Chapter 18

1100 hours, January 24, 2552 (Military Calendar)

Exiting Slipspace/ Covenant Fleet In orbit over Installation 05/ Onboard The Sparta

"What the hell is that?" Captain Corbec muttered as The Sparta passed straight over the giant ring. He could see lush rolling hills, spiky mountains, and a large body of water, it was amazing.

"Sir! Our sensors are picking up signals! Of a… a… a Covenant fleet sir! You've got to see this." A Lieutenant LeRiche reported. In front of Captain Corbec, the bridge's view screen showed the largest Covenant fleet ever recorded in human history. But it was rather strange, the ships were opening fire on each other. Two carriers were firing pulse lasers at each other, slowly desinigrating each other's shields.

Corbec gazed at the battle scene when another member of the bridge crew, Lieutenant Miller, said, "Sir! See that large Covenant ship in the middle of the Covenant fleet?" He asked. The Captain looked at the structure and wondered how in the hell could that be a ship?

"Yes I see it, what about it?" The Captain replied.

"I'm detecting UNSC signals from inside it, there are marines in there."

"Flank speed to that… thing. Nieger!"

"Yes sir?" Nieger replied.

"Open all archer missile pods and charge up our two MAC guns, triple rounds if you please."

"Aye sir."

"O.K. We're about to enter the Covenant fleet in five, four, three, two, one… we're in! It's gonna get rough…" The Sparta's archer missile pods opened and over 500 homing missiles streaked into space. One unshielded Covenant Destroyer took the majority of the missiles on its portside. An engine exploded and the burning hulk of the Destroyer crashed into a Covenant Carrier, both ships tumbled into space.

"Fire MAC guns on my mark!" Corbec shouted. Another Covenant Destroyer loomed into view.

"FIRE!"

The MAC guns erupted and a total of six super-dense ferric tungsten bolts flew towards the Destroyer. The first two shots impacted on its shield, completely disabling them, the second pair of shots hammered straight through its stern, the last two bolts slammed straight in the middle. Soon the mangled Covenant Destroyer shuddered and exploded… totally covering three other ships in white hot flames.

"Sir! Closing in on the large structure."

"Good! Nieger, charge up our MAC guns and prepare to punch a hole inside that thing."

"Uh, sir? Something is coming out of that structure." The Captain looked at the view screen and saw a large triangular like ship erupting from the Covenant structure. It was easily the largest ship any human being had ever seen. It flew straight through the battle and jumped into slipspace.

"Hurry! Get inside that opening!" Corbec shouted. The large hole that had opened up so the large ship could get through was slowly closing up.

"Hold on..." LeRiche muttered. His voice was thick with concentration. The Sparta's engines flared and the human Destroyer rapidly closed in on the opening.

"Sir! Covenant Seraph fighters on our tail!" Lieutenant Miller yelled.

"Ignore them." Captain Corbec replied. The seraphs opened fire on The Sparta's engines.

"Release our single ships!"

"All fighter pilots please man a Longsword interceptor." Nieger said over the ship's speakers. Ten of the twenty Longswords flew out of The Sparta's hangar and started to engage the enemy. The ten human singleships opened fire with their 70mm rotary cannons and the seven Seraph fighter shields started to slowly fade. However, the Seraph fighters returned fire. Plasma missiles impacted the archer missiles. Blue and red explosions filled the area.

"I don't think we're gonna make it!" Nieger screamed. They made it. The Sparta slipped through the closing hole and hovered above the Covenant city.

"Phew! Okay… so, where are the signals originating from?" Captain Corbec said shakily.

"At the north side of the city. Right… there!" Lieutenant Miller replied. The Sparta came up on a large landing platform. Next to it, however, was a human ship.

"In Amber Clad…" The Captain whispered.

1100 hours, January 24, 2552 (Military Calendar)

Inside In Amber Clad/ Hangar bay

Andrew carried Monica out of the Phantom and laid her on one of the empty weapons tables. She was still alive, her vital monitors showed that, but if they didn't get her to a medic soon, she would perish.

"Whoa, Andrew, what the hell happened to you?" Kyle asked. Andrew looked down and saw that his MJOLNIR armor was slicked with blood. The multicolored Covenant blood, the olive drab color of the Flood's blood, and some of his own. But of course, almost every other spartan's armor had blood on it.

"Ambush, rather long story." Andrew muttered as he grabbed a medpac. Andrew took out a canister of biofoam from the medpac and filled Monica's wounds up. After taping the wounds, most of the bleeding stopped. He then did the same with his leg.

"So, where can we go now?" Andrew asked.

"We could steal a Covenant ship." Philip suggested.

"I don't think we're up to that." Andrew replied thinking about the sheer number of Covenant on a single Cruiser. He looked at Monica's prone form and tried to think of a way to get them all back to a human controlled area.

Suddenly, Andrew's COM opened. "Any UNSC personnel please respond. This is Captain Corbec of the UNSC corps. Anyone read me?"

The group of spartans looked at one another.

"Seems like your girlfriend will survive after all." Bastila smirked, obviously, relieved.

After the last of the seven pelicans and eight Longsword fighters landed in The Sparta's hangar, The Sparta flew off, away from the accursed In Amber Clad, punched a hole into High Charity's wall, and flew off. The two remaining Longswords that had been sent to fend off the Seraphs had concealed themselves in a Covenant Cruiser's wreckage, and were now landing in The Sparta's hangar bay. Andrew, Monica, and the many wounded humans had been sent off to the medical bay where they had to stay for at least a week before they could fight again.

After making several adjustments, The Sparta entered slipspace and headed towards the Sol system…Earth. Kyle, who was Andrew's second in command, was to take control of the team while Andrew recovered from his injuries. That meant Kyle would lead the next mission, the Captain had already informed them that a base, Alpha base, was under attack. The Spartans were to be dropped off with plenty of reinforcements and defend the base with the best of their abilities. But right now, the soldiers were having a couple of hours of R&R.

The team's armor had been sent to The Sparta's armory, where technicians were currently repairing the team's battered armor. Many of the MJOLNIR battle suits had to replaced, others, had areas that were severely damaged, so severe that the technicians would have to remove that part. Others, just had minor breaches, busted compartments, overheated shield generators, and total power failure.

Meanwhile, the remaining 64 Spartans, not counting the wounded, were lounging around the mess, the rec room and the sleeping chambers.

Kyle, Cameron, Cody, Philip, and Smith were sitting at a table playing a game of cards. Evan, however, had been sent to the medical bay because of a serious case of alcohol poisoning. He would've been discharged from the navy, but the UNSC needed every man or women they could get. He was, however, demoted again to Private, third class.

"Feels good to relax after a day in hell." Kyle murmured.

"Yeah… good." Cody agreed.

"Attention to all Spartans, your armor repair process is now complete. Please head over to the armory to pick up your armor. Five minutes till we exit slipspace. All ODSTs and designated Spartansplease get in positions, good luck. Corbec out." The Captain said over the COM.

"Let's go!" Kyle grinned. The Spartans then walked towards the armory.

1200 hours, January 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)

Inside The Sparta/ Command bridge

"Attention to all Spartans, your armor repair process is now complete. Please head over to the armory to pick up your armor. Five minutes till we exit slipspace. All ODSTs and designated Spartans please get in positions, good luck. Corbec out." Captain Corbec said over the COM. From what he heard over the transmission that came from Alpha base, things were not going so well.

Captain Corbec was to drop an army of, oh say, 100 ODSTs joined with ten spartans in the outlying area around the base. Then, he'd fill up six Pelicans with as many Spartans and marines as he could. From there, they would land in Alpha base and protect it till reinforcements arrived from the battle cluster.

"Sir! Exiting slipspace in five, four three, two, one…" The Sparta exited slipspace and entered the Sol system.

"All ODSTs and Spartans in position?" Corbec asked. The one hundred ODST signals and the ten Spartan signals flashed green… they were ready to go.

"Good luck people." One hundred and ten drop pods were released from The Sparta and entered Earths atmosphere. Soon, the drop pods were dots in the distance.

"Okay, all Spartans and marines please enter the Pelican dropships and get ready for takeoff." Captain Corbec ordered. Soon, just as well, the Pelican dropships were dots in the distance…