Here's another chapter, enjoy! I feel like this story is dragging on so far, but maybe it's just me. So many things I want to put in here, and sometimes I wonder if I should create filler chapters so no one would be confused.

~The Hemophililiac

So it's all infiltration in this op. How do they expect us to get past these metal freaks? They can easily smell a nose bleed, let alone hear two of the UNSC's finest. What a vacation. Maybe it's what he needed. The Chief's still… silent.

The pelican swooped downward across the canyon, and hovered over a small caldera that overlooked the forerunner complex. Their pilot unlocked the boarding ramp, giving her passengers the green light.

"Here's your DZ, Commander. Good luck, both of you."

The two Spartans checked their gear one last time, nodded to each other, and marched onto the dirt. Palmer gave the pelican a two finger salute, while Chief did his signature nod. The Commander flicked off the safety on her sniper rifle.

"Let me know if they're serving my favorite tonight, Ship-Slinger. Let's move out, Sierra."

"I got you covered."

They treaded their way through the rocky tundra, avoiding as many of the artificial sentries as possible. They were massive, glimmering beings that stood at various heights, from that of a large dog, and up to the point to where they towered even the Master Chief.

They wielded a multitude of weapons and tools, each floating respectively in place of their arms. Their shielding technology was strong enough to absorb up to a single round from a Scorpion tank. The only quickest methods of killing them were to dispatch them stealthily, so as not to alert their shielding systems, or to use their own weaponry against them.

It was about half an hour before they reached the "Epitaph", as Roland had put it, and they weren't alone. The Storm Covenant were there as well. Sarah eyed the suspicious activity in what seemed to be the plaza of the complex, while John kept an eye on the perimeter.

"What kind of party are they throwing here? Chief, take a look." She handed him the sniper, and he sweeped across the area.

"Well, I can tell you one thing for sure. They're preparing."

Palmer Looked back at him. "Preparing? For what?"

"I don't know yet. But I do know this: They're going to be sending a lot of troops somewhere, if we don't do something about it.

Rhak surveyed his assembled troops. They were about to embark on the journey that their beloved gods would want. Their mission would not fail. After the destruction of the Composer, data fragments had been collected discreetly, and dumped into this teleportation hub. It was only a matter of minutes, and soon all pieces would fall into place...

"So how do you want to do this?" Palmer gestured with her gun-toting arms. The Chief just shook his head.

"Loud. Those sticky detonators will come in handy."

"Heh, good thinking. I'll fire on your go."

"Roger that."

The Master Chief crouched low and moved along the outer wall that curved along the courtyard, making sure he could still see Palmer. As he walked, his boot crunched on a chunk of gravel. Chief froze mid step, hoping none heard. He put in more effort than he'd like in hopes that his breathing wouldn't be overheard by alien ears.

A minute passed. Nothing. Palmer rang in his ears.

"Sierra, what's your status? Are you in position yet? My trigger finger's beginning to itch."

The Chief set himself into a sprinting position, a sticky detonation device in each hand. "Copy ma'am, I'm in position. Set your sights on those hunters, be ready to let loose."

"Aye aye, Spartan."

With an almost cry of effort, the Chief bolted out into the open, both weapons pointed forward. His presence immediately disrupted the assembly, causing simian heads to turn. They never got a chance to react. Chief fired both of his detonators into the amassed covenant, and squeezed their detonation triggers.

Bodies flew every which way as the detonations not only blew their unshielded bodies into chunks of charred flesh and armor, but the stacked plasma batteries as well. Master Chief fingered his comm.

"Palmer, let loose! Give me cover while I take out that console!"

"On it!"

Sarah squeezed off her explosive rounds, neatly drilling them into the nooks and crannies of the mgalekgolo's armor plating. She was rewarded with the sound of anguished cries as one of the gestaltet twins blew into wriggling strands of orange worm meat. Before she could fire upon the second however, an Sangheili zealot charged her with an icy blue energy sword in hand.

The chief had fired the last of his detonation rounds, and switched to the assault rifle, distributing fair amounts of ammo as he whirled to face each new enemy. The courtyard was in chaos. The Sangheili warriors struggled to get their Unggoy and Kigyar fighters to rally back together, and hellish purple flames whirled and licked about in scattered patches.

Chief turned to aid Palmer, but not before he heard the familiar screech of a banshee making a beeline for him. He let all of the remaining bullets in his clip fly, and they puckered the hull of the craft before finally making a break. By then, however, it was too late. The craft, along with its pilot's cargo, had flown into him.

The chief and his foe splashed into the portal. Commander Palmer, who rose up from the death grip she used on the elite, watched the spectacle in shock. For some odd reason, she felt as though her boots were glued to the forerunner metal.

"Chief!", she cried. No answer, except for the sounds of scattered and demoralized covenant. There was no way she lost this legend twice. She knew what

she had to do. Palmer made a dead on sprint for the portal, but her efforts were futile. As she neared the platforms ramp, the glistening whirlpool of blue energy shrunk. It then winked out of existence before her finger could make contact.

The Master Chief was gone.

The Commander sank onto her knees, and signaled the Infinity.

"Ship-slinger. I need an evac, and some marines to clean up this mess."

The pilot obliviously acknowledged. "Aye aye Commander. ETA is fifthteen. Find anything good down there?"

"That's affirmative, slinger. Something pretty damned important."

More content soon!