Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. Thank you for the feedback that I am getting. I really appreciate whatever feedback that I can get. For those of you that wanted more stealth in the mission this chapter takes place in, this is the chapter for you. Don't forget to leave a review, even if it's a guest review, as I use that as my primary means of getting feedback. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.

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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, Piranha Games Inc, etc. 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.

Szurdok Ridge

Near Ütközet Hydroelectric Plant

August 11, 2552

The ridge that dominated this section of the Viery Territory was dark, with only the light from Reach's moons illuminating the surface. A pale white glow covered anything that wasn't shrouded in shadow. At this time of year, Reach's smaller moon, Turul, was full, with the light of Epsilon Eridani shining brightly onto it's surface; Turul was bright enough that, like Luna on certain regions of Earth, it was known as the 'Midnight Sun', or »Éfjéli nap«, in Hungarian.

The silence was disturbed moments later, when a Phantom flew through the air, it's nose mounted turret shining brightly as it illuminated the landscape below in a cyan-white light. It's engines were like the low pitched whine of some unknown creature in the night, or some ghastly ghost as it searched the area for anything less than friendly. When no movement showed itself, it began to fly onward towards it's destination, the pilot satisfied that there was no one around to bother it.

As soon as it was gone, a single individual wearing armor popped up from behind a rock, having used it to shield himself from the spotlight. Glancing to the left and right, Jun breathed a sigh of relief as the Phantom disappeared from his sight, having outfoxed the Elite pilot once again. Looking behind himself, he motioned with his head before turning around again, surveying the area behind him with the scope of his SRS-99s, the silenced version of the SRS-99c.

Behind him, Six and two other individuals were coming along, each one armed and ready for a fight. Looking behind himself, Six turned around to make sure that the two Clan Wolf Elstars that had come along were present, which was confirmed when he saw both men standing behind him, clad in Nighthawk-L Powered Armor. The two men that were attending tonight were Ward and Hoskins, both of whom were trained specifically for black operations, like the one they were conducting right now.

As such, their armor was equipped with what the SLDF called the 'Battle/Power Armor Null Signature System.' While the name wasn't classified, the details concerning the technology were. All Six knew beyond it's name was it's purpose: to cloak the thermal and electronics emissions of someone wearing either Powered Armor or Battle Armor.

As for why they were here, it was a concern that Six had learned about back at base. He was about to report for duty when ONI and the SLIC, the Star League's intelligence branch, had brought him, Jun, Hoskins and Ward in for a major assignment. According to the two agencies, they had detected what appeared to be dark zones on the planet, areas that ONI and SLDF sensors couldn't get a reading at. According to the SLDF, they had detected these dark zones during routine maintenance of their sensor suites, as the dark zones were initially assumed to be malfunctions. When it was clear that they weren't, SLIC Agents, including SLDF General Norman, had concerns that the Covenant were making the dark zones as the prelude to a full scale invasion of the planet.

As such, they had decided that they needed someone to confirm what the scans picked up, so that immediate military action could be performed. Alex wasn't able to attend, as he had other matters to tend to, on top of the fact that he wasn't trained for black operations. Shaw and Alberty weren't able to attend for similar reasons, but Ward and Hoskins were perfectly suited for this mission. Once Jun and Six had been informed, they had immediately volunteered for the operation. If this was something the Covenant were doing, then they had to find out what they were up to. Still, Six thought as he walked along the cliff side. That would explain why the Covenant have been so hard to track lately: they've been cloaking their movements. Turning around, he asked, "You two ready?"

"Aff," Hoskins replied. Both men were armed with what appeared to be standard Mauser 96IV Pulse Laser Rifles. Normally, that would be a danger, since a pulsing beam of ruby red light would be seen, but Six had learned something about the M96IV: thanks to it's design, a user could alter the wavelength of light coming out of the rifle itself. As such, he learned that Hoskins and Ward had modified their M96IV's to fire a pulsing beam of infrared light, which was not visible to Human, or Elite, eyes. As such, the rifles were safe to use for stealth operations, since the laser beam wasn't visible, and the rifle's were silent during operation. Nodding at that answer, Six and the others continued to move up.

As they met up with June, the latter of the group began to speak. "Recon Team Bravo reporting in: Three, Six, Four and Five in position. It's starting to get crowded up here, Kat."

"Then we're closing in," Kat, the handler for the operation, noted. "Report any Covenant structures or devices. Direct action may be necessary."

"Copy that," Jun nodded. Chuckling slightly, he said, "Whenever Kat runs an op, direct action is always necessary." Looking at Six, he handed him a magazine of 14.5x144mm rounds, the standard munition for the SRS-99c and it's variants. "Here, you may need these. High velocity, armor piercing. It'll take the hat off an Elite at two thousand yards… and they ain't cheap." Turning to the Elementals, he asked, "What about your rifles?"

"They will fire infrared pulse lasers," Hoskins explained. "They will not see the beam, and the rifles are silent. A win-win for black operations like this one."

"Good," Jun nodded. The last thing he wanted was for their position to be exposed thanks to a beam of laser light. Moving to the right, he spotted two pathways leading up and down. One was over a large boulder, while the other was down an incline and onto a lower portion of the ridge. "Hmm," he hummed. Turning around, he said, "Hoskins, you'll go with Six. Ward, you're with me." Nodding silently, Six and Hoskins slid down the embankment towards the ground, while Jun and Ward began climbing up and to the right.

Coming to a stop, Six and Hoskins looked around to see where they were at. They had come to a landing at the bottom of a small terrace in the ridge, with the ground on the left dropping off towards the bottom of the ridge, while the right was a sheer wall. Up ahead, a small dirt path was present, with the two moving up along it. As they did, Kat came in over the COM once again. "Recon Bravo, the sector ahead is dark to both ONI and SLDF electronic surveillance."

"The Covenant can block our instruments, and the SLDF's," Jun asked, surprised.

"So it would seem," Kat confirmed, "and Command want's to know what they're hiding."

As they moved up, Hoskins spotted a contact on his HUD. Stopping Six, he made a series of motions with his hands. Having trained in sign language, Six knew that the Elemental was warning him of a hostile up ahead. Moving up slightly, he peered around the ascending incline to see a single Elite Minor standing guard over the area. Down below, Hoskins could see more hostile contacts, probably a few Grunts or Jackals, he didn't know. "Elite," Jun said over the communicator. "He's your's. Do it quietly."

Nodding at that, Hoskins began to slowly move up, watching where he put his feet as he advanced. Then, once he was close enough, he pulled out his combat knife and, in a flash of movement, grabbed the Elite by the mandibles before sharply yanking it's head back, while driving his knife into the base of it's skull at the same time. The Elite didn't even make a sound as the hardened ferro-steel blade severed it's spinal cord, the alien's body going limp moments later.

"Not bad…" Jun commented as Hoskins dragged the body behind a small tree that was in the area, before dumping the body over the edge of the cliff. Moving down another short drop, he silently neutralized each of the Grunts. Six, who was behind him, watched carefully, curious as to how the Elemental would handle the situation. When he saw the skill that Hoskins had done the silent killing with, he nodded in approval.

Moving up, the duo quickly came to the edge of another embankment, this one allowing them to see what was up ahead. The area up ahead was what appeared to be a small complex that was under the Covenant's control, with the area being primarily used as a guard post. Some Elites were standing on the rooftops of some of the buildings, one of which appeared to be a house, while others were patrolling the ground area. Some Jackals were present along with a few Grunts, with the latter soundly asleep, unaware of the silent death and destruction that was about to be dropped on their heads. "Recon Bravo to Noble Two," Jun reported, "stand by for contact report."

"Roger, standing by," Kat replied.

"We have eyes on multiple hostiles patrolling a settlement. This what we're looking for Kat?"

"Negative, too small. You're not in the dark zone yet. Engage at your own discretion, but keep moving."

"Affirmative. You heard her, guys. We're going to drop them. Any ideas?"

"We need to eliminate the Covenant MILCOM Relay first," Ward decided, pointing at an elegant Covenant device that was in the center of the area, near what appeared to be a fuel tank. "Once we do that, we can keep the outpost from calling for help. Before that, however, those Elites need to be silenced. I count four with my scope. Hoskins, do you detect any more?"

"There is more in the larger structure up ahead. However, they are not keeping watch over their comrades. We can neutralize these without incident."

"Copy. Everyone, weapons ready. Fire on my mark." As soon as he said that, Six made sure his rifle was aimed and ready, while Hoskins, Ward and Jun did the same. "On my mark," Jun repeated. "Three, two, one, mark!" As soon as he said this, everyone on the team fired. Silenced rounds shot out of Six and Jun's rifles, while invisible beams of light from Ward and Hoskins cut through the air.

All four Elites that were visible dropped dead immediately, their bodies tumbling to the ground. The sound drew the Jackals attention, but before they could act, they too were terminated by the four man recon team. Satisfied, Jun and the others rendezvoused at ground level, before moving into the settlement. Pulling out his ER Laser Pistol, Ward fired a single beam into the Covenant MILCOM relay, neutralizing the outpost's sole means of calling for help. Once that was done, neutralizing the Grunts that were left was a simple task to accomplish.

"Well done," Jun smiled. "We killed the Covenant in this area, and their bosses are none the wiser. I almost feel sorry for them… almost."

"They chose this fate the moment they set their gun sights on Humanity," Hoskins growled. "I do not feel any sorrow for them." Ward shook his head slightly. Hoskins didn't usually have a sense of humor, and this was evidence of that."Either way, there are probably more Covenant up ahead. We will silence them as well."

"Confirmed," Ward replied, spotting sensor contacts on his HUD. "I have more Covenant on sensors in the area up ahead. They are currently unaware of our presence, but I do not expect that to last. They are probably using the same MILCOM relay that I just destroyed." Nodding at that, Jun and the others continued up ahead, moving silently in order to prevent the Covenant from detecting their presence. True enough, there were Covenant up ahead, with some Elites in a larger structure that was near a narrow rocky pass.

Since they hadn't been alerted to the deaths of their comrades, eliminating them was as almost as easy as killing the last group. As he terminated his Elite, Ward felt a wave of heat as a Jackal turned, spotting him in the act. It was about to scream for it's friends when a knife embedded itself into it's chest, with Hoskins grunting as he threw the knife. "Thanks."

"You are welcome," Hoskins nodded. "It is the least I can do for a fellow Warrior." As he said this, he noticed that Ward was frowning, just from his body language. Using a private MILCOM, he asked, "Are you OK?"

"I have been thinking a lot lately," Ward remarked, "about our current circumstances. I am wondering if we will be able to find a way home, if there is a way home that is. Do not get me wrong, I like this place, I just wonder if we are trapped here for good."

"You have been thinking about her lately?"

"Yes, I have."

When he heard that, Hoskins knew what Ward was talking about. Walking over, he placed a hand on Ward's shoulder and said, "I understand how you feel, sibko. You will be able to go home to her. I know it."

There was a moment of silence, then Ward said, "Thank you, sibko. I believe I needed to hear that."

"Again, it was the least I could do for a fellow Warrior of the Clan. If you have more trouble, let me know." He knew he could do the same with Ward. After all, something similar was going on in his life too.

Behind them, Jun nodded in understanding. Having been part of Noble Team for some time, he knew what it was like to have someone that had your back. "Good work people," he nodded. "Let's keep moving. I'm guessing there are more Covenant in the area up ahead." Nodding at that, the team began to advance forwards, moving through the rocky pass in single file.

As they did so, they began to hear a strange sound, like something was huffing and roaring. Coming to a stop, they checked the area around them to determine if they were about to be attacked. When no foes presented themselves, they moved forwards, intent on finding out what that strange sound was. They didn't have to wait long.

As soon as they exited the canyon, they found out what was going on. A single Phantom was in the air, along with some Covenant, but it was what was on the ground that had the team's attention. Two, massive animals, resembling semi-bipedal reptiles, were in the area, having been angered by the Covenant's presence. They were massive, probably as large as a Light 'Mech, with two arms that ended in sharp claws, elongated heads with horns, as well as forward facing eyes that were currently filled with rage. They were busy killing some Grunts and Jackals, the latter having disturbed them during their slumber, with the Covenant now paying the price for their insensitivity. "Wow," Jun remarked as the creatures went to work. "Look at that!"

"What are those things," Hoskins asked. "I have never seen creatures like them before." As he said this, the last of the Covenant had been killed by the creatures, with the larger one hurling an unfortunate Jackal into a rock wall, where it split apart like a rotten watermellon. At this point, the Phantom left, casting the place into darkness once more. "Oh, shit," he muttered as the creatures turned their attention on the team.

"Uh, oh," Jun growled. "Major enemy incoming!" As soon as he said that, the creatures charged, fully intent on beating the pulp out of the team. Fortunately, Jun and the others quickly reacted, firing their weapons. While the creatures proved resistant to the 14.5mm rounds, they were helpless against the infrared laser beams, which cut them down in seconds. As the creatures fell to the ground, dead, Jun asked, "Kat, pick any of that up?"

"Affirmative," Kat replied, her voice as cool and calm as ever. "It's an indigenous creature, called Gúita."

"Gúita, eh," Ward remarked, walking over to one of the dead creatures. "Well. They certainly are ugly." As he said this, he pulled out his knife and, with a swift motion, cut off the tip of one of the horns, before slipping it into an armored pocket. "A souvenir of my encounter with these things," he explained. Moving on, they traveled through another canyon, this one holding feathered, ostrich-like creatures called Moa, similar to the extinct Terran creatures of the same name. None of the creatures appeared to have encountered Humans before, as they paid little heed to the joint UNSC/SLDF team that passed through the area, with the Moa continuing to graze as they had done since time immemorial.

As the team moved through the area, Six heard a sound that was all too familiar to him: the percussive popping and banging sounds of discharging weapons. Jun, having heard it as well, said, "Gunfire. Magnums. Security sidearms, standard issue." When he said that, the team quickly picked up the pace, moving forwards until they exited the canyon.

When they exited the canyon, they found themselves at what appeared to be a small, pumping station that was present in the area, with large, hydraulic jacks that were located behind a series of buildings built on a nearby, artificial island. A shallow, but wide, stream separated the island from the mainland, and fed into a concrete structure underneath the island. A single bridge provided a lifeline to the outside world, with a small roof that was hanging over it.

Covenant forces were engaged by what appeared to be a small group of militiamen, each one firing their weapons. While their gunfire was inaccurate, they had scored kills of their own, as some Covenant were lying dead on the ground. As soon as he saw this, Jun said, "Noble Two, we're at some kind of pumping station. Got eyes on civilians. I'm thinking more local militia. They've engaged hostiles."

"Move to assist," Kat ordered. "They may have intel we need."

"Copy," Jun replied. He was about to issue orders when Hoskins and Ward, having heard the conversation, immediately charged forwards, weapons in hand as they moved to assist the militamen. Turning to Six, who stayed with him, he said, "You heard her. Follow those two and keep those civilians alive!"

"Affirmative," Six replied, before moving forwards as well. Holstering his SRS-99c, he pulled out the MA37 he had kept in reserve until this moment and advanced, firing short, controlled bursts as he did. Apparently, the Elementals knew that stealth was no longer an option, as he could now see ruby red pulses of light cutting through the air.

"Give us a hand," one of the militia troopers shouted. "Bastards just keep coming! We can't keep going like this!"

"Hold on, freeborn," Hoskins shouted. "We are coming to assist." As he said this, he used the myomers in his armor to propel himself up and into the air, landing on a rooftop that a Skirmisher had perched itself on. Surprised, the alien attempted to open fire, only for it's weapon to be slapped away by the Elemental. Driving his knife into the alien's chest, Hoskins remained silent as the alien began to scream, only for the knife to effortlessly cut through it's ribs as he yanked hard to the right, cutting it's left lung and heart in half.

Down on the ground, one of the militiamen was struggling to keep a Jackal off of him, with the alien pushing a crystal cutlass towards his throat. He was about to slip when the alien was torn off of him, courtesy of one disgruntled Ward. Without any warning, he hurled the alien towards a pair of Elites that were advancing, knocking them over like a pair of bowling pins. They would've gotten up, only for a grenade to come to a stop next to them.

Having scrambled into cover, the militiaman heard a loud BOOM, with the area shuddering slightly. Peering around the corner, he was surprised to see the severed arm of an Elite, with a small crater and body parts where the grenade had detonated. Realizing that the fight was over, he turned around and said, "Little more action than we're used to. You Spartans are good in a fight."

"What are you doing here," Jun asked. "Whole area's supposed to be evacuated."

"I know why," Hoskins reported, tossing a small briefcase at Jun's feet. As the case had been ripped open, he could see what appeared to be a stolen MA37 in the container. "They were returning for their goods. They are more than soldiers: they are smugglers."

When Jun looked at him, the militiaman's shoulders slumped before he said, "We didn't like leaving it to someone else to protect our home. So we came back for this. We have 'em hidden all over the valley." He motioned to the briefcase as he said this.

"You know this stuff is stolen?"

"What, are you going to arrest me?"

"No," Jun smirked. "Gonna steal it back."

"Hey," Ward shouted. "Less talking, more shooting. We have incoming contacts." As soon as he said this, a Phantom came into view, weapons bristling. "Looks like the Covenant knows that we are here, and they are angry. I am detecting nothing but Elites and Skirmishers in those Phantoms, and they are all armed with their equivalent of anti-Elemental weaponry."

"Copy that," Jun nodded. "Six, keep those militiamen alive. Ward, help him out. Hoskins, you're with me." With that, the team quickly got into their positions, weapons ready. As soon as they were in position, the Phantom opened it's Troop Bay doors, barely slowing down enough to allow the Elites and Skirmishers inside to get out before leaving. As soon as they landed, all hell broke loose.

Bullets and laser beams cut through the air as the joint UNSC/SLDF recon team fired, forgoing stealth in favor of neutralizing the enemy in the most efficient manner possible. Five of the ten Skirmishers that came out were dead before they could even fire a single shot, while the Elites were more fortunate thanks to their energy shielding. Most of the Elites were Majors and Ultras, and almost immediately threw themselves behind cover, having been made fully aware of the capabilities of SLDF small arms, at least when it came to laser weapons. Ward smiled, seeing this as a sign that the Covenant was afraid, or at the very least cautious, of the SLDF. Looking at Jun, he said, "I will flush them out. You terminate any that I render vulnerable."

"Got it," Jun replied, loading a new mag into his MA37, which he got from the briefcase from earlier. As soon as he said that, Ward immediately advanced, moving to the left since they were in the building closest to the bridge. Throwing a grenade, he programmed it to detonate explosively, while generating an EMP pulse at the same time; it was a difficult thing to perform with the grenades the SLDF used, but certainly capable for an experienced soldier like Ward.

As soon as the grenade landed, it detonated, fragmenting into pieces just after the EMP was deployed. Some Elites were killed by the blast, their shields failing just when they needed them, while others stumbled out of cover, the shockwave of the blast having disoriented and unbalanced them. Taking advantage of this, Jun promptly arranged for each one to meet their makers, courtesy of the bullets from his rifle. "Thanks," he shouted to Hoskins.

"You are welcome," came the reply. A moment later, he said, "Ah, surats! More incoming!" Shrugging his shoulders, Jun wanted for the rest of the Covenant reinforcements to arrive. This wave was similar to the first, but only consisted of Elites, while the last wave added a pair of Hunters. Spotting the Hunters, Six remembered that there was a Rocket Launcher in one of the buildings. Running out of the building, he snagged the Rocket Launcher and came back, just in time to punch the face of an Elite that had tried to get in while he was gone. While Ward dealt with the Elite, Six fired the Rocket Launcher twice, with each missile striking home. Both Hunters fell to the ground, dead in a matter of seconds. Within seconds, all of the hostiles were dead.

"Nothing here, but that big lake," Jun remarked.

"I know a way out of here," the militiaman he was talking to earlier suggested. "Road leads to a hydroelectric plant, but the gate doesn't work."

"Alternate route?"

"We use the riverbed to smuggle rations, weapons…"

"Basically anything the UNSC considers contraband."

"Basically."

"Show us." With that, the troopers proceeded over to an area of the locale that they hadn't paid attention too. True enough, there was a dry riverbed that led out of the area, and deeper into what Jun guessed was the dark zone. "There's the riverbed," he told the others. "Let's see where it goes." As they began to go down the riverbed, he asked the militiamen, "Where does the riverbed lead?"

"Straight to the hydro plant," was the reply. "We dammed this river up forty five years ago. Plant powers every settlement in the territory. Shame if it all gets wasted."

"Doing what we can," Jun reassured the man.

"Get down," Hoskins hissed. "Phantom incoming." As soon as he said that, everyone got down to the ground, using the brush to disguise themselves. Moments later, a Phantom flew overhead, it's spotlight shining into the lakebed. Fortunately, the brush was dense enough that the pilot didn't see them, as the VTOL continued flying overhead. "Alright. It is gone now. Let us move." With that, they proceeded into the area where the hydroelectric plant was located at.

The hydroelectric plant was a fairly small affair, but it was built right next to a rushing river that gushed throughout the area, providing enough white water to power every settlement in the territory. A series of buildings were nearby, most likely control rooms and maintenance sheds for the power plant itself. The Covenant had made itself at home, but that was not what drew the team's attention. Planted where vehicles would usually park was a massive pylon of some kind. It towered into the sky, roughly 5 meters taller than an Atlas IV BattleMech, with three legs supporting the entire structure. A platform was built under the top, which rotated clockwise, while sending out a pulse of energy every few seconds.

"What is that," Ward asked.

"I don't know," Jun replied. Keying his COM, he said, "Kat, are you seeing this? Covenant structure, kinda like a big pylon. Heavily fortified."

"That's the source of our dark zone," Kat nodded.

"OK… consider it gone."

"Negative, stick a remote charge onto it. Command's planning something big. They say that pylon ties it down."

"We gonna blow it," one of the militiamen asked.

"We're gonna clear the area, and I'm gonna plant a remote det charge. You want to provide some cover, go right ahead." With that, the team advanced into the area, weapons at the ready. It was the Elementals, once again, that took the initiative. Hoskins and Ward both fired their weapons, killing two of the three Grunts that were manning plasma turrets on the pylon's platform. While they did this, Jun, Six and the militiamen opened fire on the Covenant at ground level, killing a few and forcing the rest into cover.

Backing up a bit, Hoskins ran with enough speed that, when he jumped, he was able to clear the river, though he nearly slipped when he landed. A Skirmisher attempted to take advantage of this, only for Six to run over and kick the alien into the river, where it was swept into a sluice gate that closed a moment later. Purple colored blood tinted the water as the current rushed through the river. "Thank you," Hoskins said to Six as the Spartan III helped him up.

"No problem," Six replied. "Doing what needs to be done." Once Hoskins was back onto his feet, the duo began to advance, weapons at the ready, while Ward caught up with the others. It didn't take them long until all enemy hostiles were neutralized.

Once this was done, June headed to one of the legs. Checking his gear, he pulled out the device and began planing it. "All clear," he reported. "Guys, keep me covered. This is gonna take a minute."

"Alright," Six nodded. He was about to issue orders, but the militiamen had apparently read his mind, as they took cover behind anything solid enough to stop plasma bolts. Hoskins and Ward went up the gravity lift and took up position.

Curious, Ward decided to man one of the plasma turrets. "Not the best," he admitted, "but it is better than nothing. This will not stand up to much firepower, though."

"Same here," Hoskins agreed. There was a loud tearing noise before he walked over, Plasma Turret in his arms. "Ugh, this thing is heavy."

Just then, Jun said, "We've got targets coming in! Covenant dropship inbound!"

"Dropship," Hoskins asked. "Those are not dropships. Those are Troop Transports. Why do they call them dropships in the first place."

"That is a question I have asked myself many times," Ward said understandingly. Moments later, all conversation stopped when the Covenant arrived.

Plasma bolts, laser beams and bullets cut through the air as the defenders did what they could to keep Jun safe as he planted the det charge. "Watch out," Ward shouted. "I am detecting cloaked contacts!"

"SpecOps Elites," Six shouted. "Watch out for any shimmering!" As soon as he said this, he spotted one such shimmer, prompting him and the militiamen to open fire. Under the concentrated fire, the Elite's shields quickly failed, before the alien fell to the ground, dead. One tried to get at Jun, only to get crushed when Hoskins, upon spotting the alien, jumped down and used the weight of his armor as a weapon. Moments later, Hunters landed in the area, forcing the Elementals to concentrate fire onto the walking tanks. While well armored, they didn't last too long under the concentrated fire, as each one fell over dead within seconds of each other.

Apparently, they were just in time, as Jun said, "Recon Bravo to Noble Two, charge placed.

"Somewhere inconspicuous, I hope," Kat asked.

"Stuck it inside the pylon's power supply."

"Alright. Keep pushing into the dark zone. Command wants to know what the Covenant are hiding."

"There's a gate to the southeast of the hydro plant."

"Copy. Uploading security codes to you now." Moments later, when they reached the gate, the panel began to flash.

"OK, got 'em," Jun reported. "Unlocking the gate." Punching in the codes, he watched as the gate opened, leading to a dirt path that led deeper into the dark zone.

"Recon Bravo, you are heading into the dark zone now."

"Understood." With that, the team advanced into the dark zone. Spotting yet another Phantom, they took cover and waited for it to pass, before advancing forwards. As they did, they quickly came to another open area. This one held a pair of small embankments on the left, with a guardrail on the right side. More Covenant were present here as well, along with what appeared to be a turret.

"Shit," Ward growled. "Shade Turret. The briefings mentioned those."

"I've got this," Six replied. Taking out the Rocket Launcher, he loaded in the last preloaded tubes he had before firing the Launcher twice. The first missile quickly streaked towards the Shade Turret, blowing it apart with a single hit, while another hit an Elite Captain that was nearby. The alien spotted the incoming missile, but moved too slowly to dodge, with the Elite being blown into dozens of small pieces.

Just like that, the firefight began. This time, Jun and Six charged forwards, firing their weapons while the militiamen and Elementals provided covering fire. As they fought Jun spotted some Banshees flying overhead. "Lotta air traffic around here," he told the others as he gunned down an Elite. "I think we're getting warm."

"No shit," Hoskins snarled as he kicked a Grunt hard enough that he sent it flying about five meters away before shooting it. "The stravag are definitely around here." Looking up, he spotted what he realized was a Covenant WarShip in the air. "Noble Two, we have eyes on a Covenant WarShip."

"Solid copy," Kat replied as Hoskins killed a Jackal. "Don't stop now." For the next few minutes, everyone continued to terminate any Covenant that got too close to them and their position.

After a few minutes, the area fell silent as the last Covenant soldier was silenced permanently. "Yes, all clear," Jun reported. Spotting a cave at the cliff edge, he ran over before going prone, with Six, Hoskins and Ward doing the same. As soon as they came to the lip of the cliff, they spotted it: it was a massive Covenant landing zone. Off in the distance, they could see two Covenant WarShips, probably Corvette-class, that were hovering in the air. Two objects, which appeared to be spires, were present, and Jun could see a T-38 Tyrant AA Cannon. "Jackpot," he confirmed.

"Transmitting visual," Six added, hitting a button on his helmet to send the feed to Kat.

"Confirmed," she reported. "Receiving Noble Two and Noble Six's live visual feed of a Covenant strike force."

"That is not a strike force," Ward remarked. "That is an invading army."

"I agree," Jun nodded. "If we're gonna smother this thing, we have to hit them hard and fast."

"Agreed," Kat replied as the team began to leave. "All recon teams, disengage and fall back. Sun will be up in a few hours, and it's going to be a very busy day." As they left, there was one thing they all knew: things were about to get a lot messier.