"This is the Pillar of Autumn are there any survivors at Baker Airfield?" There was a break in the intercom. "I repeat is anyone there?"

"How did I get myself in this mess?" James pushed a rather large piece of rubble of him. He but a finger to the intercom button. "This is eagle 1 responding to the Pillar of Autumn. I'm here."

"Thank goodness there are survivors, did anyone else survive?"

James scratched his head and looked around. "Not that I know of." He said in his deep voice.

"Make your way to a pelican and see if you can get to our ship before we leave orbit. You have 10 minutes before we're gone." There was a short silence. "Good luck."

James stooped down and picked up his helmet, he took a second to dust some dust off. "I hope a pelican survived that bombing." James said to himself as he picked up his assault rifle. He checked that his magnum was still in its holster and he began walking to hallway. As he walked down it he passed several rooms, he looked into a couple and saw bodies of other marines and other staff at the base. Those who were once living people, brave hearted fighters for humanity, now nothing more than corpses. Like thousands of other men and woman who were lost to the covenant. As he paced the rooms with corpses in them he noticed people he once know, people who he fought alongside. Then there were others who were so scarred from plasma burns to even recognize. As James walked down the hallway he heard a short cry up ahead followed by gunfire. "Guess I'm not alone."

James ran ahead and found the room that the gunfire came from. He tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Great." James took a few steps back then ran shoulder first into the door. As the door fell to the ground James aimed down his rifle and fires a quick burst at an elite on the other side of the room. The elite fell to the floor dead and the nearby grunts began to retreat. Two marines in the right hand corner of the room got out from behind a desk and shot at the running grunts. Two of them fell as James fired a quick burst at the last one.

"So who are you?" said one of the marines as he out from behind cover.

"Captain James of eagle squad, you?"

"Private Tyler of Charlie. My buddy here is Sergeant Markus of Charlie, and behind the cover is Private Kenny."

James walked over to the desk and saw Markus kneeling over a marine with a plasma burn to his chest. "So this is Kenny?"

"Yep, he got shot not long before you got here. Are you by any chance a medic?"

"Afraid not, but some ship is about to leave Reach. If we can get to a pelican and get to it your friend might just make it."

Markus stands up and begins to talk. "Then what are we waiting for? Tyler pick up Kenny and let get to that ship."

Tyler put his magnum in his holster and picks up the injured marine as Markus jumps over the desk and reloads his shotgun. "Lead the way James" Said Tyler as he put Kenny into a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

The three began walking and soon made it to a door at the end of the hall. "Stop" Said James as he but his ear to the door." The airfield is outside but I hear some covenant outside too."

"That just what we need, some aliens between us and our ride out of here." exclaimed Tyler.

"I'm goanna bust the door down when I do run to the nearest pelican and don't stop until you get there. Understand?"

"Ya" the two said together, as Tyler took out his magnum with his right hand while using his left to keep Kenny from falling.

James slammed shoulder first into the door and ran out a bit so the doorway was not blocked. He aimed at an elite and pulled the trigger of his assault rifle letting bullets pour out and into the unprepared elite. The elite's shield broke leaving the armor open to further fire. As the elite fell to the floor two more took cover behind some nearby crates. Markus jumped into the nearest pelican and he turned to see that Tyler was right behind him with Kenny.

"Hand me Kenny!" yelled Markus barley audible thorough the gunfire. Tyler lifted Kenny and gave him to Markus who strapped him in a seat. Markus then held out his hand and helped Tyler on the ship.

"Get over here James!" yelled Tyler.

James, who was now hiding behind crates yelled back "Afraid I can't do that. I have them distracted, go ahead and get out of here!"

"But James!" yelled Tyler as Markus put his hand on Tyler's shoulder.

"He is right, those elites have fuel rod guns on their backs, and if he gets in the pelican they will use them before we are airborne. Then we would all die."

"Guess your right Markus."

James ducks behind cover and places a new clip in the rifle as he seen Tyler going into the pelican's cockpit. "Take these!" Yells James as he rips off his dog tags and throws them at Markus.

Markus catches them and yells "Good luck, and thanks."

James Watches the pelican lift off the ground and fly off toward the looming ship overhead. He checks his watch. "Three more minutes, they'll make it." He pops his head up and fires a burst at the alien gunman. When he does this he sees two more squads of grunts and elites followed by two hunters. "Even at this distance the hunters can tear the pelican to shreds." James looked down and saw his grenades, possibly those marines only chance of survival. James leaps out from behind cover and unloads the rest of his clip on one of the incoming elites. When the clip was empty he threw it at another elite. He took out his magnum and began to shot at some nearby grunts. He save one bullet and he took out a grenade and pulled the pen. He ran towards the hunters and he shot his last bullet into the hunter's helmet. At that moment the grenade went off lighting the other three grenades with it. Eagle 1 lay on the ground dead, along with the hunters, several elites, and many grunts. That was how Eagle 1 made his last stand.