[Naked Crook]

Spender: I am right here Commander…I am no coward. You wanted to pick a fight…well…let’s fight shall we? Vernette tried to get up, but Spender kicked him in the side. Spender: Stupid fool…you should have known better than to come after me. Nobody crosses me and lives to tell about it. Spender walked circles around Vernette. Spender: You are going to pay for destroying my ship…little man. Spender raised the pipe again and slammed it into Vernette’s back. Vernette yelled out in pain. Spender: Do you know how many good men and women were lost in the destruction of The Ulterior Motive? Spender slammed the lead pipe into Vernette’s side, swinging it as if it were a golf club. Spender: I offered you everything! You spat in my face…now I will reduce you to nothing. Spender walked away. He took a few steps away from Vernette. He looked down at him. Spender drew his side arm and pointed it at Vernette’s head. Spender: I am going to enjoy killing you… Spender grinned. His grip on his magnum increased as he prepared to pull the trigger. He then stopped himself. Spender: No…this is too easy. Clubbing you to death is far more satisfying. Spender holstered his magnum. He walked back towards Vernette and looked down at him. Spender: You know Commander…the more I think about it…the more I realize what a pain in the ass you have been! I think about what you have done…and it boggles my mind! Vernette tried to get back to his feet, but Spender slammed the lead pipe into Vernette’s back again. Vernette fell again. Spender: You destroyed three of my ships… Spender hit Vernette with the pipe once again. Vernette groaned in pain. Vernette was breathing heavily. Spender: You inflicted well over a thousand causalities. You launched an attack on one of my top facilities, and you have eluded and defeated my attempts to force you into The Trust. Vernette tried to get up again, but Spender hit him in the side. Vernette fell over onto his back. Spender: You have remarkable willpower Commander… Spender grinned. Spender: You would have made a fine addition to The Trust…you would have gone far! Spender walked circles around Vernette. Spender: Your aptitude is impressive…I will give you that…but you have used your abilities for the wrong people. Men like us are destined to rule society. Sadly…you have decided to serve society as oppose to control it. Spender shook his head. Spender: How short sighted. Spender placed the pipe next to Vernette’s head, holding it like he would a golf club. Spender: Such potential wasted. I do not know what the greater shame is; the fact that I need to extinguish it, or the fact that it was wasted in service of The UNSC and her Government. Spender raised the pipe. Spender: Goodbye Commander… Spender swung the lead pipe at Vernette, but at the last second Vernette raised his hand and caught the pipe in his hand, just before it struck his head. Vernette looked up at Spender and frowned. Spender scoffed and pulled the pipe away, stumbling back. Vernette got back to his feet. He stared Spender down. Vernette: You made three mistakes Spender… Vernette walked towards Spender. Spender charged forward and tried to strike Vernette in the head. Vernette ducked, and rose back up and struck Spender in the side of the head with his elbow. Spender fell to the ground, dropping the pipe. Vernette turned to look at Spender. Spender got back to his feet and stumbled back again. Vernette: First…you wasted your time talking to me. Vernette walked forward. Spender turned to run, but Vernette grabbed him by the back of the scuff of his jacket and pulled him back. Spender fell to the ground and rolled. Vernette: Second…You didn’t kill me when you had the chance… Spender tried to get back to his feet, but Vernette reached down and grabbed spender by the neck and lifted him back to his feet. Vernette held Spender by the throat with his left and drove his right hand into Spenders face. Spender fell back against a wall. Vernette: Third…you have underestimated my unrelenting willpower…to your own peril! Vernette grabbed Spender by the scruff of his jacket, pulled him away from the wall, and then slammed Spender right back into the wall. Vernette: My entire life has been a test… Vernette pulled Spender back and slammed him against the wall again. Vernette: I have been tested many a time by a power greater than either of us. Vernette pulled Spender right into a knee to the gut. Vernette then slammed Spender into the wall for a third time. Vernette: My life has been merciless, grueling, and utterly destructive…but I overcame every single test of resolve put in my path since day one! Vernette pulled his right fist back and punched Spender right in the face. Vernette: My parents were killed… Vernette punched Spender again. Vernette: I grew up practically alone, with my brother as my only ally… Vernette slammed his fist into Spender’s face again. Vernette: I spent more nights starving and sleeping in subway stations than not! Vernette punched Spender again. Vernette: I grew up, as a child, without the love of parents telling they loved me before I went to bed… Vernette punched Spender again. Vernette: Nobody ever told me they cared about me…or that they were proud of me…or that they were blessed to have me. No…I never got that! Everyone else did…I didn’t! Vernette slammed Spender into the wall again. Spender began to spit up blood. Vernette: I was only 6 years old when someone decided to fire a handgun at me for stealing a bit of food from a restaurant so I wouldn’t starve to death! The fact that my head wasn’t blow off that day was a fucking miracle! Vernette glared at Spender. Vernette: It is my personal belief that I have had the unrelenting, unending attention of a God who wanted to forge a man from nothing but the fires of adversity and anguish… Vernette glared at Spender. Vernette: Do you honestly FUCKING believe that there is ANYTHING you can do that will break me? Vernette spun Spender around and tossed him to the ground. Spender looked at Vernette, with a terrified look on his face. Spender sat on the ground; he looked at Vernette stand before him. Spender pulled out his Magnum and aimed it at Vernette. Spender: I can send you back to God…that is what I can do… Vernette walked towards Spender. Spender pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Vernette stepped forward and kicked the gun from Spender’s hands. Vernette: You didn’t take the safety off… Spender was totally silent. Vernette charged forward and kicked Spender right in his face. Spender’s head flew back and slammed onto the ground. Spender was knocked out cold. Vernette looked down at Spender and spat blood out of his mouth, right on Spender’s uniform. Vernette: You’re under arrest…you son of a bitch… Meanwhile: Cameron and Nikolai looked at Lucien. They were both tired, but Lucien was untouched, as if he had not even been in a vicious fight. Lucien: What are you two waiting for? Are you both THAT tired? It is two on one…surely you should be able to at least make me stop and catch my breath ONCE! Nikolai ran at Lucien. Cameron: Niko…wait! Lucien grabbed Nikolai by the throat and tossed him into a wall. Nikolai fell to the ground, as he was exhausted. Lucien approached Nikolai, with full intent to kill Nikolai. Lucien: I grow tired of this Russian. You have failed to impress me…as a result…you die. Hopefully the Canuck can impress me in the slightest. Cameron ran at Lucien and tackled him to the ground. Cameron head butted Lucien. Lucien retaliated with a punch to Cameron’s helmet, knocking Cameron to the side. Lucien jumped to his feet, and slammed his fist right into Cameron’s back. Cameron groaned. Lucien: This is going to go on for a very long time Cameron…one of us is going to die…and it is not going to be me! Lucien stepped on Cameron’s back. Lucien: Why do you fight for them? They do not see your humanity… Cameron: We were created… Lucien: Yes…we were created…not manufactured! We are not weapons! We are people…but ONI doesn’t understand that! Cameron: We have our place… Lucien: Yes…we do… Lucien fell silent. Lucien grabbed Cameron’s helmet and pulled it off his armor. He tossed the helmet aside. Cameron’s right eye was bleeding. Lucien: You look human…but you have been convinced that you are a weapon…nothing more. Lucien grabbed Cameron by the back of his neck and threw him into a broken down warthog. Lucien: See? I told you I could take both of you… Lucien looked at both Cameron and Nikolai. Lucien: Do either of you have any fight left? Nothing? Cameron began to climb back to his feet. Lucien: Ohhh…Cameron…you try too hard. Cameron: I am going about this all wrong…I should have seen this earlier. As skillful as Lucien is…he has one fatal weakness…a weakness that I should have seen before… Cameron got back to his feet and looked at Lucien. Cameron: I am not going to let you get away with this Lucien. I am not going to be defeated by… Lucien: By what…Cameron? Cameron: A second rate Spartan… Cameron laughed. Lucien clenched his fists. Cameron: You heard me Lucien. You are second rate. You don’t even have a proper head on your shoulders. When it comes to killing people smaller than you…you are the best…no doubt. Too bad you need to be many times stronger than your opponents to feel strong… Lucien ran at Cameron. Cameron drove his palm right into Lucien’s visor. Lucien stumbled back. Cameron kicked Lucien back several feet, right onto the ground. Cameron: Let’s face it Lucien…you will never be normal. You will forever be some deranged little man in a suit of armor. What makes you so great? Is it the fact that you are good at giving orders? Please...I know a lot of people who gives orders. None of them are special. Lucien got back up and ran at Cameron. Cameron grabbed Lucien, and using Lucien’s momentum, lifted him up and, and tossed Lucien into the busted Warthog. Lucien crushed the side of the Warthog. Cameron: You are just messed up in the head...and you enjoy working for people who are just as deranged as you are! Lucien: You know nothing Cameron! I am not a tool…I am not a weapon! Lucien got back up and ran at Cameron again. Lucien was losing his mind. Cameron kept his cool, and deflected every single one of his blows. Lucien began to become disorganized and sloppy. Cameron grabbed one of Lucien’s arms, and twisted it behind his back. Cameron applied pressure to Lucien’s arm. Cameron: You are defective Lucien! Lucien began to lose his mind. Cameron: You are imperfect… Lucien pulled his head forward and slammed it back, slamming his head into Cameron. Cameron released Lucien’s arm, and Cameron stumbled back against a balcony. Cameron looked back and saw that he was on the edge of a balcony, directly overhead the lower level of the vehicle bay. Right below him was a broken Scorpion Tank. Cameron looked back at the raging psychotic Lucien. Cameron grinned. Cameron: Lucien… Lucien was breathing erratically, and heavily… Cameron: You are defective…it is time to put you away… Lucien ran at Cameron in a fit of blind rage. Lucien was completely unaware of his surroundings, as the only thing he could coherently focus on was Cameron. As Lucien neared where Cameron was, Cameron ducked and lifted Lucien over his head and tossed Lucien over the balcony. Lucien fell below, smashing right into the Scorpion tank. Lucien was totally motionless below. Cameron looked at Lucien below. Nikolai walked up to Lucien. Nikolai: What did you do to him? Cameron: I did nothing…Lucien was the architect of his own destruction. Nikolai looked down at Lucien. Nikolai: I am still getting life signs from him on my visor… Cameron: He is alive? We can put him into cryo and take him back to ONI in that case! Nikolai paused. Nikolai: Do you think he would be opposed to that idea? Cameron: I am sure we can convince him… Cameron paused. Cameron: Lend me a hand…let’s get down there and nab him. Nikolai nodded. He paused when he heard a call from Vernette over the comm. Vernette: Nikolai, Cameron…do you copy? Nikolai looked at Cameron. Nikolai: Vernette is on the horn… Cameron: Answer it…let him know our status. Nikolai answered the call from Vernette. Nikolai: Commander Vernette…we have captured Lucien! Vernette: Did you now? What a coincidence…I managed to capture Spender. Unfortunately…ODST Black Team escaped in a Pelican, and the UNSC Frigate that was docked here managed to take off and escape. Nikolai: What Frigate? Vernette: Ohhh…that’s right…you guys were unaware of that. We found out that this installation was housing a third UNSC Frigate that Spender was going to use to escape. Unfortunately…we were unable to stop it…and the King Raven was in no shape to stop it either. All that matters though is that we have Spender. Nikolai: Sir…Cameron wants to know if we can Lucien in cryo…to bring him back to Section 0…this is very personal for him it seems… Vernette: Very well…let’s contact The King Raven…we can get a cryo pod sent down here, we can lock Lucien up, and let Section 0 deal with him. Nikolai: Thank you sir…we will meet you at the insertion point! Vernette: Understood…Vernette out. Nikolai closed the comm. He looked at Cameron. Cameron: So? Nikolai: Alright Cam…let’s go get Lucien! ============================================================================== Midnight – ONI Section 0 Operational Headquarters Omicron - ONI Section 0 Military District of Tribunal – Two Weeks Later: ============================================================================== Rear Admiral Yates was looking at Lucien who was asleep in the cryo pod. Yates was alone, he was deep in thought. Yates: How the hell are we going to fix this guy? Do we even plan to fix him? Makes me think that we should have listened to Cameron and Burke…perhaps we could have saved him… Yates shook his head in disappointment. His thoughts were interrupted by an officer. ONI Officer: Sir…I know this is getting old…but …Admiral Spender is still asking to see you. He says it is vital that he speaks with you! Yates: How many times have I said no? ONI Officer: He won’t let up. He claims that it is urgent… Yates: Very well. Do me a favor…keep an eye on Lucien… ONI Officer: Aye sir… Yates turned away. He walked out of the cryo prison, and down the corridor, towards the holding cells. Upon entering the holding cells, Yates walked directly to the cell that had Spender confined. Spender was in an orange jumpsuit, and his hands were bound in front of him. Spender: Rear Admiral Yates…how nice of you to entertain my request. Yates: Spender…or should I say…Ex-Admiral Constantine Spender… Spender: I have merely been suspended from active duty…not stripped of rank yet… Yates: Ohhh…so I guess the jumpsuit is a fashion statement? Spender: Let’s cut to the chase…shall we? We both know that the evidence against me is very compelling…to say the least. A lot of events, that just so happen to coincide, have been stitched together to form a very nice collage. That collage is now your prosecution. Yates: That is one very messed up way of putting it. Spender: Yes it is… Spender paused. Spender: How is The King Raven? Are repairs underway? Yates: Why do you ask? Spender: Just curious. What a find ship… Spender paused. Spender: I assumed it was who was in command of that ship when it first approached us in orbit of Harvest. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Commander Vernette, a clearly inferior officer, was placed in command of YOUR ship… Yates looked at Spender. His frown turned into intrigue. Spender: Do you still believe that you will have command of The King Raven? Yates was silent. Spender: I don’t think so. I think Skinner is going to give it to Vernette. A shame… Yates: What? Spender: Oh yes…I think Vernette is going to get it. You deserve it more than he does Brandon… Yates: What…? Spender: Vernette is going to get The King Raven…and you will have nothing. What do you think happens to officers who never get their own command? They tend to drift off into mediocrity…they tend to be forgotten. Yates: Vernette is getting The King Raven? Spender: Yes… Yates: But…Skinner said… Spender: SKINNER…LIED! Spender grinned. Spender: If only I still had authority…if only…somehow…I managed to escape this cell…to be pardoned of these…false accusations made against me… Yates raised an eyebrow. Yates: If only? Spender: Well…I have taken enough of your time Rear-Admiral Yates. I am sure you have to go and gather the evidence to use against me in my trial...that is coming up in…2 hours. Yates took a step back. Spender: I would salute…but my hands… Yates turned and walked away. He left the holding cells without saying another word. ============================================================================== Midnight – ONI Section 0 Operational Headquarters Omicron - ONI Section 0 Military District of Tribunal – Two Hours Later: ============================================================================== Spender was walked into a court room, escorted by several Marines. Spender looked ahead and saw the military judges. There were 5 judges. The head judge was Skinner, and the four other judges were lesser military officers. Spender was sat at a table, next to a lawyer. Spender looked to his left and saw Vernette, and Yates. Skinner: This military Tribunal is now in session. Skinner looked at Vernette. Skinner: Is the prosecution prepared? Vernette: Yes. Skinner: Does the prosecution wish to make any statements? Vernette: Not before the accused. Skinner: That is within order. Skinner looked at Spender. Skinner: Constantine Spender…you stand accused of multiple counts of Treason, conspiracy, negligent homicide, misappropriation of UNSC equipment, personnel, and ships, abuse of administrative power, and falsifying mission data for ulterior motives, as well as responsibility for the destruction of three UNSC ships, including The Ulterior Motive, The Silent Spectator, and the Legitimate Paranoia. How do you plea? Spender: Not guilty. Vernette’s eyes widened in total disbelief of what Spender had just said. Skinner: With the amount of evidence against you…that is a grand claim Admiral… Spender: I would like to see this evidence…your Honor. This court seems to be doing a very good job at making accusations, listing crimes…but has thus far done a poor job of actually proving any of it. Skinner looked at Vernette and Yates. Skinner: At the prosecutions convenience… Vernette looked at Yates and nodded. Yates looked back at Vernette. He had a blank expression on his face. Yates then looked at Skinner. Yates: We have nothing of substantive value to offer against Constantine Spender…your honor… Vernette stood up and looked at Yates. Vernette: WHAT!? Vernette was totally confused. Vernette: Where are the PDAs that we salvaged…the sensor records you took from The King Ravens computers, the HEV pod black box that was salvaged from the drop pod I used to escape from The Ulterior Motive…the ODST transponders that were recovered from the ODSTs that were killed outside my house, the same ODSTs that were in possession of the PDAs that your department salvaged. The names of those ODSTs appeared in those PDA records, and they were linked to the command of Spender! Where is all the evidence we gathered against this guy!? Yates…where is it? Where did it go? Yates: I have no idea what you are talking about Commander. This is a court of law…you cannot just…make things up! Vernette: I don’t fucking believe this… Spender: I do. I never did anything wrong. I was arrested under false claims from Commander Vernette. He fabricated stories about me, and managed to convince UNSC Marines to arrest me. Marines he no doubt bribed to help him in his…attempted coup d’état of my position. Skinner: Prosecution…where is the evidence? Vernette looked at Skinner. Vernette: Skinner…you saw everything! Skinner: Actually…I never did…I was only told that these things existed…I never saw them with my own eyes. Granted, I was on hand to witness…odd situations…but I cannot convict a man of wrong-doing simply on the basis of assumption and innuendo. Vernette looked at Yates. Vernette: This isn’t funny Yates…where is the God Damned evidence? Yates: There never was any Preston. You are trying to convict a man on nothing more than personal feeling and gut instinct. Vernette: Why are you doing this? Yates: The only thing I am doing…is my job. We all have to do…what we simply have to do. I must be fair in my job…and if you have nothing to present against Spender…I am officially withdrawing all charges. Vernette: I still have witnesses... Spender: Witnesses that witnessed me doing the things you said I did? Or Witnesses that witnessed you telling them that I did all these horrible things to you, with no proof to your claims? Vernette was totally silent. Yates stood up and looked at Skinner. Yates: In light of the Commander's clear deception of this court...I hereby submit that the Prosecution withdraws. Skinner: Very well. Constantine Spender…you are hereby cleared of all charges. Let the record be cleared to reflect this. Case dismissed. Yates looked at Vernette. Yates: It’s just good business Preston…I hope you understand… Vernette watched Spender and Yates leave the court room. Vernette was so infuriated…he simply did not have the words. All of the judges left, with exception to Skinner. Skinner looked at Vernette. Skinner: What were you trying to pull here Commander? Vernette looked at Skinner. Skinner: Well? Vernette didn’t answer. He simply left the court room. He had nothing to say…no words could describe his anger. ============================================================================== Reach – The Sleeping Grizzly – In Orbit of Reach – Six Weeks Later: ============================================================================== Spender sat on the bridge of The Sleeping Grizzly. He was doing work on a PDA. Spender then received a call from the hanger bay. Black 1: Admiral Spender? This is Black 1…we have recovered our VIP...without being seen. Spender answered the comm line and responded. Spender: You have him? Black 1: Yes sir…the intel Rear-Admiral Yates gave us on the facility was very accurate…down to the letter! However…there was one minor problem… Spender: Minor problem? Black 1: His armor was…taken away. We just have the man…no armor. We were unable to find it. ONI Must have put it into storage. Spender: No matter. Did you carry out the mission as requested? Black 1: Yes we did. His listing was altered to indicate that he was terminated…as per request from ONI. Spender: Good…bring him to the medical bay. I will meet you all there! Black 1: Understood. Black 1 out. Spender grabbed several data pads that he had beside his chair, and he left the bridge, making his way to the medical bay. Upon entering the medical bay, Lucien already had two doctors examine him. ODST Black team was also there. ODST Black Team all greeted Spender with a nod. Black 1: Admiral… Spender: Gentlemen… Spender looked at Lucien. He was silent for a moment, and then looked back at Black Team. Spender: Excellent work! Black 2: It’s what we do… Spender nodded. He walked towards where Lucien was laying. Spender looked at the Doctor. Spender: How is he? Doctor: Not the best shape…but he will recover for sure. ONI never treated his injuries. Why should they when they were just going to kill him? Spender: Why has he not regained consciousness yet? Doctor: He was heavily drugged before being out into cryo. His suspended state prevented the drugs from breaking down. This is usually a safeguard done in case a cryo tube fails, and the occupant is exceedingly dangerous. I have already injected him with a counter agent…and the drugs are breaking down rapidly. He should be awake in a few minutes. Spender nodded. He stepped back and looked at ODST Black Team. Black 3: Sir…I do not understand…what is he going to do without his armor? Spender: Lucien has other talents… Black 2: You mean…his amazing naval command abilities? Spender: That is but one of his abilities… Black 4: Correct me if I am wrong sir…but even without the armor…this guy is like…still dangerous. This could outpace and outfight anyone on this ship...possibly even us… Spender: Yes…this makes him valuable…versatile. Black 1: I guess it does. Spender: He may need a bit of honing…but I believe he can be made into a very dangerous asset. A Multi-talented officer…capable in every aspect of military command! He will be a real asset to The Trust! Spender grinned. Black 1: We could even try to acquisition another piece of MJOLNIR for his use…it would be tough…but…it would be worth it. Spender: Well…I will have to keep your willingness to carry out such a mission in mind…in case…down the road…something pops up… Spender looked at the data pads. Black 1: Have you read those yet? Spender: No…these are for him to read…him alone. He deserves that much. This is his life… Black 2: Fair enough… Spender turned when he heard Lucien waking up. Spender walked over and looked at Lucien. Lucien opened his eyes, and he quickly sat up, but he was still injured, and he winced in pain. Spender: Careful! Not too fast! Lucien: Where am I? Spender: The Sleeping Grizzly…we rescued you from ONI…they were about to terminate you. Lucien: How long…since Tesla? Spender: Eight weeks… Lucien: Eight weeks. I was captured…what happened? How did it end? Spender: We lost Tesla. The UNSC overran us. The Sleeping Grizzly managed to escape…even I was captured. Thankfully…I managed to convince Rear Admiral Yates that I am a better friend than ONI…he destroyed all of the evidence that the military tribunal was going to use to prosecute me. I got off the hook… Lucien: Yates? He helped you? Spender: And he now continues to do so. He has proven quite valuable. His recruitment has precluded the need to recruit Vernette. With Yates watching Vernette…we have eyes on his work! We will have the services of Vernette…whether he knows it or not. Lucien: So it all worked out? Spender: Almost…could of worked out better…but…c’est la vie… Lucien: Such is life… Spender: Speaking of life…I did some digging…and I found yours… Lucien: What? Spender: The life ONI buried…and the life ONI fabricated are two different, although similar, lives. Spender handed Lucien a data pad. Spender: You may recognize this… Lucien: My…ONI service profile…most of the information is blacked out… Spender: Yes. Do you wish to see the uncensored version? Lucien thought for a moment. He was unsure. After a minute, he looked at Spender. Lucien: I…suppose…yes…I want to see it! Lucien tossed the first PDA across the room. The data pad flew past Black 1 and 4. They had to step apart to prevent themselves from being hit by it. Black 1 and 4 looked at each other. Black 1: Was that necessary? Black 4: I guess so. Though…why am I being asked? The two ODSTs looked at each other. They then looked back at Lucien. They saw Lucien looking at the data pad. Lucien: I was born on Paradise Lost… Lucien paused. He kept reading… Lucien: My parents…they are still alive... Lucien looked at the name. Lucien: I do not recognize the name… Spender: Really? What does it say? Lucien was silent. Lucien: This is…all of this is… Spender: Lucien? What was your name? Lucien: Why do I have three names? I was only given one… Spender: Typically…a first, middle, and last name is given. What does yours say? Lucien: It says… Spender waited… Lucien: I have siblings… Spender: Lucien…your name? Lucien: Two sisters…three brothers… Spender: Lucien? Lucien: I was cloned…my clone died…when he was 9…I was buried in Mother of Mercy cemetery… Spender: Lucien…what is your name? Lucien dropped the data pad on the ground. Lucien: My name…as it so appears… Spender waited. Lucien: First, middle, and last… Lucien paused. Lucien: Lucien…Acastus…Kolya… Lucien looked at Spender. Lucien: Happy now? Spender grinned and shrugged. Spender: Very…my only question was answered. ***The End***