Chapter 1

0820 Hours, February 10, 2580 (Military Calendar) /
Sol System, Earth, New Delphi, Iceland

"All conditions go for SkyCarrier Ground Control?" queried pilot Samuel White to control.

"Roger, all conditions go for SkyCarrier, over." Replied a technician in ground control. The SkyCarrier was a heavy transport used to carry heavy weapons and vehicles like artillery, Scorpion tanks, construction/repair vehicles, and crates of ammo and explosive ordinance. It essentially looked like an elongated Pelican dropship with a longer wingspan and Scorpion missiles in rocket pods.

"This is ground control...you and your escorts are reading green across the board. Give 'em havoc out there for us. Over"

"Affirmative ground control, I'll bring back a little somethin' for you to remember. Over and out." The SkyCarrier's VTOL engines suddenly produced a bright orange flare, and ignited. White pushed the trust lever and rocketed into the sky, along with the SkyHawk VTOL Fighters.

Three hours of flying through the torturous snow and wind, they finally reached Bravo Base. There was a flurry of activity as marines prepped their Warthogs, Scorpions, and other vehicles for the snowy conditions. The elites checked their Ghosts, Banshees, and Wraiths if they were battle worthy. They just got wind that the Covenant had demolished and glassed Delta Base. The Elites just hated the Covenant, plain and simple.

"Bravo Base, the cavalry has arrived. This is SkyCarrier Anaconda 316. See if you can set up a LZ for us out of the snow. Over."

"Anaconda 316, sure thing, just make sure those SkyHawk fighters are armed and ready for a fight. We'll refuel them when they get on the ground. Over." The VTOL engines whined when White was touching down. Thump

"The bird has landed. It's safe to begin unloading, over." Engineers both with and without loading suits swarmed in to begin unloading the much needed supplies and construction equipment. With the necessary equipment, Bravo Base could build SAM sites with Swallow Surface-to-Air missiles, gattling guns, and Gauss Cannons. Bravo Base would not fall.

Ninth Age of Reclamation, Camp of Recovery / Sol System
Earth, New Delphi, Iceland

Tarnerus gazed over the army of the Covenant. Almost 10,000 Covenant soldiers were readying themselves for the siege. His gaze wandered over to his brutes, bundled for war and the cold weather. They were his pride and joy. Trained from a young age, they would all be worthy opponents in the battlefield. He walked down to the brutes behind his own, the pilots of the Wraiths.

"Get ready to enter the tanks, and move up onto that first ridge up there," He gestured toward the ridge. "And begin bombardment after two cycles. You will not fail me." He looked at every pilot. Each one was eager to begin. Good, he thought, the humans will not withstand such firepower...and eagerness.

2152 Hours, February 10, 2580 (Military Calendar) /
Sol System, Earth, New Delphi

The pelican dropship entered Bravo Base. Corporal Hayfield flagged the dropship down with a fluorescent flare. When the dropship touched down, a myriad of heavily-armed soldiers thundered down the metal ramp. They carried something in their midst, a metal transmitter. The corporal didn't think much of this, as O.N.I. frequently sent him new-fangled contraptions that needed to be tested. Other than this, the soldiers carried out weapons, supplies, and other necessities for a long siege. However, all this was unnecessary, as the transmitter would prove to make the siege an extremely short one.