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Chapter 3: Boarding the Truth and Reconciliation. PART 1

Johnson checked the safety on his rifle and double checked it to be safe. The Chief was sitting opposite him onboard the Pelican and Johnson knew that this was going to be a good mission.

"The enemy has captured Captain Keyes, and are holding him aboard one of their CCS-class cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation. The ship is currently holding position approximately three hundred meters above the other end of this plateau." Cortana chirped over the radio as Foehammer glided their Pelican to a halt nearby a Covenant stronghold

"So how do we get inside the ship if it's in the air? The Corps issued me a rifle, not wings." Jenkins joked as he put a new cartridge into his rifle, ready for action.

"There's a Gravity Lift that ferries troops and supplies between the ship and the surface. That's our ticket in." Johnson stated as he lit one of his patented Cigars and stuck it between his lips. Many of his marines were getting edgy, no non-spartan had ever infiltrated a Covenant CCS cruiser, or lived to tell the tale. For some reason the Chief nodded to himself Foehammer stopped the Pelican and The Chief jumped out

"Hit it Marines, go go go! The Corps ain't payin' us by the hour!" Johnson barked as he disembarked from the Pelican and got ready for some action

"Get ready to move in to support us, Sergeant. The Master Chief is going to covertly take out as many of the Covenant as he can. Don't open fire until you hear the enemy return fire on us. That should let us keep the element of surprise." Cortana said as they got into position. Johnson nodded, he hated sneaking and stealth but he knew as a sniper it had it's uses. after a few shots and one almost-miss a marine fainted but was quickly wwoken up by his teammates. Suddenly one of the Master Chief's bullets missed and the Marines found themselves in an all-out fight for their lives

"Let 'em have it!" Johnson shouted as the Marines chucked some grenades at the approaching Covenant and fired Assault Rifles two Elites went down, closely followed by a Marine who fell off the edge of the clif to Oblivion. After some hours of fighting the Marines started laughing and firing at the corpses of the fallen Covenant a couple said some one-liners like "Get up so I can kill ya again!"

"Hey, we did it! Right behind ya, Chief!" Jenkins said sounding astonished at his own voice, or rather the words coming out of it.

"We're ready to advance as soon as you call for us, Cortana." Johnson said as he lit up another Cigar, having lost his last one in the heat of battle.

"We'll hang back while you get into position, Chief." Mendoza said to the rest of the teams nods. it seemed like hours later that Cortana called. A few Marines had managed to rip off parts of Covenant armour for souveniers for relatives back home.

"Cortana to Fire Team Charlie. The Chief has the left flank secure. Get ready to move up the middle." The message finally came and all of the Marines got ready. Several had ceased their previous laughing and jokeing as they had some serious work to do.

"Roger that." Johnson said as he prepped his assault rifle.

Then a hail of plasma fire hit from the remaining shades fireing at the surviving Marines and forcing them to take shelter behind as many rocks as possible one Elite grabbed a Marine by his throat and threw him across into the other side wall a few more Marines were hit by Plasma from the rest of the Elites but those who could continued fighting Johnson picked a Grenade of a Marines corpse and threw it into the fray killing five more grunts a Marine had his face burnt off from the return fire of Plasma and screamed until he fell. One Marine got hit by a Plasma Grenade and ran to his friend and asking him desperately to get it off his back The Explosion sent both Marines flying. Two Covenant dropships flew down and dropped off a few more Covenant most of which The Chief killed before they even jumped out of their ship and the rest were slaughtered as they tried to hide from his onslaught.