Hello again, everyone, and welcome to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. I am very happy with the feedback that I got for chapter three of my Halo - Star Wars crossover. I greatly appreciate the feedback that I got on that chapter, so thank you for your support.

Also, I managed to find an essay that a fan of the BattleTech franchise wrote and posted on the official wiki. I have to admit, having read that essay, it's given me a greater appreciation for BattleMech technology in general. Just to give you an idea, the armor on a 'Mech is actually centimeters, if not millimeters, thick. To know that it can withstand considerable punishment from an Autocannon or Pulse Lasers is really a showcase of how well engineered the armor is. If you haven't checked it out already, I suggest that you do so. It really fleshes out a lot of the science and engineering that goes into building a BattleMech.

As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries OST - Hunter

Reach Visegrad Valley

June 23rd, 2552

For a long time, the Covenant had enjoyed technological superiority over the UNSC, and in general Humanity. This was due, in no small part, to their search for Forerunner artifacts that they would study, in order to advance their technology through imitation and mimicry. As a result, when the UNSC encountered them, they were more than capable of destroying large formations of UNSC personnel, vehicles and ships, which forced the UNSC to use attrition warfare in order to gain the upper hand, a costly tactic that had only slowed the Covenant down, not stopped them. As a result, the Covenant believed that they would have a hard won, if costly, victory.

What they didn't know was that they were about to find out what happened when they encountered a version of Humanity that was at near-technological parity with them. They were about to encounter a Humanity that had waged costly wars, glassed entire worlds, and was more than willing to beat the shit out of an opponent in the shortest amount of time possible. In the words of one Ian Cameron, the Star League was going to show them that 'when fighting barbarians, one must fight fire, with fire.'

As soon as the Skirmisher had squawked for help, it was dead. As soon as Alex pulled the trigger of his M96IV, power from the Power Pack surged through the circuits of the rifle, charging up the internal components of the rifle. Within nanoseconds, electrons inside of the gain medium became excited and accelerated by the undulator, emitting large amounts of photonic radiation that bounced back and forth millions of times each nanosecond as the synchrotron radiation further enhanced the energy of the electrons.

Once they were of a high enough energy, photons within the 650nm (red) range of visible light were emitted into a focusing unit, which condensed the light into a 5mm wide beam of high intensity light, before it was released through the emitter assembly. Following it's programming, the advanced computer system in the rifle began shutting the beam on and off rapidly. This would increase the rifle's effectiveness by allowing vaporized material on an enemy or a target to dissipate, decreasing beam dispersion.

The Skirmisher fell to the ground, screaming as it's chest smoked, with the laser burning through the armor that it wore before cutting through it's skin and heart. The moment it landed on the ground, the Skirmisher was dead, the 5mm large hole in it's chest smoking from the intense heat generated by the pulse laser beam. It's armor around the edges was glowing white-hot from the intense heat generated by the photons heating up the armor plate.

Having release the trigger a quarter of a second after he fired, Alex smiled grimly as he saw the results. So, these freebirth aliens can be killed with an M96IV. Good to see that the Star League and the weaponry it employs are still effective against the Covenant. As soon as he thought this, he spotted more contacts on his HUD, with the DIC (Diagnostic Interpretation Computer) highlighting more enemy contacts. "More contacts," he shouted. "Form up on me, men! Time to kill some Covenant stravags!"

As soon as he said this, the three other Elementals that were with him immediately charged into the fray, weapons ready as they moved forwards. One Elemental jumped through one of the windows, landing on the roof and firing as glass shards fell around him. The other two moved through the stairwell in the room and entered the basement, where more Skirmishers had entered. The aliens fired their plasma weapons, only for the Elementals to effortlessly dodge them, before firing their own weapons, which were extremely effective at cutting through the Skirmishers.

As the fight began, Carter and the rest of Noble Team arrived in the building, spotting the firefight that was commencing. "Covenant," he shouted. "Spartans assist!"

"Here we go," Jorge smiled grimly as he went to work. Moving through the hole that the Elementals made in the window, he began laying down suppressive fire, allowing the other Elementals to move up out of the structure. As they did so, Carter could see that the SLDF Elementals were firing what appeared to be laser based weaponry, with crimson red beams of light cutting through the air and into any Covenant targets that were in the vicinity.

Moving quickly downstairs as Jorge opened fire, he entered the courtyard, where some Grunts and Skirmishers were at. Firing his MA37, he quickly neutralized two of them and was about to engage a third Grunt when a laser beam cut through the alien, killing it instantly. Turning around, he spotted Alex, who nodded at him before they continued moving up, firing his laser rifle all the while. Behind him, the other Spartans moved up, with the Elemental quickly rejoining the team as they moved forwards.

Exiting the courtyard, they entered a large, open area that had a number of rocks in the area, with the bridge and river they saw earlier ahead of them. Trees and boulders littered the landscape, and they could see a small dam that was near the waterfall that the river was feeding. Up ahead, the landscape became bumpier, with large mounds of dirt and what looked like hay bales. More Covenant forces were present, with all of them being Skirmishers and Grunts that were in the area. "Banshees! Head's up, Charlie One," one of the Falcon pilots shouted.

The other Falcon was about to move when five missiles streaked past it at high speed, each one smacking into two Banshees that were approaching the Falcon. Both Covenant Conventional Fighters exploded as the missiles tore through them, sending their smoking chassis and shredded pilots to the ground in pieces. Moments later, the Anhur III VTOL flew into view, it's Medium and Large Pulse Lasers firing as the pilot engaged ground targets. Emerald and sapphire beams of light cut through the air, cutting hay bales apart, while killing Skirmishers and Grunts with ease.

"Move up," Carter shouted. "We've got air support!" Nodding at that, Noble Team began to advance, while the Elementals up ahead continued to pound the enemy, their weaponry cutting through armor that could usually stop more than a few 7.62mm NATO projectiles. Reaching the Elementals, he said, "Stay close! We don't want to get separated!"

"Aff," Alex shouted as he terminated a Grunt. A Skirmisher attempted to move past him, only for the Clansman to reach out and grab it's neck. Pulling it closer, he immediately smashed his knee into it's back, a loud SNAP echoing in the area, before wrenching it's head to the left, with a loud CRACK following the SNAP! The Skirmisher fell to the ground dead, it's neck and back at an unnatural angle, while Alex drew his M96IV and continued firing. As they fought, the team began to move over the bridge.

"Incoming VTOL," Ward shouted. Moments later, a Spirit came into view, with the VTOL quickly flying to deploy it's ground troops. "Pilot, gun that stravag down!"

"Firing," the pilot shouted. Moments later, guided MRM missiles streaked out of the missile racks of the VTOL, flying through the air before smashing into the Spirit. Missiles designed to penetrate Advanced Ferro-Fibrous and Advanced Ferro-Aluminum Armor tore through the nanolaminate armor plating on the Spirit, tearing apart the internal components of the Covenant Troop Transport. The rear mounted turret was ripped off by one such missile, while another missile impacted the left crew compartment at the front, cutting through the thin walled material and tearing apart a couple Skirmishers.

Most of the other missiles impacted the rear of the vehicle, which was also where the power supply was located at. Each missile impacted with tremendous force, with the Spirit sustaining enough damage that it's anti-gravity repulsors failed, causing the massive Troop Transport to come crashing to the ground. Nanolaminate material shattered like glass as the Spirit crash landed, with the troops inside being violently hurled onto the ground. Most that survived did so with debilitating injuries, before being put down by Noble Team and the Elementals.

Soon, all enemy combatants were down. Some were filled with bullet holes, while others had been cut down by high intensity laser beams from the Elementals weapons. Carter noted that the majority of the kills had been by the Elementals, as their weapons were able to quickly cut through nanolaminate armor and into the actual enemy combatant. "Stand down, Noble Team," he ordered. "Stand down. Contacts neutralized."

"Contacts," Jorge growled grumpily. "It's the damn Covenant!"

"Cheer up, big guy," Emile said placatingly. "This whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone."

Carter, who's mind was on other things, said, "Kat, we've got to warn Holland. I need you at that relay outpost now."

"Commander, more activity to the east," Ward shouted.

"Copy that, Ward. Six, Alex, take point!" With that, both personnel moved up.

"Nice work," Six said, pointing at the dead bodies.

"We are Elementals, and in my case a 'MechWarrior as well," Alex replied. "We make sure the enemy is dead." As he said this, he spotted more activity on his HUD, all of which were red blips. "Heads up, incoming," he alerted Six, who simply charged his rifle before moving up with the Elemental. As soon as he did so, Alex watched as a new group of aliens came out from the area. The moment he saw the ornate armor, muscular bodies, and mandibular faces, he knew what he was looking at. Elites, he thought. Those are some very ugly freebirths. It is high time that I educate them in the ways of an Elemental during war.

Most of the aliens were wearing ornate, white colored armor, but one he noticed was wearing ornate purple armor with blue highlights. Likely the squad leader, he thought. Neutralize him and the rest will begin to lose cohesion. As soon as he thought that, he took aim with his laser rifle and opened fire. Unlike the Skirmishers, which had been killed by a short burst from his M96IV, he noticed a shimmering blue energy field that surrounded the alien when the laser beam impacted it.

Most of the energy was absorbed, but he heard what sounded like a surprised shout from the alien before it threw itself back into cover. "Ward," he shouted into the communicator. "I have eyes on aliens with energy shielding. Can you take them out?"

"Aff, sir," Ward replied. "I read up on those things. Loading Gauss Rifle." A few seconds later, there was a loud peal of thunder as a 5mm ferrous dart cut through the air, a vapor trail marking the path of the slug.

One of the aliens, an Elite Ultra if Alex recalled correctly, was the victim of the slug. Fired at hypersonic velocities, the slug tore through the Elite's energy shield, with the energy barrier making a loud snapping sound as it lost cohesion. The slug then tore through the alien's armor and into it's body, retaining enough force that a hole the size of a man's fist was torn through the alien. The Elite fell to the ground, dead in an instant. Moments later, Alex and the other Elementals rounded the cover that the Elites were using.

It was here that Carter saw just how effective the Elementals were when working as a cohesive unit. The fight looked more like an elegant dance than an actual fight, with the Elementals working to terminate the Elites in the shortest amount of time possible. Moving as a cohesive unit, the Elementals quickly got close enough that the Elites had to use melee attacks in order to defend themselves, which greatly limited their options.

Moving up, Alberty dodged a kick from an Elite, grabbing the offending limb before forcibly wrenching the leg upward, snapping the bone near the joints before plunging his combat knife through it's chest, moving the blade left and right to sever it's heart, or rather hearts, killing it instantly. Hoskins, who was dealing with another Ultra, was having to dodge an Energy Sword that the Ultra was using in an attempt to gut him.

Moving backwards, he waited until he had an opening, before charging in with a fist to the Ultra's face, his armored glove smashing into the alien's head just below it's right eye. The blow was powerful enough that it stunned the Elite, causing it to stumble backwards; before it could recover, he took out his Combat Knife and rammed it through the base of it's skull. There was a loud, metallic CRUNCH as the knife emerged out the top of the Elite's skull and helmet, with it's body going limp as he retracted the blade.

Shaw, who was nearby, quickly disabled his Elite with a shot from his ER Pulse Laser Pistol, with the beam cutting through the energy shield before severing the alien's leg. As the Elite began to roar from the pain, he knocked it over and smashed his armored boot into it's skull, crushing it against the ground. It was Alex that dealt with the Elite General, with both combatants charging at each other. Swinging it's sword, the Elite General scored a hit, only for the armor to withstand the blow with ease. It's surprise was palpable, with the delay being long enough for Alex to grab it's arm and hurl the Elite over his shoulder, before dislocating it's arm. Before it could scream, he smashed his boot into the Elite's neck with enough force to shatter it's vertebrae, killing it instantly.

Just like that, the fight ended, with none of the Elementals injured, while all of the Elites were dead. As they saw the scene, Six whistled with appreciation; having been in many CQC scenarios himself, he could appreciate the deadly elegance and skill with which the Elementals could fight. "Damn," Emile remarked. "Color me impressed. They took those Elites out like it was a morning exercise routine."

"Wow," Jorge remarked. "The only time I saw that was when I spotted Blue Team doing that."

Nearby, Carter nodded in agreement. He had heard stories from some SLDF Marines that he talked with about the deadly skill and efficiency that SLDF Elementals fought with, but to see it for himself in person was something else entirely. Jorge's comment sums up what it looked like, he thought to himself. If all Elementals fought like this, he could see why they had earned the reputation that they had, and it was very well earned at that. If we had more Elementals, we would've won many more conflicts than we did. Looking at Alex, he said, "Your armor's been damaged."

"That is normal," Alex replied. "I intentionally allowed the Elite to do that in order to get inside his guard. He was surprised by the durability of my armor long enough for me to neutralize him. Besides, the armor ablated and did the job it was tasked with doing: protecting me from harm." Motioning to the armor plate that had been hit, Carter could see a long, but shallow gouge where the blade had hit. Already, the metal was cooling down, with the faint red glow from the metal fading away quickly.

"Alright," he nodded. "Good work on your part."

Moments later, Jun cut in. "Commander, I'm seeing more activity to the northeast."

"Copy that," Carter replied. Turning to Emile, he said, "Emile, you're with Kat. Six, the Elementals and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost."

"Commander, permission to head with Emile and Kat," Shaw asked.

"Granted," both Carter and Alex replied, with the two looking at each other for a moment.

As the trio left, Kat said, "Noble Three, requesting air-lift. Over."

"Copy that," the pilot of the Anhur III replied, lowering the loading ramp while getting low enough for the team to board. Once they were onboard, the VTOL quickly lifted off. At the same time, Carter, Alex and the others moved forwards. Spotting a pair of flatbed trucks, Carter got into one, with Six driving and Jorge using his gun as a makeshift turret, while the Elementals took the other. Once they were onboard, they began driving forwards, heading out.

"Commander, I'm seeing heat sigs in the structure ahead," Jun informed the team, using a laser beam to highlight a nearby house ahead.

"Gotcha," Alex replied, turning towards the house. "Carter, we can handle the house. You look for any targets of opportunity."

"Got it," Carter replied. As they drove down the incline and into the rest of the area, a group of Skirmishers came up the incline, firing their weapons as soon as they spotted the incoming SLDF/UNSC personnel. Swerving right, Carter took out two of the Skirmishers with a well aimed skid, while Alex continued forwards, smashing the other two into roadkill. Once that happened, Carter continued right, in order to head to any structures that Jun called out, while Alex and the others came to a stop after crossing a small bridge. The house was fairly small, with two stories that held what penetrating scans revealed to be a fireplace and small living room, while the bottom floor was mostly for living space, as well as a kitchen. A nearby storage shed held tools and maintenance equipment, while another flatbed truck was nearby.

"Contacts," Hoskins reported. "Two Elites in the upper floor and one on the ground floor. Skirmishers in the courtyard accompanied by Grunts."

"Neutralize the Elites first," Alex ordered as they came to a stop. "Once they have been neutralized, the rest of the unit will lose cohesion and will be easier to deal with. Remember, they have energy shields and we do not, so make sure you do not get hit unnecessarily. Pulse lasers appear to be effective against energy shielding, so use only energy based weapons if you can."

"Copy that," Alberty nodded.

With that, the trio of Elementals moved inside, weapons at the ready. As soon as they did, an Elite Minor charged into the courtyard, snarling loudly while shouting an incomprehensible alien language as it fired it's plasma weapon. Both Alberty and Hoskins concentrated fire on the Elite, with the M96IV rifles tearing through it's energy shielding in half a second before burning through it's armor, killing it in one second. Moving into the building, they terminated two Elite Majors using the same strategy, neutralizing the enemy command structure.

Outside, Alex noticed that when the Elites were killed, the Skirmishers didn't panic, while the Grunts immediately did so, running this way and that as they screamed. Firing on the Grunts, he neutralized them quickly, just as a Skirmisher leaped onto him, it's claws scratching at the Ferro-Glass visor he wore. Roaring, he grabbed the Skirmisher by the arm and threw it to the ground hard enough to stun it, before focusing fire on the remaining aliens. Once he terminated them, he walked over to the Skirmisher, which was crawling towards a weapon.

Instead of attacking he simply said, "Get up and fight, stravag," before taking up position. As soon as it had a weapon, it fired at him, only for the shot to impact the armor, with Alex firing his rifle, killing it instantly. At least he died honorably, he thought as his rifle cooled down. That much I can say about him. A moment later, he said, "All contacts neutralized. Alberty, Hoskins, report in."

"All fine here," the two other Elementals replied. Hearing gunfire from the other side of the river bank, the trio got into the flatbed truck they had commandeered and drove to the area. Coming to a stop near a farm, they spotted Carter, Jorge and Six engaged in a firefight with a trio of Elites, some Skirmishers, as well as what appeared to be Grunts. "Hang on," Hoskins, who was driving the truck, shouted, gunning the throttle moments later. The engine roared loudly as the truck quickly gained speed, with the vehicle barreling towards the Elites. "On my mark, we bail the vehicle," he shouted, with Alex and the others getting ready. "NOW!"

With that, all three Elementals threw themselves out of the vehicle, with Hoskins rolling, while Alex and Alberty landed on their feet, skidding to a stop. The truck promptly smashed into two of the Elites, crushing them against the concrete wall behind them with tremendous force. Even from this distance, Alex could hear organs being squished and bones being shattered by the force of the impact. Skidding to a stop, he focused fire on the last Elite, while the others took out any other hostiles that were in the area.

With that, the valley fell silent once again. Walking over to Alex, Carter said, "Thanks for the assist. That certainly surprised the Elites."

"Actually, it was Hoskins idea," Alex replied. "He came up with the plan on short notice. Certainly did work."

A moment later, Jun said, "Boss, I'm detecting a distress signal in your general area."

A moment later, a UNSC distress call came in over their communicators. "Mayday! Three Charlie Six, does anyone read me? We were attacked by Covenant forces. The Covenant are on Reach. I repeat: the Covenant are on Reach."

"The troopers," Jorge asked.

"Probably," Alex decided. "Mount up. We are going to rescue them."

"No disrespect,"Jun countered, "but don't we have better things to do than round up strays?"

"We do not leave anyone behind," Alex replied, reprimanding Jun. "If you see those troopers, you let me know ASAP. I will see if Ward can help you." Keying his communicator, he said, "Ward, are you still there?"

"Aff, lead," came the reply.

"We have a squad of UNSC Marines in the area that needs help. Do you have eyes on them?"

"Aff, lead. I have spotted UNSC Marines taking cover in a storage shed. They are being assaulted by heavy Covenant forces. Marking the waypoint now." Moments later, a diamond shaped waypoint appeared on the team's HUD's, indicating the location of the Marines."

"Solid copy. Patch me into their communicators." Once he was patched in, Alex said, "Three Charlie Six, this is Gamma One. We have picked up your distress signal and are Oscar Mike. Hold out as long as you can, we are on the way."

"Good to hear that," 3 Charlie replied. "Make it quick!" With that, the team quickly loaded up and began driving towards the way point.

The way point was right in front of what appeared to be a supply shed that was in the area, with a small bough of trees surrounding it. Near the entrance were UNSC Marines that were firing back with everything in their arsenal, from MA37's to M392 DMR's. Towards the road were Covenant forces that were firing back with equal amounts of determination, but for the opposite reason. Driving forwards, Alex gunned the throttle, coming in quickly enough that he mowed down an Elite that was too focused on the fight to pay attention to his right flank. Stopping the vehicle, he and the others got out, firing their weapons as quickly as they could. Once all enemies were down, Carter said, "Noble Three, we've located the trooper squad, Request immediate evac – on my coordinates."

"Solid copy, Commander," Jun replied. "Sigma 3, you have more capacity than the Falcon. Can you evac the team?"

"Affirmative," Sigma 3, the pilot of the Anhur III, replied. "Inbound on your coordinates. ETA: 3 mikes. Be advised, you have Covenant VTOL's inbound on your position."

"Evac transport, keep your distance," Carter ordered. "Six, Jorge, hold this position. Clear an LZ."

As he said this, one of the Marines, identified by his armor as Corporal Travis, walked over. "Spartans? Corporal Travis, sir, 3 Charlie. It's the Covenant…"

"We are well aware of that, solider," Alex replied. "You fought admirably and with honor. Not many can say that." Looking up, he spotted an incoming Spirit, as well as what appeared to be Phantoms, if the briefing he had on Covenant VTOL's was correct. "Enemy VTOL craft inbound," he stated a moment later. "Marines, get into cover. We will handle these stravag." While Travis appeared confused by the term, he didn't ask any questions, probably because he was so relieved for support that he overlooked the term.

As soon as he and the others were in cover, the Covenant VTOL's came into view, weapons bristling and ready. Large bolts of plasma shot out of the turrets of each VTOL's guns, with Covenant forces being offloaded. As soon as they hit the ground, the Spartans and Elementals opened fire, tearing into the Covenant that fired back on them. Elites, Jackals, Skirmishers and grunts toppled to the ground under the combined firepower that the Elementals and Spartans employed. During the fight, Carter noticed that the Elementals would work to eliminate the shielding on the Elites, allowing him, Six and Jorge to neutralize the Elites without too much fuss. Eventually, after three minutes of intense fighting, the Covenant forces were neutralized.

Loading his rifle with a fresh Power Pack, Alex checked his armor integrity. So far, his armor was holding up well, with most of his armor pieces being green-yellow in color, indicating minor-moderate armor ablation. So far, we are doing well, he thought as he finished loading in a new Power Pack, with the HUD indicating the rifle was ready for use again.

The Covenant remind me of the Crusader Clans during the beginning days of the Clan Offensive: bold, proud, firm believers in their invincibility. We will show them why that is such a terrible mistake to make. With the enemy VTOL's down, the Anhur III quickly came in for a landing, with the Marines loading up the wounded first, then the uninjured, followed by the Spartans and Elementals. Once they were onboard, they took off, flying towards the relay outpost.

"Noble Two, sit-rep," Carter asked over the COM.

"We're at the relay outpost," Kat replied. "Door's locked. Mechanism's been flash-fused."

"Can you beat it?"

"I dialed up my torch, cut a way through. Going to take some time."

"OK, we're en route to your location," Carter finished. As the Anhur III flew along, the others could see the ground below outside of the open Troop Bay. Down below, the bridge connecting the relay outpost to the rest of the area had been destroyed, with both ends drooping down into the canyon. Covenant probably destroyed it, Carter thought as they flew onward. Now that I realize it, Alex was right. The Covenant did exactly what he predicted they would do: take out the relay to blind us to any attacks.

As they flew onward, he spotted the relay outpost entrance. There was a parking lot that was in front of the bunker, with a garage that was located to the right of the entrance. Forklifts and other pieces of equipment were present. Unfortunately, the Covenant were there as well, with Elites, Jackals and Grunts firing on Kat and Emile, with Shaw and Ward down in the courtyard, firing their weapons at the Covenant.

"Approaching the COM outpost," the pilot reported. "Lot of Covenant activity down there. I'll thin them out, then we can land." Moments later, Carter could hear the sounds of missiles being fired as the VTOL wheeled around, blocking his view for a few seconds. There were the sounds of impacts, as well as screaming Covenant, before the VTOL came in for a landing. Looking around, Carter could now see that the Covenant had been neutralized, with minor damage to the polycrete exterior and any equipment nearby. "LZ is hot. Repeat: hot," the pilot reported, landing the VTOL moments later.

"Everyone out," Alex shouted. "Elementals, with me! Marines, stay in the VTOL! The Pilot will get you back to a medical outpost! Move it!" With that, everyone hopped out, weapons ready as they advanced to the relay entrance.

Inside, Kat was busy working on the door mechanism, with a glance showing that most of the components had bee fused together. "How are we doing, Kat," Carter asked.

"Taking a little longer than I hoped, Commander," Kat replied. "I've cut about halfway through the door."

"We will hold here until the door is fixed," Alex decided. "Elementals, we have to hold the enemy of until Kat gets the door fixed. Quiaff?"

"Aff," the others replied. With that, the Elementals dug in and prepared for a long haul. Just as they did, more Spirit Troop Transports came into view, just as the SLDF VTOL took off and fled, narrowly avoiding being hit. Covenant personnel poured into the courtyard, firing their weapons while the Elementals and Spartans retaliated.

Apparently, most of the Covenant realized these 'new Spartans' were the real threat, as they focused fire on Alex and the Elementals. Pulse lasers answered plasma fire, with each burst signaling the death of a Grunt, Jackal, Skirmisher or Elite. Peeking out, Ward fired off his Gauss Sniper Rifle, a loud KRA-THOOM signaling the death of an Elite Ultra that had gotten off of a Troop Transport. Alex snarled as a plasma bolt flew close to his head, with the experienced Clan Warrior killing the Skirmisher responsible.

"How long until that door is fixed," he shouted.

"Just about…there," Kat shouted. "We're in!"

"Everyone inside," Alex roared. "Move, MOVE!" With that, all of the Elementals piled in, with the door closing moments later. As the doors closed, powerful HID lights built into their armor turned on, flooding the area ahead of them with bright, white light.

"We need to find the control room," Carter said, squinting as the bright light washed over his helmet. "From there, Kat can get the relay back online. Emile, post here. If we flush any hostiles, they're yours. Alright, let's do this." With that, the doors leading into the outpost opened, up, revealing a hallway in front of them. Thanks to the HID lights on the Elemental's armor, they could clearly see into the darkened hallway. As they advanced forwards, they turned left, into a room with some support columns inside.

As they did, they spotted a scene of death and destruction; lying on the ground a few feet from the control console for the relay was the body of an elderly man in his late sixties to mid seventies. Two holes were in his back, and presumably in the front of his body as well, indicating he was stabbed by an Energy Sword. The console up ahead was battered and damaged, but otherwise operational. Up ahead, Carter spotted a wounded Marine lying against the wall, coughs coming from the man as he cupped a number of wounds on his body. "Where's the rest of your squad," Carter asked as he bent down towards the man."

"We got split," the wounded Marine replied, coughing once he said this. "I don't think they… It sounded bad on the COM's." He coughed violently this time, with some blood coming out of his mouth.

"Alright, Corporal," Carter told him. "Stay put. We'll get you to a combat surgeon."

Near the console, Alex was looking over the body of the elderly man, with Six looking at him as well. Moving the body slightly, Six was surprised when a small data module fell out of the chest pocket of the man's overcoat. "What is this," he asked.

"Looks like a data module," Alex remarked.

Up ahead, Kat snarled as she looked at the controls. "Damn," she snarled. "Plasma damage."

"I found something, Kat," Six replied. "Take a look. Looks like a data module."

"I'll take that Six," Kat replied, taking the module from him. "Not your domain."

"I've got a live one over here," Jorge shouted, pulling a young woman with black hair and a leather jacket out from under a small platform. "Come on, out you come."

The woman was either angry, or panicked, as she kept on hitting Jorge's armor while shouting, „Engedj el, hadd menjek ki innen! Hé!" ("Let me go, let me get out of here! Hey!")

"It's alright," Jorge said reassuringly. "We're not going to hurt you."

Apparently, the woman was unconvinced, as she continued to to shout at him. „Hagyjon béké!" ("Leave me alone!")

"Jorge," Carter began.

"I've got her," Jorge replied. Putting his HMG down, he lifted the woman into the area and held her by her arms. "Keep still, and I'll release you."

This seemed to calm the woman down, though she was still quite frantic. „Még… Itt vannak" (There's more…), she said a moment later.

As soon as she said this, Alex shouted, "INCOMING!" Just as he did, two Elites jumped down from a vent to an upper floor, landing just behind Jorge and the woman. Their armor was a royal gold color, with streaks of blue in various places. One, an Elite Marshal from what Alex recalled, slashed at Jorge, only for him to dodge and pull the woman to the ground, covering her with his body. The Elite snarled as it, and two Zealots advanced forwards, weapons in hand.

"What's your status, over," Emile asked.

"We've been engaged," Carter shouted, with he and the others opening fire. Bullets and laser beams cut through the air, even as the Elite's advanced. One slashed at Kat, who dodged the strike, with the sword cutting through part of the console. Alex, who was to it's right, fired with his M96IV, downing the alien's shields. In response, it charged, knocking him to the ground with a powerful shoulder blow as it ran towards a nearby door. "Bad guy, coming out," Carter shouted.

Grunting, Alex was about to get up when he felt someone grab him. Looking up, he barely stopped an Energy Dagger from getting into his gut, even as the Zealot holding him lifted him up. "Oh, no you do not," he shouted, raising both of his legs before smashing them into the Elite's torso. The blow was powerful enough that the Elite was staggered backwards, smashing into the polycrete with enough force to crack the surface. It roared as it recovered, only to stagger to the left when he fired at it with his ER Laser Pistol, downing it's shields and gashing it's left arm. It ran through the door, bonking it's head on the door frame as it's shields recharged, with Ward preventing it from taking the UNSC Marine as a hostage.

"That tango blew past me," Emile reported. "Permission to pursue?"

"Negative, Four, stay on the entrance," Carter shouted. "Five, Six, work with Gamma One and Three to clear the hole!" Nodding in acknowledgment, the two Spartans moved up, with Alex and Shaw moving forwards as well. Once they were through, Jorge sealed the door shut behind them. As soon as they were through, Jorge threw a flare and then they opened fire on the Covenant forces that were illuminated by the light.

They were inside of what appeared to be a long room, which led to a long corridor that curved the right before disappearing out of view. Spotting a row of fuel tanks, Six fired at the one closest to him, counting on the tracer compound in the bullet to ignite the fuel inside. His hunch paid off, as moments later, the fuel tanks exploded in dramatic fashion, wiping out the Grunts and Jackals that were firing on them. Spotting the Elite Zealot in the back of the room, Six and Jorge were about to fire when Alex fired his M96IV, severely weakening it's shields and forcing it to retreat.

"Follow that asshole," Shaw shouted. "Do not lose him!"

"Move up," Alex shouted. With that, the team continued to move up, weapons in hand as they continued down the hallway. Spotting some incoming Jackals, he fired his laser rifle, killing each one as their shields overloaded from the strain. Moving forwards, they entered what appeared to be a server room of some kind. A layer of fog covered the floor of the massive room, with server banks rising up and down. To the right was a small room, with a scan from his HUD indicating that it held a power junction.

Feeling someone tapping his shoulder, he turned to see Jorge pointing towards the smaller room. "There's more," he said. "Flush them out. I'll cover you and Six."

"That will not be necessary," Alex replied, rolling his neck and arms. Turning to Shaw, he said, "Terminate the first Elite that comes out. I have a plan for the second one." Apparently, Shaw knew what he was talking about, as he nodded before moving forwards. Moments later, Alex moved forwards as well, holstering his M96IV. As soon as they entered the main server floor, two Elite Zealots came out.

One, which had a gash in it's shoulder from Alex's ER Pulse Laser Pistol, and another, who was wielding an Energy Sword. "You take the one with the Energy Sword," he said to Shaw. "I will handle the injured one." As Shaw moved to engage the Sword wielding Elite, Alex proceeded to the first one and said, "So, this is what the vaunted Elites look like. Hhmmm, I was expecting someone slightly taller, and far more honorable. It is dishonorable to silence an innocent civilian, and not a trueborn Warrior." He waited for a response from the Elite.

He wasn't disappointed, as the Elite began to speak, it's voice low and deep, indicating it was male. "Your kind is an affront to the gods," the Elite snarled. "But you… you are different. You are not like the Lesser Demons and Demons that I have faced. What are you?"

"What am I," Alex replied, even as he heard Shaw kill the other Elite. "I am Alex Conners, a Elemental and 'MechWarrior of Clan Wolf. You have committed great dishonor, Elite, in killing someone unable to defend himself. I hereby declare a Trial of Annihilation to be in effect." With that, he charged forwards, with the Elite doing the same. Sliding between the Elite's legs, he used his right arm to sweep the Elite's left leg out from under it, with the alien tumbling to the ground.

It didn't lose it's wits for a moment, as it rolled to the left before getting up, activating an Energy Dagger moments later. While skilled, the Elite Zealot wasn't as skilled as Alex was, with the latter having trained for this kind of scenario in the event he found himself in this situation. Dodging the blow, he used the Elite's arm as a lever, flipping it over his shoulder before dislocating it's arm. Then, as the coup de grace, he took out his Combat Knife and stabbed the Elite in the head. A loud metallic sound echoed in the room as the knife was plunged through nanolaminate armor and into the Elite's head, killing the alien instantly. "This Trial is concluded," he announced moments later.

"Nice work," Jorge commented, having watched the fight. Keying his COM, he said, "Noble Five reporting. Targets neutralized."

"Kat needs a junction reset," Carter ordered.

"Already done," Shaw replied. "I saw a yellow glowing switch and hit one of the buttons. It is green now."

"Good," Carter nodded. "Get back here." With that, the rest of the team returned.

. . .

Back in the control room for the Relay, Kat was busy using a power screwdriver to remove the maintenance panel for the console. Next to her was Ward, who had a number of tools on his person, having gotten them off of the Anhur III VTOL when they got to the relay outpost. Removing the last screw, she pulled the panel off, pulling out a COM headset as she did so. "How long," Carter asked.

"The question of my life," Kat replied. "If the question is: how long until this relay is fully operational? 2 weeks, minimum. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."

"Two minutes is too long."

"Which is why I'm splicing directly into the main overland bundle in order to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland… You're in my light, Commander."

Getting up, Carter turned towards Jorge, who was keeping an eye on the civilian now that he, Six, Alex and Shaw had returned. "Find out what she knows," he ordered. Nodding at that, Jorge reached out with a hand and tapped the woman on the shoulder, only for her to shove his hand off. Nearby, Emile chuckled as he saw the sight.

"What's your name," Jorge asked. "Do you live around here?" When the woman didn't respond, he realized that it was probably because she didn't know enough about him to respond. Taking off his helmet in an effort to help her open up, he said, „A neven Jorge." ("My name's Jorge.")

Apparently, that was what was needed, as the woman said, „Sará"

„Sará… Szép határozott név." ("A nice, strong name.") "Your accent sounds familiar. Sopron?"

„Tengeri." ("By the sea.")

Looking towards the body, Jorge asked, "Friend of yours?"

"Father," Sará replied.

„Sajnálom. I'm sorry."

"Why would you be?" When she said that, Jorge was silent.

Nearby, Emile looked at Six and Alex before saying, "The big man forgets who he is sometimes."

"She just lost her father," Jorge growled as he got up. "She needs a full psychiatric workup."

"She's not the only one…" Emile began. Just as he said that, Jorge turned towards him, fury in his eyes, with Kat looking up for a brief moment.

Intervening, Carter said, "Lock it down, both of you! Get her on her feet… the body stays here."

"I will bury the body," Alberty added. "That man was killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Leaving his body out for scavengers would be a dishonor. I will handle the burial." Looking at the woman, he took off his own helmet, revealing a shock of blond hair, tanned skin and light brown eyes before offering her a hand. The woman hesitantly got up, with Shaw gently picking up the body of the elderly man before walking towards an exit, with the woman in tow. Jorge sighed as he walked along, but not before glaring at Emile, who shied away somewhat.

"Signal," Kat shouted, breaking the silence. "It's patchy but it's there."

"Let me see about that," Ward added. Pulling out a few components, he began attaching them to the overland bundle, before reconnecting some cables. "There we go. That should strengthen the signal."

"I'll take it," Carter replied, taking off his helmet.

"Best not touch anything," Kat added. "Wouldn't want to ground this place." With that, everyone, except for Alex and Carter, left the room.

"… I'm barely getting you," Colonel Holland said, the COM channel filled with static before clearing up. "What's your situation?"

"Colonel," Carter said, "this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on reach. Acknowledge?"

"Come again, Noble One. Did you say Covenant?"

"Affirmative. It's the Winter Contingency."

There was silence on the COM, though Carter heard Holland whisper something under his breath. A moment later, he said, "Understood, Noble One. According to Colonel William, a flight of AeroSpace Fighters has cleared the area outside of the relay outpost. You should be able to leave now. Get onto the nearest Pelican or SLDF VTOL and return to base. I need to inform Chernenko and Fremont of this development."

"Understood, sir," Carter replied. "Also, I saw the Elementals in combat. They are at an identical, if not higher, skill level with a Spartan II. Their weaponry is the most advanced I've seen yet. Certainly more effective than our weapons."

"I know," Holland replied. "See you back at base. Holland out."