Inside the half-torn side of the Sister of Flames, a team of armed personnel prepared to conduct a perimeter inspection around the wounded vessel.
The order had come directly from their acting commanding officer—Sergeant Cassa Kaff.
Beth, a young army trooper, joined eighteen other privates as they hurriedly donned their uniforms.
Metal clasps snapped shut, fabric rustled, boots struck the deck in uneven rhythm.
Cassa stood near the armory hatch, issuing one final command as the last of them rushed out.
"Hurry it up, privates," he barked. "We don't got all the time in the world to waste."
He counted them as they filed out into position, one by one, forming a loose line in front of him. Eighteen faces stared back—men and women barely into their thirties, still carrying the faint softness of academy life. Cassa could tell immediately they'd graduated not long ago from the military academies back on Gaia.
The thought of that planet, a world similar to earth, yet vastly different then Terra, as some calls it.
At least, he thought grimly, they weren't children.
That alone was a blessing.
With a small snort, he brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder, then planted both hands on his hips. Slowly, deliberately, he began to circle them, boots clicking against the deck as he paced like a predator inspecting its prey.
Some of the privates stiffened under his gaze. Others avoided eye contact altogether.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he looked them up and down.
Most of them hadn't seen real combat—not the kind that burned itself into your memory and never let go. Cassa could sense it in their posture, in the way their hands hovered just a little too carefully near their weapons. And, if he were honest with himself, he was glad for it.
He was glad they hadn't lived through the Covenant War.
Glad they'd never faced ancient alien horrors or their undead shock troops—the Knights Strategos. Glad they'd never crossed paths with the Banished. And above all else
The Flood. The thought alone stopped him mid-stride.
Cassa stared down at his right hand, slowly curling it into a fist. The deck seemed to fade as memories surged forward, uninvited and vivid. He closed his eyes for three seconds, no more, no less. The first contact.
Back then, he hadn't even known what the infection was. Hadn't understood the nightmare clawing its way toward him. He remembered the moment clearly—the wet impact, the sudden pain—as an appendage from an infected marine struck his arm. At first, there was nothing. Just shock. Then warmth.
Then movement. The parasite had begun to grow—slowly, almost politely, but fast enough that he hadn't realized what was happening until it was nearly too late.
God, he was thankful for her.
A friend. Sharp. Ruthless when it mattered. She hadn't hesitated—not for a second. One clean, desperate act had saved his life.
She severed his entire arm.
Right bicep to palm—gone.
Cassa exhaled through his nose and opened his eyes, the present snapping back into place. The privates still stood before him, unaware of the ghosts that had just brushed past their Sergeant. Good, he thought.
Let it stay that way—for as long as it can.
"Sir!" One private says raising his hand. "Permission to speak?"
Cassa stilled himself arms crossed as he focused his attention on the kid. "Permission granted. What is it you wish to ask me private?"
The young man lowered his arm, returned to formation, and asked the exact question that he and his entire squad were thinking about. "Sir I and my team were wondering. How long do you think we will be stranded on the planet now that we are stuck here?"
Cassa nodded in agreement, reflecting on the private's inquiry, as it was something that he and the others had all experienced. "To be true with you and everyone, I do not know how long we'll be stuck here." The Sergeant kindly responded, taking note of the many expressions changing among the youth.. "But the best solution that we have right now, is to learn and survive. I Mean we'll never know what'll happen if we do nothing but hide inside a broken down ship."
"How long exactly do you think we will be stuck here sir?" Another private asked raising her hand.
"Long enough until we find a way home, Ms. Yalaena." Cassa told the private.
"Cassa sir!" a trooper chimed in when she walked into the open room.
"What is it?" The Sergeant replied.
"The Spartan. He's about to head out."
"Huh? Why?" Asked a confused Cassa.
__________
One Hour Earlier
While the other members of the UNSC were recovering, Daloka kindly took it upon himself to explore the forest where he and the other group's of one hundred children had landed.
He paused in his steps, embraced the silence, and looked up at the heavens... He guessed that this is how that one teenager by the name octavia feel when she first stepped foot on these broken Earth's soil... Despite him not feeling the breeze of the cold and warm wind brushing up against his face, Daloka could still feel it pressed up against his armored body.
He first took a glance left and then to the right of his side, checking to see if anyone's was around, seeing that his perimeter was clear, he knelt down on one knee and digged his hand deep into the ground's soil. Just by the feel of it felt like the same Ole thing.
He values the preservation of the cherished memories he had while living in his home world of Earth. All of it was gradually coming back at such a pace that he was not used to. He surmised that the nostalgia was not something that he and the others were familiar with by mere chance, and yet, here he stood, a spartan such as himself being a victim of memories that had long been pushed away.
"I See that a tin can like you can feel some things after all."
The simple sound of the individual's voice almost prompted Daloka to unsheathe his sidekick pistol from the magnetic holster on his right thigh armor.
"karteria!" Another person's voice said speaking up after her colleague.
The second person was none other then Clarke griffin, the same person that daloka had met with the other two.
"Greetings." The Spartan says nodding up and down to Clarke and the new girl. Though he then moved his head as he peered over to one other. A boy.
"Clarke, or should I say princess." the pretty boy says shooting griffin girl a smile as he trekked over to her along with wells beside him. "Oh, hello to you too as well pretty lady."
The first girl dismissed Finn by rolling her eyes and turning away, while she focused on the map that Clarke was holding.
"Sup man." Wells jaha said to the Spartan giving the giant a single wave. "Thanks for the help earlier."
"No problem." But then daloka noticed a malcontent of displeased looks upon Clarke's face. "You seem to be dissatisfied with something Ms. Griffin."
"As much as I love being called Ms. Just call me Clarke." The Griffin girl told him as she feels a sense of age when referred to as such. "But yes, to answer your question, I'm afraid I do got an issue."
The Spartan, accompanied by the other youths, made their way to a rock where she was using it as a table for her map.
"What seems to be the issue here?" Daloka inquired staring into the map.
Clarke tapped on a certain part of the map, in it was what the Spartan saw was three pointed lines, similar a kid drawing a mountain. "I Assume you got something of importance on that mountain you marked red?"
"Yes." Clarke responded to daloka while thanking karteria when the girl held the upper left corner of the map still. "You see here, that's mount weather." She says circling the mountain with her finger. "That's where most of our needs is in, and we need to get there, if we need to survive."
"My people are willing to provide aid to you and your groups of teenagers." Daloka told Clarke without sounding like a boastful person.
"Oh cool, can they also provide beer in these secluded town of a jungle." A goggle boy added in as he tapped Clarke on her elbow.
All Daloka required was that simple gesture of non-hostility before anyone else could intervene, particularly when the boy took hold of Jasper's arm and walked him backward with a stern expression plastered on his face.
"Do you mind dude!" Wells told Jasper in a slightly serious tone.
"Wells!" Karteria said uttering her friends name as she hurried over to pull him back. "Stop man, he didn't mean any harm."
After Karteria attempted to ease the tension between the two, Daloka and the other kids turned around to see a boy their age approaching them with at least five to eight teenagers trailing behind him.
"You would better listen to your girlfriend, Mr. Prince. Or you can leave Jasper alone, because as you can see, he is with us." the morally ambiguous boy spoke out to the teenagers as he and other kids were gradually drawn in on the scene.
"Girlfriend." karteria Uttered low enough for her friends Clarke and wells to hear.
The young woman was about to step forth and give the Murphy kid a piece of her mind, but Clarke held her arm, seeing this she took a breathe and halted in her stead.
Meanwhile, Wells Jaha took notice of the sudden attention that was beginning to converge on them.
Bringing both hand up flatly as a sign of peace, the kid spoke. "Relax, we are just trying to figure out where we are."
"We are already on the ground." Another boy's voice spoke calm yet commanding as he continued on. "Is us one hundred kids being able to walk on earth not an enough reward for you and your privileged friends!"
"I'm not privileged dumbass." Karteria chimed in. "But that doesn't mean my friends are a bunch of wannabe leaders like your lowlife ass."
Octavia, the sister, felt it was inappropriate for the older girl to speak to her brother in such a manner, so she approached with both hands raised in a playful manner. "Privileged or not Ms. Sellout, you think just cause your friends with the higher ups, that you get to eat on the same table as them."
"You know, I could say alot more things that are very mean and hurtful to you. Octavia, there are some that might shatter your tiny protective barrier. So I would choose your next words carefully." karteria said replying back to Octavia with the same Ole attitude she'd used to anyone she dislikes the slightest.
"You all heard my dad's message from earlier." Wells says pleased that karteria managed to at least hold herself back. "Like Clarke told me and the others. We need to find mount weather. Its gotta be our first priority."
"Screw your father Mr. Prince." Octavia told wells disregarding the fact that she knows the boy got a point. "What, you think that you, Princess, and Ms. Sellout came down here, that yall can be in charge over all of us."
Stepping forward, Clarke pushed her friend wells back as she then stood in front of her own group. "Look, I do not care who's in charge." the Griffin girl told Octavia as well as managing to draw the other groups of kids attention whereas she then pointed to a far distance. "Right there, twenty miles from where we are, is mount weather, it is our only source of help at this moment. So we need to leave before dark. We are looking to at least an hour or more of walking. We won't be able to last long enough with those supplies."
"I Got a better idea. Why don't you and your newfound friends go and find those supplies for us. Besides, rich, powerful and sellouts should at least do the hard task for a change." Bellamy added in ignoring the stare from karteria.
"You and your friends aren't listening. We all need to get there before sundown." Wells said responding back to Bellamy.
As the boy wells spoke, he remained unaware of Murphy, who quietly approached from behind and pushed him.
"Well well, looked people. The prince chancellor of earth." Murphy said with a self-satisfied expression, ignored Clarke, who was calling out Wells' name while trying to reach him but was restrained by another boy.
"You think that's funny." wells replied back by shoving Murphy back a little harder.
Murphy tilted his head left, grin plastered on his face, and when wells was was distracted when karteria spoke his name, Murphy took the chance to spit on him and swept wells from underneath his foot, causing him to sprain his ankle.
Wells grunted in pain, a small yell escaping his lips. With evident distaste directed at the laughing boy, Wells used both hands to lift himself up, while limping on one foot.
With determination he brought both arms up at a boxing stands and was preparing himself to fight Murphy who faked a straight jab at him. Yet despite him in an injured state, wells manages to move back, but had almost gotten himself to fall on his rear.
Boys and girls all around circle them like a fight was about to commence in a high school ground.
Murphy checking his injured prey deepened the satisfaction within himself when he saw that wells was more opened due to his state.
The kids around them all cheered on as the two of them were trying to see who lands the next punch or kicks.
"Come on the Mr. Prince." Murphy said beckoning to Wells in a mocking manner, encouraging him to come forward. "What are you waiting for, come have some of your get back, prince."
"Enough." Daloka intervened between the two boys and spoke in a low, serious, and demanding voice. "These fight will not continue any longer."
"Who do you think you are!" Murphy told him while making an effort to push the Spartan, but it seemed futile as the giant stood firm.
Daloka at first wanted to push back at the boy but chose to refrain himself from doing so. And instead turned to face the kid fully.
The manner in which he was looking at the Murphy child caused him to remain still, clearly showing signs of apprehension, much like a predator with its prey.
"Someone who is willing to put these foolish bicker between you and the wells kid to an end. So I suggest that you and your groups of friends wonder off, please." Daloka stated in response to murphy's attempt at bravery on him, while also silently appreciating his bravado.
Bellamy in a show of leadership walked over and tapped Murphy by the shoulder." Come on dude, the robots right, let's leave him. You can get back at the wells boy later."
Murphy acknowledged Bellamy with a nod, wiped his nose, and gestured for his group to follow as he trailed behind Bellamy, but not before shooting wells and Clarke a look.
"The moment we go back in, and yet you've already starting a hate group already, ey spartan." A Brunette lady remarked as she trekked forth, a wrench in hand.
"What can you expect, spartans are attracted to troubles." The combat medic Gabriella stated hands on her hips as she stared at an injured wells who was tended to by a concerned Clarke. "Touching his legs isn't gonna fix him girl. Come."
Gabriella walked towards wells while Clarke held his other arm over her shoulder.
"Where will you be taking him?" Clarke asked in slight distrust of these people.
"Relax. Im taking your friend to the clinic. From there, we have better equipments and resources to help aid your wells pal to a better state then he is in now." Gabriella responded as she and Clarke carried wells inside and through the halls of the spaceship.
"So, where exactly did you and your groups of people come from?" Asked a curious karteria.
"That is an issue that I'm afraid I can't share with you and your friends." Gabriella told the young woman.
The woman could very well tell that these groups of kids were at awe of the interior of the Sister of Flames. On the inside of the section they traveled through was only a small part of the ship, located at the front left side of the hangar.
Although they were living on the ark, the groups of children, including Clarke, Finn, Wells, and Karteria, took the time to explore every aspect of the ship's hulls with their eyes, rooms, and the people, making sure they didn't miss anything.
Gabriella could not blame them, she guessed that the earlier times she was once in their footsteps. When she was just a newbie on such ship that is sof. (sister of Flames) after they had trekked through one half of the halls, Gabriella evantually led them to an open clinic.
Inside was an elderly woman, brown Grey hair, beared in all white coat attire.
"Gabriella. I just finished treating all of the other injured crews of the ship." The woman told the combat medic, voice clearly filled with that of an overworked doctor or nurse. "Bring him here."
Clarke and Gabriella led the limping wells over to a chair and had him light set on it thanks to the instruction of the older woman.
Upon inspecting the boy's arms, legs, and hands for any further indications of illness or injury, the nurse stood up straight and surveyed those present in the room.
"Any other thing you kids want to tell me, you know, besides his clear injury?"
"No." daloka said in response. "The kid's was only tripped by another of his age. Which in turn caused him to sprain his ankle... Though he was coughing alot earlier, cold probably. Leave him like that for too long out there in that weather, and he could be hit with hypothermia."
Right after the Spartan had informed the nurse of that personal matter, Wells had imagined himself being shrunk down to the smallest, deepest, dark corner of a room due to all the eyes that were on him.
Sighing deeply to herself, grace sigourney rubbed her forehead and then exhaled outward. "Fine, but he gets to help me after I'm done treating him."
"What about his leg?" Monty said a bit worried for the new friend he made.
"Your friend is a grown boy. He'll be fine once I've given him his treatment. Now go go. Get out of here, I have alot of work to do, and alot of things to fix!" Grace says shooing the entire group outside of her clinic.
Clarke hesitated at first, but a firm nod of confirmation from Wells was enough to assure her that he'll be fine. Afterwards she led karteria and the other kids out of the room... The Spartan, he was the last to trail after them, but before he could, grace called out to him.
"Daloka. Hold up man."
Daloka stopped in his trek, grace had only ever called him that back in their old days when she was young.
"What is it sigourney?" Inquired daloka.
Grace stopped herself before she had spoken, she reached over to a counter in her left, grabbed a silent headphone meant to keep noises from outside a void of quiet, walked over to a confused wells and slid onto his head.
"Relax kid, you'll be fine. This matters between me and daloka is personal."
"Grace?" Daloka said uttering her name.
"There's something you need to know." Grace sigourney said finally.