So I think I found a good format. I like this chapter size, and you'll notice one thing... It only changes viewpoints once.
AND OMG it's a lot less fucking stressful and tedious to do it like this. I'm sticking to this. FUCK. It's so much better and just pushes the plot forward without beatin the bush.
It's so much better omg.
How else is playing Halo on PC?
ALSO in other news...if you haven't seen Star Wars episode 9, then...don't.
Honestly, I'm considering writing a story for every disney episode in order that they make sense and aren't awful...such as for example, having ANAKIN, THE CHOSEN ONE, be the one to restore balance to the force and such. And not HAVING A CARBON COPY OF EPISODE 4 for Episode 7, and such, and utilizing snoke in a productive way, and Admiral Ackbar replacing Holdo, and having Luke be an actual Jedi Master and come up with a good reason he went into hiding, and making Kylo Ren not a bitch and using the Knights of Ren, and...replacing Hux with Thrawn...? Anyways, I just wanted something more creative than what the fuck we were given.
I am seriously considering writing it. Let me all know what you think.
Anyway, thanks for the support. I'll keep writing LIKE THIS.
So let's answer some reviews. Won't answer a lot since its...1 AM and I have a cold. And MERRY CHRISTMAS.
TheDidactsHand: Oh boy. And thnx
TheDarkChronist: Yeah, wrong wording, maybe 'beginning of the end' would've been better.
Julius Maxim: Bosh'tet
Thank you for all the support guys.
Aboard Shadow of Intent, 2186 Citadel Calendar, inbound to Citadel, 10:34
August 31st
The Sangheili had refused to use the Relays, and when the Reapers began to amass in force around the local gateway… well…
The Shipmaster had allowed the crew on the bridge, though tucked in a corner under heavy guard. The Spartans were also tucked away, but since the Shipmaster trusted them, they were allowed to roam about.
"Shipmaster, incoming Reaper ships. Capital-class," a Sangheili operator reported from his station. "At this rate, they'll intercept us in stratosphere."
"A fight we cannot win. Not with their maneuverability," the Shipmaster concluded as he sat on his throne in the center of the bridge. Dark light gleamed off his pristine silver-white armor. Grim, stoic, nothing could phase him. He smashed his hand on the armrest of the throne. "Prepare for a slipspace jump. Set coordinates to the Serpent Nebula."
"In atmosphere?"
What does that mean? Why was a slipspace jump in atmosphere…
Keelah, Tali thought. They were going to create a black hole on the surface of a highly populated planet.
"Wait...wait, you can't do that!" Tali began.
"Based on radio transmissions, Prometheans are beginning to spread about the city. The populace is already lost…" The Shipmaster replied. "If we reach a high enough altitude first, no harm will come to the artifact and minimal damage will be committed against the population."
Even before Tali could speak, be it objection or agreement or whatever, she felt her weight shift downwards. The Shadow of Intent pushed up into high troposphere. In the view screen up ahead, in the middle of the burning orange and smoky sky, a small purple ball began to form.
"There has to be another way…" Before Tali could finish her sentence, someone grabbed her arm. Liara had pulled her back.
"There's no point…"
September 2nd
Three days of pure blackness, intertwined with wisps of dark purple. And still…. Every time Liara had entered the bridge, there the Shipmaster sat. Deep in thought, he didn't speak.
As for the rest of the crew, they rested on the Normandy. . Twenty-four-seven they were surrounded by Sangheili guards. Only the crew of the Normandy were allowed to travel to the bridge, though still under heavy guard. As for the Spartans, well, the crew sure as hell weren't going to let them on board.
The quietness… It gave too much time for Liara to think. When she was alone in her room, surrounded by panels… She constantly cried. She constantly regretted not having anything to remind her of Shepard. Just...memories and emotions that no normal being will probably ever experience in their life. The extreme bouts of anger and sadness and grieving dotted with only small glimpses of happiness and purity... The first time they talked one on one; the first time they slept together; the first time she saw him again in two years; when she saw him again on Mars… And every quiet moment the two had together.
She would sacrifice her life if it meant just being with him...one last time…
She would sacrifice everything.
She felt tears forming again during the worst time possible: when she was on the bridge.
Shepard...he couldn't be dead…. She feared every day that she would lose him in this war. More so than seeing the death of her people, or...
Even with the prowess of...that Spartan, Shepard couldn't be dead…
Maybe the Shipmaster was right.
"Yet you still mourn him?" The Shipmaster noticed.
"What would your species do?"
The Shipmaster looked out into the blackness for a moment, "honor him. Be it through continued struggle or vengeance…"
"And you're denying me that."
"For now…" A blinking blue light appeared on the Shipmaster's console. "We are about to reach the Citadel. Return to your vessel. We'll support whatever human forces are present. You will want to launch immediately, Asari."
"And the Spartans?" Liara asked.
"They'll take their own ship, I assure you. Now go."
With that, Liara made her way to the Normandy. Most of the Asari refugees had huddled under the shadow of the frigate She passed by crowds of Asari refugees who tried to ask her questions. She couldn't make them out. She had no idea what they were saying.
Tali meet her on the ramp. The two entered the cargo bay and readied up next to the Kodiak.
"How're you feeling?" Tali asked.
"I should be asking you that…" Liara said, her voice tinged with guilt.
"We've all been shot before…" Tali replied. She had been taking large amounts of antibiotics and antiviral shots twice a day. "Remember that time on the Shadow Broker's ship?"
Liara couldn't help but smirk, even if it was small, "I only got a shattered foot that time."
"Just thank your Goddess you don't get sick every time you get injured."
Wrex also approached them. They switched back to a three-man team. It was more maneuverable, and they'll be able to reach the Council more quickly… Or, reach whoever left was alive.
"Warriors! Prepare for battle!" The Shipmaster's voice boomed on the hanger's comm.
"Joker, you read me?" Tali said on the squad comms. "How's it looking up there?"
"Elites are prepping shuttles for boarding action," Joker replied. "Guess they wanna play hero now."
The team boarded onto the Kodiak. Cortez made last-minute flight calculations. The Normandy will launch from the Shadow of Intent, get as close as possible to the Council chambers, and from there the Kodiak will launch.
Liara checked her Lotus and Carnifex. In good condition.
The shuttle bay doors closed, and they waited. Maybe fifteen minutes later the hanger rumbled, and the Normandy's cargo door locked up. The ship began to take off, and Liara felt a small rumble as the frigate exited into space.
There were only small shifts in gravity as Joker maneuvered the ship closer to the tower. Cortez started up the shuttle, and exited the frigate. One of the display screens activated in the cargo hold. Goddess, the UNSC Infinity was already here. They've engaged the Cerberus fleet at point-blank range. On the main Presidium ring, Liara could see heavy damage and debris orbiting from UNSC, Citadel, and Cerberus ships. Cortez maneuvered through all the traffic, all the explosions and dogfights. No one seemed to bother with such a small transport. They never do.
"Standby, we're entering the nearest hanger to the tower. Shore party, prepare for disembarking," Cortez said.
Another shift in gravity and Liara knew they've entered the atmospheric curtain. The cargo door opened up. They were in one of the larger hangers. Landing platforms and connection bridges were littered with dead bodies of civilians, C-SEC, Cerberus troops, and UNSC Marines. Other landing transports, UNSC Pelicans mostly, were touching down on adjacent platforms. Geth troopers began to deploy, supported by Turian soldiers. They were met with incoming plasma fire that ripped right through their shields as if they weren't even there. They took cover, returning fire against what looked like…
A Cerberus version of a heavily armed Spartan.
Liara, Wrex, and Tali stepped off and moved into cover… The Geth troopers, the Destroyers, fired off rockets to push Cerberus into cover. The Pelicans debarked and circled, firing rockets and other various weapons.
Shore party pushed into cover. Liara hit her shoulder into the guardrail of the landing platform. Plasma rained over. Bolts hit the edge of the railing and small bits of blue light rained on Liara's armor and skin. She felt it burn like hot cinders. She grasped at her face and tried to wipe it off to no avail. She hurriedly grabbed her helmet block from her belt and put it on.
"Feels like back home!" Wrex declared cheerfully. He immediately rose out of cover and shot off multiple rounds from his claymore.
In the distance, beyond the atmospheric curtain, Liara saw Sangheili transports incoming.
With the support of the Pelicans, the initial ground invasion was able to push forward. She saw one Spartans...painted yellow and white… She guessed they've also somehow stolen UNSC technology also. The Cerberus Spartan's shield fail. They were hit multiple times, and the bullets ripped through his armor. The other Cerberus Spartans fell back.
"We need to move away from the rank and file," Liara said.
"Agreed," Tali replied. She looked to Liara, "you good to move?"
"Ready!"
It wasn't their moved out, trying to avoid the major conflicts. Waving through fire and dead bodies, the sounds of gunfire came more and more distant. Soon enough Sangheili transports made it through the atmospheric curtain. Liara saw Elites disembark and begin to assist the Geth and Turians. They pushed forward and moved towards what looked like an auxiliary elevator.
"We can't stay to join the fun?" Wrex asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Tali responded.
The elevator seemed abandoned. They pushed in and Tali set it to the main Presidium ward.
"So Captain Lasky already arrived," Wrex commented. The elevator, jolted back to life as Tali inserted commands through her omni-tool, moved. It eventually reached the open pane windows of the Presidium… Most of the lights were dead, leaving it in a glow of orange fire.
"Keelah…" Tali kneeled down, watching as Cerberus painted Phantoms begin to engage newly formed pockets of UNSC ODSTs. "This really doesn't look like a crash and grab."
"Maybe they're sending a message…" Wrex said. "Sometimes smaller clans would raid larger ones not for resources or females, but to merely show they're strong enough and they can."
"So they're doing this because…"
"They can."
It doesn't seem like Cerberus' M.O. at all. Liara wondered how reactive the UNSC was in the initial assault. Strategy and tactics were...outside of the relevant skills Liara had required in the past short years. On an intelligence level, she excelled, but at most she only had to manage very small special operation and assault teams. Masses of infantry, plus the enormous supply lines to support them, required a special sort of intellectual basis. One that Liara hadn't...cultivated. She never really thought she had to.
In essence, it seems whoever commendered the original UNSC security force hadn't cultivated this skill either.
Liara… actually, frankly everyone knew about the numerous sleeper agents aboard the Citadel. But she had never speculated that it would constitute enough to stage an assault. Well, at least they weren't able to stage an assault with the arrival of the UNSC. They could cripple Citadel communications and securities, but the UNSC would still be able to respond.
How could Cerberus have such extensive knowledge of UNSC comms and tactics, technology, and secrets the UNSC would die to protect, unless...they had contact. Unless they learned it from someone.
Well, there was only one suspect…
The elevator suddenly stopped, throwing Liara off balance. The others gripped the rails on the walls. The elevator had stopped in the heart of the Citadel Embassies. On the pale bluish-silver ground laid a mixture of bodies painted in the orange burning glow of the Presidium. C-SEC security, ambassadors, and a few Cerberus Spartans.
"This is the nearest the elevators will take us to the emergency evacuation center…" Tali said.
"With all the shit out there, you think the evac center wasn't hit?" Wrex responded.
The squad proceeded to move forward. The embassies were utterly deserted, void of life, and on the verge of burning. Cinders fell from the ceiling and landed on Liara's shoulder and helmet, smoldering upon her armor. In the ravine above, the endless pale light had turned into darkness. The squad maneuvered through the silence of empty corridors and dead rooms sparsely littered with bodies. The squad turned on their weapons' light. No movement…
"I wouldn't think the Council would stay here after the initial assault. Is there any panic rooms?" Wrex asked.
Liara didn't say anything. She kept scanning corners and ceilings, just like Shepard taught her during - Goddess - the 'good old days.'
"Liara?" Tali asked.
"Um…for terrorist attacks, riots, and immediate assassintation attempts. In situations like this, the procedure is to evac the Council to the Destiny Ascension and get them out ASAP."
"Isn't that the same playbook they had when Saren attacked?" Wrex asked.
"Precisely…"
"Fuck's sake…" Wrex shook his head as he turned towards a door and checked the room. "How much you wanna bet Cerberus not only knows the plan, but also knows about the exact evac routes?"
"I got about twenty creds in my pocket…" Tali replied.
They were nearing one of the evac docks if Liara remembered correctly. The bodies became more frequent, mostly C-SEC security. Special Response. There were very few Cerberus soldiers.
Ahead was a large set of doors. Once the squad approached, it opened to reveal a small landing platform. More bodies. No Councilors.
One of the bodies was moving. A C-SEC soldier. Liara ran towards him and began to apply medi-gel.
"What happened here? Where are the Councilors?" Tali asked.
He spoke over ragged breaths. "Cerberus overran the Embassies… We couldn't get the Councilors out. Too risky…"
"Where are they?" Tali pressed.
"Security teams pulled them back… Moved them to the Keeper tunnels… Trying to reach auxiliary hanger…."
According to the Omni-sensor, he's stabilized. Liara turned to the squad, "we need to move to the tunnels, now."
The team left the C-SEC officer behind. Liara pulled up the local Keeper tunnels on her Omni-tool. While the Shadow Broker archives were extensive on this subject, there was still a lot of unknowns.
Wrex quickly found a tunnel entrance, and the team moved forward. Liara accessed another file on Council hanger locations. There was one near where the Normandy docked. Private access, for embassy use only. From here, it was about a klick down. It was the only nearest one. At the least, the only viable one.
But if she knew it, then it was more likely than not that Cerberus knew it about it too. Not only that, but she had no idea how Council security planned to break through the Cerberus fleet.
The tunnels were pitch black. Lifeless, save for those strange Keepers that continued to wander and fix things as if there were nothing wrong. Based on the diagrams, the tunnels were simplistic and efficient, even if they were spread out. She doubted they'll make direct contact with the Council in the tunnels… If they were even alive.
The tunnels shook. The keepers froze, and after a few seconds they kept moving.
The squad turned a corner. There were a few bodies. A few keepers, a few Cerberus troopers, and… UNSC Marines. And civilians. Dead civilians. Not just the men, but the women, and...children too. All dead. Burn marks on skin, clothes and armor from plasma rounds, surrounded by a sea of lead bullet casings. At the end of the bodies was a UNSC Spartan. Spartan-IV to be specific. Surrounding him were a few Cerberus Spartans.
"What the hell happened here?" Wrex said.
"A lot evidentially," Tali scanned the bodies with her Omni-tool. Liara looked over her shoulder No pulses. Based on body heat, they were killed only a couple hours ago.
"Looks like some good hearted Marines tried to get some civilians out." Wrex commented.
Marines and C-SEC officers apparently. But the Spartan… They weren't assigned to meager assets such as this.
Liara headed towards the Spartan. She leaned down and noticed something… A cylinder on his back. An empty cylinder.
Goddess…
"They were transporting Cortana…" Liara declared. "If they were also forced down the Keeper tunnels, then they had no alternatives. That means…"
"UNSC HIGHCOM staff was down here too… Lord Hood at the very least." Tali added. "They took them…"
If Cerberus teams were done here in force, than that means more than likely the Council was taken too. With UNSC Infinity, supported by the Shadow of Intent and Citadel security fleet, surrounding the small Cerberus fleet, the Cerberus ground team transporting these assets were running out of egresses.
The nearby Council hanger… Only Liara and Cerberus would know about it…. No one else, not even the UNSC would know about it.
Once those assets were transported to any of those ships, then they were dead in the water. How could they transport an asset out of the Citadel without…
"We need to get to that hanger, now!" Liara ordered right before she began to run. Tali and Wrex quickly followed.
"What the hell's the rush?" Wrex asked through panted breathes.
"If Cerberus gets those assets off station, we may never see them again!"
"How? Their fleet is surrounded. They can't get out without getting ripped apart…"
"...In first contact, what was one of the ships present?"
"Keelah…you really don't think-!?"
"They captured Covenant tech. They obviously have UNSC tech…."
Tali didn't say anything. She only ran faster.
Hundreds of meters covered in a dead sprint. Liara had always forgotten how in shape she had gotten starting from the last time she practiced archeology to now. Still, her armor felt like it began to restrict her lungs. Her legs began to burning. Sweet dripped down her face and stung her eyes.
But she had to keep moving. Time was running out….
And, Goddess, this was what Cerberus probably wanted. Distract them while they get everything truly important out…. The team kept moving. They were so close.
Maybe a couple hundred meters out Liara began to hear small arms fire. Plasma, UNSC bullets…
Up ahead was a service door with a small red light up above. And right behind. it was the muffled noise of a firefight.
The squad slowed down. Tali used her Omni-tool to open the door…
A rocket destroyed the cover of a couple Cerberus Spartans. Shore party immediately moved out of the killzone. They slid into heavy cover, behind a pillar surrounded by crates. Liara peered out, and saw various UNSC Marines and C-SEC officers pushing forward. She turned to the Cerberus forces. There had to be...dozens of Cerberus Spartans. Entrenched in heavy cover, they were certainly defending something. Liara couldn't see what.
The hanger was probably able to at least fit the Normandy. At the end of the hanger opposite of them was the shield curtain, displaying a clustered battle as the Cerberus fleet was pushed out and destroyed.
Liara motioned for the team to join the Marines. Liara, with Wrex's support, raised a biotic shield. They pushed forward, reaching the nearest Marine fireteam. They entered into cover. Liara located the highest ranking marine present. A staff sergeant she believed.
"What's going on here?" She asked.
"Massive Cerberus movement here! We got cut off from our main unit in the initial attack. We're hitting whatever's Cerberus' got, but we don't have comms with any of the UNSC and Elite-"
Something entered the curtain shield. A large, translucent ship, maybe a little under two-hundred meters entered. Hexagonal shapes appeared, and slowly transformed into the body of the ship…
Liara was right. UNSC-styled Prowler… Or, possibly even worse, an ONI-supplied Prowler.
Another Cerberus Spartan team, supported by regular troops, appeared from the enemy-controlled corner of the hanger. And...she was right. She saw Lord Hood in the midst, surrounded by the four Citadel Councilors and...Kelly Chamber and an unknown Marine. Not only that, but Liara thought she saw one of the Cerberus Spartans carry a metal cylinder case.
"Always right on time. Convenient, huh?" Wrex said.
"Always," Liara quietly replied.
And she had no idea how to stop them. They haven't really faced the Spartans one up…
"Shore party to Normandy and Shadow of Intent, come in!" Liara said on comms.
"We're both on the horn, go ahead." EDI replied.
"Trace our position. Cerberus is moving high-value assets onto a Prowler."
"Which assets?"
"All the assets!" Tali replied as she raised out of cover and fired off her shotgun.
"We'll proceed to your position immediately. Hold them for as long as you can!" The Shipmaster said.
A marine with the rocket launcher aimed at the Prowler and fired. It hit the frigate's shield. Missile shrapnel flew across the hanger. One slashed across Liara's check. It burned. Blood ran down her chin.
A Cerberus Spartans tried to create a path from the VIPs to the ship. He moved from cover to the ship ramp as it opened. Liara unleashed a biotic singularity. The Spartan was too heavy to lift, but at the very least it knocked him down.
One of the marines was hit in the head by a plasma round. He was down instantly. Dead.
"This is UNSC Infinity!" Captain Lasky's voice said on the horn. "Long time no see! The Shipmaster relayed your transmission. We're moving all available units to the hanger ASAP. ETA: fifteen minutes!"
Too long.
In fifteen minutes Cerberus will be gone.
More marines were dead as Cerberus laid down hyper-accurate fire... They seemed to be targeting them first. Liara peaked out, and saw Lord Hood in the open, Councilors nowhere in sight. The Marines and Cerberus Spartans took great care to ensure that direct fire was kept away from him…
When she saw him, it was as if it was the first time she realized… This was the man who tried to destroy Thessia… Who probably killed Shepard.
Liara raised a protective biotic shield around herself. She peaked out of cover, giving away as little of her body as possible. She slowly breathed, tucked in her pistol close to her body, allowing the micro biotic pools within her shield to help stabilize the weapon. Shepard taught her to aim center mass, but also aim small. She aimed at his medals. She slowly squeezed the heavy trigger.
On a pragmatic perspective, at the very least she could lie that this was merely asset denial if anyone found out.
Something grabbed her by the collar, and threw her a few meters out of cover. She fired blindly, no idea if the round even hit Lord Hood.
She landed on her back. A sharp pain traveled through her body and the air was knocked out of her lungs. She looked and….
He was alive.
The Spartan was alive…
The Master Chief continued forward, dodging fire from Cerberus.
"What the hell are you doing!?" A very familiar voice said.
And she saw him… And in the end that's all that matters. She dropped her pistol and blindly ran towards him. Towards Shepard.
And despite the injuries it looked like he sustained, he was...he was alive.
Nothing else mattered.
"SHEPARD!" She hugged him in cover. Held onto him as plasma fire rained around them. The tears ran down her face, intermixed with her blood. She heard his heartbeat. She felt his warmth… He was alive…
"...Liara…?" Shepard whispered. "What...what the hell are you doing here?"
She hit his chest plate, "what the HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!?"
In the corner of her eye, she saw the Master Chief begin to shred into the Cerberus Spartans.
"I thought I lost you… I thought I lost you again…" She said as she held onto him.
"I'm here...I'm not going anywhere…" Shepard assured her. He hugged her back… "It'll be okay."
Wrex and Tali, and whatever Marines and C-SEC officers were left pushed forward, trying to cut the Spartans off from the ship.
"Why did he throw you…?" Shepard asked….
She looked to Lord Hood, now forced into cover by a Cerberus Spartan. Still, she felt rage. She felt a physical sickness that tried to persuade her to take it out on him, and the Master Chief and every other Spartan in Blue Team.
She wished Kelly had died.
"I think you know, Shepard…" She wiped the tears away from her face. She noticed her entire body was shaking.
He nodded. He understood. "Come on, T'Soni. We gotta job to do…"
"Hey!" Wrex said. "Not sure where the hell you've been, but we still gotta job to do!"
He battle cried as he knocked over a Cerberus Spartan and fired off multiple rounds into his armor.
Still, the Cerberus team was able to make ground. They pushed the Council members forward. Councilor Tevos first…. And the Spartan pushing Councilor Spartacus had the metal cylinder case.
That's what the Master Chief was targeting. He didn't seem to care about Lord Hood or any of the Councilors. Liara guessed that if any of the Councillors got in the way, the Chief will probably rip and tear his way through them also. The marines weren't making as much progress. Pinned down, they've sustained heavy casualties and were unable to move forward. But it seemed like the Master Chief didn't care
A couple Cerberus Spartans tried to tackle the Master Chief. For a moment, a few moments maybe he was pinned to the ground as another enemy Spartan charged up what looked like a small plasma pistol.
The team guarding the assets moved forward, forcing the VIPs in front of them. The Marines wouldn't dare, but Liara….
"I wouldn't do it…" Shepard reminded her, "not because I don't want you to, but it'll only make things worse…."
Damnit.
She would've aimed for the Master Chief, but she knew who would win…
The Cerberus team began to move near the ramp. The Master Chief was twenty meters away…
The team, shore party, pushed forward under Liara's protective shield. They moved behind a stack a crates, maybe thirty meters away from the ramp. From there on, it was a killzone void of any sort of cover between them and the ramp.
Right when Liara peaked out, a purple needle hit only an inch away from her face. Shepard pulled her back in.
"Our shields don't work against plasma! It seems biotics have some effect though…" Shepard reported. And more than likely it was only because of the dark energy pull that skewed the plasma bolts and needles, preventing them from hitting the crew. Any residue was free game.
"I can't hold the shield long enough to get us to that ramp…" Liara said as she mindfully scraped off purple needle residue as it burned her armor.
Liara peaked out again. The Master Chief had ripped off the armor on one of the Cerberus Spartans and crushed his wrist. The enemy screamed out in pain, and the Master Chief took the opportunity to slip out from under the other enemy Spartan.
Still, the Cerberus Spartan holding the plasma pistol fired, and it seemed to completely break apart the Chief's shields. Seeking cover, in less than a couple seconds he cleared the distance between him and the ramp, and took cover under the ramp.
The team still pushed the VIP assets forward. They began to push the Councilors up the ramp, slowly, one by one.
Shepard rose out of cover, and Liara realized he was holding a Covenant weapon. A purple and green rifle that fired a thin beam of green light. As Shepard provided cover fire, Wrex pushed out of cover, and moved to another stack of crates located at a flanking position. At the very least, the team could create a killbox to prevent Cerberus from moving.
Outside of the curtain shield, Sangheili Phantoms moved in. Before the first one could reach the shield, a Cerberus Kodiak appeared from an adjacent hanger. It crashed into the nearest Phantom, forcing the two wrecked ships into the hanger. Fiery debris and large chunks of wreckage rained throughout the hanger. Marines and Cerberus Spartans ducked out of the way. The main body of the Phantom crashed down at the end of the hanger, in Cerberus' position, knocking over one or two enemy Spartans.
The main cargo door of the crushed Phantom opened up, and a squad of Sangheili, armed with energy swords and plasma rifles poured out. They immediately engaged the Spartans at point black range, ignoring cover and even their own well-being… Just like on Illium.
Their swords cut through their armor and shields without effort. They easily overpower each Spartan. Certainly more Cerberus Spartans fell than Sangheili.
More Kodiaks and both Cerberus and Sangheili Phantoms began to crowd the local space, fighting one another to gain access. A Cerberus Phantom broke through. It carried something on its underbelly. It dropped off...a Cyclops, along with another squad of Spartans into the hanger. They focused on the Master Chief while the Cyclops turned on the Elites. Another Sangheili Phantom crashed in, this time taking out a fireteam of Cerberus Spartans. And out from the Phantom entered….
Blue Team pushed in.
As this was happening, the Cerberus team pushed up the ramp, sustaining heavy casualties. The Master Chief emerged from under the ramp despite the heavy fire. He grabbed one of the Cerberus Spartan's helmets, and completely ripped off the front. Sparks of electricity and blood flew out. The Master Chief proceeded to use his body as a shield. He forcefully pushed Lord Hood off the ramp, grabbed the collar of the nearest Councilor (being Spartacus) and threw him over too.
He threw the body of the enemy Spartan at another Cerberus soldier. And as the Sangheili pushed forward, the Kodiaks have turned into suicide bombers, doing anything to protect the Prowler.
The Master Chief ripped out the remaining Councilors, including Kelly and the marine, rather violently. Multiple Cerberus Spartans were on him, trying to drag him off the ramp. A side tackle from one last enemy Spartans knocked him off the ramp…
And the Prowler's ramp began to close up, leaving the VIPs...and the rest of the Cerberus Spartans' behind…. And the Spartan with the metal case, with Cortana… He was onboard.
And the ship began to turn invisible as all weapons began to fire on it.
The Master Chief sprinted forward, firing his carbine… But the ship already exited the hanger.
It was gone.
Blue Team joined the Chief, in silence. Lord Hood slowly got up, adjusted his cap, and still looked… untouched.
Shepard took off his helmet… The rest of the fighting was wrapping up as the Sangheili wiped out the remaining Cerberus Spartans...executing even the few that had surrendered.
Shepard looked to Liara… It was really him. And nothing else mattered…
She quickly took off his helmet and kissed him. The tears slowly went away.