Chapter 7

My heart skipped a beat as I felt the sudden thud of the pod docking. It was really sudden, for a few minutes I was drifting, the next second I was jolted across the room and I was being de-compressed. Or whatever the process is called, I don't really care, all I know is that the pod is about to be opened, and I'm about to be killed. Yippee.

The doors opened. I curled up in the corner of the front wall beside the door. Three grunts walked in and began checking their dead. They don't see me? Hmm, I slowly get up and slink out the door, ducking behind some crates. I peek between them and see nothing. Slowly moving around them I reach the first sliding door. I walk though it cursing in my mind for the noise it makes.

It's a viewing deck! Wow, the Covenant actually realizes the need for entertainment, if you can call this entertainment. Then I realized, it's not a viewing deck, it's for the Covenant Hierarchy to look through as they wipe out the enemy. Like they did on Reach. Fucking hell, this is probably one of the ships that glassed my home…

I hear a slight humming. Then suddenly the ship explodes into a frenzy of alarms, shaking, and alien language echoing through the behemoth on the intercom. I gaze out the window. It's the Emperor, its firing on the Covenant ship. It stops moving, crap, it is now aiming a cannon right at the viewing deck, I dart away from the window towards what I think is my only way out, I raise my shotgun over my head and swing down on the lock.

Aboard the Covenant Battle Cruiser 'The Hand of Angels Past':

The Elite commander looked out the view screen at the Human ship that just destroyed its Viewing Deck.

"What is the crew compliment on that vessel!" Df'Ranal shouted at his tactical officer.

"Five hundred Humans, no automated personnel or Demons on board, sir" the Elite responded in a harsh monotone voice.

"Does it wield any weapons, defend any cargo, or house a Leader that we should secure?"

"No Commander, the vessel is retreating from Reach, it is blind as far as we know, recommend we eliminate it before it may land," The tactical officer replied.

"Agreed, we mustn't permit these scum to set foot on Sacred Land. Etaretilbo eht Namuh ecneserp!" The Commander yelled.

I could hear the viewing deck being disintegrated even though I was several rooms away.

Sirens, alarms, alien voices, all reverberated throughout the ship. I was terrified, one ODST against the crew of an entire Covenant Battle cruiser.

I moved into the next room, silenced pistol readied. There were about six Grunts here, asleep.

"Oh this is going to be fun," I said to myself,

"This kids, is what we call ammo conservation,"

I turned my shotgun upside down and gripped the muzzle like a baseball bat. I swung it from the side and put a hole in a Grunt's skull via the handle, it tipped over, and a few seconds later its thick light blue blood began leaking out. I performed similar acts on the rest of the piggies, as we call them. I scavenged around for any Covenant plasma grenades. I found 2.

Why is this ship so empty? I wondered. I walked over to a holo-pad in the next room. I tried my best to read the writing based on the language training we got back at 7447.

Hmm, seems the crew, Isn't here? They seem pre-occupied with something. They seem to be in a panic, they're evacuating the ship! I poked around in the pad some more. They sealed off the cargo bay. Looks like they have a bio-weapon of sorts, and it leaked or something.

Bloody Hell. I'm getting off this Cruiser.

I kicked down the next door after it refused to open, it was heavily damaged, probably from the assault of the Emperor. There was cocoon like pods clamped to the floor, standing upright. RIGHT! The Covenant use these to rapidly deploy Elite's onto a Battlefield, like the ODST, shouldn't be too different.

The room echoed with an aura of filth as I walked through it. An entire Patrol of Grunts, murdered in their sleep. BAH! It serves the Ungoggy right, sleeping on duty. I only pray the drop shells still remain in supply and intact.

Wait, no, this is not right, the launch bay door, it has been bashed out of place…I readied my Plasma Rifle, leaning against the wall I crept inwards. There, standing in plain view, was a Human, unlike the common breed this one resembled the Demon's of Reach. But black in dress, it must have been a higher-ranking Human. His end shall come at my hand.

I could feel something in the room with me, slowly, I moved one hand from the keypad on the pod and spun my shotgun around with one hand.

Fuck.

Standing at least seven feet tall, a white armored Elite stood at the receiving end of my shotgun, his chest only a few inches from contact, in my face a Plasma Rifle, ready to scorch my head off in a heartbeat.

White Armor, the Cruiser's Commander. This is NOT good.

In black Clad, a human superior, slaying it shall bring high praise from the Counsel.

I slowly tensed my leg muscles, I kicked the Elite back, then fired off a round from my shotgun. He reeled in confusion as his energy shield was downed, but he was unharmed. I back pedaled into the pod, pulled the door down to seal myself in, and hit the go button of sorts.

The Human shot me! In my state of confusion he was able to escape into the Shock Troop Shell. I needn't worry though, a Human could never survive the gravitational forces generated by the engines on those. I calmly opened my own Shell, and ejected myself from the Cruiser. I will find this Human.

I felt like I was a bullet. I had NEVER imagined that this thing, less than half the size of an ODST drop pod could have ENGINES! In a matter of seconds I slammed into the ground and the door exploded off, I fell out, tore my helmet off and 'let loose' all over the grass.

Grass, oxygen! DAMNIT! I'm an idiot, if there were no oxygen or atmosphere I would have blown my head up just now. I spat a few times to get the taste from my mouth, then pulled my helmet back on.

I loaded some new shells into my shotgun. I need to reserve as much as I can. I looked into the sky.

Oh my God…where AM I. Blue streaks raked the sky as Shock Pods fell all around the world I had landed on. Behind me a massive cliff, I walked to the edge of it. This is no planet…I can see some kind of ring shape going off into the distance, into the sky, then back into the horizon behind me. My God, I don't understand it.

There was a flash of light in the sky, the Emperor! She flew in miles above and in the distance. Tossing ODST pods and all kinds of escape pods, bombers, drop ships, she was going down.

In front of me stood a massive cliff. I looked up its wall, and stared in awe at the holy ring's majesty. I said a prayer in my mind, that this was not a dream. This was the first key to begin the Great Journey!

I gazed into space. The Hands of Angels Past exploded in a mighty array of colours. Showering Halo in its debris. Bless the Soldier's who sacrificed themselves to find this, Halo.

I decided it would be best to get a move on. Standing here just gives the Covenant more time to track me. I need to meet up with the other UNSC personnel, get off this ring, and report it to Command. This could be important, why is the Covenant so protective of it?

I best be on my way, I shall meet my fellow Soldiers, and exterminate any impurities I find here. I began my way towards a beacon, I knew set up by my Comrades.

This shall be the holiest of all battles ever fought. I readied my Plasma Rifle. Onward.