0540 Hours, May 1st, 2551, UNSC Officer Candidate School, Mare Nubium, Luna

Checking corners as they moved around the buildings, Beta Squad, edged closer to their target. The squad of five, constantly on alert, closed the distant to the target quickly and entered the building. Securing the small room, two members walked to the center, where a small package lay on a desk.

"That was way to easy Els... Something's not right," Alder said quietly, taking of his helmet.

Elsa removed her helmet too and stared at the package with deep blue eyes.

"Well we got in, guess whatever surprises they have for us will be on they way out," she replied.

As if almost on cue, gunfire tore into the building. The deafening roar of bullets and the screams of contact, echoed throughout the abandoned building and every member of Beta Squad was instinctively switched into combat mode. Taking behind a desk, Elsa used the lull in gunfire to bark orders. The mission, one in which she had been assigned as the commanding officer, had just gotten a whole lot harder. Both Elsa and Alder had excelled at the Officer Candidate School, earning scores in a variety of subjects that were among the highest ever to be seen at the institution. The two also made a formidable team and when it came time to cross-squad exercises, a Beta Squad lead by either Alder or Elsa, was a challenging and often insurmountable foe.

But this time things were different. With their success had come rivals and with rivals came more challenges for them to overcome. The training exercise of which they were a part of today, was a race to see who could claim the package first. Simple enough, Alder and Elsa had both thought. Until they had heard chatter of a truce being called between Alpha and Charlie squad. With the two squads teaming up to hand Beta their first loss of the year, the mission became less about beating the other teams and more about outsmarting them to the objective, which they realised clearly they had failed to do. Add to the fact that it was also a live fire exercise and things just became a whole lot more interesting.

"Anyone got eyes on the contacts?" Alder shouted.

His closest squad mate, James Peters, yelled back.

"Negative. Best guess is 5 contacts each in the buildings to our left and right."

Alder turned to Elsa.

"We are right royally fucked if we can't get to a better position than this," he said sternly.

Elsa nodded, taking in his advice and the intel she had just received.

"Coleman! I need covering fire on that right window! Peters! Left window! Marwick! On me!" Elsa ordered.

Coleman immediately broke from cover, positioned herself by the window and began to lay down suppressive fire. Alder sprinted across the room and took up the position that Coleman had just left, right by the door.

Marwick skidded across the room and came to a halt just next to Elsa's cover, laying down a few shots before turning to Elsa.

"Got some brilliant idea to get us out of this?" he yelled in his thick, Scottish accent.

Elsa only nodded, pointing to the stairs at the far end of the room. Marwick nodded, acknowledging her intent. It was only a short sprint to the stairs but it was cover-less. As soon as they began to sprint they'd be a sitting duck to any of the fire Alpha or Charlie would send their way. It was a risky strategy. Signalling to Marwick using her fingers, Elsa counted down from three and the mad dash began. They sprinted hard and fast, all the while bullets where flying all around them and at one point, Elsa felt one graze the side of her face. They dove for the stairwell and somehow they made it. Marwick rushed up the stairs, rifle pointing forward. Elsa followed behind, and the two took cover near a window on the left side of the room. They began to fire out the window, blindly at first and then poking their heads up quickly to get an idea of where the enemy was hiding. No matter how many times they tried, they couldn't get a clear indication of where the fire was coming from.

There was a crackle over the radio and Alder spoke.

"Anderson there is a kiosk to the left of us that can give us eyes on if we can get over there. Permission to break cover?"

Elsa saw the kiosk, however she realised how risky it would be trying to get someone in there.

'We are going to get shot up if we don't do something... All or nothing...' she thought.

"Affirmative! Peters! Break cover and get into that kiosk! Get us eyes on the enemies position!" Elsa shouted through the radio.

The clatter of gunfire was once again deafening, but Peters replied.

"On it!"

From her position on the first floor, Elsa could see Peters break through the front door and towards the kiosk. Gunfire rained down on him, but he managed to get inside. Fire from the left building was now solely focused on the kiosk, the combatants inside realising the danger that Peters now posed. Gunfire was tearing the building to shreds and suddenly, there was a loud crack. The roof of the structure buckled as the bullets tore through one of its supports. Unable to support it's weight the roof collapsed in a cloud of dust.

Beta squad could only watch on in horror as the building buried Peters inside. Frantically Alder screamed across the radio, broadcasting to all channels.

"All call-signs this is Hayes, ceasefire, I repeat, ceasefire! We have a man down, I repeat we have a man down! Requesting urgent medevac."

The bullets stopped almost instantaneously and Alder sprinted to the now ruined kiosk. Coleman ran out with him and the pair began to frantically clear the rubble in an attempt to pull Peters out. They pulled the rocks away and found Peters' now lifeless and crumpled form, pressed between to pieces of metal. Pulling him from the wreckage, Alder began basic first aid, trying to patch up what wounds he could, however his injuries were far to extensive for a basic field first aid kit to even remotely help to heal. Three Warthogs pulled up and two medics jumped out and relieved Alder. Elsa and Marwick exited the building and ran across to their comrades only to be greeted by the horrifying sight of Peters' injured form. Elsa could only stare, silent and unmoving. Alder closed the distance between them and embraced her.

"This wasn't your fault Els... Don't you dare even begin to think it was..."

She stood still, frozen, staring at the ruins of the kiosk.

"I... I ordered him in there... H-he wouldn't... Wouldn't be so badly hurt right now...," she stuttered hysterically.

By now, Alpha and Charlie teams had exited their respective positions and moved towards the kiosk.

"It wasn't your fault Elsa, it was my idea... This is on me... Please... Just let me take care of this..." he spoke quietly.

The shock gripped her tight and the only reply she could manage was a small nod of her head.


A week later there was an investigation into the accident. Despite Elsa's protests Alder claimed fulled responsibility, stating that he and he alone had given the order to Peters to enter the structure. At his request, Coleman also confirmed Alder's story, leaving the disciplinary board with no other option but to expel Alder from the Academy. He was instructed to pack his belongings and leave immediately and just like that he was gone. Elsa didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Guilt racked her for the punishment Alder had received, until the day when Colonel Freeman called her into his office, early one morning. Sitting down, Freeman looked at Elsa sternly.

"You and I both know what happened that day Anderson. Who gave what order and the resulting consequences. When Hayes came to me and insisted that he was responsible I didn't believe him. But he told me that there was no other way, that no matter the cost you had to stay at this Academy and if that meant that he had to take the blame then that was just something that had to be done. If it had been anyone else I would have thrown him out the door and the investigation would have run its proper course."

"But I knew Hayes' father. He was a good man and he even got me out of a scrape or too. I owed it to him to respect the decision that Alder had made, which is why you are still standing here today."

He stood up.

"Do not make me regret it," he said.

Elsa saluted the Colonel.

"I won't sir. I'll always remember what Alder did for me."

"Good. Now I do believe you are dismissed Anderson."

Elsa turned to walk away.

"Oh... One more thing," Colonel Freeman added.

"Alder asked me to pass on a message. He said, now we're even for that day when we were kids. He didn't add anything more than that but I assume you know what he is referring to."

Elsa nodded, the ability to speak failing her as she walked out of the Colonel's office.

'We aren't even yet Alder... Soon... but not yet...'


A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! More to come soon and please, review this for me! I really would like some feedback on what you all think of the story!

Until next time,

Caedous