Chapter 5: Reunion

The screams from the Covenant outside were full of impotent rage. Showpire descended to level ground and clicked his night vision to counter the darkness within.

"Showpire? I don't believe it." The squad leader's voice was full of shock as he lowered his fire arm and beckoned the out of breath ODST over to his location.

Showpire tried to sound confidant and cheeky but he was so tired it came out as a plea. "Reporting… for duty… sir." He removed the full duffle bag from his shoulder and dumped it at his feet. "I thought you might… need this sir." Showpire slumped into the nearest cover as Master Sergeant Grover checked the mystery bag that had just been delivered and Private Obi emerged from the shadows his weapon still trained on the entrance in case any aliens decided to follow Showpire down.

"Hey brother. I thought you were dead."

Showpire smiled under his helmet before remembering the ODST message posted to the cities computer. His smile faded and he asked the inevitable question. "I'm not. But who is?"

Showpire could tell that Obi grimaced as he hesitated to answer. Grover answered instead as he picked up and shouldered the duffle bag. "Private Tetson was KIA shortly after the drop and Corporal Goldwin died just a few hundred metres away when the outer defences to this building failed." He walked over to Private Shamal tapped him on the shoulder and in the exact same emotionless tone of voice informed him. "Obi. Ammo."

Obi accepted the ammo gratefully and Grover continued with his short debrief. "Private Pyandao has been MIA since the drop. We found his pod in good condition but he was nowhere to be seen and no radio contact was made before we were forced into this place. Our comm's have been useless ever since. Speaking of radio contact…"

His breath finally calmed down Private Calum Showpire gave the briefest statement possible of his actions since the drop. During which he handed his helmet, camera outside activated as onscreen display, to Obi saying only "Trust me." The ODST's switched helmets and as Showpire continued his explanation Obi laughed a vocalised a soft "Very nice."

"Excellent work trooper!" Squad leader exclaimed without emotion at the end of Showpire's tale and then he shouted out to someone in the darkness. Two civilians jogged out of the dark and stood before the leader at attention. The squad leader gave them the ammo bag and told them to distribute it wisely.

"How many civvies have we got here?"

"Almost two hundred souls. They have taken to the underground of the ONI building for shelter, in case we fail to hold this entrance." The squad leader sounded like he could be describing a gardening program. Given all that he had endured on this drop Showpire had expected some emotion to show, but he also knew that everybody coped with these things in their own way. He disregarded these thoughts and moved on.

"Any of them armed?"

"We have eight armed PDF members. But they are only carrying low level side arms and UNSC assault rifles. I've got four helping to hold this level and a pitiful secondary defence line on the next level down. Until you got here we were down to about forty rounds shared." Showpire had a quick scan of his location and spotted the PDF troops crouched in pairs at the very rear of the complex.

Obi interrupted the silence, his tone was clearly troubled "Sir. Covenant reinforcements have just been dropped in."

"What do we have now Private?"

"Two Covenant drop ships Sir. There's another Wraith just been dropped with a lot of ground troops and their being led by the biggest Elite I've ever seen. It's huge, armoured to the teeth and carrying an energy sword... and it looks like they're preparing to come in."

"Ok Showpire breaks over. Cram this energy bar, put a helmet back on and take position. I'll put the PDF's back at their posts. Obi let us know when the alien scum make their move."

After so much solitary time Showpire felt comforted by being back with his unit. Obi was cool headed even in the hottest of situations and it didn't hurt that he was a superb shot. Everyone back on The Lady Justice would talk about how and why he was still a private. The most popular theory going is that high command had been holding him down at private for more ground experience before a big bump up the ranks. The Sergeant was the most experienced ODST Showpire had ever heard of, let alone met. He had led more than fifty known drops and it was rumoured that he served on Reach before its fall. But he always refused to talk about missions unless you had been there. Showpire briefly wondered at the fate of the missing member of the team. Private Li Pyandao had been assigned to the 677th only weeks before and he was notoriously quiet amongst his peers. He ran the training missions with the rest of the squad and disappeared from all forms of interaction afterwards. He tried to think of any normal conversation he had with Li but nothing came to mind. Then Showpire's reminiscing came to an abrupt halt when he remembered the immanent incursion.