2544

Lyxium System.

PFC Bruce Marlow

Touchdown.

The second Bruce's boots hit the dirt; he could feel the heat of raining plasma uncomfortably heat his body. The sky shun orange with the blackest of thunderclouds spewing lighting and distant cracks surround the city. Next to these clouds, lie one of many Covenant cruisers attacking Transylvania IV.

Much closer to Bruce however, was a pelican, sending sand and dirt flying around him and the company, He was number six, behind him, three more marines fanned out, leaving the company number at nine. Bruce hopelessly scanned the air for the other pelicans, but he had seen what the cruiser had done to them.

Bruce looked back at his boots, sand lay under them, Transylvania IV was a desert planet, in some respects, a similar climate to some earth deserts in the Middle-east or Africa. Of course, a few regions were different; the jungles of Seboa, ice cliffs of Winnipeg II, assuming the covenant hadn't glassed all these regions yet.

Bruce ducked down into a crouch on the balls of his feet, lay his MA5B on his right knee and rested his two arms on opposite ends of the balancing weapon. To the right of him, was PFC Henry, the sniper and engineer. Beside him lay 3 B00TS. McMillan, Andrew, And Leonard. All gripping their MA5B's, anxiousness and Nervousness filled their movement. Corporal Lichk, CQC specialist gripped a standard issue UNSC shotgun and moved swiftly behind the cover of a nearby building corner, PFC Fewing's lay in the dirt with an SMG and, for the 5th time since touchdown, checked it for jams and counted his magazines. Corporal Wayne crouched with his PRTP BR55 ranged assault rifle and medical gear. This man was a saint; he fought the covenant on seven different planets and saved the lives of his comrades an uncountable amount of times, he was one of the most skilled medics in the UNSC. And at last, Sergeant Scott, a man that was feared, honored, and well credited for any accomplishment he has ever made.

Bruce looked to the sky one last time, his pelican lifted up and went to join the one other surviving pelican to circle the city at a range to risky for the cruisers to shoot them, and plenty far away for the covenant ground forces to down them. Two groups of hornets circled low in the city, ready to engage and assist the ground forces, the sarge had the support of three of them. One final thing caught his attention, ten small specs shot through the thundercloud, Bruce immediately recognized them as HEV pods. The ODST entrance of choice, these crazy fuckers would ride through the atmosphere in these things and be dropped into the heat of combat. It shocked Bruce that 10 had actually made it through the atmosphere, things might be picking up.

Bruce looked at the Sergeant, then back at the company, were they ready for this? Any soldiers left in the city, civilians, anything left was up to them, the survivors from the other pelican, the few ODST's, and the convoy of three warthogs and one scorpion tank trying to get the attention of the covenant forces in the city, to make their jobs a little bit easier. Bruce wasn't sure if they were still alive. Bruce looked down once more, at his boots, then the sarge, who he could tell was about to give his first order. Buckle in mother fucker, this is the real deal, Bruce shook off his thoughts, and focused on the task at hand.

"Order Sir?" Bruce essentially announced to the group, but was still directed at Scott. Scott looked at him briefly, and shook off some sort of daze, the whole group was disorientated right now. "Uh…" Scott moaned. "We need to get the coms system up and then proceed with the mission." He called over Henry, who removed his backpack and began working on the receiver within it.

"The rest of you" Scott announced. "Welcome to Nun"