Stage 5: Did somebody order a 7 foot tank with legs?
Northern Suez Canal;
UNSC controlled grounds
06:00 October 21, 2552
Port Said, Egypt
The pelican slowly descended to the ground as the sun quietly rose into the eastern horizon. The engines cut and the sole passenger exited the rear. The Spartan had caught a ride with a cargo shipment that was inbound to the area. His deep green MJOLNIR Mark VI armor was covered with black scars and burns; a clear sign of the battles he had experienced. He exited the landing area and walked toward the heart of the camp.
Activity within the camp was heavy, as marines and orbital drop shock troopers (ODST) formed small teams to infiltrate the city and gain back as much land as possible. There was no indication of covenant forces within the area of the camp, but the smooth silver hull of the Covenant cruiser loomed in the distance. The Spartan spotted several senior officers sipping coffee near a tent and decided that he'd begin his search with them.
The four officers spotted the massive man walking toward them. His battle scars and battle armor gave a horrifying, yet relaxed mood within the officers. They were somewhat grateful to see the Spartan, knowing full well of their abilities in combat. The four officers saluted the Spartan and he quickly snapped one back.
"I'm looking for Red squad, within Platoon 34." The Spartan stated to the group of men. The men simply pointed toward a building in the center of the camp. The structure was still intact and was being used as the R and R barracks for the camp. The Spartan nodded and walked toward the building.
He opened the door and entered. He was shocked to see two marines asleep on a couch, and a third about to fall asleep. He walked to the partially conscious soldier and tapped him on the shoulder. The marine looked up and took a double take. He quickly exploded from his seat and saluted the Spartan. He then threw a cup of water at the two men on the couch. They both jumped up in shock and then noticed the Spartan; saluting quickly.
"Sorry, sir." The marine at the desk stated. "We haven't had much down time since the covenant attack."
"No problem." The Spartan replied. "I'm looking for Red squad, within Platoon 34."
"Yes, sir." The marine returned. "Third floor sir, but they're probably still asleep. They took this area this morning after a 12 hour fly from Mombasa. The Colonel gave them the night to sleep." The Spartan didn't reply. He walked toward the stair well and ventured to the third floor. The three marines exhaled and sighed. "Damn he was huge." The marine gasped.
The Spartan opened the door and walked into the room. Oddly enough, only one person was awake. A dark haired woman sat on the window sill and twirled a knife in her hand. She was clearly on edge and the Spartan noted that she looked much older then the rest of the young soldiers in the room. The woman spotted him and quickly walked his way.
Rose was in awe of seeing the Mark VI armor standing in front of her. She did loops around the Spartan and ignored his attempt to salute. She grabbed his arm and looked over the wrist units.
"Wow, looks like you did some field repairs on this." Rose stated firmly. "When you have a second, I'd like to check it out." Rose was exuberant about seeing what combat had done to her units, but then noticed that he hadn't received the updated versions yet. "You should've been issued replacements for this unit. But I guess you haven't had time."
"Attention, soldier!" The Spartan snapped. Rose jumped back and froze. The man's massive voice echoed into the room and woke the rest of the squad. Rose finally realized that the man was massive. He stood nearly seven feet tall and his waist was wider then she was. He was a mountain compared to her. "I can understand your excitement, but show the proper protocol win speaking to an officer."
"Sorry, uhh, sir!" Rose stuttered. "I'm a new recruit."
"No matter." The Spartan returned. "Where's your CO?"
Wesley cut in quickly saying, "He's over here, chief." He pulled Rose to the side. Wesley saluted the Spartan and walked to the back of the room. Rose quietly followed while the rest of red squad watched in quiet awe.
"Sergeant, there's a tank here to see you." Wesley chuckled. The Spartan walked around the corner and spotted Eric sitting at a table looking over a map of the city. The Spartan noted that the man looked as though he hadn't slept in a while, not good considering the mission they were about to tackle. Spartans were trained to go days, even a week without sleep if necessary, but most marines would crack under roughly 72 hours of action and sleep deprivation.
Eric stood and snapped a loose salute to the Spartan, the Spartan returned the gesture.
"Sergeant Eric Raynord, Red squad." Eric stated.
"Chief Petty officer Spartan 043, assuming command." The Spartan quickly stated.
"Sure." Eric stated with a chuckle. "When do we go, chief?"
"First things first, how bout you get your men in here and tell them your plan." The Spartan added. Eric looked confused for a moment and waited for an explanation. He thought that the Spartan would start barking orders, not letting him give the mission details. "You know this terrain better then I, sergeant."
"I see." Eric curiously stated. "You sure about this, chief? I was told that this was your mission." The Spartan cringed at being called 'chief', but ignored it.
"You've been up for quite some time looking over that map." The Spartan stated. "And you're an ONI officer, or at least you were."
"How the hell…" Eric began to question.
"ONI officers get soft after a year or two of office work." The Spartan stated. "Your solute was loose, not crisp like marines. You most likely have a sharp mind if ONI pulled you in, so I can assume you already have a clear plan on getting in and taking that ship." Will felt a little awkward about talking so much to the marines, but knew he had to get the ball rolling.
Spartan-043, or Will, was one of the three surviving Spartans from Reach. He was quickly put back into active duty after returning to Earth, but when the high Prophet of Regret attacked, they were quickly stationed around Earth in critical areas. Will didn't like that the UNSC was keeping secrets, but the locations that they were sent to 'guard' were considered Black-Ops confidential. ONI new something about the attacks, and Will didn't like it, but he had his orders.
The covenant had been doing a lot of weird things lately and this was one of them. Why send an attack force to land on the home world of your enemy, fully knowing that they have you outnumbered? Will had been pondering the question for hours and still couldn't figure it out. The covenant's battle tactics had once again changed, but he had a hunch that the ONI officials knew what was going on. The UNSC brass had sent Linda and Fred to remote locations across the Earth as well, but these locations weren't military facilities. Nothing about this seemed right. He was the closest Spartan in the area of Port Said, and the UNSC gave him quick instructions to meet up with the squad, take the ship, and report back to his guard station south of Iran.
Eric stared in disbelief that the Spartan picked up on such minute details. Will was fortunate enough to pick up some intelligence by watching several ONI officers at HighCom when he and the other Spartans made it to Earth. Since then, he took notice of the differences in stance and attitude amongst the Marines and ONI officers. It was a trick that the Master Chief had taught them long ago; to watch and learn the differences between all officers. From Marine to ODST, and from ONI to UNSC top brass; learn from their actions, the Master Chief had told them, that way you will know how to position them in combat. Will was aware that ONI officers were great at planning, calculating and gathering recon on the field. He knew that the sergeant was perfect for putting the mission together. Will noticed that Eric was waving the marines closer to his table, so he shut off his thoughts and focused in on Eric's discussion.
"The city has one primary spine; the canal." Eric stated to the group. "From what I gather, most marine advances during the initial assault were along the roads and highways. I radioed out earlier and got a recon from the satellite thanks to HighCom. As I expected, the canal is clear and runs beneath the aft end of the covenant cruiser. Only problem is that the current is running the opposite way we need to go. Any form of watercraft would be instantly spotted. But that canal is the only way to get close. All forces that have made any type of advance toward that ship by land have been neutralized."
The marines sat quietly, pondering how they were going to do what the entire local brigade failed to do.
"Also, there have been no signs of Elite or Hunters." Eric added. "HighCom released info this morning that only Brutes, Drones and Jackals seem to be amongst the ground forces."
"What's that all about?" Wesley questioned aloud. "I thought the Elites thrived in battle, why would they miss this?" Everyone agreed.
"No clue, Private." Eric answered. "But no matter, that makes things easier. With the Elites out of the picture we only need to worry about those damned Brutes. Their big and ugly, but not nearly as smart on the battlefield as the Elites. I don't know why the prophets would pull the Elites off the battlefield in exchange for those stupid apes." Eric shook his head but then realized he was getting off topic. "The canal is eighty feet deep in this section. We need to find a way to use this."
"Perhaps you're on to something, sergeant." Will stated; his voice sounding off through his external microphone. The Spartan walked to the table and looked the map over. "Perhaps we don't have to use the water way itself. This road that is running along the canal bank, does it have a sewer system?" Eric pressed a button on his data pad and a menu came up. He entered a key sequence and the map shifted to a blue print of the city sewer system.
"Says here the Environment Act of 2112, forced Port Said to install a separate drainage system runoff from the city." Eric added. "The tunnel itself is pretty old, probably hasn't been maintained in a few hundred years. But the map layout is recent. It was last updated in 2530. I don't see any brakes in the tunnel, or cave ins. Look's like you're on to something Chief."
"Please, call me Will or Spartan 043." Will stated. He didn't want to be referenced in the same likeness of the Master Chief; he didn't feel worthy of it.
"Will?" Eric questioned with a soft chuckle. "I guess you are human under all that metal."
"How big is that drain?" Will returned.
"Only 5 feet in diameter, so it'll be a tight walk." Eric replied. "This should go smoothly and we won't have to change my original plan. Second Platoon will run a diversion storming up the center street. Will be in the rear of their advance and break off once we're within a mile of that ship." Eric zoomed in a section of the city were the squad would break off from the assault. "This drain here will be our entry. It'll be a one mile hike, and once we reach that cruiser we won't be able to communicate. We'll have to order an air strike before we hit the drain. That means we need to give ourselves a seven minute countdown from the moment we hit the tunnel to the moment we reach that cruiser."
"I assume the air strike will be our cover to sneak into the ship?" Will questioned.
"Yeah, they'll hit the exterior of the cruiser forcing all eyes up, while we sneak into the grav-lift." Eric replied. "Once inside, we're on our own, so our first priority is to shut down the covenant's ship wide com system, then their docking security. Once the docking security is down we can call for platoon drops inside the ship. From their, we run the show and take full control of the vessel."
"ONI gave me a little toy to take care of the ship systems." Will stated. "Once inside, all I need is a computer terminal."
Wesley quickly chimed in, "So the first half of the mission is stealth, a one mile run in the dark, and then jumping into the belly of that beast. This is going to get messy."
"I hope you've all become socially connected to your gear." Eric added. "You'll have to carry a full pack for this." Eric looked at Rose and noticed she was thinking heavily on the idea. Rose was physically fit, and in great shape for someone that didn't need to be. She would workout often and ran whenever she could, but she had never run with fifty pounds of gear on her back. Of everything Rose would need to experience in combat, a full gear run would be the toughest. Her stamina would have to be controlled during the run so that she would have energy for the battle ahead. It was a hard task for someone not trained for it, but Rose had surpassed all his expectations so far.
"Is that it, serge?" Wesley questioned. Eric looked at Will, realizing that he had been looking at Rose for quite some time, and nodded. "Ok people, bag and prep. We roll in…" Wesley looked at Eric and waited for a reply.
"One hour." Eric noted. "I'll contact the fly boys to get an air strike ready." The marines began to file out of the small corner room and Will was not far behind. But Eric quickly called out, "Rose, I need to speak with you a moment."
Wesley paused as the rest of the Red Squad passed him by. Once the Spartan had passed he walked back into the room with Eric and Rose. Eric gave him a quick look and Wesley realized that he wanted privacy. He walked away and began to pack his gear.
"Are you alright?" Eric questioned. Rose lowered her head and didn't reply. "The first time is tough on anyone, but you seem to be handling it rather well, but I know how you like to hide things. This is the only chance I can give you to open up. The next few hours will be hellish." Rose looked up with a stern face and gazed at Eric.
"I'm not going to let you down, sir." Rose stated calmly. "I won't slow down the squad, if I do, then leave me behind."
Eric chuckled, "I've known you far too long for you to try and pull this brave act. You're scared, but you don't want to admit it. We're all scared Rose, but that's not what I want to know."
"Then what, sir?" Rose questioned.
"Cut the 'sir' crap." Eric replied. "Something happened when you broke off with Wesley's team last night. What happened?"
"I killed a jackal." Rose replied. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she recalled what happened. "I thought killing would be hard, but I didn't hesitate. If I had fought while we were in the lab, then maybe… maybe things would have turned out differently. I didn't even try back then, and now we're being given the hardest assignments on the front line. It's my fault we're here. Our chances of surviving this war are nearly zero, but I'm going to give it my all. I'm not scared of them, Eric. I'll fight. Just tell me what to do."
Rose had walked across the room while she talked, and Eric hadn't noticed how close she was until he was actually looking down at the top of her head. She was practically standing beneath him. His 6 foot frame shadowed her tiny 5 foot 5 body. Eric placed his hand on her shoulder and gingerly pushed her back a few inches. He held her at arms length and looked down at her, as she softly looked back at him.
"Still trying to be the best at everything you do, aren't you?" Eric questioned. "This isn't college, and this isn't a carrier goal. You aren't trying to climb the corporate ladder. This is war, and you're doing fine." Eric looked up and noticed that Wesley was standing in the door. His somewhat peaceful moment was quickly snapped back into reality.
"Sir, it's time to debrief the rest Second Platoon." Wesley stated with a heavy expression. The sight of seeing Rose and Eric so close together, was somewhat unsettling to him. "The LT is waiting for info and we need to order that air strike."
Eric sighed as he looked back at Rose. She was staring at him, waiting for him to say more, but he couldn't. His duty was calling and people's lives were depending on him.
"Rose, pack your gear." Eric stated sharply, his tone changing back to that of a squad sergeant. "Wesley, give her a hand, but make the pack as light as you feasibly can."
"Eric." Rose stated. "Promise me that if I fall behind, you won't do what you did last night." Rose looked up at Eric and wouldn't leave until she heard a reply. "Don't try to save me anymore."
"I'll protect my squad, Rose. That includes you." Eric returned.
"This isn't the work force, Rose." Wesley jumped in. "If you're in trouble, you could die. As a squad we cover each other…"
"I don't want anyone to die because of me." Rose strongly stated. "Eric, promise me!"
"Chief Warrant Officer Roselyn Santos, pack your gear and prep for the mission." Eric stated strongly. This was no longer Rose's domain. She was no longer his boss in the ONI lab. This was a battlefield, and as much as Eric wanted to ease her concerns, he was not about to tell her that he wouldn't die for her. "Dismissed, soldier."
"No, SIR!" Rose returned. She snapped. She shouted. She didn't like the tone she took with Eric but she didn't want him to die for her, not after all he had done for her and all the pain she had put him through. "I asked you not to join the military to fight in this war, I asked you not to go into space, but you did it anyway. I'm not worth it, Eric! Don't…"
"Private, escort Rose out of my sight, now!" Eric stated, cutting across Rose's words. By now the whole squad could hear the roar coming from the two of them.
"Sir!" Wesley replied. He grabbed Rose by the shoulder and pulled her forcefully from the room. He dragged her into the front and sat her down. She was upset, severely upset. "What was that all about?"
"Nothing." Rose replied. She didn't want to tell Wesley that her old feelings for Eric were coming back to the surface; the good and bad ones. She had met Eric during their freshman year in college, but he dropped out to join the war. She hated that he did that, and when he was shipped off to fight on the colonies, she thought she would never see him again. Eric had told her that he was fighting for her, that he wanted to protect her. She didn't want to remember those days. She didn't want to remember their freshman year, their only year together. She pushed the thoughts as deeply into her mind as she could. She focused on her pack and began rummaging through it. "What do I need to do, Wesley? And don't lighten it, I can hold my own."
Northern Suez Canal;
West canal bank at Covenant Beachhead
07:15 October 21, 2552
Port Said, Egypt
Second Platoon thundered down the road. Four Scorpion Tanks, eight Warthogs, and two Pelicans gave a clear signal to the covenant forces that a major battle was headed their way. The platoon scattered and spread throughout the area. One tank with two warthogs, as the marines rallied toward the enemy. Brutes and jackals returned fire into the platoon's divided lines. This was a serious offensive and second platoon new that they couldn't back down. Banche's arched and dived across the sky as the marines of second platoon ran head first into the southern defense of the covenant beachhead. The mortar fire of wraith tanks sent debris in all directions. Scorpion tanks pounded the neighboring buildings which were filled with sniping jackals and nested drones.
To the rear of the lines, Red Squad split off from the initial assault and sprinted to nearby storm drain which was settled next to the Suez Canal waterway. Will, the nearly seven foot tall Spartan, sprinted ahead and yanked the drain cover off with one hand. He tossed the heavy metal grate to the side with little effort and jumped into the hole. He peered into the dark drainage system and his helmet automatically compensated to the darkness.
"All's clear, sergeant." Will stated to Eric. "I'll push ahead, you have the squad."
"We're right behind you." Eric replied. The Spartan leaned over and began a hunched sprint down the tunnel. His helmet display flashed a NAV marker and counted down the distance to the exit drain. The rest of Red Squad filed into the drain, but couldn't keep up with the Spartan's speed; even hunched over he was twice as fast as anyone in the squad.
Will went ahead to make sure that the coast was clear, and his night vision would warn him of any traps or scouts in the tunnel. Wesley was the first Marine to fallow while Rose and Marks pulled up the middle. Belinski and Chief Warrant officer Melanie Peters held up the rear with Eric. They surveyed the area to make sure that they weren't spotted and each jumped into the tunnel. Belinski, the communications warrant, nodded his head to Eric; giving him the clear to transmit.
"This is Red Squad." Eric replied. "The rats are in the maze. Give us seven minutes to exit." There was no reply but that was to be expected. Belinski pocketed the scrambler and hunched over into a sprint, followed by Roberts and Eric.
The tunnel was pitch-black and was dotted with occasional lights from the grates overhead, but they were few and far between. It was saturated with humidity and trash littered every step that the marines took. Small puddles of water splashed with constant footsteps as Red Squad pushed along the path.
Wesley paced himself; 7 minutes to clear a mile. He could run a mile in 5 minutes, but hunched over and carrying a full pack was going to be tough.
Eric wanted more time for the squad to clear the distance, but he had to consider that second Platoon was going to be engaged with the enemy the full time. If second platoon had to retreat then the mission would have to be scrubbed. Seven minutes was his worst time ever running a mile and he was nearly fifteen years older then any of the kids in the squad. If he could do it in 7 minutes, then anyone in his squad could do it, but he had his doubts about Rose.
Nearly 3 minutes into the dark run and rose was already beginning to feel the weight on her back. Her legs were getting tight and her stomach muscles were burning from the awkward position she was in. She began to slow down as she thought about the weight on her back, but she drowned out the thought and focused on the marine in front of her. She focused on her breathing, and lifting her knees. But most importantly she had to keep breathing.
Wesley looked ahead and realized that he could no longer see the Spartan at all. But he knew that several minutes had passed and eventually they would be at the end. He was getting tired and the pack on his back kept scraping the roof of the tunnel. He stepped on a rat and nearly lost his balance, but caught himself before tumbling to the ground. He looked up and saw the Spartan looking back at him. Finally they had reached the end. He doubled his pace and took a knee beside the Spartan. His lungs burned and his back muscles were horribly tight, he wanted to lye down and let his back relax but there was no time. He removed his Oracle scope from his rifle and peeped through the grate.
"The squad is coming." Will stated as he peered back down the tunnel with his enhanced vision. "I had my doubts with some of them." Wesley knelt back down and waved the soldiers to him. One by one they staggered to his position, but some were faring better then others. He spotted Rose as she nearly collapsed when she stopped. She was struggling to breath and her legs were shacking. Soon the marines began counting from the rear, starting with Eric.
Rose was barely able to say, "11" without coughing.
Wesley then softly ended the count with, "20"and verified that the whole squad had arrived.
"21." Will chimed in softly. "With forty seconds to spare. Get your wind while you can everyone. The area is swarming with rear guards. We're one hundred yards from the grav-lift."
"I've got shades on every corner, but unmanned." Wesley added as he looked through his scope again, the covenant had deployed stationary plasma turret guns around the gravity lift. The odd shaped chair had three plasma turrets and was dubbed 'shades' by mostly all branches of the UNSC. "A dozen unmanned ghosts, and at least 3 spectres, also unmanned."
"This position is heavily fortified." Will added. "Don't let the unmanned weaponry fool you. They can arm them quick. When the bombs strike we move, do not delay. Run straight for the gravity lift." The marines passed the word down the line to Eric and he nodded his head in agreement. Marks patted Rose on the back as she struggled to get her breath. She was use to running, but the added weight, awkward hunched over run, and the added stress of combat made it nearly impossible to calm her breathing. She exhaled slowly and took deep breaths forcing her mind to regain control of her body.
Suddenly the tunnel rocked as an aerial bombardment impacted a nearby neighborhood and the covenant cruiser. The bombers knew not to aim toward the group's location, along the canal sewer line.
The bombardment was their signal. Will exploded through the grate, and rammed his combat knife into the back of a Brutes head. Two Jackals spotted the Spartan and shrieked in terror. Two more Brutes quickly spotted the squad as they all sprang from the tunnel. One by one the alien invaders turned their weapons on the group of humans that sprinted toward the purple haze of the gravity lift.
The Spartan was spotted by several Brutes and most of them were cautious on how to handle the human warrior.
"The Demon is here?" A Brute roared, but he was quickly silenced by a full round from Eric's battle rifle. There was no need to be silent anymore; their presence had been detected by a few dozen troops.
"Move people!" Eric shouted as he took down two Brutes and a Jackal in succession. "Wesley, get the squad to the gravity lift! GO!" Battle riffle and submachine gun's chimed in the air as marines from Red Squad shot down any covenant foe that came too close to their path toward the gravity lift. They were outnumbered and out gunned but so far the bombers were doing a good job distracting the majority of the covenant forces. They gunfire from the marines was drowned out by the explosion from above.
Eric slowly pulled up the rear, assisted by the Spartan. Will's aim was as precise as Eric's and one by one they took down anything that came into range. The staggered backward, coving the rear of the squad. The marines were at full stride toward the gravity lift, and the covenant forces weren't advancing for fear of being taken down by Eric and Will's deadly aim.
Will spotted a Brute near a communications array and lobbed a grenade. The array exploded and fried the Brute that was trying to radio for assistance. The overhead bombardment suddenly ended and the only noise left in the area was the three burst shots of human battle rifles. The racket gained the attention of the remaining covenant forces in the area and they all focused in on the small squad that was sprinting up the street toward the gravity lift. The situation suddenly changed. With the added support of more Brutes the covenant forces were now eager to kill the Spartan that they mistook to be the Demon that destroyed their holy ring. But the Demon's reputation made them hesitate; none of them wanted to attack Spartan head on.
Will and Eric were laying down standard suppression fire as they quickly followed their squad. Wesley was now in a full sprint up the street. He quickly unbuckled his magnum from his hip holster and took aim at a few jackals standing next to the lift. His rounds bounced harmlessly off their shields as plasma began streaking towards him. A grenade soared over his head and the explosion sent the jackals screaming into separate directions. Wesley didn't care who threw the grenade, he only knew that he had to run faster. A plasma burst hit him in the leg and he cringed in pain. He doubled over but rolled to his feet and kept moving.
Rose was sprinting hard toward the gravity lift when she saw Wesley fall. She gasped but relaxed when Wesley jumped up and kept running. She pulled up her battle riffle, and took aim at the brute that was taking shots at the squad as they ran by. She began to side step but maintained her gaze at the head of the beast. She was still moving at a full sprint when she squeezed the trigger. Three bursts exploded from the barrel and slammed through the side of the Brutes face. The beast exhaled as it slammed into the ground. She turned and raced toward the gravity lift. Wesley and several other marines were waiting just beyond the purple glow. They had turned and were firing back at the jackals that were swarming down the street. Rose reached the lift and turned to assist in the firefight when she felt a surge of pain shoot up her side.
She thought she was hit, but the pain was internal. She knew the feeling well and quickly struggled against it. Her body was reacting from the physical strain. Her lungs were tight, and her heart was racing madly. She was winded and her muscles were cramping, her body was beginning to asphyxiate. She was pushing too hard, and not getting enough oxygen. She had just sprinted one hundred yards and hadn't fully recovered from the one mile run. She hadn't pushed herself this hard since her collage days, and her body was shutting down. She had to fight it, she had to breathe and shoot. But she knew the first sign; she was going to black out. She took aim and fired wildly. She saw the Spartan and Eric running down the street toward her and they were being chased by a dozen Brutes. She had to fight it, she had to focus, and she didn't want to fail her squad. Her head became light, her gun was becoming nearly impossible to hold, her vision began to blur, and her body slowly shut down.
"First team, move in!" Wesley shouted. He reached out and grabbed Rose's backpack as she slumped forward, and passed out. He pulled her into the gravity lift as plasma bursts exploded around them from all directions. "Second team; maintain covering fire for the serge." Wesley shouted as his first team was raised into the heart of the covenant cruiser.
The Spartan turned and dropped two grenades at the charging line of Brutes, while Eric turned and took head shots at them. They reached the gravity lift and jumped inside, along with the rest of Red Squad, and were lifted into the ship. Had it not been for the Will's mistaken identity as the Master Chief, and the nervousness it created amongst the Brutes, the mission would have failed. The only thing that kept the Brutes from fully charging at the humans was the Spartan that ran along side them.
But the mission wasn't over.
To be continued…