"Hey, Churchill," Moana Kipling calls out to you. "Don't want to alarm you, but the sergeant here is still breathing." He has a hand on Jacobson's neck.
You take a moment. "What?"
"No shit, Corporal. Get over here and help out."
You dash over, crouching to inspect the body. Jacobson is lying down face first in a pool of his own blood, with a grievous head wound and an obvious exit wound from the round that hit him.
"How... how the hell is he still alive?" you ask.
"No fucking idea," Moana replies, pulling out his medical scanner. There's a short moment as he holds the scanner to Jacobson's head. Then it beeps, as Moana draws in a breath. "Vital signs all normal for an unconcious person, but holy hell did he get fucked up. The left side of his skull has been smashed to bits, seems like the bullet managed to get between the skull and his helmet and fuck everything up on the way out."

He looks up at you. "I can't spray some biofoam on this and let his body do the rest. Biofoam and brain casings don't mix. I'm a little iffy about bandages. Though, we are in a hospital... Maybe we can get him into one of the op rooms. At the same time, of course, it doesn't seem like he's any worse for wear. He might make it into orbit. I just can't say.

> It's not worth the risk. Stabilise him best you can, then we'll wait for the medevac.
> Fine, let's see what we can do on the ground

>>34380156
>> Fine, let's see what we can do on the ground

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>>34380156

> It's not worth the risk. Stabilise him best you can, then we'll wait for the medevac.

>>34380156
>> Fine, let's see what we can do on the ground

> It's not worth the risk. Stabilise him best you can, then we'll wait for the medevac.

>>34380156
you know, in a deadlock situation, you could just roll 1d2.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

I should at this point, I've already run out of friends to break the tie

>>34380924
Lurking anon posting from phone here, would have broken the tie but only just found the thread, and posting from my shitty phone is hard, but ill be playing when I get back to my PC in 20 mins, thanks for running the thread, I'm glad to see this.continue

"Fine, let's see what we can do for him here. What do we need?"
"Uh, first we'll need a stretcher, and to find a suitable room to put him in. I'll need to get all the bits of skull out of his brain... We'll get to that when the medevac arrives."
You turn to your Spartan. "Matilda?" She grunts in reply. "Think you can hold the area down while we go look for stretchers?"
"...Sure," she says. "Don't expect me to do much heavy lifting, I might break the biofoam clot."
"No need," says Moana. "You just sit tight, don't overexert yourself."

The pair of you head into the bowels of the building. Captain Rowland and his lackeys could still be in here somewhere, but the both of you are armed and alert.
Regardless, you don't end up finding any Rogue soldiers or Covenant, but you do find a relatively un-trashed operating room and several hospital stretchers. You take the stretchers back to the foyer area where the rest of them are, when you get a call over your comms.

"Acre team, this is your medevac. Where do you need us?"
"Land on the pad upstairs, I'll get someone to lead you in."

> Go up there yourself
> Send Moana up
> Send Matilda

>>34381531
> Send Moana up

>>34381531
>> Send Moana up

>>34381531
> Go up there yourself
leave Moana with Jacobson, we're the least wounded/critical so we can guide them in.

writing

>>34381214
this anon just got back and voted, where'd the other anons go?

>>34381531
>go up there yourself

>>34381531


>>34381795
What this guy said

>>34382017
>>34382059
a bit slow fellow anons, look to >>34381817

>>34382103
Damniiit


Well bumping anyway

>>34382103
Well OP seems slower than me even...

>>34382849
Can't rush quality anon

>>34382869
Not quality this time.

Feeling pretty tired and sluggish right now, along with this going to be a rather long post as there isn't really much to do as far as choices in this section.

Don't worry, I'm still alive here.

>>34382889
we can wait. Don't worry.

>>34382889
No hurry FF, we're a patient sort

>>34382869
I'll wait.

What I'll be doing whilst waiting however...

>>34382889
I know that feel OP, take your time but not too much time for the thread to die.

>>34382986
Still waiting.

>Thread\?

"Moana, can you head up to the pad and get the medevac personnel?"
"Got it," says the medic. He heads out of the room as you grab yourself a stretcher and head back towards the foyer area where the wounded are. Jacobson is still where you left him, on his side in the recovery position, and the rest of the wounded remain, slouched against walls or laying flat on their backs. Matilda sits on a pedestal that held a sculpture, that sculpture now turned into stone slag and rubble at the base. She keeps an eye on the rogues, making sure they don't try to do anything.

You wheel the stretcher next to Jacobson. "Anything happen here?" you ask her.
"Nothin', they're all sitting there, having a moan. One of 'em even keeps trying to throw abuse, but it's so pathetic it's laughable."
"Right, medevac are here to take them away, along with the ONI investigators."
As you say this, you hear yelling from the entrance. "Medical coming through!" Six marines in white and red file in, carrying three military stretchers between them. The lead one speaks up.
"Alright, which one of you tossers can walk? Let's get moving, we're doing this for YOUR benefit, ya bloody rogues."
"It's like someone out of my own childhood," says Matilda.

>>34383493
oops, forgot the 1/2

might even be three

>>34383482
be patient anon, give him time

>>34383493
>>34383514
see?

The medevacs get the wounded moving, back upstairs towards the entrance. You escort them out, rifle ready, just in case they try anything. The medevac brought two pelicans, and the first flies off with the wounded. It was going to rendezvous with the frigate 'Gustavus', which would take the last evacuees from New Alexandria back to Earth
Three of the meds stayed back to help Moana with Jacobson's field surgery, and the two ONI ops stayed with you to get your side of the story.

You told them about Captain Rowland and the rest of the 10th Battalion, and that this was the third run-in with them since starting everything on Reach. They take down the details dutifully on their tablets, especially noting Major General MacNiel. You told them that you didn't have a first name to give them, but they thanked you anyway.

You get your own wounded upstairs, back to the Pelican. It's another twenty or so minutes before they wheel Jacobson up. Moana's hands are covered in blood, but he says that all things considered, Jacobson will probably be fine. They'll have to put a metal plate to replace the bits of his skull, but that's something that could wait until you get to your ship.

And it's here that you hop in your pelican, and finally, after what seems like a lifetime, you're leaving the planet.

2/3

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The view out the rear hatch isn't pleasing. At least a quarter of the surface has already been glassed. Bombarded with plasma until the only thing left was glowing, molten rock that could be seen from space.
The battle does seem to be going strong, with the UNSC still putting up fierce resistance after nearly a week. If this was any other planet, save Earth, you would have already lost by now, and the planet would be nothing but a rapidly cooling ball of glass.
It was nothing like Fumirole.

"This is Pelican Charlie Two-Six to UNSC Fire Will Come," Penny broadcasts, now that you're well out of any Covenant jamming down on the planet. "I need rendezvous coordinates to meet you. I can't find you while you're stealthed."
There comes a reply, a woman's voice. "Roger that, Charlie two-six. We're relaying you our position now, encrypted burst. Glad to see you coming home in one piece."
"Glad to be making it home," replies Penny. "Not everyone is in one piece, though. Get the med bay ready, we've got casualties."
"Roger that," says the Fire Will Come in clipped tones. "We're ready for your arrival." The comm goes silent with a click.

"Well guys, if you look to our forward left, you'll see our new, spaceborne home. I'm relaying a feed."
An inset shows up on your visor, and you see the prowler reveal itself from a bubble of... warped light? It looks the same as an Elite's active camo.
"Our ship can be INVISIBLE?" asks Erika. "How long have they been able to do that?"
"It's a new class," replies Penny. "All sorts of new shit on this one, the kinda shit you'll have to wait until we're actually on the thing to hear about."

3/4 (next is the last one, definitely!)

It doesn't take long to make it into the Prowler. As soon as the rear doors open, you're helped out of the Pelican by some junior shipmen and into the hangar. It's smaller than ones you've seen before, but definitely big enough to hold a pair of pelicans. Or maybe even a pelican and a tank. The rest of your squad piles out from the pelican, some looking more haggard than others. Penny speaks up.

"Welcome home, everyone. Captain Becker tells me that if the first thing all of you want to do is sleep, you're all welcome to. I know I'm gonna be hitting the sack. I'll show you guys to the medbay," she gestures at Lancer and Erika, "And you two to the quarters," she points at you and Moana. "If that's what you need. Feel free to explore the ship and get some chow, or you can head straight to the bridge and meet the Captain herself. Your call."

> Sleep. Sleep like you've never slept before.
> Eat, and have a bit of a look around. May as well make yourself familiar.
> Go see the captain. The other stuff can wait.

>>34383565
>And it's here that you hop in your pelican, and finally, after what seems like a lifetime, you're leaving the planet.
Woo

>>34383732
> Go see the captain. The other stuff can wait.
lets check in first and get introductions and urgent stuff out of the way before stuffing our face and sleeping

>>34383732
> Eat, and have a bit of a look around. May as well make yourself familiar.
Grub.

>>34383732
>> Go see the captain. The other stuff can wait.

Speaking of stuffing face, short break time.

>>34383732
>> Go see the captain. The other stuff can wait.

Back and writing

"I'll see the captain first. The other stuff can wait."
"Well, you know how to read the signs, right?" Penny gestures at the sign on the wall, saying BRIDGE. "Just follow those, they'll lead you where you want to go."
You nod, unpolarising your helmet. Penny returns it, and you step towards the exit. As you leave, you hear Penny tell the others. "You crewman, help me show these wounded to the med bay."

The halls are cramped, more than what you're used to, but this is probably the smallest ship you've ever been in. Obviously space would be a necessity. It reminded you of reading about the submarines of the 20th and 21st century. Prowlers were similar, in concept and role.

It's with this thought that you step into the bridge, only a short walk away from the hangar area. You take off you helmet, then in as best a voice as you can manage, you salute and say:
"Captain Becker, Corporal Churchill reporting for debrief."
The captain turns around. She looks you up and down, taking in your armour, her eyes lingering at the bullet mark on your shoulder. You hold your stance, and after a moment the captain returns your salute, as crisp and professional, as if she hadn't paused to inspect you at all.

You both lower your hands, and she smirks. "Welcome to the Fire Will Come, Corporal Churchill. Welcome to your new home."

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And there we go. The Reach arc is finally done!

Definitely gonna take somewhat of a break here. I think I'll probably do one more thread of ODSTq, where we get to do ship stuff and ship things, and then after that I might do a story arc of the other quest that I want to do.

As always, updates will be posted on my twitter, which can be found in the OP. thanks for being here, guys. Means a lot.

>>34384718
good night

>>34384718
night dude, thanks for running

>>34384718
thanks for running, i always enjoy

>>34384687
>>34384718
Thanks for the thread FF, loving it and looking forward to Dan and friend's continued adventures.