A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys who care enough to send them. For those of you who just read and move on, REVIEW! That's why it's called R&R! But if you really don't want to, that's cool, I guess. Chaptah Twelve!

Zeyann: Thanks, I plan to

Mentally Impaired: Yeah, I overlooked that part when I was thinking about it, but it's just a small error, isn't it?

Veno: Well, he is the group leader and he's proven himself in combat. Later on it'll explain how much he's gone through.

Crimson Thesis: Eh, Word Spellcheck didn't catch them, so obviously neither did I.

Chapter 12

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we make a movie-worthy escape by running like hell. Now get the lead out and move!" I yelled. I was on point in case any stragglers didn't make it to the bridge and wanted to get killed. As I ran into a room I saw a Brute out of the corner of my eye. It raised its Brute Shot to shoot at me, but the Arbiter came in and slashed him. I thought he missed, but then I saw a red line of blood form across the side of the Brute's head. When the Brute hit the ground, the top half of its head fell off. It was then that my squad caught up to me.

"Oh, shit that's nasty," Davis said as she stared, mesmerized. We then continued running, but I stopped when I got a radio message.

"Sir, I have contact with the enemy. Requesting assist… Agh," the pilot said. I knew that if they had only wounded him he'd be dead in seconds. "I'm hit but I can still fight, just hurry up, sir."

"Acknowledged. Close the ship doors and wait for us," I replied as I began running again.

"I just did that, sir. Now if I can just get the med kit I should be ok. Ah, here it is. It hurts but I'm stable, sir. Those bastards are all yours now."

"Just the way I like it," Nicholson said. I turned around and glared at him. "Sorry, sir, but it's an open channel." As we got to the hangar doors I waited for a bit. I put my rocket launcher in my right hand and my pistol in my left and told Brad to come with me. I timed our entrance with an explosion to avoid detection. There were two Brutes and five Jackals assaulting our boarding ship. Brad snuck up to a Brute and said,

"Hey, bitch," and the Brute turned around to greet a shotgun barrel in its mouth. Cummins pumped the shotgun, putting a fresh shell in the chamber. "Eat this," he said as he fired. There was little left of the Brute's head, but the noise got the others' attention. I fired a rocket at the remaining Brute and shot a nearby Jackal in the head. Before the others could bring their shields up my team had mowed them down.

"The area's clear, pilot. You can open the doors now," I radioed. As soon as I said that the doors opened and my squad hopped on.

"Lieutenant, I am activating one of the ship's bombs so that our ships don't have to waste any more ammo," the Arbiter radioed.

"By bombs, do you mean the MAC busters?" I asked. "And did you say ONE of the bombs?"

"I see your Colonel didn't exaggerate your intelligence. Yes, that's what I said."

"Oh, very funny. We're fixing to leave, so go ahead. Over and out." I boarded the ship to be greeted by Brenda.

"Sir, I don't think the pilot's in good enough condition to fly the ship," she stated.

"I could have told you that. Let him rest, because he has to be in serious pain. I'll fly us out of here, so don't worry."

"Are you sure you know how to, sir?"

"I've gone from Private to Captain in fifteen years and I've done everything under the sun in the military, so I'm pretty sure that I can pilot this bucket of bolts. Everyone, strap in because I haven't flown sober in years." A moment of silence came over my squad. "Don't worry, I'm a good pilot." I began flying the ship and it was a smooth ride until the bottom of the ship scraped the exit hole. "Dammit, I knew I forgot something. Stupid landing gear." We had flown a few seconds when a big explosion went off behind us that rocked the ship a little. "That wasn't me. That was the cruiser blowing up. Sit back down." Once we docked with the Concrescence I landed the ship on the floor. "I need a medic to the hangar on the double." As I was walking out a mechanic came up to me.

"Sir, do you have any idea how much time it'll take to repair the landing gear?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, Marine. Is that bitching I hear?" I replied. He remained silent. "I didn't think so. It's your job to fix these things, so fix it." I heard Colonel call for me on my radio. "I'm here, sir. Go ahead."

"Good work on destroying the cruiser, Henson. As usual, the Concrescence took minimal damage. Get your squad to the briefing room after they've rested and eaten, and bring Johnson and Keyes as well. I feel that your squad deserves to know what I'm going to tell you since the five of you are inseparable. There's no rush, so take your time cleaning up."

"Will do, sir." I called my squad to attention. "Good work on the cruiser, Marines. As usual, you've performed to my expectations. It is currently…" I glanced at my watch," 1853 hours. At 2120 hours, report to the briefing room. What you do in between then is entirely up to you. One rule: if you don't do anything I wouldn't do, I'll take responsibility for your actions."

"So, basically, we can do anything short of attacking other Marines?" Davis asked. The squad broke out in laughter, as did I.

"That's right. You can spray Silly String all over the mess hall for all I care. I'm headed for the Firing Range. Dismissed." They ran off like kids in a candy shop, but I couldn't blame them. They had been to Hell and back in only a few hours.