat was lessened by the suit John had given her. Mercury followed him wordlessly, taking note of their surroundings and the normal background noises as they walked, to be compared against anything out of place later on.

Their path through the jungle, cut down by the Master Chief, was likely to be noticed at some point, but if they did their job, they'd be long finished with this impromptu mission by then and it wouldn't matter. She didn't bother trying to hide their route. As they walked, she considered the new range and new conditions, very different from their last outing. That was good; if she intended to become competent with the sniper rifle, she needed to use it in a variety of conditions.

Many of the Covenant members had sharp senses of smell, she knew, and she quickly tested the wind. "We're downwind from them," she said quietly. Good; their scents wouldn't carry. It was a paranoid thought at this distance anyway, even for her. She wondered if John had something to mask that anyway. Probably, he did.

During the war with the Covenant, it had surprised much of humanity to notice how good half of the species were at noticing scents, and so throughout time, the same maxim to snipers and hunters alike applied: Science, and distance. The wind was favorable to them at least in the regard of scent, and they had a great hiding spot both visually and thermally.

He nods to Ami for the two of them to lay on their chests, and begin settling up both the sniper and many artifacts for their little nest. Missions against the Coveant were often so time-critical many times the need to remain on the same spot for days wasn't as required. Not that Linda had any problem with it.

In the first moments he stays in location, he spends time with Ami to study the environment. Wind, gravity, atmospheric pressure, distance, and countless other elements, with the same calm as a father and a daughter preparing a picnic.

In many ways, this was still a calm day for them. She had no qualms about doing what she considered her duty, which included defending the humans near here, which included this impromptu mission. Neither did she complain about the change in their plans. She was always one to prioritize, and this was the current priority.

And it was time with John, whether they had kept to their original plans, or whether it was like this, side by side, bellies to the ground, carefully waiting lest they ruin their opportunities by rushing in too quickly.

It was almost as if they were simply alone, listening to the wind and the rustle of vegetation for no reason but their own pleasure. But she was keenly alert. She knew so was he.

The rustling of the leaves is what helped John concentrate in his first days utilizing precision weaponry. The lessons of Zen meditation came into use as the sounds of nature were used to pacify him, and in turn Linda mastered the ability and polished it until she became one with the environment, a mountain of metal that stood as still as stone for days to end.

Unlike previous occasions, he decides to remain in silence for Ami to let her concentrate, and feel the environment around her. Even the vegetation, and especially the presence of water of the forest and its humidity, all taken as elements to understand of the worlds, all while observing what was below.

The Grunts had all moved to nap in plain daylight. Their Elite masters were patrolling the area, and only the Jackal marksmen were around on the lookout for intruders.

From behind his visor, not moving a milimeter, his eyes turn to Ami to see her progress in entering the state of blankness of mind.

Mercury had an active, strong mind. Her few allies relied on it, and her enemies had believed they could achieve great feats if it could be brought under their sway.

The drawback, aside from old enemy attempts to capture her, was how difficult her mind was to clear. Still, the natural setting helped, although she would have given a lot to hear the rippling of a nearby stream.

It took time for her to settle, but she had known it would, and she concentrated on her breathing and the other little, physical signs of quiet while her mind gradually quieted, too.

The Master Chief gives her the necessary time for her mind to clear. Something that she struggled the most prior to any moment she was brought in as a sniper. This was the reason he picked this spot, with the presence of water to partly aid Mercury to relate to her own element, and concentrate.

"Listen to the river." John finally speaks, calmed, reminding her of her link and offering her a soothing voice. He learned in time this was what helped her. "Let your pulse slow down. We're well hid here. All you have to do is relax."

As he spoke, he revised the elements around the electronic binoculars settled beside the precision rifle. Almost two kilometers, three variating winds, 1.10G, heavy atmosphere. As the data came in from the object, he passed them over to Mercury's own weapon. Alongside with the magenta armor of an Elite walking around the Wraiths.

She could hear it - not as clearly as John with his augmented hearing, but with something that was deeper than the simple physical signal. She could hear its flow, where it came from and where it was going, where it bent and where it bubbled, and where it lay so gentle that it was nearly still.

That was much better. Mercury took the data readings into account even as she consciously relaxed her muscles. With the physical release of tension, gradually, came the mental as well.

She decided to take out the Elite first. There was no hurry; everything indicated that the Covenant still had no idea of their presence. That would change as soon as she took her first shot, so she waited, calmed herself, and made it count when she finally fired.

In the camp of the Covenant, there is only a whistle before something outright evaporates the Elite's cerebellum alongside the rest of its head, and the rest of his body drops to the ground and forces everyone to take cover. Only later do they hear the sonic boom of the weapon at their distance, and they begin to yell out orders to search for the assassin.

Tucked above a plateau, unmoving from their first shot, John pats Ami's shoulder in a congratulatory gesture. She had gotten better with the weapon, it makes John play with the thought if in another life had Mercury been a markswoman.

"Good kill."

But, as tension and search rises in the camps, some squadrons are sent out to the forests to scan for them. Some Elites even move to the Wraiths.

"They're panicking."

An indirect to stay still. Much akin to the legendary snipers of the twentieth century, they would attempt to destroy vast areas with artillery as they become too frightened to venture outside either forests or vehicles. All to try to kill two people.

She would have been good at it. She brings a head for math, adaptability in her tactics, and a focus that makes her able to stay in position even if calm is more difficult for her. Their missions have been a boon to her in that they provide another way for her to quiet her too-active mind.

Let the Covenant panic; she certainly won't. As the enemy forces move into the forests, and spread out, they will become nothing more than targets that have moved their position. Mercury stays still at John's order, but can't help shooting him a pleased little smile at the compliment. She'd like to finish the rest of them quickly, but for now they still have the advantage of concealment on their side. She won't sacrifice that.

The Master Chief kept his visor forward even as Mercury felt joy at his compliment. While the Sniper Rifle had the power to tear bodies in half and punch through heavy plating, it was bound to lose power the longer the bullet flew onto its target, which made it especially important to neutralize the motor and breathing abilities of the enemy in question case the bullet failed to destroy the body.

Triangle area, that was the priority for shooters. The cerebellum, for less-powered rifles, was often the 'sweet spot', so to speak.

"Free to engage." John marked the priority enemies with red rhombuses. Counter-snipers, commanders, vehicle operators most of all. "Divert them. Make them think we're someplace else, and make them paranoid on which place is safe."

From his spot, he slung up a cartridge with wall-piercing rounds near to Mercury. Not cheap rounds by any long shot, but excellent in taking out enemies within cover.

She was glad to oblige. After considering for a moment, Mercury aimed for some trickier shots. Although they would be more difficult to hit, they should keep the Covenant guessing about the position of their sudden foe.

That wasn't enough. A few patches of highly localized fog crept through the area, dimming visibility further for her foes and making even sound unreliable as the fog carried it better than the oddly dry areas just nearby. Which to trust? She didn't really care that it also probably told them just who their enemy must be.

As she aimed again, she varied her targets so that it would still be unclear just where she must be hidden.

Her reward was chaos. There was something thrilling to her about knowing she was responsible for the quickly deteriorating order in the enemy camp.

Immobile, the Master Chief kept observing from his spot, his HUD marking out the neutralized targets, until his visor took notice of the fog building up. He doesn't raise his head, he relies more on his own eyes to detect the targets where heat signatures would fail.

As he marked the hideous and positions of the enemy, he mutters to her, making use of the fog building up.

"How far do your powers go?"

Another idea appears. The Master Chief was already familiar with Sailor Mercury's abilities up close, cutting up foes with steel-strong ice and pressurized water like a knife.

Could she learn how to do it kilometers away, to control fogs?

She calculated quickly. She'd never tried over such a distance, when her enemies had usually been right in front of her on the battlefield. Mercury considered the already-existing fog; it should be easy for her to manipulate that, thickening it and growing it. And the closer she got to believing she could do it, the more she wanted to try.

She nodded. "I can do it," she said simply. She wondered what the Covenant would make of that, their enemy calling up the very mists and waters against them as if the land itself were taking a side. Her mouth spread into an unpleasant smile for her enemies at the thought.

"Shall I go ahead?"

John nodded. The Covenant, after all, were a superstitious lot when it came to the majority: Spartans used to be seen as demons, furious spirits of deceased soldiers engaging revenge. What will go unmentioned to Mercury, was that witches were women forming pacts with demons, acting as if the world itself had sided against mankind.

Hence her appellative.

It would be a good way to try it. With one last mark against a counter-sniper, whom could see from above what was happening to the vapors, the water, and the mist itself.

Just as a warning, he opens up a link for her through his visor. Through his HUD, marked with silhouettes, night vision, and even heat signatures, Mercury's calculated target was marked in a small spot.

Mercury let the fog build; she could feel it from that distance as surely as if it were at her fingertips. Briefly, she closed her eyes to focus, and a lingering tendril of mist even curled from her hands. The temperature around her and her companion dropped, which had the added effect of neutralizing their own heat signatures from the enemy.

"That should be enough," she said quietly after a moment, barely moving even to speak.

The Master Chief notices the drop of temperature. His armor's systems almost didn't need to mark it over his HUD as the mist moved in, getting the cover of low temperatures without the discomfort it would cause on him without the MJOLNIR. They were hidden.

If it hadn't run the risk of exposing their position, he would have pet her hair in the sign of a good job.

"Now take their eyes." John talks to her in that careful voice, that slow tone, used to ease her mind in meditation and in hunting quests. "All elements are in your control. Take their knowledge away, and you'll have free reign."

She had a habit of warming to praise and approval, and it was no different now as John talked her through his plan.

The best part, really, was throwing the enemy into confusion, making them make mistakes, catching them off guard, showing that this was her battleground and would never be theirs. And she was setting it up just as she wanted it. She offered John a nod, and there was a clear smile on her face.

The snipers were first. She took careful aim before they could give any alarm, while they were still confused among themselves.

Another burst of their precision rifle. The Jackal two kilometers below spun with the impact, and dropped lifeless into the fortress. Inaudible to both the Master Chief and Mercury, a Grunt screams in panic when the corpse falls close to him, and runs out of cover.

John calmly marks it. As a tertiary target, that is.

Whatever marksmen remained seemingly tried to hide from view, and it was then when they noticed the field had been covered, almost lost, by the mist. Then, the Master Chief marked the ranking officers -- almost easy to spot by the colors of their armors rather than salutes or insignias.

As important as tasks like these were, the more time he spent around Ami, the more John likened it to calm evenings to go out hunting. It was a strange moment when he felt so relaxed while in battle, now something common to do with her.

The fools, letting confusion make them make mistakes. Mercury notes it in an almost detached way.

Oddly, that's what's calming about these outings for her. She has no real boiling anger against the Covenant. They are targets she can approach without emotion at all. And these days, she's noticed she tends to fare better that way.

She smiled quietly to herself as she took aim at one of the ranking officers. A worthwhile opponent to take out.

A complaint that might have come from Nephrite rose to her lips. "They're too easy." She looked smug instead as she said it.

"As it should be."

Or at least, as how one should engage an enemy. Spartans were meant to do the impossible, but the maxim remained: Never give your enemy a fighting chance. It was why snipers were incredibly deadly on their own, and Linda was a walking nightmare to the Covenant with all she knew.

It did go to exaggerated ends, however, when sniping tasks resemble duck hunts. At this point, he wonders if Ami's birthday gift should be a SRS99-AM sniper rifle, and if japanese weapon laws would allow it.

She'd love the gift. Legality matters so much less to her these days than it used to; why should she obey human laws if she doesn't want to?

The targeted officer goes down. Mercury's expression doesn't change; she still looks darkly pleased. She turns to John, and he is unceremoniously recruited into duty keeping her from being a bit too rash.

"Shall we make it a little more fun?"

Marking a target just as Mercury speaks, his visor turns to her. "More fun?"

Experiences with any sort of vehicle left to her devices should have answered that question as a solid, unflinching 'no'. Though with Mercury being a fast learner, to at least turn rapidly proficient in anything taught to her, he comes to wonder what does she have in mind.

"I want to go in closer," she said, looking as if this were an excellent idea in her mind.

In her mind, it was. She wasn't thinking practically against an opponent she already decided was too easy. She was thinking of a hands-on fight where she could watch their reactions up close.

Besides, moving their position wasn't necessarily a bad strategic move.

John notes Mercury's mind to be an excellent one. What may be her sole weakness, however, would be her impulse, which coupled with pride could lead to bad ideas.

The reason it could be accepted, however, was that the enemy was now hiding and daring not to peek their heads up, and the mist was covering them.

"We'll go through the mists." The Master Chief marks with nav points the moving clouds of water. "But we'll take them quietly."

Another lesson might as well begin: Stealth.

She doesn't much care about holding back impulse these days, or about stealth when she can simply defeat the enemy by overpowering them with blunt force.

So it's respect for John, and that alone, that makes Mercury decide to go along with it. Not that she'd put it in those terms, of course.

"I guess it doesn't matter if they live a few more minutes," was her response, on the assumption that stealth would slow her and the Chief down a little.

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[Log] Big Game Hunters

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