Disclaimer: None of the characters from Halo, Halo 2, or the Halo books are mine.
A/N: You'll realize that I never named the station that Ensign Trevor Hourigan was on back in chapter 12, well, it just so happens that the ship he was on was called the Aristotle, named after the famous philosopher. It's the Archimedes' sister ship. See, he was transferred to it after Ensign Lovell was transferred to the Iroquois. Anyway, yeah...that would explain what the Aristotle is, and it will quiet those who will inevitably insist that the ship was called the Archimedes and not the Aristotle, so ha!
Another A/N: I did some research on African geography and found out that there's actually an island off the coast of Africa called Zanzibar...isn't that amazing?
Yet Another A/N: Yes, I realize that there is a rather significant time gap between the Klasz Hakamamee in this chapter than the last time I mentioned him. I will not cover what happened to him between then and now (unless I choose to later in the story...which I somehow doubt) but my friend, OmegaCommander, might cover that part of Hakamamee's life in his fanfic, Klasz Hakamamee: Rise of a Recruit
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Halo 3: The Fall of the Covenant
Chapter 18
Repeated Objectives
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John led his own Spartans, as well as the twenty-seven new Spartans down to the bridge of the Cairo. They arrived at the bridge exactly three minutes and twenty seconds after the end of Admiral Hood's summons.
"Sir! Master Chief Spartan-117 reporting as ordered, sir!" John saluted. The other Spartans followed John's lead and saluted as well.
"At ease, gentlemen." Then Admiral Hood glanced at one of the female Spartans. "And ladies." He hastily added.
Although the MJOLNIR armour suits were designed to be unisex, the women wore theirs differently from the men. It's the little things, like the way they move their hips, or the way they hang their shoulders, that reveal the Spartans' gender when encased in the MJOLNIR armour.
"We have a problem here," said Hood as he nodded his head towards the gigantic viewscreens on the bridge. "As Ensign Hourigan on the Aristotle predicted, approximately two hundred Covenant ships have arrived in our Sol System. They are holding their position at around the orbit of Neptune and they appear to be waiting for something to get into position before attacking. We don't-"
"Sir! Major Slipspace rupture directly behind the Covenant ships!" announced one of the Ensigns. "And the ships are moving towards us!"
John shifted his head slightly to look at the view screen. A giant command station, similar to the Unyielding Hierophant, which they destroyed not long ago, appeared directly behind the Covenant fleet.
"Give me a link to all UNSC ships. Hell, give me one to the ex-Covenant ships too." The Humans and ex-Covenant have all decided to use the same radio/video frequency.
"All right, Captains, Commanders, Ship Masters, and whatever the hell I missed. The enemy is moving towards us as we speak and they're heading towards their ultimate prize, Earth. Well, we're not going down without a fight, and pardon me, let me rephrase that. We're not going down at all! These Covenant bastards have burnt all of our Outer Colonies and most of our Inner Colonies and they finally found their way to Earth. Well, this is where we make our stand ladies and gentlemen. This is where we pay those bastards back on all the crimes they've committed! This is for the men and women of Harvest, Jericho VII, Reach, and everyone they've killed. It will be this battle that we will win! We shall be the cause for the fall of the Covenant, and nothing they do can stop that! Am I right, ladies and gentlemen?"
The bridge of the Cairo erupted into applause and cheers as Admiral Hood concluded his speech. A number of the more enthusiastic members cried out "Sir, yes sir!" Unknown to those aboard the Cairo, although they probably should've expected it, the bridge of almost every cruiser and MAC station applauded.
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"Fellow warriors, it's time to crush these Humans who dare oppose the Covenant. These creatures do not deserve to be called primates. We are primates, and we reign supreme! These creatures have meddled with the Covenant long enough and this is where they will die. The Sangheili have joined these creatures and they too, will realize the folly of their actions. They too, will die a painful death like the rest of the incompetent ones who have died before them! They failed us, and they failed as vanguards of the Great Journey. They allowed the Prophet of Regret to be killed. The Prophets of Truth and Mercy also fell because of their incompetence. It's time to quell this heresy once and for all, my brothers, and if the Unggoy, Lekgolo, and Humans want to die with the Sangheili, then so be it!"
The new Brute Chieftain, Cerberus, stood on the control platform on the Covenant flagship, Strength of Purity, and broadcasted this speech too all of his ships. Even through the layers of walls, he could hear his own troops cheering for him.
"Today is going to be a glorious day for all of us," he thought. Then he keyed the COM again. "Everyone, get in formation. We strike in thirty seconds." He snapped off the COM and readied his own ship for the ensuing battle.
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"Ensign, bring the Cairo back behind the Hamilton and the York, but make sure we can still shoot at the enemy. We have important cargo on this station and we don't want to be shot at." He glanced meaningfully at the Spartans.
John felt the MAC gun's thrusters kick in and the Cairo started to move slowly. Meanwhile, on the tactical display on one of the larger viewscreens, a fleet of Human cruisers were approaching the Covenant warships.
"This is Fleet Admiral Harper, permission to engage the enemy?" said Harper over the COM. He had always been one to get excited.
"Stand down, Admiral, and return to your post. Do not engage until everyone is ready, I repeat, do not engage," ordered Hood.
There was a pause before the reluctant "Yes, Admiral," came through the speakers. Admiral Harper's cluster of ships slowly retreated. Then, the Arbiter's voice came through the speakers and his picture appeared on a viewscreen.
"Admiral, the Covenant are here. We should strike now, before they're ready. All of the Sangheili ships are ready to engage at any time, and your ships look about the same. We should take them by surprise, and launch the first attack."
Admiral Hood glanced at the TAC display. Although the Covenant ships were moving towards them, most of the ships were still slowing down or speeding up, trying to get into position.
"You're right. Tell your warriors to proceed with the attack, and tell them to stick with the plan," said the Admiral shortly. The Arbiter clicked his mandibles and nodded, then killed the COM link. Hood then opened a link to all of the UNSC cruisers around Earth. "Form up and remember the plan."
The commanding officers aboard those ships all knew what to do. They would form themselves into three lines. The first line fires their MAC guns at the Covenant ships to kill their shields. Then the ex-Covenant ships would melt their ships with plasma torpedoes. Then the second line would fire their MAC guns at any surviving targets while the first wave of UNSC cruisers and the ex-Covenant ships recharge their weapons. Then the third line would clean up after the first and second waves. By then, the first groups' weapons would be recharged and they will fire. Then they will repeat that until there was nothing left of the enemy.
There was only one problem. The enemy outnumbered them by at least fifty ships, and even with the ex-Covenant and MAC guns helping them, it would be a tough fight.
"Sir, the enemy have launched their first salvo of plasma torpedoes. ETA seventy seconds," one of the ensigns said.
"Return the favour," said Hood. The whole station shuddered as a super dense ball of matter was fired from the platform at nearly the speed of light. Other MAC stations and ships followed the Cairo's lead and fired. "Second line! Fire on my mark!" barked Hood into the COM.
He waited ten seconds for all of the ships in the first row to get out of the way. "Fire!" he cried.
Another row of magnetically accelerated projectiles shots at the cluster of Covenant ships, effectively destroying the front row of Covenant ships. The Humans paid a price for the destruction. While the MAC projectiles were still en route, the Covenant launched their own attack. Plasma torpedoes burnt brilliant paths in the vast distances between the two fleets and struck down the unlucky ships that they targeted.
"Sir! The Covenant have launched a multiple waves of Phantoms and drop pods!" cried the same ensign, his voice squeaking in panic and his eyes were bulging out of his head.
"Calm down, crewman. Where are they headed?" asked Admiral Hood, his voice reassuring.
The frightened ensign took a few deep breaths before continuing. "They're all heading towards the East African Protectorate, sir. A large number of them have landed in Old and New Mombassa. Others have also landed in Nairobi, New Garissa, and New Lodwar. A fleet of Phantoms are also en route to what appear to be Zanzibar Island, the location of Wind Power Station 7. Wind Power Station 6 on Mafia Island also detects Phantoms approaching them using their long range radars. Our MAC generators on Madagascar and the ones in Egypt are also reporting contact. The Marines have been alerted and are on the defence of all of these sites as we speak."
"Master Chief, split your team to cover all of these areas, and then get down there in Pelicans so you can help the Marines. The Elites will be called to assist you as well," ordered Admiral Hood.
"Sir!" the Master Chief saluted. "Yes, sir!"
"Xiran, pick seven of your best leaders, split them apart, and have them each leader a squad of four, including themselves." Then he turned to Will. "Will, you'll be one of those seven. Don't let me down. Kelly, Linda, Fred, you're with me."
The Spartans quickly arranged themselves into groups and each group took a point to guard. "Let's saddle up, Spartans. It's time to finish this fight," said John. "Arm yourselves and meet me in Docking Bay C-03 in five minutes.
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The Arbiter gripped his carbine tightly, eagerly anticipating the upcoming battle. Despite the fact that many wanted the Arbiter to assume command over the entire ex-Covenant fleet, the Arbiter left that position to one of the best Sangheili Ship Masters in the fleet, Ajith Velumee. Although the Arbiter didn't personally know the Ship Master, the Arbiter knew him by reputation. Velumee's kill count with his ship, the Atheous Heretic, is one of the highest in Covenant fleet.
"Arbiter, the Humans are requesting assistance groundside. Should we help them?" asked one of the Arbiter's most trusted comrades, Klasz Hakamamee.
"Yes, we shall. Get sixteen squads of your best SpecOps warriors. We shall send two squads down to each location the Humans require assistance at. I shall personally lead one of them, and so will you, Hakamamee."
"The end is near, is it not, my friend?" asked Hakamamee, his customary politeness forgotten. At that moment, the two warriors spoke to each other as two friends, not as superior and subject.
"Let's hope so, Hakamamee...and let us hope that we will emerge victorious from this war," replied the Arbiter softly, staring into the distance; into the stars beyond the plasma shield blocking the docking bay gates.
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Major Lucas Kerrigan stood on the sea wall on Zanzibar Island and looked through his binoculars, scanning the horizon for any signs of the Covenant. HIGHCOM advised them that the Covenant were approaching them, but after half an hour of nervous waiting, the Sergeant started to wonder if anything happened to them, and if not, then what was taking the Covenant so damn long? His men were all nervous to some degree but most of them, being veterans, knew how to handle stress. The new guys did the best they could and thankfully, none of them collapsed until the pressure. They did however, tell enough off colour jokes to last the Sergeant a lifetime.
He decided to take this time to inspect his own weapons. He was in the middle of cleaning his battle rifle when Lieutenant Katherine Wilson came running up to him. "Sir!" she saluted.
By the look on her face, he knew that something was happening. Something bad...
"What is it Lieutenant?" he asked.
"Banshees and Phantoms from the east, sir! The Covenant have finally come!"
Kerrigan's heart skipped a beat but he quickly squelched the feeling of panic. "About damn time too. All right Lieutenant, get the troops ready for combat, and get at least two people watching the long range radar at all times. We don't want anyone sneaking up on us."
"Yes, sir!" Wilson saluted. She turned on the COM and ordered the marines atop the seawall to get ready.
"Let's see what they're throwing at us," suggested Kerrigan. He quickly finished cleaning his rifle and jogged to the seawall with Wilson trailing slightly behind him.
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The Master Chief stood in his Pelican with one hand on an overhanging handle as it descended upon his destination. Around him, Fred, Kelly, Linda, and half a dozen marines sat, mentally preparing themselves for combat. Around their Pelican, Longsword interceptor fighters and Seraphs engaged each other in hundreds of individual dogfights.
"Omega One to Firefox Three, you got two Seraphs coming at you from the west," said one of their Longsword escorts over the COM. The pilot, Flight Officer Harold Lee, decided to set the COM on broadcast, so that the crew can listen in on their conversations. In case something went wrong, those aboard Firefox Three could get out before things went really wrong.
"Roger that," replied Lee. A Seraph fired a plasma torpedo at the Pelican. Lee continued on course and at the last possible second, he veered to the left. The Master Chief stumbled and felt a wave of heat as a plasma torpedo missed the Pelican. On the starboard side of the ship, two missiles were fired from a Longsword and it knocked the Seraph out of the sky.
"We're almost there! Hang on!" said Lee over the COM. He accelerated the Pelican as fast as he could without doing physical injury to himself. As he approached their destination, he opened the back hatch and warned the marines and Spartans about their LZ.
"The LZ is hot! Be ready to engage as soon as you land!" suggested Lee as the Pelican lowered itself to the ground. "Touchdown! Go get 'em!"
The Master Chief jumped out and started firing at the enemy from the air. By the time he landed, his BR clip was half gone, and the enemy was short three Jackals. The marines landed behind them and was sniping the enemy from behind the Spartans with their battle rifles. Although the BRs weren't as effective in long range firefights as the S2 AM sniper rifles, they were easier to use and is a better all-around weapon.
Shortly after they landed, five additional Pelicans landed on an area of the beach that they've already conquered. These reinforcements boosted their strength by sixty marines.
The Master Chief fired the remained rounds and paused to reload. He heard a loud crack to his left and almost dropped the fresh clip. He glanced over and saw Linda with her sniper rifle. Three more shots rang out from Linda's sniper rifle and three Brutes fell under Linda's skills. She reloaded and fired another quartet of armour piercing rounds.
The Master Chief finished reloading his BR and returned to killing the Covenant forces – one trooper at a time.
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The other two Spartans, Kelly and Fred, were closer up to the enemy. They were the two best close range fighters out of all the Spartans, and naturally, they played to their strengths. The two Spartans had the newest issue of assault rifles, the MA7B, and were wreaking havoc with them. Even the shielded Jackals couldn't stand up to the weapons.
A lone Brute approached Fred from the right, but he didn't notice as he was being hard pressed by four Jackals. Consequently, he also didn't notice as the Brute suddenly toppled over, clutching its shoulder. The downed Brute was quickly eliminated by the marines, who were all eager to score a kill.
Plasma bolts flew at Fred, who couldn't score a hit on the Jackals due to their overlapping shields. Since he couldn't score a hit from that range, he decided to do what the Jackals expected the least. He moved closer to them, letting his armour take hits from the plasma bolts as he ran towards them. A low-pitched siren went off in his helmet to signify that his shields were almost out. Fred ignored it and kept running. When he got in range, he slammed the butt of his rifle into one of the energy shields. The Jackal's arm shattered from the blow. The alien dropped his shield out of position as it doubled over with pain, which gave Fred the chance he needed. He stuck the nose of his MA7B through the little firing notch of the injured Jackal and fired at the other three. Dark purple blood splattered on the insides of their shields as they fell to the ground, dead.
He reloaded his nearly spent clip, slapped a new one in its place, and continued the assault.
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"Fire!" cried Major Kerrigan and the rocket jockeys fired two volleys of heat-seeking rockets, effectively blowing two dozen Banshees out of the sky.
"Artillery! Lock and load! Fire your rounds at the Phantoms on my mark!" ordered Wilson. The four M93 Gauss Cannons each clicked in response.
The M93 was a larger version of the M68s mounted on the back of Warthogs, which were, in turn, a much smaller version of the orbital MAC guns. The M93s were especially made to take out aerial targets such as Banshees and Phantoms. It has even been known to take down Seraphs.
"Ready to fire, ma'am!" cried one of the artillery operators.
Lieutenant Wilson waited for the Phantoms to get closer, to ensure that the cannons didn't miss. Without an AI to aim the weapon or advanced computers to calculate trajectory, the Gauss Cannons were much more prone to missing than their orbital counterparts. Five hundred metres...four hundred...three hundred...two hundred...
"Fire!" cried the Lieutenant. Four reports echoed through the air as the M93s fired their superdense rounds at the Phantoms. One of the shots was off trajectory and missed but the other three hit their marks. One ship took a round to the nose of the ship punctured through the thick armour. The ship listed to port as the round knocked it off course, then exploded as it hit something vital. The ship crashed into the water and then, nothing. The Human snipers trained their guns to the crash site to take care of anyone who surfaced. No one did.
The other two rounds hit the Phantoms, but they didn't hit anything critical. The first ship lost two plasma cannons and the second lost only one.
"Rocket jockeys! Fire!" ordered Kerrigan. Sixteen explosive rockets struck the already crippled Phantoms and knocked one of them out. The other took several severe hits and crash landed on the beach. An emergency hatch opened and ten Jackals crawled out, followed by two Brutes.
"Turrets! Take them out!" barked the officer in charge of them, Lieutenant Justin Black. Thirty calibre rounds spewed out from the seawall and slaughtered the Jackals. Their shields were normally very effective against projectiles, but the thirty calibre bullets were too powerful. After deflecting the first ten rounds, their shields had shifted positions and failed to cover their entire body. Then they died as their exposed parts were hit.
"Three down, a million more to go..." whispered Kerrigan as he watched the rest of the Phantoms approach them, escorted by Banshees.
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"Sir! I don't know how much longer our defences could hold! The enemy just keeps on coming!" yelled Private André Atreides over the rapid fire of his M41 LAAG. His driver, Sergeant Laurence DuGalle, slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a fuel rod blast fired from a Banshee.
"Take that thing out, will ya?" asked DuGalle. Atreides pivoted his chaingun turret and fired a sustained burst into the Banshee. It exploded in a ball of flame and fell out of the sky. "Thanks."
"Like I was saying, we can't do this for much longer! The enemy has us surrounded and we don't have enough troops to fend them all off!" yelled Atreides.
Twelve hours ago, his CO told him and his fellow squadmates to pack up their things because they were heading over to the great pyramids of Egypt, which is where the MAC generators are located. He had asked why, and he got an unpleasant response. They thought the Covenant would go after them to knock out the MAC guns, which proved to be correct. Seven hours later, he arrived at the generators with his squad. Lots of troops were already assembled there, ready to fight, and defences were all set up. It had looked impenetrable, but now he wasn't so sure. No more than thirty minutes after he arrived, the Covenant started their attack. Hundreds of Ghosts, Banshees, Spectres, and Wraiths pounded them as they tried to respond to the sudden attack. An hour into the battle, they abandoned their outer fortifications to fort up the inner ones.
Despite the thousands slaughtered on that battlefield, the Covenant kept attacking and the Humans gave up ground grudgingly, step by step. Now, five hours into the battle, the Covenant were no more than ten kilometres away from their prize, the MAC generators.
"Ghost at twelve 'o clock!" cried DuGalle, once again ignoring Atreides' statement. Atreides fired another burst from his chaingun. A round penetrated the fuel tank and the Ghost exploded, killing the driver instantly.
"As I was say-" yelled Atreides again but DuGalle cut him off.
"Yes, I heard you the first time and here's what we're gonna do about it. One, we're gonna not complain, and two, we're gonna do our duty," he yelled over the sounds of battle from all around them. Then he braked so hard that Atreides was almost thrown from the back of the Warthog.
"What the hell was that for?" asked Atreides. A deafening explosion rattled his bones and threw him to the ground. DuGalle was also thrown free from the Hog as it flipped end over end. Atreides glanced up and saw a crater of molten glass right in front of where their Warthog was. "Holy shit, thanks Sarge."
DuGalle grunted and whipped a trickle of blood away from his mouth. He checked his assault rifle, which was slung onto back when he fell out, to make sure it still fired. "Let's get going," said DuGalle hoarsely.
"Yes, sir!" said Atreides automatically. "Where to?"
"Let's head back to base. We're sitting ducks out here without our Hog," replied DuGalle. He started jogging back in the direction of their base when Atreides cried out.
"Sir! We've got company!"
DuGalle turned around and found himself facing a squad of six Jackals. He muttered a curse and opened fire with his assault rifle. This proved to be ineffective as the Jackals were in had their shields in place, blocking every shot DuGalle made. The aliens counterattacked and plasma bolts cut through the air. DuGalle instinctively ducked and most of the shots hit nothing. A single blast struck him in the arm and he felt his fatigues fuse with his flesh. He let out a scream of pain and dropped in assault rifle in surprise.
Then he gasped in horror at what he just did. He had thrown away one of his only weapons in a combat zone. He struggled to draw his sidearm but his injured arm refused to respond. When he finally got it out of its holster, he heard Atreides yell a warning.
"Fire in the hole!" cried Atreides as he primed a frag grenade and threw it at the Jackals. The aliens, confident that they could withstand any Human attack with their overlapping shields, didn't respond fast enough. The explosive killed two of their squad and injured another. The surviving Jackals hissed in anger and advanced on Atreides with murder in their hearts.
"Uh oh..." muttered Atreides as he back up, firing as he did. The bullets bounced off their near impervious energy shields and did no damage. Then his body betrayed him. He tripped and his weapon flew out of his hands. The Jackals, sensing weakness, immediately started firing at the marine.
In their murderous rage, the Jackals completely forgot about DuGalle. "Now it's my turn," he muttered as he clicked the safety off his pistol. He clicked the trigger and pain lanced up his arm. The shot also went wide. He struggled to fire another and this time his aim was true. The Jackal fell to the ground, bleeding from its throat.
Atreides was already unconscious from the burns inflicted upon him. The two Jackals turned around and faced DuGalle. He tried to fire another shot but the pain was too much. A plasma bolt struck him in the chest and he passed out from the pain.
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The Master Chief watched from afar as the two Marines tried to fight the Jackals. After taking out four of them, the two eventually fell under the onslaught of the aliens.
"Linda, those two may still be alive and it might be possible to save them," he pointed at where the fallen marines were. The Jackals they were fighting were approaching their bodies.
Linda nodded and carefully sighted her targets. A single bullet spat out of her sniper rifle. The bullet put a hole through the first Jackal's throat and ricocheted off the inside of its shield to snipe the second in the head. A superb shot, even for Linda. The Master Chief looked at Linda with awe for a split second, then returned to his normal combat composure. He opened a secure COM channel to Kelly and Fred.
"Kelly, Fred! I want those two bodies retrieved before the Covenant get to them," barked the Master Chief.
Two acknowledgement lights winked on and the two Spartans sprinted towards the fallen marines. Kelly arrived a full five seconds before Fred and lifted both bodies and slung them over her shoulders. Fred caught up with her a few seconds later and covered her while she brought the two marines back.
The Master Chief returned to the fight and quickly put down two Brutes and a Jackal. "We're almost there!" said the Master Chief over the team frequency. The Marines all cheered at this. Then he established a link to the CO in charge of the defence of the Pyramid Generators.
"Defence Team Alpha, this is Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117. Do you copy? Over," said the Chief.
A deep voice came from the other side. "Yes, Chief. I read you loud and clear. Where are you? The brass told me you were coming, but didn't say when."
"We are currently about two klicks south of your position. Try to refrain from firing at anything that moves. Tell you soldiers to make sure that it's the enemy they've targeted before firing."
"Roger that, I'll see what I can do,"
"Good. Spartan-117 out."
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André Atreides woke up to the face of an old friend – and the burning pain of plasma burns all over his body. He tried to scream but it came out as an unsatisfying groan. He achieved his goal however, and grabbed the attention of his friend, who was serving as a field medic in the UNSC. The medic took some needles and carefully inserted them into his arm. A few minutes later, he could barely feel the pain anymore.
"Feeling better, André?" asked the medic.
"Yeah, thanks to whatever you just put into me," replied André, smiling.
"The plasma burns on your body aren't too serious and are only classified as second degree burns. You're one of the lucky ones because most people have third degree burns. I've reported this to a superior and you are ordered to report to the command structure ASAP," she recited. The she relaxed and added a few words of her own. "Be sure not to exert yourself too much. Here's some extra medication you can take to ease the pain," said the medic. She pushed a bundle containing syringes and other medications into his arms. "Be sure to inject yourself every twenty-four hours. If possible, come back here and let me do it, and if you ever run out, I'll give you more."
"Yes, ma'am," replied André in the manner of a schoolboy being scolded. Both of them laughed at his mannerism. "Now don't worry about me. I'm a survivor. Anyway, I'll seeya around Mel."
Melissa Ellis was one of his childhood friends and was particular close to him. No one understood him better than her. When his father died in the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, he went nearly mad with grief. He would have stayed a recluse had Mel not been there for him, saying all the right words at the right time. Eventually, his grief subsided and he returned to his life. A year later, he and Mel both joined the Marine Corps together. He as a soldier, and she as a medic. In the five years they've been in the army, they've saved each other numerous times from the enemy. They shared the bond only forged between people who saved each other's lives many times.
"You'd better get going before your CO sends someone down here to check on you," Melissa suggested.
Just then, another two patients stirred and she rushed to tend to them. André watched for a few seconds before he turned and walked out of the tent. The first place he went to was the munitions bunker, where he equipped himself with an assault rifle and a bandolier of grenades. He also holstered a standard M6C pistol as his sidearm.
Satisfied that he would be able to protect himself, he made over to the command centre close to the Egyptian Pyramids, their HQ. The entrance to the building was guarded by a quartet of soldiers.
"Private André Atreides reporting as ordered!" he saluted.
"Ah yes, we were told that you would come. Come right this way," one of the soldiers led him into the HQ. He was led into a cramped waiting room and was left there. A minute later, a Sergeant by the name of Avery Johnson came to greet him.
"Sir!" Atreides saluted.
"At ease, son," Johnson replied. "So I understand that your former CO was mortally injured in the last battle."
"Yes, sir." He actually didn't know that Sergeant DuGalle had been mortally wounded. The news hit him hard but he put a leash on his emotions and didn't let it show.
"Well, you've been transferred to my squad and I expect a lot of things from you. You think you're up for it?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Good, then make your way to the south perimeter of our base. The rest of your squad will already be there. Move it! Double time!"
Private André Atreides sprinted to where his CO ordered him to go. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as his thought drifted towards killing Covenant soldiers...
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A/N: What the hell was the Melissa-André thing all about? Romance? Or just friendly soldier love? I dunno...like, I actually don't know. I might put it either way...or I might choose a completely different path for them. What about Kerrigan and Wilson? Romance? Doubt that...but that's okay. They're gonna be somewhat important from now on. They won't be reaching the same calibre as the Master Chief and the Spartans, but they will be sticking around...until I decide to kill them off...if I decide to kill them off...maybe I'm giving away too many hints here, so I'll shut up now. Anyway, REVIEW!
Another A/N: Don't make your reviews something like "EW! ROMANCE! OMG! WHAT THE HELL! I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD STORY! NOT SOME FLUFFY HALO SHIT!" because...that would be lame. Besides, romance has always been a major factor in almost every story...so...yeah. Anyway, a word to tell you now. There will be NO fluff or sex at all, which is probably for the best. Anyway, now that you're done reading my rants...REVIEW!