Part 2

Halo: Branded as Traitors

By: Natination

As slipspace was going about them, (there wasn't much to see at all) everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they had prolonged thier life and destoryed over 60 covenant ships.

"Sir, i'm going over a Communcation we had to relay to the Alpha Centuri, it's not good." A tech said.

"What?" Jimmy said. He clenched his teeth as he read the message.

Alpha pirorty burst transmission from: FleetHighComm, Earth

Greenlight to Demise. Greenlight to Demise once you have lured enemies to station. You have 5 halcyron class ships and the UNSC Peacemaker at your expense in the defense till supernova.

End tranmission.

"They met us to be destoryed... literally. They sent the message after they transfered the info about what happened to us." Jimmy said.

"Well... well." Nate said "Do i hear a go figure coming around... sir?"

"Spartan..." Jimmy said.

"Sorry sir." Nate said at once. "Sir, I have to go get ready for combat that is most likely to happen."

"Alright spartan." Jimmy said. He was apparently annoyed at the spartan's... outburst. When the spartan left Jimmy wondered if the Spartan was really a Spartan who was trained as a child or something else. Usually Spartans didn't have outbursts like marines. His record was outstanding in all areas except for combat, they hadn't been any just yet.

"Sir! Covenant ships appoaching from Slipspace! They've spotted us and will be in firing range in 2 minutes. Battle strength is 1 frigate and a destroyer." A tech said.

"Code red battlestations! Battlestations!" Jimmy put his thoughts away about the spartan and focused on the job on hand.

A Covenant cruiser appeared out of slipspace as well.

"Can we make another slipspace jump before they get within firing range?" Jimmy asked.

"No sir, we need another 3 minutes." A tech called out.

"Alright, ready longswords and shiva nuclear missiles." Jimmy said. "Arm Archer Tubes A-G and prepare for boarders."

"Let's give them hell."

The Spartan had assembled the marines in Launch bay 3 which was located directly below the engine room.

"Alright men. This is it. The Covenant have caught us and we may die with none them of setting foot in this place." Spartan said.

"Boarding craft inbound! I repeat Boarding craft." Jimmy said."Marine's to your defense stations."

"Alright men, look's like the covenant are coming over to play. Now, all of you know sarge Johnson correct?" The Spartan asked. He was a well decorated officer and was known for doing crazy things in combat. He was a marine corps all to himself. "Now, i remember seeing one time when i was younger, shortly before they shipped him and his squad out. Do you know what he said?"

"No sir!" The marines yelled. It was a old joke in the marine corps about what he said to his squad shortly before he went into one battle (which they won). One greenhorn acually took him literally and had taken a elite out and ripped his spinal cord out with his combat knife.

He said. When we go into combat, then I want you to rip their spinal cords and present them to me as trophys! Am i right? Now the moral of the story is, give them hell, or i'll shoot you myself!"

"Sir, yes sir!" The marines said grinning.

"Alright move it out." Nate said.

"Squad's 3 and 7 your with me, the rest of your defense stations." Nate said. Clanging could be heared thoughout the ship as the covenant ships latched onto the ships. "Squads 1,8 and 12 defend the bridge at all costs."

As the covenant poured from the boarding craft, they were met by frantic crewmen with pistols shooting at them. Most hadn't shot their pistols since training. They were easy to take out til the marines showed up and slashed though their raiding parties with their Assult Rifles, grunts, elites and jackels were ripped to shreds by the marines and nate.

Nate dodged left as he broke the spine of a elite firing at a Marine and fired a burst at a grunt sending him spawling to the ground. Everything seemed to be going fine till he saw a gray figure emerge with 2 other elites and charge the lines.

"Ah shit!" Nate said as he went behind a column. He turned and fire a short burst and readied a frag genade. "Fire in the hole!"

The creature charged passed the column bent on killing nate when he shoved the frag genade into it's handsalso lettingthe pin fly. Nate jumped clear as he heard a WHUMP! and a cry as the creature fell down,it got back up and started to go crazy. Nate fired a full clip of AR ammo into it before it hit the ground dead. the two elites with it were killed also by the marines who empited thier clips into them till they went down.

"That's it?" Nate asked. "That's their boarding parties? All teams check in."

"Ship is secured in engineering."

"Bridge is secured."

"Hanger 1 secured."

"Hanger 2 secured."

"Hanger 3 secured."

"Hanger 4 secured."

"Mac cannons secured."

"Defense station 1 secured."

"Defense station 2 secured."

"Defense station 3 secured."

"Defense station 4 secured."

Well... everything checks out nate thought. "Do three more sweeps, check everywhere and everything, make sure their isn't anything not human orgin onboard."

Nate made his way up to the bridge where he discovered a gore splattered corridor. Grunts, Jackels, elites and 4 of those grey apes or whatever lay there with seavral marine bodies.

The bridge team had lost only the few members and was pretty well holed up. When Nate entered the bridge he could see how close it was, there was plasma scorches of seavral bulkheads, it had been close. Too close for comfort.

Jimmy was sitted there looking at the wreaks of the covenant ships, they had managed to caught them off guard with the few seconds that their shields were down, except for the cruiser that had dissappeared into slipspace as soon as the destoryer was killed. they had lost 5 longswords and 25 marines in combat with 8 wounded. It wasn't bad for greenhorns.

"We were lucky and had the upper hand... this time." Jimmy said. "I think they thought we were depleted of supplies from the recent battle and thought to strike us when we were empty and defenseless. but of course, we now have 4 shots for each MAC cannon and half our archer tubes are depleted. "

"Yeah, this looks like it's gonna be tricky getting to a port of any kind, even a rebel." Nate said. "And the Covenant do not just give up, their be back."

"Damn right, and we're give them hell for thinking they can take us down." Jimmy replied. He started his routine patrol of looking over everyone's shoulders on the bridge at their view screens and made his way around in aclockwise rotation. It was going to be a sleepless trip this time.