| abstract | - “And with a manic cackle the AI powered up the slipspace drives and” Dyne-G217 clapped his hands together to add effect to the end of his story “The Iron Mountain disappeared into slipspace, and was never seen again” The cold night air whipped around the young spartan candidate’s shelter, slithering in through the openings in the tarpaulin and sending shivering their spines as they huddled in a circle. The only source of light was a lamp they had sat in the middle of the circle, the moon being obscured by dark clouds above. Shepard-G127 pulled his cloak tighter around him as another wisp of wind gently brushed along his back. Next to him Jess-G128 asked “What do you think happened to the ship?” Dyne shrugged “Dunno, perhaps the AI just dragged it around space or maybe it just got lost forever in the slipstream.” “Scary thought though isn’t it? That an AI could just snap like that” said Lance-G244 “Kinda makes em a bit creepy” “I don’t know” replied Kodiak-G114 “Ones like Winter aren’t too bad” “Well, I guess we’ve gotten to know Winter haven’t we” said Shepard “And it’s not like he can teleport their entire world away or anything” The assembled spartans all grinned and they all feel silent for a time. They’d been out here in the darkness of Onyx’s cold night for a special reason. Tonight was Halloween Night. Not many of them remembered celebrating Halloween back where they’d come from, Shepard could only half remember his dad taking him around the barracks and knocking on each of the bunkhouses to see if the ODST recruits had any sweets they didn’t mind parting with. They were happy memories, even if they were only half remembered ones. Never the less it had become a tradition among Shoto and Machete that they would celebrate each Halloween Night by coming out into Onyx’s dark jungles and tell ghost stories to one another. It was a fun little event, but this year of all years was a special one. It was their last, next year they were going to be graduating and then from there. Wherever they were needed. So this night had a sad finality to it, not that any of them had admitted it. Instead they stayed longer and told more stories, as if they hoped that the coming day would hold off a few more hours. “So, who’s next?” asked Dyne who had finished picking through one of his ration packs they’d brought out. “Shep, didn’t you say that Aspen told you one when you went to see him last week?” asked Jay-G090 “O ye, that one” Shepard tilted his head, recalling the story that the older Spartan-III had told him. It was an odd one, and Shepard had been saving it for now. He leaned in and looked across the faces of each of his friends as they sat in their circle. “We all know about Zone 67 right? The forbidden place out past the proving grounds. Well Aspen told me that it weren’t always forbidden. Not until the ghost’s appeared.” Shepard paused for emphasis, looking around him as if checking that nothing was sneaking up on him. “He said that one day during Beta Company’s training one team went through Zone 67, trying to get an advantage during a night strike. The other team was hold up by Black Caves, they were waiting for the attacking team to show. After waiting for over an hour the team leader of the defenders contacted Mendez, said the other team was taking forever.” “Suddenly, the other team saw strange lights on the horizon. Nothing like what the attacking team had. They said they saw floating forms above the jungle, little figures dancing on the canopy. Mendez tried to contact the other team. Nothing on radios, no flares, nothing. He called off the match and Lieutenant Ambrose started a search. The attacking team was no where to be found” There was a rustling from one side of the shelter and the assembled spartans all spun toward the direction of the noise. All their eyes closed on Tara-G112 as she silently moved to sit next to Lance. Dyne let out a deep breath "Tara, please. Don't do that" Tara just replied with a shrug and dipped into the ration bag she had grabbed. The others all turned to look back at Shepard. “Eventually, after looking for days Ambrose called it off and training went back to usual. Until, three days later during another training match, one of the training team found a helmet. It belonged to one of the attacking team members” “What was on the helmet?” asked Amber-G330 who was sitting close to the lamp “No one knows, but the other Beta’s think it’s the only know record of the Ghosts of Onyx. As for what happened to the training team, no one ever found out. A few days later ONI appears and blocks off the area. But people still tell of the Ghosts, ethereal lights that dance across the jungle. Perhaps the team accidentally released them from somewhere. Or perhaps they are guarding something even more terrifying” A sudden strong gust of wind gusted through the shelter and all of the young candidates dived to the ground. Jay’s hand shot out and flicked off the lamp. And there was silence. For a while no one moved, no one said anything. “Why did you turn off the light?” whispered Kodiak’s voice from somewhere near Shepard “I don’t know, I panicked” replied Jay from somewhere to Shepard’s right From somewhere else in the shelter Shepard heard someone fumbling around, after a few seconds a little beam of light flared into being. “Found it” breathed Jess Shepard looked around at the others as they begun to look up. Each of them had pressed themselves to the ground, years of training over taking their minds and bodies for a fraction of a second. Next to him Kodiak and Dyne untangled themselves from the knot they’d made of themselves. Lance and Tara were beginning to look around while Jess and Jay begun to shine the torch down at the ground so that they didn't blind anyone. “Well Shep, if you planned that. Well done” breathed Lance “Believe me, it really wasn't” replied Shepard, taking a deep breath “Guys” whispered Jay, his voice cold and focused. The voice he used in training matches. “What’s that?” Shepard looked over to Jay, who was pointing at the wall opposite him. Shepard turned to look and his heart nearly skipped a beat. A little light, dimmed by the tarpaulin, was slow drifting past the spartans shelter. What scared Shepard was the way the light moved. If it was a torch in Mendez or one of the DI’s hands it would have been bobbing around but this one stayed perfectly still as it glided past them. “What should we do” whispered Jess as the light glided away “I think we could get a closer look” said Dyne “What?” said Amber “You want get near that thing?” “Just for a bit, imagine what we could tell everyone else” replied Dyne, still watching the light float off “I think Dyne, that thing might be a message to leave” replied Kodiak “Agreed, should we leave the shelter here?” asked Shepard, looking back at everyone one else “We could come back and get it tomorrow” said Lance “Sounds good, I don’t think there are any matches here tomorrow” said Kodiak, the candidates begun to stand up. Gathering the rations packs they had left and wrapping their clocks around them. Without making a sound they begun to slide out. Shepard took up the back, following Lance and Tara out the hole in the side of the tarpaulin and immediately crouching running over to a tree. Looking through the gloom he caught sight of Jay and Dyne, they were motioning forward. The coast was clear for now. The two teams jogged back towards Camp Currahee, remaining low to the ground so that they didn’t present to big a target for whatever was out in these jungles. Shepard wished they’d tried to get some SPI armour for this, right now the photo reactive panels would have calmed his nerves a lot. Suddenly, about 15 meters in front of Shepard a light glinted through the jungle. The same creepy floating light he’d seen earlier. Without thinking Shepard darted forward, as quick as he dared, and flattened himself against the trunk as best he could. The light continued to get brighter until finally Shepard was nearly dazzled by it. He turned his face away and prayed that whatever this thing was it would just go away. He didn't feel up to finding out what happened to the Beta team. Shepard slowly opened his eyes, curiosity briefly snuffing any fear he was feeling. But the light was already fading, floating off between the trees. Shepard stared as the light disappeared. He nearly jumped out of his skin as Lance came over to him and pulled him off the tree. With a smile to his friend the two returned to the group and headed on again to the Camp. No more floating lights came for them on their return and they made it to the camp and back to their bunks unseen. As Shepard lay down and closed his eyes he though back through all the strange stuff he’d seen here. Nothing compared to what he’d seen that night. It was something that would bug him for many years. What were, the Ghosts of Onyx?
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