Master Chief's POV.
He, the ODST and what remained of his marines had finished clearing a pathway to the maproom.
Chief and the ODST moved up to the map room door.
"Lets go!" A marine would yell as he ran past the two and out the door.
He'd run back inside, falling to the ground with five spikes in his back and neck.
"Ouch." The ODST would say. The ODST would walk up the door, taking out two frags and cooking them.
He opened the door, chucking the frags out and blowing two brutes and three grunts to bits, afterwards he ran out, spraying the last brute untill it died, and then a bit more after.
Chief would walk through the door behind him, putting his sniper and assault rifle on his back.
"I'll get the door." The ODST would say, moving to the door as arbiter walked out.
"The Cartographer" 343 would say, floating out. "Come, it awaits your approval.".
Chief would walk up to the panel. He would place his hand on it, activating a map of the milky way.
"Thats.. Our galaxy" Chief would say. "We're beyond the rim.".
"Two to the eighteenth lightyears from the galactic center, to be precise." 343 Would reply.
343 would pull up a map of the ark.
"What is this place?" Chief would ask.
"The ark." 343 Would reply again.
"This is the ark?"
"I'd always assumed it was part of a shield installation, but it seems I was mistaken."
"Thats a first." Chief would add, being a smartass.
343 would turn around.
"Not at all, while I had a complete understanding of installion 04, my makers wisely limited my knowledge of all other strategic facilities." He'd reply.
"Compartmentalization - in case I was ever captured by the Flood"
"Can you tell me where we are, exactly?" Chief would ask.
"Here!" 343 would say, bringing up an image of the cartographer on the map.
"And truth?"
"Near one of the Ark's superluminal communication arrays, I'm afraid. Unfortunate; the Meddler has triggered a barrier; a defensive perimeter around the Ark's core." 343 Says.
Two banshees and a phantom can be seen in the distance, arbiter would look at chief while 343 would continue to float along.
"The barrier will be difficult to disable... how odd that my makers would place such a comprehensive defense around a single - Oh my." He'd be cut off.
"What is it?" Chief asks.
His reply would not come as the phantom arrives, shooting at chief and 343.
"Spark, Move!" Chief would yell.
Arbiter would fire at the ship with his carbine.
"We must get past that barrier! Or the Meddler will destroy it all!" 343 exclaims.
The comms would crackle.
"Chief, you got a whole mess of hostile air inbound. Get back inside while we take 'em out." Johnson says.
The ODST would run beside the arbiter, firing all he had at the phantom, doing nothing.
A banshee appears, firing at the ODST and arbiter. Arbiter would highjack the banshee.
"I will help your Sergeant clear the sky." He'd say, flying off.
The phantom would retreat.
Private Dubbo would walk over.
"Sir, Pelicans are gonna land...one level down!" He'd say.
Chief and the ODST ran through the hallway into the room they had just cleared, engaging what forces were left.
They were joined by a lone female marine and private dubo, able to clear the room, they'd move to the stairs, heading down.
They would walk out where a lone brute chieftan could be seen on the ground below through a window.
"The pack will feast on you!" It'd yell, running out as the outlines of cloaked spec-ops brutes could be seen. The chief would run through the top level, engaging and destroying the spec ops brutes, as the ODST went down below, filling the room with grenades he had collected in the fight.
Groups of jackals run in with shields, firing plasma pistols, which dont do much, and they are easily killed by the ODST.
Chief, dubbo and the female marine would join the ODST at the next door.
The ODST would pick up a cloaking device from the ground, and they would move to the next room.
Through a window, the chieftan, surrounded by jet pack brutes, could be seen.
Chief would jump down, hearing the prophet of truth ordering the chieftan to face chief alone or be abandonned.
Chief ran up to the chieftan, firing his assault rifle at it.
The chieftan would swing his hammer at chief, sending him flying backwards.
Chief ran forwards as the chieftan swung his hammer once again, this time chief caught it by its pole, ripping it from the chieftan's grip.
He'd slam the blade into the chieftan's skull, killing him almost instantly.
The jet pack brutes would turn to chief, ready to shoot.
Chief would run towards two of them, slamming them with the hammer as the brutes opened fire.
The ODST would uncloak, taking out two brutes.
Chief would slam a plasma grenade onto a brute's face, blowing his brains up.
Chief and the ODST would be joined by dubbo as they cleared out the last elites, the female marine shooting from a distance.
"You cleared them a bit too fast sir!" Dubbo would chuckle, "Pelicans are about two minutes out." A banshee could be seen approaching the landing pad.
Dubbo and the ODST would open fire, chief not incase it was the arbiter, returning.
The banshee would quickly lose alot of its armor, begining to emit purple flames.
The banshee slammed into the ground, and a black figure emerging.
"Hold fire, its not covenant." Chief would say. He'd approach slowly.
The hooded figure would be human, seemingly carrying no weapons.
Luke would sense the chief and his allies as a threat, using the force to throw the chief backwards.
"Private, go, we've got this." The ODST would say, motioning for the private to get the hell out.
"Aye" Dubbo would say, running off.
Chief ignited his saber, running towards the ODST.
The ODST stood still, waiting for luke to approach.
Once luke was in the killzone, the ODST would kick him in the stomach. The ODST would grab the lightsaber off luke while he was temporarily disabled.
"What are you? A schoolgirl?!" Dubbo would yell from a distance.
Luke would use the force to retreive the saber, kicking the ODST onto the ground.
Chief would spray at luke, luke noticing before being hit, and force sprinting to the side.
Chief would take out the gravity hammer, running at luke. "A primitive weapon? You must be out of your mind!" Luke would say, charging at chief.
"Out of your league, you mean" The ODST would say, getting up.
Chief slams the hammer onto the ground, sending luke flying backwards.
Luke would get up, grabbing chief with the force and pulling him closer.
He'd put his saber to chief's throat, ready to kill.
The ODST would walk over, firing at luke with his magnum.
A shot would hit luke in the side of the chest, the bullet getting stuck.
"Hah! Try me on for size!" The ODST would yell at luke.
Luke would force pull the ODST to him, slashing the saber in mid air, the tip cutting the ODST's chest in a big slash.
The ODST would be thrown to the ground mid-air, bleeding intensley, however, luke shared the same from the bullet wound.
Chief would be dropped by luke as he fell to the ground.
Chief walked over to luke, and would hit the butt of his rifle into luke's temple, knocking him out.
The ODST would get up, holding his chest.
The pelicans would arrive.
"Your late." Chief would say to johnson as he walked towards them.
Suddenly, sentinels began raising, looking at the pelicans.
Chief aimed. "Commander".
"Johnson, look sharp" Keyes would say.
The pelican turns so that their machineguns were facing the sentinels.
"No, dont shoot" 343 Would quickly snap. "They mean us no harm."
"Those units have a priority task" He'd add.
"Oh really? What might that be?" Johnson would say.
"I really cant say, if you allow me to find a terminal closer to the core-" He'd be cut off.
"No, Oracle. We must keep the Prophet of Truth firmly in our sights." Arbiter would say over the comms.
"But what about your construct? Her solution to the Flood? With more data, I-" He was cut off again.
"The Arbiter's right. We have priorities too. Until we kill Truth, stop the Rings from firing..." Keyes would say "...nothing else matters.".
The pelicans would land aboard the Shadow of Intent after a brief flight.
A medical officer would finish his assesment of the ODST's wounds.
"Seems like the cut didn't go deep at all, more like a graze. We'll need to patch up the major areas though." He'd say. "You should be ready for combat in about.."
"Now." He'd finish.
"That quick?" The ODST would say, getting up.
"Yeah, your mobility may be a bit hindered, but your fit for combat. Besides, we need everyone we can get out there." He'd reply.
"Alright." The ODST says, walking towards a pelican.
Meanwhile..
Red team's pelican would land in the shadow of intent to form up with the attack group.
They'd exit the pelican, walking towards Miranda Keyes.
"Ma'am." Jerome would start, but is cut off.
"Commander, we've identified landing sites near the citadel." He'd say, handing a datapad to keyes.
"Good. Chief and two of those spartans will head to the first tower, the arbiter has already said that he'll take out the 2nd tower... That leaves us with a large reserve..".
"Ma'am, there is a ground way into the citadel, but we'll need to capture the third tower first." He says. "We could concerntrate a whole army on the citadel.".
"Right, one of those spartans will be sent in with the army, we can pull the other two out and leave just that one and chief." She says.
"Why not send the other two spartans?" He says.
"We'll need a team to secure the area so that the covenant doesn't attack from the behind and crush us." She'd reply.
"Alright, ma'am, I'll notify delta-zero." The man would rush away.
Jerome would look to douglas, both getting an answer to a question they hadn't asked.
They'd walk off towards a pelican to prepare for the attack.
"Since I got all the action last time, you boys get to go first." She'd say. Douglas would look at jerome, suspicious. "Since when have you turned down a fight?" He'd ask.
"Now." She'd say.
He'd glance back at jerome, who was looking at him.
"Shes acting.. weird." Jerome would say, stunned.
He looks to alice.
"Have fun" She'd say, overly happy, before walking off.
"What happened to her?" Jerome would ask himself.
Douglas felt inclined to answer him.
"No idea." He'd reply, the two would walk towards a pelican with the designation "Kilo 023".
Luke Skywalker's POV.
Against luke's better judgement, wedge had decided to hit back against those freaks who had taken so much from them.
Luke wasn't in it for revenge.. Just to fight a common enemy between him and wedge.
The squadron of X-wings began approaching the tower.
"Rogue squadron, form up" Wedge would say, rogue squadron would form up on wedge, diverting from the main squadron."
Luke's forces would continue flying towards the tower.
"Good luck wedge." Luke would say. "May the force be with you."
Luke's squadron would slow down, approaching the tower slowly.
Luke would look to his left, wedge was still steaming ahead at full speed with his squadron towards the tower.
He'd suddenly feel that they are in extreme danger, and that they were. Wedge's squadron began firing at the tower, large green blasts being fired back, taking many x-wings down.
A squadron of purple craft, same design luke had taken earlier, began chasing them away as they retreated with a three quarters of their forces decimated.
"All forces, do not attack the tower. We must fend off their air forces before we do anything." He'd say.
His forces would slow down extremely, ready to deal with any incoming craft.
Suddenly, as if in a flash, his forces were battling the purple craft, and overwelming numbers of them too, over the ocean, attempting to stay as far from the towers as possible.
Luke would take out two of them with ease, being the exceptional pilot he is.
"Skywalker!" A voice yelled over the comms.. it was wedge. "We are joining you now! Something just appeared over the damn horizon!" He'd yell.
"What?" Skywalker replies, looking out the window, seeing a large assault carrier powering towards them. Looked same design as he had seen in the battle.
He thought immediately that the craft had called for reinforcements, yet, he was caught up in something far worse..
Jerome's POV.
The squadron of pelicans and phantoms began approaching the area, in the distance, the explosions from anti-aircraft wraiths and hornet missiles could be seen.
"We hit these three generators, and the barrier will fall?" Keyes would say over the comms.
"A small section, yes." 343 replies.
"Good enough. Johnson, drop the Chief at the first generator, then head to the third. The Elites will punch right down the middle." She'd say.
"Roger that." Johnson replies.
"Charlie Foxtrot! Tower One approach has active Triple-A!" Hocus would yell into the comms.
A pelican would be hit by the wraith, swerving to the right, hitting hocus's warthog from its port.
"Mayday! I can't control her!" The pilot yells as it smashed into the ground.
"Pelican down! Pelican down!" Hocus exclaims.
"Brace yourselves; we're going in a little hot!" An ODST yells.
The pelican would land, chief and his team of ODSTs getting out and opening fire on the covenant position.
"Pile out! Go go go! Up the beach! Kill that Wraith!" The ODST yels.
"Commander, this is Kilo 23. Lost my Wingman and our only Hog. Over." Hocus says.
"Roger that, Hocus. Get out of there!" Keyes replies, the pelican flying away.
Jerome and douglas's pelican begins approaching as the chief secures the beach.
"Is that wraith down yet?" The pilot yells into the comms.
"Almost!" An ODST replies.
Not even a second later, the comms spark.
"Beachhead secure, Commander. Hostile Anti-Air has been neutralized." The ODST says.
"Hold position. I'm on my way. Shipmaster, begin diversionary bombardment." Keyes replies.
"I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum. By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy." Vadum would reply, the shadow of intent coming closer to the fight.
The pelican would hover over the ground, dropping a warthog, jerome and douglas would hop out and get in the gunner and passenger's seat.
Chief walked over, handing his spartan laser to douglas, in the passenger seat.
He'd hop in the driver's seat, driving up the mountain, engaging covenant forces as they go.
They'd turn a corner, a shade firing on them and damaging their warthog.
Douglas would take it out with a blast from the laser.
"Ma'am, we are on the ground, third tower in sight," Johnson says.
"Good, arbiter and the elites will get number two." Keyes replies.
"I sure hope so, looks like a whole world of bad is over there." Johnson would say, looking at unidentified craft dogfighting with banshees.
Chief would look swerve a corner, seeing two ground mounting ghosts.
"Easy." Jerome says, aiming the turret, but chief doesn't care, and drives it off the cliff, landing below.
Douglas notices a wraith in the distance, firing his laser at its front, doing alot of damage.
"I cant recharge the laser in time," Douglas says.
He'd jump from the passenger seat as the warthog passes the wraith, and he'd land on the wraith.
He'd pull the pilot out, stabbing his knife into the pilot's skull, and taking control of the wraith.
He'd fire at a nearby shade turret, destroying it.
Chief would drive the warthog down into the enterance, jerome killing many grunts as they pass.
They would take control of the enterance.
A mongoose comes up behind them with two ODSTs.
"We'll secure the outside, go on." One would say as douglas walks down.
"Lets go." Douglas says, the three spartans entering the building.
Luke Skywalker's POV.
He had been separated from the main squadron by a group of banshees, being chased towards the crimson horizon.
He would fly over the citadel, more and more banshees piling up behind him.
Seeing no chance, he attempts to reconnect with his squadron, flying right to the ocean.
The x-wing shook. He'd look out to his wing, seeing that it had been hit directly by a green "Bomb".
A million thoughts went through his head, he looked down to the ground, seeing the immense concerntration of covenant forces, no way he'd survive down there.
He was done, he thought, this was his last flight. Then, he saw opportunity.
He'd fly directly towards the window of the nearest tower, closing his eyes as his x-wing slams through the window into the building.
His vision went black.
He suddenly came back to reality, jumping from his x-wing.
Brutes would begin coming out of cover, including a chieftan, the same dead one he had seen when he arrived at the cartographer, but it wasn't the same person.
Maybe he is just one of many of them?
"Greetings, I am lu-" The chieftan swung his hammer at luke.
Luke would jump backwards, using the force to crush the chieftan's lungs.
He'd turn to the other brutes, flinging them out of the window with the force.
He'd walk towards the chieftan, who was gasping for air, slowly dying.
He felt the dark side tug at him.. he had just gone against his own jedi code.. but it was for the greater good, he assured himself.
He looked back towards where he crashed, seeing three green figures emerge.
He'd ignite his saber, holding it to his side, standing in position.
The rematch was on.