Spartan B-312 stared up at the sky, watching the flashes of light that could be seen through the clear atmosphere. The bright blue of plasma was the most obvious, with orange explosions blossoming here and there.
He sighed. Dr. Halsey had been correct. Reach would fall, and it would fall soon. He hoped that Jun had managed to get the doctor and himself to safety. But with everything that had happened, it was unlikely. There simply weren't anymore safe places on Reach.
Noble Six sighed again and returned to setting up the battle zone. The Covenant knew he was here, and they would arrive soon. They wanted him dead, but he would be dammed if he didn't put up a fight worthy of Noble Team. As he worked, he remembered how the others had fallen, how they had given everything of themselves for the fight.
Noble Five, Jorge, the unstoppable mountain, firing his chaingun into a horde of enemies. The only Spartan II on the team, he was also the friendliest, quickly adapting to Six like they had trained together. He had sacrificed himself to stop the super-carrier in orbit, giving his life for the planet and Six."Tell them to make it count..."
Noble Two, Kat, the tech with brawn to match her brains. She had given Noble every bit of information they needed, even if they weren't supposed to have it. She had just begun remove her cold persona and show her true self when she had been taken down. Shot through the brain by an Elite sniper without any warning. For Six, her death was still unavenged. "First glassing? Me too..."
Noble Three, Jun, the marksman who never missed. During the one mission which he and Six had worked alone, he had been a constant source of comfort. There was something about knowing that he had your back, that made Six look past the seemingly passive exterior. Jun was someone to trust, which was probably why he had been the one chosen to escort Dr. Halsey to CASTLE Base. He was the only other member of Noble who was still out there, and the only one with a possible future.
Noble One, Carter, the leader, the only one who had known everything about Six when he joined the team. Pure solider, he had focused only on the mission, never deviating while in action. Out of the battlefield, he had shown his immense commitment to his team. His dedication to his team and his mission showed when he gave everything he had to allow Six to deliver the AI to the shipyard. Six could still recall that final transmission before the Pelican had rammed the Scarab. "You're on your own Noble. Carter out."
Noble, Four, Emile, the furious warrior, always ready for another fight. Many Covenant had fallen to his knife and shotgun, the grim skull on his helmet the last thing they saw. Emile had given Six quite the welcome; nothing says "hello" like staring at the new guy while sharpening your knife on your shoulder plates. Refusing to stop even at the end, he took an energy sword in the back and still managed to take out his killer with a knife to the neck. "Who's next? All right, how about you!"
And now himself. He knew he would fall, just as the others of Noble had, just as all the others of Beta had. Only his skills had prevented him from sharing their fate, but now he too would make his last stand. The Covenant was desperate to kill Spartans at this point, and would converge on his location like a moth to a flame. They had been know to use entire cruisers as traps to destroy even a single Spartan, and Six knew that the Elite's strange sense of honour would demand that they face him on the ground, where they would gain fortune by his defeat. They could easily vaporize him from orbit, but they would come down to meet him anyway.
They would come, and he would fall; but he would make them regret ever attacking humanity. He would become a thing of their nightmares, a demon to their faith, an obstacle to stand against them. A memory that would never fade away.
After all, Spartans never die. "They're just missing in action..."