Halo: Gold Chronicles

by Spartan-029

Jesse, Spartan-029, is the first of the trainees to undergo the Spartan II augmentation and his team is the charged with the task of field testing the Spartan's prototype equipment. This is the story of the Spartan II semi-special ops, Spartan Gold Team.

2. Chapter 2

1000 Hours, April 11, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

SPARTAN-029 looked out the view pork of the pelican as it descended to the planet's surface. From space the planet could have looked so peaceful. But after the last several years, he knew better than to believe anything he saw.

The SPARTANS had finished their training under CPO Mendez in 2525. More than half of them had been washed out after the bio-augmentation operation. So many had either been permanently crippled by the procedure or died during the process. Jesse was thankful that he hadn't lost either of his teammates, Dan and Kimberly.

Shortly after their bio-augmentation operations the SPARTANS were sent on their first mission against the rebel forces in the further sectors of the Erandi System. Unfortunately Jesse wasn't allowed to go. John had taken his own Blue Team instead which consisted of John, Kelly, Sam, Fred and Linda who was probably the scariest SPARTAN Jesse knew. Linda was a sharp-shooting master. Her quiet personality was downright frightening when she got behind the scope of her S2 AM Sniper Rifle.

John had been wounded during the operation but thanks to his operation had quickly recovered by the time they returned to Reach. However, any possible celebrations were cut short. Upon their arrival CPO Mendez briefed them on an incident in the outer colony of Harvest.

The SPARTANS had been informed of an alien warship entering the system and laying waste to the planet colony and the UNSC ships that had been sent to investigate the loss of contact. The SPARTANS were immediately shipped out to the planet Chi Ceti 4 where Dr. Halsey had provided each SPARTAN with their new armored suits known as MJOLNIR battle suits. The suits made the SPARTANS even more a of a threat to any enemy; enabling the SPARTANS to move faster and increase their level of performance one hundred fold.

Upon leaving the system, they came into contact with the group of aliens they now knew as the Covenant. John had lead them on a daring mission to board the single alien vessel and destroy it from within. But only he, along with Sam and Kelly made it aboard. After the Covenant ship was destroyed and the remaining SPARTANS had been gathered up, they learned that Sam had been killed in action; the first true SPARTAN casualty of war.

Eleven years had passed since that day and only two more SPARTANS had been lost. Randal and Kurt had both been labeled as MIA within a year of each other. John never liked to think of his fellow teammates as dying so he always listed them as Missing-In-Action on their team roster.

As of late, they were trying to take back the Sigma Octanus Star System. The Covenant had already glassed Sigma Octanus one and three with the plasma weapons on board their warships. Every time the SPARTANS began overpowering the Covenant forces on the ground, the blasted aliens would retreat to space and bombard the planet with plasma. So many soldiers, civilian lives and star systems had been lost to the Covenant armada and frankly, SPARTAN-029 was sick of it.

"Hey, Jesse." Dan put a hand on his friend's shoulder. The SPARTANS looked almost alien themselves wearing their massive MJOLNIR battle armor. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking to myself." Jesse assured him.

"Oh. Right." Dan bobbed his head in understanding. He knew that Jesse was not to be bothered before going into a combat situation unless he indicated that he wanted company. Over the years, Jesse had become fairly wily in his combat tactics. John had seen such a major improvement in his performance ever since his return to Reach that he declared Jesse be the squad leader of Gold Team; the SPARTANS semi-special operations team.

Jesse moved away from the view port. "Are you all set to go?" He asked Dan.

"As always." Dan chirped.

Jesse smiled behind his polarized face plate. He moved to the rest of Gold Team which consisted of Dan, Kimberly and Luke-085 and Leslie-055. Luke was the heavy explosives specialist and was well known for his ability to wield two SPNKR rocket-launchers at once. Leslie was smaller and quieter than Kimberly. Because of her size and grace in the field, Jesse nominated her to be the Gold Team scout. Luke was busy prepping his launcher should the situation on the ground immediately get hot. Leslie polished her combat knife in a machine-like fashion. Kimberly was stationed at the back of the dropship looking out at the planet's surface.

"How are you doing Kimsey?" Jesse asked in a flirting manner.

Kimberly's face plate unpolarized and she glared at Jesse. "Don't call me Kimsey." She growled.

"Just making sure you're ready to move out once we hit the ground." Jesse tried to cover up his behavior. Ever since the other SPARTANS had been been rapidly induced into puberty and undergone their bio-augmentation, Jesse had began growing more and more fond of Kimberly. One couldn't tell while she was wearing her armor, but she had grown out and developed rather nicely, in Jesse's opinion. Towards the end of their training, CPO Mendez had been lenient enough to let some of them grow their hair out if they so wished. Kimberly's hair was now down to her shoulders. The strawberry-blonde color seemed to really bring out the green of her eyes.

"If I wasn't ready then I would be busy fixing my gear." Kimberly pointed out.

"I'm only double checking." Jesse said let his hand rest on her shoulder. "I don't want to lose anyone today. Okay?"

"You say that before every mission and we've all come back safe and sound." Kimberly reminded him. "We'll be fine." She reached up and gave the hand that was on her shoulder a light squeeze. She, as well as the rest of Gold Team, knew how much their livs meant to their squad leader.

"Gold Lead. Come in." John's, now known as Master Chief, voice rose in everyone's com-links. "This is Blue Lead. Do you read me?" Gold Team straightened up and polarized their face plates, hiding their features behind a dark visor.

"Roger Blue Lead." Jesse answered. "We're listening."

"Your team is on evac duty. For the time being. It seems that the Covenant have stationed on the far side of the planet. Their invasion forces are moving from that end over towards your team's position. Judging at their current pace, ETA should be about 36 hours."

Jesse sighed. He wished he had more time to clear out the cities and residential districts. "Copy that Chief. Are we to expect any reinforcements?"

"The UNSC destroyer Flawed Legacy is currently inbound on your position. They will be sending pelicans to shuttle the survivors aboard. Red team is already ground-side and setting up tactical nukes to slow them down and buy your team more time."

"Understood Chief. Always appreciate the help." Jesse nodded. "Gold Team, out." Jesse turned to his teammates. "Alright Gold Team. Let's get to work. With Red team's help as well as the support from Flawed Legacy, this should be a cake walk."

"Yes sir!" They all stood and saluted. Five minutes later, the pelican landed on the outskirts of the residential district. There were no designated landing pads, only open fields and parks with very few structures close by. As the SPARTANS stepped onto solid ground again, Leslie looked up to the orange and blue clouds of the mid-afternoon.

"Looks like our help has arrived." She jerked her head towards the UNSC destroyer breaking through the clouds.

Kimberly held up her sniper rifle and looked through the scope. "The dropships are already inbound as well. ETA fifteen minutes."

"Ok then. Kimberly, you stay here and organize the evacuation procedures. We'll go in and get the civilians moving."

"Sir! Yes sir!" Kimberly saluted.

Jesse turned to Dan, Luke and Leslie. "Let's move fast." The four of them hefted their MA5B Assault rifles and took off running.

"Let's go!" The marines shouted as the civilians hurried along the streets.

"Don't bring anything more than what you can carry in your hands or pockets!"

Gold Team had given the civilians ten minutes to get moving towards the landing zones on the outskirts. UNSC marines had arrived to assist with the evacuation. Jesse relieved Kimberly and posted her and Leslie on look-out duty. Almost two hours had passed and hardly a fraction of the residents had been taken onboard Flawed Legacy.

"Gold Lead, come in." Luke's voice called out.

"I read you Gold Four. Go ahead."

"I have handicapped here. Requesting assistance."

"How many?"

"It's a retirement home. There's some thirty-six unable to move, the others are just too old to move very fast or very far." Luke sounded a little agitated. If there was one thing SPARTANS hated more than the Covenant, it was running into a snag during a mission. Snags were usually things that they hadn't been trained to deal with.

"I'm on my way. Hold tight." Jesse turned to the closest marine. "I need to get some warthogs down here ASAP. We have handicapped that need assistance being evacuated."

"Sorry sir. All the warthogs are ship-bound." The young soldier replied. Most soldiers who came into contact with SPARTANS felt a bit uneasy looking at them. The SPARTAN II project had been made public in order to increase the moral of the soldiers. But even the soldiers thought it was unnatural for such a small group of soldiers to devastate entire legions of Covenant troops within a day whereas the rest of the UNSC troops could barely overcome a patrol squad of Covenant soldiers. "I can see if I can get a couple flights of pelicans over to that position but they may need to hover down above the rooftops."

"We'll make due with that soldier." Jesse nodded. "Thank you."

"Glad to help sir." The marine turned and began patching himself through to the Flawed Legacy. Jesse turned on his tactical map and got a lock on Luke's position. He highlighted his position with a nav-beakon and took off at a steady jog. The civilians all looked at him with worried eyes as he passed them. He couldn't blame them. Only SPARTANS were trained not to have, or at least show, any signs of fear. Jesse hadn't run three blocks when he heard the sound of screeching tires. He stopped and watched as a group of civilians cleared the streets as three jeeps swerved around the corners.

"Get out of our way!" The men shouted furiously to the other pedestrians. Each jeep carried about six full grown men. Jesse was twenty-five but still looked as though he were in his late teens. He could take these guys without even thinking about breaking a sweat. The jeep sped straight for him. "Move!" The driver roared. Jesse didn't budge. He held his stance and prepared for the impact. Just before the jeep hit him Jesse executed a double palm strike to the front of the lead jeep. The occupants jolted from the impact and Jesse slid backwards leaving black skid marks on the asphalt. The two other jeeps screeched to a halt just narrowly missing colliding with the leader.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" The driver of the lead jeep fumed.

"I need your vehicles. We have handicapped who need immediate evacuation."

"Fuck you! These are ours and we need them to get out of here! If you want transportation, then find your own!"

Jesse's temper was rising. "We're here to transport you to safety! If you insist on being difficult we'll leave you behind!"

The men in the jeeps looked shocked. "You can't be serious! This is a joke!"

Jesse cycled the bolt of his assault rifle and took aim at the man's forehead. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

The men in the other jeeps stood up and reached into their belts and pulled out their own hand-held pistols.

"I think the joke is on you pal." One of them snickered and the others laughed. Four loud bangs went off and four pistols hit the ground. The laughter stopped and four of the men clutched at their bleeding hands crying out in agony. The others turned to see where the shooting had come from and looked up to see Leslie standing on a nearby rooftop. Her sniper rifle's barrel was still smoking. Beside her was Kimberly with her MA5B leveled at the men in the third jeep.

"Now once again. We need these vehicles to transport those who are less able bodied than you are." Jesse repeated. "You all have healthy bodies, so use them like everyone else here is doing. We already said that we didn't want anyone using vehicles because that would cause too many problems for us. Now get out and move."

"Well you've just handicapped some of our guys." The leader tried to argue.

"You don't need your hands to walk. Or better yet, you can run and get to the medics onboard the ship even faster. Besides, you're not hurt that bad. Now move it!"

The men didn't argue any more. The other residents watched them get out of the jeeps with looks of disgust.

Leslie slung her sniper rifle and she and Kimberly hopped down from the roof.

"Thanks for the support Leslie. It would have been much more difficult if you two hadn't shown up." Then Jesse glanced at Kimberly. "You too Kimsey."

"You're welcome sir. Anytime." Leslie nodded.

"I don't know. I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting them go. Or maybe I should have shot you instead." Kimberly growled and formed her hand into a gun and pulled the trigger.

Jesse placed a hand over his heart. "I'd believe you but I know you'd miss me too much. But enough of that. Let's go give Luke a hand." Each SPARTAN climbed into a jeep and made their way towards Luke's nav-beacon. They managed to load up several of the elderly civilians and were heading back to the LZ when the marine Jesse had talked to stopped them.

"Sir!" He saluted. "A pelican is inbound to pick up those who need assistance in being evacuated."

"Good work soldier. We appreciate the help."

"Thank you sir!" The marine saluted again and Jesse nodded in response before getting out of the jeep and turning to his team. You guys get this group to the LZ. I'll go back and wait for the dropship to arrive."

"Yes sir!" Their status lights winked green on his heads-up-display. They drove off and Jesse ran back to the retirement facility. The pelican arrived two minutes later and hovered over the roof. It took Jesse a good half hour to carry all the seniors up to the roof and load them onto the deck of the pelican. Once they were all on board he took a minute to plan his next move more thoroughly.

He looked out at the enormous city several miles away. Evacuating everyone from the city would be extremely difficult under the amount of time they were given. He found himself hoping that Red Team would be able to buy them a good amount of time. Jesse returned to the LZ and gathered his team. Once they were all gathered around him he opened a COM-channel to the Flawed Legacy.

1200 Hours, April 11, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

Onboard the UNSC destroyer, Captain Hammond gazed out at the unending stream of dropships entering and exiting the docking bay. They looked like a line of worker ants, carrying people from the residential district to his ship. Things had been going surprisingly smooth. Only a small handful of the marines had reported some of the civilians needing any type of medical attention.

"Sir!" Lt. Thomas Greene called from the communications station. "I'm receiving an incoming message, sir. It's the SPARTAN Gold Team requesting to speak to you directly."

"Put 'em through." Hammond nodded and sat down in his chair on the deck. He pressed a couple buttons and opened the COM-channel. "This is Captain Hammond of the UNSC destroyer Flawed Legacy. Go ahead Gold Team."

"Sir, this is Gold Lead." Jesse's voice could be heard throughout the bridge. "Sir, I think it's time we started getting the civilians evacuated from the city. We may have a few hundred more here on the ground that are still waiting to board. But it's going to take a lot longer to get everyone out of the city by the time the Covenant show up."

"You do understand that by moving this ship closer to the city will limit her maneuverability quite a bit and she may not even be able to provide much of any support to your team on the ground. Assuming that we indeed come into contact with Covenant forces."

"Yes sir. I am aware of the risks sir. But we have a mission to complete sir. Gold Team and I will do our best to get the job done with as little damage to your forces as possible."

"Very well then Gold Team. Hammond out." He ended the transmission and Hammond looked at his crew who were all staring at him. "Well, you heard the man. Move us in closer to the city. I want half the pelicans currently transporting the civilians in the residential district to focus their efforts on the city. Any remaining pelicans are to assist them. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" His crew nodded and went about their work.

1500 Hours, April 12, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

"Keep up the pace." The marines called as they ushered the civilians along. The entire residential area was now deserted, all the inhabitants had gotten safely aboard the Flawed Legacy. Now that the destroyer had positioned itself between the city and the residential district, the loading of civilians was proceeding much faster. Gold Team spent most of the time gathering the stragglers and switching between look-out and escort duty.

"Gold Lead, Gold Four and I have one more batch of civilians each." Kimberly reported over the team's COM-channel.

"Understood. About how many in each group?" Jesse replied.

"Twenty-five sir." Luke reported.

"Seventeen, sir." Kimberly finished. "We should arrive at the LZ within five minutes."

"Good. Luke, how about you?"

"I'm a bit farther out sir. I would estimate no more than ten minutes if we hurry sir."

"Very well then. Let me know if you need any assistance."

"Yes sir!" Gold Three and Four's status lights winked green again.

Sure enough, five minutes later, a group of civilians rounded a street corner escorted by Kimberly practically walking alongside the jogging citizens.

"Good work Gold Three." Jesse nodded and gave her a light clap on the shoulder. "Stand guard near the dropships and prepare to lift off. Make sure the pilots know that as soon as Gold Four returns, we're out of here."

"Yes sir!" Kimberly nodded with a salute and led her group down the street to the waiting pelicans. Moments later Kimberly came sprinting back. "Sir! The dropship just received word from Flawed Legacy. A Covenant Cruiser just came into view."

Jesse frowned behind his face plate and tightened his grip on his assault rifle. "Leslie! You copy?"

"Yes sir!" She called down from the skyscraper above her team leader. She was looking through the scope of her S2 AM sniper rifle. "The carrier is closing in due east. It's taken one hell of a hit. Looks like Red Team really did a number on it. ETA 30 minutes at their current pace ."

"Are any of their forces on the ground yet?"

"No sir. But I do have multiple Covenant dropships closing fast. They have a squad of banshee fliers too. They'll make first contact for sure."

"Get down here Gold Five. We'll try and keep this fight in the streets where their fliers have less maneuverability. I'm leaving you and Gold Three to guard the dropships here."

"Yes sir!" Leslie's status light winked green. She threw a cable over the side of the skyscraper and began repelling down the thirty story building at a quickened pace.

"Gold Two!" Jesse called.

"Yes sir! Awaiting orders!" Dan called back.

"You and I are going to give Gold Four some support in case their dropship forces get into the city and hit ground side before he reaches the LZ."

"Yes sir! I'm en-route as we speak."

"Sir!" Kimberly called. Jesse turned and she thrust a rocket launcher to him and an extra salvo. "Good luck sir." She made a "U" shape with her finger in front of her face plate to indicate she was smiling at him. "Be careful." She added in a more serious tone.

"Anything for you Kimsey." Jesse made a hand-smile back and took off. Kimberly just sighed and shook her head.

Luke ducked behind a corner as a shower of plasma bolts scorched the cement where he had stood a split second before. The banshee fliers were swarming through the streets like angry hornets. Every time he poked his head out from where he and the civilians had been pinned down, another would make an attempt to hit them. Thankfully the fliers couldn't get a shot in at them from the sides and were forced to stick to the streets.

"Gold Four, this is Gold Two! What's your status?" Dan asked.

"We're pinned down. We can't make a run for it. They'd slaughter us." Luke answered in a surprisingly calm voice.

"I'll draw their fire. When they've passed, hit their blind spots."

"Copy that."

Dan peered around the corner and spotted two banshees moving towards Luke's position a block and a half away. He drew his side-arm, an M6D pistol with a mounted scope. Dan counted to three then sprang out from his hiding spot around the corner. He took aim through the scope and fired at the banshee's puny wings that angled down from the cockpit. The lead flier jerked as its left engine sparked and blew out then turned towards their attacker. Dan spun around and sprinted down the street. Luke waited until the banshees passed and was sure there were no other hostile forces on his motion sensor. Then he too sprang out from hiding and fired his SPNKR launcher. The missiles flew straight and true and the banshees hit the ground in heaps of burning metal.

Almost immediately the other banshees appeared from over the building tops and around the corners. Luke ducked back into hiding to reload his launcher. Dan shouldered his assault rifle and opened fire. The armor-piercing rounds turned the lead flier into confetti and it fell to the street bellow. Dan had enough time and ammunition in his clip to blow off the engine of another banshee's wing and cause it to crash into two more. Dan slipped into an alleyway as the three fighters careened into a building. Six down, seven to go.

"Reloaded and ready." Luke announced over the COM-channel.

"Okay. On my signal." Dan said in almost a whisper. He jammed another clip into his assault rifle and his muscles tensed slightly. Jesse had made it a strong emphasis to remain calm and relaxed during battle. "A relaxed hand moves faster than a tightened fist." This was his favorite quote from combative philosophy.

Dan was about to give the signal when an enormous green plasma bolt struck the corner of the building two meters from him.

"Jesus! They're going on bombing runs! They're hoping that nuking us will either kill us or flush us into the open!" No sooner had he finished his sentence than two SPNKR missiles whistled by. Two more explosions roared through the air.

"Gold Four! Open fire!" Jesse shouted.

Luke appeared from his hiding spot once again and emptied his launcher. He had his assault rifle aimed at one of the last three fliers before the other two hit the ground. The three SPARTANS opened up on the remaining banshees and the fliers dropped to the ground.

"Thanks for the help." Dan chirped as he reloaded his MA5B. "That was gunna be a tough one to get out of."

Jesse smiled to himself. "Can't let you guys have all the fun. Now let's move! They've already delayed us enough with their damned fliers."

"Yes sir!" Gold Two and Four acknowledged. Luke led the civilians out of the alley and into the streets again. They were all running at a considerable pace now that they knew the Covenant were almost on top of them.

The humans hadn't gone more than two blocks when a covenant dropship screamed over their heads. The u-shaped ship lowered to the ground and opened up its side compartments. Jackals and Grunts poured out of the dropship with plasma pistols raised. The Grunts opened fire almost immediately. Plasma bolts whizzed through the air. Several civilians dropped from shots in the back.

"Gold Four, keep moving!" Jesse ordered as he and Dan moved to protect the civilians. "We'll cover your escape!"

"Yes sir!" Luke acknowledged and continued leading the others on at an even more quickened pace. Jesse and Dan shot down the Grunts easily. These meter-tall aliens were by far, easier to kill than flies. The only threat they provided was in numbers which explained why there were usually so many of them in a group.

Dan showered the Jackals with bullets but the ugly aliens crouched down behind their energy shields attached to their arms. Jesse and Dan ducked in close to the buildings to reload. Jesse drew his M6D and sighted the closest Jackal through the scope and fired three shots. The first knocked the alien's weapon from its hand, the second bullet went through its hand and the last was aimed directly at the creatures ugly bug-eyed head. The other Jackals took several cautious steps backwards. Dan and Jesse seized the moment to fall back towards Gold Four's position. They both retreated firing their pistols behind them to keep the Jackals at bay.

Suddenly the air was filled will plasma fire again. A swarm of Grunts spilled out from both sides of an intersection to provide support for the pursuing Jackals. Dan and Jesse zigzagged in between the shots. More of the civilians were hit and fell to the ground. Jesse and Dan raced past the bodies and tried not to look. They had gone about fifty yards when a woman screamed. She turned and tried to push to the back of the group of civilians.

"No! Stop! My little girl!" She pleaded helplessly against the current of bodies. Jesse felt sorry for the woman. He didn't know why, but he stopped and turned to look back to where the bodies had fallen. A little girl was crying and struggling to get up from under the weight of the fallen adults around her.

Without hesitation Jesse sprinted back in her direction. Dan stopped and turned to see what was going on. Three Jackals were closing in on the little girl with saliva dripping from their long teeth. Dan took aim and fired his M6D. The lead Jackal jolted and fell dead just a few feet from the girl. The remaining two continued to close the gap.

"Oh no you don't!" Jesse said to himself. He threw himself forward as the Jackals came to tower over the little girl with mouths opened wide. There was a loud crack as Jesse landed a palm strike in each alien's head, crushing in their vulture-like skulls. The bodies were flung backwards and skidded across the ground. Jesse reached for the dead lead Jackal and grabbed its energy shield gauntlet. The SPARTANS had standing orders to retrieve any Covenant technology whenever possible. Jesse had learned from previous experience that Jackal shields were very helpful during battle.

Once he had the gauntlet attached to his left arm, Jesse pulled the little girl in close to him to protect her. She was crying hysterically. Jesse activated the Jackal's energy shield and the blue-white glow made a barrier between him and the super-heated plasma bolts. Jesse slung his assault rifle over his shoulder and picked up the little girl as best he could. He wasn't able to run as fast as he would have liked to but at least he was outpacing the Covenant ground forces.

Dan continued to provide covering fire as his team leader hustled back towards him. His bullets tore through the Grunt lines, leaving their environmental support suits broken and methane gas spewing into the air before exploding and covering the asphalt with purple alien blood. All at once Dan spotted something to his right. He leaped backwards as another shower of plasma bolts sizzled past. Another squad of Grunts and Jackals poured out of an alleyway and into the streets, cutting him off from his team leader. Dan tried to get the aliens out of his way but the Jackals energy shields deflected his shots.

Jesse stared at the reinforcements that had just created a wall between him and his team. He could hear the sound of Dan's assault rifle and could see the bullets bouncing off energy shields.

"Gold Two! Fall back to the dropship! I'll catch up to you later! Rendezvous with the Chief and I will meet up with you there!"

"But sir!"

"That's an order! Not a request!" Jesse snapped. Dan's acknowledgment light winked green after a noticeable pause. After a quick second, Jesse saw his teammate's signal disappear from his motion sensor.

Jackals and Grunts swarmed around the lone SPARTAN and the little girl. Jesse was having more and more trouble dodging the plasma bolts and soon his Jackal shield began to overload. In one last desperate attempt to clear a path Jesse gripped his assault rifle in one hand. He switched his gun's ammunition to shredder rounds and swept across the closing circle of Covenant troops. More of the Grunts environmental support suits burst into flame before exploding. Jesse ducked and huddled around the girl as the wave of fire swept over them. The sudden explosions overloaded the Jackals energy shields. Shrapnel cut into the alien's flesh and more of the methane gas ignited. Jesse heaved a fragmentation grenade into the confusion and the Grunts barked and screamed in their own native language. There was a loud WHUMP as the grenade detonated and another burst of flame filled the sky. The Grunts had had enough. They started to panic as they usually did when confronted with superior enemy forces.

Jesse took this chance to escape. He slung his MA5B, picked the girl up in his arms and charged forward. Even though the MJOLNIR armor weighed nearly a half ton Jesse moved as if it weighed only a few pounds. Keeping his head tucked down, the SPARTAN bowled over the Covenant forces. All at once they were gone and Jesse was presented with a wall. He tucked his shoulder in and plowed through the concrete wall. The little girl screamed and Jesse cradled her closer to protect her from the falling rubble.

The Jackals were the first to get themselves composed and turned to fire at the SPARTAN'S back. Jesse jerked a heard left and burst through a door and up a stair well. The Jackals followed and hissed for the Grunts to do the same. Plasma bolts shot through to the roof of the stairwell, sending drops of searing hot metal splattering over Jesse's armor. The SPARTAN had to think fast. If one of those shots hit the little girl, there was no way she would have survived. On the twelfth floor, Jesse stopped. He set the girl down in a corner and armed another two frag grenades. He waited a second before dropping them down towards the Covenant forces on the sixth level below. There was a startled screech and the force of the explosions vibrated up the staircase. The stairs from the seventh level down had been destroyed; there was no way the Covenant could get at him from below now.

Jesse took this moment to plan his next strategy. He was separated from his team and he had no doubt that the dropships were just about onboard Flawed Legacy by now. Now he was stuck in a city crawling with Covenant troops with little to no way out. And he had a civilian to protect at the same time.

He sighed heavily. This would be the hardest mission he'd had to date.

"Kimberly! Are the dropships ready to lift off?" Luke called. He and his group of civilians had just spotted the pelicans up ahead on the very edge of the city.

"Yes sir! As soon as you get your butts onboard we're out of here!"

"Glad to hear it!" Luke puffed. He helped the remaining civilians in his group onboard the ship before climbing on himself.

"Where's Dan and Jesse?" Leslie asked.

"They were right behind me. Jesse ran back to pick up a civilian that had almost been left behind and Dan was covering their escape." Luke gasped.

"I don't see...Wait! I see Dan! He's down the street!" Kimberly looked through the scope of her S2. "I don't see Jesse at all."

"What?" Leslie and Luke exclaimed together.

Dan sprinted up to Kimberly. "C'mon! We have to get out of here! Now!"

"But what about Jesse? Where is he?" Kimberly stammered.

"We got separated. He said to return to the Flawed Legacy and rendezvous with the Master Chief at Rally Point Beta."

"But..."

"He's going to meet us there! But we have to go!" Dan ordered more forcefully.

"Sirs!" The pilot called back from the cockpit. "Are we okay for dust off?"

Dan looked at Kimberly who stared out at the empty streets before climbing into the dropship.

"Yes." She muttered darkly. "Get us out of here."

Jesse walked around the thirteenth floor of the office building. He cleared off a large desk and set the little girl down on it. She had stopped crying but hadn't said a word since. Jesse looked her over and found large gash and a plasma burn on one leg. Jesse knelt down and pulled a small med-kit from his utility belt. He set it down beside the girl and tore the cloth of her pant leg below her knee. Jesse was surprised how quiet she was being. Only SPARTANS were known to keep absolutely silent when under injury.

Jesse looked around the room and found a water jug dispenser nearby. He filled a couple cups and began cleaning the blood that had been trickling down the girl's leg. She whimpered slightly but said nothing more. Next Jesse had to clean and treat the cut and burn. He pulled out a bottle of iodine and sprayed it generously on the burn and cut.

"Ouch!" The girl screamed. She had jumped a little but wasn't able to move her leg very much. "That hurts!" She looked like she was ready to start sobbing again.

Jesse had had experience treating adults for field wounds but not kids. "It's gunna sting a little bit. I'll be done as soon as I can." He said plainly. He filled the gash with bio-foam to stop the bleeding and to keep the burn from getting infected before wrapping the girl's leg with a bandage. "Done." Jesse announced and stood up. He grabbed another cup of water and handed it to the girl. "Drink this. You'll need to drink lots of water if you want those injuries to heal up properly." The girl took the cup and sipped it slightly.

Jesse took this chance to check his mission clock. It was 1430 hours. With the few losses by the sudden attack, his team had managed to completely evacuate the city. He marked his mission status as complete and checked his teammate's vital signs. They had all made it back to the dropship alive. He shut off his team's status for the moment and began checking his supplies. He had one more med-kit and a few light rations. As far as ammunition, he was left with three clips for his M6D and four and half total magazines for the assault rifle: two shredder clips plus the half-clip in his gun, and two more for armor piercing. Not nearly as much as he would have liked but it would have to do for the time being. Jesse looked down at the Jackal's gauntlet. It had recharged and was fully operational once again.

The girl took another cup of water and took a few more mild gulps before setting the cup down. Convinced she had drank enough, Jesse turned to go look around the building. His mind flashed back to lessons from his commanding officer CPO Mendez. "Anything and everything has the potential to be used as a weapon. You just need to get creative."

"Where are you going?" The girl asked. Jesse detected the fear returning to her voice.

"I'm going to look around real quick. I'll be right back."

"No!" The girl shouted and tears began to form in her eyes again. "Don't go!"

Jesse gave an irritated sigh and walked back to the desk. "I'm not going to be long..."

"I'm scared!" The girl sobbed and wrapped her little arms around his massive gauntleted forearm. Jesse stared in silence for a moment. Nothing CPO Mendez had trained him in could have prepared him for this. He wanted to shake the girl off and tell her to get a hold of herself. But she wasn't a SPARTAN. She hadn't experienced all the rigorous training he and the others had gone through. At last he gave up trying to shake her off.

"We'll need to find a way out of here." He said trying and calm her down. "But I will tell you what." He reached into the back of his utility belt and pulled out what looked like an old flash drive with a button in the middle of it. "I need to go look around. If you stay here and guard this room for me I think we can get out of here much faster." He handed her the device. "If you feel scared or hear something, then press this button and I will come running back. Understood?"

The girl looked at his dark faceplate then the hand-held device. She took it in her tiny hand and nodded.

"Good. Now stay here and keep a good look out." Jesse repeated before disappearing from her sight.

2130 Hours, April 12, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

SPARTAN-029 finished closing the blinds over the windows of the office building. Night had fallen and he didn't want Covenant patrols catching him off guard in the dead of night. He managed to talk the little girl, Lauren, into helping him lower the blinds on the thirteenth floor. Each floor had two vending machines on it; one for food another for drinks. Several had small kitchens with running water and food left in the refrigerators. Jesse made an effort to get Lauren to eat seeing as how she hadn't eaten anything since they'd met. She forced down two bags of chips and two cookies and a soda before claiming to be full. She seemed to be in higher spirits when he was around. Although they quickly faded when he left to go secure the blinds upstairs.

Jesse wolfed down an apple and a turkey sandwich that had been left in one of the refrigerators and guzzled two half-liter water bottles. He put his helmet back on and loaded a map of the city on his HUD. His main focus was on the sewer tunnels leading out of the city. The closest one was almost a block north and was the quickest way out of the city. However, the streets were littered with Covenant troops and Jesse's attention was pulled away from the map as a patrolling banshee cruised by outside.

Just then a red light winked on his HUD. Jesse's heart rate increased; Lauren was calling him. He quickly left the seventeenth level and slipped silently down the staircase. He paused outside the door for a brief moment. His motion tracker had suddenly picked up multiple contacts. There was one directly on the other side of the door. Jesse holstered his side arm and grabbed his combat knife. He slowly twisted the door handle and peeked into the room. The Jackal's back was to him. Easy kill.

In a lightning fast motion Jesse whipped his hand out. The seven-inch blade split the Jackal's throat and it made a slight gurgling noise as it's body began to fall. Jesse grabbed it before it could hit the floor and pulled it into the stair well. He flung the body down the deep chasm and turned back to the door.

He had moved so swiftly that the other jackals hadn't been alerted to his presence yet. He slipped into the room and ducked by the nearest desk. He could see the glow of energy shields spread out across the room. Jackals had great night vision but even the light from their energy shields would play hell with their ability to target him accurately. Seven targets in all, moving in and out amongst the cubicles.

Jesse moved through the shadows and to the closest Jackal. It was busy inspecting the contents of a cubicle and didn't even so much as suspect to be taken from behind. Jesse left the body where it lay and moved on. Two more Jackals went down. This was what the SPARTANS specialized in; quick and silent kills.

Jesse was closing in on the fourth Jackal when he heard the muffled sound of crying. He froze and the Jackals turned. Jesse slashed the alien's elongated neck wide and rolled to the side as the other three opened fire. He flipped a desk over and took cover behind it. The plasma bolts melted through almost instantly and Jesse dove behind another. The Jackals followed and continued to fire. Jesse grabbed his assault rifle and fired at the floor beneath the Jackal's feet. The floor gave way and the three bird-like aliens fell through. Jesse slung his rifle and stood behind a desk. With one powerful kick the desk slid across the floor and into the hole. There was a squawk as the desk crushed the aliens below. Jesse looked down into the hole to see the broken bodies twitching underneath the remains of the shattered desk.

Jesse returned to where he had left Lauren. She was nowhere in sight. He walked around the desk and moved the chair that had been placed there. Lauren sat there shaking like a leaf in the wind. Jesse extended a hand to her and she took it cautiously.

"I thought you weren't coming back." She whined. Jesse knelt down and she threw her arms around him. Jesse wasn't sure what to do. The only thing he could think of doing was setting a hand on her head to try and quiet her down.

"Kid, there's something you should learn about SPARTANS. We don't leave teammates behind. And we don't leave civilians behind." He pulled her off of him and looked at her. "Those Jackals. Where did they come from?"

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then we should probably get moving. They were probably just looking around and now somebody is going to know that they're missing." He led Lauren back to the staircase. He picked up another Jackal gauntlet and strapped it to Lauren's arm. Then he picked up a plasma pistol and told Lauren to hold onto it. After giving her a brief lesson on how to turn it on and off he carried her up the stairs to the roof. Jesse turned on his night scanner and brought up his display of the city's sewer systems. He marked the nearest entrance with a nav-beacon and took off running. The closest building was spaced ten feet away from his current position. The leap was easy to land but he still told Lauren to close her eyes and stay quiet.

Just then Jesse picked up a signal on his motion tracker and he skidded to a halt. He listened and heard the humming of a banshee nearby. He raced to the edge of the building and crouched down. A pair of banshee fliers rose up like snakes out of a basket to look around. After a long tense moment they flew on by to continue their patrol. By now Jesse was just close enough to his nav-beacon. He leaped to the next building, a twenty-five foot jump and ducked inside the stairway to the roof just as another patrol of banshees flew over the rooftops.

Once inside, Jesse paused to check his motion tracker. Nothing. Slowly and cautiously they descended the stairwell. At last they reached ground level. Jesse paused and set Lauren down half a flight up from the ground level. He crept up to the door leading out of the stairwell and crouched down. He pulled a chord out of his utility belt with a video probe attached to it. He slid it underneath the crack bellow the door and connected the opposite end into the back of his helmet. Jesse saw an enormous figure move straight for the door. Before he could react the door handle turned. Jesse looked up into the gleaming, sinister eyes of a Covenant Elite.

The Elites were the Covenant's battle field commanders. They stood almost eight feet tall and were incredibly strong. Not only that but they were smart. Far smarter than the Grunts and even more so than the Jackals.

The Elite looked shocked to see the SPARTAN there in the doorway and paused. Then it's face opened up in an angry roar as its squid-like mandibles spread wide. It reached for the plasma rifle mounted on its hip but Jesse's reactions were much faster. He lunged forward and struck the Elite in the chest with a palm strike. The Elites towered over humans regardless if the humans were SPARTANS or not. But the blow from a SPARTAN was still enough to send an Elite flying back several feet and crashing into a row of chairs. Jesse didn't wait for the Elite to get up. As he approached the monster it raised its plasma rifle. In a flash, Jesse snapped out a kick that crushed the alien's four-fingered hand and sent the weapon sliding across the marble floor. The Elite snarled and stood up. Jesse struck it in the chest again and it's energy shields flickered. The Elite grabbed Jesse by the throat only to get its arm snapped in half. The alien howled in pain and Jesse silenced it after wrapping an arm around its neck and giving a quick jerk.

Jesse looked down at the dead alien. It's armor was blue, meaning it was an Elite Minor. These Elites were the rookies of the Elite classes they had seen in battle. And where there were rookies, that usually meant there were also their commanders: Elite Majors. No sooner than these thoughts passed through Jesse's mind than he heard an angry bellowing from outside. Jesse turned and saw another Elite, this one in clad red armor. Jesse clenched his fists as he and the commander stared each other down. In a flash the Elite lifted its plasma rifle and fired. Jesse dropped himself bellow the bolts of molten plasma and landed hard on the floor. He swung his legs around and kicked a chair through the broken glass of the building's entrance. The Elite swatted the chair aside and took aim again. By now Jesse was getting to his feet and he hurled another nearby chair at the Elite. The alien ducked and the next thing he knew, the SPARTAN was standing directly in front of him. Even though Jesse didn't know the complete anatomy of Covenant troops he guessed where to place his strikes. He drew his combat knife and slashed the arm holding the plasma rifle. The Elite hollered and hurled itself into the SPARTAN. It wrapped a long arm around Jesse's waist and slammed him into a wall inside the building. Jesse hit the wall and the marble tiles cracked from the impact. He dropped an elbow on top of the Elite's armored head which only seemed to make the alien even more furious. The Major grabbed Jesse's leg and slammed him into two more walls before hurling the human across the room and onto the pile of broken glass.

Jesse coughed. He tasted blood inside his helmet. He had never seen an Elite so pissed off before. He got to his feet and turned slightly so the Elite couldn't see him draw his sidearm. The Major's eyes burned with pure hatred. Not just hatred for humans in general but for Jesse; the one who had killed a soldier under his command and had severely wounded him as well.

Just as it was about to charge, a bright glow shone from the stairwell. A massive plasma bolt shot forward and struck the Elite in the back, knocking it forward. It's shields flickered once then failed. The Major turned a confused and infuriated look back to where the shot had come from. Lauren stood in the doorway, Jackal shield held up between her and the towering alien in front of her. The Elite roared again and took a step forward, then hit the floor; dead. Jesse put his smoking M6D away and walked up to Lauren. She was trembling again and looked as though she were in a trance. She jumped in alarm when Jesse knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It was hot." She whispered. Jesse looked down at her feet to see the plasma pistol smoking slightly. He had seen this before. Jackals were known to charge their plasma pistols and get them super hot before releasing the blast. He was surprised Lauren had charged it up like she did. Then he realized that she didn't know how these weapons worked and had probably held onto the trigger thinking that the weapon was capable of automatic fire.

Jesse reached up a hand and patted her on the head. "You did good kid." He picked up the plasma pistol and handed it to her, butt first. "Now let's get out of this place. We have a long trip ahead of us." With that he scooped the little girl up and escaped into the night.

1800 Hours, April 16, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

Jesse set Lauren down on the ground near the river. They had been traveling for four days straight, all the while dodging Covenant patrols and scout parties. Jesse was tired but didn't make any visible indication of it. He showed Lauren where to drink from the river after making sure the area was relatively safe. He watched as she upped her hands together and drank greedily. She looked a lot like Kimberly before her bio-augmentation. Her strawberry-blonde hair was much lighter than Kimberly's though. And unlike Kimberly, her eyes were blue and her face was covered in freckles. Jesse found himself lost in thought, thinking about his teammates. He wasn't one to complain about being alone, but deep down he missed them.

Once Lauren was done, Jesse inspected her leg. The bio-foam was keeping it closed and helping the tissue growth along nicely. However, Jesse considered it necessary to clean it at least once a day with the iodine spray; which Lauren didn't take too kindly too. Jesse decided to let her rest a while. While they sat down Jesse brought up a map of the planet's surface. He was too far away to be able to communicate with anyone other than the Covenant but he left his COM-channel open just in case. He was still maybe a week's worth of travel from where the Master Chief and the other SPARTANS were waiting for him. Assuming they were still alive that is. Jesse shook his head. He couldn't be thinking like that; not now.

Jesse was pondering his next course of action when he perked up.

Lauren looked at the way his head popped up and looked around. "What is it?"

"I hear something." Jesse muttered. He picked Lauren up and lifted her to a low-hanging branch of the nearest tree. "You stay up there. I'm gunna go see what the noise is."

"Will you come back?" Lauren asked timidly.

Jesse nodded. "Do you still have that device I told you to hold onto?" Lauren reached into her pocket and pulled out the button. "Good. You know the drill. I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned and hurried away. The sound was even louder now than before. There was no doubt in his mind that it came from Covenant vehicles. Jesse jogged to the top of a hill and crouched down. He looked over the top of the hill and spotted them; three Covenant ghosts cruising along in a delta formation. These were the Covenant's standard reconnaissance vehicles and were often used as rapid attack vehicles. These were often difficult to take out because of their maneuverability.

Jesse gave his surroundings a quick sweep. He had the river several kilometers to his back and the cover of the trees ten meters from his current position. He checked his ammunition. He had used a lot up in the last couple days. He was down to one clip of armor piercing rounds for his MA5B and another clip and a half for his M6D.

He leaned forward and sighted through the M6D scope. The good thing about ghosts was that they left their pilots virtually unprotected. Jesse unloaded the entire clip into the back of the Elite's head in the rear of the formation. The Elite's shields flashed once then gave way to the bullets. Purple blood spattered across the controls and the vehicle came to a halt. The other two ghosts slowed down and turned around. Jesse ducked back and crouched as low to the ground as possible. The ghosts hovered past their fallen comrade and moved close to the hill.

Jesse's heart pounded in his chest. He was glad no one else could hear it. His motion tracker showed the Covenant vehicles moving closer; they were heading up the hill. Jesse took hold of a plasma grenade he had picked up two days earlier when he and Lauren had run into a Grunt scout party. Just before he was ready to arm the grenade the ghosts stopped moving. He heard the Elites burbling to each other through their mandibles. Jesse wasn't able to understand their language but he kept the grenade in hand anyways.

The ghosts backed away from the hill and Jesse put away his M6D. Bellow, the Elites hopped off their vehicles and lifted their plasma rifles. Jesse waited three breathes then jumped to his feet. He armed the plasma grenade and the Elites jumped in alarm. Jesse hurled the grenade and it latched onto the targeted Elite's head. The alien bellowed as it tried to get its helmet off in time but the grenade detonated in a bright burst of super-heated plasma. The remaining Elite was thrown off balance by the force of the explosion and its shields blew out. When it turned its eyes up the hill Jesse had shouldered his assault rifle and with a short three-round burst, put the alien down for good.

With all immediate threats disposed of, Jesse hustled back into the trees and towards the river. He found Lauren still up in the tree clutching at her plasma pistol and looking around with wide watchful eyes.

"C'mon, I found us a ride out of here. We'll be able to meet up with my team a lot faster now."

"Really?" Lauren chirped excitedly. Jesse nodded and plucked her from the tree branch. He dashed back to the hill and to the parked ghosts. Lauren cringed when she saw the dead Elites on the ground and closed her eyes. Jesse grabbed two plasma grenades and one of the plasma rifles before climbing onto one of the ghosts. Lauren climbed into his lap and looked around. "Where's the seat belt?"

Jesse cocked his head for a moment. "The Covenant don't wear seat belts apparently."

"But my mom says you should always wear a seat belt in a moving vehicle."

"Well, given the circumstances, I think we can make an exception this time." Jesse found himself a little annoyed at the remark but put those those feelings aside. There would be time for feelings after he re-established contact with his team. Lauren was about to protest again but Jesse stopped her. "I won't tell if you don't." He whispered through his helmet and Lauren closed her mouth. It took Jesse a few minutes to learn the controls of the ghost but soon the two of them were off at a considerably faster pace.

0700 Hours, April 17, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

Jesse cracked his neck to work out the stiffness. He had been driving the ghost for over twelve hours now and his restlessness was starting to show. Lauren had managed to somehow fall asleep during the night and was curled up in a little ball to keep warm. Unfortunately every time Jesse began feeling uncomfortable, he would shift his position and wake her up. When she couldn't sleep any more she sat back and rested her head against Jesse's chest plate and watched the scenery fly by.

The SPARTAN was feeling very out of place. He had never been around kids except during training where they were disciplined in the same lifestyle and attitudes he had been raised with. Jesse took a deep breath and began to focus on his mission once more.

Ever since the Covenant had shown up, they hadn't considered retreating to space as they always did to glass the planet from orbit. That meant that either the UNSC forces were losing or the Covenant hadn't quite given up just yet. The more he thought about the subject, the more he felt that he needed to find out what was going on.

"Hey kid." Jesse said, rousing Lauren from a light nap. "I need you to keep an eye out for any signs of civilization."

"What's that?" Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jesse's grip on the ghost's controls tightened slightly. "I need you to keep a lookout for any cities or towns. We need to make a stop. Is that clear." He was trying his best to hide the frustration in his voice.

"Oh! Okay!" Lauren chirped again and began looking around the landscape more intuitively.

Several more hours passed by with nothing in sight. Jesse spent most of the time looking around himself and at last spotted something in the distance. He turned the ghost towards it and used the optical zoom on his helmet to get a better look at what was ahead. It wasn't a town or a city, but a marine command post. All at once the SPARTAN'S spirits lifted. Where there was a command post, there was a radio to reach his team with. Jesse hit the boost peddle and the ghost lurched forwards. Jesse patched a COM-channel through to the command post.

"This Gold Leader. ID SPARTAN-029. Does anybody read me?" There was static. "I repeat, this is SPARTAN-029. Any UNSC personnel, please respond."

There was a click. "Yes sir, Gold Lead. We read you loud and clear. Is that you coming in on that Covenant ghost?"

"Yes sir!" Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. "I have wounded as well. Do you have a doctor on station?"

"That's a negative sir. Our medic got hit on recon two days ago. We've been making due with what we have since."

"Roger that. Gold Lead out." Jesse parked the ghost outside the closest of the four buildings. He roused Lauren awake again and set her on the ground. Three marines came running out of the building. They stopped and saluted and Jesse returned the gesture. When their eyes moved down to Lauren they seemed a bit taken back at the sight of a little girl carrying a plasma pistol and a jackal gauntlet.

"Who is in charge here?" Jesse asked, drawing their attention back to him.

"Um...Lieutenant Waters sir. He's in the other building two doors down." The private stammered and turned to lead the SPARTAN away. Jesse followed them into the darkened room. Inside several marines stood around a table with their commanding officer. They all looked up when Jesse entered the building. Jesse saluted Lt. Waters and the man nodded in response.

Waters was in his mid to late forty's and had a scar running down the left side of his face. The marines wore the insignia of ODST's: the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. These were the most elite marines of the armed forces next to the SPARTANS. The ODST's were also nicknamed hell jumpers for their tendency to be thrown into a heated situation on the planet's surface. However, Jesse had seen many of these fine men and woman soldiers die at the hands of legions of Grunts, and struggle to bring down one well-positioned Jackal.

"Welcome to the party son." Lt. Waters greeted the SPARTAN.

"Sir!" Jesse nodded. "SPARTAN-029 reporting sir!"

"At ease." Lt. Waters waved. "No need to get too formal now. But I'm damned glad to have you with us right now." Then his eyes drifted to Lauren who had her arms wrapped around the SPARTAN'S hand. "Who is this?"

Jesse looked down at Lauren. "A civilian sir. My team was stationed on evac duty when the Covenant attacked. I was separated from my team and managed to rescue her in the process of escaping." Lauren hid behind Jesse's arm and peered at Lt. Waters from behind the safety of the SPARTAN.

"May I ask as to why she is carrying a Covenant weapon?"

"Sir. I have standing orders to retrieve any Covenant weapons of technology if presented with the opportunity, sir! She is merely holding it for me sir." Jesse was trying to cover up the fact that Lauren had indeed engaged the enemy with the plasma pistol. The news of a civilian engaging the enemy under the watch of a soldier would not have flown well with too many people.

"I see." Waters nodded after a minute.

"Sir. Permission to ask what the current situation is sir." Jesse continued.

"Very well." The ell-tee agreed. "Two days ago, we were sent on recon to investigate Covenant activities in the north-west region from here. We were attacked and forced to fall back to our command post here. The Covenant must not have stayed where they were for very long because the next morning we were faced with an entire fleet of Covenant troops."

"How did you survive that?" Jesse asked skeptically. The story didn't sound right to him. The Covenant didn't take prisoners and were more likely to kill a human than consider negotiating.

"We did all that we could do. He hid in a bomb shelter bellow this outpost and waited for them to pass by. They seemed pretty convinced that we had abandoned this position. Had to do some convincing though." He lifted the map off the table and blew a cloud of dirt up. Lauren sneezed and several of the ODST's laughed. Jesse gave his head the slightest twitch in their direction and they stopped immediately.

"So we're caught behind enemy lines in other words." Jesse summarized.

"That's correct."

"What's the status of your squad right now?"

Lt. Waters sighed. "We have twenty-four soldiers total. Over half are wounded. Some more critically than others."

"I see." Jesse nodded. "And what of your vehicles?"

"I have five warthogs stationed bellow in the bomb shelter and more than enough ammunition for everyone here."

Jesse lowered his head for a moment to think. "Sir. Permission to use your radio sir."

"For what purpose?"

"Sir. To get us the hell out of here."

1100 Hours, April 17, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

Captain Hammond sat onboard Flawed Legacy. He hated being put on evacuation duty while the rest of the UNSC navy fleet was up in space fighting the Covenant. For the past few days, things seemed to be going relatively well for the fleet of ships. He had received word that on three separate occasions a new Covenant fleet had entered the system and had been completely destroyed. The ships that had been planet-side stayed there. UNSC MAC-guns made sure of that. The moral of his crew seemed to be skyrocketing as well. Word was passing among the crew that they might actually be successful in taking back the Sigma Octanus Star System. Even he was starting to believe it was a possibility.

"Sir!" Lt. Greene called.

"What is it?" Hammond sat upright and the rest of his crew on the bridge turned as well.

"Incoming transmission!"

"Where's the signal coming from?"

"From marine outpost Zero-Alpha."

"Zero-Alpha? I thought that outpost was abandoned?"

"Apparently not sir. Readings confirm it."

"Then let's hear it." He opened the COM-channel.

"Come in Flawed Legacy! Come in! Does anyone read me?"

"This is Captain Hammond of the Flawed Legacy. Who may I ask am I speaking to?"

"Sir! This is SPARTAN-029 of Gold Team!"

"Glad to hear you're still alive Gold Lead." Hammond said with a smile. "You had us worried there for a while."

"Sir! If I may be so abrupt, but we have a situation down here."

"Go ahead Gold Lead. I'm listening."

"I've established contact with the 49th ODST division. They have several wounded and need extraction."

"You do realize that you're all behind enemy lines, correct?"

"Yes sir. I have a plan to get us out of here but we will need help to pull it off."

Hammond sighed. He admired the SPARTANS but he absolutely hated their way of thinking. Many claimed that only the SPARTANS could make the impossible possible which naturally aligned with the tactics they used on the battle field to complete their missions.

"Very well Gold Lead. What can we do for you?"

John-117 watched as marines ushered civilians aboard the Pelicans to be delivered to Flawed Legacy. Several of the civilians had volunteered to help with the evacuation as well.

Gold Team had met up with Blue Team one day after they had finished the evacuation of the city they had been assigned to. He was deeply disappointed to hear that Jesse had been separated from them when the Covenant attacked. He wasn't going to put Gold Team's leader down as MIA just yet. They had a mission to complete first before they could go looking for him, if at all. He looked over at the rest of Gold Team. Dan stood with Leslie who scouted out the terrain with her sniper rifle. Luke had stationed himself on top of a three-story building further into town with his rocket launcher slung over his shoulder. Kimberly stood alone with her sniper rifle. She only lifted it to give the sky a quick sweep before lowering it again.

"This is Captain Hammond to SPARTAN-117. Do you read me Master Chief?"

"Yes sir." John replied. He listened to Hammond's orders and looked up and watched as four long-sword fighters exited the hanger. Each had a warthog attached to its bomb-bay. They were flying slower with the added weight but the Chief already understood the plan. When they were out of sight he turned back to the job at hand. "Gold Team. Form up on me." He called. In three minutes the four SPARTANS gathered around him. "I've just received word from Captain Hammond. He's just made contact with your team leader." Gold team did its best to keep themselves composed. "Hopefully if Jesse's plan runs smoothly, then we'll be a full team again."

"That just made my day." Luke smiled behind his faceplate.

"So what's Jesse cooked up this time?" Kimberly asked.

1400 Hours, April 17, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

"All right! Now that's what I'm talking about." One of the ODST's cheered as the long-sword fighters dropped off the warthogs.

"This is what I call service." His buddy agreed.

Lt. Waters waved as the pilots flew off. "I have to hand it to you SPARTANS. You really do come through when you need to get the job done."

"Thank you sir. Now I say we get moving."

"I agree." Waters turned to the men who stood around the warthogs with big grins on their faces. "ODST's! Get your gear together and prepare to move out. We're leaving this dirt hole!"

"Yes sir!" The marines disappeared into the buildings and Jesse left to go check on Lauren who was curled up on a cot in the barracks. He grabbed some fresh magazines for his assault rifle and pistol as well as several more frag grenades. When Lt. Waters announced that the warthogs were loaded and ready to go, Jesse picked Lauren up and carried her out to the ghost. He started up the Covenant vehicle and waited for the rest of the ODST's to bring the warthogs out from the bomb shelter. A door slid open and an elevator raised them up to ground level. Jesse hit the accelerator and took off with the warthogs close behind.

The formation of warthogs formed a rough gamma-formation as they sped across the plains. The marines with the more critical injuries were put in the passenger seats and given heavy weapons. The less critically wounded and the more able-bodied varied as drivers and gunners. Jess led the formation with his ghost humming low over the ground. If the other SPARTANS were able to do their part, they might be able to pull off his plan.

1800 Hours, April 17, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

"That's right! I got some more for ya!" A marine shouted furiously as he emptied his assault rifle into the line of Grunts. The Covenant had caught up to the remaining evacuation group. The marines and SPARTANS were ordered to hold the position outside the city until reinforcements arrived. Several of the civilians helping with the evacuation were assisting in the fight but not making a great amount of difference as they were not trained in military combat. Several were forced to stay behind the lines and assist in helping the wounded.

"Pour it on Marines!" A Lieutenant shouted. "You're not paying for the rounds!"

John and the other SPARTAN II's fired their weapons. More than half of the SPARTANS were using their M6D's to sight in on the Grunts methane tanks and cause more damage to the Covenant forces from the explosions. The other SPARTANS fired their assault rifles and sniper rifles at the Elites stationed towards the back of the lines.

"Sir!" Kelly shouted over her team's COM-channel. "How long must we keep this up?"

Two marines to her right were hit with plasma bolts and killed instantly. A couple of their buddies moved in to grab them but were hit as well. One of the marines took a shot to the face and the other lay on his side screaming in agony. Kelly leveled her assault rifle and sprayed the aliens with shredder rounds as she moved towards the fallen marines. She grabbed the wounded, man and picked him up with one hand, still firing her rifle with the other and handed him back to a couple of his squad-mates. By now the Elites were onto the humans' plan and sent the Jackals to the front. The ugly vulture aliens overlapped their shields to form a barrier in front of the Grunts to prevent any further loss of troops to exploding environment suits.

"We'll keep fighting either until Gold Lead shows up or their all dead." John replied in his usual calm battlefield voice.

"Sir! Sounds like a plan to me sir!" Luke called. He ran up from the rear lines of the marines holding a rocket launcher in each hand. He crouched behind a rock and looked at Dan and James to his left. They both nodded and hurled two frag grenades forward. There was a loud whump and a hole appeared in the Jackal wall. Luke fired one launcher into the gap. Methane tanks exploded and consumed the Grunts in a wall of fire. Several of the Jackals were hit from behind and their blood splattered against their shields before their bodies hit the ground. Luke fired another missile deeper into the enemy lines; this time taking a couple of Elites in the process. The Jackals were struggling to close in the hole but Luke punctured two more gaps with his launchers before having to reload.

Several more of the Elites hit the ground dead. Each had a bullet hole in its head; no doubt from Linda's S2 AM sniper rifle. Kimberly and Leslie were assisting her in sniping out some of the higher ranked Covenant forces but their shots couldn't compare with Linda's handy work.

Luke had just reloaded his launchers and was picking out his targets when a green status light winked green in each SPARTAN'S helmet.

"Fall back!" The Master Chief shouted. The SPARTANS and marines began backing away, trying to stay protected from the flying plasma bolts. A civilian armed with an assault rifle was hit in the leg and went down. Another civilian rushed out to help him and took a plasma bolt to the stomach. The man screamed and went down, blood spilling across the ground. Two more marines picked up the injured civilian. One carried the wounded man back while the other gave covering bursts from his assault rifle. A Grunt fired its plasma pistol. The marine ducked and looked over his shoulder. The plasma bolt struck the wounded man in the back and his body went limp. The marine set the body down and the two of them turned back to the Covenant troops approaching cautiously. The Grunt who had fired on the civilian took a bullet to the head and the marine hollered in anger.

"Eat that you filthy alien!"

As the SPARTANS weaved in and out of the plasma bolts, John sent out a quick signal. Another acknowledgment light winked on. He looked over his shoulder at the pelicans settled just down the hill. He held up a hand and made a slamming gesture. In response, every SPARTAN launched a frag grenade into the air and into the Covenant lines. Alien bodies and limbs flew through the air. Methane tanks burst into flames. Elite energy shields shimmered. The cloud of dust was almost too thick to see through. The Master Chief signaled for everyone to take cover.

As the dust began to clear, the Covenant forces began to regroup with unusual speed. The Jackals sprinted to the front again and the Grunts charged up their plasma pistols. When they were able to see the humans they paused. Their prey was in plain sight but something was wrong. They weren't shooting anymore.

All at once a ghost soared over a small hill behind the Covenant troops. The Elites turned. They seemed confused that only a single ghost had come to aid them. It was only until it was too late to realize that it wasn't support that had come in behind them. Jesse fired the ghost's plasma cannons and cut through the Covenant lines. A split second after, nine warthogs roared onto the battlefield. Jesse was safely out of reach of their LAAG's and the ODST's tore into the aliens with bullets and crushed those too slow or weak to get out of the way. As the gamma formation swept through the ranks, the marines in the passenger seats dropped out lotus mines.

Jesse brought the ghost to a stop beside John. He set Lauren down and told her to turn on her Jackal shield. She obeyed but stuck close to the SPARTAN.

"Good to see you sir!" Jesse saluted.

"Welcome back." The Master Chief nodded and looked down at Lauren who stared up at him. "Who's this?"

"Civilian sir. I was rescuing her when I got separated sir. We still have wounded in coming sir."

"Very well then." John nodded and turned to see the warthogs speeding towards them, the gunners turned away and firing back at the scrambling aliens. "Get the wounded to the dropships!" He ordered over the COM-channel to the ODST's.

"Understood Master Chief." Lt. Waters acknowledged back. The warthogs sped past the SPARTANS and other marines and down the hill. Already, medics and volunteer civilians were rushing up to meet them. Kimberly inched her way over to her team leader and crouched down behind a barricade. She looked up at Jesse and they both smiled to each other. Lauren, who had still been watching Jesse, looked at Kimberly and repeated the gesture. Kimberly looked from Jesse to the little girl then smiled at her.

The Covenant began regrouping and the air began to heat up with plasma fire again. Jesse turned on his Jackal shield and stood in front of Lauren. He drew his freshly loaded M6D and began picking off Jackals, left and right. The other SPARTANS and marines returned fire and soon the battle-zone was hot once again. The Covenant were now outnumbered four to one and were dropping all over the ground.

Jesse had just downed two more Jackals and a Grunt when he heard a voice behind him.

"Mom!" Jesse stopped and turned around to see Lauren running to woman at the rear of the human's battle group. It was Lauren's mother looking completely shocked. She had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and was very pale in the face. She called out her daughter's name again over the gunfire and extended her arms out.

"Wait!" Jesse shouted but Lauren had already reached the relative safety of her mother's embrace. Jesse paused a moment and stared blankly at the sight of the mother hugging her daughter tightly in her arms. Lauren's mom lifted her up and berried her face in Lauren's hair, crying tears of joy. The scream of a marine getting hit with a plasma bolt jolted Jesse back to reality. He turned back around, confident that the little girl would be safe just in time to dodge a shower of purple projectiles. The razor-sharp needles punctured several marines and detonated shortly after killing them in the process. Jesse lifted his Jackal shield and deflected another shower of needles.

He was about to fire his assault rifle when he heard a cry from behind him. He turned around to see that one of the needle rounds had hit Lauren in the back and exploded. Jesse's eyes grew wide as he saw the mother fall to her knees; her tears of joy dried up upon the look of shock and horror on her face. Jesse turned and ran back to the mother. The little girl's blood soaked into the ground and Jesse skidded to a halt beside her. The mother looked up at the SPARTAN with tears starting to swell up in her eyes again. Jesse looked down at Lauren who was going into shock. She reached up with a delicate hand and smiled. Jesse slowly reached out and took the little girl's tiny hand in his massive gloved gauntlet. He gave her hand a light squeeze and watched as the little girl closed her eyes, never to open them to look up to the SPARTAN again.

Jesse let go of Lauren's hand and placed his glove on her head. The mother was crying again as she cradled her daughter's body close to her own. Jesse had nothing to say. He stood up, turned and walked back towards his fellow SPARTANS.

"Kimberly. Give me your sniper rifle." He said in almost a whisper.

"Sir?" Kimberly looked up at him questioningly.

"Right now." Jesse ordered more forcefully and held his hand out without looking at her. Kimberly didn't argue. There was something frightening in her team leader's voice.

Jesse lifted the sniper rifle and began searching through the remaining Covenant troops. At last he spotted him. An Elite in the very back with golden armor. These were the field and fleet commanders of the Covenant and probably the most high-ranking officers. He held a needler pistol in one hand and was preoccupied in shooting at the marines to the right of the UNSC battle lines. Jesse emptied the clip before handing the rifle back to Kimberly. The Elite Commander roared and fell to the ground; his arms and legs now useless due to the armor-piercing rounds put through them.

Jesse shouldered his assault rifle and put down ten more Grunts and five Jackals before charging forward. On reflex, the other SPARTANS jumped up from their hiding places and followed him with the marines yelling not far behind. Jackals tried to stop the wave on oncoming human soldiers. Jesse kicked in a Jackals shield and the alien's body went skidding across the ground. Everywhere SPARTANS and marines fired their weapons. Elite's retaliated long enough for their shield's to fail and then it was all over for them. Grunts broke rank and began to scatter. Several of their Elite commanders tried to order the methane-sucking aliens to fight on but didn't have very much success as they were shot dead soon after growling orders to them. In a matter of minutes the battle was over and the ground was littered with Covenant corpses. A cheer went up from the remaining marines. The battle to save the planet had finally been won.

The SPARTANS were the only ones who remained silent. They were known not to act overly joyous of such an accomplishment. They took pride in knowing that they had done the near impossible and saved millions in the process. However this time the SPARTANS all seemed more quiet than usual. After a moment the marines started to take notice in the change of atmosphere. Kimberly sank back towards Dan as she watched Jesse scan the battlefield. Jesse was covered in purple blood but didn't show any signs of injury or fatigue. At last he moved. Every head turned as he walked over to the crippled Elite Commander. The alien looked up at the dark faceplate staring down at him. He gave a slight growl and clicked his mandibles in defiance.

Without a word, Jesse raised his foot and stomped down on the Elite's throat. A fountain of blood spurted from the alien's mouth. Jesse twisted his foot and the sound of snapping vertebrae could be heard. Jesse jammed a fresh magazine into his assault rifle and began pouring rounds into the Elites face.

"Jesse!" John shouted but Jesse refused to hear him. "Jesse!" He stepped forward and grabbed his teammate's arm. Jesse pulled away and drew out his M6D and emptied another clip. He hadn't felt more out of control now than he had before in his life. But he didn't care. He was in the process of reloading his pistol when he felt something connect with the back of his helmet and blackness consumed him.

0700 Hours, April 18, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Flawed Legacy, Planet Octanus 2

Jesse moaned and opened his eyes.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

Jesse looked over to see Kimberly, still in MJOLNIR armor sitting beside him. Jesse didn't answer. He just moved his eyes to the lights on the ceiling. Physically he was fine. But something inside of him felt horribly wrong. Kimberly reached out and took hold of his hand. Jesse looked over at her with a blank stare. He wasn't sure how he could explain himself to his fellow SPARTANS. He felt like he was dirty. Like something was showing on him that would draw attention to him in a negative way.

Jesse's gaze fell upon his helmet which rested on a chair next to Kimberly. She followed his gaze as he sat up and handed it to him. Jesse slung his feet over the side of the reclined treatment chair and put on his helmet. No sooner had he done so than the door to the room opened and John walked in. Jesse saluted and stood to attention but fell forward instead. John and Kimberly caught him just before he hit the floor. All of a sudden Jesse's head was spinning and he couldn't feel his feet. John and Kimberly set him back down on the table but allowed him to stay sitting up.

"Easy there." The Master Chief cautioned. "You should take it easy for now. I had to hit you pretty hard back there."

"Sir." Jesse replied in almost a whisper. "I'm sorry sir. I'm sorry you had to take such actions in front of everyone else sir. I was completely out of line sir. And I will accept any punishment you may deem necessary sir."

John rested a hand on Jesse's shoulder. Jesse looked up into his squad leader's darkened faceplate. "Jesse. We've known each other since we were young. I know how you can get sometimes when you feel you've lost something important or failed at something. I will admit that you could've picked a better place to take out any feelings you had. But I also understand how stressful these past few days might have been. The mother, of that little girl you rescued had asked to see me and explained everything to me." He turned towards the open door. "You can come in now."

Captain Hammond entered the room followed by Lauren's mother. She still looked like she hadn't gotten very much sleep and had been crying quite a bit. Hammond nodded towards Jesse who saluted.

"Glad to see you again Gold Lead. Feeling better?"

Jesse bobbed his head slightly. "Sir."

Lauren's mom moved closer to Jesse and Kimberly backed up a step to give her room.

"I would just like to say thank you." She said. Jesse cocked his head in confusion. "I have no idea how hard it must've been for you to fight all those monsters with Lauren with you all the time. I know she can be a handful but she's a good little girl."

"I know." Jesse muttered and dropped his head slightly.

Lauren's mom reached out and touched Jesse's shoulder and lifted his chin up with her other hand. "I'm not sure how you SPARTANS handle losses. But I want you to do one more thing for me."

"Ma'am?"

"I want you to go on and continue saving people. Not just because it's what you do, but because it's what Lauren would have wanted too."

"I don't understand."

"When I saw her for the first time in five days, she seemed different to me. Like she was a bit older. When I held her she said something to me that shocked and surprised me at first, but now I can respect and admire her for saying such a thing." Jesse waited in silence for a moment. "She said she wanted to be a SPARTAN. She was referring to you no doubt. She said she wanted to be just like you when she grew up."

Jesse let out a low sigh and his shoulders slumped. He felt even worse than he did before. He didn't know if Lauren really could have made it through the SPARTAN program but those words coming from a person he barely knew and a little girl at that, was astonishing to him.

"Please." Lauren's mother continued. "Don't get too wrapped up in mourning for her. I think she died happy."

"But I should have taken the shot for her." Jesse retorted with a slight crack in his voice.

"Anyone could've been hurt. I just as well wish it had been me. But we can't blame ourselves." She moved her hand from Jesse's shoulder to over his breastplate. "We just have to keep the memories of those we've cared for and lost in our hearts." She gave the SPARTAN a light hug before returning to Captain Hammond's side. "Thank you again. For protecting my little girl. And allowing me to see her one more time." With that she was gone. Never for Jesse to see again.

"I have to return to the bridge as well." Captain Hammond added. "But I would like to point out Gold Lead." Jesse raised his head. "I will have you know, that I lost my entire family on Harvest when the Covenant first made contact. I had a wife and two little girls. I still carry the pain of losing them with me. But I always vow that I will do my best to live out my life and not let their deaths hinder my growth as a person or an officer. Just something for you to think about." He turned and John followed him. Before he disappeared into the hallway, John nodded to Jesse who saluted again.

Kimberly moved closer to the table and sat down next to Jesse. The table creaked under their combined weight. "You did good Jesse." She murmured. "You did all that you could."

Jesse sighed again. "Yeah. I guess." He was starting to feel a bit lighter now. "I promise, that I'll never act like that in front of you all again."

"We're SPARTANS. We're a family. Families stay together. No matter what."

"Yeah." Jess nodded. He looked down at his hands as he imagined Lauren's tiny hands fitting into his. Kimberly interlaced her fingers with his and rested her helmet on his shoulder. Jesse felt more at peace now. The sense of despair was leaving, replaced with a new desire. The desire to beat the Covenant and win this war.

1900 Hours, April 17, 2537 (military calendar)/ Sigma Octanus Star System, Planet Octanus 2

The alien probe had been settled in orbit for several days over the human planet. In order to keep the humans from detecting it, the probe was shrouded in optical camouflage. It monitored the progress of the Covenant's invasion down on the surface. The red eye enhanced a particular image on the ground before creating a slipspace portal and disappearing from the system.

Ninth Age of Reclamation, Covenant Holy City, "High Charity," Council Sanctum

"Father." The Elite walked into the Holy Sanctum of the Covenant. The Elite was covered in the formal armor known to the Elite Honor Guards, protectors of the Covenant's Prophets. Larranus made eye contact with his father Draetuse who was dressed in his formal councilor armor with a larger crowned head piece than his son's.

"I have just received word that your elder brother has been killed." Draetuse growled softly but the emptiness of the chamber made his voice seem even louder.

"What!" Larranus bellowed. "How could this have happened? Who is the heretic traitor? I will make sure they pay dearly for this!"

"It was not from our own forces." Draetuse raised a four-fingered hand to silence his youngest son.

"Then if it was not from our ranks then..." Larranus's eyes grew wide. "A human?" He was more outraged than shocked.

His father nodded. "I have been shown what had taken place when he was killed. He held out a device that resembled a metallic tennis ball. A hologram appeared and the image of an Elite in Gold armor came up. Larranus watched with mandibles clicking furiously as a human in green armor put four bullets through his brother's limbs. Then when his brother's troops were annihilated, the human walked up to the fallen Elite and crushed his neck underfoot then desecrate his brother's body by firing its weapon into the corpse. The hologram faded away. Larranus was trembling with hatred.

"I am sorry to give you such bad news after being promoted so soon." Draetuse growled.

"You do realize what this means father?" Larranus hissed.

His father nodded. "We are the royal family of the Elite Nation. A disgrace such as this will not go unpunished for the humans. To defile the body of any Elite is unforgivable but my son and prince of all Elites, is righteous cause for any punishment no matter how cruel or savage."

"I hope the humans enjoy their victory." Larranus snarled as gripped the handle for his energy sword tight. "Because it will be short lived once I get my hands on them."

"No." Draetuse shook his head. "The humans will be eradicated sure enough. We only require this one." He brought up the hologram of the human in green armor with his gun aimed directly at the Elite Commander. The human in clad green MJOLNIR armor. The human known as SPARTAN-029.