Klaxon alarms blared throughout the UNSC Infinity holodeck, ending the War Games simulation the pair of Spartan's were engaged in. They had been competing against one another in combat, and having ran dry of their ammunition, had taken to each other with blades and fists. Erin B-170 stopped mid swing, staring into the visor of her partner, Garrett A-290. They both detangled from one another, haven taken their fight to the ground with grapples and mounts, and helped each other to their feet. Garrett was the first to the communicator, greeted by the face of Margaret Parangosky: something only a few were happy about.

"Ma'am,' he said, giving her a lazy salute before removing his helmet. He was six feet tall, bald with blond eyebrows.

"I have a mission," She said, as quick to the point as a rapier. She looked past him, watching Erin slide her Titanium-Tungsten broadsword into its scabbard on her back. "For both of you."

"Is there any other way?" Erin asked rhetorically, retrieving her fallen rifle before taking her helmet off. She was six feet, five inches tall, with long blond hair spilling over her back. Her skin, like Garrett's, was pale enough to reveal the blue veins beneath, making them both look rather like corpses.

"Indeed there isn't." She affirmed, returning her attention to Garret. "There's a Covenant CAS class vessel in Earth's atmosphere, unloading ground forces and generally making a mess of my favorite Safari country. I want you to go knock on their door and ask them politely to quell their party before I call the police."

"Transportation?" He asked, reaching behind himself to catch the rifle sailing for his head. He entered a code on the com panel, opening a compartment with six filled magazines. He took three, tossing the other three over his shoulder to Erin. She caught them, sliding one home before stashing the others on her armor.

"Taken care of," Parangosky said. "The Frigate Et Tu Brute is docked in Infinity's landing bay. Commandeer her and her crew, and insert via SOEIV. I want you in that ship and in the sky with the ODST battalion that will also be dropping at the same time, but I want you there first. While they're causing chaos, you can slip through unnoticed, take the commander out and deliver it to the Navy."

"By Navy…"

"Bring it back to the Infinity construction station or destroy it Garrett, I don't care which. If you must destroy it, please try to make it past Mars before you do."

"Yes Ma'am. Consider it done already."

"Another thing," She said, holding a pair of folders up for the camera. "There's a new breed of Spartan in the works. Entirely volunteer, so the option is open to the both of you should you choose to take it. I'm also ordering you to upgrade your armor. Generation two MJOLNIR is up and running already, so get equipped and carry out your mission. That will be all." She closed the line, darkening the screen.

"She's scared," Erin said, her voice a throaty whisper as it always was since the second bout of augmentations.

"I don't think Momma gets scared, E." Garrett slapped the door control, revealing a pair of Armor Techs. "You here to take our measurements?"

"Something like that," One of the techs said. "If you both will follow us." Garrett looked back, ensuring Erin was close in tow. She stopped by the door, gathering a small duffle from a bench and letting its contents clack together a few times. They followed the science officers to an elevator, riding the ship tram stemward. Erin shuffled each time the gravity lessened as they sped past the structural rings, getting a few odd looks from the two techs. Soon they arrived in the Armory, watching six other SPARTANs being outfitted in the ringlike devices. "Pick a station and whichever permutations you like." The leading technician gestured to the rings and their robotic arms. "The machine will do the rest."

"Now that's a gift," Erin said, to the station directly ahead of them. She accessed the terminal, scrolling through the specifications of each variant. "This is very nice." She stared at the screen intently, the station technician giving her uneasy glances as she manipulated the gui fervently. He jumped when she lifted her gaze to him, her ice blue eyes seeming to bore into his soul. "Im ready," She said, setting her bag down and beginning to strip from her SPI armor.

XXXXXXX

"This planet is beautiful." Risha 'Moramee muttered to herself as she descended to the city below in a Phantom. She stared out of the gunner's port, soaking up the diverse geographies beyond the city's asphalt influence.

"It is a shame the human's have infested it so." Risha looked behind her, eyeing the Brute Chieftain with mild confusion. He chuckled as he noticed her, shaking his head lightly. "You're not accustomed to Jiralhanae having a taste for beauty, are you?"

"I cannot say as I am Maximus." She turned her view back out to the horizon, marveling how the distant jungle and savannahs met with each other, spilling into the ocean together. "Why is it a shame?"

"Because," He said, standing and joining her at the port. "The Prophets will not let their infestation stand as it is. They will cleanse their cities from this planet with holy fire." He gestured to the city beneath them. "So much of this planet is like this. Much of its bounty will be lost as collateral damage, and what the human's created will be damned as heresy."

"What the human's created? You think something so artificial as this human city to be beautiful?"

"No," he said, taking a metal tube out of his small satchel. He opened one end, retrieving a roll of paper. "But they are capable of creating masterpieces of art, as well as literature." He opened the roll, presenting a painting. "It is called Starry Night, painted by a human named Vincent. I took it from a museum one the first world of theirs I helped… cleanse." He sighed, rolling the paper back up, stashing it in its case and hiding that in his bag. "Have you no qualms about this Risha?" He checked to make sure they were alone. "This total pursuit of humans until they are removed from the universe entirely? The Great Journey is for all in the universe to make, yet they are not allowed?"

"It's not my place to question the will of the gods."

"That's the thing. The doctrine states that we offer them a place on the journey."

"I think you're looking too far into this," She said, giving him a look that broadcast how annoyed she was becoming with him. "I joined to help rebuild the honor my forefather Ripa 'Moramee lost my state by being Arbitered. I have no interest in the Journey or the Gods. I only care about what can be observed and measured."

"A being of science, then. I can understand that." He crossed his arms, looking down at her due to his towering height. "Think of this then. How many lives have been lost in this conquest of the Galaxy? I am not speaking only of the humans. Your people, my people, the Lekgolo, the Unggoy, the Kig Yar… Countless resources wasted in our war, ships better suited to finding the rings and other relics, perfectly habitable worlds decimated to simple rocks in space only because the Humans reside there. Diosac has had colonies in the past, as has Sanghelios. Why are they so different? They think, they love, they fight, they create art, literature, study science, practice martial arts. Contemplate the ethics of it, Risha, the logistics. So much is being wasted when we could work together and further each other."

"You sound like one of them," She said, chuckling to herself. "My first mark talked like that before I took it out."

"And what does that mean if I, one they call Brute, came to the same conclusion?" He looked behind himself as Unggoy and Kig Yar filed into the bay, taking positions for assault.

"It means that it's time to do our jobs, Maximus." She readied her DER, powering her shields to full and taking her place alongside her squad.

XXXXXXX

"Stay with me buddy, you're gonna be fine!" Air Force Staff Sergeant Alex Fairchild yelled over the gunfire and explosions as he yanked a Brute spike from a marine's stomach. The marine screamed in agony, writing on the ground as Alex injected Biofoam into his wound, stopping the bleeding before giving him a Rumble Drug and Beta Blocker injection.

"What the fuck are you doing doc?" The marine mumbled as the pain faded, shaking his head side to side as his vision clouded momentarily.

"That spike hit your aorta." He said, closing his pack back up and gathering his Battle Rifle. "Go take out a few of those alien bastards before the biofoam wears out." He helped the marine to his feet, shoving a MA5 rifle into his hands and moving to the next screaming, wounded soldier.

"You mean I'm gonna fuckin die!?"

"Yes!" Alex barked back over his shoulder as he poured burn gel onto a plasma wound. " You can sit there and let your body burn up before the biofoam loses cohesion or you can start fucking shooting the god damn Covenant!" A spike grenade went off near the triage area, a capsized Warthog catching the fragmentation but the shockwave knocking Alex over. He picked up his BR as he got back to his feet, taking down four Grunts in as many bursts of fire. He looked back as he took cover to reload, noticing the marine was still there. "Hey, look at me!" The marine gave him a shocked stare. "I have five other soldiers to try and save. You wanna make a difference before you die? Keep these bastards from killing me before I can stabilize them." The marine stared at him for a few seconds, glancing from Alex to the wounded men behind the destroyed Warthog. His face set with determination as he gave a quick nod, raising his rifle and firing at the encroaching enemies.

"To the rear!" Someone yelled before a shock wave passed over them, accompanying a deafening burst of sound. Two brutes erupted in flame and gore as a shell from a Scorpion tank impacted their armor, igniting the Grunts and Jackals beside them. Alex continued his work, removing a wounded Army private's chest armor. He was gasping for breath, coughing up blood. Alex noticed the ragged hole in his left armpit, identifying it as a Needler wound. He injected Biofoam, using blood to mark his forehead as a priority. He moved on to the next one, passing him up after checking for a pulse and finding none.

"Take his ammo!" He called to the marines, removing a grenade from the dead soldier's vest and lobbing it at a group of Jackals. He didn't wait to see if it was effective, simply moved on to the next soldier. The woman was stifling her anguish with clenched jaws as she tightened a tourniquet around her thigh. The leg had been severed at the knee. Alex readied a painkiller for her but she caught his hand, waving him off.

"Gimme what you gave James," She said, pale and sweating. "Damn femoral is cut. I'm not walking away from this."

"You wouldn't be walking anyway." He said, stashing the sedative and handing her the dead soldier's M6. "You're not dying. Keep shooting until the EVAC bird arrives." She nodded, charging the weapon and rolling over to fire at the aliens. He moved to the last man, already aware the one between the woman and him was dead. His chest was a vacant hole, filled with gore and burnt tissue. The last man was barely conscious, his head covered in blood. A marine was slapping him on the face to keep him awake, holding his head up with his spare hand. "What's his problem?" Alex shouted as the tank fired again. The marine lifted the man's head, revealing part of his skull missing. His brain was intact, shining with the membrane that covered it. "Alright, when the bird lands I want him in there first. Have the medics wrap his head in plastic and rush him to surgery as soon as they land!" The marine nodded, pointing to the husk of a Ghost twenty meters away.

"There's more men over there," He said over the gunfire. "I pulled them out of a burning APC before a Bravo Kilo smashed this one into a wall." Alex nodded, running toward the husk. He was halfway there when he heard an explosion and felt molten asphalt spatter his armor. He turned back to find all the men he had just treated smouldering, plasma still devouring their exposed flesh. An Elite was nearby, moving in on the former triage station with his Plasma Rifle raised. The marine still standing fired into it until his magazine ran dry, tossing the weapon away and priming a grenade.

"Get away Doc!" He shouted, his left leg vaporized at the hip and his right arm blown to chunks. He had spikes riddled through his chest and stomach, blood pouring from his body and mouth. "I got this bitch. Hey ugly!" He yelled, getting the Elites attention. He dropped the grenade into a pouch at his waist filled with others before leaping at the Hinge Head. He latched on with his limbs and assorted stumps, wailing on the Elite's face with a bare fist before detonating. Alex was thrown back, landing behind the tank.

"Fall back!" the tank commander called over the radio, the Scorpion moving in full reverse as soldiers ran alongside it. "Wraith! Six o'clock!"

Alex scrambled for the alley, stopping in the security bulkhead and looking back for anyone following him. He turned his gaze skyward, drawn by motion. Hundreds of ODST SOEIV pods were dropping into atmosphere, trailing fire and smoke as they punched through clouds, headed directly for the Covenant Carrier. Six of them veered off course, headed in another direction that the rest. He was drawn back to the ground as an Explosion sounded, heat from a plasma burst washing over him. The tank was a smoldering heap, its ammo stores popping as they cooked in the husk. The remains scattered as an SOEIV landed in the body, tossing flaming metal and volatile munitions in all directions. A bright flash of light filled the sky, blinding him. He clenched his eyes shut, falling back into the alley and letting the bulkhead close behind him.

XXXXXXX

"Ten kilometers off the hard deck." Garrett said, transmitting between Erin and himself. They were operating SOEIV pods, maneuvering them manually through the clotted air above New Mombasa. They were aimed directly for the Covenant Carrier, bee-lining full thrusters for its secondary dorsal landing bay. Intel said the shields were down, but only time would tell if that was true. "Five kilometers. Get ready to come out swinging E. This isn't going to be very quiet." He removed his MA5K from its holster in the pod, loading a magazine.

"They don't like it even when it is quiet," She said, readying her own carbine rifle. "Shit!" She dropped the weapon, grabbing the controls and altering course to avoid a Seraph fighter in her path. A red light flashed, letting her know the thrusters failed. "I'm off course and possibly out of fuel. Air patrols are getting thicker."

"Keep the house warm for me then," he responded, making small adjustments manually. He narrowly missed a Banshee patrol, but their cover was blown as they spotted Erin's pod. Two seraph fighters launched from the carrier, its silver surface shimmering as the shields raised. "Wha… Radiological Alarm! They're entering Slipspace!"

"Since when can they execute a jump in atmosphere?"

"No idea. Try and squeeze a few more bursts out of your thrusters. If you're at the right angle…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll slip under the shockwave. Got it." She yanked on the stick twice, being met with a more powerful burst that necessary which set her on an almost horizontal approach. She looked up as she fought the pod for another correction, seeing a bolt of green plasma sail into Garrett's pod. It passed through in a spin, corkscrewing away from her. "Garrett!"

"Fuck!" He groaned, his helmet cam showing attempts to stabilize his descent. "No displays, no stick…" He punched the explosive bolts, receiving only a puff of smoke and a jet of sparks into the occupant chamber. "Door's welded shut. Fuckin come on!" He kicked at the glass, causing it to spiderweb. He continued to fight it, but the glass never budged. "I'm gonna try the chute…"

"Don't bother," Erin said, finally leveling her descent. "Plasma cooked it." She hung her head, preemptively counseling her own grief as the inevitable drew closer. "I'm sorry Garrett. You're flying a coffin."

"Hey, don't sound so sad." He released himself from the straps, slamming his full weight into the door. "We've both made it out of worse." He continued to attempt escape, receiving only more cracks in the glass. "What is this stuff made of?" He stopped as he heard Erin choke back a sob, sighing and taking his seat again. "Hey… Listen, You're strong. You'll be fine without me. They'll give you a new partner, maybe even make you an officer like Kurt."

"I don't want a new partner," She said through strained voice. "Garrett…" She settled into her seat, letting the tears flow free. She opened her eyes as an alarm sounded through the cockpit.

"Hard deck's coming up E." Garrett took off his helmet, turning it to look into the camera. "You'll be alright kid. Go teach those assholes a thing or two. I'll get hell warmed up for em. Good bye E." He dropped his helmet, shouting a cadence from Camp Currahee. Erin watched as he careened past her, her retro thrusters firing to slow her before her chute opened. He was angled straight for a highway, trailing fire from the failed door bolts. She watched as long as she could, but closed her eyes, listening to him call cadence until the com line was severed. She touched down a few seconds after, keeping her eyes shut, crying silently in her armor as the world around her tumbled from the shock wave of a ship jump.

She stayed this way, for how long she didn't know. Garrett was gone; dug his own grave as the saying was. She was scared, but it wasn't the first time. She was approached when she was three, asked if she wanted revenge for the death of her parents. Without hesitation she had signed the contract, then woke up in a Pelican, forced to do a night drop. She had pushed harder, ran farther, shot better, thought smarter, until Kurt chose her to join a special group of Spartans. She met Garrett when she was eleven, sent deep into Covenant territory again and again to eliminate high value targets. She was scared each time they began their assault, but Garrett was there. He was her rock, the only thing constant in her life after she was orphaned.

And now he was gone.

She could hear the Covenant surrounding her pod. Brutes, Grunts and Jackals speaking their strange language. It translated in her Command Neural Interface, but she ignored it, consumed as she was. Alone against an uncertain enemy strength, on the home-world of Humanity. Everything was uncertain now, everything was at risk. Her life, the lives of every human in the galaxy. Everything rested here on Earth. Opening her eyes she saw a brute standing before the pod, his weapon trained on the opening, ready to cut her down when she stepped out.

But did it really matter? Was there any hope left for anyone?

She looked about the pod, seeking a way out and finding none but the front door. With a deep breath she steeled herself, transforming her sorrow into rage with each breath, each memory of how he had looked after her.

They had taken everything from her. Her mother, her father, her home…

And now Garrett.

She blew the bolts, smashing the Brute with the door as it sailed away. It mashed his snout into his skull, the other enemies training their weapons on her. She curled into a ball, planting her feet into the seat before launching herself off the surface. She tackled a Jackal, driving her knife into his skull and using his Needler against his compatriots, still clutched in his hand. A Brute closed on her, but she drew her sword, lopping his leg off at the knee and severing his arm at the shoulder. The titanium edge sheared flesh and bone, the tungsten carbide spine withstanding the force of a MJOLNIR clad Spartan's swing. She turned around, filling a group of Grunts with needles before the weapon ran dry. She drew the M7 on her hip, pelting another group of grunts as she sheathed her sword, lobbing a grenade into a pack of Jackals hiding behind their shields.

"Come get me you mother fuckers," she snarled, throwing her knife into the eye of a Brute as he charged her. She followed up with a punch, shoving the blade deeper into his skull and surrounding her fist with gray matter. The Brute fell on her, limp, but she diverted him away, retrieving her knife before jumping on another and driving him to the ground. She deactivated her Visor, revealing her face, screaming as she brandished her knife. The Brute yelled in fright, gurgling and coughing blood as she buried the blade in his chest, throttling his throat with the other hand until she pulled his trachea from his body, dragging a lung with it. Her motion sensor read clear, and, panting, she rose to her feet. She dropped the gore she held, scavenging weapons from the fallen marines littering the square. She shook with adrenaline, heart racing fast enough to set her bio-metric monitor crazy with warnings.

With deep breaths she calmed herself, stilling her hormone fueled palsy and slowing her heart rate. A glance to the south showed the smoking hole that was Garrett's impact. She moved toward it, but held no hope that he could be alive. MJOLNIR protected a body from many things, even exoatmospheric entry. However the impact of reentry coupled with the pressure of the SOEIV collapsing in on itself, as well as the tons of earth and concrete around it, left little chance for anyone inside. As all this ran through her mind she had only taken her first step. She stopped herself, the cold pit in her chest aching with a dull throb as she said her final goodbyes and began heading for the nearest UNSC transponder.

XXXXXXX

Risha pulled the trigger of her DER, being rewarded with a fizzle as the Power core ran dry. Maximus covered her, filling a Human with spikes before he could fire his shotgun. She took cover behind a wall, changing the core for a fresh one.

"No need to hide," Maximus said, nudging a human slumped against a wall with his Spiker. The body fell to the side, painting the wall red as it traveled. "They are all dead. Once more…" He sighed, obviously unhappy with the slaughter. He squatted and gazed upon the corpse's face, ear twitching as if listening to something distant. With a snarl he stood and slashed a wall with the blades on his weapon, scarring deep runners into the material. "Why must we do this!" He roared at the sky, his rant aimed where Regret's ship had once been. "What have they done to deserve your wrath?"

"Still bemoaning the fate of the Humans," Risha asked. Maximus rubbed his face with a great hand, shaking his head as he closed on ehr and led her by the arm toward and alleyway. "Unhand me," She demanded, shaking him off of her once they were in the shade of the buildings. Several Jiralhanae ran past, rushing to meet their foes with bloodthirsty glee, howling to each other as they hunted their prey. She made to exit the alley, only to be blocked by one of Maximus's great arms.

"That would be a very unwise decision," He said, his expression grim. He gestured further down the alley, guiding her gently with an open palm to the shoulder.

"Why are you leading me away from the fight," She asked, trusting his guidance for the nonce. "And what would be an unwise decision?"

"There… has been an order." He moved away from her as they rounded a corner, completely protected from sight. He squatted down, tossing his weapons aside and out of reach. "An order to kill all of your people." Risha blinked twice, her mandibles parting slightly as her breath caught in her chest and her hearts fluttered with fear. "Second's before Solemn Penance left this planet, a coded transmission was sent to all Jiralhanae on the ground. To you it probably sounded like a loud piece of static. The prophet of Truth, as well as Regret and Mercy, have demanded that all Sangheili be killed. I am certain that your compatriots in orbit will also be eliminated by the re-enforcement fleet crewed solely by Jiralhanae that just arrived." Risha cried out a fear choked sigh, clutching her chest as she fell to her hands and knees. THousands of Sangheili men and women were being slaughtered around her as Maximus relayed this to her, and the gravity of the situation grew upon her mind with each second.

"W-wha… What about Sanghelios?" She asked, her eyes wide with shock. Maximus shook his head.

"I do not know," He said, full sitting on the ground. "Though, If I were to give this order it would behoove me to eliminate any chance of reprisal." Risha cried out again in horror as he spoke the words, the pity he felt at the sound causing his chest to tighten. She sounded like a grieving mother who had lost her young child, a sound he had heard many times on Diosac, and it instilled in him the same sorrow now as he had felt then. He extended a hand, trying to offer a comforting hand. However Risha swiped at him with her dagger, forcing orders of 'get away' past her wheezing sobs as she crawled slowly towards a corner. Sensing they would draw unwanted attention, he stood, pulling her to her feet and rushing her into a human building. He released her as the door closed, ducking back as she drew her Energy Sword and swiped at him.

"Get back!" She demanded, Her eyes no longer filled with sorrow but with rage. "This is all your fault! If we had never let your people join the Covenant My people would still be alive!" She swung for him "This is why the Humans were not offered their place among us!" She swung again, not caring if she had stuck or missed. Maximus ducked to the side of the first swipe, and caught her wrist on the second. He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand, shaking her lightly.

"Stop this foolishness and save your anger!" He took the blade from her as she stood stunned by the tone of his demand. He was not angry with her, but sounded as if he shared her sorrow. "There are those among my people who will still follow your kind. You are a proud, noble and honorable people, and you have commanded us well and treated many of us with the respect that we deserve when we do well, and are merciful in your punishments when we fail. I pledged to follow my commander into danger when I joined this Covenant, and the Gods damn me if don't follow you now." He gazed into her eyes with loyal intent, as well as admiration like he would look upon a painting or a relic of the Gods. "If I was going to follow this order, don't you think I would have struck you down when your weapon was empty, or simply have let the human shoot you while he had the chance?" He held out the deactivated weapon, letting her take it from him. Risha was about to respond when motion caught her eye. Activating the sword, she spun to face the threat, only to have her arm stopped and her leg swept from under her. A human shotgun barrel was pressed into the ocular port of her helmet, Risha able to clearly see the red casing in the chamber.

"So," the slowly visualizing Demon said, shifting its visor between Risha and Maximus. "I have a proposition for you."

Author's Notes:

Alright, so I went through an old computer I had and found a bunch of these things from around the time Reach was released. They were all really terrible and so messy, but I thought the plot lines were decent enough so I'm cleaning them up and posting them here when I have a chance. Id love to hear any opinions, criticisms or suggestion to possibly make my writing better. Thanks for the read! :D