1345 Hours Mission log entry UNSC/MC/ODST 00231. Designation 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 501st Battalion, 14th Regiment, 3rd Airborne Division. Location: Reach, March 13th, 2552, MAC V Generator Stations.

"What happened here Senior Chief?" asked the First Sergeant in charge of Alpha Company.

Though he was technically the same rand as the Senior Chief Petty Officer, his orders from CINC REACH made it abundantly clear that the Spartans on the ground had command, even the Major currently commanding the 501st was taking orders from Senior Chief Petty Officer 103.

"We did our job top, and killed every single thing that got in our way." Answered the Senior Chief.

The two NCO's were standing in the same insta-crete bunker that had been hastily erected as 103's command post once they had rallied Red Team. It was still a little soft, and now heavily scarred by plasma burns. Two full Battalions of Covenant had tried to overrun the generator facilities below, only to be slaughtered like sheep by the 23 Spartan-II's under 103's command. There were pockmarked bodies of Covenant soldiers everywhere, dozens of wrecked Ghosts, half a dozen smoking Wraiths, and twenty-odd fallen Banshees. It seemed like whatever the Covies had thrown at them, Red Team had killed it, for over four hours non-stop, until the Brutes arrived.

The Brutes were a Covenant race as yet un-encountered by humans, therefore the Spartans of Red Team had been ill prepared to face a beast the size of a hunter, twice as strong as an Elite, and damned near impossible to kill. There had only been one company of Brutes, around thirty or so, but it had nearly been the end of Red Team, until the 501st had jumped feet first into hell.

The famous Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Regiment had been fast deployed from the UNSC Valliant, in an effort to reinforce the Spartan Team defended the massive generators that powered the MAC V space cannons. Those massive guns were the only things protecting Reach from over 300 Covenant capital ships. There were whole divisions of Covenant on the ground trying to get to those generators, but each 23 Spartans, well supported, was enough to stop damn near anything. The support could have been better, but the Spartans were still there.

The Drop Shock Troopers, known as ODST's or Helljumpers, had arrived just in time to aid the Spartans of Red Team, who had been running low on ammo, and reduced to fighting the Brutes hand-to-hand. With fresh ammo and fresh boots on the line, Red Team, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta Companies had managed to finish off the Brutes and remaining Covenant Armor.

First Sergeant Vega had formally been the senior NCO in Alpha Company, working for Sergeant Major Price. Unfortunately for the Sergeant Major, his drop pod had landed on a Wraith Tank, destroying the tank, and killing the Marine in the pod. So First Sergeant Vega had been promoted to acting Sergeant Major. One hundred and fifty Helljumpers, fully loaded and armed to the teeth, were now hard at work, well organized, fortifying the bunkers, scavenging ammo, and performing reconnaissance of the surrounding woods. This was home turf for the 501st and the Spartans, both units had spent years training in these woods, and both units called Reach "Home".

"Red 1 this is Red 14, heavy enemy movement on bearing 120 from your position, estimate company strength or more, please advise, over."

"Red 14 this is Red 1, Observe and Avoid. Over."

Observe and Avoid meant that Spartan 72, designated Red 14, would follow the Covenant forces, remaining unseen, and report back any and all useful information.

"Alpha 1-2, pull back to the bunker, Alpha 1-1 cover 1-2, all Bravo Units RTB and arm up, Charlie and Delta, cover Alpha and Bravo."

First Sergeant Vega ordered his recon teams, Alpha Company First Platoon, first and second squads, to full back to the bunker, while Bravo Company, whose squads had been scavenging weapons and ammo, returned to base immediately and the two remaining ODST companies covered them. In just under two minutes, all hundred and fifty ODST's were inside the bunkers, rifles in hand, ready to unleash a hailstorm of lead.

Senior Chief 103 currently had Red -3, -5, -12, -14, -17, and -22 out on recon missions, they were all monitoring their radios, and knew what he knew, the rest of Red Team was in the bunker below, concentrating on the weak points of the ODST formation.

"All Red Recon Units, pull back to base." As soon as -103 gave the command, six Spartans appeared from the tree line, fully 750 meters out, and sprinted to the bunkers in record time.

-103 opened a channel to all UNSC forces.

"Listen up people, we have at least a company of Covenant headed our way, probably more. Concentrate fire on the Grunts and Jackals, let the snipers worry about the Elites. Once the front lines are halfway across the field, we're gonna hit 'em with a wall of hot lead."

While -103 had been speaking, the first ranks of grunts had run out of the treeline, charging towards the bunkers and firing wildly, killing some of their own in the process.

"Prepare to fire…. DROP EM!"

On Senior Chief Spartan 103's command, 150 Assault Rifles, 12 Sniper rifles, 5 Jackhammer Rocket Launchers, and 6 Chain guns opened fire on the Covenant lines.

"Senior Chief, this is Red 5 on your six, we have a huge problem!"