Fernando Esparza: Difference between revisions

Eventually, after repeated viewings of the same message his recording device lost power.{{Ref/Reuse|DH}} It was almost immediately after this, however, that ''Echo 216'' alerted him to the presence of a signal with a [[Identification friend or foe|friendly]] designation. He raced to the cockpit and hailed the signal, but before he could identify himself twice he wiped away frost on the cockpit window to reveal an armored [[Spartan]] floating nearby: [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]]. Bringing the hulking warrior aboard revealed that [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN3)|his armor]]'s survival mode had been triggered. To override it, Esparza rerouted what little power remained to ''Echo 216'' into the armor, and was thrilled when parts of the Pelican's interior which had gone dark from a lack of energy suddenly flared to life thanks to the suit's [[fusion reactor]] recharging the Pelican's depleted batteries. Esparza enthusiastically welcomed the Chief back after seeing that he'd reawakened. He also noticed that something appeared to be wrong with the [[Wikipedia:Servomechanism|servos]] the man's gauntleted hands, but before he could locate a tool to check his armor's diagnostics John approached him and asked for a status report. This caught Esparza off guard, but he then realized the Chief may not know about what had happened to the nearby ring and so turned his attention to the cockpit. As the Spartan laid eyes on what remained of it he explained that they had lost everything here—though he added that he didn't even know where "here" was. Then, without warning, ''Echo 216'' was hit by something which generated electrical discharges within it and enveloped it in bright light. Esparza panicked at this and signaled to the Chief that he had witnessed this sort of attack before. He advised that they needed to flee, but John disagreed, instead stating that they needed to fight. At that point, Esparza sealed himself within the cockpit while the Spartan took up a position in the troop bay. The Chief told him to get ready right before Esparza opened the rear hatch so he could go on the offensive.{{Ref/Reuse|DH}}

On May 28, Esparza found himself flying ''Echo 216'' through a series of newly-created gorges—thanks to the breakup of the ring—whilst being fired at by [[Banished anti-aircraft cannon|anti-aircraft cannon]]s constructed by the [[Banished]]. The Pelican took at least a hit each from two of cannons, forcing Esparza to make an emergency landing in a shallow stream. The final impact which stopped the dropship's forward momentum made knocked Esparza briefly unconscious, but when he came to panic and disbelief seized him immediately. The Master Chief attempted to calm him but with little success, instead being berated by Esparza for putting them both in their present predicament. The Spartan decided he needed to eliminate the cannons, of which he'd counted three, and instructed Esparza to remain put with the Pelican until he returned. Doubtful that he would be safe on his own, Esparza protested this. Before hitting the ground he'd spotted a number of [[Condor]]s and was determined to check whether any of them retained a working [[slipspace drive]] which they could use to flee the system. The Master Chief agreed to help him with such a search, but only after he'd first dealt with the cannons.