Chapter.1 The Drop

"Alright rookies, my name is Donovan Castor, but you lucky six can call me Sarge. Now tell me what are your names?"

The Sarge walked down the row of men and pointed saying, "Lets start with you."

"My name is Nathaniel sir."

Sarge: "OK now the rest of you."

One at a time the soldiers gave their names, "Brian." "Alex." "David." "Jonas." "Luther."

Sarge: "Alright now you know why you're here, because the UNSC needs every god damn soldier she can get. Now all of you are rookies, but that doesn't make you any less of a man, you are ODST! Orbital! Drop! Shock! Troopers! You're here for one thing and one thing only and that is to kill the damned Covenant."

A voice can over the intercom "Donovan, the Covenant have just launched a very large strike force on the city, they need you down there stat."

Sarge: "Looks like it's your lucky day boys, the Covenant have made the first move it's our job to make the last, Now get to your drop pods I'll explain the mission on our way down."

We rushed to our drops pods, adjusted ourselves, locked in, and waited for the drop. Sarge came onto the video chat and began to debrief us.

Sarge: "We are being dropped roughly five miles out of the city, we must make our way into the center and remove a very high explosive bomb they have planted just beneath the capitol building, Once we make our way into the city Covenant will be all over the place, We will tread carefully upon arriving at the capitol building, we will have to make our way down into the lower levels, we like to call this a Data Hive, it's where all the information is stored, a super computer you can say. A explosion there will wipe out the entire city, like one big nuclear bomb, failure is not a option."

The drop pods unlatched, and we began to fall towards the planet. The fall was shaky, any normal person would freak under the pressure. This was my first drop, I was frightened.

Brian: "How you holding up over there Nathaniel?"

"Fine, how about yourself?" I replied.

Brian: "This is crazy, I never expected it to be like this, you know first day on the job."

Sarge came back on the video chat.

Sarge: "Boys, I was just informed by command, a Covenant fleet is heading towards our positions. Keep a look out."

Brian: "A Covenant fleet! How in the world our we going to stop them from blowing us straight to hell if we are stuck in these damn pods in the middle of space."

Sarge: "We will make is soldier keep your head on!"

Just then the fleet started to appear, at least two dozen ships, one after another they showed up.

"Fuck how much longer till we land Sarge? I don't want to die up here." I yelled.

Sarge: "Two minuets rookie, keep it together."

"Um sir..." I paused

One of the Covenant ships spotted us, charging its cannon, juts seconds from firing, the ship was facing Sarge's pod, we where still a minuet from impact and that ship was just seconds away from firing.

"Sarge!" I screamed.

In the video chat, Sarge's face appeared and he was smiling.

Sarge: "You boys have your orders, you know what to do."

"Sarge we will make it you said it yourself, we will make it." I said.

Sarge: "No Nathaniel, I'm not going to make it and you know that, we all know it. Make me proud. Finish your mission, Finish the fight!"

Sarge went on the loud speakers, and gave one final roar.

Sarge: "Come on you Covenant bastards shoot me!"

And with the the Covenant ship fired, Sarge's pod was completely destroyed, I quickly turned my head away, he was gone. We where falling fast just moments from impact.

"Get ready!" I screamed.

We hit the surface, smashing one at a time, and our pods opened we made it, all of us but one.

Luther: "What the hell do we do now, the Sarge is dead."

"We have our orders, we finish our mission." I said bluntly.

The six of us grabbed our guns from the pods and started to head towards the city, We have our orders, we have our mission, finish the fight, failure was not a option. We Started to walk towards the city but, it would be getting dark soon and we would be easy prey fro Covenant scouting parties so, we set up camp.

David: "Nathaniel, do you think we can make it?"

I looked over at him and said "We have to if we don't then millions of people are going to die."

David: "Millions have already died, what makes this city so much better then the rest?"

I stood up "It's not that this city is better then the rest, it's the fact that this cities very survival has been intrusted to us, all those civilians, all those families in their, they're our responsibility, I'm not asking you to come with me nor am I asking for your help though we can use it, but this is my mission and I will see it through."

David: "Still got that bold hero outlook I see, I'm not leaving cousin we're family we have stick together. Now get some rest I'll keep watch, we both know I'm way better at staying up then you are."

I laughed and nodded, I walked past David, but turned. "Why did you join?"

David: "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, why did you join the ODST, back before the war, you always was so negative towards the UNSC military. So again I ask, why did you join?" I looked him in the eye.

David: "Because of these monsters this Covenant, I lost everything, we lost everything, our homes, our families, our friends, everything we loved was taken from us, so I guess my answer is revenge and to protect whats left that I care for."

I never really understood David's outlook on things but I knew where he was coming from, we did lose everything, I lost the one thing most dear to me, my family, my daughter, the Covenant attacked my city killing everyone without question, it was a massacre, killed in my very hands. My wife she was taken to a UNSC protection facility, I was supposed to join her there, but all I wanted to do was find and kill the monster that took my only child from me.

David: "You going to answer me? Or just stand there?"

"Huh, what?" I shook my head.

David: "I asked, what made you join, what about your wife and kid."

I looked at David and a tear rolled down my eye. "My daughter, she was killed, day our city was attacked, by an Elite, I'll never forget what he looked like, part of his mouth was gone, left side, red armor, with a gold horn in the middle of his helmet. There was explosion and I was hardly conscious, he grabbed her by the throat, and pierced her with his energy sword. Marines showed up chased him away and took me and my wife to the protection facility, That's when I decided to join, to kill every last Elite in the universe."

David looked down and said "I'm sorry, we will kill every one of them, I promise. Now go get some rest."

I walked back to the rest of the guys and went on asking each one why they where here. Jonas joined to avenge his brother who was a former ODST. Alex joined because after the attack on our city he was found by one of the rescue parties and taken to the closest base for aid, upon waking up he found the closest commanding officer and was quickly accepted in. Luther, well he didn't give much on why he joined the team, something about it was his calling. And Brian well he joined, because of me, we been best friends since I could remember, he told me that he wasn't going to let me do it alone. After that I walked off just enough where the guys couldn't hear me.

"Presea, is you're listening wherever you are, daddies going to get that monster."

I walked back to the guys and nodded at them. "Get some rest we head out first light."