Hello! I know I'm crap for taking so long but school is really getting in the way. It gets easier after Christmas so, hopefully I can update faster after that. Welcome to chapter 21, remember the references from last chapter? Well here they are: The first reference is a shout out to Loyal ODST, aka William as it was his birthday. The second is the captain's speech; it's a modified version of Eisenhower's address to the troops before the D-Day landings. Those are the two easy ones with his speech being easier to spot, in my opinion, then the addition of William into the story. The third reference is when jack yells, "Tankers, Lets plow the road!"; that's from the movie "Independence Day", great movie. They are in F/A-18's and are out of missiles so the commander yells out, "Gentlemen, Let plow the road!" Before they open up with their 20 mm Vulcan Gatling guns. So the fourth, or the first, reference that is in the prechapter authors note is a "How to Train Your Dragon 2" reference, again another fantastic movie, when Gobber says, "See, this is why I never married. That, and one other reason." This was a long AN so let's get back to the story!

Edit: noticed the city was wrong so I changed that, plus small spelling error here and there.

Ch. 21: D-Day +3

April 1, 2550

Outside Prestwick, Spiron

Gunnery Sergeant Jack Price

It had been three days since we had left Forfar and we had been driving for two days straight. We had only stopped a few times to switch out the drivers. We did stop and rest on the second night so that everybody was well rested for the fight that would end up happening today. It was about midday and we had just stopped about half a klick away from Prestwick to have everybody dismount from the tanks and transport warthogs as we were about to enter the city.

"Ok everybody, listen up. As you no doubt can see, we are about half a klick away from Prestwick. The men on the front are counting on us to distract the covenant so they can advance into the city. We will advance about a 1,000 meters into the city then stop and hold a defensive perimeter and hold off any counter attacks as well as acting as the anvil to the hammer or the rest of our forces. So prepare for some tough defensive action once we establish that perimeter. I want Carnage, Zeus, and Gamma squads to be an advance scout. Now boys, it's time to give the covenant a dose of surprise b*** s**." Colonel Foster yelled out to everybody. After that, inspiring, speech the whole 429th started to advance strait into the city. We had advanced the half a klick in what seemed like no time at all and it seemed like we had truly caught the covenant off guard. We advanced into the city by about a hundred meters before coming upon an enemy command post. As I was back driving point in the tank and with the rest of the squad walking next to me we were the first ones to spot the covenant command post.

"Jack, do you see that?" Dmitri asked as he pointed to the command post.

"Ya I see it, it's a covenant command post." I replied to him before I jumped onto the radio to inform the Colonel, who was near the middle of the column, what we had found.

/Hey colonel, we have a covenant command post about 50 meters to our two o'clock. How destroyed do you want it?/

\I want it completely destroyed. If the covenant are no longer getting any updates from command then they will be more disorientated and they will most likely turn to attack us, leaving them open to attack by our main forces. Once you destroy the command post I want you to form that defensive and prepare for a counter attack.\

/Roger that. We will take it out and then form up the defensive line. How long will we have to wait for the rest of the 429th./

\it should take about 15 minutes.\

Once I got off the radio with Foster I popped the hatch so I could better talk with my squad and the men around me. Including Carnage squad with me in the lead scorpion, then Zeus Squad with Petty Officer Carlos-116 in another scorpion, and finally there was a third scorpion being manned by a tanker with a squad of marines supporting it. Looking closer I noticed that William was the squad leader.

"Ok listen up ladies, the covenant command post is about 50 meters that way, through there." I told them as I pointed to the command post, "our job is to assault the command post and destroy it. This will send the covenant into confusion and most likely send them running back towards us."

"How long will we have to defend against the covenant until the rest of the 429th arrive?" William asked.

"The rest of the 429th should be arriving as back up in about 15 minutes." I responded to my friend. "The battle plan will be an all-out assault on the building. I want the tanks to wait for the infantry to clear the area so that the covenant will think we are a smaller force then we actually are. Everybody got that?"

"Yes sir." everybody but the Spartans responded, making me remember that heath actually outranked me. Once I remembered that I walked over to heath.

"Does that plan sound good to you heath?" I asked him.

"That sounds good. Let's go provide a distraction." He replied before walking towards were everybody else had gathered in preparation for the attack. I followed after him and told everybody to follow me to get closer to the command post before we actually attack. We moved through the piles of rubble and destroyed buildings until we were as the edge of the small clearing the command post was in.

"Everybody ready?" I asked.

"Ya, we're all good over here Jack." William responded as both Dmitri and Heath just gave me a thumb's up. There were a few elites and about a dozen grunts walking around the outside of the building, with maybe another couple of elites and grunts on the inside.

"Ok everybody, attack." I said as I opened fire with my battle rifle. The covenant didn't know what was going on and were shocked by our sudden appearance. This gave us a huge advantage as none of the elites had their energy shields so we were able to take the elites out with head shots from everybody. The commotion alerted the troops on the inside and suddenly the doors opened and standing in the door way was five elites supported by a dozen grunts. By that time we had advanced to the doorway so once the doors opened the hallway came alive with flying lead, killing all the grunts and three of the five elites before the remaining two elites fell back and the doors closed and locked.

"Should be bring the tanks in to blow down the doors or just use some C12?" Dmitri asked me.

"I say use the C12 as it will take less time to get that set up then it will to bring the scorpions in. What do you think Heath?" I asked the Spartan.

"I agree, the C12 will take less time but we should also bring the scorpions up and start entrenching them in preparation for their counter attack." Was his reply.

"Agreed, why don't you go get that started?" I asked him, he nodded and walked away, "William, come here for a moment." I called out to the man.

"Ok," he said before he walked over to where we were standing, "what do you want jack?"

"I want you to take your squad and get the tanks. Once you get them and bring them back I want you to entrench them in preparation for the covenants counter attack."

"Ok, do you mind if I ask what you guys plan on doing about them?" he said as he gestured towards the covenant command post.

"Not at all, we are going to blow the door down with C12 before storming the building with shotguns out. Why don't you go get those scorpions and when you get back we should be done."

"Ok, Gamma squad, let's move out!" he called out to his squad before moving back towards the tanks.

"Gunny, we have the door wired with C12 and are ready to blow, just waiting on you." McFee said as he walked up behind me.

"Ok, let's go gets those elites." I replied as I started walking towards were everybody had gathered in preparation for the explosion.

"Fire in the Hole!" McFee shouted out.

'KA-BOOM'

And all of a sudden the door was just gone. A moment later in its place was the combined forces of Carnage and Zeus squads. As we moved further into the structure we could hear one of the elites shout out, "The Demons have breached the door!"

We soon arrived in the main command room, where we found the two remaining elites had barricaded themselves in a side room.

"You must realize that you are all doomed, you will not escape here alive." The elite said.

"Cover that door in C12, I want this entire section of the building gone." I told McFee as I tossed him my C12.

"You will die; your whole race will die! It is the will of the prophets." The elite taunted.

"My pleasure sir." McFee replied. The elite kept taunting us as McFee and Church-130 worked to make the room that the elites were in to disappear using high explosives.

"Clear the building." McFee said, implying they had finished. As everybody was leaving I heard the elite shout its last taunt.

"Where is your honor you spineless, filthy muck?" well I just had to respond to that.

"Where is my honor? Where is yours? You hid in this room and kill innocence civilians for fun. I hope you realize you are doomed, now good bye asshole." I said before jogging out of the building. As soon as I exited the door way I felt, then heard, the explosion that completely incinerated the room.

"Well that's one way to breach and clear." Dmitri said once the dust settled. He was right; I looked around and saw that the scorpions were all in a decent defensive, hull-down position. It was right then that a plasma bolt flew just past my head.

"Take cover!" I called out as another bolt flew right were my head had been a second ago. The covenant had thoughtfully built trenches and defenses in the direction that they were now attacking from. "Get into the trenches and use the plasma turrets against the covenant." I yelled out as more plasma fire started to fill the air around us. The tanks started to fire as soon as they could see the covenant coming into range. As the covenant didn't know how large of a force we were, there were a few squads of grunts and jackals, all of which were led by a dozen elites. A combination of the tanks cannon fire, the commandeered plasma turrets, and our own weapons dealt with the covenant just as the rest of the 429th arrived.

"Good job Price, you guys managed to distract the covenant forces enough for the rest of our forces to move in and destroy the remaining covenant troops." Foster said to me.

"Thank you sir, but it wasn't just carnage that did everything." I replied.

"Yes I know, but you're the first one I have seen and I know that you acted as the leader for the group. You know you would make a good officer."

"So I have heard, but it's not for me" I replied as we watched the other UNSC forces advance by following the explosions.

So as I said at the start, I'm so crap for taking so long and I'm so sorry! I started a foreign language class at the local community college, and that is taking up much of my writing time. Luckily, I will be done with the class this December, so I should be getting back to a somewhat normal writing schedule after then. Until then, you guys will just have to deal with me trying to write and do all my school work; sorry. Though you guys have been amazing and here is my chance to recognize you.

Thanks ty7769 for giving the story a favorite. Thank you to cannonfodder43 for not only giving the story a favorite and follow, "Brothers in Arms", but myself as well. Thank you to NightsAnger for the story, and personal, follow. That's it for the new followers and the favorites, now onto reviews! As always, thanks to LoyalODST(AKA William) and SupremeCommander for being with me from the start, but a new player has arrived! NightsAnger has left a review and I say thank you to him for pointing out things. Now if you would excuse me, I have the SAT on Saturday, then Head of the Lagoon[look it up if you want](but it's in the bay area and I live two hours away so I have to be up and moving by 4:45) Sunday, then my birthday on Monday. Oh what fun this weekend is going to be….wish us luck!

Semper Fi,

Thearizona