Chapter 5: Nightfall

"These bastards don't seem so tough! These guys have been kicking their asses in every encounter!" Bakugo was annoyed at how weak these Covenant were. Sure they seemed bad but they were going down pretty easily.

"They have to be a threat. Why else would they be so scared to them?" Momo pointed out.

"As much as I hate agreeing with him. Bakugos right. These Covenant are pretty weak from what we've seen so far." Todoroki comments.

The screen fades in showing a cliff side. Two moons hanging in the night sky. A phantom flying by slowly. It's searchlight active looking for any enemies.

August 11, 2552, 26:30 Hours

As it goes out of sight, Noble Three comes out from behind a large boulder. He nods his head to Six to follow.

"This is Recon Team Bravo reporting in. Noble Three and Six in position. Beginning to get crowded up here, Kat."

Kat answers over comms, "Then you're getting close. Report in any Covenant structures or devices you see. Be prepped for direct action if necessary."

As Six joins Jun at a cliff side, Jun acknowledges Kat.

Chuckling to himself, he turns to Six, "Whenever Kat runs an op, direct has always been necessary."

Handing over a clip of ammo for a sniper rifle he informs Six that it's a high velocity, armor-piercing. And that they'll, "Take the hat off an Elite at two thousand yards. And they ain't cheap."

"Wow that is a long distance for a scope, and also a lot of power behind the bullet if the bullet can accurately travel 2 thousand yards before significant fall off occurs." Momo said shocked at the stat Noble three said.

"Yeah, you would need precision if you were to just take the hat off of a target." Izuku agrees.

Continuing on he turns his head back, "I'll be in touch." With that he climbs up a ledge.

Six silently slides down a small hill. Another phantom flies overhead of Six.

"Recom Bravo, the sector ahead is dark to our electronic surveillance." Kat informs them.

Shocked Jun asks for confirmation, "Covenant can block our instruments?"

"So it would seem, and Command would like to find out what it is they are hiding."

While they have been talking, Six has been moving onwards silently.

"Elite. He's yours, do it quietly."

Six reaches for the Elites neck and quickly plunges his knife into its throat before it realizes what's happening. Lowering the body to the ground softly, Six turns toward the sleeping grunts. He goes over and gives each of them a knife to the head.

"Huh, that is definitely his lone wolf experience coming in handy here." Tsuyu says as she recalled the small tidbit of six being a lone wolf before this.

As they continue onward, they find a small Covenant controlled complex.

"Recon Bravo to Noble Two, stand by for contact report."

"Standing by to copy, over."

"We have eyes on multiple hostile patrolling a settlement. This what we are looking for, Kat?"

"Negative, too small, you're not in the dark zone just yet. Engage at your own discretion, but keep moving."

"You heard the lady, Six. Let's drop some tangos."

Timing their shots they took down two Elites with a single shot straight through the head. The rest of the forces scattered. So Six quietly keeps taking out Elites with one bullet to the head. The terrified grunts still running around in terror are easy to track down and snap their necks.

Moving in they engage more Covenant at another structure. After moving through them, they come across a giant native beast slaughtering Covenant.

"Look at the size of that thing!" Jun exclaims!

Taking notice of Six and Jun, they charge them.

"Major enemy, incoming!"

"Wow, even the Covenant are dying to the wildlife. What is even scary about them huh?" Bakugou said annoyed beyond belief at how wildlife can even take out a squad of Covenant.

"For once I agree with Bakugou, how are they such a threat if nature can easily kill them." Iida says confused wondering what their main threat is.

Six takes cover before making his way past it and sticking plasma grenades to the back of the creature. Both of them detonating killing the creature quickly and hopefully painlessly.

"Kat, you pick any of that up?"

"Affirmative, Recon Bravo. It's an indigenous creature, called Gúta."

The pair of Spartans continue onwards through a path in the rocks. As they walk through they hear the sound of gunfire.

"Magnums. Security sidearms, standard issue."

They see a pumping station under attack by Covenant forces. Local militia already engaged with them.

"Noble Two, we're at some sort pump station. Got eyes on civilians, I'm pretty sure local militia. They've engaged the enemy."

Six however had already started moving before Kat could give out orders. Tackling an Elite that's about to stab one of the civilians with an energy sword, he quickly stabs his knife into the back of its neck killing it quickly. He jumps up pulling his magnum out and taking aim at the grunts around him. One bullet for each thinking quickly when he sees the energy crackling of the hand held shield of the jackals he throws a grenade around the corner taking they out.

"Move to assist. They may have intel we need." Kat orders, however Six has already engaged. Jun immediately lifts up his sniper and starts to take down enemies before they have a chance to fight. Mowing down enemy opposition efficiently.

As the last of the local forces are taken out the leader of the militia approaches Six and Jun.

"Little more action than were used to. You Spartans are good in a fight."

Slightly annoyed, Jun asks, "What are you doing here? Whole area was supposed to be evacuated."

"We didn't like leaving it to someone else to protect our home. So we came back, for this."

"Manly!"

"They wanted to go out with some of their pride, and they have some very noble intentions." Ojiro says as he knows he would do the exact same thing in their shoes.

He opens up a few cases full of weapons. UNSC weapons Six notes silently.

"We have 'em hidden all over the territory."

"You know this stuff is stolen?"

The man looks at him and asks, "What? You gonna arrest me?"

"He should absolutely arrest you for stealing!" Iida exclaims with his ever famous arm chops!

"Well he was only using them to defend his home, so in a way he isn't the bad kind of criminal." Izuku tries to rationalize.

"No. Gonna steal it back." Jun answers in slightly singsong voice.

"WHAT? THEY ARE SOLDIERS! WHY ARE THEY STEALING THINGS?" Iida shouts stunned at the Spartan's actions.

Looking around himself, Six asks where they should head out, after checking on all the civilians to make sure they aren't hurt.

The militia man, "That road leads to a hydro-electric plant, but the gate doesn't work."

"Any other routes?"

"We use the riverbed to smuggle rations, weapons…"

Jun indignantly asks, "Basically anything the UNSC considers contraband."

"Basically."

"Ok so obviously these soldiers don't care about laws and what not, I am just so appalled." Iida said still trying to deal with Three's actions.

"I mean, Hosu is an example of you not caring about laws." Todoroki said looking straight at Iida, who lowered his head in regret.

"Hosu?" Mina asks confused.

"Iida wanted to do some stupid things that he regrets, now we get back to watching." Izuku said knowing how much Iida hates himself for the Hosu stuff.

"Show us." His voice held no room for argument.

"So where does this riverbed lead to?"Six inquires of the man.

"Straight to the hydro plant. We dammed this river up forty-five years ago. Plant powers every settlement in the territory. Shame if it all gets wasted."

"We're all doing what we can."

Another phantom passes by with its searchlight on. The group takes cover quickly. The militia men barely avoiding detection.

A few moments pass, "Ok, clear. Let's move."

Moving forward they come across a plant overrun by Covenant forces. A small pylon near the plant shooting a strange dome like energy every so often. Though it didn't seem to do anything.

"Kat, are you seeing this? Covenant structure, kind of a big pylon. Heavily fortified."

"That's the source of our dark zone."

Happy to be at their objective, "Ok...consider it gone."

"Negative, stick a remote det charge on it. Command's planning something big, they say that pylon ties it down."

"We gonna blow this thing?" The man looks excited to take the fight to them for once.

"We're gonna clear the area, and I'm gonna plant a remote det charge. You want to provide some cover, go right ahead."

"Wait. I have an idea." Six interrupts. Giving his idea to the group, Jun couldn't help thinking that Six was extraordinaryly talented at working with a team for a lone wolf.

Sneaking up behind an Elite watching out over the area, Six quickly puts a knife in its spine. Catching the body and lowering it gently to avoid detection. He signals the others to move forward and take out the grunts silently. Having full success they move across the bridge swiftly and quietly.

Moving throughout the area silently taking down entire squads of Covenant, soon there was no one left guarding the area. Acting quickly Jun started working on the pylon setting a set charge in its power supply.

Finished setting it he reported to Kat.

"Good work, but you're not done yet. Command wants to know what the Covenant are hiding in there."

"There's a security gate between us and the hydro plant."

"Understood uploading security codes to you now."

"I'm just assuming they have access to all security codes. Otherwise how would she be able to send them it." Momo said hoping that was the case.

"Well some areas they haven't gone to for a better vantage point. It is probably just non private properties that they have the codes for." Shoji said, earning several nods from the class.

As the small group make their way through the gate, Kat informs them that they are entering the dark zone.

A phantom appears over the Cliffside searches the area. Unfortunately the group has been getting better at dodging the phantoms search light as the night continues. Finding yet another group of Covenant they pull the same tactic of taking the awake ones first silently then the sleeping enemies.

Getting through all of the enemies quickly and unseen. They see dozens of banshees start flying overhead.

"Noble Two, we have eyes on at least one Covenant ship."

"Solid copy. Don't stop now."

They sneak through an opening and start to crawl forward through a rock wall a Covenant Corvette could be seen holding position on the other side of the large area of land.

A giant Covenant pylon, easily ten times the size of the pylon they just saw early, could be seen in the distance. At least two additional corvettes could be seen as well. Two more Covenant spires as well.

"Jeez, that must be their landing zone for troops." Izuku said while wondering why the Covenant isn't pushing their forces.

"Jackpot."

"Transmitting visual." Six announces to Kat.

"You're seeing this right, Kat?"

"Confirmed. Receiving Noble Three and Six's live visual of a Covenant strike force."

"Like hell that's a strike force its an invading army. If we are gonna smother this thing, we need to go in hard and fast."

"Pfft, I bet he wishes he could go hard and fast on someone." Mina saw the opportunity to make a joke.

"Ashido! That is extremely inappropriate!" Iida scolds Mina for her innuendo.

"Agreed. All recon teams fall back to HQ. Sun will be up in a few hours...and it's going to be a very busy day."

"I am pumped for their assault on their invasion force." Kirishima said, earning nods from most of the class.

"Their army is small, darkness is on the horizon for an unexpected opponent." Tokoyami cryptically said.

"Uhh how do you know that?" Kaminari asked their bird-headed classmate.

"Well I am assuming he is referring to the fact on how that small amount of ships wouldn't be capable of taking over a fortified planet, meaning either we are unaware of some of the weaponry of their ships, or as he said another force appears and throws off their plans." Izuku said instead of the cryptic classmate.

"Well, only one way to find out!" Hagakure said.