A/N: Another wacky idea I just came up with… well it's not that wacky really.

XXxxXX

Few ground rules:

What if the Human-Covenant War hadn't ended?

Shepard is a Spartan-IV, but not a biotic.

ONISAD is in this story.

Follows a lot of elements from Lost Legacy.

Miranda and Johnson are… still alive, because things went down slightly differently on the Ark.

XXxxXX

"I thought that when you got back from the Ark, it would be over. But it wasn't. It's never going to be over, isn't it?"
-Kelly-087 to John-117, hours before her death in a Covenant ambush.

XXxxXX

NEW ELIS CITY, RAUFAUSS, DANTE SYSTEM, 2558

Commander Kylie Shepard sat in the remains of a hotel, growing wearier of this war as time passed. It had been just constant fighting, day after day, week after week, year after year. Just continual fighting with no end in sight. Raufauss had been lucky during the early days the war, completely overlooked by the Covenant.

That was until some Innie decided to fuck everyone over.

The Covenant had rolled in so fast it was unbelievable. Raufauss was just a Mid Colony planet for mining; it possessed some minor spaceborne assets like SkyWatch and SkyGuardian. But those were made to stop pirates, rogue PMCs and Innies, not to stop a full blown Covenant Armada.

Kylie gazed over the remains of New Elis. She could easily see the blood smeared all over the roads with her augmented azure blue eyes. There weren't any bodies, at least, no old decaying bodies. The Covies usually got to them before they went off. Shepard had seen far too many half-eaten children in rundown houses too many times in this war. It never got any easier.

She had been in this war for far too long, been fighting in it since 2547. The same could be said for the ONISAD team with her. Rumour has it that they were the ones who cleaned house when General Essingdon Keyes took over ONI. He was the younger brother of Miranda Keyes, and the son of the late Captain Jacob Keyes. From what Kylie had heard, the man was both brilliant in the sciences and covert tactics. During his early tenure as a senior officer, he had been the supervisor for ONISAD. He was a compassionate man, making sure that his people lived to fight another day. The Special Forces ability to remain sharp in this war was due in no small part to him.

Seeing a flight of Separatists Banshees fly by, Kylie knew that it was time to get back to work again. She eased her helmet over her brown hair and gestured towards First Element and the remaining members of Spartan-II Blue Team, to come over.

"Situation?" the Chief asked in his deep voice. People still called him Chief these days; it was symbolic more or less. He had been promoted to Commander a few years back to allow him more field flexibility, and to stop jackass COs from making him do stupid shit.

"We're gearing up for an attack," Kylie answered.

"Any news from upstairs?" Fred asked.

"Nothing of use, Palmer says that the storms and jammers are doing hell to the sensors."

"Thought she'd come join the party," Sandman commented as if he was talking about the weather.

"So what's the plan?" Linda asked, checking the sights on her sniper rifle.

"Shepard, you Thorne and Linda attack from the East," John said, drawing a rough diagram on the dirt caked tabe. "Fred and I will take them for the west."

He then pointed at Arca. "Echo-One, hit them from the south."

"You got it."

Kylie still found their black visors and blood red optics scary as hell. The crimson glow was mainly used for theatrics in close quarters, their psychological effect was undeniable. Grunts were always sent packing, and Innies cowered in fear. The ONISAD team was the larger one out of the group, consisting of Arca, Lotus, Greystone and Sandman. Thorne, was also revealed to be ONISAD not too long ago, his callsign was Briar, for obvious reasons.

They were all out to destroy a Covenant artillery position, and wipe out the enemy HQ in the region. Both sides had taken heavy casualties, but the two Infinity-Class ships in obit had helped even out the odds a bit. Supremacy, commanded by Captain Miranda Keyes, and Infinity under the command of Captain Thomas Lasky, have been performing high-risk attacks against the Covenant ships, providing a small window to work in. Every so often, husks of destroyed Loyalist ships would come blazing through the atmosphere and land somewhere in the distance.

"What does intel have on their position? Anything new?" Thorne asked.

"Nothing, storm's grounded the drones," John supplied. The Spartan looked back and forth, assessing the team. "Everyone clear with the plan?"

The Spartans nodded.

"Let's do this."

Lotus took point at the stairs and made his way down to the foyer where a rough motor pool and forward hospital had been set up. There weren't that many wounded, only the dead. Corpsmen just paced along the rows of body bags, eyes dark and hollow, checking the tags. Kylie didn't envy them, not in the slightest.

The group mounted Mongooses, which were the only vehicles available; all the warthogs had been deployed providing whatever help they can. Shepard had a preference to the newer models which were kitted out with more armour, countermeasures and doors.

"Objective is five klicks north, behind the mountains," Arca said, checking the maps.

"Move out, and fan out," John warned.

Kylie revved the quad bike's engine and immediately shot out of the motor pool. The mongoose glided down the road, its low howl drowned out by the heavy rain. Mud and water splashed onto her visor as she felt the g-forces pushing against her. Oh how she loved to drive, she loved the feeling of solid ground dictating the ride. Shepard had grown on a ship, and when her mother took her out for shore leave, they usually spent it on a mid-colony. Inner colonies were way too dense to spend time off peacefully. Sure it was fun, but the regulations against flying cars for security reasons, and the flat infrastructure made travelling boring. Outer colonies were far too quiet, flying cars were a lot more prevalent, but so were terror cells. Mid-colonies however had the best of both worlds, populated city centres and beautiful vistas.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem," Palmer called over the COMs.

"Situation?"

"Covies are bugging out up here, but we've got reports of Innies in your area. Stay frosty people."

An assortment of cuss were broadcasted over TEAMCOM, most of them came from Lotus.

"Bloody fucking hell, first the Covies, then the Innies."

The rest of the ride to the mountains was relatively uneventful. They passed a few friendly units and outposts as they left the burning remains of the city centre. Upon reaching the base of the elevated range, the group split of in their separate directions, getting ready to fulfil their goals.

ABOARD UNSC INFINITY, HIGH ORBIT

His eyes were constantly sweeping over the tactical display. The lack of sleep was getting to him, but he couldn't rest, not yet. Until he was sure that the Covenant could be handled by the mop-up crews, Tom wasn't going to go anywhere near his quarters.

"Keyes, move your group to the north, I'll cover you," Lasky said taking in a deep breath. He rested his hand on his chin as he watched the red entities move closer towards his position.

"Copy that, moving now," Miranda complied.

The view screens showed Supremacy and her contingent of Charon-class light frigates readjust their course before their engines flared.

"Roland, ETA on enemy arrival."

"Five minutes," the AI replied.

"Nothing takes five minutes," Laksy muttered. He turned his attention back to the tactical map which displayed the war torn planet below. High Command had been awful vague about why they needed to hold onto the planet at all cost. Tom knew that the aforementioned resources were not that valuable. It had to be something else, there had to be another reason to why two Infinity-class ships were deployed in the same system.

He felt Infinity move again, ploughing through the field of derelict Covenant ships. The Separatists were off engaging Loyalist elements near Raufauss's second moon, Eisenwall. This meant that UNSC Naval forces would be on their own for a while. It wasn't too bad considering that the UNSC had overhauled whatever was left of its military with Forerunner Tech, but still, it would be nice to have some form of backup.

PLANETSIDE

Rain was beating down on John as he kept his Relentless Assault Rifle raised and at the ready. Essingdon Keyes had made sure that R'n'D went all out on developing the weapon. It had insane rate of fire, firing 2000 hardlight rounds per minute without overheating. It was perfect for fighting at all ranges, and any target.

"Fred, move up."

"Got it."

The two Spartans quickly made their way up the mountainside, carving a path through the thick shrubs and rocks. The MJOLNIR Mk7 was a thing of beauty, its constant tactical updates and scans were extremely valuable on the battlefield. But John had made a mental note not to rely on it too much. Gadgets fail, eyes don't.

"You think we can hold onto Raufauss?" Fred asked while vaulting over a boulder.

"They wouldn't have sent in ONISAD," John answered cryptically.

Even with the new technology and allies, the UNSC was still heavily undermanned and fighting the war on two fronts. The Insurrectionists weren't making it any easier. John knew that ONISAD was on Raufauss specifically to deal with any terror cells and instil fear into the Covenant. General Keyes would've never sent them and the Spartan-IIs if the situation wasn't desperate.

Raufauss was a mining planet rich with resources vital towards the war effort. If the UNSC lost the planet, then no one would have it. The Task Force were under orders to not let the world fall into enemy hands, one way or another. John knew exactly what that meant… NOVA strike.

"We're almost at the summit."

John looked at the Nav Marker on his HUD. He was less than a hundred metres away. Judging from the lack of rain in the area, he knew that the ionised air from the plasma artillery was literally ripping apart the rain clouds. He could see the fading light of the setting sun through the opening.

"Report in," he keyed into his mike.

"In position," Shepard answered.

"Two minutes," Arca checked in.

Upon reaching the ridgeline under cloak, the Chief managed to see the entire Covenant position. Unlike previous encounters, this base was in horrible condition. Ground level was absolutely flattened by orbital bombardment. All that remained where the Wraith Tanks with active camo and heat sinks. Only sonar sensors allowed the Spartan to pick up the armoured vehicles.

"I've got eyes on base entrance," Fred said.

"Call in airstrike first, then we'll move in."

"Copy."

John pulled out the tactical map on his HUD and made rough estimates to where everyone would be. They all had their FoF tags turned off, and enemy jammers were up. Thankful Superluminal was immune to conventional jamming methods, allowing the team a direct link to Infinity and Supremacy.

"This is Spartan Blue Team," Fred keyed into the COMs, "requesting airstrike at nine-point-seven-three-two-foxtrot."

There was a pause before an operator answered.

"Copy that Blue Team, rerouting fast movers. Get those AAs down."

"We're on it."

Fred silently moved behind a rocky outcrop and deployed the M99A2 SASR, a menacing Gauss Rifle which slung API rounds at terrifying speeds. Ever since it entered mass production, it became the UNSC's heavy hitting, anti-material sniper rifle.

"In position," he said, settling his aim. "Checking for AAs."

The Chief hunkered down and covered Fred's six. Fred was the second best sniper and best spotter out of all the Spartans. He was just as capable of playing lone wolf like Linda was.

Heavy explosive claps registered in John's ears as Fred pulled the trigger repeatedly. He could only guess that his long-time friend was coordinating synchronised shots with Linda as they took out Anti-Air positions.

John climbed up onto the ridge and scanned the area with his optics. He saw a couple of gun positions covered in scorch marks and Covenant soldiers smeared all over the purple walls.

"This is Thunder-Two-Two, we're holding orbit, laze targets over," said a female voice.

"Copy that, marking now," John answered. He gave a quick nod to Fred.

A contingent of Shortsword bombers came roaring down from the stratosphere like birds of prey. Their cloaks deactivated as they dropped their thermobaric payloads before climbing back up beyond the clouds. John kept his sights on the missiles leaving a trail of grey-ish smoke in their wake. The warheads reached their set marker and blanketed the Covenant position with vapour.

Instinctively, John and Fred ducked behind the rocks as the gas ignited, lighting up the evening sky in a ball of fire. Tremors were felt from miles around. Pebbles and dust rolled down the mountains side as the shockwaves swept over.

"Good effect on target," the Chief keyed into his mike. "Moving in."

"Good hunting people," the pilot said.

John activated the tactical map again; First Element had turned the FoF tags back on again, allowing him to pinpoint their position. They were moving through what was left of the rainforest, occasionally slowing down to deal with a straggler. But those pauses took barely a heartbeat.

"Gentlemen," the COMs chimed again. This time it was Fhajad, not Palmer. "We have a problem."

"Why do you guys always call us when you have a problem," Lotus deadpanned over the channel, "I mean, why don't you ever call into say hi, or good news. Why is it always the bad news?"

There was an irony in the question. But Fhajad shrugged it off.

"Good to hear from you too. But we have orders to bang out. All UNSC forces are too fall back to extraction points."

"What about the HQ?" Shepard asked.

"Mop-up can handle it," Fhajad replied. "I'll brief you when you get back to Infinity."

ABOARD UNSC INFINITY, HIGH ORBIT

Within the Special Forces Echelon of the UNSC, it was no secret that the Spartan-IIs were originally meant for fighting the Insurrectionists. The Spartans' ability to adapt to a new social environment was uncanny. Their sociopathic tendencies were a myth, one that seemed to propagate far and wide, generating a wide spectrum of concerns. It probably worked in their favour too. Disinformation and bluffing was what shrouded the real ONI.

Kylie could easily see the "divide" amongst the Spartans sitting in the briefing hall. To the far right was First Element, and right next to them were the Spartan-IIs. They wore similar attire which consisted off a multicam battle dress suited for urban incursions and thigh holsters for their side arms. The people that sat there were the ones who performed the wetworks, they're the most feared.

The middle of the room was where Spartan-IVs and IIIs sat, while to the left were Advance Recon Group Teams, Airborne First Division, ODST's 105th, Nightstalkers and various representatives of other branches.

When the hall lights dimmed, Shepard knew that the briefing was about to be underway. A central holographic display opened to life, projecting Raufauss and its surrounding moons. Fhajad took centre stage, dressed in a black and grey uniform.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said grimly, "SkyWatch has picked up additional unknowns at the edges of this system."

Kylie watched a recorded feed from a SkyWatch drone. Cuttlefish shaped ships glided through the night effortlessly, firing their main weapons repeatedly. Lances of red danced from the mouths and struck home on fleeing ships.

"We have reason to believe they're Covenant, but at the same time, evidence suggests that this is a new player…"

Shepard leaned forward in her seat and brushed her scrunched lips in annoyance.

As if this war wasn't bad enough already

XXxxXX

"They break us down and then they train us from the ground up again. We don't hesitate pulling the trigger on kids, but it never gets any easier. Those of us who stop, well, they don't make it back. Innies love to play dirty. They'll send anyone who can hold a gun, at you. They're sloppy at best, but their ferocity and rage more than makes up for it. I've seen Nightstalkers, Helljumpers and Blood Talons all get torn up, just because they hesitated."
-Arcani Asset to another, (within Section III, Arcani and ONISAD-SOG have become synonymous)

XXxxXX

A/N: What do you think? Please leave a review and let me know.