November 4, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Unknown location (Imber), SYSTEM ERROR
Things had been belly up the moment Savannah's SOEIV hit the dirt on this god forsaken rock. She had lost two of her squad on the initial drop and the constant rain didn't do them any favors. She had been cold and wet for the last two days and there was no end in sight.
"Delta Three-Nineteen, this is Gamma leader. We are at Echo Seven-Zero-Three and are taking fire! I repeat, taking fire. Immediate evac required on the fucking double. Can you confirm?" The ODST screamed into her radio, crouched behind a flipped over and burnt our hulk of a Warthog. There was a crashed Pelican maybe fifty meters away which would provide better cover but they were surrounded.
The only response she received was the crackle of static.
"I say again, this is Gamma leader and we are taking fire! Immediate evac required. Can you confirm? Hello? Jesus we're going to fucking die here! Incoming! Hit the deck!" Savannah dove to the dirt, holding her hands over her helmet as a plasma grenade detonated against the warthog frame. She wanted to scream, but she was the squad leader and there was a duty to her fellow troops. She had to be a leader, she had to remain calm and stay focused… but she couldn't help and think back to her husband and daughter back on Earth. The covenant had found the planet a little over two weeks ago and instead of getting back to save their home world, they had been diverted here, to this death trap.
"It's no good Sav! The Iwo Jima must be trash up there. I'm not getting any com response" Joshua reported as bolts of green plasma streaked overhead, snapping her out her day dream.
"Well shit…" Another explosion nearby sent dirt and debris showering over the five ODSTs left alive. Savannah closed her brown eyes and hit her helmet against the scarred metal frame. This was it and she knew it. Her ship in orbit was gone, half her team was dead and it would only be a matter of time until the aliens charged her position. Savannah checked the ammo counter on her BR55 Battle rifle. She had half a clip left, not nearly enough to put down an Elite. The plasma suddenly stopped and for a second, everything was quiet. Savannah moved away from the Warthog and looked over the top. The troops separated as the familiar form of a Wraith moved into view. That Plasma mortar would make short work of their makeshift cover. Before the tank could fire, she noticed a few Grunts standing there looking up to the sky. A Pelican dropship pierced the cloud cover and let lose a barrage of rockets from under the wings. The Covenant troops barely had time to react before they were engulfed in flames and explosions as the tank detonated in a brilliant ball of blue flames.
"Someone call for an Evac?" a voice asked. Savannah guessed it had to be the pilot.
"Roger that…" she replied, dumbfounded as the Pelican continued to accelerate towards their position. "Uh, pilot, you're coming in a little hot." She added. "Say again, you're coming in too hot. Reduce speed!"
"Move!" Joshua yelled. Savannah scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could away from where the Pelican was heading. At the last possible second, the aircraft reverse the thrust, kicking up a ton of dust and debris and hovered just a few feet off the ground. It sat there for a moment before the rear hatch opened revealing the troop bay. A figure in cobalt armor stood there, tilting his helmeted head to the side. Savannah's jaw dropped inside her helmet. It was a Spartan. Now none of this made any sense, but she wasn't about to question her luck.
"So, you coming or what?" he asked, holding a DMR lazily at his side. Savannah hurried to her feet followed by Joshua and two other ODSTS. The Spartan nodded as the five shock troopers boarded the aircraft and hit a button, closing the hatch behind them, bathing the troop bay in red. "Buckle up," he said, walking to the cockpit.