May 5th

2583

11:50 am UNSC time

Hidden Base, 5th floor

Hope

Nobody's POV:

After numerous days of planning and restless work, the Galactic Republic succeeded in establishing a 5-story fortress in the center of a vast canyon, which would provide protection from aerial attacks and probes are watching the planet, rigged to alert them if the UNSC returns to try and retake the world the Republic conquered. Four anti-air heavy cannons are installed in each corner of the base, along with 10 AT-TE tanks patrolling the area, 2,000 clone soldiers overall, 50 LAATs and an Acclamator-class starship on the South side of the base. All of this is under the command of Clone Commander Colt and Jedi Master Alli Gallia.

Right now, Gallia and Colt are both standing at the edge of the top floor, watching the setup of the new base. Even with all the setup and donation of many military weapons, Gallia can sense the fear radiating from all of her soldiers; for good reason. Establishing a base inside UNSC territory, while it will provide a new angle to the war, it also leaves them wide-open to enemy attacks.

As the duo watch their surroundings and the vast forest that rests in the canyon, a Republic technician walks up to them. "Commander, General, Chancellor Palpatine is calling you."

"Thank you." Gallia said then the 2 walk to the holo table. After the technician pushes some buttons, the projection of the Supreme Chancellor himself appears.

"Commander Colt, General Gallia. I hope things are going well at your new base." Palpatine says.

"Yes, sir. But it's almost too quiet. My men are starting to get anxious about an upcoming assault. But our base is already completed and we will start sending out search parties and learn more about who we are fighting. Oh, and we also captured some…odd UNSC troops today." Colt said.

"Tell me. What do you mean by 'strange?'" Palpatine asks, looking curious.

"Chancellor, I'll answer that. Apparently, a civil war has been going on that we didn't know about. A war between 2 armies: a red army and a blue army. The soldiers we captured are wearing some kind of super armor that's more durable and efficient than the standard UNSC marine armor." Allia explains. Palpatine's face shows interest in the soldiers just mentioned.

"I see. Do you think they will be able to escape and alert the UNSC to your base's location?"

"Um…" Allia says, stroking her chin, trying to find the right way to describe them.

12:00 pm UNSC time

Hidden Base, 3rd floor

On the prison level, the 2 clone soldier guards are about to go insane.

They are forced to endure the 8 soldiers trapped in a single cell. Although soldiers might me a generous term to describe them.

All of the guys are wearing yellow armor of varying colors. There is brass armor, bright yellow, lemon and ivory. For the girls, they are wearing armor of varying shades of green. There is the green one would find on camo, bright green, jade and olive green. All of them are arguing with each other at the tops of their lungs.

After a few minutes of mind-numbing arguing about who got them there, who the 'weirdos' are, and more, a soldier wearing brass armor, a gold facemask and a red vizor walks to the bars of the cell and asks the guards with an Australian accent, "Hey dudes. This shit's about to get real, so do you mind if I move to another cell?"

Before the guards can register this strange request, a female soldier wearing olive green armor and thicker shoulder pads than her comrades also walk up to the bars. "For once, I agree with Geoff. I want to be able to read my book, 'the Lost World,' in peace." She said, a light British accent in her voice.

"Whoa. You actually read that? That isn't nearly as good as the original Jurassic Park." Geoff said.

"You're full of bullshit. Sequels are better." Then they too start arguing again, making the clone wish they were assigned to patrol duty.

12:05 pm UNSC time

Hidden Base, 5th floor

"No, I don't think they will be smart enough to escape." Colt answers bluntly.

"I see. But do know that until a later time, the Republic can't spare any resources to continue expanding your base. We have been trying to gain a foothold in Sangheili territory, but they are just as brutal as the UNSC, if not more, when it comes to war. We recently received intel that they completely annihilated an entire CIS fleets that tried to invade before we did, and the last transmission we made to them, the fleet are still trying to get away from."

"Thank you for the warning, Chancellor. We will hold out as long as we can and provide any intel we can gather on our enemies." Gallia said, bowing in respect.

The Chancellor nods his head and the projection cuts off.

"I can only hope that we have already seen the toughest the UNSC have to offer. That would make this war go faster." Colt said, looking almost doubtful of his own words. Gallia also holds onto that hope, but the Force is whispering to her, telling her that the worst is yet to come.

4:00 pm UNSC time

Orbiting Hope

While the Republic is expanding their base, a lone ship pulls out of slipspace.

It's the Infinity-class supercarrier, the 'Infinity.' While the ship is ordered not to engage the planet as that would damage the planet itself, they will ensure the Republic is thrown out of their world.

The Infinity turns sideways and its docking bay opens up, allowing a lone Pelican to fly out and down to the lone planet. Stealthily, it passes through all the Republic's scanning probes, catching fire a little as it flies down through the atmosphere. After several minutes' pass, the Pelican gets closer and closer to the ground before touching down on the ground, miles away from the lone Republic base as to not draw attention.

The hatch of the Pelican opens up and 10 men and women jump out, all of whom are ODSTs. Amongst them is the semi-famous ODST known simply as Rookie. After the ODSTs get out, however, another man steps out. He is a new machine made from Forerunner technology and completely run by an AI program based off the legendary war hero Sergeant Major Avery Jr. Johnson. "All right men. Remember, we are going to run into that base and shoot those inbred sons of bitches until we have nothing left to shoot them with, after which we will start tearing them apart with nothing but our bare fists! Start marching now!" Johnson said.

The ODSTs nod and start running into the woods, with the plan of sabotaging their ships so the Republicans can't escape and then popping them after finding suitable cover. Johnson then turns around and looks at the last member of the group, who just jumped out of the Pelican after inspecting his assault rifle, the sunlight gleaming brightly off his dark green Mark VIII Mjolnir armor*. "Chief, you ready to kick some more ass today?" Johnson asks, after lighting a cigar and putting it in his mouth.

"When am I never?" the legendary soldier, John-117 or better known as Master Chief, asks dryly.

"That's the kind of attitude I want to hear. Remember the plan, Chief. I want you to go down there, take out those AT-TEs and kill as many of those inbred clones as possible. I will be right behind you, giving you cover fire. If you encounter a Commander or one of those blasted Jedi, make sure to do what you do best." He then says, grabbing a chaingun from the Pelican. "Good luck, Chief."

"Thank you, Johnson." With those last words, Chief runs into the woods as well, jumping over tree roots that are in his way. As Master Chief runs, the ground starts sloping downward, forming the valley ONI confirmed is the base where the Galactic Republic is making their base. Honestly, Chief is disgusted with them, having heard of their past corruption and how it's the reason why they are stuck in a civil war in the first place. As for the Jedi, Chief considers them honorable, if not a little arrogant for jumping into the war immediately.

After a few minutes of silent running, Chief stops. In front of him is an AT-TE on its patrol. On the motion tracker in Chief's helmet, he notices the rest of his ODST squad, surrounding the tank. Knowing what to do, Chief starts running to the AT-TE which is turning so that its back is facing him and jumps onto the steps of the tank. Making his way to the door, Chief watches as it slides open automatically. The clone soldier never stood a chance as Chief starts firing his rifle, running inside at the same time. He kills the rest of the clones inside in mere seconds before they can register what just happened. Chief then slings his rifle and pulls out his Energy Sword, activating it and stabbing it into the control console. The AT-TE's systems start going haywire and the alarm blares loudly. Taking that as his que, Chief runs back out the way he came in, jumping away from the tank as it explodes loudly. Seconds later, what remains of the once-formidable tank crumples to the ground and lays as a smoking, blackened scrap pile.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra 117 to all UNSC personnel. Engage any Republicans you encounter. That explosion will most definitely attract their attention. I will be going in and clearing out their headquarters." Chief says as he starts running again in the direction of the base.

"Yes, Master Chief. Don't worry about the Star Destroyer or the gunships. Me and the rest of my squad will take care of those." Rookie responds before closing his comm line. Chief keeps on running until he comes across a small squad of 3 clones nearby. Stealthily, Chief pulls out a combat knife and stabs it into the back of a soldier. Before the body can even fall, Chief stabs the 2nd clone and as the 3rd is about to fire, Chief throws the knife, impaling it into the soldier's neck. While Master Chief isn't as skilled with knives as others in the UNSC are, like the ex-Freelancer Agent Washington, Chief is more than capable.

Pulling out the knife and scrapping it on a tree to clean the blood up, Chief makes his way through once again before finally arriving at the fortress. Quickly, the Spartan II looks around and registers the heavy cannons, the remaining AT-TEs and hundreds of clones patrolling.

The motion tracker installed in Chief's helmet is alight with enemy signals. To most people, one soldier attacking a base this size would be suicide, but for the Master Chief, it's a normal day in the UNSC. Doing what he does best, Chief dashes at full speed to the base, his assault rifle in hand. The clones notice the soldier and start firing on him, but most of the shots miss him due to the randomness that befalls all blasters. In response, Chief waves his rifle around, firing in every direction.

Almost all the clones receive the bullets, which punch through their armor with ease, and fall to the ground dead. The clones manning the anti-air guns try pointing them at the lone Spartan, but multiple sniper shots go off and the clones also fall to the ground, dead. The ODSTs jump out of their cover and fire their battle and sniper rifles. As for Sergeant Johnson, he also jumps out and lets loose his chaingun, which mows down even more soldiers like it's nobody's business.

"Chief, get in there! We'll take care of these bastards out here." Johnson shouts over the noise and concentrates on the battle again. The Spartan nods and runs to the fortress, throwing a frag grenade against the wall. The grenade explodes, leaving a hole in the wall, from which clone soldiers also run out. But the Master Chief is faster, firing his shots until it stops and the gun clicks. Ducking behind a crate so his armor's shields can recharge, he also reloads his assault rifle. After that's done, he jumps over the crate, firing at the clones as he runs inside the round complex. In front of him is an elevator shaft that will go straight to the top.

Seeing no other way inside, Chief grabs the elevator doors and with all his might, pulls the doors apart, revealing the elevator. Chief gets out his Energy Sword and stabs it into the ceiling, melting the top, and climbs up to the roof. Knowing that elevators are too slow, Chief starts climbing up the wall as fast as he can until he reaches the 3rd floor, where numerous shouts can be heard. Now a little curious, he grabs the doors and pulls them apart. Inside are 2 clones, gripping their ears to drown out the arguing UNSC soldiers in the cells. If Master Chief remembers the files right, this must be another branch of the infamous Red and Blue armies.

The clones notice him and scramble for their weapons, but Chief shoots them first. The soldiers in the cells stop arguing and stare in awe.

"Holy shit, it's Master Chief!" A woman in jade-colored armor said, almost squealing a little.

"Wait, where have I heard of you?" The bright yellow armored man asks, a think American accent in his voice.

"He's only the guy who saved our very lives from extinction, dumbass. You don't know that because you worked in oil pipeline management." A woman in bright green armor said.

"Enough. I will let you out, but I want you to kill the ones who put you here." Chief said, losing his patience.

The 8 prisoners look at each other. "If you do that, will we be free to kick the shit out of all rappers?" Geoff asks cautiously.

Chief considers his options and decides agreeing is the best way to get help from these idiots. "All right. Hang on." He gets out his Energy Sword and slices the bars.

"OK. Let's kick those dicks into next week." The yellow soldier said, running to the barracks and grabbing a railgun. "Before you go, the assholes who run this place are on the 5th floor. For all those who work in pipelines, kill them."

Chief nods and runs out of the prison block, starting the climb again. But as he goes up, loud explosions go off, rocking the base and the power goes out. Having no more time, Chief finishes the climb up, noticing the doors slowly sliding open. "We got 'em open!" A technician said, but Chief grabs his leg and pulls him into the shaft, after which he jumps up to meet a shocked group of 2 technicians, along with who's wearing Jedi attire and a clone commander.

"I'll defeat him. Get out of here!" Gallia said, activating her lightsaber. Chief once again pulls out his energy sword and activates it before he lunges forward. Gallia lifts her blade and the 2 swords clash, producing a humming sound unheard before. Master Chief then swings the blade to the side then tries to stab her, but she blocks the movement. Many seconds pass for the short duel, both attacking and parrying each other's movements. Soon, Chief gets an idea then waits for the Jedi to try and stab him again. But this time, he stabs upwards, catching the lightsaber between the Energy Sword's 2 blades. Twisting the blade, Chief pulls to the right, disarming the Jedi. Using his augmented reflexes, he grabs his assault rifle and fires it at her. She just barely has time to freeze the bullets midair, but can only watch with wide eyes as Chief lunges again, stabbing both blades into her chest.

"I admit, you Jedi are more honorable than I thought. You should have stayed out of this war, for you are better than the scum you work for. Rest in peace." Chief said, admitting what he had observed during the duel. Gallia looks shocked at his words before the light goes out in her eyes. Retracting the blades from her chest and looks up. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the giant hole in the glass window. Walking to it and looking down, he notices the Commander and the technicians had jumped down and are riding towards the gunships on speeders, the smoldering wreck that was once an Acclamator ship burning brightly against the soldier's armor on the ground. The ODSTs, Johnson, and the 8 soldiers are fighting valiantly against the clones and winning. As the fight goes on, an ODST fires his sniper into a technician's head, killing the man and causing the speeder to veer into the other technicians trying to escape, killing them instantly.

Suddenly, a loud explosion goes off, causing Chief to look to the sky. In the sky, 5 Venators are fighting against a single Sangheili CCS-class battleship. After several tense minutes, Colt and 8 remaining clones board an LAAT and seal the blast door. Immediately, the pilot pulls the gunship off the ground, 3 others on each side, and they fly into space. As it reaches higher and higher, the grimmer the battle looks. Sangheili fighters are flying around, obliterating Republic fighters. One of the Venators is boarded by a Sangheili landing craft. Despite holding onto hope, Colt is accepting that the Republic lost a base and a Venator. Two of the clones get into the turrets and fire green lazers at the fighters, who expertly evade the shots, but it distracts them long enough for a Venator to open its docking bay and emit them inside, along with all the other fighters, the Venator's side weapons giving cover fire so the Sangheili don't board them. After all the clones are safely inside, the last 4 Venators enter hyperspace, successfully escaping.

"Sir, who was that soldier? He tore through us like we were nothing and those black-armored guys were better than the marines." A clone said, still in shock about how quickly things turned around.

"I don't know." Colt said, a grim tone in his voice. If the UNSC and Sangheili can get the better of them as quickly as they did and not prepare for them, what chance does the Republic stand?

AN: Yes, Master Chief makes an appearance. He will appear much more in the future, and it will be awesome.

*For the Mark VIII armor, it's basically the armor MC wore during Halo 4, but it has major upgrades: Forerunner-based shielding, the ability to safely use 2 armor enhancements and have the motion tracker determine friend from foe without an AI's help.

I hope you like the RvB reference I put in. As for if they appear again, I have no idea.

Anyway, see you next time when the Jedi try to fight MC again.

PS: I might slow down on update periods for school. I have the normal load of school but I will have to study for ACT again.