It is a common known fact that humanity originates from the planet Earth. As early as the twenty first century we branched out to Mars and the Jovian moons. The central government of the Earth became the United Nations which was a conglomerate of most nations. But time proved the hearts of men. Opposition was born in the heart of fools. Separatist parties formed and soon war had been waged against Earth. The United Nations formed into the United Earth Government assimilating practically all nations. It took several conflicts to learn about interplanetary fighting. Then came the development of the UNSC, United Naval Space Command, and perhaps more importantly the Office of Naval Intelligence the first a branch of the UEG, and ONI a branch of the UNSC itself. For the next few hundred years, with the discovery of the slipspace drive, came the ability of interstellar travel. We had travelled to over 800 locations, and titled as either inner colonies and outer colonies. Over time humanity grew in the thousands of millions. Governmental challenges still existed and became the focus of military might. The insurrectionist concept was one of terror and a stand against peace. One that the UNSC would enforce war upon, and a threat that ONI would provide counter intelligence upon. Unfortunately, our military might would be deferred to another target. One who targeted us from the start, and who seemed to stop at no end to eradicate every last one of us. This was the Covenant, first encountered in the twenty sixth century.

My name was Jay-roh Maxwell Carson, I was born on the planet Sargasso. I left when I was seventeen by force when they evacuated us, I lost contact with all of my friends, and both of my parents. I was determined enough to join the corps based on the losses I took. I was placed in the 26th Marine Expeditionary Force and fought against the covenant at Cygnus, New Jerusalem. My experience the first time with the covenant was very unpleasant, burning memories of nightmarish images in my head. Our mission was to hold down a position preventing the Covenant from cutting too deep into the civilian evacuation process. We would be set down at site Bravo 6-2 with a force of 100 footmen. Bravo six two was close to the city center, it was an intersection in the financial district there was a road going North to South and the other went East to West. From the south of New Jerusalem would come an estimated force of roughly 500-700 footmen and artillery and air to ground support. We would serve as a dam keeping the flood of a terrible enemy at bay. Cygnus in the end was glassed, and we who fought for its survival were lucky to escape, the very few men who did.

My fingers tensed and relaxed on the handle hanging from the ceiling of the pelican. The lighting was a dim red, and the smell of sweat flooded the cabin. The ride was bumpy through the air explosions seemed to happen every few seconds and it only grew louder every time. As the pelican rocked and rumbled the smell of smoldering materials started to permeate the hull of the ship. Getting close to some warzone. We were just one of several pelicans loaded with perhaps twenty five men shoulder to shoulder locked and loaded. There was even a troop deployment pod being carried, which gave us a number of fifty infantryman armed to the teeth. I was a bit rattled, but very determined to kill these bastards. I stayed focused somehow, this was my first deployment as a marine and I was about to face enemies who had different perhaps even superior weapons. However, something within me was full of vengeance. I had the chance to strike down the same enemy who destroyed my home. I couldn't wait for that bay door to open and to run out guns blazing. "Marines!" Sergeant Darius Brown spoke up in his bass-baritone voice and bolstered us with something we needed to hear. "Men, and women alike, I'm telling you now, that if we don't fight and kill as many lousy alien bastards with our MA5Bs right now. You will have put your faith in our species down the drain. We didn't come this far to get cut down! Fight for your loved ones, and fight for your colony, but if you haven't learned to fight for yourself and your brother next to you," The sergeant shook his head, stopping for a moment. "Then you gon' die out there. You aren't those type of soldiers though. Hell no! I wouldn't be here with ya'll if that was the case. I'm fighting with you, you are my brothers and sisters, we are a unit. Have each others backs out there! Oorah!" "Oohrah!" we all replied in unison. We ate those words of courage, and motivation up, it was the only thing we clung to while out on the field. Suddenly, over the radio the pilot of the pelican drop-ship "Alpha 1-2, has landed at zone Bravo 6,2. Requesting landing in your sector Alpha." There was a momentary pause, "Green light. We have permission to land," give em' hell out there. I felt the descent of the dropship and my heart was in my throat. I was tense, and my grip on the leather handle was tighter than a sealed airlock. A green light flipped on in the cabin, and suddenly all of the fellow soldiers I knew were so visible to me now. I could see the look on some of their faces. I could hide my emotions, and so could a few others, but there were worried looks on some faces. I knew that it was the last day for some of these men, but I wasn't going to sympathize the same thoughts. I was determined to win. "Above landing zone now, touching down in five-four-three-two, the hatch of the pelicans cabin opened and dusty warm air flooded in, right after the door was the container full of more Marines. Charlie Team, the pelican touched the ground and the magnetic release unlatched the container, Sarge shouted the order. "Move on out Marines Go, go go!"

I clenched my jaw and overcame the icy liquid that transversed over my back and wrapped around my figure and down my arms. Looking down at the dewey earth at push up five hundred and eighty, I felt every single muscle fibre in my body momentarily cool from the fire it was now resuming back to. The bucket that held the cold water dropped to the ground. Then one of many of my drill sergeants stooped down to a squat and began to speak as I lifted my face to return to perfect form, as I pushed up. "What are you doing? You filthy piece of- ". He paused to gauge my reaction, typically a soldiers reaction would might be a laugh or perhaps blowing off steam in suppression of anger. I lowered my self back down to the ground ignoring him, back up five hundred and eighty two. "Answer me maggot!" A harsh kick to the obliques sent a spear into hurt my heart, and I let out air in a gasp. I winced in pain feeling the sensation of a stab wound thrust into my left chest. I refused to look my sergeant in the eye, it would lead to more pointless abuse, which though motivational took me away from my goal, to reach six hundred push ups before the five mile run. We were also allowed to walk the five miles, without any clothes on. I was going to be the best soldier in the military and amount to a spartan. ONI is going to come knocking when they find me at the head of the pack. My breath was back and I rolled off of the soft earth onto my hands and assumed position. When a boot found itself pushing hard against my back, baring my teeth and tensing my core my willpower forced me to push against the sergeant. I fought with everything within me and felt his weight become light as a feather. I remembered my home planet burning, back down with the additional force of the sergeants weight. Back up, five hundred and eighty three. Running through my closed eyes were the images of crowds of people rushing to get on board evacuation ships, this fueled my anger. I lowered my body again, and back up five hundred and eighty four. Planet Sargasso, I let my thoughts consume me as my muscles automatically followed their repetitive order. I was in my senior year of high school, and things were just wrapping up towards the end of the year. I remember being in the courtyard everyday with my friends their smiles burned into my eyes now, but I wouldn't shed a tear yet. Not until my enemies were decimated. I was finally there, five hundred and ninety nine. One more, soldier. The beam of a laser cutting through the city of Iselli. The energy caused the buildings to blur from the light intensity, then they were turned into molten skeletons of steel beamwork. People were hysterical and frantic, running onto the evacuation shuttles. I hung there, I will hunt them down. Just like they did to everyone before Sargasso, and just like they have since. "What are you waiting for maggot? Are you looking for a reason to fight the good fight soldier?" I lowered myself again, and with the shout of a bloodthirsty warrior I thrusted back up and onto my feet. "Six Hundred!" The sweat in my eyes stung, and the pain throughout my whole body pleaded for mercy. I was tempted to sit down. "Congratulations soldier! Your determination for a selfish personal goal allowed for your brothers to be subjugated to torture." I shook my trance away to look around and take in the gruesome reality. The rest of my division had their hands tied up with their faces in the dirt either being prodded by electrical batons or having cold water splashed upon their squirming bodies. There were twenty men in the division. This was a high caliber spec ops detachment who were purposed for a new approach to super soldier technology.

The men in my detachment were gathered together into one unit because they survived odds that normal people should not. We all were high caliber Marines, with luck and drive. ONI section three wanted a more realistic approach to something along the lines of the Spartan program. Though the Spartan was a beautifully designed weapon, there were issues with the design, the costs were immense, and converting soldiers into freaks wasn't the end goal.