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Spartan IV: A Way to Win
Chapter 10: Juliet

Juliet P1 0445 Hours, March 14th 2556, Chernobyl, Ukraine

We rushed towards Bryce, he turned and fired his battle rifle in a last defense at the lumbering tank form. It picked him up and tossed him through a wall. I was ready to charge until the Arbiter grabbed my shoulder.

"No Spartan! Do not rush into the heat of the battle, there is no faster way to get yourself killed!" He yelled.

"Damn it Arbiter! If we don't hurry he's going to die and that ship is sure to bring flood reinforcements." I replied as I tried to shrug him off.

"Wait for it, the time is now!" Arbiter yelled.

I rushed towards the pure form and blasted three shells into him. My pump action shotgun made quick strong kills easy. But it quickly changed into the ranged form and tried to get some distance. My retort was to cut it down with a full SMG clip. I walked over to where Bryce was thrown. It wasn't a pretty site. A spike of some sorts had gone straight through Bryce's Scout variant MJOLNIR armor in the stomach region. It was bleeding heavily. "Bryce… not you… I can't lose you too." I said quietly.

"Spartan, I am sorry for your loss. But we must go, many flood are approaching." Arbiter said from behind me.

I sighed and turned around until a voice stopped me. "And were in the Hell do you think you're going?"

"God damn it Bryce…" I laughed a little. I slowly pulled him up. He bleed badly from the gash. I didn't have any biofoam to stitch him up. Luckily the Arbiter had my back.

"Looking for this?" He tossed my a can of biofoam. I had to use the whole thing. But he was stitched up and he just might make it. He grabbed his sniper and I helped him up. But as I looked at the road, thousands of flood were rushing to end our mission prematurely. I got a transmission.

"Human, this is Usla, I will start the ship. Yagip and the other are still unconscious." He said.

"Very well, place them on board. We still need to wait for John. And the other Spartans?" I asked.

"Awake and recovering. They are not in fighting condition." Usla replied. I could hear groans in the background.

"Ok get everyone on board. If the three of us aren't on in ten minutes, leave without us." I ended the transmission, only to find a second one coming in.

"Kyle? This is Cortana, The Twilight Liberty and The Shadow of Intent are ready to leave. We need that slipspace crystal to give us the coordinates. When you get close enough in Space, we will have you simply transfer the embedded codes to us so we will be making the jump as you join us. You have 10 minutes before we find a random vector and leave you down there." Cortana said.

"Ok now what is so special about this whole slipspace crystal? Why is it so important anyway, what is it for?" I shouted angrily.

"Well, I guess you deserve to know, there was a team of Spartan II's. They were known as Gray Team. They are MIA now. Our files showed that their mission before we lost contact with them was to find the missing CFV Phoenix class cruise ship, Spirit Of Fire. We hadn't heard from them yet. But two years ago in 2554. We got an incoming transmission from them. It was faint and far away, but they gave us coordinates. And they were copied down on a Sangheili slipspace crystal. It was put on Earth for safe keeping until we had the means to travel that far. But when we did, the flood attacked, and know the crystal may be our only means to escape the flood. I need to make preparations, I'll see you back on the ship." Cortana finished.

That was a lot to take in, but not now, there were flood and we had to get back to the ship. But one last transmission came in. "Kyle, this John. I've boarded the Shadow Of Intent with the rest of my group. That ring should blow up soon. So you don't need to wait for me. See you soon." John said, he sounded injured somehow.

"Alright Arbiter, let's go." We ran, but the flood got too close. A combat form of a human vaulted up and came crashing down in-between us. I only had enough strength to fire my SMG. The Arbiter picked up a random needler and blew it to bits. I we continued battling the flood until I ran out of ammo. As did the Arbiter. I picked up a magnum and continued to fire desperately. I got down behind a pile of rubble and found an assault rifle with little more than half a clip left in it. I savored every last bullet as I was able to take down three combat forms and a carrier form. Kelley rushed over with more ammo and weapons.

"Here you go, give me Bryce, I'm fast enough to get him back on the ship and get him in Cryo.' I gave Kelley Bryce's body as she rushed back to the Phoenix. I used up most of the ammo until I could start running back to the Phoenix. I stopped about halfway until I looked for the Arbiter. My first instinct was to turn around. He was trailing behind until an infection form jumped and tried to penetrate in head armor piece. I was in shock from this.
I pointed a magnum at him with a shaking hand. More infections forms joined in. "Do it Spartan! Now!" He struggled. I started to breathe heavily. I didn't think I could do it. I trembled and shut my eyes as I fired. The infection forms exploded and the arbiter yelled in pain as he fell bleeding. I tossed the weapon and picked him up.

I got to the opening of the Phoenix and pointed my Shotgun around for any following flood forms. I got on as the door shut and we began to take off. I put the Arbiter in another Cryo chamber next to Bryce. I looked at both for a few seconds. Then I pulled the slipspace crystal from the Marine's pocket and scanned it for Cortana once we were in range. I quickly sent the information to the Twilight Liberty. I got a confirmation signal as I rushed to the controls and pushed them to rush us to the ships. I saw the ring blow up as We passed through the blockade of flood ships. The slipspace sequence started as we just barely got in range. I sighed and sat back against the metal wall. I felt the shaking feeling and stared forward.

Earth may have fallen, but Mankind hasn't. and I could still fight, and I will continue to fight, until my dying breath, it's my job. I will always find a way to win. Because that's what I am, I am a Spartan IV.

End P1

Juliet P2, 0455 Hours, March 13th, 2556, Inside my mind, The Phoenix

I thought of my wife, I haven't seen her since the flood first came to Earth again, she's probably dead, along with our daughter as well. I know that when the flood attacked, the UNSC and the Elites could only evacuate so many before the planet was invaded and dubbed unsafe for rescue missions. What did all this mean? how could something like this even happen? It doesn't make much sense, is it a dream? I closed my eyes again and heard that one Spartans voice, Kyle. He said something about coma, and medical operations. Then I felt cold as I was probably placed in a Cryo chamber. I've been a part of too much war. We've lost this one and we're still running, I think that our time might be up, maybe we have to just give up.

No, How could I think of that. Surrender means death. But death is just a part of life. It's too confusing. I wonder if I think to much. I just closed my eyes and started to drift of to sleep. Hopefully wake up to a warm meal. We may have lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war.

And the real war was yet to come.

End P2

Juliet P3 0013 Hours, March 13th, 2556, On Hornet fighter plane, en Route to Flood controlled covenant cruiser

John and Karovel flew up to the flood controlled ship. Several flood driven banshee's tried to attacked. John blasted his assault rifle and Karovel used the Hornet's weaponry to destroy them. After they were out of the way. Karovel looked for a way in. "Any suggestions John?" She asked.

"Yeah, shoot through the flood gunk area for a clean entrance." John replied as he pointed his gun at the area.

She used most of the ammo left to punch a hole and they landed inside. The duo wasted no time in running through the halls looking for the hanger. Instead they found the command center in the middle of the ship. John brought up the ship schematics. "Right there." Karovel pointed. "Let's go."

There was more flood resistance on the way down. They occasionally had to backtrack and find a different way because of the amount of flood in confined spaces. They found clean entrance and rushed for it. Karovel made it but John fell through a flood doorway down two levels. "Don't worry, I'll catch up." John shouted as he picked up a needler, he lost his assault rifle. John found a small nest of Infection forms down here. And a few Brute bodies. After a mix of Combat forms and Infection forms. John gathered ammo for his Needler and a Mauler. John was able to quickly switch in between them for close quarters. A group of stalker forms entered the room and John got down to take them out from a distance. Until they got close and John unloaded three shots into two of them. John breathed out as all of them lay dead. A covenant service elevator lay dead ahead. John used it to get back up to same floor as the Hanger.

He kicked the door down as he saw flood everywhere with plenty of gunk covered Seraphs and Banshee's. John soon found himself in a large firefight against a horde of Combat Forms. John ran out of ammo as he punched his way through. He backed up and was breathing H=heavily. "I'm going to die here." John thought to himself. John then looked at the hanger opening as a completely clean Seraph blasted all the flood. It landed and Karovel came out of it.

"Need a ride?" She asked.

"Let's go." John said. They boarded the seraph and took off towards the Shadow Of Intent. John's arm were partially broken and his Achilles tendon was torn. Karovel handed him his dropped assault rifle. He needed to contact Kyle.

"Kyle, this is John. I've boarded the Shadow Of Intent with the rest of My group. That ring should blow up soon. So you don't need to wait for me. See you soon." John said, his injury's were getting to him.

This war was over. For now. John wondered what would happen next. Hopefully he could relax for a bit. But his job is never done. "Well Chief, it looks like it's over, we've lost." Karovel sighed.

"No." John thought about the first Halo, and what he had said afterwards. For what would happen to him next, this statement could never be more true. "I think we're just getting started."

End Juliet

End of Spartan IV: A Way to Win. The story continued in Spartan IV: The Real War