4.
Forerunner ship/ Atmospheric reentry over West African Protectorate/ mission clock 52:53:04

John followed the creature that waddled in front of him. The grunt continued to chatter to himself, just rambling about how much he missed home and wished he was back. John knew how he felt, broken arm, no serious threat armament wise, and stuck on an unfamiliar ship ancient ship loaded with a Covenant hierarch, his honor guard, and the Flood. Since Cortana stayed on High Charity, things didn't feel right. There was a void, a hole, and now that he had to put his trust in the enemy, things just weren't going right for him.
"We here now," the grunt said suddenly stopping at a door in front of him.
"Me no go in," he added, now looking at the ground ashamed, "They call me traitor. Me be executed when you die," he said regretting that he suggested that the demon couldn't finish what he started.
"Thanks for the help," John said, patting the grunt on the back as he started to the door. The ship trembled as its center of gravity shifted, letting everyone onboard know they were within the atmosphere.
"Here goes nothing," John said to himself as he got ready to storm in guns ablaze.
"You still go in?" the grunt asked, "You very crazy. Give me gun," He added holding his little hand out for a gun. John looked at the grunt confused once again. The grunt seemed to stand five feet taller as he stood staring back into the Spartan's face.
"I change my mind," the grunt said still staring into John's visor, "You stop before Holiness before he kills all?" he added still staring.
"Yes," John said looking down at the grunt, grabbing two pistols from his belt and giving them to the grunt.
"Me still think your crazy," the grunt said overcharging his two pistols, "Me Kasap by the way,"
"Lets go," John said charging his pistol and opening the door.
The Chief and Kasap were met by three honor guard as soon as the door opened. They both unleashed the pistols onto the brute's faces, the superheated, overcharged plasma melting away their faces. John grabbed one of the fallen brute plasma rifles that dropped to the floor, and then hid behind a crate in the middle of the room as the rest of the brutes opened fire. A phantom sat docked in the middle of the cluttered hangar. John looked over the crate once the firing stopped and saw his prize. The High Prophet of Truth, surrounded by several Honor Guards, was being loaded onto the phantom. John looked over and saw Kasap who, strangely for a grunt, was firing over the crates instead of cowering behind it. The Honor Guard opened fire on the grunt just as he ducked back behind the massive crate. John noticed his chance while the brutes fired upon his little accomplice. All in one motion. He dropped his plasma rifle, pulled a grenade from his belt, armed it, and lobbed it onto the brute in the middle of the group. The grenade attached to the brutes armor and then detonated, sending the group flying in separate directions. John grabbed the plasma rifle and started for the phantom. The loading ramp closed just as the Chief reached the ship. The engines roared to life and John jumped grabbing onto the underside of the phantom as it rose from the metallic floor and exited through the open hangar doors. John watched Kasap run from his hiding place and stare up at him as the phantom raced away from the ancient forerunner ship that still glided through the sky over southern Africa. Two seraph fighters came from the opposite direction and unleashed their plasma torpedoes on the ancient ship, which erupted into giant ball of flame. John tried to pull himself closer to the hull of the ship, holding on for dear life as the two seraph fighters provided escort for the phantom. The phantom suddenly took a hard right turn. John felt his grip slip and then the rush of air as he fell to meet the ground of the African plain. There was a great pain through out his body and then all went dark.

"Commander Shults, form a defensive perimeter around the Moscow until all personnel are off the installation," Lord Hood said as he stared at the screen in front of him. Hundreds of red cruisers blotted the majority of the screen, the few blue ships and platforms that remained were overwhelmed and all hope for the MAC guns failed as the last of the platforms were being evacuated.
"Sir, the unidentified ship has been destroyed," an ensign said turning from his console.
"What about the Chief? Are you picking up any transponders?" Hood said turning and looking at the ensign in shock, a hint of worry in his voice.
"No sir. No transponder signals, but there was a ship that escaped before the explosion," the ensign replied turning back to his console as a light began to flash.
"Sir, 36 Capital class ships have just entered normal space within 200kilometers of the platform," the ensign said shocked with what he was looking at, "Incoming transmission sir, coming from the lead cruiser identifying itself as Sheltering Innocence"
"Patch it in ensign," Lord Hood replied wondering what the hell was going on.