Halo: Fireteam Phoenix

by PhoenixTracer77

When the colony world of Haven is attacked by a Covenant fleet, only the SPARTAN Fireteam Phoenix stand between the Covenant and the complete destruction of the planet.

Halo: Phoenix Team

Chapter 1: Phoenix

The Falcon flew low over the boggy lands, with only the team's helmets protecting them from the noxious smell. Bogs weren't uncommon on the planet, but this particular one had been used for waste disposal before the terraforming was completed. "Richard! How long?" Sarah B133 used the helmet radios, blasting an ancient rock theme from the speakers, drowning out all other noise. "Hmm? Sorry, 'bout 10 minutes. We did good today though, right? Hell of a story to tell."

"Quite" Sarah replied. The mission had been a success, no-one had been hurt, so why was she so on edge? The mission had her feeling uneasy, but from her experience, this meant something was wrong. She'd ask their CO when they got back. "Alright, we're not far out now, we did damn good today! The CO will be happy, so relax and enjoy the flight!" They gave their agreeance, quickly sinking back into their uncomfortable silence.

On the gun, sat Derek B221. He surveyed the scene, as did Marie B256 "What do you think of this, Derek?" she asked, her French accent turning the simple question into something akin to poetry.

"I don't know. Whatever we hit, it wasn't insurrectionist. Brass must have thought it would be though, else Miles would be here. Covenant? I don't think so. It wasn't purple enough, and they're not ones to leave stuff abandoned. We were finding data though, clearing it for scientists...Innies only use our stolen tech, but it wasn't Covvie. I ain't got a clue" Marie winced at a glint of light from behind the hills. Thankfully, her armour masked the movement. It was surprisingly clean, usually covered in mud to mask her appearance. Derek, however, coloured his dark umber, with orange pauldrons, shin guards and helmet. Derek's was also heavier, not just due to his larger frame. He had countless explosives, grenades, remote detonators, whatever they needed. Marie travelled light, only some spare mags, binoculars and her knife. Snipers tend to be light on their feet. That's what she always told them when they asked.

A dark cloud encroached, smothering what little light streaked onto the brown earth below. Drizzle started dropping, pattering quietly against the steel of the Falcon. Marie thanked her armour, not for the first time, for being both waterproof and temperature controlled. A huge suit may not enhance stealth, but it kept her to herself when out, which suited her just fine.

Finally, the base was in sight. The oppressive steel structure loomed over the surrounding lands, bare but for the small patches of grass. Steel barricades were arranged in lines, manned by sparse deployments of fed up looking soldiers. They glared at the Spartans with barely concealed jealousy. Further from the base, past the barricades, lay trenches filled with sharpened wooden stakes. Crude and brutal, but effective. Deep in the dark shadow cast by the edge of the valley sat the staging ground, with Falcons, Pelicans, Warthogs and Scorpions sat in perfect disarray. Many more were housed inside, underground. Only a fraction was above ground, but it was a perfect show of UNSC might, a symbol to the people or any who dared challenge it.

As the Falcon hummed quietly, coming in to land, Aaron B183 strode confidently towards the vehicle. As the occupants dismounted, he gazed at them, waiting for their words. Immediately, Richard B341 and Derek began, discussing the contents of the area, their finds and most importantly, the complete lack of any hostiles. Aaron curled his lip inside his helmet, thoughts racing. "Commander." He said to Sarah. He didn't need to say anything else. They told you I'm unstable and you listened, didn't you? He wanted to say. Instead, he whirled around, furiously, storming away. The CO had wasted Spartans on an area with no hostiles. What had been the point? What had they found that was so important?

Heading inside the blast doors of the complex and into the heart of the installation, the team assembled around a table. Richard flicked on a lamp, ready for Sarah's debrief. "Ok, as you all know" she paused to remove her helmet, prompting all but Aaron and Marie to do the same, "We went out today. We explored new territory, and we did a damn good job. The downside is, we don't get to find out what we exactly found." Sarah could see the team become agitated, with the exception of Aaron, who simply chuckled. "If we don't get to find out, what was the point?" Derek asked, looking to Sarah, who ignored the nodding Richard. "Calm it, and I've said this to the CO. He said they're operating on a need to know basis. Right now, all we need to know is if the 'no hostiles' situation changes. Understood?

"Even if they told you, it'd be wasted breath. If you don't know what it is looking at it, then why would you need to know?"

"Aaron you don't get it. This was crazy shit. It was all silver and bronze, looked like Egypt in 2000 years! All these flickering blue lights and creepy bong's." Derek explained.

"It was quite thrilling, I agree. However, if we are being denied knowledge, we must accept it."

"Marie is right. I can't change it, but if I knew I'd tell you." With that, Sarah motioned for them to leave.

Later, in the bunk room, Richard was quietly mumbling along toan old tune, irritating everyone. Aaron sat, soundlessly sharpening his knife. The continuous rasp soothed Sarah, who lay reading a scarred paperback novel. It was comically small in her augmented hands. P Derek was asleep and Marie observed them all, like a mother hen. Only protectiveness was replaced with simple inquisitive spirit.

Richard noticed this, before moving over to her "Come on Marie. You love it really!" At first, she ignored him. He was always rather abrasive, which somehow, she found drew her to him. As he neared, her posture changed, as did her lips. They shifted from her natural tight-lipped scowl to a gentle smile. "Come on." he insisted. Shaking her head, Marie rose slowly, beaming at him. Ignoring the questioning looks from the others, they began to dance. "You need to relax sometimes, you know that?" Richard said.

"Is that so?" Marie replied "It can be difficult to have fun in our position."

"Yeah, we're in the army, but we're also superhuman god dammit! If that isn't a reason to enjoy yourself, what is?"

"Great power, great responsibility?" Sarah called out dismissively. Richard glared at her good-naturedly. "You could do with loosening up every now and then too. With all due respect, Commander"

"I am. That's why I'm reading something other than military reports for once."

"That wasn't my point. We all need a sing and a dance to loosen up."

"You're telling me you see the Lieutenant Commander over there dancing?" Derek laughed, guffawing again when Aaron shot him a look of pure poison. "That's a fair point. Be miserable then, it's fine by me." Richard said. He and Marie continued to enjoy themselves, sometimes humming the tune or singing words.

As the night grew older, more of the team moved to sleep. Sarah snored with the book still on her nose, Marie had left Richard to dance alone and he stopped soon after her. Derek was sat in a chair, his helmet at his feet. All but Aaron slept. He looked around, at the team, what they stood for, how they appeared to the soldiers. Invincible Spartans, curled up like children at their grandmother's house. Murmurs of doubt ate at his mind, but he buried them for now. If only they saw them now. Rising quickly, he sheathed his blade, before lying in his bunk, ready for another day.

Chapter 2: Shipping Out

When Sarah finally woke, Aaron was already up, preparing his tools for whatever challenge faced them. She slid he book into the chest at the base of her bunk and stood up, letting her limbs hang loose. One advantage of incredible physical enhancements. As much as she had nightmares, at least the scientists had saved her the trauma of stiffness or arthritis. If she even hit old age. Life expectancy for her line of work was understandably short. Not life expectancy, she thought bitterly. We don't die, we go missing in action.

Derek was stirring; Marie was awake but lay still. She wasn't remaining there from laziness, rather thought. She always found waking up easy, but getting out of bed hard. In bed, she was safe. She didn't have to face anything but herself. Only Richard was still asleep. 5 minutes. That was all he was getting. "Morning Marie. Not fooling us, up." Both she and Derek got up quickly. It didn't bode well to ignore Sarah.

Derek looked up from his bleak breakfast at Marie. "You know, for a sniper, you're not exactly a night owl."

"Perhaps I was awake, but you merely mistook it for sleep? My work is subterfuge, after all. I expect a demolitions expert can't even spell the word." she replied with a grin. Evidently embarrassed, Derek picked up his pistol, rapping Richard around the skull with the butt. "Wake up, Buttercup." Richard stared, bleary eyed, at the man in front of him. Again, Derek swung. "OK! I'm up! Jesus!"

"Derek! That was no way to wake the man!" Marie jumped to Richards defence.

"Ah, love bird is at it again." Derek said glibly. Sarah let out a wolf whistle, stifling a smirk. "Alright, snap out of it. Game faces now people." Sarah said "5 minutes, and then we go topside. CO will have another job. Buttercup? We're waiting on you. Less rock today?"

"You Barbarian, Commander!" He smiled, moving to find his helmet and rifle. He snatched up the gear as the rest filed out through the door, one by one. Aaron was the last to leave.

Inside, the operations centre was near identical to their barracks. The base was built as a series of circular inner chambers and rectangular outer rooms. This was a circular room, with a table packed to the brim with maps, briefings and information, right in the centre. Around it, the Spartans stood to attention. The CO, a wizened old woman, began "Phoenix Team. You know as well as I, that the Covenant is a threat. As are Insurrectionists. What you found yesterday? That was a breakthrough. It was neither. Details are scarce, but your reports tell us this is a significant development. We will continue study, but we believe we have found another site, similar to the first. You will escort a group of scientists to this site, engaging anything you perceive as a threat. Dismissed".

"OK, you heard the lady. Up top, on the double!" Sarah stayed for a moment "Ma'am, I can't say for certain what it is, but I have a bad feeling about these missions. I don't know what; call it a gut instinct."

"Acknowledged. You were, however, dismissed." Sarah sighed, before leaving the room. She hadn't expected much. Who was going to pull the plug on an op just because a trooper had a bad feeling? Sarah donned her helmet. On her wrist, she tapped away at the tactical pad gifted to her when she was granted command of the squad. Typing away, her HUD instantly told her the objective. Escort the Scientists. Easy enough.

Climbing into the Falcon, Richard inserted his data chip into the port on the…he actually didn't know what it was called. He usually thought of it as the dashboard. The chip contained his music. His soul, as he liked to refer to it. A soft melody began, the melancholy opening permeating through the vehicle. Richard let the music envelop him, like always. It was something special to him. More than just notes and sounds. Each song was someone's legacy. That was special. His parents taught him that. He'd never forget it.

Marie smiled at him before she put her helmet on. Derek and Aaron glared at each other. They didn't like each other, that was true, but they didn't have to. They respected each other, for being good at what they did. Aaron just despised how Derek tried to be more than what he was good at, and Derek didn't understand why Aaron didn't strive to be more than his work.

The powerful engines flared into motion. Vibrations shook the entire craft, jarring their bones. Heated fuel spewed from the exhaust, thrusting them off of the muddy ground and into the humid air. In a moment of rare quiet, the team relaxed, with the exception of Aaron, who remained coiled like a spring for any sign of movement.

Passing over a clearing in the emerald forest, Sarah ordered Richard to circle, and for Marie to scout. "Anything you see, anything! You report, understood?"

"Affirmative Commander." Richard said earnestly. The rest of the Spartans dismounted, sending plumes of dust upwards, clouding around their boots. Sarah took cover behind a low rock while Aaron and Derek slid behind trees. "Derek, take point." Derek nodded and trudged along through the wood. Twigs snapped under his careless footsteps, and his rifle brushed aside leaves. He ignored the racket he was causing and pushed through a thicket of rustling leaves into the grass immediately before the structure.

An oddly shaped triangular pyramid poked up from the floor. It was so strangely out of place, Derek momentarily lowered his weapon. A hiss from Sarah broke his trance, but he continued to admire the building. About halfway up the building, a disk stretched out, casting a shadow over them. Even further above that, a silver tower poked into the sky, occasionally flaring with a blue glow. "Pssst, over here!" said a figure, poorly concealed in the undergrowth. Obviously, they weren't trained. But why were they alone?

Derek unveiled the two scientists, nodding greetings to them. "A Spartan? This is a surprise." The scientist admitted. He added quietly "I do hope you don't break anything." Derek ignored this and simply walked the pair over to Sarah. "Commander, I've got our HVT's. Permission to scout the area?"

"Oh there shall be no need for that, we took the liberty ourselves." The second scientist said proudly. Sarah and Aaron looked at him, masking disdain. "Best check again. But make it quick." Her tone told him she wanted to add "I don't want to babysit these guys any more than you."

First Derek checked the woods. It was the most obvious place to hide and, realistically, the only place. Minus the structure, but they'd need a team of search crews to crack that. It reminded him of being a kid, playing hide and seek. He checked behind the trees, overturned some rocks, and proclaimed the forest empty for the foreseeable future. Good. He moved on to the base of the structure. Mainly on the other side to where they'd arrived. Upon reflection, he realised he didn't want this job anymore. The thing was bloody huge, and before long he could sense he needed to be back. He radioed in as he came to the final corner. "Phoenix 1, this is Phoenix 5. Area's clear, I'm just finishing the last sweep, I'll be back in a minute. Over."

"Understood, Phoenix 5. We're waiting on you, out." Derek gazed out into the forest one last time. It was normal. Except for a…shimmer? The space past the tree pulsed like hot air above a fire. He suddenly remembered a poor stunt he pulled as a child. Whilst burning paper, he accidentally burned a forest. The air had looked just like that. Except it was gone. He must have imagined it. Shaking his head clear, he headed back.

Sarah addressed the scientists as Derek returned. "Doctors, stay behind us, but keep these." She handed over two M6G pistols, with a spare magazine each. "Derek, watch our back. Last thing we need today is a surprise. Miles, lead the way. I'll look after our guests." Aaron nodded and walked forward, shotgun in hand. His eyes ran over the silvery coating of the structure, as if daring it to attack. He shifted his gun in his hands and remembered one of their earliest missions as a team. Three years ago now. They'd cleared an Insurrectionist base, with extreme prejudice. All except Derek, who'd avoided killing like the plague. So Aaron had made up for it, and ended up having himself deemed unfit for duty when dealing with them. It was as if the generals had forgotten they were fighting a war. Aaron suddenly remembered where he was. What was he doing, reminiscing? He was putting them in danger. Refocusing, he pushed on to the door.

The door was shaped like a rounded trapezium and painted a platinum colour, lined with blue lighting. It was strangely ominous, but familiar. Sarah felt the hairs on her neck stand up. Lacking the recognisable shape of Covenant architecture, it marked mysterious terrain. Sarah raised a fist and said "Call Richard, inform him we've secured the HVT's and are entering the structure. Remember, we're in unknown terrain. Just because we were all green yesterday, don't get careless." Approaching the door, they all jumped backwards as it slid open silently. They peered into the gloom, each corner a possible ambush.

It was deathly silent. Blue light somehow made the passage darker. A strange force seemed to be pulling them in closer. But closer to what? "I don't like this." Derek admitted. One of the scientists whimpered. Sarah shot him a disapproving glance and pointed to each side of the door. As the soldiers stacked up, Sarah counted to three and swung inside the hallway. "Clear." She said, the echo disturbing the alluring mystery of the building. "Ok, so where are we going? I don't want to be here any longer than we need to." Derek said quietly.

"Scared of the dark? I guess I'll take point." Sarah mused, prompting Derek to glare at her in disdain. "Be my guest. I'm scared of being jumped by Covenant hiding in the dark, so, if you will Commander?" He said, motioning to the door. Sarah scoffed and pushed deeper into the catacombs.

As they traversed the structure, corridor after corridor melted away, each identical to the last. Moving towards the centre, static came from the speakers. Sarah knew something was wrong. Marie and Richard were in trouble. But the mission came first. "Derek, get a hold of 3 or 4. Hurry." She said simply.

"What's up Commander?" Derek asked

"My radio isn't working and I'm getting a weird distortion. I can't focus…It doesn't matter. We need to get these scientists to the centre." A violin felt like it was playing while they walked, slowly scratching out a note. As it grew in pitch, so did their unease. Derek felt like he needed to itch his body all over. "Phoenix 3, this is Phoenix 5. Come in, Phoenix 3. Marie?" He received no reply. "Phoenix 4, this is Phoenix 5. Richard, I'll torch your cassette if you're fucking with me." Sarah shuddered and the team began to run, finally reaching the heart of the structure.

When they stumbled into the centre of the complex, a gasp escaped Sarah's lips. It was a cavernous circular room, perfectly symmetrical. It had high steps leading to the pinnacle, a semi-circular mass of pulsing rainbow coloured holograms. Outside of the centre podium, it had a heptagonal base. Above this, on par in height with the upper platform, were buzzing hard light rings, each in line with a corner of the heptagon. The scientist ran quickly to the panel, placing down briefcases, opening them to see machinery none of the Spartans understood. As they pressed the display, the heptagon began to spin and the many lights turned the colour of the morning sun. The blank nothingness of the building shifted to eerie orange light, and Sarah had to keep down vomit.

Their radio contact returned immediately, a tell-tale crackle ringing through their headsets. It brought Sarah back into the moment. "Jesus! Keep firing, I'll try to contact them! Commander, anyone, if you can hear this!" The distress was cut off momentarily by static. "If you can hear this, we've got a problem! A god-damn staging force is up top, we need help!" The broadcast ended. In the same moment, the angled support above shifted in place, lighting the room, leaving no shadows. The doctors began work immediately, oblivious to the internal debate of the Spartans.

The three were in a huddle, discussing the threat loudly. "We need to get up there and help them!" Derek argued, but Aaron retorted

"No. We prioritise the mission." `They had a job to do. No argument, they were doing it. Derek laughed, then looked at Aaron. "Wait, you're serious?"

"I think we gathered that. Humour's never been Aaron's strong suit, has it?" Sarah snapped, "5, go up top. Help them in any way you can. 2 and myself will remain here and support the scientists."

"Two of you, for two scientists? With an armada upstairs and it being empty down here? Give me a break" He turned to leave the tunnel, Aaron walked in the opposite direction, leaving Sarah stood in the middle. She glanced at Derek, then back to Aaron slowly, sighing as she strolled after him.

After a few minutes, screams came from the console, prompting Aaron to race back. Blood was slowly pooling beneath a scientist. His arm was horribly burned, open boils layered with steaming cotton. The man was screaming pain, agitating his wounded arm. Aaron placed a heavy hand on his body, shielding the man from the hail of poorly aimed plasma fire from across the room. Aaron ducked his head and snatched up the M6G, returning three accurate shots. Two Grunts sank back to the floor, milky blue blood painting the wall behind them. The final attacker, an Elite dragging the other scientist by his hair, merely let the round flicker his shield.

On his radio, Aaron calmly alerted the team "Phoenix 1, I've been engaged. It's the WINTER CONTINGENCY. Need a med-evac for scientist, another has been taken hostage. Permission to engage? Over."

"Granted, Phoenix 2. I'm on my way, ASAP, out."

No sooner had the words left her mouth did Aaron follow. Leaving the scientist with a rudimentary bandage made of his lab coat, Aaron powered on. Through the door the Elite had left, past the corpses. In a long chamber, he encountered the bulk of the force. They hadn't gotten far, but there were more than he had expected. Excellent, he thought, pumping his shotgun. Vaulting over a barricade to the lower floor, he began to fire, hitting 3 Grunts, who twitched before falling to a heap on the floor. Rolling to break his fall, Aaron slid into cover, narrowly dodging a blast of plasma fire from a Zealot. Pumping the shotgun, he tossed a grenade in the enemy's direction, destroying their cover and sending 2 Jackals flying through the air in pieces. The Zealot's shields flickered, from broken shrapnel slamming his chest. A roar that would have made a brave man flee echoed through the chamber, but Aaron merely gritted his teeth. The exclamation had the Elite flailing his arms in impotent rage, leaving time for Aaron to move closer, and jam his shotgun barrel between the creature's mandibles. Squeezing the trigger, its head disappeared, leaving a cloud of purple mist, staining Aaron's visor and weapon. Drawing his SMG, he chewed through a line of Grunts with hot lead, spewing blood across the floor, until another Zealot drew his energy dagger, preparing to plunge it into his neck. Aaron turned, smacking the creatures head with his SMG. The sickening impact made him drop the gun. Fuck. Bringing back his elbow, he felt it connect with the lower mandible, snapping it with a meaty crunch. He dove onto the Zealot, beating at its now misshapen head, pummelling the bone into juicy purple pulp. Only when his glove was dyed azure did he finish the Elite by mercifully snapping its neck.

He looked around at destruction he had caused. He almost understood why he was very nearly removed from duty. But they deserved it. Quickly retrieving his weapons, Aaron kept the Shotgun warily drawn. He found the scientist alongside a large bundle of items from the site. Various pieces, of differing sizes and shape. The scientist was enthralled with the collection. "Doctor. We need to move. Now".

"Of course, Spartan. I just need to take some samples. This could be a breakthrough!" They had been taking him somewhere. But where? They'd been dropped off alone, so he supposed he'd be safe here. "Stay put. I'll check the next room.", and he ventured into the unknown.

It was silent. Silent and dark. Neither of those bothered him, as he knew he'd see or hear anything hidden. His senses were better than even most Spartans, which meant a lot. The quick search led him to find nothing. Nothing at all. Only a locked door and discarded plasma cutter. Evidently, they had planned on cutting their way out. But why had they sealed off their escape? More importantly, why were they returning? He picked up the cutter and almost started working away at the door, when the scientist called in "Spartan? I'm quite ready to go now." Aaron tossed the cutter aside and walked out.

Back at the main room, the other scientist had succumbed to his wounds. Sarah sat beside the corpse, gripping his arm. She checked his chest one last time, listening for any faint trace of a heartbeat. She came away with a dark face. "He's gone. Doctor, are you ok?" Aaron picked up her helmet, placing it on the console. "I'm quite fine Spartan, thank you. I'm sorry to see Harold cannot say the same. Nevertheless, we should depart."

"I agree. Time to go home." She said to Aaron "2, watch our back. We're not leaving him here." Sarah concluded. Picking up the scientist's corpse, she started jogging slowly towards the exit. The eerie corridors felt somehow alive, seemingly pulsing with energy despite no visible difference.

Passing back into the clearing, it had changed. The rin of trees was ablaze and spewing plumes of smoke, masking the hideous shape of a Spirit dropship. A horde of Grunts filtered out from behind a tumbled collection of rocks towards them. The Falcon suddenly strafed by, splattering them with high calibre rounds, scattering oily chunks of flesh across the scarred grass. It looked like judgement day.

Countless Phantom drop ships flew above, raining plasma onto the earth. Sarah shielded the Doctor, grunting as her shielding flared. Slinging both Doctors over he shoulders, she slipped back inside and put the down beside each other. "Keep it loaded and hold here. I'm getting you out of this." She said, making sure he had tight grip of the pistol.

Returning outside, a swarm of pink needles rapidly shattered against the wall next to her head. Sarah cried out in shock, instantly returning to combat mode. The Falcon was nowhere to be seen, worrying her. No, he wouldn't be dead. Richard was too good. Marie waved Sarah over, letting loose a single round. It split the skull of a Jackal, painting its comrade purple. Marie quickly killed that, too. Moving towards her, Sarah asked "Phoenix 2, SitRep?" Marie dropped her rifle, drawing her pistol to kill three Jackals behind the unaware Spartan. Sarah glanced behind her, breathing deeply to slow her heartrate. "Phoenix 4 has returned to base. He intends to 'Send in the cavalry' as Derek so elegantly phrased it. Since then, the Phantoms arrived and deployed troops. I counted possibly thirty plus hostiles. More, now." Sarah wiped her visor clean of dirt and said

"Understood. We have to hold out, the Covenant can't get their hands on this. Prioritise the Elites, the others will scatter." Sarah turned to see the others already firing, combating the Covenant onslaught. Raising her DMR, she joined in.

It didn't occur to her in that rain soaked, plasma scorched onslaught that this wasn't a coincidence. The Covenant wouldn't deploy an entire strike force to combat a single Falcon. Even 5 Spartans. Something significant had to be in this strange structure. Something significant. These thoughts were masked by a continual shower of plasma, mud and blood. Between barrages, she returned fire. Killed a few. Mainly she told the others what to do, after all it was her job. Commander. Commander B133. Phoenix 1. Phoenix… "Fire!"

Derek looked at her like she was mad. "I've been doing that Commander!"

"Not like that fire, fire! Burning fire?" Sarah pointed at the blazing patches of shrubbery lining the battlefield. They had an advantage, in that the Covenant had to push up a hill. It wasn't particularly steep, but it had long since been burned bare into something resembling a swamp. As if Haven needed more of those. "Watch, they're dropping in the forest. It's covered and they can hide there. But then they have to rush the hill, where we can hold them back. But we don't have the ammo to last much longer. If we burn the trees, we might have a chance." She fired again, killing an Elite who was moving dangerously close.

"I see that, yeah. 'Nam style. I'll see what I can do, Commander. Keep me covered."

"Understood. Aaron! Give us some breathing room." She ordered, tossing a grenade into a waterlogged ditch. As it exploded, what remained of a Jackal and two Grunts flew into the air. Aaron rushed over the field, taking the ditch from the now dead previous owners.

Derek worked quickly. Efficiently. It was easy to when you were passionate about explosions. And not dying. Within a few minutes, he had successfully rigged a rudimentary incendiary grenade. He had fitted it into the shell of a regular grenade, and now slid it into his tube fed launcher. "Here it goes, call him back!"

"Aaron, pull back, Derek's firing the grenade!"

"Negative Commander. I'm pinned down. Fire it, I'll figure my own way out." She peeked above their entrenched rock and recognised Aaron amongst the chaos. He was in deep. "Phoenix 2, I am ordering you, pull back!" She said angrily. Derek cursed and jumped out from the rock. His weapon rumbled greedily and tossed a flaring, twirling tube across the sky. Arcing over them, it split open into stringy tendrils, casting bursting fire over the leafy trees. Then everything was flame.

Alien screams of panic and pain tingled his nerves and made him uneasy. "Derek, get back here, now!" Sarah cried, beckoning him back into the rock. He stumbled to his feet, dizzy and confused. He plodded across the sodden grass, collapsing against the stone. "I had to make sure you didn't get caught if it went up."

"Warn me next time, before it blows."

"That's what they all say." Derek chuckled, hanging his head. Sarah scoffed and turned back to firing. Not that much remained.

All along the southern line, the trees hardly existed. Blackened, ashy wood and flickering ember were all that was left of the closest boundary. Sarah let her eyes avoid the unrecognisable, desiccated corpses shrivelled up under the snapped logs, and instead bore witness to the encroaching, hungry flames deeper in the forest. "What did you put in that thing?"

"You don't even want to know." Derek shrugged. "We should probably stay focused. That won't stop them." Sarah nodded and called for them to regroup. Marie paddled closer, deftly avoiding even a wayward glance at the hellscape Derek had caused. But no Aaron.

Sarah quickly described the situation. "Richard can't be far off now. Until then, we have to hold out. Derek bought us time, but how much I don't know. We need to stay together and bug out as soon as we get chance."

"What about the Lieutenant Commander?" Marie asked

"I'm going to find him. You're covering me. Derek, get her up to that balcony up there, then hunker down. Prep a smoke grenade or two, and I'll make it back." They nodded and Derek boosted Marie up the ledge. She was shockingly agile, scaling the sheer face with ease. "You're like a damn spider." Derek muttered. Marie looked at him at smiled beneath her helmet, tilting her head to show it.

Sarah ventured down through the slaughter, scanning every ditch for Aaron. Everywhere she looked, a broken corpse or burned body was waiting. Glassy eyes told only of pain and sadness. One such story was not yet over. The Elite was crawling away, grunting in some alien tongue. It dragged itself slowly towards a lone plasma pistol. It was missing a finger, and left a trail of berry blood after it, but was determined. Sarah upped her pace and stomped her boot onto its outstretched arm. The Elite roared in pain, rolling to its back. Sarah jammed the DMR barrel into its gaping maw, pulling the trigger once. The Elite shuddered and a deafening crack rang out. Then, silence. Only the distant cries of Covenant, and the soft crackle of burning wood.

Finally, she uncovered Aaron. He was buried under a mound of crippled Covenant. An Elite Ranger had been impaled on his knife, the tell-tale leather-bound hilt emerging from under the lower mandible. Sarah withdrew it with a gruesome squelch and gratuitous spurt of blood. It smeared her thigh, and she cursed. Three more bodies she shifted, until Aaron's face was emerging, his fingers twitching.

Sarah extended a hand, which contained the knife, the handle toward his hand. He gripped it, pulling himself to his feet. "Commander." He said. Sarah nodded. She knew he meant thanks. Or at least, she hoped he did. "We need to get back to the base and hold before-" The air around them exploded.

A Phantom passed over them, dropping a Wraith onto their position. The wedge-shaped tank tossed up earth and fiery logs as it impacted the ground mere feet from the pair. The ensuing shockwave knocked Sarah from her feet and almost deafened them. Aaron fared better, remaining standing, if dazed. He slung Sarah's limp form behind him, sprinting desperately for better cover. Midway there, Sarah regained some control and started to run herself. Warily, she shot a look over her shoulder, gasping as the Wraith charged a deadly plasma mortar.

Another, lesser roar propelled across the air. Two fully loaded Pelicans, and three escort Falcons began spraying concentrated bursts of lead onto the area. The Wraith ceased charging, taking aim at the flying foes. The plasma blast flew sluggishly, missing the agile Pelican by a good distance. It responded by unleashing a swift barrage of rockets onto the tank, detonating the core and catapulting debris over the surrounding slurry. The bulk of the force, which had emerged from the blaze blackened and bruised, fired meekly at this new invader. The Falcons and a Pelican landed, parades of freshly armed soldiers darting out to combat the weary Covenant. This seemingly broke their will, and the force raced away into the flames. Derek panted, draining his magazine and throwing up his arms in triumph as they fled. "Fuck you, motherfuckers! Run!" He cried. The others voiced similar joy, all but Aaron, who never took his eyes off of the tree line.

Ash and cinders flailed across the clearing as Richard carefully landed the Pelican. He rushed down the ramp, racing to search for them. He stopped ten feet from them, lined up grimly, weapons draped across them. He scanned them for wounds and, finding none, addressed Sarah. "Commander, sorry I was late. I had to"

"Get backup. She told me." Sarah finished. He swallowed heavily and said

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Negative. We've sustained damage but, we'll live. We have time for a status update soon. There's still hostiles in those woods."

"Commander, if I may, what about the Doctor?" Marie asked.

"You and Richard can escort them back. Take Aaron with you too. Derek and I will oversee operations here."

"Commander, I'm more use here." Aaron said, making no motion to move. Sarah drew a deep breath and said "As you wish. Richard, Marie, go back inside and get the Doctors. We'll finish up here." The trio loaded their weapons and headed to oversee the new forces.

Richard patted Marie on the shoulder and walked towards the doors. "How did it go without me?"

"Well enough. I imagine the Commander will handle the remaining Covenant well."

"You're right there. For now, we need to worry about the Doctor here." Richard knelt down near the shaking man and took his helmet from his head. "Hey, hey. It's alright, hear me? We'll get you back home safe." Marie warily scanned the horizon for ambush, but her eyes drifted to Richard. His jaw, his deep green eyes. The jagged scar running from his temple to his cheekbones. She pushed it from her mind and respectfully carried the deceased doctor to the Pelican, placing him down on the seat. It was silent as they returned to the base.

Chapter 3: Midnight

The Pelican drifted into the base as the sun sank below the valley. Personnel rushed to greet them, steering the doctor away for medical judgement. The dead doctor was bagged and taken into the morgue. A suspicious man dressed in black peered at them, escorting the doctor. Marie watched him warily, only breaking away when Richard said "The Commander radioed ahead, they'll make their way back with the others. We're free for now." Marie fell back into the mundane present, the rampant theories of the man dissolving into wisps. "Ah, wonderful. Shall we?" She looked to the barracks. Richard nodded, walking with her over the flattened grass.

A few hours later, they had reported back and had their armour removed. It was a time-consuming process, with mechanised aids required to prise it from their skin. Afterwards, Richard felt free. No longer confined to stifling claustrophobia, free to move. "I'm hungry. I wonder what rations we've got today, brown slop, or off grey slop?" This made Marie chuckle, and she said "I feel brown is a likely candidate today. Grey would be suitably dreary however."

"You're not wrong. Come on, else we'll be too late."

The mess hall was almost empty. Funny, one would almost think it was close to midnight. "Long day, huh?" The lone server asked, spooning a mix of brownish mess and grey gunk onto his tray. Richard nodded, grabbing a stale biscuit. "What we looking at Bam?"

"Supplies are late. Three days now. Haven't a clue what's keeping them."

"Traffic? Anyway, you might have to start serving us actual food soon."

"Don't get cheeky! Eat up, you look like you're about to faint!"

"I always look pasty. You would if you were cooped up in that gear all day." Bam snorted, pulling his apron off and walking out. His shift was over. Richard sat near the door, tucking in eagerly to his food, as hesitant as he was to call it such. Marie sat beside him, with only an apple and flask of water. "Not hungry?"

"Not especially. I couldn't say it looks appetising."

"Neither, but I'm starving." He looked at her, absently mindedly tossing the apple from hand to hand. She seemed to have no intention of eating it. "If you're not eating that?"

"Here" she said, passing it to him. He thanked her, pushing his half empty tray aside. The apple, despite being bruised heavily, tasted better than anything he'd had in days. Rivulets of juice dribbled down his chin and he wiped them on his sleeve.

Marie remained silent as he gorged himself. Eventually, she stood up and began to walk away. "What's up?" Richard asked, looking up from his food.

"Nothing. It's late, I should head back."

"Well I'm almost done, wait for me? I'm scared of the dark." He joked. She turned around, her arms folded. "Do you remember anything?" She let the question hang in the empty air for a minute. "From before?" she added. Richard remained silent, thinking.

"No. Flashes, I suppose? A birthday, I think…a few nights at summer. Mostly music really. Old songs, my parents loved them. What's the word, starts with a 'C'?"

"Connoisseur?"

"Got it in one. It's where I got the tape. Stole it one day. Never had chance to give it back." He drifted off, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart. Marie smiled, sitting back beside him. "I remember nothing. My mother's face, roughly. Mostly because I look so alike it makes me shiver." Richard said nothing, only putting a comforting arm around her. She flinched a little at first, but allowed it to stay. Eventually, she stood up again, walking out. Richard followed, heading for their bunks.

During the night, Marie found herself drifting in and out of sleep. She got out of the low bunk, quickly pulling on a small top and some shorts. She walked the silent halls, the cool floor pleasant against her calloused soles. Making her way through the complex, she arrived at a large window, out of which she could see for miles around. Through the gloom, her advanced eyes could pick out more than any normal human, any normal Spartan. Pelicans arrived and departed with extreme regularity, but something seemed off. The base was always buzzing with activity, but this was something else. Early morning, the clock told her. 4 am. One night spent in a field had culminated in her being almost burned alive. At 4 am. Her hand ran down her arm, feeling the bumps from various attacks and battles. Each scar was a story, but she had less than most. Distance, she supposed. Hard to be stabbed when they never know you're there.

Marie watched the base for a few more minutes, thinking over her early conversation with Richard. What had gotten in to her? Why did he need to know? Marie hated pity, and yet that was what she seemingly sought from Richard. But why did she deserve it more than any other, she knew not. Everyone had been taken. It was merciful of her to remember so little IT had made it easier to adapt. His answer flew around her head more, before she eventually began back along the empty hallways to their bunks. The corridors were clean, dimly lit at regular intervals by pale red lights. Easier to adjust to differences in light. As she undressed and clambered into her bed, sleep washed over her, this time staying close and easy.

A dull knock broke her slumber. A cold hand pressed against her forehead snapped her eyes open and she grasped the forearm, twisting it painfully. Derek, owner of the arm, pushed himself away laughing. "Morning everyone." He, Sarah and Aaron were stood in a semi circle. Richard groaned awake, confused upon seeing Marie laid next to him. "What do we have here?" asked Derek mockingly. Richard, finally returning to something resembling consciousness, raised his middle finger to Derek. "Nothing happened."

"He's telling the truth. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I must have entered the wrong bed." Marie said convincingly. Cutting in before Derek could continue, Sarah said

"It doesn't matter. Get up, both of you. We need to de-suit and then I'll brief you both."

"How did it go, Commander?" asked Richard, slightly embarrassed.

"Well enough. We might end up busy, so get something to eat and meet me in ops at oh eight hundred. We had a busy day, so we've been allotted a week of respite for training. Enjoy it" The three suited Spartans left the pair alone in the barracks, awkwardly looking at each other.

As Richard dressed himself, he asked Marie "Was it an accident?"

"Yes." She said quickly, adding "My bed isn't made, and I came in tired. I got confused." Fluffing her pillow, she finished making her bunk presentable and quickly pulled on some clothes. "I've been thinking about what you said and, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Why not? You had it worse."

"I did?"

"Yeah. I have something to remember them by. You just sort of, have to exist." Richard walked close to her, pushing her chin up. "I imagine you are correct. I have no pain."

"Pain keeps you going. Can't go through life on your own, no one to fight for." He said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She looked up at him, smiling quickly, then looking back to her feet. He sighed, draping his overcoat from his shoulder. "We should g-" Marie kissed him suddenly, pulling away just as quickly. "I-Marie…"

"Hush. We'll be late." She left without another word.

Chapter 4: Hammer Strike

The following Tuesday, Derek was entering the mess hall just as Marie finished her breakfast. She ushered him over. Pulling out a chair he said "We'll have to hurry. The Commander is getting impatient."

"I understand. Derek, how did it go when we left? At the forest."

"I think we had a worse night than you did" He winked knowingly, ignoring Marie's scoffs "But it went well. We had a few casualties, Bam's cousin took a needle, a couple more guys went down. Covvie's had more, we almost got em all. Problem now is, finding where they came from." Richard joined them mid-sentence, adding

"It's not like them to assault something like that with no real reason. They can't have known we were there, and you didn't need an armada like that for what we found. Big silver building? Speaking of, what did we find?" Derek shrugged whereas Marie said

"Likely something we shouldn't have. I witnessed the doctor being requisitioned by an ONI operative."

"Fucking hell, we're in bed with ONI now?" Derek said disbelievingly.

"Derek, ONI made us for God's sake." Richard said "Why are you scared anyway? You're seven feet tall!"

"ONI's trouble. Trust me." Shovelling a final mouthful of stale cereal into his mouth, Derek walked out, Richard and Marie soon following.

Sarah opened a chest containing a small recording device. "Spartan B133, Commander Sarah, mission brief March 4th, 2551. In attendance, Colonel Ariana Duven, Spartan B183 Lieutenant Commander Aaron, Spartan B256 Lieutenant Marie, Spartan B341, Warrant Officer Richard and Spartan B221, Sergeant Major Derek." She put the recorder down and paused for breath. "Our newest assignment concerns our discovery on the 24th of February, an unidentified structure. Further research has been assisted with information from the Office of Naval Intelligence. These structures have been confirmed as something other than Covenant, and have been confirmed on other colony systems. It is believed the structures have religious significance to the Covenant. It has also been revealed a significant Covenant presence has been detected on Haven. A strike force is being mobilised to attack the heart of this force, codenamed OPERATION: HAMMER STRIKE." The Spartans were uneasy, previously unaware of the brewing Covenant invasion. Derek had to stop himself spewing with questions. "A CAS-class Assault Carrier, carrying a complement of two CCS-class Battlecruiser have been detected above the Vojvodina peninsula. Spires have been located, and the Charon-class frigate Sunbreaker has been authorised to provide air support."

As the recording was ended, Derek erupted with anger "There's been Covenant on the planet this whole time, and we didn't know?"

"Sergeant Major, know your place! If you didn't know, do you think they did? We need surprise. This attack is to draw out as many as we can, test their strength. We're going in with low troops, but reinforcements are available. We don't want to decimate them =, we want them to run. Crush the cruisers and gain air superiority." Sarah said. Derek sank back, sullenly realising she was right. "Now I would recommend you get out there, get suited up, and get set for combat!". They did as she said, walking away quietly. The Colonel clapped sardonically. "Well done, Commander. Excellent control of your soldiers."

"We shouldn't have lied to them." She said guiltily.

"You said it yourself. We couldn't let them know. I suggest you prepare yourself too, Commander. I can tell this will test you." Sarah exited the centre without another word.

After having their suits reattached, the team looked ready to kill. The MJOLNIR armour was awkward to don, but was worth it. Recently, they had been outfitted with highly prototyped and exceedingly experimental Mark 5 armour. Exclusive, but rigorously crafted to their individual needs. Richard loaded his Assault rifle and slotted it into the cockpit of the Pelican. "Richard, our target is the first spire. It's been codenamed Alpha, the others are Bravo and Charlie. We're splitting into two teams, and assaulting the spire from each side. It's embedded in a ravine, so we can hem them in."

"Understood Commander. What about me, what am I up to?"

"Marie and I will take the south approach, Derek and Aaron the north. Deploy us and then support anyone you can. Remain close, the other strike teams will likely need support." They synced their radios and HUD's, driving out the screeching hum of the Pelican's thrusters.

Inside the troop bay, Marie racked the slide of her Sniper rifle. She would need to stay focused today. No thoughts of what was lost. At least Richard would be far from harm. "You're shaking." Sarah noticed. Marie looked at her trembling fist, unclenching it and holding it still. Despite the engine's roar, the bay was quiet. No one spoke of what they had to do.

The strike force fully regrouped as they charged over the plains west of the Spire complex. HAMMER STRIKE involved a tactic of staggered forces. Two mongooses, and a Warthog would quickly strike their target. A Scorpion would then crush whatever remained, and a transport Warthog would deploy troops to secure the area. Rinse and repeat. These ground forces were barrelling over the dusty plains, while Falcons and Pelicans followed, ready to support the ground troops. For the Bravo and Charlie spires, a reserve of ODST commando's courtesy of Sunbreaker were ready to assist the single Pelican and pair of Falcons assigned to each spire. Deep down, Sarah knew there would be high casualties. There was nothing she could do.

The spire appeared on the horizon, peering out from the low valley it was buried in. "Why did they bury it even though its huge?" asked Derek.

"It is harder to identify and easily overlooked." Marie explained. "Likely, they hoped we would miss it, or view it as less of a threat because of the small size. Thankfully we have not, and we should crush their resistance." Richard neared the spire, approaching to land, when a barrage of blue flak riddled the sky around them. He veered away, tossing the occupants around the cabin. "Jesus Richard, watch for potholes next time!" Derek exclaimed.

"It's flak! Three guns! Commander, we have to take them out. Now!" Richard groaned as the Pelican ducked beneath a second rush of plasma. "If those guns keep firing, Sunbreaker will be torn apart."

"Think about the frigate when we're not dead!" Derek exclaimed, bracing himself as the Pelican rocked again. With fire splitting the very air around them, the Pelican weaved a path into the space nearest the gun. "We need a combat drop. Lock armour and leap. Aaron, Derek, jump!" The two Spartans locked themselves into tight grips and allowed themselves to fall into the oblivion below.

The impact smacked the air from everything. Derek tried to gasp, but could barely open his mouth, uttering only a choked gurgle. Aaron pounded his chest once, allowing the stunned man time to breathe. "Holy fuck, I never want to do that again."

"Forget that. We have a job to do." Aaron said, aiming his shotgun around the crater they had fallen in. "You're right. Let me see…Type 38. Runs on unstable energy, the core's exposed in the centre. Hunter guards, usually. Good grenade should do it all."

"You got a grenade?"

"What sort of question is that?" Derek asked cheerily. When Aaron turned to look at him, Derek felt his icy glare even through the helmets. "Sorry. Yeah, I've got a grenade. I'll need cover." Aaron nodded, tossing a smoke canister down the hill. Crackles of plasma fire scorched the thick inky smoke, the thud of bullets everywhere. The team rushed into the misty massacre, unsure if they would ever return.

On the Pelican, Marie watched as they slipped down the hill to their objective. "They made it Commander." She called through. Sarah thanked her, then pointed to the second gun. "Get us closer, then loop round and soften up the third gun. By the time you're done, we'll be at the rendezvous Alpha seven. We'll ditch the Pelican, move in close and kill the last gun."

"Understood Commander. Good luck out there. Fetch her back, yeah?"

"Of course, Richard. Stay focused, and get us close." Sarah left, closing the door behind her. Richard was left alone in the stuffy cockpit. He pulled by the gun, blasting it with the heavy chaingun, splitting a chunk of the armour away and scraping the hull of his Pelican. It diverted attention, hopefully buying Sarah and Marie time to drop. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, Marie saw the collision. Mid-free fall, she witnessed the daring attack, gasping as Richard avoided the relentless barrage of plasma bolts. She laughed, tears brimming in her eyes, until a stray bolt clattered through the rear thruster, leaving it to spew black, oily smoke, and the Pelican drifted down. Still, Richard held course, launching his payload of missiles into the final gun. They impacted in a flurry of violent orange flame, masking the final impact of his Pelican with the barrel of the gun. Then Marie hit the surface, and everything went dark.

A faint, muffled tapping on her visor drew her back into something resembling consciousness. "Lieutenant? Marie? Wake up!" Sarah said, a note of desperation bleeding into her voice. Marie felt herself slip away once, twice, more. Sarah's ragged breathing and furious efforts hardly keeping her awake. "Get up!" She cried, one final time, slamming her palm into her stomach. Marie jutted up, grimacing in pain. "Finally! Take this," Sarah handed Marie her sniper "cover me, and keep your head down." Without another word, Sarah dashed behind a boulder and fired three shots from her DMR, slicing off the wrist of a vicious Jackal and caving the skull of a fleeing Grunt.

Covenant forces were massed beneath a large rock shelf, the shaded patch of rough, sandy crevices dotted with plasma scoring. Directly opposite, Aaron and Derek were firing wildly at the heaving mass of scurrying Drones. "I was sure I had something for this!" Derek said, digging deep into his pack. Aaron dropped his empty shotgun, drawing Derek's MA5B. The derelict rifle was an older model, loaded with sixty round magazines, almost double the capacity of later models. Aaron took advantage of this, and the nine hundred rounds per minute it unleashed to slaughter the swarm of Drones intent on slaughtering them. The insect like screeches they spat as they fell to pieces under the storm of lead picked away at Derek's sanity, making his hands shake wildly as he searched for what he sought. "Got it! Shockwave de-"

"I got them. Come on." Aaron said, stood with the rifle, barrel still smoking. Aaron passed the weapon, now grimly soaked with greenish-yellow blood, back to Derek, and reloaded his shotgun. Derek stood, his mouth agape, staring at Aaron, until his mind snapped back into action and he followed the terrifying soldier.

Marie and Sarah were in a more difficult situation. A trio of Elites, a sword brandishing General flanked on either side by Rangers, carrying a pair of Plasma rifles each, advanced toward them. The General wore gilt armour, the orange accents winking at Sarah gleefully. Gritting her teeth, she tossed a grenade to the formation and rushed out to face them. Her DMR ripped into the shields of a Ranger, the blue flare highlighting his cowardly retreat. The second Ranger let slip a ravaging display of plasma at Sarah, like hunting dogs chasing a fox. These ripped through her shields and left her, wounded and afraid, in the full view of their squad.

Just as the Ranger drew near, the overheated rifles steaming, a crack rang out, sounding similar to an avalanche. The Ranger tumbled into a bloody heap, the vapour trail spiralling off into the hills behind Sarah. Marie locked her sights on the second Ranger, cutting through its shielding and pushing it further back, closer to the gun. Sarah leapt back to her feet acrobatically, drawing her pistol. The barrel flared as rounds flashed into the General's chest. He flicked his sword at Sarah, narrowly missing her throat. Elegantly, she slipped beneath the deadly blow and powered her fist into the General's underbelly. Two more punches slapped the air from its lungs, and she blasted the remaining rounds from her pistol into his neck. The final broke through the shield and spurted hot plum purple blood over her visor. The General lay still, his sword extinguished in his tight grasp. Sarah snatched the hilt into her hand and waved her recovered DMR to Marie in thanks.

Aaron tussled with a pair of Skirmishers, swinging sluggishly at them whilst they rapidly slashed away at him with their hooked fingers. One grew greedy, swiping at his left leg. He lashed out with the limb, breaking the Skirmisher instantly, launching the limp form into his companion. The pair loosely collapsed into a heap against the wall, a magenta smear dribbling after them. "What's the core looking like?"

"I've gotten the shield down, I just need to destroy it!" Grenade in hand, Derek carefully drew back his arm. A spine-tingling hum tore through the air, and a sickly green beam cut into the core, missing his chest by centimetres. Drawing in a panicked breath, Derek screamed from the blazing heat of the narrow miss. Aaron had already leapt into the battle, brandishing the stolen Needle rifle dropped by a Jackal Derek had killed. The Spartan seemed to dance past the Hunter, baiting it to charge. When it swung the shield the size of a car grafted to its arm, Aaron slid beneath its legs and fired a successive flight of needles into the exposed fleshy back. These exploded lucidly in a lilac super combine explosion, flinging Aaron to the dirt. Derek saw the second Hunter, closing in on his immobilised companion. He snapped up his pistol and fired once at the Hunter, ignoring the incessant, deafening beeping from the core. The round tore through flesh and the Hunter locked eyes on Derek. It lunged for him, covering the distance in the blink of an eye. It tossed aside a weapon cabinet that Derek hardly dodged. It crashed into the door frame of the cannon and scattered a shower of shrapnel across the floor. Derek ran, faster than he had ever gone before, up the ramp and over the railing, rolling over and over and over, ending up spread eagled next to Aaron outside the gun. The Hunter turned to him, its eyes narrowing. The Fuel Rod cannon it hefted began to charge, aimed precisely at the pair of Spartans. Then, it exploded.

Sarah glimpsed the billowing blue flames of the first explosion. As the Anti-Aircraft cannon erupted into an inferno, she silently cheered the first team's achievement. Her own cannon was almost deserted. The death of the General and Ranger had scattered the defender, sending them fleeing down the dune into a cross fire from the Vanguard of the UNSC and the Covenant defenders. Sarah ignored this, and got to work finding a Plasma pistol. Eventually, she found a mostly drained tool buried with a Needler in the pile of corpses at the door. Thirty percent charge. Enough for her purpose. Charging the weapon until the barrel was engulfed in glowing green light, she pointed the likely highly radioactive weapon at the shielding of the core. The gun ate away the plasma shield instantly, and Sarah sought out a grenade. She bent down to grab the nearest plasma grenade when suddenly a huge weight barrelled into her. The second Ranger! It spat some alien insult at her, punching her so hard she saw stars. The alien drew back its arm, the Energy dagger slipping out ots forearm. Sarah threw up her arms, barely taking the force of its jab. The single cyan point of the blade almost stroked the edge of her visor, moving ever closer. Yet another crack, seemingly ringing out from down a mountain, erupted next to her head, and the Ranger sank on top her, spewing stringy flesh stuck to black bodysuit by its oily, tar like blood, down her neck. Marie kicked the corpse off of Sarah and offered her a hand up. She snatched it, glancing at the destroyed core. "Nice shot lieutenant."

"Thank you, Commander, now we should go." The pair escaped to the nearest hill and observed the cannon as it exploded. The sheer might of the detonation nearly blinded Sarah, and she stifled a cheer.

As the ringing in their ears subsided, Derek and Aaron faintly became aware of the persistent radio hails in their ears. "Phoenix 2, Phoenix 5, are you there? Derek? Aaron?"

"I'm here. The Lieutenant Commander is coming round. Head's spinning mind you." Derek said, feeling terribly queasy. "Are you wounded?" asked Sarah.

"Negative Commander. What's the new game plan? We still got a third gun." Sarah slapped her forehead, remembering suddenly. "Something must have hit Richard. We need to find that Spartan, now. These spires need to come down!" Sarah noticed Marie was pacing rapidly around the dusty, ash smothered earth. "We need to rendezvous. Meet us ASAP."

"How do we know where you are?"

"Look for the other burning wreckage, Derek. Use your brain." She said impatiently, working over to Marie. "Marie, he'll be fine. Look at me, look." Marie looked up at her, breathing deeply. "We'll find him. But I need you focused. I need you to have your head in the game, understand? Feelings get people killed. Listen to me Spartan, I don't need a liability out there."

"I understand Commander. I shouldn't have…I won't…" She paused and breathed again. "Let's go."

In the fifteen minutes it took Derek and Aaron to arrive, Sarah realised something was wrong. "Radio contact is down." Marie nodded, never taking her eyes off of the final gun. It was firing unending bolts of terrifying plasma, each round death. Aaron and Derek rounded the corner of the hill when the moment Sarah dreaded had occurred. High above the battlefield, the Sunbreaker emerged into the airspace.

Immediately, the cannon switched targets. The squadrons of Falcons and Pelican dropships were relieved of any pressure and returned to their primary functions. Meanwhile, the frigate began to receive heavy fire from the cannon. "We need to warn them!" Derek exclaimed upon seeing the impending massacre. "I've tried, radio contact is down. We need to find 4 and get that gun down, now."

"What are we waiting for, Commander? Let us go." Marie said, marching away for the crash site. The male Spartans looked at Sarah for orders. She shook her head and pointed after Marie.

The battle was going poorly. The ground forces had begun to buckle, as the Covenant began to reclaim land they had lost. The frigate had been intended to solve this, giving air superiority and securing victory, but this had failed. Phoenix wrestled with their duty. Sarah ordered them to avoid combat where possible, and focus on recovering Richard. Sarah knew she was winning the battle if she did so, but the screams of the dying haunted her anyway. Duty first. Always.

As they neared the crash, they followed the terrible gash it had left in the earth. Burning shrubbery and smeared stains of fuel and coolant bode ill. "I don't like this." Derek said. "I don't either, but we need Richard." A faint whispering beep seemed to be going louder as they moved further down the wreckage. A few minutes later, and the blackened earth gave way to the Pelican. Surprisingly undamaged.

The rear thruster was leaking fuel and coolant rapidly, sputtering hot, oily liquid down over the ravaged hull. The fuselage was scratched and dented, but in one piece, and the remaining thrusters were untouched. "Holy shit, he's a lucky bastard." Derek remarked, stroking coolant from the inner hull. "Hush, we have not located him. Richard?" Marie called out, listening intently for a reply. She heard a faint mutter. "Find him!"

He was sprawled out, slung over a rock five metres outside the cockpit. Fragments of glass and reinforcement surrounded him, like twisted rose petals. Marie brushed them away, peeling off his helmet and pressing her head to his chest. A heartbeat permeated her eardrum. "Richard!" She slapped his cheek, rousing him. Barely.

"M-marie?"

"Yes! Me! You need to wake."

"I'm up…I think." He spoke drowsily, as if he were drunk. Sarah helped him to his feet, passing a scavenged rifle to him. He took it gingerly, shaking his head. "Are you operational?"

"I'll need a minute..."

"As soon as you're up, we need to take down-"

"The spires"

"The gun" They said simultaneously. He started to explain.

"I figured it out before I went down. The spires are jammers. My missiles wouldn't lock, and I took too many hits to swing round for you. I dumped my missiles, didn't kill the gun and tried to guide her down. I woke up in the sand, crawled to the rock and watched it all happen. When I couldn't hail you, I guessed they boosted the jammer. If the frigate is going to stay up, we need to take down the spires."

"Richard, you're fantastic. But there's no use killing the jammers if the frigate is dead anyway."

"We can do both. There are five of us and four objectives." Derek suggested.

"And a Pelican." Richard added. He ignored their questioning glances. "I took a bump to the head, yes. But this Pelican is up and ready to go. If I cut off fuel to the damaged thruster, she'll fly." Sarah raised an eyebrow, but merely said

"You're certain?"

"Hundred percent." Sarah paused to think.

"Get the bird going. Derek, Aaron, get Bravo spire. Richard, when you're in the air, take Alpha. Marie, you're with me. We have the gun." They saluted and headed to their respective deployments.

Chapter 5: Triple Entente

Sarah and Marie reached the cannon quickly, as the Pelican had crashed nearby. A small squad of Jackals had been sent to search for survivors, and the pair had quickly dispatched them. En route, they had also witnessed the frigate let loose the full deployment of Longsword fighters. "She's not going to…not the Cruiser." Sarah said disbelievingly. The Admiral intended to assault the nearest Battlecruiser even with the gun. Already, it had fired on the Longswords and decimated a portion of them. They needed to hurry.

At the same time, Richard had succeeded in reforming the Pelican. It was wonky, screamed from the effort, and spewed black smoke, but she flew. He hardly believed it. Now he had to fight it to the spire, holding the Pelican as steady as he could when the joystick was trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. Despite all of this, or perhaps because of it, Richard seemingly instantly arrived at the spire, plunging inside the shield. A mistake, he realised too late. The outer layer acted as an EMP, draining the thrusters and leaving him drifting. Fear twisted a knife in his gut, and he desperately began gliding, aiming for the upper platform. It drifted, scraping the base of the hull, and he dove out the rear to the uppermost level, rolling across the plasma floor. His fingers loosely gripped the frictionless surface and he glided along it like ice, his hear entering his mouth as his body slipped over the threshold to oblivion. Only his flailing left hand saved him, barely grasping the solid rim of the platform. Richard cursed foully, peering down at what he hung over. Ignoring it, he pulled himself up.

At this time, Sarah and Marie had pushed through the cannon's outer defences and slaughtered the hapless Grunts hidden inside. "I need a grenade and a Plasma pistol." Sarah ordered, scrambling around the bloodbath for what she required. When she looked up, Marie held both. "Sniper. Good eyes, yeah." Sarah said approvingly. "You shoot, I throw. On three." Marie charged the pistol and unleashed it on the barrier, breaking it like cling film. As it tore away, Sarah tossed the flaring blue charge into the core, pulling Marie into the open air and running. Running as far as they could. One final gun erupted into fire, the third of the day. And Sunbreaker was free to unleash fire and fury and hell. It did.

Richard juddered as he saw the frigate cast a MAC round into the hull of the Battlecruiser. The shields absorbed the blow, but the cruiser visibly recoiled from the impact. "Fuck yeah, Marie you are incredible!" He cheered, drawing his rifle. Back in the game. Focus. Silently, he infiltrated the centre hull of the spire. Three demolition Grunts, wielding Fuel Rod guns, patrolled the otherwise empty halls. Empty but for the Elite Ultra overseeing the controls. This would be difficult.

A sudden cry from behind him prompted him to whip around, bashing his rifle over the skull of the startled, and now shuddering, Grunt. He gripped it like a vice by the throat and tossed it into the chasm. Its weapon was discarded at his feet, so he shouldered the impressive weight of the Fuel Rod cannon. He peeked the corner, and the pair of Grunts remaining hardly registered the threat before he vaporised them in a toxic green cloud. Their methane canisters clattered to the floor, hissing madly. Finally, the Ultra realised he was needed. He grasped his Concussion Rifle and blasted away at Richard. The Spartan dropped his Fuel Rod and drew his rifle again, opening fire at the charging Elite. Two blasts of the Concussion rifle exploded at his feet with a noise like shattering steel, and he was sent spiralling through the air, sliding across the platform. His rifle spun wildly in front of him, matching the racing of his head. He gripped his skull, steadying himself momentarily, and reached out for rifle. He never got it. The Ultra launched a kick so violent, it sent his helmet flying from his face. Shards of glass embedded themselves in his nose, blood spraying into the air. Richard howled in pain. Despite seeing red, literally, he noticed his Assault rifle be launched over his head, following the earlier Grunt over into the gorge.

The Elite relished its power, slowly activating the Energy dagger, and aiming another kick. This time, Richard predicted it and swiped the muscled leg away, sending the dazed Elite careening into the plasma floor. Richard reached out for something, anything, to use as a weapon. His hands brushed a sphere, and he grabbed it, bringing it down into the jaws of the Elite. As its mandible twisted from the repeated, powerful impacts, Richard recognised his helmet as the bludgeon. Growling in frustration, he stomped the Elite in the chin and slipped his bloody helmet over his head, peering through the cracked glass. Time for the tower to topple. He pulled the Ultra to the control panel, slamming his head into the console. "Turn it off!" He demanded. The Elite growled, and Richard repeated himself, making a motion similar to offing a switch. This time, the Elite slammed his fist into the console, beginning a wailing alarm. He'd called reinforcements! Richard smashed his own head into the Ultra's oversized helm, incapacitating him. He then snatched up a Fuel Rod gun and took aim at the console from outside, on the platform. With shaking hands, he realised the Pelican had landed on the spire, and was still running! He squeezed the trigger, demolishing much of the spire's centre hub, and he tossed the gun into the Pelican and glided away, riding much of the debris down.

Richard pulled away from the debris falling like hail and steadied his Pelican. He tried to inform them of his success over the radio but realised the second spire had to control the radio jammer. He decided the disappearance of the tower might tip off his success and returned to the rendezvous.

Richard arrived at the plateau, eagerly awaited by the rest of the squad. "Richard! You're alive" Marie ran to the Pelican, her voice catching in her throat.

"Marie!" Richard laughed at the woman, "Don't sound so disappointed." Sarah followed soon after, and she had hardly stepped inside the craft when took off again. "Sorry for the quick dust off, but if I stop too long I'm worried we might not take off again."

"So long as we can assist 2, we'll be ok. I want you to offer cover from the air while we push inside, understood?"

"Understood. Only, the spires have an EMP shield. I can only get so close." Richard warned.

"I see. Marie, ready up. It's going to be hot, we're proceeding on foot."

"Affirmative Commander." Marie called back from the cargo bay. Sarah turned back to the viewport and marvelled at the conflict unravelling below her.

With the frigate and fighters no longer being peppered with plasma shells, they were free to reign down payback. The silent screams of the Covenant being slaughtered with strategic bombings never reached them. Even if they hadn't been floating in the clouds, nothing could overpower the incredible force of the Longswords. The Pelican rocked in the turbulence, and Marie said a final goodbye to Richard. "When the shield comes down, I'll give you five minutes. Tell the Commander." He said, smiling at her between his broken visor. The crinkled glass looked like teeth. His smirk enveloped in biting jaws made Marie distantly uncomfortable, no matter how hard she hid it. "We'll be ready. Au revoir."

Richard couldn't afford to stop, so the pair of women dismounted the vehicle at a low altitude and low speed. The fuselage almost dragged along the dirt, and in the maelstrom of sand Sarah felt more lost than she ever had before. Stepping out into the chaos filled her with uncontrollable dread. Blindly falling to the land, smashing into the earth, steadying herself. All these flooded her steely resolve with impassable terror from which she'd never recover and-it stopped. The dust was gone. The foggy mask slipped away and she was fine. Angry, at herself for being so pathetic, but fine. "3, sitrep!" She called out blindly.

"Positive, Commander. I am fine, but we must push on. The Lieutenant Commander will need our help." Marie replied. Sarah doubted that very much, but said nothing.

In truth, Marie simply wanted Richard in the air as little as possible. Dragging around a death trap like that was paramount to suicide. It was professional concern. Nothing else. She refused to let it be anything else. Not now. The shield of the spire was drawing close, and the sight made Marie's hair bristle on end. Her reflection breathed anger. The stark armour was bleached blue in the shimmering wall. Sarah carried on through, unfazed, leaving Marie to follow.

The EMP blasted their shields away into dust. The blaring alarm and flickering HUD worried Sarah momentarily, but soon the shields fizzled back into existence. Checking to see Marie was following, she raised her DMR and felt herself tense up. Even in their tremendous hurry, she ducked behind a rock and waved Marie over. "Commander?"

"We're close. Something's wrong, I can feel it. We need to get up the spire and get to 2 ASAP." When Marie nodded, the pair rushed out from the rock and covered ground rapidly. Before they could react, the Spartans had engaged a patrol. Three Grunts waddled along, unprepared for the angry whizzing bullets hunting for them. Two were bowled over by the impact, and the third tried to run. Sarah levelled her gun but had no time to fire. A knife the size of her forearm arced past her head, embedding its cruel blade into the spine of the fleeing foe.

Sarah let out a low whistle and handed Marie her knife back. "Thanks."

"We should move on." Marie said, her determination bled out into Sarah. It was exhilarating. She nodded and carried on to the lowest plateau of the spire's base. It was a wide crater, probably a mile in diameter. The spire poked out from the ground, poking the clouds like a beanstalk. The thick stem had shoots of gravity, dragging the lowest Covenant to the height of the tip. Up there, high above them, bodies scattered and bullets flew out into the air. "He's keeping them busy" Sarah noted, observing the swooping Banshees. The agonising wail made her shiver. "Which are we choosing?"

Marie pointed at the tower and said "Gravity. It is far too risky to attempt to board the craft. We will also be able to thin the ground troops and attack the roof from behind."

"Good point. Pick targets, preferably Elites. I'm pushing the base. When I secure the approach you follow, understood?" Sarah said quickly. When Marie didn't respond, she waved her hand. "Hey, he'll be fine. We're Spartans, not children. I need in the now, Lieutenant."

"I apologise, Commander." Marie said sincerely, quietly angry at everyone. Sarah, for what she said. Even if she was right. Herself, for being so distracted. Richard, for putting himself at risk. It was infuriating, unfair. But later. It had to be later. Her scope raised to her eye and she lined up her opponent's skull with the crosshair.

Sarah felt the powerful round pass over hear head and embed itself in an Elite's. The gratuitous shower of stringy slime hit the second Elite with a sickening slap. Before it had even passed the alien's thinking, Sarah had collided with it at such speed he was thrown to the ground. Once, he twitched, then was still. Onwards, she pressed on. Her rifle smoked whenever she deigned to gift a foe with the joy of death, but mostly she ran. Left the killing to Marie. Hopefully she'd have time to focus and think and-an arm whipped her to the floor like a clothesline.

Sarah flew to the ground; the air flew from her lungs. Gasping, half blind and completely lost, she rolled aside and felt herself collide with the leg of her attacker. Her vision returned to colour, allowing her to just make out the pale white of an Elite Ultra. She'd have sworn if she had the breath. Instead, she satisfied her primal urge and lashed out a fierce kick.

If it had hit, the leg she had aimed at would have crumpled like paper. Rather, the Ultra jumped, landing squarely on her outstretched shin. The impact sounded like rocks hitting still water. This time Sarah couldn't help it. "Motherfucker!" She exclaimed. She threw a slew of fluid blows at her foe. He dashed back, lifting two plasma pistols. With terrible green energy flowing towards her faster than she could ever dodge, Sarah pushed on. Through the pain, through the plasma. She slapped the weapons out of his hands and grasped its throat. In her grip, she was a crocodile snatching a zebra. The Ultra let out a surprised grunt. Then she crushed his trachea and it was the final sound he ever made.

Sarah whirled around to attack the plodding footsteps approaching her, but held back her flurry when it became clear Marie was the cause. "Are you ok?" Marie asked.

"I'll be fine" Sarah said, noticeably short of breath. Without pause, she said "We need to move. We're exposed here." The pair looked at the ceaseless path of the gravity lifts and pushed forward.

Meanwhile, Aaron was fulfilling his purpose. He was perpetrating a massacre. His heavy arm swung a swift backhand blow and caved the chest of an Elite into a pulp. The crumpled corpse was flung into a pack of Grunts, scattering them like bowling pins. Looking around, Aaron noticed the lull in the as of seconds ago, endless onslaught. He took a second to breathe, collect a weapon, then he entered the outer corridor of the spire. It was wide and purple, like most Covenant structures. The bodies strewn across the floor were pooled in blood and piled up high. "Lieutenant Commander" Sarah said.

"Commander."

"You missed the main event" Derek joked, walking down from the control room. He looked at the death Aaron had caused. Damn he was good. "At least we'll see the main event." The trio walked into the control room and Sarah began deciphering the panel. "How will we deactivate the shield?" Marie asked.

"If my Sangheilli is correct…which, I am rusty" she admitted "It's this." She pressed the particular button and the shield melted away. It seemed to evaporate, steaming into the atmosphere. On cue, Richard swooped past in the Pelican. "Let's go, before the frigate catches on."

It did catch on, soon enough. Sunbreaker drew in a powerful breath, leaving the world to pause. Time seemed to slow, like walking through thick snow. The MAC was charging, and everyone knew it. Even the nearest cruiser, triumphant and resplendent, knew better than to assault the frigate. The burst of archer missiles tearing at its shield likely helped. When the rod was finally launched, everything sped up. The frigate bounced back, the cruiser shook, the armies below tumbled to their knees and most vitally, the spire sped towards entropy at a catastrophic rate, catalysed by a tungsten rod moving at supersonic speed.

Chapter 6: To the Sky

In the ensuing chaos and fiery shock, Richard was faintly aware of the radio. The radio! He swiftly answered the call. "UNSC frigate Sunbreaker to all UNSC troops, we are severely damaged and in need of immediate assistance. We will be forced to commit a tactical retreat if we do not receive assistance!"

"Patch me through." Sarah ordered, pacing the cockpit. When the signal flared, she immediately began to explain "Sunbreaker, this is Spartan B133. Phoenix team is available for assistance, over."

"Copy that, Spartan. Admiral Ball has called for a replacement Marathon –class cruiser to assist. Maintain your position and assist the ground forces until it arrives. Over." Sarah heard these orders and almost followed them. It was only when the great, sleeping beast roused that she disobeyed.

A CAS Assault Carrier had engaged its weapons, blasting a world-eating energy torrent onto the UNSC forces on the ground. Sarah had to look away. The thought of those soldiers, those people, being burned alive, the ash flaring into glass…It was too much to bear. "Negative Sunbreaker. Draw the fire of that carrier as long as you can. We'll deal with it."

"Commander, are you crazy?" Richard cried out. "We'll be torn apart before we get within a mile of that thing!"

"I agree Commander. We are massively underprepared for such an ordeal, especially in atmosphere." Presumably Admiral Ball. She sounded younger than Sarah expected.

"With all due respect, Admiral, our only chance is our troops. If we let the carrier glass our forces into oblivion, this entire assault will have been worthless. Taking out a carrier will break the backbone of the Covenant on the planet!" Sarah didn't let Ball reply. A nervous Derek said softly "If we land on the carrier, I can rig a bomb and blow it up from inside."

"Negative, Sergeant Major. There must be a better choice." Sarah replied. Derek shook his head and said "Commander you know I'm right. How else does a single damaged Pelican kill an assault carrier? I've seen one go down before, it took a nuke. We're maybe dynamite, like this. We have to get inside."

Sarah looked to the carrier, then back to Derek. With her choice made, she said to Richard "Get us in close. Where are the hangars?"

"It's suicide, Commander."

"I appreciate the concern, but I didn't ask for it. Where are the hangars?" Sarah said, menace crawling into her tone. Richard sighed and said "There's two main bays. I don't know what you plan to do, but the rear is above the engines and safer, but remote. The inner is right beside the energy projector. Right in the middle, but we'll die. Either in the Pelican or we'll meet a legion of Covenant."

"Warrant Officer, consider it a standing order to not mention us dying" Sarah snapped "Sergeant Major, can you kill it?"

"I…Shit, Commander, I don't know." Derek shrugged. Sarah scowled and said

"It's not good enough. I need an answer." Derek was quiet for a moment, then he said decidedly "Yeah. Get me inside, get them off me, I'll bring her down." Sarah smiled.

Radio contact was re-established with the frigate, allowing Sarah to explain. "We get inside and blow it up. You don't need to know how, but we'll do it. What we need is for you to draw the carrier away."

"Commander, you are endangering the lives of everyone on this ship."

"We're damned if we do and if we don't. Admiral, we need your help. Give us a distraction and a signal, then break off. Our cruiser can back us up when we're inside." Sarah begged. She felt the agony in Ball's voice when she said "I'll give it the greenlight. Commander, if this works-"

"We should get to work. Give us the signal when." Sarah said, bringing the conversation to an end. In the cargo hold, Sarah looked at her team. No one said anything. Did they have any private, subordinate thoughts? Probably. Definitely. They just trusted her. She hoped. "I'm trusting you all today, Phoenix. Do your jobs and we'll make it through."

"What are our jobs, Commander?" asked Marie. Sarah started to explain, being brief for the sake of her own vigour. If she hesitated now, she'd lose all moment. And so would they.

Admiral Ball wasn't confident. The lives of everyone on the ship were in her hands, but the Spartan was right. What else was there to do? The first battlecruiser was heavily damaged, courtesy of their efforts. They could maybe destroy it, but not with an assault carrier breathing down their necks. Two battlecruisers and an assault carrier. She didn't like those odds. "Bring us away from the cruiser." The crew looked in confusion and she repeated herself. "Admiral…If we break off now, the shields might recharge."

"I'm aware of this. Transfer manual control to my neural lace." Her face began to feel numb, her eyes stung and a visual network of the ship's systems appeared before her. The ship was her, and she was it.

The first battlecruiser remained still at first, suspecting a trap. The frigate had them defeated and yet it ran? Surely it was a trick…The shipmaster decided otherwise, and began the pursuit. The humans were fools! They were attacking the carrier? The shipmaster held back a biting laugh, engaging the thrusters in full strength. "Engage full power to the thrusters. Prepare two torpedoes. These filthy vermin will be burned!"

Ball smiled, relishing in the chase. It wasn't cat and mouse, it was a cheetah hunting a lamb. The assault carrier also seemed stunned, as it didn't fire. Perhaps they expected the frigate to collide with them? It was entirely possible they would. She was willing to risk it. "Admiral, I've detected two plasma torpedoes on our tail, should we break off?"

"Negative, draw them in closer." She replied, her mind elsewhere.

"Affirmative, Admiral." He said cautiously, unsure of her sanity. Plasma torpedoes were bad news. They would tear Covenant cruisers apart, and for a frigate to be hit by two? It bode better to purge the thought.

Screaming sadistically, the torpedoes sailed through the low atmosphere, snatching away the wind between them and their target. They were hungry. Trailing unstable plasma, they were biting Sunbreaker's heels when it was mere metres from the carrier. They practically brushed the hull, until the frigate shockingly dived below the carrier, the upper deck shattering on impact. The daring frigate trailed smoke, ash and debris, but it was functional. Less could be said of the battlecruiser. Unaware of their proximity, the damaged cruiser had smashed into the hull of the assault carrier, exploding into a fiery mess of flaming purple chunks of armour plating. The comically oversized lumps of ruinous plating sank to the earth like hail, launching up piles of freshly burned glass.

"That was the signal!" Richard cried, slamming the Pelican to full speed. The occupants were flung from their seats, cringing as their flesh pulled and stretched in the absurd speed. "Slow down! You'll get us all killed!" Derek exclaimed painfully, between strained breaths. "If I slow down, those cannons will rip us apart"

"And now the hull will!"

"I don't want to play chicken with their shields, now hang on!" The engines wailed from the sheer force of speed expelled from their feeble jets. The Spartans wailed in fear and excitement, and above it all, adrenaline raced through their veins, threatening to burst.

Pain. Raging pain. Bashed against the wall, the floor, the roof. Which was which? How could they tell? Flames licked at their feet and sparks rained down their faces. A dull groan worried her, but what did it matter? She was dead anyway. She had to be. Life couldn't hurt this much. Darkness and pain. Then light, a peering light fingered across her face. The rubble pinning her to the floor was shrieking, moving! Something was shifting, someone. Richard! "Richard!" She cried deliriously. He pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, they don't know we're here." He muttered, shifting his weight. His knees were close to buckling. Marie dragged herself free, lowering the ruined wing back down carefully. God, she had to focus now. He had saved her, him! No, focus. "What…what is the plan?"

"Try and find everyone before we get caught in a bad situation." He said, ignoring the obvious fact: their situation couldn't be much worse.

Aaron had successfully extricated himself, immediately getting to work clearing the hangar. With extreme prejudice. Aaron shouted into the din, receiving no reply. That was, until a flash of green plasma exploded from a Grunt's pistol. Aaron took the brunt of the attack, gasping in pain. He lashed out with a left hook. The impact hit the Grunt like a small train, catapulting the tiny creature into the air, a streak of milky blue blood arcing from its severed neck. More began to fire, flooding the room from the upper balconies and the multitudes of doors. Cocking his shotgun, Aaron got to work.

Meanwhile, Marie had been trawling through the wreckage for any site of Sarah. She struck gold when she found the cockpit of the craft, but her heart sank as she saw the gaping hole in the glass and no sign of the Commander. Her already racing heart almost burst from her chest when she heard the thump of what remained of the Grunt Aaron had obliterated. As if on cue, a cough came from the ship. Wheeling around, Marie saw Richard's head peeking from the glowing hole in the side of the Pelican. "Marie? Any sign of the Commander?"

"Negative, have you received any luck?" She asked. Shaking his head, he disentangled himself from the cables that he had become caught in, putting his helmet back on. "I'm opening a live video feed to the squad, bear with me" As he said this, he began the transmission. 4 small windows appeared on his HUD, each showing the other Spartan's face and view. "Phoenix 4 to Phoenix team, what is everyone's situation, over?" Richard began

"Phoenix 3, operational." Marie said grimly.

"2, operational. Hangar's flooding with targets." Aaron growled, the crack of his shotgun echoing through the hangar and the transmission. "Phoenix 5, I'm pinned under something. Need some help." Richard nodded to Marie, clambering onto the outstretched wing of the downed Pelican, racing along the now rocking form. He reached the centre of the hull, jumping and rolling the ship. It tumbled down as Richard slid down the wing, firing all the way. As he reached the floor, he rolled to absorb the impact, crashing heavily into an Elite, moments away from piercing Aaron from behind. The Pelican smashed into the remaining forces, a deafening racket pervading throughout the cavernous hangar. Standing back up, Richard was helped by Aaron. "You good?"

"Yes, now let's move."

Marie had freed Derek, and lead him to the others. They quickly scouted the area, with no sign of Sarah. Her helmet camera was only giving static. "Ok, what do we do?" Richard asked nervously. "There's no time to search for her. 5, do you have what you need to destroy this ship?" Aaron grimly replied. Marie stared at him, gasping in shock "The Commander is alive, we need her."

"I agree with Marie here." Richard said.

"We have a job to do. If we find the Commander, good. If not and we waste time, Covenant reinforcements will flood the hangar and kill us all." Aaron said, seeing the others move to argue. "3 and 4, you remain here, secure the perimeter and an escape vehicle. 5, with me". The remaining two Spartans stared at him as he stormed away, picking up a fallen turret from the back of the Pelican. They looked at one another, shrugged and started looking.

Soon enough they had acquired a functional Phantom. "Can you drive this?" Marie asked. "I'll have to try. The Pelican doesn't even exist anymore." Satisfied, Marie started digging in the rubble for Sarah. After ten minutes, she gave up, sitting back down in the Phantom. Richard had become familiar enough with the craft, able to move and fire the main cannon proficiently enough. "I don't like this." He said suddenly. Marie looked at him

"What's wrong?"

"We're in the hangar of an Assault Carrier and you'd think it was abandoned. Something's wrong."

"Perhaps the Lieutenant Commander has managed to draw their attention?"

"That's too much even for him. No, something else is wrong." He paused, looking out of the troop bay window.

A rush of needles and plasma fire riddled the space where his head had rested less than a second ago. "Fucker! Marie, get on the gun!" He ran back to the cockpit and decoupled the Phantom, firing wildly into the squad of Elites. The torrent of fire gouged thick holes in the floor. Hot, molten metal ran along them in sticky puddles, searing to an Elite's leg. With its flesh welded to the floor, it was a sitting, screaming duck for Marie to pick off. Eventually, even after much effort, the craft started to sink lower, shaking from the continued fire. Richard felt it careen into the hangar wall, knocking aside a support pillar. The Phantom was trapped beneath it and rapidly flying for the floor. He hobbled into the troop bay and pushed himself and Marie out, landing agonisingly next to the door Aaron had left through. He pulled her through the threshold, firing a burst into the lock. The door slammed shut just as a pack of ravenous Elites bared down to execute them.

The hallways were littered with the remains of the Covenant Aaron had slaughtered. Blood stained every wall, puddling on the floor. Some dripped from the roof, splattering off their armour. Ankle deep in the filth, the Spartans found no door Aaron hadn't prised open to get at the Covenant inside. He truly was vicious in his attack. They eventually found him, the discarded turret in a mass of shell casings, bullet holes torn into the door before him. Aaron pummelled the metal, barely denting the smooth purple surface. Finally, he roared in frustration, picking up the turret and launching it at the door. An ear-splitting crash was heard, the turret shattered…but the door was intact. Aaron burned in fury silently.

"Lieutenant Commander?" Marie asked cautiously. As the words left her lips, Aaron stood up straight, his fists trembling. "Any ideas?" he whispered. Richard reflexively stepped in front of Marie, careful to do it without arousing suspicion. "5?" Richard said hopefully.

By the time Richard and Marie had explained their presence and prised the information out of Derek, tensions were high. "What do you mean we can't break it?" Aaron said in disbelief.

"We've got no bombs. At all. That's specially made, not standard issue. I've never seen a door like that before in my life" Derek remarked.

"Then we work our way around it. We've made it this far, so we can double back and figure a new way in." Richard said, trying to alleviate the tension. It didn't work.

"Well in case you didn't notice, we're locked out?" Derek mentioned.

"We can't go back either, because you lost our way out to a pack of Elites." Aaron added.

The Commander is still missing" Marie finished. Richard sat down outside the door, sighing as the discussion flared up once again.

Chapter 7: Desperate Times

At last, just as they thought their chance was lost, the door opened. The four Spartans darted inside, knocking over the Grunt sent to search what was thought to be empty corridor. In the moment of calm, they took in the sight. All around, the crew was heavily armed. Masses of high ranking Covenant lined the consoles. An upper section appeared to be a control centre, with two Brute guards flanking the base of the stairs. The entire bridge reacted in an instant, raising their weapons to fire.

The Spartans braced for the combat when Sarah was thrown from the upraised command section into view. She was beaten, bloody and missing her helmet. Barely conscious, she tried to crawl away when an Elite Shipmaster grasped her by the skull, raising her onto her knees. He bared her neck, igniting his energy dagger. The room went silent. Aaron bubbled with barely contained rage, only held back by a short word from Derek. Marie was looking at their odds. She didn't like them. Richard however, at the centre of the pack strode towards the Elite. He was preparing to kill Marie, when he barked something in a foreign tongue. "S-stop" Sarah said feebly.

"Commander?" Richard stopped dead in his tracks.

"Do as it says." She continued, coughing some blood. The Elite barked another order. "It said, drop your weapons and you'll be taken prisoner, or you die"

"Tell him to politely stick it somewhere unpleasant" Derek shouted.

"I'll not do that." Sarah murmured, her eyes closing.

"Stay with us, Commander" Marie said desperately. As she said it, Sarah's eyes snapped open, focusing on the task. The Elite began to ramble incessantly as Richard held his ground, his finger tight on the trigger. Marie had the scope of her rifle directly on the Elite's head. "He says, you need to put down your guns, or he will kill us all." Sarah finished her sentence, breathing out heavily.

Without a word, Aaron marched along, before the Covenant could react and destroyed the Elite's skull with his Shotgun. Bang, one round, and it was gone. Purple steam coating his armour. He grasped Sarah firmly by her chest, stepping in front to shield her from harm. The other Spartans continued the sudden attack, Marie moving back into cover and picked off a short succession of soldiers, whilst Richard took on the role of protecting Sarah. He passed her a small Magnum, firing still. Aaron restarted his earlier attack, pushing deeper into the huddle of Covenant. Four heavy blasts tore through the foes, the hollow casings landing lightly, the corpses crashing into the floor. The click of the weapon was of no concern to Aaron, who deftly launched it through a far-off Jackal, pinning it to a wall. He dropped to one knee, scavenging a plasma rifle. The hail of plasma churned through the stomach of the first Brute to challenge him. The ruby red haze of blood made it difficult to see. The other Brute was enraged at the attack, throwing his Spiker aside; it jumped at Aaron and impacted into the equivalent of a brick wall. The beast was only infuriated by the challenge. It pounded its chest in rage. Aaron stood his ground, sadistically drawing his blade.

The Spartan was fast for his size, first plunging the serrated blade into the chest of the Brute. Elegantly, he sliced a gaping gash into its chest, coating the matted fur in blood. The Brute swung wildly. The wind milling arms almost hit him, but Aaron ducked beneath its blow, knife outstretched, leaving two parallel cuts across the Brutes chest. The Spartan pulled the knife out, making a grating sound against the collar bone. Finally, he plunged it into the Brute's skull, piercing the bone and mashing the primate's brain into a thick, soupy mush.

The Brute fell backwards slowly, almost comically, its arms splayed out, making a perfect T-shape. The brain of the beast poured out from the intrusion in its forehead, mixing with the red blood. Aaron stood over his kill, panting from exhaustion. He looked around at the chaos they had caused.

Richard ran up to the main console. A dead Elite with a perfect circular hole in its skull was sprawled over the waist high console. Richard removed him uncaringly, shouting over Sarah, who was draped on Marie's back. "What does any of this say?" Richard asked softly, taking in the translation from Sarah. "What's the plan, Derek?" Richard asked.

"Order for all fusion cores to be delivered to the main hangar bay. Fuel cells, explosives, ordnance, everything." Derek said, watching the doors suspiciously.

"Hurry." Marie suggested, flinching at the sound of the inbound Covenant outside the door. "We're going to have company!" Derek warned.

Aaron drew his Shotgun, which he had retrieved from the corpse of the Jackal. He took mines from Derek and planted them near the door, taking up a position near the support column closest to the door. Marie clambered atop the upper railing, higher than even the console. "Commander, watch out for you and Richard." Marie then snapped her attention back to the door, seeing the smoking hole emerging in the centre. "Fuck me, you can open it." Derek muttered.

The doors flung open, tearing through the air, narrowly missing Aaron's head. The combat began once more, shots flying throughout the room. Richard typed furiously, sending whatever he thought might be useful to the hangar. He had no idea what Derek intended to do, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared. A final core was set to be transferred and he slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle. "Time to go, Commander." He said, slinging her arm over his shoulder to support her barely conscious body.

Aaron's mines had managed to destroy the first force pushing forward, the missing limbs and burned skin littering the approach to the doorway. "We need to move, now." Richard said, firing into the hallway. "Want to go first?" asked Derek. He tossed a grenade into the hall, waiting until it exploded to dash out and finish off the foes. Richard whistled, impressed. "If you insist."

The hallway itself was mostly unchanged. Minus the blackened entrance, it was empty, until the final door. "Can you break that open?" Marie asked Derek, who cracked his knuckles. "I'll get it down." He slung his backpack to the floor, reaching deep. He withdrew what looked like a control panel, stuffing the wires into the smoking hole Richard had made earlier. "I can't believe this; the circuits still work! Covenant sure know how to make it."

"Admire the workmanship later, get the door open now." Richard said impatiently. "What's the plan anyway?"

"We get in there, fire at the coils and get out. Hopefully, the chain reaction will do enough damage to split the ship in half. So long as the shields stay up and contain the explosion."

"How do we get out, if the shields are up?" Marie asked.

"Leave that to me." He said, winking at her, forgetting his visor blocked any view of his face. When he looked back, the door slid open and they were back in the hangar.

Derek looked around and recognised very little. The huge pile of fusion coils, plasma cores and explosives probably didn't help. Neither did the legion of Covenant. "Fuck." He said quietly. "I told you we needed to hurry." Aaron said irritably "4, same as before. Get us a ride. 3, guard the Commander. 5, you're with me. Are we shooting it, or a timer?"

"I was gonna time it, but now? I don't know." Derek said. He sounded afraid. Aaron screamed internally in frustration. "Fine, scratch that. We get a Phantom and fire at them as we leave."

"Negative, Lieutenant Commander. That'll kill us all. I'll fit a timer."

"5, n-no!" Sarah stuttered, reaching out an arm weakly. Marie hushed her, laying her down. With her sniper back in hand, Marie said to Richard "Follow 2 and get us a ship. Now!" snapping him back into the moment. For once, she had been the one focused. "Roger, Lieutenant." He saluted, circling the hangar for a ship, trailing Aaron's hulking form.

Derek, meanwhile, had managed to approach the stack undetected, the timing device gripped in his trembling hand. Breathe, he thought. You got this. With his now steadier hands, he placed the tablet gently on the coil. Without a sound, he tapped away at the screen.

Soon enough, a Phantom had been acquired. Near where the first had been deployed, Richard hadn't realised his orders had resulted in a new escape route being formed. Pristine, was how he would describe it. Fresh off of the line. Literally. "I'll fix this up, fetch the others." Richard said, fiddling with the controls. They didn't have much time.

Outside, the Marathon-class had arrived in the fight. It immediately made its presence known. Even when outnumbered, even in the face of the massive assault carrier, the cruiser attacked. Its primary target was the second battlecruiser, as even 'daring' was not 'suicide'. "Admiral Ball, this is Captain Hayes. We require a sitrep, over."

"Captain, we require you to engage the carrier. I cannot assist, but Spartan Phoenix team has boarded the craft and plans to destroy it from the inside, over."

"Say again, Admiral. It sounded like you said 'boarded', over."

"I did. Hit the battlecruiser and drive it off, then get the shields down on that carrier. Out." The Captain was speechless, and only the crew responded to the Admiral's orders.

The hangar itself was close to chaos. The air was thick, tense. The majority of Phoenix had boarded the Phantom, with only Derek still on the ground. He had put his helmet aside to focus on his task. The cries of anguish in his radio fell on deaf ears. Immersed in his task, his mind was not detecting anything going on.

The team however, saw everything. From his abandoned helmet's camera, they were furiously debating helping him. "He'll make it."

"No way, we need to help him!" Richard snapped.

"4, if you leave this ship we all die." Aaron ordered him to stay put. Marie was similarly immersed as Derek was, but she was not silent. Not close. "Derek, look behind you! Wake up you fool!" The camera showed shimmering air, moving closer. Close and fast, waving crazily. It was silent, the muffled audio detecting only a strange activation sound and a pained noise. Then Derek hit the deck, his chest bloody.

"Derek! No, no! We have to help him!" He heard. It was quiet, fading rapidly to silence. He heard their cries now, too late. "No, we can't help him" He heard Aaron say. His hand strayed to his chest, feeling it come away scarlet. Odd, it didn't hurt. Not enough. He blinked like an owl, his hand brushing the helmet. It rolled away, rattling on the deck. Mustering his feeble strength, he pulled himself closer, grabbing it tightly. "Co-commander…" He drifted off. Flashes of light filled his mind and he snapped awake. Was he dreaming? Or was it that he was dying? "Get out of here." He said numbly, his lips fumbling on the words. He heard more arguments, maybe even a thrown punch. But sure enough, the Phantom took off, leaving the hangar, fleeing a trail of plasma. Derek smiled, drawing his pistol. The lone Elite that had brought about his demise was working away at the timer, unaware of his presence. "Pay-payback." He whispered, bringing the trigger down. The round sailed into the core, and then his world went black.

"Captain, I'm detecting a massive energy spike from the carrier!" A crewman warned, drawing Hayes' attention. "A what?" All cannons, get that shield down! MAC gun, fire!" He ordered. His knuckles went white and his hands felt numb on the rail he held in a vice-like grip. The shield cracked as tungsten rounds smashed away at the surface. "Any sign of escape?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Negative, Captain. Nothing. Unless…I've got a signal! Visual contact, Phantom!"

"Amplify! I want all eyes on." He exclaimed, slamming his hand down onto the rail. Sure enough, a single Phantom, packed with IFF transponders was heading straight for them. "Guide them in, they're heroes." The Carrier bubbled, plasma leaking from the core. Even as the burning, smoking destruction raced along the hull, the energy projector still fired. Until the emitter imploded with the force of a small star, it was raining hell on their ground forces. By the time Phoenix were aboard, the ship was in pieces, sinking to the earth. The final spire was split in two by the rear engine, and the final battlecruiser fled.

Chapter 8: Unforeseen Consequences

The Phantom flew into the hangar like an owl. Ugly as sin, but it did the job. "Set her down." Sarah said sullenly. Aaron was at the controls, stubbornly refusing help. Richard was slumped against the wall, unconscious. He'd have a mark when he woke up. "Oh, god; that smarts" He groaned, stroking his bruised jaw.

"Next time follow orders" Sarah said, while Aaron stroked his fist. Richard ignored the threat and walked to the controls. "Here, let me" He stretched out his hands. Aaron pushed him away, and he said impatiently "It doesn't have landing gear. Turn off the thrust and let it hover." Aaron fought the controls some more, then gave in and let Richard have his way.

They entered the cargo bay and Marie rushed to Richard. "You're awake!" She said brightly. Too brightly. "We can talk later, now isn't the time." He said, ignoring the absent jeers from Derek. God, Derek. Who knew you could miss an annoyance? A marine ran to them, waving his arms wildly. "The Captain wants to see you. It's urgent!"

"What's going on?" Sarah asked. Deep inside, she felt a deep hate. Something else, now. After everything, she still had no rest. "I can't say, you need to see yourself." He said. Sarah cursed him silently for his melodrama. Just tell me you fool, I haven't the time. She ignored her desire and did as she was bid, followed by Phoenix Team. But not all of them. Not all.

"Holy fucking shit" Richard cried out when he glanced out of the viewport.

"Warrant Officer! Contain yourself!" Sarah snapped angrily. Richard held his mouth shut, fuming silently. The Captain sank back into his chair, defeated. Sarah tried to stop herself flinching as it fired. A CSO-class Supercarrier. A mobile invasion force, air superiority and genocide machine packed into a single neat ship. "How did this happen?" Hayes asked wearily, clutching his head in his hands. "I don't know Captain, but it is imperative we flee. Now." Sarah was stood rigid, arms behind her back.

"What's the point?"

"Everything. Those are our men down there!" Richard added. Sarah hissed at him, and he sank back. "He is right, Captain. The lives of everyone on the planet is at stake." Hayes stirred a little, looking out the viewport at the colossal carrier. The flash of blood red energy scorching the crust of the planet made him rise to his feet.

Hayes swept around to face them. "Commander, evacuate and inform FLEETCOM of our difficulty."

"Captain? Should we not merely send a signal?"

"No, we can't. We took damage in the blast, comms are down. Get out of here, get us help." He ordered, looking back to the carrier. His heart was racing, his mouth dry. A crewman walked to him, a notepad in hand. Quickly, Hayes scribbled a note and passed it to Aaron. "Lieutenant Commander. See this to Admiral Ball." Aaron took the crumpled paper and nodded. Hayes then looked at what was left of Phoenix and felt himself roused with purpose. "Phoenix Team, I am ordering you to inform command of our situation. Send help and save the lives of everyone on this planet. I'll hold the carrier long enough for us to ready a force, and for the ground teams to exfiltrate."

"Captain, I disagree with this decision. We are Spartans, we belong here, on the front lines. Not on er-"

"Commander you will follow my orders and act as I see fit. Now go, I gave you an order." Silently, they left the bridge one by one. Sarah glowered at Hayes, then turned and walked away. Hayes sighed and continued his command.

Richard remained silent, even in the Phantom when he took control. It was Marie who broke the silence. "Commander, surely we are not seeing this through?". It took Sarah a moment to reply. "We are, Lieutenant. Captain Hayes gave an order, and we will follow it." Even if we disagree. Marie took a deep breath. "Permission to speak freely, Commander?"

"Denied." Sarah shot her down. The last thing she needed was more doubt than she was experiencing. What else could she do? What else could they do? Even Spartans couldn't hurt a CSO. And the last plan they disobeyed got Derek killed. Poor Derek. He did his duty.

Once more, Phoenix Team rode over the land. A sombre mood dominated the Phantom. Richard was still quiet. A pleasant change for Sarah. A worry to Marie. Something had gone wrong, and Richard was hurt. "Should we not speak about it?" Marie asked. She didn't say what. She didn't have to. "There is nothing to say. He did his duty and saved lives. We should all be so lucky." Sarah lectured. She was in no mood to talk. Marie evidently was. "Did he? Commander, the Supercarrier is decimating our forces as we speak. Forces we believed saved by Derek."

"Key word: believed. Times change, and we must too. He did his duty." Sarah repeated. To herself, most of all. "I understand that Commander, but could we not have helped?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps he would still be alive. Perhaps we would have joined him. It is irrelevant and we need to focus on the task at hand. 4, how close are we to base?"

"Ten minutes, Commander." Richard kept his eyes locked on the controls. "Lieutenant Commander, why did he choose you?"

"He wanted it delivered." Aaron shrugged. "Saw I'd kill anyone that got in my way". It was an apt suggestion. "Knew I'd follow orders." Marie glared at him for the final statement, barely hiding her offence. The Phantom was silent as they came to ground.

Muddy footprints led away from the gravity lift. Twenty metres from the doorway, they stopped. In the darkness, in the pouring rain, Phoenix stood in the open. Marie noticed first, Aaron acknowledging it. "Sound off. Something isn't right..." Nothing around was busy. No life or activity. Hostile or otherwise. It felt wrong. "4, search the area. 3, cover 2. I'll secure a perimeter." As she finished his sentence, the flash of lightning split the night, illuminating a horde of Covenant soldiers ahead. "Contacts!" Richard cried, terrified of the thought.

As if on cue, both sides of the conflict began to fire. Aaron was slammed with a torrent of fire, cracking his shield and burning the plates. He lived only through sheer force of will. A sickly pink needle tore into Sarah. Somewhere in her thigh, it felt like. A sharp pain. Hot, precise. She nearly collapsed running, and Marie dragged her, bleeding, behind a cracked, splintered boulder by Richard, who picked up his Assault Rifle. "Commander, ideas?" he asked, ducking lower as a hail of green plasma splashed from the granite. Between waves of pain, Sarah sputtered "Get out. Get word out." She tried to look at the scuffle she heard behind her, but her vision faded before she could. When she could see again, an Elite had drawn his energy dagger to cut down Richard. Appearing from the mist, Aaron swept the monster's legs from beneath it, plunging his Kukri into its heart, leaving it beating no more.

Marie started to fire. The flash of yellow gave her a window with which to choose a target. Aaron propelled himself into the enemy lines, firing his shotgun wildly. Many of the brutally slaughtered masses of the Covenant had no time to react before he was upon them. Removing their limbs with his bare hands, it wasn't long until the remaining aliens were fleeing to the hills. Only a wicked General remained, standing his ground. His sword was drawn, illuminating his imposing form. Aaron was a few feet away, breathing like an enraged bull. He roared, diving at the Elite. He tried to get a hold of its arm, but the blood on his hands made it slick and he lost his grip. A slash from the sword hit his back, but he shrugged it off, wheeling around and hitting the Elite with a heavy backhand. The duel was interrupted by the arrival of a Phantom, which instead of dropping off more forces lathered the Spartans in heavy plasma and pulled the General away.

The sudden assault left the Spartans a confused and filled with dread. No-one would say it, but Haven was in serious trouble. "We can't let them get away" Richard pulled himself out of the gluey grey mud. Aaron watched as he let loose a burst of rifle fire, then slid into the filth. The Phantom fired one short blast from a Focus Rifle. The scorching beam hit Sarah's crippled from, one final scream leaving her body as she lay in the bloody swamp.

Aaron panted heavily, barely conscious after the combat. Sarah cried out loud, leaning back onto the rock she hid behind, unable to muster the will to move. "Commander" Aaron's gravelly voice permeated through the soft patter of the rain, catching Sarah's attention. "We can't stay here." Sarah was exhausted and bleeding. "We have to leave." The Spartans nodded, Aaron saying to Richard "Find a ride. I'll search the base. Or what's left of it."

He was back within a quarter of an hour. Marie looked at him hopefully, but he shook his head. "Bloodstains, shell casings and bodies." Marie glared at the floor sadly. She had hoped, and it had been torn away. It tasted bitter. Sarah wasn't improving. "Lieutenant Commander…We have to leave. There's nothing here." Richard jutted a thumb to the Phantom. Aaron picked up Sarah gently, carrying her carefully into the Phantom. He hoped it wouldn't be her casket.

Chapter 9: Up the Creek

The team had broadcast a frequency and found the base. Most of what the UNSC had left in the planet was packed into the small, secret base at the head of the creek. An hour later, Phoenix were landing. The Forward Operating Base was a simple row of Barracks with a small radar dish, vehicle depot and armoury. Their feet had barely touched the ground before the soldiers were leaving the tents, all to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Spartans. A sorry sight they were. Covered in ash, blood and broken armour. Even in their lowest moment, even smeared in shit and blood, they still garnered cheers. Hope to the hopeless. The super soldiers, giving life to those in desperate need of good news. "Spartans! Private Perez, A Company! The CO's his way! Banks and I'll take you to them!"

Following them to the main building, Sarah sat heavily, keeping as much weight off of her leg as she could. The Admiral of the Sunbreaker, Jean Ball greeted them with tired eyes. "Spartans. I am in need of some good news. What happened when we left?" Aaron began to speak but Sarah raised her hand for him to stop. "Let me do the talking. Admiral, you need to get to the battle and support the cruiser as soon as you can. We were sent away by Captain Hayes to warn you that the Covenant were cloaking a Supercarrier." Hissing at the pain, she looked at the Sergeant. "Our plan succeeded. We took down the first carrier." She added "Not without losses"

"I understand. Commander, as unlikely as it anyone has survived after this long, I can spare a single frigate. If what you said is true, we'd be searching a massacre." Aaron handed Ball the note, and she scanned it quickly. Pocketing the bloodstained sheet, she got to her feet, leaving them in the small room.

"That went shit." Richard said. Everyone agreed, but Sarah still looked at him. He pretended to zip his mouth shut. "Thank you. You are correct, it could have turned out more admirably. Even so…" she drifted off, leaving Marie to finish her sentence.

"The Admiral clearly recognised something in the note. I imagine our work here is not yet complete." They all looked to Sarah when she sucked in a breath, feeling her bleeding leg. They'd forgotten, she was wounded! Aaron picked her up again, careful not to disturb her aggravated thigh. "I'll take her to the medbay. You two, get yourselves sorted and turn in." he left before they could reply. Both looked at the other, shrugged and walked to have their armour prised from their body.

Sarah was faintly aware of being laid to rest in a gurney, wheeled away to a surgeon and jabbed with a needle. It all felt familiar. And not in a good way. Her mind melted into nothing as she wondered where it came from.

Images, thoughts and sounds all passed over her like a wave. She remembered her brothers, arguing over…something. She had set them straight, and received applause from her father. She remembered his lectures. "Family and duty". Had she listened? Had she done what would make him proud? How could she not? What was a greater duty than risking her life for people she had never met? And Phoenix…were they not her family now? She had grown up with them. Fought with them. She'd seen them shot, bleed, some even died. Derek. Oh, Derek. Dead and gone. Gone and dead. Past that, he was nothing…a stain on a wall blasted to dust and blown away in the wind; landed buried in the dirt. If she'd only listened to Richard. Only stayed. The thought evaporated, replaced by another. Then another. They all folded and turned to wool. Knitted. Her mother. She hadn't knitted. Had she? No, too busy for that. Sarah hadn't knitted. Ballet. Ballet was her calling; her mother had said. It had to be, the family always had a ballet dancer. So, it fell to Sarah. She hadn't asked, but she did it. It was her duty. Funny how that turned out…

Marie and Richard were alone. In a small room, bunk bed. They were laid beside one another, holding in heavy sobs. Richard was stunned. Derek had been so happy, all the time. It seemed impossible he might be gone. He shouldn't be gone. If Aaron hadn't stopped him, maybe Derek might be alive now, to tease them.

Marie was torn. Derek should have been saved. Saving him would have killed them. They could have tried. It was too risky. It was worth the risk. What was the truth? Would she ever know? Would she ever find peace? Had he? Deep down, she hoped he had. God knew he deserved it.

Richard looked at her. "What are we going to do?"

"Be more specific"

"Us. What are we going to do about us?" He needed to know. It couldn't go on.

"I don't know. I know how I feel. I believe you feel the same."

"I want to say it. I want to say 'I love you'. I can't" He felt her pull away "It's not that I don't feel it. I do. Fuck me, I do. I just can't say it. Saying it makes it true. If it's true, then I admit it and then I'll die every time you're in danger."

"I already do. Richard, saying it doesn't make it so. For the first time in my life, I feel something for someone. Don't take this from me."

"Marie, I…I do love you. And that's what I'm afraid of. Look at us. After Derek. Imagine what either of us would be like if it had been me, or you? Sarah is right, it's dangerous." He felt like crying. Even more than before. "You are right, of course. Always right." A single salty tear rolled down her cheek, catching on the wicked scar across her cheekbone. He brushed it aside, smiling at her. With a sad smile, she buried her head in his chest.

A hand brushed her own. Heavy. Big and heavy. She hardly felt it. Not that it was a small hand, it was huge. Her body was just numbed. It all felt fuzzy. Wrapped in cotton wool. Probably how it felt to be drunk. Could she get drunk? Probably, it just would take a lot of drink to- "Commander." Aaron. Of course.

"2." She almost said 'Good to see you' but thought it best to save that until she could see. Instead she said "Nice to hear a familiar voice."

"You're lucky to be alive." He was so fucking blunt.

"I'm aware" She said glibly "What exactly happened?" He shifted to be comfortable, then said "The needle went into your body and shattered. Almost hit the femoral artery. Needle shattered, sending shards around your body. The wound got filthy too, started to become infected. Between the bacteria and blamite in your bloodstream, a few more hours without attention and you'd be dead."

The room was silent for a minute. He let Sarah run the knowledge through her head a few times. "Almost died, and blamite in the blood? Explains my dream." When he didn't laugh, she added sincerely "Thank you, Aaron. For everything."

"Just doing my job, Commander." He sat there quietly for a few more minutes. "You mentioned a dream?"

"I never thought I'd see the day you asked about something other than murder." She said bitterly. He set down the glass he had rolled in his giant hands and said "You know me by now, Commander. I can't have you dead or shellshocked."

"I know. It's a good thing I'm tough then, isn't it? You'd get them all killed otherwise."

"You're probably right." He had a sick retort, but held it in. 'You didn't do so badly on Derek'. "So, this dream. Do I need to know?"

"Probably not" She said quickly. Then "Unless you want to?"

"I might as well."

Sarah shifted her weight and began "Well it drifted. Mainly between Derek and everything pre-program." Aaron's brow ruffled and he wondered how this would go. Pre-program? This had to be interesting. "I remembered a lecture by my dad. About how 'Family and Duty' were the most important things in life. Then, Derek. Just…him. Then, ballet. That was my duty. Take what you will from that."

"I see the link." He paused a minute, curious. "How do you feel about 5?"

"Don't hear the others calling him that. He was a person, remember. Not just a soldier."

"I'm glad, because he wasn't the best soldier." Aaron carried on, seeing Sarah's outrage. "If he was, he'd be here now. I told him it would get him killed."

"And what would you have had him do? Crawl away to us? He did save us."

"Did he really? That CSO is still there. Commander, you know as well as I do he was worth more than that Carrier."

It was quiet, after that. Very quiet. Sarah sank back, defeated. He had her there, Derek had gotten himself killed. But he had saved them all. Yet, she couldn't help but doubt his belief it was the only way. No, she couldn't afford anymore losses. It was by the book from now on. Aaron, clearly aware she was in no mood to talk, began to leave. "Rest up, the Admiral will probably want you later."

Marie rolled out of bed at the break of dawn. Richard snored into the pillow and she smiled. He deserved rest. They hadn't had a rest in years. She left their bunk room and met Aaron. Still dressed head to foot in MJOLNIR. "Lieutenant"

"Lieutenant Commander. Are you going somewhere?" she asked. He looked down at his armour and shook his head. "Negative. Safety precautions. You should wake up 4, the pair of you are wanted."

"Do we know any details?"

"Its classified." He said quickly.

"Understood. How is the Commander?" She had forgotten about Sarah, and her condition. Aaron started walking away and said "She's stable. Not operational, but conscious. You should see her. Both of you." His footsteps clattered down the hall, becoming softer and softer as he vanished from her sight.

Richard blinked, his head inside his helmet once again. He shouldn't have taken it off. The planet under attack. They had no time for rest. He fiddled with his bracer, "Any ideas what we might be doing?"

"I could likely imagine a number of possibilities. For now, I recommend we hurry and find out." The pair were silent on the way to the debriefing room. Marie had spoken to Sarah before rousing Richard. She had asked the usual questions, lectured her on Richard and asked how she felt about Derek. The final question had shaken her. Marie knew how Derek's death made her feel, and she didn't want to dwell on it. She had lost enough people in her life, and he should not have joined them.

Admiral Ball was waiting for them, browsing a notepad. "Spartans, good to see you. I'm sure you're aware of our dire situation. I am unsure of the current state of our planet-wide defences, and am asking you to secure a way for us to find out." She paused, her eyes flicking up to glare at them. "I am sending you to the town of Zagreb. There, our central communication hub is located. Reboot the system, secure a foothold and broadcast a rendezvous signal to our forces."

"Understood, Admiral." Richard said. He prepared to walk away, but hesitated and asked "What is our situation, Admiral? The pride of our fleet has been destroyed, a supercarrier is plaguing us and we don't have secure communications."

"Warrant officer, if you needed to know, you would be informed." He started to argue, and she raised a hand. "But since you asked, I will tell you what I know. Pockets of small scale resistance are all over the planet. The carrier held a pair of heavy Corvettes, and they are currently assaulting the major hubs of our force. We are not alone, but we are in disarray. The civilian population must be evacuated, and thus they are being moved to New Belgrade. Your mission will allow us to draw the Covenant to the other side of the planet, and evacuate using our final Halycon-class cruiser. Sunbreaker and what remains of our fleet will oversee the attack to defend Haven. Is that sufficient information?"

"Yes, Admiral. Thank you." He dismissed himself, walking silently with Marie out of the base.

A mongoose was waiting for them outside. A marine pointed it out to them, a miserable look on his face. Marie noticed this. She noticed the terrified movements of the staff, the weary glances soldiers gave one another. An atmosphere of crippling hopelessness hung over the camp. Conscious of the many eyes watching her, she straightened her shoulders and stood up straight. Through her radio, she told Richard to do the same. "What difference does it make?" he said back to her.

"Everything. Richard, we are symbols. Notice Aaron never removes his helmet? The Commander is always strong? We cannot show weakness, lest the troops suffer." Richard grumbled, but he stood straight. Even with a broken visor, he was still standing strong and stable.

The two boarded the mongoose and jetted off into the sunset. The spluttering sound of the engine and the constant drone of filthy jets of mud flying from the wheels soon set into Marie's brain. It was as normal and draining as the thrumming pulse of the engine. She took a sad glance at the inky blue sky, rolled out above them like a blanket, and had a sudden thought it might be her final time to see it. With a deep shudder, she looked ahead, over Richard's broad shoulders, and resisted the urge to rest her head on them. It needed to stop. She had to push this from her mind and focus, else it would get her killed. Or worse yet, him.

Chapter 10: The Silent Shadow

A town, she had called it. Town. Ruin, was far more fitting. The lone standing skyscraper was sheared in two, the crumbling walls swaying gently in the growing wind. Wide and near, the moons were just visible behind the battered skyline. Now, the once proud towers were instead sad wrecks, poking out of the sodden marsh like rotten teeth from fetid gums. Marie and Richard were akin to lice, scurrying in the shadow of the terrible remains.

She was glad they were late to the defence. Everywhere she looked, plasma scoring and bullet holes painted grim pictures of the long-concluded battle. A dead car, half buried in a dead store front, was stained black from a dead fire. A dead billboard, the display scorched into ruin, blocked their path on the dead roads. Both empty, and littered with the burned, broken dead. Dead, dead, dead. Richard was certain nothing else could possibly hope to survive here. Every moment they spent in this shell of a city muddied their presence in the land of life, pulling them closer to those around them.

He pulled the mongoose aside, parking it under the billboard. "We'll have to move in on foot. We can't chance being heard." He drew his rifle and looked at Marie. She was quiet, absent mindedly climbing from the mongoose and walking to him. "Lieutenant…Marie, I'm sorry. Ok? I'm sorry. But we can't do this." He put a hand on her shoulder "I love you and want nothing more than to run away to the hills, but we have a job to do."

"You spoke to Sarah?" She asked. It wasn't much of a question, Marie had been told the exact same thing. Still, he answered it. "Yes, I did. I needed to hear it, and so did you. This isn't something we can do. There's a reason she's leader, and we're grunts." His voice was loaded with sadness, and she felt his grip tighten. "I assume she lectured you on regulations also?" She couldn't be angry at him for keeping the meeting from her. After all, she'd done the same. He nodded, repeating her words. "Derek died because of a crazy plan. See to it yours are perfectly sane." Marie exhaled.

"How can one be sane in a situation like this?"

"It's our job. We got trained hard enough to know what is and isn't acceptable in a warzone." Marie caught on to his melancholic double-entendre, and said softly "Save this planet, and then we'll see." pulling away from his touch. It felt like all warmth faded, and she was left only with darkness. Darkness and death.

Richard looked at his feet awkwardly, coughing once. "We should go. We haven't the time for a heart to heart." Marie said, walking through the cracked hole in the billboard. Everywhere she looked, the sweeping shadows were empty. Nothing stirred, nothing came to meet them. "Marie, I don't know what we'll find when we get there." The target building was a stubby, secure three storey box. It looked like a safe, and the entire city had been built around it. The main layout was a layer of rings, each filled with a separate style of building. The outer ring was for trade, the inner for residential living. Totalitarian, but efficient. Only, when the Covenant attacked, they had seemingly reached the inner rings before any evacuation could be started.

They were in the third ring, and the many tumbling facades gave way to marks of history. A particular museum commemorated the First World War. Marie looked up at the antique rifle pointing down at them and said "I imagine we will find an empty building. Nobody survived this. The city is a shell. I only wonder why it has not been glassed?"

"Maybe they didn't see the point? I mean, they did pretty good at slaughtering everyone here" He said indignantly. It was disgusting. The streets were paved in blood and tears, mortared with mud. He felt dirty walking through them. "Surely a single cruiser could have disintegrated this city in minutes?"

"There has to be something important here. That being said, our mission is the comms array. We should hurry for it, the moons are almost directly above us. We won't have long before daylight again."

An hour later, and they neared the final ring. Now, they faced true horror. Twisted, pained corpses piled up outside, lining the streets. Spikes pinned people to walls, speared through car chassis', riddled doorways and windows. The entire district was a sick display of brutality and the devastating art of war. Richard had been to many galleries as a child, and the sights he now looked upon made him sick to his stomach. Try as he might, he couldn't push the similarities between the town and a display case. "Marie, I don't want to stay here."

"Richard, we must press on. The Admiral is relying on us to secure the radio." Marie had to argue against him, as even the slightest comfort would spur on her own revulsion, sending them both racing to the hills. She couldn't have that. Not now. "That's what I meant…This is fucking grim. The moment we find this radio, we set it up and get the fuck out of here."

"I agree, but we must find it first." Marie carried on down the street, painfully aware of the piercing stares of the dead eyes.

They found it soon after. Just as it was described, a bland, black building, looking life a safe. Atop it, bent or broken antenna and radio dishes were angled all over the sky. "I don't have much hope of this working." Richard admitted as they passed beneath the shadow of the monolith. "Hush. We must try." Marie slid her rifle onto her back and drew a pistol. It was light in her hand, comfortable. She walked carefully, the weapon never lowering. With it pointed in front of her, they reached the front door. This was the moment of truth. "What are the signs and countersigns?" Richard asked.

"Do you truly suspect we will encounter marines?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Isn't it worth knowing?"

"Sign is Star. Countersign is Nova." She sighed, stacking against the wall with him. "On three" Silently, she counted down on her finger, then kicked the door so violently it flew inwards, off of its hinges, smashing over a bent desk and scattering papers everywhere. "Star!" Richard called out, following her inside, assault rifle raised to fire. Minus the soft fluttering of discarded paper, it was silent. Silent and dark. "Lights on" Marie clicked her helmet torch on, the powerful beam slicing through the misty blackness. They didn't need it, but it might stun anything they encountered. Hopefully.

They cleared the ground floor smoothly. Never had Marie been so afraid of shadows. Her hands almost trembled as they climbed the stairway to the next floor. "The control centre will likely be located on the floor above, but we should search just in case." Richard nodded and passed through the door. Once again, it was empty. Still, a deathly quiet essence bled from the very brickwork, worming its way through their minds. He began to blink, hard, trying to pass away the many black spots marring his vision. "Clear. We should move on." He said breathlessly, stumbling against the wall. Marie snapped round to look at him, asking warily "Richard? Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine…just felt a little faint is all." He grimaced, snatching his helmet from his head and spewing a foul green mess onto the moth bitten carpet. With tears in his eyes, he looked up at Marie, the shimmering air behind her, and cried out at the sudden, blinding flash of cyan light.

She heard it. The patter of footsteps, the cry. The mechanical, splitting crash of the shields exploding into yellow, crackling light and the vivid, cruel blade poking from her forearm. That she definitely heard. A wild punch she threw grazed its head, knocking it aside. It rushed back, a burning pain retracting from her arm. Her mind fluttered slightly, and she tried to focus. This wasn't good. "Richard, are you operational?" She called out, glancing around still, for any sight of their wicked tormentor. He mumbled something, then his rifle clicked and he was back at her side.

"What happened?" they asked simultaneously. Richard answered first, "It just got to me. I couldn't stay up. What's the situation with you?"

"A cloaked Elite. I thought I recognised an Osoona however." Richard cursed quietly. An Osoona? There was more to this than they thought. They were Elites, too high ranking for basic field work, but too low for regal pursuits, sent on lone missions of espionage. "What are we thinking, hunt him down?"

"Negative. The mission is our imperative. Any contact is a secondary objective." Marie thrust her pistol into the darkness, seeing nothing noteworthy. "It's got to be on the third floor. Here for the same reason we are." Richard realised. "The Covenant can't find us, so they're tapping into our comms…Crafty bastards."

"Impossible. They would never be so subtle." She replied, thinking over the idea. It had some merit, a Supercarrier would usually have begun glassing the planet by now. "No, think about it. With the scientists, they had Phantoms and didn't fire on the structures. What if Haven has some religious importance?" He beamed at his own deduction, but Marie quickly shut down the thought. "For now, our main focus is the mission. Your theories can be shared once the radio is up and running."

It too was empty. The room was wide and a mess, with upturned tables, bloody bodies and bullet holes everywhere. The window, gazing out over the dead city, was completely shattered, a single body hung over the threshold. "You begin work on the radio array, I will keep guard." Richard put down his rifle and started pushing away, connecting the wires and rotating dishes. "I've got bad news. The dish alignment isn't working from here, and I need to calibrate the emitter."

"Come again?"

"I need to be in two places at once." He said bluntly, picking his rifle up again. "We need backup and to bug out." Marie burned silently with rage, and a bizarre sense of…value? He was willing to endanger the mission for her safety. "Richard, I-You don't have to do this." The statement hung in the air. He looked at her, puzzled, and she added "There are two of us." He sank back and admitted

"I was afraid you'd say that. Fine, get to the roof and I'll guide you through it." He looked back to the emitter and carried on working. "And, be careful?"

"For you? Always." She said solemnly, leaving him alone to the work.

Now she had to get onto the roof. How would she do that? The fire escape was a small rung of green steel after the battle, and it would never have supported her weight anyway. Instead, she looked to figure a way up. The lowest ceiling on the floor was in an enclosed bathroom, where a fan of some kind was apparently resting above. That would do. She took a grenade from her belt and sat it on the upraised cistern of the toilet. As she backed out into the corridor, she raised her pistol and fired once.

In an instant, the room vanished in a cloud of jingling ceramic and dusty plaster, falling like snow. It flooded out of the narrow doorway, and the floor shuddered and groaned as what she assumed was the AC, sank from the lack of support and smashed everything in the room. Perfect. Now, all she had to do was climb the sunken AC unit and be out in open air. "What the hell was that? Have we got contacts?" Richard's voice was tinny through his damaged radio. "Negative. I was required to become…Creative when climbing."

"I see. Tell me when you see the dish, I'll guide you through it."

It wasn't hard to find. Every other dish was either destroyed or facing south, courtesy of Richard. "I see the dish."

"Ok, good. I need it to point south, and the moment it does I can recalibrate the emitter and the whole system will reboot and broadcast anything we want."

"Understood. I am moving the dish now" Her voice cut out with a vile scream.

"Marie? Marie?!" He exclaimed, rushing out of the control room, gun in hand. A painful pant was all he could hear. He asked for her, again and again, dashing through the shaking rubble onto the roof.

Stood two feet apart, the uncloaked Osoona, and bleeding Marie faced each other down. Her forearm was gushing red mist, and the Elite almost smiled. Richard let loose a stream of lead, making the beast duck aside and roll away. "Marie, are you ok?" He looked back at her, only realising his mistake when a lumbering shape came crashing down on top of him. He was sent reeling to the floor, and the Elite jabbed the glowing blade of its sword at Richard's throat. Marie roared and unleashed a burst of bullets from her pistol. The Osoona glanced up, batted aside a round and now moved to attack her. She emptied the weapon and tossed it at the oncoming foe. He cut it in two, mid-flight, and closed the final feet to Marie. A hapless joy slipped over its face, and she shirked back in fear. This was her end.

None of the fighters had expected Richard's next move. Even he hadn't known what he was doing. It was only when he was up on his feet, running, that he made a plan. A poor one too. He barged into the Elite and gripped the sword in its hand, pushing it to the ground. As the scalding plasma burned away the roof, he struggled to overcome the incredible strength of the Elite. Eventually, he was pushed down like a rag doll, and again he saw the thrust heading for his throat. A crack sliced through the beast's wrist as it jettisoned forward, and Richard's hand outstretched, grasping the hilt of the sword. He rolled, slicing the razor-sharp plasma through its midriff. He was half knelt, half upright, with the Elite to his back. He guzzled a breath of air, and felt a rush of adrenaline as the tell-tale thump of a corpse hitting the floor passed through his ears. Exhausted, he dropped down, unable even to shed a smile to Marie.

Chapter 11: Wonderful Chains of Events

Aaron hadn't expected them back. At least, not so soon. It wasn't even past midnight. Especially not flanked by a parade of fresh-faced, fully armed soldiers. "They did it. I'll give it to them, they did it." Ball muttered incredulously.

"Surprised, Admiral?"

"Not surprised, Spartan. I think of it more as…a pleasant change of events." Ball walked back into the base and smiled. "This is a wonderful change of events." Sarah hobbled into the command centre after her, curious. "Is there something you forgot to tell us, Admiral?"

"Quite, Commander. A small force of ships has arrived to assist us in our battle. From the Demepor system, and old friend. Five frigates, loaded with fighters and a Destroyer are all prepared to assist what remains of our Navy. Our planet may yet be saved."

"Another six ships won't help us kill a CSO, not with a planet of people to defend, and I don't have any more daring plans prepared."

"We won't need them. Commander, ready your soldiers. We are going to evacuate every last civilian on the planet."

"I see. How?"

"Simple, truly. The CSO currently is unaware of our location and is off world, in a search of the moon. Now, our three remaining cruisers are going to be on station to draw it further away, while we load any civilians we can onto a frigate and have them escape. We will then move to engage the Corvettes and destroy the CSO. Ready your soldiers, Commander. They will be busy."

The single mongoose pulled in close to the base, the two passengers visibly exhausted. They stumbled through the clods on their approach, supporting each other all the way. Walking up the hill, they were watched. Entering the base, they were watched. Walking their Commander, they were watched. Everywhere. They were watched.

Sarah smiled as Marie and Richard returned. "Excellent work, the pair of you. You'll have to debrief me later, because…And you don't understand how much this hurts, we're on another mission." Both soldiers withheld groans. "We're heading out at sundown tomorrow, and I suggest you get some rest. It will be a long day." Sarah walked away, searching for Aaron. It had been rough, adjusting to life without Derek, and now she needed to talk. For once, about something not concentrated on war.

He wasn't far away. Poured out over maps, diagrams, troop deployments. A naïve person might think he was working to keep it out of his mind. Sarah was not naïve. "2, what's it looking like?"

"Identical, commander. I don't see any flaws we could possibly do anything about." Aaron stepped aside as Sarah glanced over the papers. It was true. A few weak divisions here and there, but overall as sound a plan as they could have. "Since we'll likely die in the next week, and the war effort is as good as we can get it, I suggest we talk."

"Commander?"

"You heard me. It's nothing serious, I just…Am I right? Did Derek get himself killed, or am I overreacting?"

"Is it my place to say?"

"Permission to speak freely, if that's what you're caught up on."

"He did what he had to do. He paid the price. I believe there was another way, but he was set. Commander we've been over this. I meant what I said."

"I know, I know. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Now who talks about war too much?"

"Answer the question, 2."

"Yes. I am."

"How?"

"Everyone that really mattered to me died pre-program. Me and you? We're disposable. Bred to be disposable. Derek? He was disposable and did his job."

"So, what? You dehumanise everyone around you?"

"No, I don't. They did this to me. To all of us. Commander, get some sleep and let it rest. There's a million men died fighting this war and a million more will join them. Spartans, 2 or 3, are no different. It's just no one else realised."

Marie sprinted down the long, bland corridor to the logistics centre. A siren had alerted them to a Covenant invasion of multiple cities around the planet. As she burst into the room, Richard and Aaron were already assembled. "3, good to see you" Sarah said, hobbling past the view screen. "What's the situation Commander?" It was the early hours of the morning. Not what had been planned. "The cruisers failed. The Covenant figured out we were drawing them away and started bombarding the cities. The plan has changed."

The short briefing established their severe lack of resources. Between them, they had an entire plant to save. Richard had been assigned to ferrying troops, equipment and people across the city. He was also set to be Aaron's extraction, who would be joined by a pair of ODST squads. Marie, on the other hand, was being deployed to New Belgrade alone, alongside a division of ODST's. Sarah had clearly been hiding her worry at their chances, but said nothing. They didn't need to hear it.

The three Spartans headed back down the hallway Marie had travelled up ten minutes prior. Aaron soon left them in his dust, and he was gone. Sarah and Richard lagged behind, speaking softly to one another. "So, this is probably it?" Richard mumbled. Marie nodded, and stopped. He looked back to her, then she leapt up to him and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. "There, now it won't be so bad. Now go, before we lose our nerve." Marie ordered, pointing him after Aaron. He nodded and waved, putting his helmet on as he went. Her heart began doing somersaults and she had to breathe hard to slow her racing pulse. All this she did as she embarked the entry ramp to the frigate set to deploy them to New Belgrade, whatever it held.

Inside the vehicle depot, she saw a group of ODST's, to whom she assumed she was paired with. The ODST's watched her carefully, one whistling quietly. "Hey Lieutenant! I know we asked for reinforcements, but I never thought they'd send Spartans!" The smallest trooper shouted along the line. The Gunnery Sergeant looked away. Gripping the M7S-SMG in his hands, he addressed the rest. "Don't think just because we've got a Spartan we've got it easy. If anything, we have the hard job."

"You hear that? Maybe I should wear that armour instead of you!" A particularly brash trooper called over. Marie flicked her head up. The hangar thudded as she approached, grinning at him. She drew her helmet from her head and handed it to him. "Try it on for size." The ODST looked up in disbelief. She pushed it towards him encouragingly. As he took it in his hands, she slapped it into the air, bringing her arm down into his skull. The helmet dropped and she caught it, putting it back on smoothly.

The pained groans of the trooper told her she'd made an impression. In a condescending tone, she said "You complete your mission, I will oversee my own." The trooper spluttered a reply, and his Sergeant walked over. "That's why you don't taunt a fucking Spartan, you twat. Now go get the pods ready, before I kick the shit out of you as well."

"Fucker didn't play fair."

"The Covenant don't play fair. You should have seen it coming." The soldier skulked away miserably, and the Sergeant walked over to the Spartan. "Thanks for that, he's needed bringing down a peg or two."

"So long as he stays in line, I will have no reason to educate him again." The Sergeant looked at her closely. "Do I know you?"

"Possibly?"

"You weren't at Demepor, were you?"

"I was. I believe we rescued you from the massacre at the gorge."

"You did. We never got introduced. I'm Gunnery Sergeant Eric Stevens, and you are?"

"Spartan B-256. Lieutenant Marie."

"It's a pleasure. I need to go check on my boys, make sure they haven't killed each other." He walked away in a pleasant mood. Demepor had been a rare victory, though bittersweet for him. He'd never seen his squad mates since.

Marie stood on top of a large ammo crate, ready to speak to the soldiers. ", I know we had a bad first impression, however I find it pertinent you understand our role is vital, and bravado will only result in your death." From the crowd, a derogatory cry rang out, and she removed her helmet again, offering it to the speaker. There was no reply.

A slow clap came from a small hallway. From the gloom, a man strode from behind the pillar, shaking his head and giggling cynically to himself. "Oh, how very inspirational. What a moving speech!"

"Pardon?" Marie asked, puzzled.

"Oh, you don't know me, do you? I, am your backup" He replied, planting his hands firmly on his chest.

"I was not made aware?" Marie said

"Well, your Boss, now my boss, decided just now. I happened to be in the neighbourhood, and fond of not being exterminated, so I signed up. The Admiral saw I had potential and here I am.". He replied.

"Explain to me how a single man is backup?" She snapped.

"I've got a shinier suit than you do, and more experience than a crack whore. Plus, I've already been paid for this job so I intend to deliver." He concluded.

"As you say."

"I do say, you dealt with that prick well. Although, I still think I'd have won. At least seen it coming."

"Of course. Let's go." Marie dismissed the group to the SOIEV's, the mercenary following.

Chapter 12: Battle of New Belgrade

Inside the pods, a direct-communication link was established. A list of each soldier was on the right, their names and specialties underneath. "Alright lads, welcome to New Belgrade. Whatever you do, don't get carried away down there. We get the civilians out and nothing else, understood?"

"Copacetic." They replied. It was tense. Understandably. Hanging ten miles above a warzone you would fall feet first into was hardly a picnic, but Marie still felt the gruesome rations stirring in her gut.

Suddenly, the lights went dark. After a few seconds, red emergency lights illuminated the gloom. A claxon rang out, the metallic sound agonizingly loud against her augmented ears. "All units, prepare to drop. Drop commencing in 5"

"Brace yourselves, this is where it gets heavy" Stevens warned

"4"

"I am green, and very very mean" A trooper repeated nervously, his trembling voice quiet worming into her brain. "3"

"Feet first boys"

"2"

"No turning back"

"1"

"Wait! I need to pee!" The mercenary said jokingly. A thundering thud cut him off.

Instantly, they fell from the heavens, descending exhilaratingly to the waiting city below. Each pod looked like an egg, flying to the ground ready to hatch. An ODST gasped. A voice crackled through the on-board radio "Damn. You weren't lying Frenchie. It looks like when I was on Eridanus with Johnson." An Assault Carrier passed beneath them, the gargantuan bulb-like ship blocking the ground from view. The lowest ranking ODST coughed, spluttering at the pure size, shape and marvel that was the Assault Carrier. "Fucking hell. We're fucked." A soldier said wearily.

Violet energy cut through the air, boiling the very particles it passed through. The burning skyscrapers were cut like butter. One almost evaporated in the shimmering heat, sending it pummelling into the ground below. Drawing ever closer to the surface, the assembled soldiers had activated the parachutes on their pods, drawing attention. Buzzing plasma, like angry hornets, ruptured the air they raced through, bursting many of the pods into smoking shrapnel. A group cracked against the shielding of the carrier, leaving a rolling patch of debris. Feet first into hell indeed. The crackling air was fading away, a blackened, burning atmosphere smothering the very air they breathed.

Marie had been caught by the cannon, damaging the pod. It collided into a building, shattering the window, sending her sprawling into an office room. One pounding head later, she looked round. Realising where she was, her instincts snapped into action. Retrieving an SMG from her pod, her radio crackled with static. Even then, she couldn't cut through the distortion. On her own, hundreds of feet above her destination. She needed ideas to reach the ground quickly. None came, unlike the Covenant, who from the sounds of it were stood right outside.

Stevens was on the ground, surrounded by enemies. Just how he liked it. The pod was buried under a fountain somewhere. He had gathered a pair of troopers and began cutting deep into the city. Opening fire, soon enough the covenant squad was pushed back from the pure skill and speed of the ODSTs. Their ferocity was matched only by the Spartans. Firing the last round into the last Grunt, he turned to what remained of the initial team.

For half an hour, he searched their decided drop point, finding the ragtag remains there. Their numbers were dismal. Of the seven who had dropped, four were left. Himself, Mitchell, Irons and Ryan. "Alright lads, gather round. Any news from the others? The merc, or the Spartan?"

"Negative, sergeant. What's the plan?" Mitchell asked. Ryan looked around the empty boulevard and said "If we're looking for civvies, there ain't none here."

"You're right. We need to find the main command and figure out where everyone is. Let's move out, get to higher ground."

"Oh no, I'm not going back up there. Not after that." Irons pleaded, backing away. Stevens grumbled "You'll do as I say. Now move out!" A muffled shout rose from the basement. "Wait for me!" The mercenary clambered up from the hole, dusting off his chest.

"Well fuck me, you haven't pissed off yet."

"No, because I'm not a thieving cunt. Now, you were saying?"

"We need to move out and get higher ground."

"Sounds good. How about we split up? One group goes to high ground, the other finds some central structure of command?"

"I don't think so. Not when I don't know if I can trust you."

"Not to mention, notice those cruisers? Distortion from the guns cuts off radio" Ryan added.

"Mine works just fine. And I can be trusted, if I was going to kill you you'd be dead, and if I was going I'd be gone."

"You radio might work but-" The mercenary handed Stevens an odd attachment, which he slotted onto his helmet. Immediately, the muffled radio became focused and precise. "Well I'll be. Hold up, how on earth are you in that?" Stevens asked, pointing at the unusual armour. "You don't want to know. I will say this, it's a very expensive prototype, that I killed a lot of people for." The mercenary said, his tone unchanging.

"Understood. Ryan, Irons, with him. Mitchell with me. I'll contact you when I get a hold of the situation."

The trio circled past a burning warehouse, following a long, straight road to the centre of the district. "We had a job to do, and this is just a clusterfuck" Irons muttered.

"Can it, Corporal" Ryan shot back "Gunny will get us where we need to go. For now, the best we can do is search around for anyone we can support."

"Yes sir" Irons said bitterly, shooting a poisonous glare at the others. It was madness. No one could survive this.

Three blocks away, they met a baffled, wounded trio of troopers. Their warthog was riddled with plasma scoring, and one man was bleeding heavily on the dusty pavement. A wary trooper swung to face them, his shuddering rifle pointing at the mercenary. "Stand down" Ryan ordered, his hands upraised "We're on your side."

"Yeah, yeah. Ok…Sorry, we're just a bit shaken is all."

"I understand, what's the situation?" Ryan asked. As he did, the bleeding soldier groaned, ejecting an errant jet of blood. It ran down the wall, cutting through the ruined brickwork. "It's shit, sir. We need to get out of here, the city is overrun."

"Now listen here! This city won't fall. Never, and we'll hold it. Now get him up, show us where the biggest remains of command are and get walking."

"How will that help? We don't have the men" a soldier said tiredly. Another slapped him. "Not with that attitude you fuck. Command is north, big building with a neon sign. Can't miss it"

Ryan thanked him "Did you see any pods come down?"

"Funnily enough, yeah. Same building. Passed right through it, didn't see where it landed." The mercenary looked at Ryan and said "I should go ahead, warn them you're coming. Maybe I'll find the Spartan too."

"Maybe you'll fuck off as well" Irons spat. He sank back when Ryan looked at him bitterly. "Fuck it, go. Tell them to send a few men to pick us up, then go get the Spartan."

"Did you say Spartan?"

"I sure did. Now pick your friend up, we're going to meet her."

The mercenary had started running the moment they told him he had the greenlight. There was no way he'd let a Spartan die. He rounded a corner into a battlefield. It was sheer look that his momentum carried him forward, missing the brutal hail of plasma fire that smashed away the pillar he'd passed by. He rolled behind a smoking car, drawing his revolver. "Heads up" he cried out, vaulting the bonnet and firing three times. Boosters mounted to his back propelled him through the air. Elegantly, he twisted round and carried his assault forward into the thick Covenant lines. Three Jackals shrieked in terror and felt the force of his body crashing through them. As the mercenary dusted himself off, a Brute grunted, a guttural noise, and he swore. This would be a challenge.

From down the lane e had come from, a buzzing blast of chaingun fire sent the majority of the forces back, scattering them like paper in the wind. Not the Brute. Instead, he shrugged off the rifle fire and stampeded at the mercenary. He raised his pistol reflexively. A hollow click was all he heard. "Shit" He hardly got the words out before he dashed aside, a rocket powered matador. With his revolver back in its holster, his hand gripped the sheathed Scimitar on his back. The shimmering purple blade flickered in the air, attracting the hungry eyes of his foe.

Again, it charged, pounding along the tarmac, drawing closer and closer. The mercenary charged too, his sword raised high. Seconds away from colliding, he dropped to his knees and slid smoothly between the beast's legs, splitting the pelvis from its outstretched leg. A flood of blood and gruel ran down his arm, which he shook off as he stood up and marched over to the dying animal. "Toro" he muttered, sinking the blade into its fleshy neck. With a grunt and forceful twist, the head fell into the earth and he walked away. Now at least the others might have an easier time. He, on the other hand…It was looking difficult.

Ten minutes, five shootouts and a glancing blow later, he'd reached the plaza of command. And what a shitshow it was. The building opposite the neon sign had buckled near the base, leaving a crooked shambling grave looming over the flattened plaza. Outside, a semi-circle of sandbags manned by a pitiful crew of security forces and wounded troopers were hardly holding the line against the army of Covenant. But what about the Spartan? The neon building did have a gaping exit wound, heading to the opposite building…The crooked one. "Well this is suicide." He remarked, slipping his rifle into his hands.

Meanwhile, Marie was struggling with her situation. An idea came to mind, but it was ludicrous, impossible, perfect! Pulling the pin from a grenade, she placed it at the door, locking her armour just as the explosion tore through the thin metal, catapulting the husk of the door into an unprepared Elite. Before they had time to react, she had already dived onto a shambling Grunt, spraying from the hip at another. Grabbing a plasma pistol, she fired as many shots to the Covenant as she could until the massing heat grew too much to bear. Tossing the scalding tool to her foes, she pulled up her sniper; picking off the final Ultra, seconds before he ripped her apart with his energy sword. Marie kicked aside a Jackal with a cracked skull and walked to the window she entered through. Here, alone, she was in her element. Lying down, her view of the plaza was second to none.

The mercenary was finally fighting with the command defence force. He slipped behind a pair of Elites, commanding the horde of Grunts flooding through the west passage. With his rocket suit, he barged into an unaware alien, snapping its spine instantly. With his incredible momentum, he skated through the plaza, using the corpse as a board. His rifle continued to fire even as he felt himself slow to a crawl. He kicked up the bloody chest he stood on and leapt past the sandbags into the building. "Afternoon boys. What's it looking like?"

Within a few minutes, Marie had noticed the vicious path the mercenary cut through the Covenant, taking advantage of their shock to pick off the advancing General. She had a newfound respect for the man, whoever he may be. She still didn't trust him though.

An old soldier, his thinning hair mostly hidden under the helmet he wore, was breathing heavily against the stair. "W-who are you?" He coughed, a wretched sound coming from his lungs. "I'm the hired help, sir. What's the situation? I have a squad of soldiers, some wounded, on their way but they need assistance or they'll never make it."

"You think I have the men? Look around. This is it for now."

"I saw a hundred guys three blocks away."

"Then you radio in and call them. We can't, not with that cruiser up there and our antennas down." He spoke like a defeatist. It wasn't hard to see why. The mercenary paced nervously, then snapped his fingers. "If I could stop the Covenant flooding your plaza, get a Spartan and possibly improve comms, what would you say to that?"

"You're insane."

"We'll see. Hold the line, barricade the doors if you have to. Just make sure I'm allowed back in." He ordered, storming outside confidently. Certainly, more than he felt.

The mercenary was again out in the open, this time fighting his way up to the door of the tumbled building. It wasn't particularly taxing, he just had to keep moving. Mid-sprint, he established a connection with Stevens. "Find a radio antenna, get it working. Understand?"

"Who the fuck are you ordering about you cheeky shit?"

"I've got command ten feet away and the Spartan trapped in a building. Find a working antenna, fit my radio into it and I'll finish it from there. Then we can coordinate with the troops and actually start a defence." The mercenary spoke passionately, stirring confusion in Stevens. Who was he to feel remorse? Perhaps it was the being shot at that made him melancholy. "Son, they're all gone. Any Pelican in the city fucked off with whatever they carried."

"What about evac shuttles?"

"If you think they're coming out of dock in this fire?"

"The cruisers. They're coming back."

"Fine. I'll find a radio. Just get my men home safe."

Marie emptied her lungs, her finger lightly placed on the trigger. A shot cracked from the barrel, sailing over the intended target. She released the sniper, pulling her pistol from hip and rolling on her back to fire on the foe who had caused her to miss. She was confronted by the mercenary, stood in the open. "Mon dieu! You need to keep radio contact you fool!" She snapped

"That's…why I'm here" He shrugged. "The radios are gone from the cruiser, but the sergeant is fixing that. You, on the other hand, I need down there to help me secure the plaza and start shipping people out." The Spartan stared blankly at him, and he coughed, hoping to make her talk. "I never expected you to stay, let alone care."

"I don't want to go extinct any more than you do."

"Oh, is that so…" Marie paused, wondering for a name "Pardon me, but I don't know what your name is"

"It's Felix. Just Felix."

"Just Felix? That'll stick" She said, genuine amusement sneaking into her voice. "Now, about your plan?"

"Well, how strong are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's a serious question. Can you, or can you not kick out a damaged support strut?" He asked. He was serious, too. Marie paused, shocked as she realised his plan. "Not for what you have in mind. We'd never make it out." Felix rocketed back, and she thought again. "It's worth a shot."

High above the battle, on the ash ridden rooftop Stevens had found an antenna. "Mitch, get over here."

"Sir" He replied, rushing to his side. The corporal was shaking, his eyes flitting everywhere and nowhere at once. He needed to escape this, get away, see it, take it all in, forget…He'd never know where to start even if he- "Corporal. Look at me, look at me." Eric said, his visor fading to a clear view. "Sir?"

"Listen. We're going to be ok. I just need you to focus, understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now hold my helmet a minute, I'm doing something." Eric grabbed the flimsy grey shaft extruding from his helmet and pulled, tearing it away cleanly. The advanced radio slotted easily into the exposed circuity of the radio antenna, giving way to a massive burst of static to the unsuspecting Felix. "Our job here is done." Eric said, heading to the stairwell. "We make it to ground and regroup."

Stevens saw the wraith, he almost gave up then. Johnson had passed in the crash, taking his skills with heavy weapons with him. The gunner charged up the cannon, a maniacal grin on his inhuman face. This swiftly disappeared, as did his head, the bullet trail leading every soldier's eyes to Marie. "Bonjour! A present from me!" Laughing out loud, Stevens replied earnestly "You know, Frenchie, I've hear along the grapevine, that you are a pretty good shot. Now, don't get up yourself, but we need cover to get into the tower. The landing pad is higher up, but a small team can clear it, while the rest find more civilians, directing them here."

Felix was almost knocked over from the static rushing through his ears. Marie looked at him, worry across her body. "I'm fine!" HE shouted, tearing the helmet from his head. He turned away from her, fiddling with the crackling helmet. "Change of plans. I need to get this over to the command base."

"But what about the supports?"

"They can wait" He said. Marie gestured out of the window to the increasingly large Covenant assault group flushing into the plaza. "If we leave now we'll never make it."

"I-I don't know…"

"Command can deal without radio. They cannot deal with this many soldiers." Marie slotted her sniper over her shoulders and took Felix in her arms, jumping from the third-floor window.

Shockingly, Eric had exited alongside his old squad mates. "Well I'll be" Mitchell almost walked into Irons, who reacted viciously. "Fuck you too"

"Shut it, both of you" Eric snapped, looking at Ryan. "Sitrep?"

"We got wounded, one critical. If we don't hurry he won't make it." Ryan replied, pointing at the delirious man cradled by his friend. The third had been killed in a skirmish with drones, he admitted. Eric cursed and carried on through the streets, his men at his back.

Nothing seemed to work. Everywhere they marched in this god forsaken city, they met more Covenant and saw more men die. At one junction, a building fell only to reveal a drone hive had started nesting there. Beside the river, a pair of hunters smashed through marine boats escorting civilians away from the carnage. Mitchell was still shaking from the screams of the burning people in the sinking ships. A pack of stealth elites had cut through a roundabout and slaughtered everyone holding their destination.

As they passed down the parallel street, Eric kept on shouting. "Go! Get him out of here, keep firing!" He did so, his rifle running dangerously close to empty. The click he feared never came. As amazing as it was, they had beaten the odds and forced them back. Now, their own backs were against the proverbial wall. Only now, it was a force of Covenant assaulting a disabled Scorpion. The turret span feebly, dislodging the scattered brickwork in a torrent of smoking, ashy rubble. This tirade washed through the weakened Covenant, allowing Mitchell and Irons to start pushing them further down the path. "Jacks, where did Ryan get to?" The bleeding soldier whispered to his friend, and he said regretfully

"The Corporal didn't make it."

"Fuck." Eric muttered, pulling the wounded soldier aside with Jackson. "What about him?"

"He's stable for now. Much longer and…" Jackson faded out, saving the wounded Ismal from his bloody truth. Eric passed him his rifle, a spare magazine and slid Ismal's unused Battle rifle into his own hands. "Tell me if anything changes. This tank might be working still."

In a minute or so, the rabble of soldiers had cleared away the assaulters and observed the damaged tank. "Whaddya reckon? Anyone alive in there?"

"Negative. No way anyone survived there for long." They were silenced as the tank begrudgingly rolled out from the building it had been buried in. The subsequent barrage of brick made them flinch, amazed as the hatch rose slowly.

"We owe you one" The Asian pilot thanked them, pulling herself out of the hatch. "Don't mention it." Eric said "We need your help. Command is in the plaza a few blocks away, and we need help getting there."

"For sure, I can do that. The names Ima, Lieutenant Katsura Ima." She said, climbing back into the tank and sliding the hatch into place. "Stay behind me, and keep up."

Felix struggled against her powerful arms, but made no progress. "You really could kick down a skyscraper" he joked, grunting as she dropped him onto the concrete.

"Hush, and keep up." She whispered, moving along the side the of a car. He followed, speaking quietly. "If it's a race, you're on sister." Felix rolled out from the car, his boosters making him act like a Catherine wheel, sparks and all. He felt the growing heat at his back, but focused his legs on pumping over and over again, dashing over the ruined cobbles to the main street. Marie followed, keeping a pace just behind him. It was quite impressive, his suit, and she only wondered where he'd stolen it from, or who he'd killed. Of course, this made her distracted, and she took longer than usual to react to the mercenary being tackled by a Skirmisher. She was still faster than any normal human, even distracted.

Her legs stopped instantly, propelling her back into the scrambling pair of brawlers, scraping for any advantage. Felix raised his arms defensively, bracing against the repeated slashes of its clawed fingers. It was only when Marie came from behind it, dragged the Skirmisher from him with a single mighty hand, slammed it onto the concrete and demolished the avian skull with her lone boot, that he recovered. Then, as soon as he was on his feet he was off again, finally reaching the doorway with Marie hot on his heels.

The mercenary strode confidently back into the chambers of the commander, speaking quickly. "Whatever your network is, plug this" he handed over his radio attachment "into it and they'll connect instantly. Then, order your men to focus on delivering any and all civilians left in the city to the lifeboats docked on the south bank of the river." Felix walked out before they could argue, and was stunned into silence just as Marie and every marine in the building was.

A Scorpion, upon which six marines had ridden in, like ancient conquerors, slaying the massed Covenant, was now under heavy fire. So heavy, it was shaking and buckling like a spooked animal. The marines were fleeing, heading into the foyer of their command centre. "We got friendlies, covering fire!" Shots and orders rang out, equally deafening and silent at the same time. Felix stood, motionless, his brain empty, watching as their salvation crumbled under the force of the covenant and burned away into flames. Only the explosion and the smash of the turret landing ten feet from the tank snapped him out of his trance, and made him see the new threat.

A Wraith, fully armed and ready to exact upon them exactly what it had the Scorpion. Only with much more fervour. "Felix. On me." Marie was back in the moment and running, her aching feet raw from the extreme pace she kept. Felix jetted after her, his boosters burning away at the flesh on his inflamed back. "I can't keep this up!" He admitted. Marie replied eagerly "You won't have to!" Her legs launched her through the air, landing on the front hull of the Wraith with such force it sank to the floor. She grabbed the gunner from his perch, slamming away at the covering of the driver. Felix drew his sword, slicing the side of its head away, grey-blue brain spewing onto the floor. He then climbed smoothly up the polished tank, slipping the blade into the groove of the lid, prying it open. The occupant rose out in a flash, throwing aside Marie and gripping Felix by the throat. It roared angrily, the mandibles flailing in the growing darkness. With his fading strength, Felix swung his scimitar half-heartedly at his would-be killer, cutting away the hand that held him and the jaws that mocked him.

He hit the hull and was sent sprawling down to the gravely land in a heap. His empty lungs gasped for air that wouldn't come, and he let out a silent scream is his foe, bleeding and missing pieces, bore down upon him, sword drawn. In his rapidly draining vision, he saw his thrusters had charged, almost, and fired up his reserve power. The sudden jet of liquid flame spewed out onto the cobbles, burning them away and melting it to sludge. As he scrambled back fearfully, the still conscious Elite continued through its own agony, lifting through the sticky, tar like stone to kill him. As it pulled back to skewer his exhausted form, a living weapon weighing a ton slammed down, shattering the bones that held it above the fetid, glowing stonework. Marie jumped off of the body, buried in the dirt and seared to the stone and lifted up Felix. "Good work. Now, keep our friends busy whilst I seal their exit."

Marie clambered back into the driver's seat of the wraith, the glowing multitude of controls almost overwhelming her. Her focus came back to her, and she tapped away, trying to charge the main cannon. It fired randomly, a huge burning column of plasma turning the crooked building's wall into a melted glass puddle, running like blood to the oncoming Covenant attackers. Again, she fired, this time hitting her mark of the lower structure. It buckled, groaned and let loose a shower of glassy shards and burning steel. Still it held. So, she fired again. And again, until eventually the structure, riddled with holes and smoking heavily, slipped from its support and smashed into the earth alongside a falling rain of rubble, dust and hot glass.

Chapter 13: Last Dying Breath

The dust settled over the ruined plaza, scraps of smouldering paper and jagged glass snowflakes pattered on the stone floor, slicing into the mounting corpses. Felix and Marie walked back to the bank, searching for the rest of the ODST's they had rode in with. "Getting the gang back together now, aren't we?"

"I suppose so. We must hurry, night falls and they city will soon fall."

"You're a ray of fucking sunshine"

"Give me a reason to grin, and you'll find traces of lipstick on my ears." Marie cut him off, peering for Eric. His scowling face stood out amongst the crowd of faceless helmets and staring, dead eyes. "Sergeant"

"Spartan. What's the situation?"

"We successfully cut off Covenant entrance to the plaza for now. We must hurry however, as they will cut through other entrances to find us. They appear to be aware of our evacuation plan."

"You haven't heard? We dropped for no reason. Any Pelican we have fucked off hours ago, and the shuttles won't make it out the harbour before that cruiser cuts them in half." He sat down on an empty ammo crate, his rifle by his side. Marie sucked a breath through her teeth. "Gunnery Sergeant Stevens, have you truly given up any hope of our success? Do you not remember your actions at the battle of Demepor? How you saved the city of Tarbeth?" Her loud speech sent ripples of excitement through the crowd. Demepor? That had been the greatest UNSC victory of 2548. This was THE Eric Stevens?

"So I killed a few Covenant. So what?"

"The men believe in you. They will fight for you, and they will rise up against anything in your name. Sergeant, between myself and your grit, we will push these invaders from our planet and shatter any resolve they have remaining. Are you with me?"

"Aye I'm with you. Fuck it! We're all dead anyway, we might as well take some of those fuckers with us." He snatched up his rifle, cocked it eagerly and slapped his helmet onto his head. "Where to first?"

Back in the heart of the building, they had spread out a map. On it, they had marked the positions of evacuation shuttles, optimum escape routes and likely hideouts of the civilian populace. "Now all we need is an exit vector, and to get that cruiser out of our yard."

"Well, we have a cruiser and frigate on station to ride out of here, I'm sure they'll oblige." Eric offered. A marine nodded at him "I'll get Admiral Ball on the horn."

"While they deal with the cruiser, we organise any forces across the city to their nearest hotspot. By the time they're filling the shuttles, Ball should have the cruiser's attention."

"Now we just need something to do."

"I have a confession" The aging captain admitted "We have a plethora of equipment and civilians in the old bank, ten minutes away. We had it on lock down, and figured the vault was a safe spot. Then the Covenant took it and we had to bug out to here. We didn't have time to get the civvies out." Marie sat back, stunned.

"So you left them?"

"I had no choice! If I had brought them out of that vault, we'd all have died!" He roared "Lieutenant, I believe you step out of line. Know your place."

"My place, Captain, is on the frontlines. I am the defender of Earth, and all her colonies. That means her people. I will find these people, and I will bring hem back. With, or without your leave."

"I'll have you court martialled!"

"Try and stop me." She spat. She didn't shout, but her quiet tone seethed with burning hatred and poisonous fury. He seemed to shrink, his already petit frame constricting to a pinprick. Marie smiled, storming out of the room in haste.

They stormed along the streets, cutting away at any of the disease they met. Covenant of any shape was eradicated from their presence. When they finally arrived, the garrison in the bank seemed a mere shadow of what they had slain to reach thus point. Felix drew his sword, marching through the massive oak doorway with his sword drawn, the long shadows a symbol of yet to come.

The grand entrance was based on that of a 21st century bank. Polished marble floors sprawled for metres, the pillars were broad as tree trunks, only twice as tall. Stained glass skylights painted the ground in a kaleidoscope of colours. Thick red carpets paved a path up two wide, arching staircases leading to what could only be the offices. Striding confidently up the passage, Felix swung his weapon, getting a feel for the deadly tool.

At the top of the hall, a hulking Brute Captain waited for him. Flanked on all sides by shaved apes, brandishing sharpened Spikers and steel helmets seemingly pressed into their flesh, Felix should have run. Far from there, as fast as he could go. Instead, he carried on, his heavy boots marring the smooth scarlet carpet. The Captain let out a guttural noise and looked to be smiling. Felix pointed his sword out, a challenge. It drew a Brute shot, running its thick stubby finger down the wicked blade, drawing fresh blood. Felix pricked his thumb on his own, rubbing the ruby red rivulets down the azure blade like dressing. As they did, a small team of meek security guards popped out from behind the pillars, beginning to fire on the Brutes, emboldened by the sight of an apparent Spartan.

Felix dashed aside, hiding behind the nearest pillar as the air exploded in a rush of hot spikes, burning incendiary grenades and crackling rifle fire. "You dumb fucks!" He cried. If he had killed the Captain alone, the could have gone free. The Brutes rushed the troopers, firing wildly into the mass. "Return fire!" The bullets exploded from their rifles, battering the ape's hides. It did little to stop the berserk beasts, leaving them enough time to close the ground. Waving their bladed weapons, the knives slashed a soldier to the security guard's right, spurting blood onto his visor. "NO! Son of a!" With an arm outstretched, the Brute caught him heavily, ploughing him into the marble pillar, cracking the polished stone. Falling lifelessly, a gasp of pain escaped his lips.

Felix backpedalled at an extraordinary rate, turning to run as he saw the man fall. Looking to his belt, he pulled a pin from a grenade, preparing to throw it to the Brutes. "Let's go!" The small explosive left his hand. It spiralled through the air, landing at their feet. As it exploded, he vaulted over a low sofa, propelled by the shrapnel and shockwave. Drawing his sword, he smiled. "What's that? Six against one? Sounds about even to me". Felix dashed forward. He jettisoned violently into the Brute. His sword impaled the alien, leaving its hide coated in blood and viscera. In the blink of an eye, Felix had improved his odds. The Brutes hadn't realised what had happened when Felix twirled in the direction of another. This time, his sword cleft the target from shoulder to hip, dousing the scarlet carpet in blood.

By this point, the Brutes had caught on. Moving behind him, one attempted to grasp his arms and immobilise him. The attempt failed. Felix predicted the move and expertly dodged the grapple. Instead of grasping him, the Brute grasped the blade of the sword. The pain took a moment to reach its brain. The mouth of the beast opened to scream, but Felix jammed the barrel of his rifle into its agape mouth. Pulling the trigger, it tore through the Brute's brain. His opponent keeled backwards, impacting heavily with the ground.

The three remaining Brutes finally took the initiative. Their muscled arms grasped Felix, forcing his armoured knees into the floor. The force of the impact shattered the marble but Felix didn't wince. A Brute, clearly the Captain, picked up a Gravity Hammer, flipping the weapon so the blade faced up. The Brute sounded triumphant. The hammer was raised… Just as it started to bring it down, the wall behind him exploded, sending stone and glass into the Covenant troops. The debris missed Felix, barely. He threw himself backwards, covering his head.

The culprit of the impromptu DIY was the wraith charging into the wall. "I never realised hole in the wall was so literal!" Felix exclaimed, rolling aside to cover. Flashes of plasma eradicated what force stood before them. Marie dashed in, her weapon raised. The now wounded, enraged Captain flung the bladed hammer at Felix. Marie, in a split second, leapt into the air, firing a round which tunnelled through the hammer and passed out the other side, ripping into the skull of the Captain and echoing the crash of a smashed melon. Brains hit the wall like paint.

Felix flinched into a ball, the two halves of the hammer passing beside him harmlessly. "Status?" Marie called out.

"Better than he is" He pointed to a Brute, the remains of which were a pool in the centre of the rug. The Covenant that were just leaving the offices upstairs turned tail and fled into the bowels of the bank. "Well I'll be" Eric said sadly. "We got a friendly here. He didn't make it." This was an understatement. The guard's body armour was meant to protect from small arms fire. What the guard had received was blunt force trauma. The Brute had swung at him with the force of a truck, the blades still buried in his chest. The guard had also been thrown, landing on his chest, aggravating the already deep wound. They wept heavily, pooling the blood around him. Numerous tear and burns from the earlier battle were exemplified now.

Upon the balcony, Felix and Marie were talking with the rescued marines. The ODST introduced himself as Deuce. "I know we have little time, so we need to move quickly. We moved here-"

"To protect them, and had to leave for the HQ"

Deuce stopped for a moment, grunting as he tore through a stuck door. "Well done. The Captain wouldn't pay attention to me, so I told him to go and take whatever he could carry. I stayed to protect these people." Marie helped him with a fallen bookcase, lifting it easily with one hand. She started to talk, in between their pounding footsteps. "So, to be frank, we don't know if they are still alive? I escorted another group to the base of the bank, so there is still hope." She turned to Felix. "accompany this man to the others. I will return to HQ with the Wraith, securing your path." As Felix nodded, she gripped his arm like a vice. "Every single one returns. All."

"If I have to carry them myself." He said sternly. Marie saluted and turned back. With that, they were silent for a time.

Marie and the Wraith packed up, returning again to the HQ. The city was becoming ever direr as the day passed. Buildings crumbled like paper in the wind and the harsh flood of Covenant invaders seemed to grow ever stronger. Only the constant movement of civilians and armed marines gave them any hope. This could turn out well. She knew it could.

The dimly lit hallways of the interior did not match the grand, marble entrance. Dingy corridors, dripping stagnant liquids were their new terrain. Each sound was uncomfortably loud, echoing into the dim gloom. The closer they got, the tenser they became, before at last, they could hear grunts and cries of pain. "They're the floor below. We should surprise them, perhaps, the elevator" Pulling the door open, he retrieved a chemical light from his belt. Lighting it, she tossed it into the endless black of the shaft. Felix smiled. "Mission Impossible eh?" Gripping the broad cable each slid down, one after another, until the bottom floor was packed with their concierge.

Once more, Felix opened the doors, giving the troopers time to open fire onto the shapes in the blackness. As soon as they were gone, he took advantage of the surprise to flank to the right. Spraying from his rifle, he started to warn the others. "Anyone still alive, drop to the floor! We will protect you!" Still the combat raged, the screeches of their guns muffling any other noise. For what felt like hours, they fought. Before long, a sizable group was around him. "Follow me, move quickly and keep your heads down." Multitudes of people, some armed, some not, quickly rushed up through what they had originally moved through with extreme stealth.

On the surface, the sun sank below the buildings. Bursting into the dusk, Felix saw the inferno above. Sparks and glowing orange embers rained down, spattering to the ground. "Marie, I got the guys. We're not gonna be able to make it out of the park. Get the tank back here and we'll get out."

"This is Phoenix 3; I am heading to you now"

"Good. But what about HQ?"

"We have begun evacuation, heading to each of the shuttles. Individually, our arrival shall mark the final escape." Marie packed away her gear and turned back to the path she had travelled so many time tonight. With a disgruntled sigh, the ODST's followed her to Felix and their valuable bounty.

Aboard Sunbreaker, Richard felt the pressure. His arms had seized up from gripping the joystick so tightly, and as his Pelican set down in the hangar for what felt like the thousandth time that day, he was shocked to see Sarah and Ball waiting for him. "Admiral, Commander?"

"Richard. The operation is over, we've failed."

"We did what now?"

"We saved a lot of people, but the forces are too strong. We will evacuate the Lieutenant Commander and move to leave Haven altogether." Ball said discretely. Richard gawped, looking to Sarah for confirmation. She looked down, unable to speak. Eventually, she regained enough composure to say "It's true. We get 2 and bug out."

"But…but what about Marie?"

"Richard, I-3 has to stay behind. The city is too poorly defended for aerial evacuation."

"You're saying-you want to-no! No, I won't do it."

"You'll do as I order!" Ball cried out. In a flash, Richard drew a pistol. His unflinching aim was pointed directly at the Admiral. "Richard. Put that gun down, now, before you do something you regret." Sarah said, her tone unmistakeably threatening.

"Turn the ship around, and go get Marie." He said to Ball, ignoring Sarah. His voice hardly hid the pain he felt. "I said, put the gun down. Now." Sarah moved towards him, her arms raised as non-threateningly as she could. Richard tensed, then rolled the gun into a holster and stormed away to his Pelican. "Where are you going?"

"To rescue my friend!" He replied jetting from the ship as fast he could be carried.

Chapter 14: Towerfall

Inky blackness was now their home, the sun sinking behind the last remnants of the now ruined city. Chances were certain they wouldn't survive the night. "Lads, keep going! Up up up!" Mitchell's mind faded in the numbingly monotonous climb. How had it come to this?

First, they had passed along that same god-forsaken lane, again. The Spartan dragged them across the death-trap and they entered the plaza. More Covenant than he'd ever seen in his life had arrived and cut down Irons immediately. The loss had been made up when they had found Felix and started up the path they were now on. With their only exit blocked by an armada of Covenant, they had ditched the tank and were planning on catching a ride to the frigate from the roof. That meant reaching the roof alive. Only, mid-climb, it had been revealed Ball had abandoned them. Even so, Marie had been insistent they carry on. So they had.

Marie was speaking quietly, still running. Always running. "Richard, what is the situation on the frigate?"

"It's terrible. She's leaving without you. Get to that rooftop."

"Are you certain you will arrive in time?"

"I have to try" From his radio, vicious plasma shells were heard erupting everywhere. Marie held her breath. When he coughed and spoke again, she gasped a joyous breath. "I can make it. I can make it, and the Commander won't leave us both. I know it." He sounded certain enough to her. Then she stopped. "You disobeyed the Commander?"

"I ddint have a choice, Marie. Aaron is another city away, I could rescue you so I chose to"

"You disobeyed orders to save me? Over the others?" Marie felt faint, she leaned against a wall to recover her composure. This wasn't happening. It wasn't right. She hadn't wanted this, this was what Sarah had warned against. The fool! "I'm telling you, I can get you boht. We have time!"

"No, I am telling you! Ordering, in fact. Go save the Lieutenant Commander."

"And leave those people with you? You know they're worth more than orders, Marie." Damn him. Damn him to hell and back, she'd kill him if she ever saw him again. He was right. "Get them out of here." She said quietly, defeated. "Take them, and go get 2."

Eric saw her lagging behind. "Keep up, Spartan. We need you with us." He saw her wave him on, and he looked at the pack of people walking away. He shook his head, calling his men over. The traumatised Mitchell was all he had left. It had been a long time since he had lost men. You never got used to it. "We need to help her up." They each took an arm and tried to raise her. She simply stayed put. He looked at her angrily, and through his anger he didn't realise the slight raising of her head. She had heard something.

That something was revealed to be a swarm of Banshees. The horrible wail of their thrusters carried through the din of the massacre they had called a battle. Now, toxic green energy ripped through the building in a nightmare heat, rivulets of molten steel rushing down the walls like blood. Eric was blindsided by what felt like a printer, and he hit the floor like a stone. Mitchell was unable to comprehend what had happened, seeing the Covenant down the hall firing into the civilians, but not really taking it in. Like so much falling rain.

Bricks falling more like hail than rain shattered his trance when one hit his head with such force it shattered his helmet. "No fucking way!" He held the multitudes of powdery black plastic in his hands. Marie pulled him to his feet. "Go help them!" She pointed at the people in disarray, burning under a torrent of plasma. He tried to reach Felix, sword drawn and elbow deep in a Grunt's gut. At least someone was prepared.

Eric was now conscious again, and aware of being dragged by Marie. He rolled from her grip and looked across the hall. He heard another death wail of bombers, and held back tears as the onrush of rubble sliced open the walls and collapsed their route to his men. "Where do we go?" He lamented, pulling uselessly at the amassed stone. Marie looked around, glimpsing a small bridge spanning across the chasm of the plaza. "There. We should drop a few floors and have direct access to the bridge." She broke the window with a single stomp of her mighty boot, and clambered the pair onto the window cleaning platform. "No fucking way has this held." Eric mumbled, following her. Jacks and Mitchell stared in disbelief, but followed nonetheless.

It rattled worryingly as they descended, dropping a huge distance multiple times, only barely snapping back into place. Just as they emerged onto the bridge, it finally gave way and tumbled down the pit. Evidently, their side-track had been predicted and a trio of Brutes, launched by jump packs, tossed fiery grenades across the bridge. Eric prepared to run through the fierce conflagration. As one foot stepped in, agony burst in his body. His sooty black trouser leg was smoking, the ends glowing like a funeral pyre. Making it across the gap as soon as he could, he lay on the marble, coughing heavily from the murky smoke. Soon after, Marie and the others followed. All of a sudden, a Brute dived through his own diversion, wreathed in flames. "Give me a break!"

The Brute had apparently only been enraged by the fire, even as it torched the fur on its arms. A blow to the chest sent Eric flying to the edge, only holding on with a single burned hand. Marie threw a punch that the alien expertly dodged, tossing her aside. Jacks looked to Eric, who slid his pistol to the exhausted man. Jacks fired off four shots into the stomach of the Brute, who dropped to his knee, bleeding heavily. Mitchell saw the opportunity and leapt onto its back, stabbing at it with his blade. The Brute let out a terrible roar, reaching behind itself to grasp Mitchell. He screamed as two powerful limbs threw him over the Brutes head, slamming him into the floor. Mitchell cracked the marble on impact, the stone breaking loudly. When Mitchell broke too, he was silent. The Brute raised a leg to demolish his skull when Jacks sliced at the Brute with his own spiker.

Once again, a growl erupted from the Brute's throat, stirring Eric to action. His grogginess was abated by the sight of a heavily enraged, bleeding Brute pinning Jacks the floor. "Someone, help me! HELP!" He was silenced when the Brute tore out his throat, bathing himself in the blood now spurting from the gurgling soldier's exposed veins. This victory revitalised the berserker, which charged towards Marie for vengeance. She fired her final shots into the other two orbiting Brutes, when a force like a train smashed her aside. Before it could enact the urge to rip her limb from limb, Felix dove through the flames, his sword in hand. It was dripping with Covenant blood. He added to this by driving it through the Brute's heart, just as it reached Marie. Felix locked in his legs, holding the Brute upright. "As much as I love giving myself back problems, get out of there!" Felix demanded viciously. Marie pulled herself from the impact zone and scooped the battered Eric onto the bridge. As soon as this was done, Felix drew his sword out of the corpse and sheathed it. "Come on!" Felix said urgently, heaving Eric over his broad shoulders, looking for the door at the end of the bridge.

Felix had cleared the room of Covenant while the others had battled the Brutes, but soon more would take their place. "Final stretch!" Stevens grasped the railing tightly, blistering his hand from the heat. He screamed in pain, losing his footing. Felix turned, stopping only momentarily. "Come on! We have to go, before the floor falls out from under our feet!" He desperately shouted, trying to hide his panic. Stevens grunted, pushing himself to his feet. They stumbled meekly along the corridor, finally reaching the stairway to the roof. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see stairs" Felix muttered quietly.

They left the stairwell new men, energised by the thought of an escape. The wide roof was cracked and scarred from war, civilians and soldiers alike littered the open space. They looked defeated. Each and every one. Reaching the bridge that spanned to their destination, a Pelican swooped in, packing away the terrified passengers.

Eric and Deuce were safely aboard, but just as Marie and Felix moved to cross and board, a Banshee flew over, spraying at them. Dropping to the floor, the bridge shook once more. The Pelican's engine spluttered as it left the building, whining from the stress of the sudden departure. "I'll swoop round and pick you up!" Richard promised.

"You're overloaded already. Go, soldier. That's an order!" Marie cried, firing her pistol vainly at the oncoming vehicle. "That's not good!" Felix shouted over the painful noise. The Battlecruiser above them passed overhead, the dull roar drowning out any sound. Once more, the tremors shook the platform. "Marie, I promise you. I'll come back!" Richard said defiantly. "Understood. I hope you do" She added sadly. As she did so, Felix began to fire at the Covenant.

The onslaught of aliens had finally passed through the fire and flames below, ready to exercise genocide on what they thought would be unguarded civilians. Felix was an unforeseen prerogative. Unseen, that was, until he brained a dumbstruck Grunt with the flat of his hand. Then he was very much seen by a kill squad of high ranking aliens. His sword was drawn in no time, his revolver in his other hand, firing diligently at the weaker foes.

The battle raged on for a while, prolonged by their exhaustion and poor equipment. As it seemingly drew to a close, Richard returned with a hail of lead and a triumph cry over the radio. "I told you so!" He swung the vehicle violently, scraping against the roof as he did so. In an incredible siplay of bravery a Special Operations Elite scrabled up the cargo bay mid-roadkill, a hungry sword in it's hand. "Richard, behind y-" Pained screams cut her off, followed by the Pelican sinking, careening towards her. "Richard! No!" she stood on the centre of the bridge, her jaw wide open. The moving missile slammed into the bridge, snapping in two with a horrendous maelstrom of rubble stained ruby red in the ashy glow of the glassing beam.

Felix saw her dive away, and he thought he heard her weep. He then stood toe to toe with an Elite Ultra, the dead piled high. It said something in Sangheili that Marie didn't understand, but Felix obviously did. He nodded, circling the Elite. "Spartan, this sounds crazy, but let this happen."

"What?" She said tearfully, hardly awake.

"Honour demands I duel him. Alone. But if I win, I win his Banshee and we have a ride home." A shockwave spread through the floor, continuing long past its given right. Out all across the city, building started toppling like so many blades of grass. The bridge began to shake, pieces falling rapidly into the chasm below. Marie sobbed, turning to see the mercenary beautifully duelling the Elite. Felix cried out while parrying a blow, stunning the Elite. Taking advantage of this, he pressed on, cutting through the defence of the alien. Until he took a blow to the stomach that felt as if his lungs exploded, and he stumbled back. He returned to the combat the intensity growing as the power of the beams melting the city glowed ever brighter. It was a dark glow, one of death and malice. He wouldn't die here.

Felix stepped away from a punishing blow, slicing the Elite on the ankles. The alien responded by roaring, swinging wildly with it fists and sword. Felix was taken aback by the sudden display of ferocity. He dodged the blow, nimbly rolling aside. This time the Elite saw it coming. It stuck out its sword and caught Felix's. Felix dropped the weapon and slid across the floor. Whilst still in motion, he regained his footing. In a sudden, utterly unexpected move, he raced forward at incredible speed. As he did so, he grasped the hilt of his sword and pulled it in close. The motion happened in less than a second. With this incredible speed, the blow Felix attempted passed through the Elite's guard. It was a heavy, leaping strike. Felix jumped in the air, drawing back his arm as he did so. The thruster on his back powered him through the air. The momentum of the extra speed and his muscled arm thrusting the razor-sharp edge of the sword through the air ended with the blade poking out of the neck of his foe. The dead alien slid from the sword to the floor, viscous blood pooling slowly. If you had blinked you would have missed it.

Luckily, Marie didn't blink. She saw it all, including Felix taking the hilt of the energy sword. He staggered towards her, holding his gut painfully. "I see a banshee" he said smugly

"I see why you're a mercenary" Marie said mournfully. "A pity it wasn't sooner."

"I'm sorry. I really am. He seemed a good man, but if we stay we'll only end up joining him."

The battlecruiser began to fire its main cannon onto the river below. The subsequent effect was that of a major tectonic event. The ground below erupted in a scarlet shower. Plumes of rubble flew into the air, turning to glowing orange liquid glass as they did so. The deluge of scalding debris spread as the beam focused onto the ground. As the pair huddled onto the straining banshee, they building toppled. New Belgrade had fallen.

Chapter 15: Collapse

The Frigate they returned to was no longer the same. A cruiser was bombarding it with heavy plasma shells, tearing through the armour like tissue paper. Marie and Felix both tensed up as they approached, praying to anything they had remote knowledge of that neither side would notice their approach.

Sunbreaker fought on valiantly, but had to flee the battle. Even as they took on ever more fire, the battlecruiser let them run, turning attention to the city being burned. With Felix and Marie unknowingly aboard, Ball jettisoned the frigate to extract anyone left in Novi Sav. It just so happened, a certain Spartan was one of them.

Inside the tower, Aaron ran up floor after floor, utterly exhausted from the exertion and stress of the day. His mind was on overdrive. At last, he was on the final 3 floors. Unfortunately, so were the Covenant. Bursting through the steel door, he was met with a covenant kill squad. Apparently, they had chosen the same building to escape from. If he had made a witty comment, a Hunter tossed him through the wall before the words escaped his lips.

Aaron flew through the air, shattering the solid wall. His shield was immediately broken. It felt like his spine was too. He had lost his shotgun, lost somewhere in the scattered stone. In a pile of rubble, Aaron glared at the gargantuan Hunter, rolling away from its slow swing. Rising, he adopted a combat stance. On the balls of his feet, arms raised. Just as the Hunter threw its body weight towards him, the charge was cut short from a glassing beam hitting just outside. Ramming into the Hunter's chest, he pummelled its soft stomach, tearing the worms making up most of its body into stringy giblets. Collapsing on top of him, Aaron was pinned. He barely heard Sarah saying to him "Phoenix 2, this is Phoenix 1. I am on site for evacuation." Grunting and groaning, he strained his arms, the muscles screaming at him from his challenge. With one last tremendous effort, he pushed off the body trapping him.

Aaron stood up, his hands resting on his knees, panting from exhaustion. He glanced up quickly, cursing under his breath at the sight. He quickly leapt back into combat, his back against the wall he had been thrown through. He peeked around the corner, disgusted at the sight.

Another Hunter, furious from the death of the first was flanked on both sides by high ranking Elites. He shouted defiantly as an Elite was paralyzed by a superb blow to the spine. Tearing the plasma rifles from it's cold hands, Aaron was energised. Plasma bolts ripped through the air, shattering the windows, putting holes in the walls and scarring the room. Aaron broke off quickly, knowing that he had to move. Already the beam was coming closer. He could almost see his death in the blinding glow.

They followed of course, spraying into his body, flickering the shields. He turned on a dime, shattering the empty plasma rifle over the Elite's head. He collapsed like a sack of stones, another obstacle in Aaron's way. He again ran, reaching the floor above when a tremendous thundering sound rang throughout the city. The steel supports creaked worryingly, dust and debris crumbling from the roof. Desks sprayed loose paper and plaster, filling the room and obstructing his view. Pressing on through the maelstrom of chaos, yet more yawns from the building slowed his progress. Finally, the floor gave way.

Heavy concrete tumbled down, crumbling onto the Covenant below. The landslide took everything with it, including both Aaron and the floors beneath. Ahead of him, the window had fallen apart from the tirade, flinging the rubble into the abyss below. Reaching out, a protruding floor strut made a handhold, bending massively from his weight. Lifting himself to the next floor he fought for, an explosion rang out from the open window. Glancing out, a Banshee had collided with the falling rock. Grinning internally, Aaron climbed from his shallow grave.

On top of the building rapidly collapsing, Aaron was waiting the Pelican readily. In the distance, it was merely a speck. The two Phantoms inbound were far more than that. Elites poured from the troop bays, surrounding the lone Spartan. Raising his knife, for the first time ever he wondered how he would get out of this one.

Swinging for the nearest alien, it fell from the force of the blow, letting Aaron steal the plasma pistol it had died holding. Firing at the mass surrounding him, he also stabbed the other Elite in the gut, yanking the blade out awkwardly. Once more, the man was alone to fight the Covenant, relishing the loss of every life, each satisfying swing. Glorious.

Sarah in the Pelican flew above, firing the missiles and chain gun into the Phantoms, ravaging the armour into scrap metal. One crashed onto Aaron's roof, falling into the chasm he himself had escaped from. The other sputtered away, getting mere feet away before detonating in the air. Aaron backpedalled as fast as he could to the hole, baiting the Covenant to him. One charged the lone Spartan, letting him side-step the amateurish move. While he was distracted, the Elite behind him plunged his Energy dagger into his shoulder, narrowly missing the spine. Screaming in agony and burning anger, Aaron tore an arm from its body, spending a moment to savour the gush of blood. The Elite's shocked face stared at him, stunned. It dropped to its knees before him, garbling an insult through its snarling lips. Without a word, he rammed the dagger into its neck. "Phoenix 2, unless you want to die, get on board!" Sarah gasped impatiently. Her angry rant continued as Aaron embarked "I really risked my neck for you on this one. If we die, I'm going to kill you! Riding into a glassing, I have officially lost my mind!" Despite this, their escape was flawless. They reached the frigate alive, which was more than could be said for most.

Something was happening on the surface. Above ground, on solid land, a hurricane was beginning to form. Only, instead of lava it seemd to be fuelled by the spiralling molten crust. It was rushing on, spurred on by the flaming spurts of energy from the Covenant Carriers. "Commander we've got company!" The cry for help was almost blocked out by the sudden wail of the Banshee engines, backed up by the thundering drone of a glassing beam. Aaron popped off two grenades, catching the first Banshee but barely grazing the second. He dropped to the ground as the plasma bolts flew at lightning speed towards him. "Get the ship on Comms, we need support."

"This is Phoenix 1, we require assistance immediately"

"Understood, Phoenix 1. We have little to spare, however-"

"Commander? Bonjour, I can assist with a rifle"

"How the hell did you-"

"Later! Move out of the clouds, and I should be capable of support." Marie said, hurrying to the edge of the hangar.

In the hangar bay of the frigate, Marie and Felix were engaged with the Covenant boarding parties, picking off the brashest attackers. Suddenly, a group of Elites sprinted to her position. Marie fired into one's skull, but was unable to hit the other. The towering menace tackled her, landing lithely on its feet. Marie was stunned by the unforeseen attack. She was sprawled on the floor, utterly lost. She looked up at the Elite who had drawn his Energy Dagger. The blue glow reflected off of Marie's visor into its face, illuminating the bared teeth of the beast. What appeared to be a laugh rolled from its lips, pervading through the air. She seemed done for.

That was, until a flash of light shone from a pistol behind the Elite's skull. Felix ripped a hole in the head of the alien. He lowered his hand to help Marie up, which she graciously accepted. Marie picked up her rifle, aiming down the high magnification scope. The Pelican was trailing plumes of noxious smoke, blocking her view of the banshees following. "You can't take down a banshee with a sniper" Felix advised

"You can't." Marie whispered. The moment an opening appeared, she fired three shots, tearing through the armoured exterior like wet tissue paper. The craft stopped suddenly in mid-air, losing all momentum. It was almost surreal. It then sank like a stone, disappearing from view. The rest of the crew had successfully cleared out the bulk of the Covenant forces in the hangar, and gathered to support Marie. Following her example, the remaining forces blasted the Banshees with heavy fire. Sarah was getting close, but it seemed impossible she could make it. "Her Pelican is looking goosed" Felix remarked

"Hush!" Marie replied, shutting him down quickly. The occupants all sat, watching with bated breath.

The Pelican's thrusters were beeping overwhelmingly. "Thrusters are dead"

"I know!" With the final few metres being a slow glide more than anything, the broken Pelican collided heavily with the already battle-scarred floor, it almost collapsed from the oversized wrecking ball landing. Inside, Sarah had thrown her hands over her face, blocking them from the expected impact. Aaron meanwhile had thrown himself into a chair, the grip he held loosening. Slowly, Sarah lowered her arms, opening her eyes. The shock took over her natural response, with a short giggle, followed by full blown laughter erupting from her mouth. "Ah. Ahaha...Ahahahahah! We're, we're alive! Ahaha!" The outburst died down, giving her the breath needed to unbuckle her harness. Both the Spartans jumped onto the deck, regrouping with Marie and Felix.

Sarah looked at Marie. Her back was hunched and she seemed empty. "What happened?"

"He…He came back for me." She was hardly able to speak. Felix gave her a look of pity, and spoke for her. "He got the civilians out, and when he came back for us, it was all too heavy." Sarah thanked him, glaring evilly at Aaron. She knew he would make some snide remark, and the last thing they needed was infighting. "Marie, hold it together ok? We'll win this somehow, and I want you beside me." She clambered aboard a small crate, bolstering her already considerable height. "Everyone, everyone!" Sarah barked, grabbing their attention.

Not that she didn't already have it. A death defying crash landing tended to do that. "Today has been a difficult ride. We've all lost people, and we'll lose more. What we need to remember is, we can win this. This is our home, and we will take it back. I need you with me, so let's go!" Sarah finished, triumphantly shouting. The crowd cheered, charging into main hallway.

On reflection, Sarah thought, the main access hallway was most likely not the most effective route. This idea came upon her whilst they were pinned down by a gathering Covenant platoon. "Aaron! Can't you think of anything? We need to get out of here!" Sarah was beginning to fray under the pressure. "Negative, Commander. We just need to keep pushing." Aaron suggested. Marie looked at him, the sarcastic look on her face visible even through her visor. "Do you fancy charging into that?" She pointed at the exploding air of the hallway.

Felix looked down at his rifle and remembered. "Spartan, hit this!" He fired a small round from his under barrel launcher, passing behind the fallen crates masking the Covenant. Marie let slip a round that lit the spark, continuing into a terrible pyre of their enemy. It erupted in golden flames, searing the walls black and chewing away at the air in hall. It smothered them in oily smoke and shrill cinders.

She shrieked as she passed into the conflagration. Pummelling any enemies, she encountered, Marie was the first to pass through, her armour scorched to the colour of a morning sunrise. Aaron was soon out after, carrying Sarah on his back, Felix just ahead of him. She was coughing madly, a harsh sound from the sulphuric air. "2, get her out of here!" Marie pointed to the door, raising her sniper. Felix waited with her, his rifle nowhere to be seen. He drew his revolver, fanning the hammer as round after round slammed into the enemy.

A hot plasma grenade rained down on Marie, pushing her into the line of fire. It combusted in a shower of sticky indigo energy, crumbling the edge of the hallway and showering her in circuitry and steel. The massive impact shattered her visor, spraying shards of glass into one eye.

She hit the floor with a thud and splash of fresh blood. It felt like her face was glowing, a shocking pain was all that kept her awake. Awake meant alive. Alive was good. A chattering cry of pure pain rang out. With her broken helmet in her bloody hand, she launched the useless piece of metal into the amorphous mass of the battle. Marie sucked in a deep breath from the pain. Felix slowly backed away, shouting for Marie to follow. She threw a grenade, hissing as it rolled past her target. It tumbled into the fractured wallspace. Upon detonation, the ship shuddered like a wounded animal. Out of the now far larger hole, a steaming jet of gassy fire covered everything. Marie lowered the rifle "Oh, non" she said bluntly. As Felix backed into the bridge he thought he saw what seemed like a bomb.

In an instant, the switch was flicked. Flaming gas ruptured through the canisters it was held in, heating the bomb until it could hold it no longer. By this point, Marie was in the heart of the storm, slammed with the devouring flames. When the bomb detonated, it was an all-consuming bang. The ringing ran out of his ears, and he was left in the foetal position. After this, silence.

In the next room, Aaron heard the raucous racket and sighed. Felix shot up, pounding on the doorway. "Get this open!" He spat at a Marine. Shoving Felix roughly aside, Aaron said to him stiffly "She's gone. We will be too if you go out there." Felix pulled away, he pounded on the steel, drawing his scimitar to split the seams.

The door opened a small amount, before Aaron pulled the thick steel open. Entering the newly created Ground Zero, he saw the destruction. The floor had collapsed, sinking down into the interior of the ship. The cavernous gash was still burning in many places. Marie was laid below; almost peaceful in her death. Dropping down to her corpse, Aaron lifted her limp form, climbing the gradual slope. For the last time, he passed through the doors, Felix dragging him in.

Laying Marie down and letting Sarah sit against a wall, he leant to close her blackened, bloody eye when she snapped up "Merde! What's going on? Mon dieu, I feel ill." Marie was confused and felt her face tingling. Felix let out a pent-up breath, shocked at her resilience. "What changed your mind?" he asked Aaron

"The fact you wouldn't change yours." He said grimly "Are you operational?"

"Oui" Marie's crawling skin on her face made her concerned. She played it off as a little burn. "How'd I look?" Sarah grinned at her tiredly.

"Super-hot. Like dynamite". Leaning back, she coughed up a small amount of blood. Aaron put an arm on her shoulder, supporting her. "Ok, the bridge is through this door. A few more steps."

Chapter 16: End of the Line

Inside the bridge, everyone was finished. Marie was in a furious debate with Jean, ignoring her fresh, weeping wounds. "But we have 3 Spartans! Why would we run from our foes now? You cannot do this, we are in the heat of battle! We must act now!" Jean replied tiredly "The planet is lost. Everyone is gone. It's only us, so heroics will only get us killed. I can't lose 3 icons, Spartan. You are heroes." Interrupting her, Felix laughed grimly.

"This isn't about heroes, it's about action. If we run, we'll only get others killed. This is damage control." Jean was visibly upset by this, as were many of the crew, who returned their work with significantly less vigour. "You are not helping!" Jean hissed

"Oh I'm sorry! Would you rather I offer soft words and a shoulder to cry on? No, we need to hear the truth." Felix replied viciously. Marie brought the conversation back to its original point "So what shall we do?"

Felix's reply was instantaneous. "Go out there and kick ass."

"There is a little more to it than that." Marie said gloomily.

"Enough!" Sarah glowered at them all. "We have a Covenant force right outside our door, it is only a matter of time before we are blown to smithereens and you are arguing about morale? We are on a one-way trip, we all knew that when we put on this helmet. Admiral, we can dent the Covenant here, so long as we remain focused. The door will come down soon, and we must decide if we will face what we see with fury or acceptance."

They took places around the bridge, sorting their defence. "Anything could come through the door to assault us, we must hold our ground. We have nowhere to run." Sarah was briefing the ragtag groups of sailors, marines and Spartans. "I ain't sure we can hold against what we're gonna meet." Deuce said disappointedly

"Deuce, isn't it?" Sarah said, pulling him aside and dismissing the others "Deuce, pull it together? You might be a machine, but the others haven't given up hope yet"

"I'm the machine? Check yourself, Commander. I know." He stared at her, peering into her soul. She shuddered under his gaze. "Look, Spartan, I'll point my gun and shoot it where you tell me, and I'll carry a man until I can't walk, but don't ask me to have hope."

"Well don't kill it for anyone who's so lucky to be more positive than we are." Sarah snapped back, furious at what even she realised was a hopeless situation. Surprisingly, Deuce took it as an order and nodded, walking away to his position and raising his rifle. The group was arranged in a semi-circle behind the consoles and useless equipment in the bridge, ready for the most important fight of their lives so far.

The steel bulkheads buckled in the centre, a violent crashing sound on the other side. The ship shook heavily as each blow landed on the thick door. The brunt of the force seemed to be absorbed. The group let out a collective sigh of relief and lowered their weapons slightly. They would hold.

Until they didn't. Not moments after they let down their guard than did the doors fly inward at a speed to rival a fighter jet. One missed Marie slightly, and the other crushed a Marine into a wall. Two Hunters followed the doors in, raising their shields to cover their advance. Aaron was stunned by the first assault, but quickly regained his composure. He stepped toe to toe with one of the Hunters, unwavering in his courage. The Hunter stepped into a large swing, bringing its shield down onto where Aaron had been stood. He slid under the attack, facing the Hunter's back. His shotgun barrel exploded in hot fire, and the stringy Hunter exploded in gluey orange pus. It screamed in pain, flailing around to catch him. It was to no avail; the damage was done.

Meanwhile, the other soldiers were blindly firing into the hallway, screams of pain erupted in between the echoing sounds of bullets. Seconds passed, feeling like hours. Aaron was sent tumbling through a central display screen by the second Hunter. It was clearly grief ridden at the loss of its brother. Aaron felt no remorse. He dragged himself to his feet and began to fistfight with the Hunter. All the soldiers, Human and Covenant alike stopped to watch this unthinkable event.

Strong as he was, Aaron knew the odds. If he didn't keep up the attack, he'd be overpowered. So, without his shotgun, he decided to punch the Hunter. As it turned out, it made sense why no one had tried that before. The blow Aaron had prepared would kill a charging bull.

It simply made the Hunter flinch. Fast as a flash, he leapt aside, rolling to his feet. He charged into the Hunter from behind, tackling the enormous beast to the ground. His muscles almost ruptured as he pinned down the alien. "Kill it!" He gasped between laboured breaths. Felix complied, deftly weaving through the mess of the control room to the thrashing, restrained Hunter.

He drew his sword and thrust through the solid helm of the beast. The armour cracked like glass, it let out an ungodly howl of agony and a spasm, until it finally stopped moving. Felix was on his feet first, amidst the now resumed warzone. Aaron was sprawled out on the floor, barely conscious. Felix offered a hand, which Aaron graciously accepted.

Back on his feet, Aaron was lost. His head was on a swivel looking for his shotgun. Deuce had placed a foot on it, kicking the weapon to Aaron, who graciously snatched it into his hands. He pumped it, reloading behind a low wall. He peeked over, firing into the horde that awaited.

Marie was doing the same, firing as quickly as she could. They just had to hold. An Elite was right in her sights, just as it disappeared from view. As did everything else. "What happened?" She couldn't see, but the fighting was obviously still as extreme.

"Power may have gone. If they shut off the reactor, that means…" The marine stopped as they all felt the ship begin to tilt. Flashing red lights erupted, blaring alarms, amplifying the already extreme noise. Marie could almost see again, but for how long? "If we've got no lights, that means no power!" Marie stated.

"We know!" Deuce replied, firing his rifle "Hold on to something!"

"We sure as shit can't jump start it." He was right. They were pinned. There was nothing they could do.

The Frigate was sinking rapidly, moments away from crashing into the ground and stranding them on the now Covenant occupied Haven. Felix didn't miss the chance to be snide. "Any last words?". As Sarah opened her mouth to bite back, the ship rocked one last time, and the world ceased to exist

Far above the land, the Covenant Supercarrier observed the now shattered Sunbreaker. The ship was spread out across the ground, embedded in the boggy landscape. The scorched grey exterior was crumpled like a sheet, exposing areas of the interior. The bridge was clear to see, the glass utterly shattered. The engines still spurted with remnants of flame, as did the guns. The entire ship was a broken shell of its former self.

"Shipmaster! The humans are stranded!" A pilot growled

"Perfect. We shall smite the humans. But first, we must slay the demons. They are mighty warriors, but they stand in the path of the Great Journey. So much has been lost, and yet we still prevail! Many of the ancient artefacts have been claimed here, and they must be punished for desecrating our holy site with their filthy footsteps!" The Shipmaster turned to leave the bridge. "Ready my Phantom. I will deal with them myself."

Back down on Haven, they began to stir. Felix slipped out from the alcove, a shower of sparks illuminating the dead bridge. Jean was propped up against the cracked console. Another crew member sat near the door, clutching a stomach wound. His friend cradled him, weeping until he stopped breathing. Everyone was battered and bloody. The group were in a debate. "We can't stay here, it's not safe!" Marie pleaded

"Where can we go? Everywhere is burning or glass." Sarah replied ruefully "It's hardly like we have a battalion to go to war."

"You might not be far off." Deuce muttered.

"Go on." Aaron said inquisitively.

"Cruisers and Frigates fled without waiting to be fully loaded. There's still people here. Some cities have significance to the Covenant, or at least what they're built on does. Like Native American burial grounds and shit." Deuce paused to see how they reacted. "If we find some beacons in the ship, gather whoever survived and hide somewhere, we can send out a distress and gather up whoever's left."

They mostly nodded, but Sarah asked "How do you know all this stuff?"

"I paid attention."

"Sure about that?" Sarah asked. He didn't reply, but she was certain he was hiding something. "Yeah I'm sure. Now if you'll follow me, I'm building an army." He stormed into the eerie hallway, flanked by most of the soldiers. Sarah stared him down angrily, Marie and Aaron like statues by her side. "You won't get far without us."

"And you won't get far stood in a ruined bridge."

"Ever heard of respect? Chain of command?"

"What you gon' do? Court martial me?"

"I could just shoot you. Get Felix to do it, I'm sure I'd be able to talk him into it."

"You threatenin' me, Spartan?"

"I'm making a point."

"Well my point is, we're all gonna die unless we do something. Now, chain of command or not, I have a plan. Maybe you're too stuck up your ass to listen, but I know it'll get more done than you ever will."

Sarah glowered, thinking back to Derek. His incredible plan had gotten him killed. Only, Deuce was right. They would die either way. Eventually, she caved and waved him on. "Let's get moving." Everyone now followed, minus Felix, who looked out over the bog.

"I'll pass on that."

"Excuse me?"

"I like being alive, honestly. I'll find my own way out that won't get me killed." Felix limped heavily to the edge of the bridge. The drop was severe, but just as he moved to leap, Marie burst from the rear of the Spartans, pushing Aaron aside. "So that's it then?!" She said furiously, a note of betrayal entering her voice "You're leaving?"

"You got that right" Felix applauded sardonically as he said this.

"After all that you said about not being a liar? You can't run forever. Sometimes you have to stand your ground."

"Stand your ground, and tell me how that goes for you. I'll go my own way." Felix concluded, jumping from the ship. Marie turned her back in disgust. "Son of a bitch. Should we go get him?" Sarah asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll die before we do. He isn't worth the bullet."

The trek through the ship was a depressing one. There was no light, so they resorted to the lights on their guns to see where they were going. The long hallways were desolated and crooked, with open panels and bent walls. Sometimes, a crack of light poked through the damaged hull. Only for a moment. Then, they descended back into darkness.

A door blocked their path. "We don't need this today" The sole Marine said, laying down his rifle. "Damn right" A crewman agreed, sighing as he sat down. The remaining two nodded their agreeance and sat in the opposite corner.

"Not now, any of you" Marie snapped, checking the perimeter.

"Aaron, check for another route. If it's too impractical, I'm sure we can pull it open. For now, everyone rest up. We'll be back on our feet soon" Sarah announced, leaning against the wall. "Understood Commander." Aaron said quietly

The crewman and marine were sat together. "So, what's your name?" The Marine said, breaking their silence. "It's Dean. Sam Dunn" The crewman replied.

"Funny, never pegged you as a Sam" He mused "I'm Connor. Connor White"

"You look like a Connor" Sam said kindly, peering at the marine

"How can you tell? If it wasn't dark enough, I think if I got anymore scars and filth on my face, you'd never wash it off" Connor replied jokingly.

"Amen to that" Sam laughed "If I had the choice, I'd marinate myself in a hot shower until I looked like a prune"

"I think I've got blisters in places I didn't know I had" Connor said. He quickly snatched up his rifle when the other two crewmen came over. "The boss says we have to move, so get your act together Petty Officer" He said gruffly.

"Of course, Lieutenant" Sam replied quickly. "Come on, let's go"

"Huh, funny. You outrank me" Connor said quietly "I'm barely punching out of Lance Corporal". Sam looked surprised but kept quiet.

Sarah stared at the door, and Aaron, stood beside her, stared too. It was a bulkhead, but damaged at the seams. they'd turned up no alternative, so they had to go through. It clearly had no power but it hadn't buckled yet. "2, you get the centre. Marie, you get the left, I'll take the right" Sarah ordered, taking her position. They all knelt down and gripped the lower part of the door. "Heave!" Sarah groaned, pushing the door. It began to rise, making a racket. She roared from exertion, her muscles screaming at her to stop. They held it at halfway. "Okay, go!" Sarah said. The Lieutenant Commander passed, through first, pushing a crewman back. "Hey!" Marie began, but as she shifted her weight the door slipped and dropped. "Go!" Sarah shouted, trying to hold the door. The attempt failed, and Marie pushed her back as she and Aaron barely escaped the door as it slammed down.

Sarah coughed heavily as the dust spread from the impact. "Status report!" She barked. "Doesn't look good Commander!" Connor announced.

"I'm up, so is Reyes" Sam said weakly. He pulled up Reyes, who was heavily dazed. They peered through the darkness for the others. "Where's the Captain? And the other Spartans?" Reyes asked.

"That's what I intend to find out" Sarah said "Phoenix 2, Phoenix 3, this is Phoenix 1. Is anyone there? Marie? Anyone?"

"Affirmative, Commander. 3 is assisting the Lieutenant Commander"

"Oh, thank God. Can we open the door again?" Sarah asked

"I don't think so. I think we busted it last time" Aaron replied, inspecting the bottom of the door. Sarah sighed and backed away from the door. She was thinking deeply. "Okay, I have a plan. Can you still get to that radio?"

"Of course, but how would we get it to you?" Aaron said inquisitively

"That's where the plan has changed. Get that radio, then hoof it to sub section B. There's a major hole, which we can pick you up from. There has to be a Pelican on this wreck, right?" Sarah didn't sound confident, but Aaron agreed to relay the plan to the others.

On the opposite side of the door, Aaron readied his shotgun. The light from his shotgun was weak, but it was enough to lead them. "Stay between us sir" Marie said warily

"Don't order me around soldier" The Lieutenant Commander pulled away from her touch.

"The name is Deuce sir, and I suggest you let the Spartans take point while I watch the rear. Of course, if you want to lead the pack, by all means do so" Deuce replied sarcastically

"That won't be necessary" The LC said, furious at being humiliated. He gripped his pistol tightly and moved into the centre of the group.

The squad moved on through the gloomy, empty hallways. Their footsteps echoed loudly through the silence, the only sound to their ears. That was, until they heard screams. "Help! Help us! Please, somebody help us!". The voice was accompanied by a raucous banging. "Troopers! We're coming to help!" Marie shouted out, following the sound of the screams. As she ran along, she stumbled across a Marine propped up against a wall. "Am I dreaming, or is that a Spartan?" She asked deliriously.

"No dream, solider. I'm Lieutenant Marie, here to rescue you"

"Must be my lucky day, not every day you're carried to safety by a Spartan. Especially not one as fine as you!" the marine said happily. Marie laughed, a genuine laugh. She flashed her gleaming teeth and spoke quietly "Don't flatter me! I don't even know your name and you're already trying to seduce me!"

"It's Ruby, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do have a soft spot for the French!" Ruby said jokingly.

"If you lead me to your friends, and we make it out of this, I might just let you talk about your soft spot over some nice wine" Marie said, ignoring the shame in her heart. So soon after Richard. It was support, nothing more. She was making Ruby feel hope.

Ruby's comrades had had been in an access corridor when a gantry had fallen and trapped them in a ladder shaft. Coolant had leaked below, and was rising rapidly. The two marines were clinging to the ladder to avoid falling into the icy liquid, but they couldn't move the blockage. "Lieutenant Commander, get over here!" Marie shouted, placing Ruby down. "I'm going to get your friends out of there, don't move!". Ruby nodded her understanding, and raised a pistol to watch the entryways.

Aaron arrived with Deuce and the LC soon after. "Sitrep?" Aaron asked

"Trapped and injured Marines. Deuce, get Ruby some medical attention, Aaron help me with this!" Marie said, pointing at the gantry. They gripped it and tried to lift it. The attempt failed, and only served to infuriate the observing LC. "We cannot afford to waste time here!" He persisted, continuing as the Spartans tried to lift the rubble.

Meanwhile, Deuce had found a medical kit on the wall. "What's the problem?" He asked, opening the case. "I got shot in the leg, lower stomach and I can barely raise my arm" She replied, pointing out the injured areas as she spoke. Deuce nodded, then paused for a moment. "I…I hate to ask this, but may I?" He asked, pointing at her trousers.

"Oh please, I won't be blushing" Ruby sarcastically said, attempting to undo the button. Deuce helped, and pulled them down slowly, wincing as Ruby moaned in pain as the fabric ran over the bleeding, sensitive flesh.

It didn't look good. A perfect hole was through her leg, an inch wide. "Looks like a Needle Rifle, it went all the way through" Deuce observed, taking out a medical needle. "For the pain" He said reassuringly. Removing the covering, he jabbed the syringe into her skin. Immediately she stopped shaking as violently. "Now, for the biofoam" Deuce said, placing the nozzle in the bloody crevice. The pink foam entered the impact region, and fused it together. Ruby screamed in agony as this happened, panting as Deuce pulled up her trousers and redid the cover. "I thought you said that was for the pain!" She cried

"It was" Deuce said absent-mindedly. He began to remove her body armour, and restarted the process on her now exposed stomach. By the time he was finished, colour had begun to return to her cheeks. "Biofoam is a new thing. It helps keep you alive until you can find proper medical attention. Now, you should be able to put weight on it".

Ruby stood and walked confidently up to where the Spartans stood, panting exhaustedly over the gantry. The coolant was almost at the soldiers, and they had made no progress. "Steve, Kyle! We'll get you out! I promise! Lieutenant Commander Hawke, help us!" Ruby said, grasping at the gantry. "It's no use" Deuce said quietly "Don't put any strain on that wound, it'll open again"

"Finally! Someone who sees sense!" Hawke said exasperatedly "Now, soldiers, I am ordering you to follow me and retrieve the beacon!"

"You don't outrank me. I don't take orders from you." Aaron said indignantly

"Admiral Ball made arrangements for me to receive a battlefield promotion in the event of her passing. As the highest-ranking officer present, I order you to leave and retrieve the beacon!" Hawke reached a shout as he finished. Aaron rose, extending to his full height, towering far above Hawke. "You could be lying. Deuce had it right, chain of command isn't something we can rely on right now."

"How can we leave these troopers?" Marie asked

"He said it himself, there is no hope! Take it up with your Commander if you are so inclined!" Hawke ordered, marching for the door. The remaining soldiers looked around and reluctantly followed, wincing at the screams of the troopers. Eventually they were silent, and the team was returned to the abyss.

Sarah was running into the final hangar when Connor shouted "Commander! We need to slow the pace! They can't possibly keep up!" Sarah slowed, turning to face the band. They had accumulated three more Marines, drenched in blood and too traumatised to speak. "I know, soldier. We must keep moving, the others are waiting on us." Sarah replied guiltily.

"Sam and Reyes are exhausted. I am too. We can't keep up." Connor said reluctantly. She paused for a moment, saying just loud enough for them to hear "This has been a tiring day, but come dawn…We will be risen again." Her remark seemed to resonate with the battered band, as they picked up their pace and entered the hangar in new spirits.

It was a gargantuan space, filled with an array of storage racks. Only hours ago, they had been lined with many craft. Now, only two remained. The shabbiest had sunk into the floor, smoking heavily. The black smog smothered the air, so they couldn't see the ceiling. Everything else was either a matte grey or stained black from fire or smoke. It would have been a depressing sight, if not for; "Zeta-277. Nice" Sarah mused, climbing aboard the Pelican. "Sam, is it? Can you fly a Pelican?"

"Affirmative Commander, but I'll need Reyes as a co-pilot" He said.

"Understood. You two, prep for launch. Connor, get our friends strapped in, and then man the back gun. I'll search for any extra munitions in the hangar. We'll need all the help we can get."

Aaron and the others were uncomfortable with the decision to leave the troopers, but no one spoke of it. No one spoke at all. Throughout the journey through the skeleton of the Sunbreaker. Until they reached the beacon. "It's smaller than I expected" Marie said simply.

"Of course it is. It is meant to be portable" Deuce said distractedly as he ran for the small black box. It was about the size of the average book. Beside it sat an antenna, which plugged into the rear of the box. Whilst Deuce was pre-occupied with the beacon, Aaron scanned the room. "Have we got what we came for?"

"We sure did." Deuce smiled. He glimpsed up, and it grew ever wider.

Hawke had unveiled what appeared to be munitions cache. There was an array of experimental and tested weaponry. Rocket launchers, frag grenades, Spartan Lasers, and some gear none of them had ever seen. "We hit the motherlode" Deuce muttered, picking up as much as he could carry. The others followed suite, arming themselves for the war that awaited. When they had picked up everything there was to carry, they turned around to leave the ship.

The squad exited into a low sub section, the hull gashed like a dying animal. It was dark outside, owing to the smoky air and blood red sky. The hellish view was pocked by terrible sights, and their jaws collectively dropped. Outside the ship, four Covenant Phantoms hovered. Below them, a single Scarab walker was waiting, fully manned and aiming to kill. The display of force was nothing compared to the fear the lone Elite stood before them instilled. He oozed hatred, and Aaron knew something had to be done.

"Get to the hangar, take the beacon and get out of here." Aaron leapt from the gantry and strode towards his foe. Marie picked up her sniper and aimed to fire. As she grasped the weapon, the Scarab charged up its cannon. Letting go, the walker powered down the gun. "I understand." She whispered to herself. "Lieutenant Commander, Felix said something about honour, the Elite wants to beat us one on one. If we should fail, the walker will exterminate us."

"Understood 3. Get out of here, that's an order."

Aaron continued to the Elite. He called Sarah, hurrying to resolve the situation. "Commander, we have a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Sarah asked

"Scarab and four Phantoms. I'm facing a Zealot, the others are on their way. I recommend immediate exfil."

"Negative 2, were getting everyone out of here."

"Too late for that." Aaron murmured before shutting off the link to Sarah.

The two foes stood opposite one another. The boggy, filth ridden surface had yet to be turned to glass. Aaron had sunk into the muddy ground. The rain continued to pelt down, gathering in puddles of stagnant water beside them. He raised his shotgun. The Elite barked in its own tongue, making a positive sound when he dropped the gun and slipped his knife from the sheath. The Elite nodded and drew its Energy sword. Taking up a combat stance, Aaron prepared to duel not just for his own, but everyone's life.

The Elite raced forward to strike, lunging at Aaron. Aaron rolled aside from the blow and swung the blade at the Elite, who deftly arched his back to dodge. A sudden strike to the side of the chest turned the battle against the Elite, who didn't expect such an attack. Rolling backwards, the Elite panted from exertion as it and Aaron began to circle again. This time, Aaron struck first. Seeing an opening on its wounded side, he swung the blade there, anticipating the Elite to block. It never got chance, as Aaron instead pirouetted for the opposite side, drawing blood from the slash. The Elite roared in pain and fury, lashing out at Aaron with all his force.

The blows broke his guard, sending him tumbling backwards. Laid on his back in the mud, Aaron was vulnerable. He attempted to escape the attack the Elite had prepared, and managed to keep his life, if not his blade. The Elite, sensing advantage it had gained, pressed the attack. It swung wildly, leaving Aaron to parry the wild, savage attacks. Suddenly, Aaron brought a swift knee into the Elite's jaw. He followed up this unexpected move by smashing his head into the helmeted head of the Elite, making a sickening crunch.

The Elite was stunned enough for Aaron to disarm him, sending the still glowing blade into the water, where it steamed in the puddles. The battle seemed won, until the Elite, with unseen speed swept Aaron's leg from beneath him. The Spartan was raised high into the air by the Elite, who brought him down onto his outstretched knee. His spine cracked agonizingly, and he rolled dimly down into the slurry.

The momentarily paralyzed Spartan was face down in the mud. His arms were outstretched, twitching in pain. He was defeated. Shock kept Aaron's eyes open, long enough to see the Elite stride towards him. He felt his eyes close as his head was gripped. The sound of an Energy Dagger activating all but sealed his fate. Aaron accepted his death.

Sarah saw the battle occur, riding the Pelican to the battle. "What are we looking at here?" She asked to Sam.

"I see uh, four Phantoms and a Scarab" Sam said carefully, watching the dials on the Pelican.

"Here's the plan. Get a channel open to the soldiers down there. Strafe over the Phantoms, fire missile pod one on the first, pod two on the second." She moved into the troop bay and made a soldier shoulder a launcher. "Connor, for this at the third until it explodes, three or four rockets should do it. Then, the fourth, fire on him with the rear .50 and get him following you" Sarah walked as she spoke, motioning as she moved.

"But what about the Scarab?" Reyes asked

"Leave that to me" Sarah vaguely replied, grapping a grenade belt.

The Elite stared at his prize, victory in his eyes. His mandibles opened, ready to roar in victory. They closed suddenly as a purple blade rested under its chin. "Drop him" Felix said in Sangheilli.

"I will claim my victory" The Shipmaster replied. "You dare stop me?"

"If you leave him be, you get the chance at both of us." Felix reasoned. The shipmaster grunted, but still slipped Aaron back into the dirt. He recovered his swords, and the duel with Felix began.

The Pelican loosed a pack of wailing rockets, destroying the first Phantom. It hummed feebly, sinking through the thick air and smashing open the joint of the Scarab. The Pelican veered above the catastrophe, and Sarah leapt onto the walker. She landed on the upper gun of the Scarab and waved out into the mist for Marie. She barely recognised the once glamorous Spartan. She was covered in layers of grime and filth, her face scarred from the fire. Once Sarah knew she had been seen, she raised the grenade belt, waving it until Marie nodded and raised her sniper. "Not yet!" Sarah mouthed, and again Marie nodded, running to help Aaron.

The final Phantom was all that remained, chasing the Pelican daringly. It dodged many of the munitions thrown at it, but still couldn't kill the Pelican. Sarah hailed the radio, "Get that Phantom over here soon. When this Scarab blows, we can kill two birds with one stone." Sliding down the smooth purple exterior, Sarah entered the Mining Scarab from the upper platform. Firing into the crew, she garnered the attention of the Pilots. The duo of scarlet clad warriors drew weapons to slaughter their foolish foe, and raced out to meet her. They emerged to find her standing on the upper platform waving at Marie. She laid the belt of grenades on the gun, and leapt from the Scarab.

Shooting a belt of primed explosives on a motionless platform was child's play for Marie. The challenge would be timing it to kill the Phantom, and not their own escape vehicle. Eventually, the Phantom passed by the walker, and Marie let slip a round. It exploded instantly, vaporising both Elites and the Pelican's pursuer. A chain reaction of plasma explosions leapt into the air, splitting open the hull and shattering the almost peaceful blackness of night.

Sam brought the Pelican down near the burning wreck of the Scarab. He dashed to help the others aboard. First was Hawke, who strapped himself into the seat and watched as the others struggled on. Deuce sat on the edge, firing into the Covenant reinforcements. Ruby had passed out by the time she sat in the seat. Sarah and Marie clambered aboard together, leaving only Felix and Aaron on the ground. Before anyone could react, Sam had dismounted the Pelican to get Aaron. "Sam! Sam! Get back!" Connor shouted, moving to follow. Sarah grabbed his arm, saying "Remain here, keep the engines hot!"

"No one will move a muscle! I am the commanding officer, and I am ordering you to take of Reyes!" Hawke mustered all his courage to shout above Sarah, who glared at him.

"I have command here."

"Since Ball left my promotion as a standing order in the event of her death in action, I assumed command! And why aren't we moving soldier?!" Hawke asked

"Engines need to warm up sir!" Reyes lied, ignoring the growing tension in the bay. Sarah marched to Hawke and gripped him fiercely. "If this ship leaves on your order, I will butcher you living. Do you understand? A naval officer has no place co-ordinating a guerrilla insurgency. Reyes, remain here until I order otherwise."

Aaron had rose, limping along to the Pelican. Sam was under his arm, trying to support the immense weight, futile as it may be. As he clambered aboard, Sam went back for Aaron's shotgun. Picking up the weapon, alongside his bloody dagger, he tossed it all aboard. Behind him, the Shipmaster had gained the upper hand on Felix. Seeing Sam in the open, he turned and swiped the man aside with his sword. "Sam!" Connor screamed, dragging himself past the others to the door. "Get him on board!" Sarah joined the shouting, but the Pelican had taken off anyway. Covenant fire tore into the hull. A swarm of Banshees was on the horizon, firing wildly at the Pelican. They mostly missed, but the Supercarrier above them was turning to follow them "We have to go! Now!" Deuce cried, pulling Sarah away from the door.

The Pelican rocked from the force of the impact as Banshees followed them. Marie fired wildly with her sniper, as did Connor on the chain gun. "We have to turn back!" Connor shouted to Reyes. "Negative! We can't go back!" Reyes shouted back, fighting the controls to stay aloft. "Reyes, take us to the BXR facility. No Covenant will expect us there." Deuce said calmly, watching the debate in the cargo bay rage.

Chapter 17: Welcome to the Jungle

They still had not reached a conclusion when they reached the shadowy facility. The grim landscape was untainted by the Covenant invasion. The ridge above reached into the cloud layer, its whitewashed surface battered by years of inclement weather. Low down was a ship making yard. A dry dock. "What is that?" Reyes asked

"That. Is Giant's Shadow. A ship yard. Technically it doesn't exist. They were designing a prototype ship here. Infinitum, or Aeturnum. Along those lines. I chose it as a staging ground because of the material deposits and the hidden nature" Deuce said, staring into the distance as they were swallowed up by the shadow. "How did you know it existed?"

"You pick up on things." Deuce again fell silent, and they simply watched as they entered the newest frontier of the war.

When they made ground, they headed inside to mask themselves. Ruby and the wounded were doctored in a quiet corner, while the others discussed the future. "Where do we go from here?" Marie asked quietly. Deuce tinkered with the beacon, Aaron fiddled with his weapon and the others just ignored her. "I'm glad to see we have such positive thinkers."

"What would you have us do? Fight back?" Hawke spat "We are a group of perhaps fifteen. Across the planet we have access to likely five hundred able bodied people, at best."

"Facing what seems like a god damn fleet." Connor said sadly "They've got it all. Corvettes, Battlecruisers, a Supercarrier. What do we have?"

"What they'll never expect" Sarah looked up jovially. "We've got ingenuity."

She sat them down beside a table, eager to spill her thoughts. She has been thinking, about everything. All that they had sacrificed for what seemed to be nothing, when it dawned on her. They were doomed here, no question about it. Mutual destruction was all they could hope for. The benefit was, the Covenant had something to lose. "Are we all familiar with the Vietnam War?"

"Of course" They nodded.

"Excellent. A small militia successfully drove off the US, a far superior force. We're going to have to utilise guerrilla warfare, but not how they expect."

"Commander this is insane. No regulations have ever condoned something like this, and I find it ridiculous to even-" Hawke protested.

"Were you present when Sergeant Major Derek sacrificed himself in an unsanctioned plan, destroying a CAS carrier?"

"I was." Hawke stammered.

"Then listen to me: I don't want to order you to do this, but we have no choice. I won't spare you the truth, we are doomed. All I hope, is that we bring about the destruction of some of our attackers."

"Are you suggesting what I think, Commander?" Marie said fearfully.

"A suicide mission. Yes."

Marie sank back, stunned completely. "Sarah, have you lost your mind?"

"Lieutenant, watch yourself" Aaron said sharply "I agree with the Commander. We all die anyway, so we might as well take some of the bastards with us. The question is, how?"

"They'll expect a ground assault" Deuce remarked, evidently finished with the beacon. "That means we need to take to the sky."

"With what? What do we have that can fly, or hope to crack their shields?" Hawke asked disbelievingly. Deuce smiled "We have nothing. But they, have something perfect for the job."

Deuce rolled put a paper map, marked with red dots across the hemisphere. "That's Haven. And that's where we…" Marie petered out, and chuckled. "I'll be."

"This is Haven, like you said. It's also a map of what ONI calls Forerunner sites, which Phoenix was so lucky to uncover. We stripped them to apply tech to the ship being built here, but the planet got torched before it could be finished. I think it's why the Covenant came out in such force."

"It does have significance to them." Sarah realized. "How?"

"Religion, we think. So the CSO arrived to soften us up, and store some real heavy mining gear. If I'm correct, one of those is docked on the planet, ready to excavate whatever they need."

"You want us to sabotage it?" Connor asked.

"No, I want us to steal it."

And so, they waited. Healing, grieving, and waiting. Most of all, waiting. Over time, they arrived. Hundreds. ODST's, Marines, Army Troopers. Even some Civilians. They were all there. Ready, and waiting for war. A week passed, and they were ready. Confident enough that they would have enough for what was planned. So, Sarah had to address them. She'd have to lie, but that wasn't important. What was important, was that she had enough soldiers to take the fight back. She just needed to take after Aaron, and put the mission first.

Her 'stage' was prepared, and she marched out to meet the horde. "People of Haven. I'm sure you are aware of our unfortunate position, and poor outlook. I assure you, with your help, we can march on the Covenant and take back our planet. Follow me, and I promise you, we will have revenge." They cheered. It hadn't been a good speech, but it hadn't needed to be. They were desperate, and it sounded good to them. "We ride out today. Head out to the rear facility, and get yourselves ready for what's to come."

She entered the room again, and looked at Hawke. "Fetch the originals." This meant Aaron, Marie, Deuce, Connor, Reyes, Ruby and Stevens, who had managed to survive the crash. He had been evacuated upon arriving, and the Pelican never reached the escape cruiser, so set down and waited for help. Now, he was fuelled by only desperation and survivors guilt.

They were stood in a small horseshoe in front of her, waiting for her first move. "Second speech" Sarah began, hoping to break the ice. "I'm sure you all know this, but we are FUBAR. I had to lie to those people, and I don't intend to do so again."

"How are they going to help?" Stevens asked. He'd only recently been informed of the plan. Sarah looked and said darkly "They have to remain at ground, to relieve enough pressure for us to secure the cruiser."

"So they're cannon fodder?" Connor asked

"Yes" Aaron cut in "We all are. None of us are going home, so make some peace with that. We three, we learned to die a long time ago, but you're going to need to be brave for this."

"Alright. Cannon fodder." Deuce clarified. "How so?"

"You located the mining cruiser, well done. The gravity lift to the hangar will be heavily defended, and to prevent reinforcements hemming us in or preventing us boarding, we need a force to spread their attention." Sarah explained,

"Which means they will divide into four detachments, and each focus on a separate facility. One, bolstered by our vehicles, will assault a separate communication network. Two will focus the research station fifty klicks north, Three and four will be joining us when we assault the compound. Four will remain on ground to hold off reinforcements, and Three will hold the hangar bay after us. We, will secure the bridge and take the fight to the fleet."

"Well there's no way in hell this is going to work." Stevens said bitterly. "So, we shouldn't piss about. I'd rather die sooner than later."

By the end of the day, everyone was prepared. Their expeditionary force was roughly four hundred people strong. Almost all of those were unaware of the battle of attrition they were being forced into. Sarah had prepared secondary targets for every detachment, however unlikely it was they would use them. Now, she was loading a Pelican with the New Phoenix Team, as they had been dubbed. Marie passed a rifle to Sarah "Commander…Do you believe this will make a difference?"

"I don't know" Sarah admitted, after a long pause. "What I do know is, we can't be hurting our side. Everything we destroy is one less the Home Fleet has to face, when the time comes."

"I see…Is there no other options? Could we not evacuate on the mining cruiser?"

"Negative. It has no slip space drive, and has to dock with the CSO to travel distance. It apparently allows for larger generators, to mine with. Anyway, even if it did, we couldn't load everyone safely before they realised and destroyed us, or worse yet followed us. Believe me, Marie. I planned this, and I hate it as much as you do."

Come nightfall, they had amassed in front of the Gravity Lift. It sat on a ruined, sandstone outpost repurposed for their use. The shadow of it all dwarfed their paltry force. The people were scared. Many were only here because they couldn't stand to watch the others leave and not join. Their hands were shaking, barely holding their weapons, of which there were few. They had managed to salvage lots of gear over time, but it still wasn't enough. Many had only a pistol. But Sarah was determined to lead them anyway. Words of encouragement and hopeful remarks fuelled their initial march, even if they all knew it wouldn't keep them going. "I need someone to scout out that Staging Ground, any volunteers?". Marie, Stevens and Ruby all stepped forward.

Chapter 18: Under Cover of Dark

Marie planned out their approach. "We climb up the ridge and hold to the right. When we reach the edge of the treeline, we move down and wait at the edge of the valley and recon. Report our findings back to the Commander, and then: we wait". The others nodded their understanding and planted the last pairs of binoculars on their heads.

The climb was long and arduous. It was a sheer surface of solid stone, with few handholds, and even fewer opportunities to support oneself. It cracked slightly as they climbed, reaching ever higher into the sky. Eventually, after much effort, they were stood atop the ridge. They tossed down a rope mesh to make the climb easier for the others. "Now, for the easy part" Stevens said, peering across the horizon for any movement.

"Silence. We must be swift" Marie said, pointing to their destination. The damp, dewy grass was soft underfoot. It made little noise as they trekked across it to their reconnaissance point. As they neared the valley edge, they became more and more aware to the rapidly changing light. There was no longer day and night on Haven. Perpetual dark enveloped them, but the ashy acrid mist sometimes grew thicker, and had rarely thinned so mucht he bloody red sky could be glimpsed. Now was one of those times. Marie thought back to the city, with Richard, and shuddered. "It's getting lighter. We need to move" Ruby warned, moving faster as she spoke. The others followed in her footsteps, painfully aware of the danger they were in.

Marie chose a spot to lay down, staring inquisitively through the glass of her sniper. She scanned the centre of the valley, paying close attention to the Covenant she saw. A cracked atrium glowed with a sick purple light. That was their main location, and the most heavily defended area of the Staging Ground. "This is Phoenix 3, over. I count over fifty hostiles at the gate, Commander. Possibly another hundred in the atrium and a dozen at each exit."

"Roger that 3, understood. Return ASAP." Sarah replied

"As you say Commander. The forces seem to be numerous but inexperienced, very few high-ranking officers or troops. That being said…" A claxon sounded as she paused, blaring out from the heart of the town. "Merde! Commander, we've been spotted! Start the attack now!" Marie shouted down the radio, followed by the sharp tone of a sniper round.

Back at the base, it was hectic. Sarah was ordering everyone into troop carriers and putting the plan into action. "Three, take the two HMG Warthogs and flank round through the pass. Four, with me through the middle." After she had mobilised the poor display of vehicles and their crews, she moved onto the bulk of the infantry. "Majority of the forces are charging though the front door. We cut a path to the lift, and get Four aboard. As soon as we're there, Commander Hawke, as he will become, shall take over Three and secure the site." Sarah said, joining her team at the base of the ridge. It was already a sprawling mass of desperate people, clambering to their eagerly awaited deaths.

Sarah reached the top, and instantly saw the carnage. They had gathered near the top, hiding behind the stony outcrops around them. Marie could be seen running down the steep hill, followed by a multitude of different troops. They were ignored mostly by the heavy armour, who focused on the onrush that charged through the main gate and was wreaking havoc on the now panicked defenders.

Sarah and the team powered through the crowd, beginning their mad charge into the valley that could be their death. The hail of plasma fire tore through many a soldier, sending them flying backwards into the hapless horde. Plasma balls shattered the ground, sending them tumbling down at extreme speed. Mud, rain and energy pelted the berserk attackers, who shrugged it off with ease.

When they finally reached the town, Sarah gathered the team. "Headcount!"

"Reyes was lost, commander. Can't speak for the others!" Connor alerted her, a look of sadness on his face. "We need to move" Aaron warned, leading them into the town. Beginning their sweep, they searched every building they came across. Most were empty, grim ruins. Some were riddled with Covenant, which were quickly eradicated. The gravity lift drew ever closer, the mystical purple aura clear to see. "We need to reach the lift!" Sarah shouted to the group. She bolted from the house, firing into a line of Grunts who had pinned down a wounded soldier. Another three shots tore from the upper floor of the building she had left, shattering the arm and skull of a Jackal that had taken aim at her. She nodded to a soldier, who was clutching his Battle Rifle like it was his lifeline. In a sense, it was.

Aaron lead the group to Sarah, who was attempting to find Marie. "Commander!" A familiar French voice rang from the balcony above. "We must reach the lift, but I have an idea!"

"Well? Go on!" Deuce piped up

"It's inside the atrium, right? We cut through the fence on the right, and before they know we're there, we hijack the Plasma cannons and ambush the Covenant on the pad"

"That's great and all, but we don't have time for this! We need to go!" Aaron argued, storming off to the gates, followed by Deuce and Connor. "Did I give you permission to leave?" Sarah said

"Negative Commander, but give me five minutes and that pad will be yours, guns or no" Aaron continued on without turning. "Five minutes. I'll be counting" Sarah replied warily "Marie, that back route. Show me"

Aaron soon realised he may have been over confident. Eight heavy Shade turrets were raining hell onto anyone who dared approach the gate. The entry toll booths were charred, burned wrecks, surrounded by scorched cadavers and shell casings. Unfazed by this, Aaron ordered the two soldiers to fire on the guns while he cleared the pad. Easier said than done. Charging out, he took a heavy amount of fire from the cannons, shattering his shield. For a while, all he could do was dodge. Soon after, the surrounding reinforcements broke off from their surprisingly well executed ambush and subsequent bug hunt to support Aaron, who appeared to be struggling.

Marie and company had infiltrated from the rear, silently eliminating the occupants. "Now for the guns" Sarah pointed to the firing range

"Move in, I'll deal with the gunners" Marie took aim at the Covenant. It was a strange calm that came over her. She knew she should be panicked, but she was perfectly serene, like a lake. Not even the subsequent squeezing of the trigger and death of the gunners. The last few Grunts on the balcony were tossed into the carnage below. "Commander, we should use the guns, 2 could use the support" Ruby suggested

"Good plan, put it into action everyone!" Sarah said, taking the centre gun. The relentless rattle of the plasma cannon was infuriating, but it reduced the now cornered Covenant to ash in a creative crossfire. "Well done! Hold position until the other arrive" Sarah said, glancing around at the dancing shadows of plasma fire.

They reclaimed some spare gear, and embarked onto the next step of their journey. "Once we're inside, we get to the bridge and take over the ship" Sarah relayed the plan, then marched onto the gravity lift. They were unsteady as they glided into the belly of the beast. "This is it everyone, do or die" Ruby murmured

"Do or die. This is for everyone we have lost" Marie spat, her voice full of venom.

The hangar they entered was empty, with much of the equipment missing. "All clear for now" Marie scouted behind an abandoned Wraith.

"This is wrong, someone should be here" Ruby warned. Surprisingly, it stayed silent. The room was still, even the very air seemed to be afraid. It was well lit, the seemingly source less light casting no shadows, adding to the unearthly atmosphere. "You realise this is crazy, right? Who's to say we can even pilot the ship?" asked Connor

"Did you get permission to bitch? Shut it, and get us to the bridge. We can worrt about flyinh later." Stevens lectured, letting down his guard for a moment

"Shush! We need to be silent, or we'll never make it" Marie advised. A murmur of discontent rolled through the assembled troop, who was dismayed at the locked door ahead of them. "From what we understand, the cruiser should have another hangar through here. We ascend to the top, and then the bridge is just on the right. This is the final hurdle people, do or die." The door suddenly opened, leaving Sarah tumbling forward. The amassed Covenant next door opened fire, tearing into her body with waves of plasma fire.

The others began to fire wildly, killing scores of the defenders. One marine was too far in the open to retreat. He was struck down by a Needle rifle. The jagged pink projectile tore through his helmet and came out the other side, trailing blood and brain. When he hit the ground, it pooled in a halo around him. He looked shocked at the event. Stevens was shocked more. "You filthy bastards!". He began to fire erratically, stunning the Covenant with his show of utter gusto and force. "Push!" Sarah exclaimed, as did her rifle. It fired quicker than they could react. Each shot was a death. They passed the threshold into the hangar, breaching the Covenant defences.

They were in. Shade turrets and snipers were heavily entrenched, taking shots at anything that moved. "We're pinned Commander! If they were dug in any tighter, they might survive a glassing" Ruby joked, blasting away a flanking Elite.

"I noticed that, you do have a way with words"

"I'll take that as a compliment, although right now, words are worth shit. We need actions, or better yet some good soldiers"

"You've got three Spartans and an ODST, what more could you want?" Marie asked

"Four Spartans?" Ruby plainly said

"Touché" Marie nodded, picking off a rogue Jackal.

"We need to move, or we're going to get hemmed in." Sarah started to unbuckle her grenade belt.

"Here we go again. You know Commander, if you hadn't become a Spartan, you could have made an excellent athlete" Marie sighed

"It's my signature move at this point" Sarah agreed, throwing the grenades in a smooth arc. It exploded just behind the turrets, detonating an unseen explosives cache. The landing platform came crashing down, taking the Covenant with it. Screams rang out, buried by the cacophony of the demolition. Dust filled the room, disturbing the heated combat. The tumbling debris rocked the ship, sending a docked Phantom off of the roof rack and into the awaiting Covenant, then rolling out of the troop bay.

The team was now on the true offensive, pushing back the Covenant in the area. The fighting culminated with the arrival of the Brute Chieftain. "Go, I can handle this" Aaron shouted, slamming the door shut. But not before Stevens ducked under his arm and stood by his side. "Not alone you're not Spartan". Aaron silently chuckled at the bravery. Misplaced bravery, but still bravery. "Push left, get around behind him. I'll distract him"

"Roger that" Stevens started to slink away to the left, leaving Aaron face to face with the Brute.

It cut a fearsome silhouette. At around ten feet tall, it towered over Aaron. The rippling muscles beneath its bared arms were clear to see. The matted fur was stained with blood and gore, and its burning eyes glared from beneath its low brow. What little armour it wore was black and red, adorned in skulls, bones and trophies from foes. The claws on its fingers were clutching a large Gravity Hammer, which it tossed from one hand to another. Rolling its head, gnashing its teeth and stamping its feet, the Brute was ready to charge. "Come on you big dirty ape" Aaron muttered, pumping his shotgun.

The Brute finally charged, sprinting at Aaron with its Hammer raised high over his head. It brought the bladed weapon down were Aaron had been stood, only now he was a metre to the right and emptied four shots into the skull of the confused Brute. The shots did little but infuriate the beast. Flinging the Hammer aside, it groped for Aaron, catching his helmet with its fist. Feeling the impact, it turned and dived on top of him. As it flew through the air, Aaron fired two more shots before dumping the gun and drawing his blade. The impact of the Brute landing knocked him off his feet, but he held onto his dagger.

The Brute again charged at him, sending Aaron sprawling across the room into a wall, which dented as he hit it. Looking up at the Brute as it once again prepared to charge, for what would be the final time, Aaron saw Stevens. On the Brute's back.

Stevens grasped onto the loose hair of the Brute, barely keeping his grip. His knife was between his teeth, which were bared in a furious snarl. Letting go with his right hand, he plunged the knife into the tensed flesh on the Brutes neck. The Brute howled in pain at the wound, pawing dumbly into the hole as it began to piece together what had happened. Only now did it understand what was on its back. Stevens knew he was running out of time and started madly slashing and stabbing into the pulsing mass of muscle he had boarded.

Aaron however, was recovering his bearings after the severe battering he had received. Standing up, he found he swayed without intending to. Shaking his head, he started to run to the Brute, winding up a blow with his right hand. The clenched fist hit the Brute in the chin. The resulting force was similar to that of a train crash. The Brute's jaw fell to pieces, careening backwards from the force. It was sprawled out on its back, panting from agony. Aaron leapt atop the downed Beast, pummelling it until it stopped moving and lay in a pile of its own thick, rancid blood.

Leaning back onto his feet, Aaron turned to walk away when his legs were swept from beneath him. The Brute was still alive, and angrier than ever before. A guttural roar emanated from its chest, echoing throughout the room. Stevens' blood ran cold. It ran cold from his mouth too, when the Brute pinned him to a wall, breaking multiple bones and impaling him on an extruding shard of metal. Screaming in pain, he took one last look down at his hand, still clutching the now bloodied blade, before he brought it down into the Brute's almost none existent skull. The dumb face dropped into a simple expression. It stepped back, waving its arms wildly, until it finally had enough sense to swing a clawed hand at Stevens' neck, spurting hot red blood over its face and chest. Finally, the Brute toppled backwards and was truly still.

Aaron awoke to the sight of the Brute's face, centimetres from his own. The shock caused him to recoil, simultaneously reaching to his back for his shotgun, which was nowhere to be seen. The memories then rushed back to him, and he remembered what had occurred. "Well done Stevens, I didn't think you had it in you" Aaron remarked, sitting up. As he did so, his eyes locked with the cold, dead expression of Stevens. The corpse was barely recognisable. "Son of a bitch" Aaron exclaimed, running to the mutilated soldier. "Died doing what you did best. You went out how you wanted to." He said simply, tugging the dead soldiers dog tags. Placing them round his neck, he retrieved his weapons and continued up the hallway he had last seen the others follow.

Chapter 19: Victory and Death

The path was clear. Like a fairy-tale, he was following a trail. Of bloodstains, shell casings and bodies. When he finally caught up, the others had reached the door to the control room. "2! Just the man I wanted to see!" Sarah said, smiling beneath her helmet "What about Stevens?"

"Brute. Chieftain, actually. He did good." Aaron tossed the dog tags to her. She caught them in her left hand, running a finger over the steel. "Shame. We can't mourn now." Sarah said quietly as she passed Marie the small steel shapes. "You were with him in Belgrade. I think you should have them."

Charges were rigged on the two doors, with a group on each door. "This is making me miss Derek" Marie reflected

"Tell me about it" Sarah said "Actually don't. The last thing I need is that." The explosives detonated together, launching the doors into the room in a cloud of ash and smoke. Gunfire erupted in the room as the Covenant retaliated with equal aggression. "Move in!" Aaron shouted, firing at the Covenant on the upper rung of the room. Ruby, Deuce and Aaron were the first in, taking a large portion of the force with them. Sarah, Connor and Marie stayed further back, thinning the lines with more strategic precision. It took a very short skirmish to clear the bridge. "2, Deuce, get to work securing a perimeter. Lieutenant, you're on watch duty. Ruby, you and I will…Ruby!" Sarah shouted desperately, sprinting up the ramp to the corporal. A camouflaged Elite was stood behind her, raising its weapon to separate her head from her shoulders. Sarah continued screaming as she powered into the Elite, sending them both through the guard rail and into the floor below.

The impact knocked the air from her lungs as she was propelled across the shimmering floor. They both struggled to recover first, clawing their way to the deactivated Energy Sword between them. Sarah got there first, but the Elite stabbed her knee with its Energy dagger, sending her to the floor with a jet of blood. It had gained the upper hand, until Sarah clenched the Elites forearm and dragged it to the floor with her. They traded many solid blows, flinching from the bone-breaking impacts. Sarah finally slammed her helmet into the Elite's skull, dazing it long enough to pick up the Energy sword and skewered it on its own weapon. It didn't die fast enough. With one last final effort, the Elite slashed Sarah from neck to navel with its Energy dagger. They both slumped back, one dead and the other almost there.

Sarah's vision was blurry and the slightest hint of light sent rays of pain shooting into her skull. Her chest felt like she was on a bed of nails, and every breath racked her with agony. Shivering, she started to feel herself lift off the ground. "Commander. Commander, can you hear me?" A voice asked, echoing and unclear. The noise was ear shattering. She let out a vocalisation that she thought sounded like a yes, and apparently did enough for them to continue. "Commander, look at me. Look at me, keep those eyes open. You're going to be ok. Just don't close your eyes. Don't close those eyes for me ok? We can get you through this" The voice drifted away, as did Sarah.

They were gathered around the Spartan. "Sarah, Sarah you'll be ok. Can you hear me? You'll be ok!" Ruby was shaking her almost lifeless body.

"Sarah. Stay with me" Aaron said quietly, to her alone. "Do we have anything for her?"

"Nothing. Best we can do is apply pressure and hope." Deuce said quietly, leaning against the wall. Aaron swore and nodded, walking to help secure the centre. Marie was sat with Ruby, an arm over her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, she knew what she was doing."

Sarah abruptly sat up, swivelling her head before she fell back to the floor. "Aaron. Get me Aaron!" She was moaning, rolling in pain. He raced over, kneeling next to her. He held her head in his hands, staring at her from beneath his helmet. Hers had been removed, and her pale complexion was almost the colour of ash. Her eyes were sunken and bloodshot, her cheeks hollow. She was shaking, her teeth chattering. "I'm here Commander."

"Fuck Aaron, for once listen to me as a person. You're in charge. Do what needs…Needs to be done. Promise me." She gasped her final breath, her head rolling back. Aaron looked down, closing her eyes. "I'll see it through. You have my word". He said quietly, removing her dog tags and placing her helmet back on her head. Ruby let out a dry sob, burying her head in Marie's chest. "Shh, she's gone. You have to accept it Ruby" Marie whispered, continuing to console the distraught woman while the others commenced preparations.

Aaron was pacing the command deck as he observed his motley crew. Deuce was stood to one side, watching the others. Aaron liked him. He was like himself. Dutiful. Not too emotional, capable, and most importantly; Aaron knew that when the time came Deuce could do what had to be done. Ruby, he liked less. She was abrasive, chatty, and paid too little attention. It would be what got her killed. Marie had changed. Since the crash, she had been quiet. Distant. Aaron was worried that it had all been too much and broken her. Connor was another one who was concerned for. Since his friend had been killed, he had been taking far too many risks. He laughed to himself in his head. None of that mattered now. They would all be dead in an hour. Even if they could get the ship to start, they would only die tired, after being pummelled by the Covenant fleet. It wasn't a cheerful thought.

Aaron finally stood still, his team stood opposite him. Ruby was stable enough to stand and hold her rifle, and the other two were still as staunch as ever. Connor was a little jittery, but he was able to stand still under Aaron's gaze. Just as he was about to speak, a voice rang out. "Anyone home?" It was Felix. A visibly tired, beaten Felix, but Felix nonetheless.

They all glared at him angrily, but Marie spoke first. She turned to face the mercenary, storming towards him. "You fuck!" She shouted, punching him in the jaw. He was sent to the ground by the blow. "I deserved that, I'll admit. But what was I meant to do? I saw the chance and I took it!". For this, he received a kick and another chorus of "You left us!". Felix was, at this point, broken. Laid on the floor, he was prepared to be beaten to death. Surprisingly, she had some mercy. Marie grasped him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him to his feet. "But you came back" She smiled.

"After that thanks, I'd rather I hadn't" Felix remarked, rubbing his now bruised jaw.

"Where was I?" Aaron asked sarcastically, furious at the interruption.

"Knowing you? About to ruin everyone's spirit. Allow me to take the responsibility!" Felix grinned beneath his helmet. "I saw them coming. Chasing after me. I thought I'd warn you. So you stay here, hold the bridge. I'll cut them off in the hangar accessway"

"Like hell I'll stay here while you run off and escape on a Banshee!" Ruby exclaimed, raising her gun at the mercenary who had already turned to leave. The click of the gun caused Felix to raise his hands in surrender. "Why would I have even bothered to come back if I was just gonna run off again?"

"You tell me" Marie replied, walking towards him "I'll go with you. I won't do any work here, and this way I can keep an eye on you."

"Get going. Keep contact." Aaron snapped, waving his hand to dismiss them "One last thing. If you try anything, I'll cut you down without hesitation"

"Don't think it'll be easy" Felix replied menacingly, walking out of the room beside Marie.

Aaron was dismissive of the threat, but Ruby was livid. "Fucking mercs. What were they thinking?"

"Felix is a good soldier. We need more of those" Deuce replied as he tinkered with the console. They had managed to power up the engines and now the ship was humming with the force. "We need heroes!" Ruby cried

"Heroes don't exist. Not in our line of work. We want killers, and Felix can kill better than any of us" Aaron declared "Enough of that. Deuce, you seem to know how to pilot this. Get us into the air. Ruby, try and figure out how to empty this ship of all the stuff we can. Release drop pods, flush out airlocks, scuttle the Banshees we have, turn off life support in areas. Connor, help where you can. I'll carry on fixing this door". They all saluted and continued their work.

Felix and Marie were racing through the corridors, killing any Covenant that stood in their way. "Just like old times, eh?" Felix remarked.

"No. It isn't" Marie replied, stopping "Felix, I trusted you. I thought that you had enough honour and kindness to stick it through"

"Do you think I don't care? Ask the big guy. I saved him, I saved you all. I wasn't going to fight for something I saw a way out of." Marie was silent for a moment, shocked at his fury. "Fine. But if you try and run, I'll kill you myself"

Back on the bridge, they had secured the area. Aaron was sat on the command chair, observing the now more experienced team. Deuce was piloting, Connor had taken control of the cannons remotely, and Ruby had managed to turn most of the ship into an empty wasteland. A good start. "We're going to have to use our initiative here, because we're massively outnumbered. So, don't make too many mistakes and prioritise" Aaron began "Now, when we break orbit, make for the nearest cruiser. Hit it in the engines first, then the cargo hold. We don't need to destroy them, only scuttle them so they have to abandon ship. Preferably kill it, but to destroy a cargo hold is a major blow."

As they broke atmosphere, they saw the planet burn. Scarred with ruinous glass plateaus and cracked earth. They stayed focused, pushing the thought from their minds. Everyone except Connor. He stood, his mind in turmoil. In a moment brashness, he had never felt before, he stormed out of the bridge. "Where are you going?" Deuce asked

"To help the people down there"

"No, you're not! Get back here!"

"Let him go Deuce. He's dead no matter what at this point" Aaron remarked grimly.

Marie and Felix bumped into Connor after the first wave of Covenant forces had attacked. The bodies littering the hangar were many, but the fortifications the Covenant had installed were now being reused against them. With deadly effect. "Connor? What are you doing here?" Marie asked

"I need a Banshee" Connor spat coldly. Crouching behind a low wall, he started firing at the Phantom entering the ship. "And you think we have one to spare? What for?" Felix replied.

"I see some up there" Connor pointed at the many Banshees strapped to the roof.

"And how do you suppose we get them down? What are you doing Connor?"

"Like this" Connor concentrated his fire on the lock that held the craft up. As it snapped, the entire rack curled in against the ships, bending them into unusable masses of metal. Just as it couldn't get worse, the mangled rack collapsed. Most Banshees exploded in unison, leaving a tremendous heap of detritus. The hangar protection shield faltered for a moment from the sudden impact. In that moment, they all launched towards the door at incredible speed, swept off their feet by the overpowering vacuum. Felix snatched a weak hold onto the pillar supporting the hangar walkways, crying out at Marie to reach in his vague direction and lock an arm around his outstretched leg. "What the hell do we do?"

"Hold on maybe?" Felix replied

"Not now!" Marie snapped, the air being sucked from her lungs. Connor had been snatched away and was almost at the brink of being taken into space when the shield reactivated, leaving him in the air. For the brief moment he was hovering, he felt elation at being spared such a painful death. Then his stomach filled with dread at being suspended fifteen feet in the air and with nothing to land on.

His free fall was short, the wind biting at his baggy clothes. Then he hit the ground, and his vision flashed red. Pain shot up his legs and into his body, leaving him reeling in shock. He was laid painfully, a pile of broken bones and flesh. Somehow, he was still alive, and even more surprisingly, conscious. His screams were ear splittingly painful, matching the intensity of his agony. Waves of pain throbbed through his body, drawing attention to his shattered limbs. Looking down, he saw the mess he had become. The knees had shattered apart, leaving a mismatched, jagged mess of bone poking through the skin. His feet were a meaty mess, flesh pouring out of his boots. His green combat trousers were soaked black from the copious amounts of blood leaving his body. He felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness, the world turning black…

Marie peeked over the edge, almost slipping when she saw Connor. "Connor! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"He doesn't look okay, but he's moving" Felix remarked blithely, ignoring the shocked look Marie gave him. "We'll be down in a second, hold on!"

"You will be down in a second, it makes no sense for both of us to go"

"Fine! But if anything gets near us, there will be hell to pay." Marie raced through the silent hallways to reach the bottom floor. When she finally arrived, she was panting from her pace. Locking eyes on Connor, she started to run, not even stopping when the next Phantom turned up. "Connor, are you awake? Can you hear me?"

"I, I'm alive. I don't know how long for" He spoke with a fevered tone, shaking with each word. The very effort caused his already bone white skin to turn a shade paler, worsened by the stark contrast of brown bile after he vomited from the pain.

Marie hefted him up, with one arm around her shoulder, the other clutching a pistol. Her arms were outstretched to support his body. He fired half-heartedly to keep the Covenant following them busy. Felix was doing work, but it simply wasn't enough. "They keep coming!" Felix shouted to the pair

"I noticed that!" Marie replied, looking back at the horde following her now bloodstained trail. "Connor, I'm putting you down behind this wall. We've got one floor left. Try and get to Felix. If you can't just stay put wherever you get to, and I'll come back for you ok?". Connor quickly started to crawl slowly up the incline. In the meantime, Marie had kicked up two Plasma rifles to begin firing back at the Covenant, sending volumes of blood from the singed flesh of the opposing force.

A Jackal rushed with its shield raised, expecting to absorb the unrelenting force. It did not expect Marie's boot into its head, shattering the skull like an over ripe grape. This stalemate continued until Marie had ran out of ammo, leading her to duck behind the wall to her right and pick up a grenade. Tossing it from hand to hand quickly, she jumped from cover, throwing the grenade in a smooth arc behind the bulk of the force. The ensuing carnage caused them to huddle near the missing explosive, sending flames licking at their bodies and limbs flying in the opposite direction, trailing plumes of blood.

Marie nodded, satisfied that she was in the clear for now. She soon caught up with Connor, who had left a long trail of blood behind him. He was laid face down, panting like a dog on a hot day. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here" Marie announced, picking him up like an oversized baby, bolting off up the stairs. "Felix! Felix we're back! Don't shoot!"

"Get him sat down, and keep him stable!"

"With what! We have nothing now!" Marie was laying the man down against a wall, kneeling before him. "I found this, don't ask where. It should stop the bleeding!" Felix never stopped firing, kicking the medical kit towards them without even looking. "Thank you" Marie said plainly, snapping back into action. Her steady hands opened the kit without a fuss, staining the pristine white shell with blood. Her gloved hands gripped the pristine scalpel in an iron grip.

With deadly precision, she cut away at the blackened fabric to reveal the gouged, wounded tissue beneath. "Mother of god" Marie whispered, her eyes welling with tears. Connor hissed in pain at the aggravation of sensitive skin. "Sorry, I completely forgot" Marie apologised, rooting for painkillers of some sort. A long, sharp needle of morphine lay before her eyes. "Hope you don't mind needles" Marie joked as she jabbed his arm with the cold metal. Immediately, he began to relax, the pain numbing. Marie started to speed up in the work, trying to rearrange the broken bones into a somewhat workable form. Whilst she did this, Felix was blasting his rifle as quickly as he could to stem the ebbing flow of Covenant. "I think we might almost be through!" He boasted, laughing to himself, even when the final Phantom crashed into the hangar, blasting plasma at them all.

The roar became louder as it came nearer, slowing as it reached their level of the hangar. "Phoenix 2, this is Phoenix 3. We have almost secured the hangar bay, but we need more fire on the Phantoms."

"It's Deuce. We don't have anything to spare. A carrier is hitting us hard. You need to hold it yourself." The Phantom opened the troop bay, dispensing a large group of Zealots brandishing Energy swords, invisible Elites with a variety of weapons, and finally "The Fleet Admiral?!" Felix blurted out in disbelief, firing at the Elites until his gun clicked. When he ran out of ammo, he threw the gun into the swarm, but it didn't faze them. Realising he had now kicked a hornet's nest, he drew his sword.

He flung himself down to the floor, his rockets slowing him as he landed. He started duelling the amassed Zealots, outclassing them utterly. He fought well, holding his own, but was unable to finish them off. The Admiral, seeing his men in disarray, growled in fury and tackled the mercenary, leaving Marie and the dazed Connor to fend off a batch of fearsome opponents. "If I survive this, I'm going to kill you!" Marie spat, raising her gun.

Aaron sat in the chair, directing their blows. "That cruiser, the shields are down on its rear!" From the viewport, they observed the battlefield. The fleet they faced was a terrifying detachment. Maybe five CCS battlecruisers, countless Corvettes, and one CSO-class Supercarrier. One battlecruiser was burning, but most had taken superficial shield damage. Instead they focused on the Corvettes, which were split in two by a blast of the mining beam.

A CCS had moved to hit them while three Corvettes pushed their flanks. The mining cruiser was preparing to hit the ship with all they had. "Take us over it, and charge up the main cannon. We fly over the top, release our drop pods and then blast the cannons into the piece connecting the forward bulb and the main body." The plan was put into action when the bridge doors slid open, with no-one stood in the doorway. "Stealth Elites. Hit squad sent for us" Deuce said, not breaking his focus on the ship.

"I'll deal with them, you get that carrier dead" Aaron said, standing up from the chair and pumping his shotgun. The slight shimmer of the air ahead of him gave away the foe, and a quick blast of buckshot sent him tumbling down the ramp into another comrade, who was also swiftly dispatched. "Any sign?" Aaron announced, loudly racking the pump on his shotgun. Another two Elites emerged from pillars, swinging their Energy swords in tandem. Aaron ducked the massively predictable blows, firing into one Elite. The other spun around with his weapon still drawn, forcing Aaron to duck under the blow again, jumping back up with his fist raised. The blow to the Elite's chin snapped its neck backwards with a sickening crunch. "Clear?"

"Seems it to me, no-one's dead"

"Too easy. Keep your guard up" Aaron addressed the two soldiers before him.

Back in the hangar, Marie had almost pulled through. Taking the advantage, she had fired at three of the downed Zealots, killing one and injuring the other. The third dodged the shot and restarted his charge at her. Another shot swiftly dispatched him, sending brain matter across the deck. The remaining three had wizened up, rolling aside from her view. "Still with me Connor?" She asked, not breaking eye contact with the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm still here."

The three Elites rushed in tandem, and Marie hit one, sending him flying across the deck in a comical pose. The other two reached her before she could fire. She dropped to a knee and flung the charging the Elite over her body. Drawing her combat knife, she buried it in the armpit of the Elite closest to her. The grounded foe to her rear got back to his feet and swung his sword at her skull. Only a short burst of pistol fire from Connor saved her life.

Ducking her head at the sound of the bullets, the angled swipe passed harmlessly through the air. Marie brought her head up, crashing it into the stomach of the Elite. She then grasped its body firmly, slamming it into the wall. The impact dislodged the sword from its hand, leaving it defenceless to the blows Marie gave, caving in its chest. As one last final effort, Marie dragged it off the wall and, heaving with all her might, sent it flying from the hangar balcony to the battle raging below. Dropping to her knees, Marie was exhausted, panting heavily. Only the fearful cries of the injured, falling Elite soothed her.

The Elite landed in a battered heap on the floor, pooling azure blood on the grey floor. This didn't distract the two duellists locked in a deadly conflict with one another. Felix was swinging with his sword at the Elite, who feinted past the attack and hit the mercenary in the side. This didn't stop him from following through with the swipe and catching the Elite on the shoulder. Breaking the lock they had on each other, both combatants stood a few feet apart, legs bent and ready to strike.

Felix was shocked when the Elite attacked first, twirling the glowing blade at his left side. The blow was parried easily, but a succession of aggravating attacks from the open hand of the Elite all landed. They struck gold, breaking a rib and bruising his skin. Felix leant back and grasped his chest in pain. Stars danced before his eyes, the colour draining from the world. He was barely able to raise his sword and weakly block the next attack. Sucking in a deep breath, he counter attacked by swiping his heavily armoured right leg through the centre of the Elite's knee, cracking the bone. A roar from its mouth told Felix he was back in the running.

Connor was fading evermore, his eyes bleary and unfocused. Marie was worried. "Hold on". The Spartan jumped down onto the Phantom hovering below them, swinging the pair from the roof to the cargo hold. Marie crouched ever so slowly into the cockpit, plunging her blade into the neck of the pilot. Grasping the controls, she locked it into autopilot. "Stay here, I will not be long" Marie whispered as she returned to the ledge, peering down at the battle below.

Chapter 20: Crucible

Their battlecruiser was ruined. The shields were barely functional, the hull broken in many places. The countless cannons they had once boasted were flaming shells of munitions. It had seen better days, as the engines spluttered to provide any degree of thrust. They were under constant bombardment of fire by the other ships. The battlecruiser had resisted any attack them threw at it, and it was now passing over them. "We can safely say we're fucked" Deuce observed from the viewport.

Aaron was so distracted that he didn't hear the panther like footsteps of the Elite behind him. He also didn't hear the movement of its arm as it brought an Energy sword down into his back. "Aaargh!" He swung his arms, catching the Elite with a pained blow. He reached out to draw the sword out of his body, but the movement was deliriously slow. The Elite grasped his body, throwing him down the ramp. Ruby had turned and raised her gun by now, but the Elite slapped both her and Deuce's heads together with a deafening crack.

Turning back to Aaron, it leapt on top of the now freed Spartan laid in his own blood. "Son of a bitch!" Aaron stood up again, swaying as he did so. The Elite moved quickly, stabbing him in his armpit, causing a waterfall of blood to pour from the open gash. Aaron again screamed, this time retaliating by hitting the Elite in the skull. This didn't knock the alien, which dived down the floor and pierced Aaron's armour on his knee, bringing the mountain of a man crashing to the floor.

The Elite clambered atop its conquest, raising the blade in one last triumphant cry, until it was silenced by Aaron. The Spartan, resilient as ever, refused to die, even with an Energy sword skewered in his face. He clasped the Elite by the jaw and crushed it's face into a mushy crater in one blow. As the alien slid from its perch on Aaron, his leg twitched one last time as the blade slipped from his face.

Deuce reawakened to see Aaron dead. The realisation took him a moment, as it seemed so impossible. The monstrous man had always survived with his equivalent of a smile on his face. To see his carcass lying there was surreal. This discovery distracted him from the pounding from the side of his head. Reaching up to investigate the pain, his fingers came back dripping blood. As he sat up, his helmet fell apart around him. Looking at the remains, the three distinct pieces had a clear cause. A sharp, jagged, uneven crack split the black, origination from the right side in a horrendous bloodstained dent. Deuce felt his head with the other hand and it felt only a lump, not blood. "How did?" He then remembered the collision. "Ruby."

Deuce crawled rapidly to the unconscious woman. She moaned softly. Deuce saw why. She hadn't been wearing her helmet when they had impacted, meaning her head looked like what was left of his helmet, only red. The skull was splintered, especially in the focal point, which oozed hot blood and exposed her damaged brain. "You'll thank me for this in hell" Deuce remarked as he raised his pistol, firing one shot into the woman's head. She fell still and silent.

A bitter taste filled Deuce's mouth. He shook his head and discarded the pistol. He felt tainted by the weapon, even though it wasn't his first time killing another human. It wasn't his first time for a woman either. Nor a comrade. "Doesn't get any easier." Flicking switches, he plotted a course on the dying ship for the distant Supercarrier. He switched it to manual control, with two holographic joysticks appearing. He grasped them eagerly, thrusting them forward for all possible speed. The shields were at a minimum, all power was directed at the engines.

It began to spark from the speed and the damage it caused. They grew closer and closer, causing Deuce to remember the others. "This is Deuce. The ship's done for, you're gon' wanna get outta here soon."

The claxon blaring Deuce's distress call left everyone stunned. Connor was stirred from his barely conscious rest, Felix was given another rung of pressure, and Marie cursed, as the Elite duelling Felix glanced up for the cause of the sound, seeing her crouched there. It was too late of course, as she was already falling, aiming right for the Elite. She landed true, her aim impeccable as always.

The fall was broken by the alien, who unbelievably stayed standing. It seemed as shocked as she was. Felix sprinted with his sword bared, running the Elite through with the wicked weapon. "Gotcha this time" He hissed, twisting the sword with a satisfying squelch. The Elite curled its lip, spitting at the Spartan and lifting him up with the sword still embedded in his chest. "Not yet, vermin!" It replied, slashing his skull with the Energy sword. Felix went limp, releasing the sword and falling.

The Elite grinned in triumph, returning to Marie. Drawing the bloodied sword from its chest, the Elite winced in pain. But the feeling of the weapon in his hand sent shocks of energy through its body, revitalising the alien. It raised the weapon above its head for a spine rending two handed overhead blow, but it never landed.

A voice shouted "Twice we fought. Maybe one of us will die this time." The Elite turned around, confused. Felix lay with his revolver raised. He emptied the chamber, cowboy fan fire style, into the head of the Elite, who expulsed violet brain and blood through the rear of its head in a jet of viscera. Both fell back, both were dead before they hit the floor.

Marie sat up, her limbs like lead. She was somehow still conscious. "Felix!" She knelt beside the fallen soldier. Inclining her head, she murmured kindly "You came back…thank you." Then she was back up, aboard the Phantom Connor had somehow managed to lower. And once again, they rocketed from the hangar as fast as they could. They only stopped the Phantom to turn around and look as the battlecruiser crashed. The scarred indigo teardrop slammed into the CSO, ripping into it like papier mache.

Were the shields up? Possibly. It didn't matter in the crash. It folded in on itself, a plume of blue-purple flames erupting like an inferno from the heart of the ship. Soon after, it imploded. Shards of debris were scattered in a conflagration akin to nothing neither had ever seen. A nearby battlegroup of Corvettes was consumed by the encroaching apocalypse. A sizeable shockwave passed through the space around. The EMP left the ships around out of action. Including the Phantom. The lights shut off, leaving them adrift in the cold nothingness.

Chapter 21: Fireborn

"Connor?" Marie said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I..I found a lifeboat. A human, lifeboat"

"A what?"

"A human lifeboat. Fit for one person. Life support, cryo, the works. They must have been studying it" Marie relinquished hold of her emotions for a moment, allowing a dry sob to enter her voice. "One person…"

"You take it. You're worth more than I am, and you aren't bleeding to death"

"But I can't. For them to find my armour… and I don't fit. We must do it soon, the backup power needed to launch will soon run out. We are running on fumes before the doors unlock" Marie said, her glistening face visible as the lights flicked back on. Connor was rocking as she placed him in the pod, alone. As the glass shut down, and started to freeze over, she placed a grimy, bloodstained hand on the window pane. "I'm sorry" She whispered. Connor returned both gestures, holding the hand up until the glass froze over and he was unseen. Letting her hand slide, the trail of blood left a dirty brown smear on the pristine glass.

As she pressed the button to launch the pod, Marie felt a sort of bliss. Calmness swept over, unlike anything she had ever felt before. She had expected to break down, her head in her hands, grasping her skull to try and ebb the flow of tears. But she was sat, legs folded, back straight and arm flat. Peaceful. Almost. As she started to feel her lungs empty, and her breath became heavy, panic settled in once more. But it wasn't until she started to feel herself slipping that it truly descended into madness. Richard was stood there. Of course, she knew he wasn't, but she allowed herself to be fooled. "Richard Cherie. Oh, how I have missed you"

"I know you have. But it won't be long now, and we can see each other again"

"I know. I must ask, how does it feel? To die?"

"When you're dying for something? Better than you'd think." He put a soft hand on her shoulder, handing her a grenade. "Thank you." She cried, feeling tears roll down her face. One splashed over the sphere, and she pulled the pin.

Chapter 22: Ghosts of Haven

Connor unbelievably woke up. He had no idea where he was or what was happening. All he knew was, Covenant were outside the door. The pneumatics hissed as it propelled the glass open. The Elites were hunched over him, grinning at the find. One barked an order to what was clearly a subordinate. The cyan coloured Elite came forward with tools, getting to work on Connors wounds. What was happening? Surely, he must be dead, or dreaming? What were the Covenant planning?

Hours passed as they diligently dealt with this crippled man who, by all rights, should be dead. He was given a pungent anaesthetic which brought him back under the folds of unconsciousness. The Elites worked on him while the Phantom came to land. "Is this necessary?" One asked

"Of course! It is willed by the Prophets. It will be done" The taller of the two replied

"But cannot one of our own do such a task? The Forerunners must surely have allowed the worthy to lead the path to ascension alone?" The shorter proclaimed

"We cannot wish to begin to understand the motives of the Gods, or their conduits. We are simply their instrument. What we find could send the Great Journey into its first true steps. Mercy is a gift, we must be sure to demonstrate it. Even for vermin." The taller one barked, ending the discussion. It walked into the cockpit, leaving the shorter one alone in the darkness.

The Phantom landed in a cavernous valley, thousands of feet deep. The doors opened to inky blackness, enveloping anything that left the cargo hold. The taller Elite disembarked, snarling at the gluey grey mud that clung to its hooves. "Fetch the prisoner" It spat, walking forwards. Connor was tossed from the Phantom into the filth, unable to move. He stared into the abyss, relishing the fresh feeling of air on his fevered skin. Before he got comfortable, two more Elites grasped his arms, dragging him towards…something. As he approached, vibrant blue inserts of glowing light pierced the oily darkness he peered into.

Silvery white, angular structures dominated the sky in front of him. Thousands of Covenant were churning the dirt, marching past the tower. Its triangular style and colour denoted something other than Covenant. It was why he was alive, he knew. The Elite who had lead them here knelt as they arrived before a new alien. The hovering, humming chair of a Prophet. It spoke softly, sounding like a hymn. Waving them aside, the Elites continued their march into the now gaping, open doors of the building. He had no idea what they needed him for, but it would be unpleasant. He should have died.