Authors Note: Next chapter is the big one! where all the action begins! I know it's a bit boring at the moment but i have to set the scene a little bit first!
The rest of the afternoon passed like a blur. One moment, Selco was walking out of the general's office, the next he was sitting down in the mess, but before he knew it, he was setting his alarm clock to wake him in the morning with time to spare, and climbing into bed. He lay awake, wondering what the next few months could bring. His thoughts were so deep that he didn't notice as they slowly passed into dreams.
Selco's eyes flitted open to a wailing klaxon. It took a moment for it to sink in that it was much too loud to be his alarm, but when it did, he sat bolt upright. The alarm could mean only one thing. Invasion.
Selco jumped out of bed, yanked open his drawers, and pulled out his uniform, the only thing he had left. The rest of his clothes were already on board the Novus' Lightning, along with most of his belonging, including his sidearm.
Dressed in his uniform, complete with the new insignia of Sergeant major, Selco dashed out of the room, but almost immediately ducked back in. At the end of the corridor was a lone Elite, dressed in the black armour of a special ops elite. These were the fittest and possibly most dangerous of the covenant soldiers to date. The Elite had been looking in to a room, and so hadn't seen him, but it was slowly making it's way toward him.
Selco glanced around his room. The bare walls, the bed, the desk… nothing he could use to defend himself. All he could do was wait. He heard some guns fire, the roar of an elite, and the sound of plasma hitting walls. This quickly died away, and the sound of footsteps resumed. The footsteps stopped outside his door, and the click of the handle being turned. Selco put his hands behind his back, and prepared for the end.
It never came. Instead, two young marines strode through the door, one with another gun slung over his back. Both Saluted, and Selco returned the salute with a grin. Selco recognized one of the marines as the private he had yelled at the previous day. The marine opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he shut his mouth again. The other marine, noticing something was wrong with his comrade, cut in.
"Sergeant Major! We've been sent to escort you to the Novus' Lightning post-haste! First sergeant Luto and his team distracted that elite back there so we could come to get you!"
At this point, the young man pulled the second gun, a military issue Combat Shotgun off his shoulder, and a pistol out of the holster, and handed them to Selco. The private, finally finding his voice, started to talk. Si.. Sergeant Major, you'd better take these, We've got covenant crawling all over the base."
Selco took the guns from the second marine. He slid the pistol into the holster at his hip, and held the shotgun to the light, giving it a quick inspection. Finding the weapon to his satisfaction, he let the weapon fall to his side with one arm.
"Ok. I'm Ready. Let's go."