Chapter 2: Infiltration

"Ok, we have a patrol 100 meters ahead consisting of 5 grunts with plasma pistols, two jackals with beam rifles, one red elite with two plasma rifles and a blue elite with a carbine." Neilson reported, she was a good scout and we counted on her.

"Good job Neilson. Everybody ambush positions. Neilson, I want you too sneak near them and tell us how close they are getting to our toll both." Sgt. O'Bryan ordered. Everyone was in position and cock locked and ready to rock. We waited for 5 minutes when they started walking by. We waited for those two adrenaline pumping words of wisdom.

"Frags out!" O'Bryan yelled. Andrews and I threw a grenade each in the kill zone. There was alien blood all over the plants. An elites arm hit Sanders in the face plate, he wiped the blood off with one of his ripped off sleeves. Half a grunt hit Nielson and knocked her down, she was close to me so I helped her up. I think I knew her more then anyone else in the squad. Shit! I was thinking at bad times again! The red elite was still alive and shooting everywhere with his last working plasma rifle and he was waving his sword around. One jackal was still good and nearly took off Sanders face. The only thing that saved it was the fact that sanders dived for cover before that inhuman cock sucker shot at him. I returned fire and got the jackal in the back. Sander popped the elite with a good burst from his battle rifle.

"Thanks…" she said. "Looks like we got them good."

"I guess so…" I replied. We started to move out, me and Nielson stopped our brief conversation. That was the only patrol we ran into.

"Ok chaps," The sarge said. "The covenant base is up ahead, get that laser designator out Sanders, were blowin' this joint sky high."

"HO RAH!" Sanders said, he pulled the laser designator out of his rucksack and aimed. Soon, the pilot's voice was on the radio.

"Target locked, stand back ground walkers!" Then we heard the rush of the Longsword fighters and saw the mix of blue and yellow fire. The explosion was so big it leveled everything around it, and the covie forces around it. We were in a trench so we were safe. It bloody well knocked down the trees above us.

"Status report!" The sergeant yelled.

"Clear!" replied Sanders.

"Fine!" Answered Nielson

"My ears are ringing, but that's it." I said

"Ready to rock." Andrews responded

"Good to go!" Wolfe reported.

"Ah… I'm in bad shape sir!" Derdrick informed. One of the trees fell on him, and he looked in bad shape the way his body was twisted.

"Sir, his back is broken." Wolfe said. "Can you move your legs?" Wolfe asked.

"Oh shit, no. But they hurt like a fucking bitch!" Derdrick said

"Oh fuck, he's paralyzed sir, we need a stret-" she was cut of by the glowing blue orb that stuck on Derdrick's helmet.

"FUCK!" He yelled as he ripped of his helmet and threw it at the original thrower. They heard an alien scream, probably an elite, and a loud bang. A jackal flew into the trench.

"We have to get out to base camp, NOW!" I screamed.

"Wait, AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Derdrick screamed as he was lifted on the stretcher.

"We have to hold for the pelican too arrive!" Shit, we had too wait for like 15 minutes under attack be god knows how many covenant were out there! This day just got from bad to worse! I loaded a new mag and started firing at various enemy muzzle flashes. I was awarded by alien screams of pain. I noticed everyone else was having the same luck, until I heard a human cry of pain. Andrews was hit.

"Ah fuck! Andrews is hit! Shit, shit, shit! KIA! I repeat, he's KIA sir!" Wolfe yelled to the sergeant. I looked over and saw half his helmet was melted away. His skull was charred and there were some holes in it exposing burning brains. I am still haunted by those images. As we continued fighting, the covenants attack seemed less aggressive. They were not moving towards the ring of predatory beasts savagely fighting them off.

"How come these guy's don't just piss off and do something else?" Sanders asked rhetorically. I was kind off hoping the would, I was running low on ammo. Most of us were. We couldn't make the last 3 minutes! We were screwed, but the covenant stopped firing at us. Everything was eerily silent.

"What the fuck? Their gone." Nielson said in shock. I'm sure everyone was in shock. Something had driven them off, and It wasn't, couldn't have, been us.

"Pelicans here! Load up Derdrick, we are in too bad of condition too fight. We're pulling out" Sgt. O'Bryan said with pain in his voice. I actually started too notice that many of our guys were injured. I looked at this sharp pain in my arm and noticed a plasma bolt must have sheared it. The adrenaline must have been pumping good because I don't know when it happened. When the pelican landed, it suddenly took ground fire. Whatever drove off the covenant was gone and those damn bastards were back!

"Oh shit! Double time it too the pelican, lets go!" O'Bryan yelled. When we boarded, I got on the gun and started giving covering fire. When everyone was aboard and belted in, the pelican rose and took off. I didn't leave the gun, as half the trip we were taking ground fire. So I shot back.

When we got back to the base, the first thing I said was "Shit." The base was hit hard. It still looked operational, but there were moderate casualties. I don't think they could have survived longer then 30 minutes. The dead were already being buried in a mass grave.

"Where is the Master Chief marine?" O'Bryan asked a random soldier.

"He's in the field hospital. He's in bad shape." The marine said. He continued on to get what seemed like casualty reports. O'Bryan started for the field hospital when he noticed his troops where following.

"Go help bring this place back together." The sarge said, and entered the building marked with a red cross. Sanders and I went too the perimeter too see how the defenses were doing, while Wolfe and Nielson were brining Derdrick into the hospital.

"Man this blows." Sanders said, "Thank god we made it out. I don't think we could have made it."

"If the pelican came just 2 minutes late, we wouldn't be talking about it." I said, "And Andrews, damn."

"I know, I had a bad feeling ever since we dropped in. And it hasn't gone away yet." Sanders replied. Through Sanders gut feelings, him and I were alive and would keep ticking. It was kind of a six sense that he had.

"Man, I had a bad feeling when I signed on for this job!" I joked. We both laughed at that.

"Shit, then why did you do it?" Sanders threw back at me.

"Because I wanted to fight, but I wanted to be the best, so I don't die as easily." I answered. "I wanted to fight by my comrades, I want to get them all home."

"Get a girlfriend." Sanders said, laughing.

"I'm working on it." I said with a smirk on my face. My wife was in fleet, her ship was shot down by covenant. That was 6 years ago.