Chapter III

—Operation: RAIDER—

0256 Hours, October 5, 2550 (Military Calendar) \
Covenant Platform, 16 Cygni star system,
Operation: RAIDER.

'So far so good,' the Spartans of Saber Team debated.

Ten minutes had ticked off the mission timer since the team had successfully—and elusively—infiltrated the Covenant's Orbital Platform. For now, the Spartans wandered about the outer rings of central sector of the platform. From an external standpoint, the tube-like rings' smooth appearance was highly deceiving. The interior was overly complex, resembling that of an enlarged subway tunnel. A pair of wide trams occupied the middle of the floor—one moving forward, one moving backwards.

Covenant Huragoks, or Engineers, floated high and low, busying themselves with various tasks. There were hundreds of them, all going about their business as if nothing was wrong. In addition, Unggoy workers stood upon the elevated light trams, transporting crates of materials to and from the main body of the station. Jace and Alex were huddled in the shadows, just a hundred meters from their entry-point. For the most part, the Engineers had ignored the Spartans, not even showing a sliver of intimidation.

With Grunts visible now, the Spartans had to rely on stealth in order to make it through. If an alarm was sounded, Saber Team would be faced with thousands upon thousands of enemies. But there was a downside to keeping a low profile—it wasted copious amounts of time. By the time they'd actually reach the station's control room; their vessel would've made a full orbit around the planet, forcing the Spartans to stat an additional hour inside this abomination. They would have to quicken their advancements, and of that meant fighting through hordes of livid Covenant troops, then so be it.

Jace and Alex leaned out from the thick shadows, his eyes gravitating toward the distant mechanized door that traveled from the outer rings to the dwarf moon-sized station's center. It would be simple enough to ease past the non-combative Engineers. They were the only species in the Covenant that Jace pitied. It was the Grunts that concerned him. One glance at the Spartans and they'd shout to the heavens, raising the whole station to their presence. But the Headhunters were masters of stealth. They had to be, for Headhunters traveled in twos, not squads. Relying on pure teamwork was basic knowledge for all SPARTAN-IIIs, and was intensely instilled upon chosen Headhunters. Without it, the IIIs would even have come into existence.

As Jace centered the bulk of his attention on the Grunts, Alex searched for a route that decreased their chances of being caught. With the Grunts coming and going along the trams, making a straight shot across was eliminated. But there was a positive, though. The violet-colored trams of solidified light floated a meter off the ground, while leaving the underside clear for Engineers to travel under. Saber-Two smirked as he watched a pair of Engineers float carelessly under the light trams, going off to inspect malfunctioning technology.

She keyed her COM. "We use the Engineers, moving in sync with them until we reach the other side."

Jace winked his acknowledgement light green before adding, "We don't discharge our weapons, not unless we have to. Silencers only."

Just as he finished speaking, Alex twisted a silencer onto the barrel of her Battle Rifle; and Jace did the same for his weapon. The Spartans motioned to the edge of the shadow, waiting for a pair of Unggoy laborers to pass them. Once they did, lunged out their hands, snapping the necks of the Grunts before dragging their limp bodies into the shadows.

They crept out into the open, straightening their bodies behind a thick, alpine support beam. A single Engineer floated by, facing the Spartans as it passed. Alex went first, matching her pace with the carefree alien. A Grunt approached from her right. She exchanged positions, coming to the Engineer's left, then back to its right when the Grunt went by. When the Grunts had their backs turned to the unsuspecting Huragoks, Alex sprinted forward, running on the tips of her boots to reduce sound. She sped underneath the tram, but her advancements didn't go unnoticed.

Unknown to the Spartans, groups of Kig-Yar walked along catwalks that hugged the walls hundreds of feet high. Through the scope of its carbine, the sprinting being resembled nothing of a Sangheili warrior. The vulture-like alien had never set its keen eyes upon a Spartan, so this unknown creature below puzzled the lone Jackal. But the Jackal had been informed by its superiors that there had been human activity in the 16 Cygni system, and anything suspicious should be reported.

Down below, Alex reached the opposite side, taking cover behind stack, prism-shaped crates. Before Jace could even step from his concealed position, one of the mechanized doors parted open. The very opening of the heavy doors sent heavy vibrations through the Spartan's body. To his dismay, a squad of crimson-armored Elites rushed through the open doorway, plasma rifles aimed forward. Their movements worried Jace. They had moved into wedge formation, analyzing their surroundings before each. Saber-One swore under his breath—they knew someone was here. Their cover had been blown, and was no surprise that it had happened.

One of the Elites barked an order, sending three fellow Elites right and the remaining comrades left. At that moment, the doorway leading station's center began to slowly close. The Spartans needed to make it through before it closed, so Jace ignored his impulse to wait first, shoot second.

He raised Alex on the TEAMCOM. "We're blown. This hide and seek game is over!"

Jace sprung from cover, posting a NAV marker onto Alex's HUD that directed her to the open doorway. At first sight, an Unggoy shrieked, dropping the crate on its toes. The Elites turned their faces to the shriek, just before Jace opened up on them. Light reflected off of Saber-One's faceplate as the Sangheili's shields rippled. The six Elites beamed their concentration onto the lone Spartan, unleashing a hellish blaze of plasma bolts in his direction. In a blur, Jace dispatched a single Grunt, grabbed the crate it was holding, and held it against his shoulder. The plasma burned into the crate's exterior, its initial force nearly knocking the Spartan off balance.

Saber-One ditched the smoldering crate, eluding the incoming heated orbs of plasma as he fired back. The six Elites pursued him, firing aimless rounds as they unknowingly ignored the second Spartan hiding in the shadows. Once five of the six Elites went by, Alex grabbed the sixth Elite and wrestled it into the pocket of shadows. The alien tried to release a scream, but the female Spartan shoved her combat knife down the creature's throat. Saber-Two set the deceased alien down, took the deactivated energy sword from its hip, and raced after the remaining Elites. She took the hilt in her right hand, activating the sword. She came up behind the trailing Elites, drew back her hand, and drove ionized blades into the alien's back.

By the time the third Elite had turned to witness the fate of his fallen comrade, a bluish hue of charged energy was the last thing it saw. Alex hurdled over the falling Sangheili, throwing the energy sword into the second alien's chest. Outnumbered, the final Elite primed a pair of plasma grenades, throwing each one at the two Spartans. The blast from the grenades' simultaneous detonations drained the lone Elite of its shields, and the Spartans took advantage. Jace sprinted around the alien, pumping its unshielded head of heated lead. The Elite dropped, and the distant doorway was had nearly sealed up.

"It's closing!" Alex exclaimed, running speedily toward the closing door with Jace on her heels.

The cowardly Grunts scrambled out of the Spartan's path, while the Engineers merely floated higher to avoid them. Above, Kig-Yar snipers fired down upon the galloping super-soldiers, raining down streaks of accurate plasma blasts. Jace and Alex weaved through and around the Grunt workers, dodging the plasma as it came down. Luminous gore blossomed as stray rounds from the Kig-Yar snipers missed their targets and went straight into either the Engineers or the Grunts. Just barely three meters wide was the door's opening, and it closing fast.

Once in proximity, the Spartan pair slipped through the closing gap, moments before the heavy mechanized door slammed shut with a ground-breaking reverberation. Alex stumbled upright, attaining her stamina. Her comrade stood motionless, seeming as if had tunnel vision. The interior of one of the spokes was breathtaking and stomach-churning at the same time. A light bridge went down the spine of the elongated tunnel as luminous chevrons rushed down it. The sides of the bridge was guarded with barriers of light, while alien-like metal served as solid walkways alongside the light bridge.

Sangheili and Kig-Yar soldiers patrolled the walkways, weapons casually in hand. To the Spartans' dread Mgalekgolo beasts were peppered across the highway, lumbering together in twos. At first glance, the tunnel seemed to stretch for about two kilometers—a distance that appeared endless when armed enemies stood on both sides. The Spartans advanced forward a bit, obscuring their bodies behind one of the many generators used to power such a bridge.

It was apparent they would have to ride the light bridge, but at the escalator-like pace it was moving, they'd be simple targets. The barriers of light would provide decent cover, but if the Covenant began boarding the bridge, they'd have to fight them. Every light tram Saber Team had faced always supported a control panel that regulated the speed. If they could find it, then they could increase the speed to its maximum output. The speed, however, would heighted the risks. Covenant light bridges, when at full speed, could pull a few G-forces. It wouldn't matter how sophisticated the Spartans' armor was, at those speeds, a single impact of any sort would spell death; even unconsciousness was possible. But as long as the Spartan team remained aware of their surroundings, they'd reach the end within moments.

"When you locate the panel, contact me immediately," Jace informed over the private channel, easing his way from Alex's side.

The female Spartan curled her hand around Saber-One's forearm, gently jerking him back. "And where are you going?"

Jace peeled Alex's tight grip from his arm, returning it underneath his assault rifle. "Where I'm going will ensure that this'll work… at least for the moment."

Alex's forehead wrinkled; fortunate her faceplate obscured her face from her superior. "If I have to mark you KIA…" Saber-Two trailed off, subtly questioning Jace's frequent risk taking.

"You won't," Saber-One confidently replied.

Alex watched the South African Spartan scuttle to the opposite end of the light bridge, elusively spinning around behind the transparent barrier of light. When Jace was out of sight, Saber-Two maximized her faceplate zoom, peering down the right side of the walkway. There, just twenty meters from her position, a black-armored Sangheili stood over a bright station. It pecked a few keys with its long, boney fingers, allowing temporarily for the tram to stop, enabling a Grunt laborer to exit. Alex allowed herself to smirk as he simultaneously keyed her COM.

"Target aquired."

"Sit tight and wait for my signal," Saber-One whispered.

Saber-Two sighed over the COM, loud enough for Jace to hear her disdain. The female Spartan detested being left in the dark about anything, especially about her comrade's whereabouts. So as directed, Alex remained where she was, feeling useless as a member of the team. It was rare, but she often questioned whether or not Jace valued her as teammate. Was it because she was a woman, feeling as if sent alone she'd become a damsel in distress? Or maybe it was because Jace had more experience as a Headhunter and she didn't? Alex didn't know, and having such inclinations could damage the partnership. So the Spartan expelled the negative thoughts from her mind, concentrating solely on the signal that had yet to be… …

A series of explosion occurred on the left side of the light bridge like a synchronized bombing run. "Go!" Jace explained. "Head for the panel!"

Without hesitation, Saber-Two spun around the humming generator, firing a three-round burst into the first alien in her sight. She hurdled over the fallen Grunt she'd killed, sprinting forward to drive her forearm into the throat of a nearby Elite. The alien's shields sparkled, absorbing the powerful blow. It staggered back two feet as Alex drained the remaining life from the shields with lead. Vulnerable, Saber Two planted six rounds in the Elite's skull, shoved it to the floor, and glanced left.

Saber-One was fighting parallel to her position, taking advantage of the disoriented Covenant that scrambled before him. From what Alex could discern the bluish, static-like discharge that filled the air, Jace had rigged an assortment of plasma grenades to blow. 'Clever,' Alex supposed, 'but crude and risky.'One mistake would've damaged the tunnel itself, causing a collapse or worse. The female Spartan deadened her reservations concerning Jace's tactical strategies and pulled herself along the walkway. A plasma explosion caught Alex off-guard, launching her into the air. She landed onto the light bridge, coasting along at the snail-like pace.

The Spartan rose up, drawing her eyes to the accuser(s). A Hunter pair stormed toward her, their shields obscuring their orange weak points. Alex took her Battle Rifle in hand, leaped from the light bridge, and confronted the beasts. Once in range, the hulking aliens took a knee, warmed their cannons, then fired. Streams of emerald plasma roared toward Alex, bubbling the metal against the floor as it rolled for her. Saber-Two made a dash for the Hunters, sidestepping the twin ribbons of plasma, and tossed a frag grenade between the legs of one of the Hunters. The grenade exploded, rolling the blast over the exposed sections of the Hunters.

The Mgalekgolo duo grumbled in agony as orange blood pooled underneath them. Now weakened, Alex went in for the kill. She jumped high, spiraling her body like a seasoned gymnast. Behind them now, she took another grenade in her hand, pushing it deep into the wound of one of the beasts. Alex dove back, seconds prior to the frag's detonation. The explosion severed the alien's mid-section, splitting it in two. Blind with rage, the remaining Hunter spun around with impressive quickness, smacking Saber-Two across the face with its shield. The Spartan's helmet went soaring, landing eventually onto the bridge of light. Alex's ears rung from the hit, and her jaw felt as if it had been manually pulled apart by a sadist. Blood foamed in the corner of her mouth, steadily trickling down the sides.

Dazed, the Spartan's vision saw two of everything, and her hearing made every sound echo. Within moments she began coming to, snatching back her equilibrium. The Hunter, though, overshadowed her, charging its cannon at close-range. In the blink of an eye, Alex wrapped her hands around the cannon, directing it elsewhere as it fired. She climbed up the Hunter's body, drew her combat knife, and butchered the creature's neck. Gore washed over Saber-Two's hands and knife as she collapsed to the floor with the deceased Hunter. She rolled over onto her hands and knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her head throbbed, and the discharge of weaponry around her only made it pound harder. But she had to make it the control panel. Jace was banking on her to get the job done.

Alex sighed. A women's work was never done.

So the Spartan forced herself to stand. She returned her bloody combat knife back into its sheath and grabbed her rifle from the floor. The black-armored Sangheili trooper awaited her. It fired a dozen rounds from its plasma rifle, with the first trio impacting Alex in the mid-section and chest. An intense heat from the blasts made her face feel as if it was on fire. She spun left, emptying her Battle Rifle into the shields of the Elite. The alien took cover, swapping out its drained plasma rifle for a full one.

It waited for its shields to recharge before leaning out, but the demon was nowhere to be seen. The Elite stepped out from behind the secondary generator, aiming its weapon high. Suddenly, without warning, Alex dropped down onto the Elite, swatting its weapon away. The soldier pair collapsed to the floor together, each one scrambling to their respected weapons. Saber-Two reached out, latching onto the Elite's ankle. She pulled the alien away from its weapon, but the Elite Special Operations Officer wasn't about to lose to the Covenant's most hated foe.

In a surge of pure strength, the Sangheili warrior grabbed a handful of Alex's hair, curled its slender hand into a fist, and threw a vicious left hook. If it wasn't for Alex's reinforced bone structure, the punch would've shattered her cheek bone. The Elite stormed toward her, reaching for the energy sword's hilt on its waist. In a blur, Alex drew her M6D sidearm and fired a single, accurate round into the alien's hand. Its shields flared, and the hilt flew. Saber-Two exhausted the clip into the Elite's chest, depleting the energy shield. When the Sangheili tried to recover its fallen hilt, Alex propelled the empty sidearm, hitting the Elite across the face.

The stunned Elite hissed, just as the female Spartan tackled it. Saber-Two wrapped her hands around the creature's next, squeezing hard enough to break un-augmented bone. Gasping, the Elite clawed at the Spartan's arms. In a desperate attempt to stay alive, the alien wrapped its legs around Alex's waist and squeezed just as hard as the Spartan. The two had formed gripping ball, with neither one letting up. All of a sudden, the Elite's head exploded into a shower to blood, skull, and brain fragments. Its crushing grip around Saber-Two's waist subsided, and the decapitated body went limb. Alex groaned with an explosive sigh, staggering back from the Elite. She turned to her right. Jace stood a few meters away, lowering a seized Particle Beam Rifle. He hurried to Alex's side, placing his hand behind her neck.

"Look at me," he commanded.

Saber-Two met his focused stare.

"Are you alright, huh?" Saber-One added.

Alex tore away from Jace's glare, snatching her helmet that was in his hand. She adjusted it over her head as she stood under her own power. "I'm fine," Alex replied, her voice iced over. She examined her surroundings, admiring the carnage Jace had caused on the opposite side of the light bridge. Bodies of Covenant soldiers, including two Hunter pairs, were sprawled out along the walkway.

"They'll be sending more troops soon," Jace alerted, attaining Alex's divided attention. "We need to move, huh?"

Saber-One handed Saber-Two her Battle Rifle and headed to the panel. To his surprise, it had remained intact from the vicious firefight. Droplets of alien blood sprinkled across the screen from Jace's blood strained armor. A slender silver bar was displayed on the screen, having an orb near the far left of the bar. Alien numerals were position at the top-right corner of the screen. He fingered the touch screen, sliding the orb across the bar until it almost reached the end. The chevrons along the light bridge sped up dramatically.

Dead bodies that were laying on it were transported toward the end of the spoke to the orbital platforms central unit. The panel flashed red, informing the operator that the speed was excessive and needed to be slowed. Jace ignored it as he switched to his assault rifle. Alex came to his side, looking down at the bridge with curiosity.

"How fast?"

Using his HUD, Saber-Two ascertained the speed—270 KPH, the equivalent to 167.8 MPH.

"On three?" Jace inquired of Saber-Two.

Alex reloaded her Battle Rifle and burned her acknowledgment light green.

"Three."

And the Spartans jumped.