Disclaimer: I do not own Halo. All Oc's are mine. If there are any similarities they are purely coincidental.

Private Oliver Mason: Medic of the UNSC

When Oliver had gone to the UNSC recruitment centre they thought he was too young to join but when the papers checked out they proved he was just barely old enough to be allowed to sign up. It wasn't as if they were going to refuse any extra men considering the dire state of the war.

He didn't have much physical strength other than running and his natural marksman's skill were well below average to put it nicely. They were either going to put him as a scout or a frontline medic. After doing well in standard medical training that everyone did he became a medic. 'He'd make too much noise to be a scout anyway' is what he thought.

Although having little to no natural ability in the military he quickly learned and improved. He was quite brave aswell and wasn't scared of the enemy which was probably the reason he had joined despite his age.

Oliver's family were upset with him for making the decision to join the UNSC as he had just finished school and was soon going to university. His mother especially was afraid he was going to get hurt. His younger brother and sister were crying because they did not know when they would see their older sibling again but they were still proud of him going to fight the 'big scary aliens'. In fact, through all of their worries they had a bit of pride for Oliver, his Dad showing it the most. He had been an ODST(orbital drop shock trooper)fighting insurrectionists before the covenant had came along although he still worried about Oliver.

The training had been rushed and only lasted for two months as the UNSC wanted as many frontline personnel as they could get to help the situation in Reach before they lost the planet. After the two months Oliver had greatly improved his marksman ability but he was still belove average in the marines by a decent margin. He was well above average as a frontline medic though and had been assigned to the first group of new recuits from that academy to leave for Reach.

The platoon he was assigned to consisted of 36 men. It was commanded by a polish man named Jacob Podolski, a second lieutenant who was a fair man who cared and respected his marines but he would make your life hell if you disrespected him or any other marine. Second in command was Ryan Miller, a young sergeant who achieved his rank through his combat prowess mainly rather than his leadership skills.

After he had sent home his final letter from the academy to his family he gathered his gear and boarded a UNSC frigate. The nerves and the butterflies in his stomach were building as he and his platoon set out for Reach but he tried to keep a clear head. 'This is it', he thought 'I'm going to Reach to protect humanity'.

Reach: Aboard the UNSC Challenger

When the frigate exited slipspace they could see hundreds of covenant ships either in Reach's atmosphere providing ground support or in orbit attacking the few UNSC craft. The marines knew Reach was bad but the charred surface caused by numerous firefights and explosions aswell as the overwhelming number of enemy vessels sent a sense of fear and dread through the troopers.

The lieutenant went over to Oliver and asked him "How are you feeling?" "A bit nervous, sir" replied Oliver.

"I think we all our marine, but I have faith in you. Good luck". Then he walked to the front of the group of marines and proceeded to give a briefing of the mission.

"Our mission is to reinforce and fortify Aplin base, a vital communications base to the UNSC. There are little defences at the base and it is expected the covenant will send a force large enough to destroy the defences there but they won't expect us to be lending a hand in defending the base. Any questions? No? Good. Leaving in 15 minutes in pelicans 3 and 4 in the hanger so gear up. Good luck marines".

After Oliver had grabbed his assault rifle and med bag he headed to the hanger area. There were only a few other marines there because he was early so he decided to sit down and fiddle with his rifle.

Five minutes later the last marine showed up and they were ready to head down to Reach. Warthogs were attached to the back of the peilcans. The platoon boarded the pelicans and set off to Aplin base.

On Reach:

The trip had been quiet in terms of anti-air attacks and the pilots didn't see any covenant forces on the ground so that calmed some nerves. Once they had landed they exited the pelicans and assessed the defences already set up.

At the front of the base there were two machine gun turrets on top of the wall that surrounded the base. In the back corner there was a small automated anti-air turret. Four secruity guards were patrolling the perimeter with eight more inside. It wasn't much but the marines would work with it and besides they expect a force only large enough to take out the current defence systems so they should be fine.

Some marines were given orders such as to take over the shifts of the patrolling secruity guards or set up cover with sandbags and barricades. Most were just told to go to the barracks and put their gear away then do what they want.

Oliver was one of the lucky ones told to go to the barracks. After storing his gear away he decided to just hang around and get to know some of the troopers. Most of his platoon were friendly and there were some he already knew from the academy but he made some new friends aswell.

After a long night of socialising they were told it was time to go to their barracks and get some sleep. Oliver did just this and quickly found sleep.

Aplin base: Approximately 4am

Oliver's sleep was cut short by load sirens and shouting COs. He was slightly dazed but could make out what they were saying, "We are under attack! Get your gear on now marines! Move it!".

His mind was a bit disorientated still and fear was starting to build up inside him when he heard 'We are under attack' but his body did what he was instructed to do.

He was ready quickly and less dazed than before. He pushed his fears to the side and jogged out to the front entrance.

The sight he saw made it very difficult to just push aside the fear. An army of covenant large enough to destroy a base three times as fortified as Aplin was less than a minute away...

This is my first story so please tell me what you think. I really do appreciate any feedback or critism as it encourages me to write and get better.

Anyways thank you so much for reading and the next chapter should be out in less than a week hopefully.