AN: Sorry if the previous chapter was lacking a little in depth detail. I hope this is better. Thanks for all reviews thus far!

0903 Hours, February 3, 2525. Outskirts of the Front, Planet of Harvest. "The Battle of Harvest"

We had reached the Battalion CP without another attack. Sergeant McCollough's remaining men regrouped with us and we soon made it the unnamed base. The conditions seemed to ease as we neared the main battle' the blizzard that had formed was dying down, and small patches of sky (however dark it was) became apparent. When we made it inside the base, our eyes seemed to trail everywhere. It seemed as if the Covenant bombardment had gone off target from the main front, but nonetheless the damage was devastating. A hangar had been completely obliterated, the whole roof caved in.

"Jesus. Damn Covvies have some deadly aim," Jackson muttered, pointing at a few barracks which had large plasma burns embedded in them. The convoy split then; our half drove to the right, where a line of Pelicans lay in wait. I didn't like how we were going into this battle, especially since the Banshees and whatever else the Covenant had controlled the air. When everyone else started to jump out we did the same. The feeling of the ground underneath my feet eased the pressure on my ass blissfully.

The three of us made our way to the group of Marines gathering behind the Pelicans. We spotted McCollough who was receiving medical attention to a nasty gash underneath the eye. He nodded at us as we continued walking toward the huddle. As we neared, the sound of a familiar gruff voice "graced" our ears. Captain Aracen.

"..and they have sustained measurable casualties." Aracen stopped, perhaps taking a breath after his long speech. "Most of you are medics I believe? You are our secret weapon. You are our only hope to get to second platoon, and first if there's anything left of them, and bring them back. The big guns need to get intel from these wounded on our enemy, so patch them up as well as you can, bundle them onto a Warthog and haul ass.

"You will be sent in behind the first wave of Marines. They will soften up the ground so you can extract any living from the battlefield. You got that? Semper fi, you little bastards."

"Oorah!" We all chorused. Aracen's little lecture seemed to give everyone a morale boost. The large group broke off and jumped into the nearest Pelican. The first wave of Marines took up the first four Pelicans, just enough for the second wave along with us to scuttle in behind them.

Aracen beckoned for us to follow him into the main structure of the base. Inside, technicians could be seen all over the shop, ducking and diving into rooms as if we were playing tag. The captain made his way down the corridor and turned a sharp left into a fully metallic room. There, on dozens of racks, were our guns. Aracen paced faster so he could grab what seemed to be a new gun and show it to all of us.

"This here is BR-55 Battle Rifle, shipped here thanks to our good friend back on Earth. This killer fires a three round burst, just enough to weaken an enemy from a distance before shitting the Covvie up with your MA5B." Jackson let out a small laugh, as did others. I tried to join in, but Aracen spoke once more. "This is only a prototype, so expect upgrades in the future, if you can live that long. This will be your secondary weapon, with your M6D as your sidearm."

For another twenty minutes, Aracen went on about the newest upgrades to our weapons, introducing new ones and demonstrating how to use them. After that we headed back outside where the Pelicans had returned. Only this time with a few extras. The one which I presumed I would be going in had a gaping hole in its hull. Another had a wing blown off, and several technicians and mechanics were huddling round it. Judging by their battle scars this was goint to be even bumpier than the ride from Fort Abraham.

Inside the Pelican the atmosphere was as cold as the weather outside. I sat nearest to the opening of the hold, harsh winds battering the Pelican, making it rock slightly. Jackson sat opposite me, and Porfirio next to him. It looked like they were playing cards; each had cigars lit and straight faces. I smiled slightly, wishing I could join in, but for me I needed to focus. When I hit that ground I could be killed instantly, wiped from existence. As soon as I hit the ground I've got to find immediate cover and move, straight from the book.

As the dropship flew through another deep canyon, which Harvest had aplenty, the faint sounds of the battle had grew louder. The explosions came first, followed by the rifle fire.. then the screams. I clasped my hands tighter on my MA5B's grip, fearing what waited for us on the ground. Jackson and Porfirio stopped dead, hands poised for another round of poker, but the sounds from below made them concrete.

I saw a familiar face down the line; Lieutenant Walsh. I would've expected him to go in with the first wave, with his amazing combat skills which I had heard of in the mess halls many a time. I would finally get to see him in action, if I kept my head that long. The Pelican had stopped in the air and began losing altitude. All around me the sound of loading rifles and prayers went in sync with the cries of battle below. Walsh had walked up to the ramp, which was now above a battered platform.

"Second wave! Let's do this!" Walsh screamed before leaping off the ramp and into the battle. Everyone else followed suit, jumping into the snow as if it were a swimming pool. I remained sat down, but Jackson had spotted me and dragged me from my seat. Without stopping he launched me forward off the ramp.

Luckily I had regained my composure before hitting the snow. I landed on my two feet, leaning over a bit but standing straight when I had found my balance. Before me stood a hill composed of snow, debris and the odd body. Immediately the calls for a medic began, and I ran to the nearest voice. The man was prone behind a burning Warthog, with a small plasma burn on his arm.

"Thank God you're here Doc." I didn't know the man's name, so I simply nodded. He wasn't from my Pelican. This guy was either the first wave or second platoon. He took a vial of strong antiseptic and poured it on the wound. The Marine cursed but lead back, taking the pain like he was told to. "I'm Frost sir, Private Frost. I was part of the first wave but.. argh!" The antiseptic was getting to work. Now was time to get the bandage on.

I looked around, seeing a few familiar faces from the Pelican. I saw Porfirio, who had opened up some BR-55 fire on the hill. I looked at what he was firing at and stopped. The alien was tall, around seven feet with an energy shield wrapped around him, which seemed to weaken after each hit from the battle rifle. Soon the shield had wore out and the bullets met the Elite's body. Porfirio stopped to reload, which was a cue for another Marine out of view to finish the Elite of with his assault rifle.

I looked back at Frost, who had calmed down when the bandage was placed over the wound.

"Thanks Doc. Shit I forgot to tell you; Eltee has found a few stragglers from second platoon." Frost sat up, clasping his MA5B close to his chest. His light blue eyes seemed to shine with confidence as he got into a crouch, looking across at Porfirio. "Cover me Doc?"

I nodded. Shoving the bandages back into my pack I sat up against the Warthog wreckage. Tapping my helmet, I activated the COM, leaving it on Walsh's channel while I suppressed the enemy with a rounds of assault rifle fire. Frost got across to Porfirio without fire coming upon him. I looked across to find Frost, who saluted back and continued firing at the oncoming Covenant.

"Croft?"

I jumped slightly. The volume of the COM was a little louder than I expected. "Yessir. A Private Frost told me that you have found a survivors from second pl-"

I was interrupted by a large explosion from up front. For a split second I saw a green plasma slam behind the hill, but I was thrown down to the ground by the shockwave. The sound was multiplied over the COM. I waited anxiously, returned fire over the wreckage randomly, thinking I could hit something. Then Walsh spoke again.

"We did Croft. Not anymore though."