Author's note:

Here we go again.

For those who asked in the comments section; yes, there is a missing chapter. Basically I was slowly reviewing each file carefully and fixing the grammar mistakes I could easily find, as English is still my second language even though I have sharpened my skills year by year. Apparently, I fixed one chapter and uploaded it over another without noticing it.

Now, I should probably copy and paste the ones I already have, delete the current ones, re-write the missing chapter word by word, and upload everything again. I'm lazy though, so if I'll do that, I'll probably do it when the story ends. Fear not, said chapter was basically about Jake and Arbiter's journey to then meet Mithax. Aside from the meeting itself between our favourite aliens, that chapter ain't important. I'll worry about it later on; re-writing it and posting it will eventually become my top priority.

Having said this...

Enjoy!

He woke up with a start.

Guardians didn't really need sleep, or at least not in the same quantity as other humans. They could lay back into a seat and do nothing at best. Though it felt good to simply shut your eyes and relax for a change. He had fought for almost ten years throughout the solar system, killing Gods and decrypting engrams to upgrade his loot. Staying still for more than ten minutes wasn't like him.

"Ghost?" He groused to his partner while he rubbed his eyes. Said companion materialized near his shoulder, he chirped in greeting. "How are we? Did we oversleep or are we still in time?" Jake grabbed his helmet from the floor and placed it back on his head. The HUD system immediately activated and he ran a general checkup.

"No. We're actually twenty minutes early. But I fear the briefing will take place sooner, after all in a military organization nothing has a pre-established moment." Ghost rolled his single blue eye at Jake's shrug, he flickered his gaze to the Guardian's open palm. Small traces of light were all that remained. "I suggest we get out and find Master Chief. Usual inventory?"

Jake thought back of the weapons the Starhorse and Xur had granted him; those and the magnum Chief basically ordered him to collect. There was still the lingering question of why did John call him 'sir'. There was great respect in his tone, in how he pronounced the word. "I think it's time we test the weapons from this universe." Obeying, he felt the battle rifle transmatting into his grip, the sword resting on his spine, and the magnum waiting on his belt hip.

He ran his fingers on the equipment. The battle rifle and, half, energy sword were slightly modified, likely to mirror his world's technology and fire power. The magnum, instead, was just the same model as other UNSC's standard guns. The Titan closed an eye and glanced inside the scope, it could seriously be considered a hybrid between a powerful magnum and a sniper. Analyzing the recoil values and bullets, this thing packed quite the punch.

Whether it would be useful in his world was another story.

Jake cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. Standing on his feet, he made his way towards the exit. The corridor was devoid of life… save for a man dressed in a familiar green looking armour leaning against the wall. Master Chief nodded at the Guardian. "Good, you're up. The Commander wants to meet us. Your friend and the Arbiter are already at the Command Center."

He felt a bit unease at the fact that John had basically committed a light infraction regarding privacy. UNSC must have at least teached the kids they kidnapped the most basic of boundaries, right? Maybe being bunked up all together in a camp was common for the troops of this world, but no one should just wait outside someone's room like Michael Myers. Damn, he really missed those early 20th century movies.

Wait a minute…

"Chief, did you sleep at all?"

The Spartan's shoulders stiffened, an imperceptible movement. Luckily, Jake had perfected his mask over the years to not show exactly what he was feeling. He easily caught the act. "It's Cortana, isn't it? You're worried sick about her." He pondered his next words. "Wanna get it off your chest? You never explained what exactly happened to her."

A slight nudge of his helmet meant that the Spartan was looking away from his gaze. If John didn't want to, he wouldn't press further into the wound. What he was offering, was a simple choice.

"She stayed to get a hold of High Charity's systems and guide me through." Chief eventually grunted out. "The Flood managed to arrive in the Covenant's capital city, so she had to be there in case they'd try to get away and reach Earth, or any other human settlement."

"That's a start. He's more opened. Never seen him interacting like this with anyone else."

That's what worries me.

"She's a strong girl, she'll make it." Was that a good time to ask? Perhaps it was better to not delay any further. "Chief, when you gave me your magnum yesterday…" He gestured to said gun on his hip. "Why did you call me 'sir'?"

Master Chief stared at him for a long moment until he suddenly turned around and started walking. "Let's get to the Command Center." The Spartan glanced behind his shoulder. "Nice sword by the way."

He pursed his hidden lips. Maybe not the best approach.

The Command Center was highly active by the time they arrived, Mithrax and Thel 'Vadam were chatting among themselves, waving claws and nodding their heads; Keyes was giving orders to the troops handling the comms; and Johnson? Johnson was… showing his cigar to an intrigued Eido, who in return tapped the info on her datapad. Whether the Sergeant was explaining how a cigar functioned or something else was unknown.

The Sangheili's gaze posed upon him… or to be precise, on his back. Jake followed it and shrugged at him. "Starhorse constructed and offered it as tribute for my results in this world." He said in a low volume, no other member in the room would have needed to know about his origins. In that moment only Chief, Cortana, Keyes and Johnson knew where they had come from. "I'll test it and see if it's good as the marines say."

"An energy sword is wielded only by the most trained Sangheili among our ranks." Thel tilted his head. "To see it turned into a human's version of a sword is quite the unusual sight. I see you have also received the rest of their equipment." He waved a claw at the battle rifle and magnum. "No doubt your fighting stance will need to adapt."

A chuckle brought their attention on Mithrax. "Believe me, Arbiter. Adaptation is one of the Guardian's most refined skills. I have seen him single-handendly end the existence of an entire platoon of Eliksni, he eliminated many Captains armed with shock blades… by punching them one by one."

"Ma'am." Before the Arbiter could question the Eliksni's words, a technician called to Keyes. "I have Lord Hood."

"Finally comms are fixed! I had to help the Marines with the configuration. Hardly took more than thirty seconds, but they were stuck for days."

Good to know.

"Patch him through." The Commander ordered.

The monitor phased from the black and white dots of interference scrambling around, to Lord Hood himself. The man adjusted the hat on the top of his head and straightened his spine. Clearing his throat and keeping his hands behind his back, he nodded at the group. "Good news, Commander Keyes?"

"Good as it gets, sir." She inclined her head momentarily at the two tall human warriors.

Lord Hood's expression brightened up at their sight. "So I see. What's your status, son?"

"Green. Sir." The Master Chief answered.

Hood turned to the Guardian. "And you, Guardian?"

"Ready for duty, sir." He pointed his gloved thumb at the Spartan beside him. "Fished this green fella from a crater. Good thing those ODSTs tracked the trajectory correctly with Ghost's help. Wouldn't have been able to sustain the loss of my teammate otherwise."

"Glad to hear it." Hood mused for a moment before regaining his serious tone. "The Commander's come up with a good plan. But without you two, I wasn't sure we could pull it off. Commander?"

"Truth's ships are clustered above the excavation site. And his infantry has deployed Anti-Aircraft Batteries around the perimeter. But…" Hood rubbed his chin in the background, perhaps re-analyzing Keyes' strategic maneuvers in detail. "If we neutralize one of the batteries, punch a hole in Truth's defenses…"

"I'll initiate a low-level strike. Hit 'em right where it hurts." Hood sighed and motioned at Mithrax, who was standing near the Guardian. "I only have a handful of ships, and despite Mithrax's generous offer of participating in the assault, the probability of success still remains low."

"House of Light is skilled in 'hit and run' assaults, Lord Hood." Mithrax hastily defended his forces. "Our technology is much more advanced than anything your troops, or even the Arbiter, have at your disposal. You must trust us, if we are to stop Truth's insidious schemes."

"Indeed." The man crossed his arms, a flicker of annoyance momentarily spread across his stare. "It's a big risk. But I'm confident that in the end-"

Lights around the room shut down, leaving a few red backup bulbs to shine in the penumbra. The group tensed, a technician cursed at his monitor. Keyes narrowed her eyes. "Emergency generators, now!" Another member of the tech team warned them about the shields going down and recharging.

Jake clenched his fists. "Check the motion sensors for contacts." He muttered to Ghost.

"As soon as they're up, re-establish contact with Lord Hood. Let him know that-"

"You are, all of you, vermin." Truth's face appeared on each functioning monitor in the room. The alien slapped his claw on the side of the chair he always and lazily rested on. "Cowering in the dirt, thinking what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass! And not even your Demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage... the culmination of our Journey." Truth pointed a long and slimey finger at Jake. "And you! Now I understand the reason behind your unexpected arrival. Your power, your abilities! The Gods have brought forward a champion to test my resolve. To see if I was to fall at your hands, or if my faith would be rewarded despite all of your attempts at deceiving the path! You will fall, Guardian." Truth gritted his teeth together. "For your destruction is the will of the Gods! And I? I amtheir instrument!" The Prophet closed his fist before the video feed was cut and power was restored.

"Cocky bastard." Johnson grunted, cigar smoking in his mouth. "Just loves to run his mouth."

"Does he usually mention us?" Chief leaned closer to Jake and asked.

The Titan shrugged. "Over the last few weeks he has developed an obsession with me. Continues to babble about me being a 'test' sent by his Gods or whatever the hell he thinks inside his dysfunctional mind. He only mentions you indirectly during our conversations as my 'demonic companion'."

"I don't want to interrupt your interactions, but I'd like to inform you all about Covenant dropships rapidly approaching. Sensors indicate multiple platoons present; it's like they're launching a full scaled assault. Perhaps their intelligence picked up our location."

Keyes turned around to face the technician. "Give the order, we're closing shops."

"Ma'am?"

"You've heard the Ghost! We're about to get hit… hard. The wounded, we're getting all of them out."

"If I'll have to carry them myself." The Sergeant muttered under his breath.

Keyes gestured at Mithrax. "Inform your civilians about the Covenant's imminent strike. We're gonna cover them as the Pelicans arrive."

The Kell growled in response. "I shall notify Vraskor and order him to approach the base with his Ketch. It won't be easy, but we're speaking about at least fifty Eliksni, between soldiers and unarmed ones."

"Ma'am, squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

Miranda removed the safety from her magnum, she glanced behind her shoulder and frowned. "To war."

Johnson removed the cigar and flickered it on the ground, he stepped on it. "Me, Mithrax and the Arbiter will guard the Ops Center. Don't worry about the Commander, you two. I got her. But the Marines downstairs could use your help."

Jake snapped a fresh magazine into his modified battle rifle and turned to face Master Chief. "You heard the Sergeant. Ready for the official round three?"

"…" Chief didn't verbally respond, though he looked at the Guardian for a moment. Jake felt like John was agreeing with him by simply staring, he did so often himself. The two jogged towards the stairs, where a marine waved them both over.

"Sirs!" The soldier saluted. "Perimeter's this way. Follow me." He glanced behind his shoulder every now and then to check if the two armored warriors were still on his toes.

Master Chief increased his speed and proceeded as the Guardian chatted with the same Marine. He gathered an assault rifle and a BR, checking the magazines and eventual issues with the mechanism. Satisfied, John held his assault rifle as primarily weapon and joined his comrade.

The two walked on inside a cave like structure to reveal various Marines preparing defenses, including turrets and miniguns, to guard the Ops Center. A group of Eliksni civilians were gathered in a corner in the far right side of the room, two caretakers with hatchlings on their robes shielded their more exposed body parts by putting their arms in front of themselves. Four Vandals were scattered around the metal covers in the environment, they settled their energy rifles and aimed.

Jake's gaze flickered on two familiar marines. "Harrison! Jackson! Come here."

Jackson and Harrison glanced at each other before properly making their way to the Guardian. "Sir?" The Private asked, tilting his head.

"I want you two to safeguard those Eliksni until you're absolutely sure they have a clear way for evac. Mithrax's people are our allies and we will consider them as human civilians for the time being. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"They chorused together.

The cave rumbled under their feet, the shake induced the Eliksni hatchlings in fits of frightened chirps and shrieks. He watched the females cooing the young and patting their covered heads.

"Point of entry, best assessment?" Sergeant Stacker grunted.

"The hangar, Sergeant."

"Agreed. Master Chief, Guardian? Get there."

"Jake?" John patiently waited on the stairs near the next checkpoint. The Spartan nudged his helmet behind his shoulder as a silent beckoning for the Guardian. Said Guardian threw one last stare at the hatchlings and firmly nodded.

Two soldiers joined their group, Master Chief punched the green button on the next pad and stepped back to aim his rifle. It opened… to reveal two humans in a Warthog, one of them using the machine gun. The bullet shells fell on the floor and rolled aimlessly. That marine seemed to be quite enjoying himself judging by the smirk.

Too bad a plasma grenade was launched and it connected with the Warthog.

BOOM!

They were unfazed by the explosion, their shields fully capable of withstanding the damage.

Jake scouted ahead and peeked from the two cargo boxes. The Grunts and Jackals in the corridor were alerted and shouted in fear. Here we go again. Snapping a magazine in his BR, he whirled out of his position and fired. If there was one thing the BR was reliable for, was the rate of fire. The bullets travelled at high speed and the time between each burst leaving the muzzle was much lower than any previous weapon he had obtained.

Chief snatched a grenade from his belt and launched it among the group of aliens. Jackals were propelled in the air, waving their claws aimlessly; Grunts shrieked in their high pitched voices, the little bastards were certainly hot-headed for such a weak species. The Spartan grabbed by the neck a Jackal hiding on his left and pushed it behind his shoulders, it fell on the ground and the marines easily cut it down.

A Brute snarled in the far back of the room. Seeing how Chief was still busy with some Grunts, Jake decided to test the rest of his weaponry right then: securing his BR on the remaining available space on his back to form a cross with the energy sword, the Titan raised his magnum with both of his gloves. He closed an eye and leaned in the enhanced scope.

BAM! BAM!

One bullet made the mammal's helmet fly away, the other merely penetrated his skull. The body staggered on its feet to try and maintain control over its faculties, but the neural system was cut off.

"These weapons do seem to be quite effective. However, we should probably take them to Banshee if we manage to get back home. If there's someone capable of handling offensive equipment, it's him. Minus the memory problem." Ghost added the last comment a few seconds later.

His eyes lingered on the dead Brute, Master Chief reloaded the BR and joined his side. "Mmmh. 'Now would you pray before you twist a knife? Would you take my hand and take a life?'" Jake waved a glove at John's helmet focused on him. "Lyrics of a song tracing back to the 21th century. I've had time to ponder my role, you know. I fight, I kill, I die; the cycle resets. I'm no better than the aliens regularly trying to exterminate the last remnants of humanity."

"You fight for our race, regardless of the universe you're from. Our duty is to protect humanity, whatever the cost."

He shook his helmet at the indoctrinating response given. He still had to fully keep in mind John's past and the way he was raised. "Tell that to the countless Eiksni hatchlings born without knowing their birthers, or too busy fighting to survive on their own because I destroy a base filled with supplies. All in the name of 'weakening the enemy'" He then chuckled. "At the end of the day, we get dirt on our hands so the rest of the world stays clean. We're marked forever." Jake glanced at the two marines looking elsewhere and appearing slightly embarrassed. "Let's go, we'll talk later."

The hangar was flooded with Covenant troops already dispatched and a Phantom slowing down to allow more to drop. "Wipe those bastards off the deck! Pelicans can't launch until the hangar's clear. We've got Elik- Eli-, GAH!, we've got alien civilians needing transportation along with the injured!" Indeed, a group of Eliksni, both warriors and unarmed, stayed near the human soldiers on a pair of stairs, either providing suppressive fire or ducking down to avoid plasma energy.

Jake immediately sprinted towards them. "Chief, suppressive fire! I'm gonna cover their retreat while you clean the place from above."

"Affirmative." The ever stoic Spartan grunted over their comms. "Use your abilities to protect them. I'll do what I can when they're distracted with the Battle Rifle." A burst of fire coming from Chief pierced through two Grunts and a Jackal hammering on his shields as he pressed ahead. His defenses recharged almost instantly after he crouched down for four seconds, so he double jumped in the air and landed on the platform of the right side of the hangar.

Sliding across the floor, he annihilated two Jackals attempting to walk on the stairs through the magnum. He made a mental note on the little beasts: always aim for their exposed arm wielding the plasma pistol and finish them quickly as they whine and bleed. Holstering his pistol and choosing the modified BR, he turned to the marines. "Status report!" He channeled a stasis grenade and launched it between a Brute and a Grunt, the bolt unfortunately freezed only the mammal, but the energy field that was emitted from the shattered 'statue' also engulfed the little alien.

"Sir, we're pinned down and can't advance, there's too many of 'em! We'll soon run out of ammo and we can't just rely on them…" The marine pointed his thumb at the three Dregs utilizing their small guns and shock grenades. "We'll never evacuate the civies at this rate!"

"A Cruiser is currently busy with a Corvette. That means no more Phantoms should attack the hangar, we just need to deal with the troops inside at the moment."

Taking into consideration his loyal companion's words and scanning the battlefield beneath them, he got an idea. "Alright." He ducked down and gestured at the UNSC fighters in front of him. "I have a plan, it involves using my powers. When I tell you, you must stay behind me and advance when I do. You'll use me as a shield, metaphorically speaking. All clear?" The marines appeared confused at the request, but the Eliksni that knew English might have understood the implication. In fact, one of the Dregs snarled in his language at the other Eliksni. They all clicked in agreement.

"Chief? You heard that?"

"All clear. When the Covenant concentrate on you, I'll be ready to eliminate them."

"Good."

ZIUM!

"Everyone with me, now!" He slid one foot back and tightly gripped the void shield he created with both of his gloved hands. A purple energy field was created in front of him, and the aliens and humans didn't waste time in complying. The shield absorbed any plasma energy or grenades, shattering them in the void. They slowly descended down the yellow-ish stairs, marines using their last magazines and discarding their now empty weapons after cursing. "Commander, this is the Guardian. Tell one of those damn Pelicans to land in the hangar 'cause we won't have another chance!"

"Roger that. Stand-by for extraction."

Master Chief peeked from his cover once he was sure all of the Covenants had their full undivided attention on the Guardian. He saved the last two magazines of his BR for later, instead he grabbed the assault rifle and covered Jake's advance through small but precise bursts of bullets. Even sharpshooters would have a difficult time disposing of enemies at that distance with that weapon, but for a Spartan-II like him it was a joke. He threw the last frag grenade between two Brutes and watched their armour pieces clattering on the floor. They were easily disposed of after that.

"Super's almost over, Chief. Need a little help here!"

Grunting, the Spartan bolted for the nearest turret. He disengaged the locks and held the heavy machine gun in his grip. As soon as his eyes flickered on the main concentration of Covenant members, he squeezed the trigger with no hesitation. He didn't hold back either, bullets tearing each alien apart and their now empty shells falling near his feet. The tangos all died just in time for Jake's void energy to dissipate.

A Pelican carefully approached the hangar and turned around, it used its thrusters to lower and open his cargo hatch. The injured and not injured marines, along with the Eliksni, entered. Once all were on board, the hatch was sealed and the Pelican flew away. Jake re-joined Chief, panting from prolonged Light usage. His shoulders shook up and down as he panted.

John let go of the machine gun. "You okay?" He asked, cocking his helmet to one side. Judging by the hidden tone of his voice, he was really concerned.

It was strange to the Titan.

"He should get better in a few minutes, quickly enough before anymore Covenant track us." Ghost clicked. "Intercepting transmission."

"Chief, Jake!" Johnson called, raising the volume of his voice over the familiar sound of plasma energy. "Ops Center, double time! The Brutes are pressing hard."

The loudspeaker turned on a few times as they made their way back to the Ops Center, probing for available marines and demanding the barracks' defense. Jake and Chief shared a look when the intercom made the same announcement for the third time. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

"Sirs!" A marine waved them over. "This way!"

Suddenly, a Drone latched on another marine's back and it hovered there until it snapped the human's neck. A whole swarm soon stormed the entire cave, following the first alien. Jake at least noted the absence of Eliksni civies, Jackson and Harrison must have transported them to safety.

"Light 'em up! Light 'em up!"

"What the hell are those things, Sergeant?!"

Stacker groaned. "Drones! Take 'em down! Short, controlled bursts."

Chief crept to the left side, taking hold of another turret in the vicinity. The Spartan reloaded it through a stash of ammunition resting on the ground. John squeezed the trigger and let the burst of bullets do its job.

Jake, meanwhile, realized just how many insects were flying around. If something didn't happen in the next thirty seconds, they'd be overwhelmed in the blink of an eye. Green plasma bolts hammered down on the humans, he picked up one of the Drones opening its mouth and snarling. Yellow-ish saliva dripped from its maw, sharp teeth were displayed in a macabre portrayal. He didn't dare to imagine just how easily they could tear flesh.

Stretching his fingers, Jake felt arc energy surfacing. It wasn't a good idea to use so much Light in such a small window of time, but he had no choice. Double jumping in the air, he activated Thunder Crash, aiming exactly to the center of the swarm, where the arc energy would propragate more efficiently. He slammed against the wall and used the kinetic energy to bounce back. The Titan landed safely on the ground, and the few remaining Drones were easily cut down.

He grunted and clutched his chest. Chief restocked his inventory and approached him. Jake waved him away and motioned with his head at the next door.

"If I try to hook up a timer, it might just go off by itself."

"Johnson…"

Holy shit!

He paused at the sight of a huge fucking bomb resembling a damn atomic one in the middle of the Ops Center. Miranda Keyes had her arms crossed behind the video feed as she stared at the Sergeant, unimpressed.

"…you might wanna put that out."

Johnson scoffed and dropped his cigar, he stomped on it quickly.

"Chief, Guardian, have a look. A little going-away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."

"Understood."

"Good luck everyone. See you on the last Pelican out."

The feed disconnected. Ghost hummed in his head. "If it makes you feel better, scans show it is quite hard to scratch. So it won't just blow up without a concrete explanation."

It did not reassure him.

"Chief, Jake? Follow me."

Johnson led the duo to the back of the room, guarded by four marines, as a Weapon Locker sat by it.

"Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines and some Eliksni are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to prisoners, I ain't wanting to image what they'd do to other aliens."

"What about Mithrax?" Jake leaned closer while Chief restoked. "Where is he?"

"The Kell? Went with the Arbiter at the same Landing Pad you'll get to. They're guarding it from other Brutes. Now get to the barracks, save those me-people." Johnson cleared his throat. "Then escort them for evac. I'll guard the bomb."

BR ready and sword at reach if needed, he followed the Spartan throughout the next long corridor.

Too bad a sealed door they opened revealed a group of Brutes chatting among themselves. Luckily, they hadn't spotted them yet.

"A fresh scent! Must be close."

The Brute Chieftain coughed, vertically tapping his Gravity Hammer on the floor. "Spread out! Track it down!"

These Elite energy swords are made for agile fighters.

Eyeing the energy sword on his back, Jake grinned and turned to Master Chief. "Sorry for what I'm about to do, Chief."

Before the Spartan could even vocally question his words, the Titan unsheathed the energy sword. Sliding a foot back, he used the momentum and double jump to literally fly away. He chopped the Chieftain's head off in a single motion before focusing on shredding the other apes. Chief blinked in confusion at what just had happened, in the end he shook his helmet and opened fire through his assault rifle while keeping an eye for any nearby mammals.

He had switched the empty BR for a shotgun after all.

After wiping the Brute pack out, they continued on through a corridor, but it was caved in. Finding a hole in the floor, they jumped down into a shaft after making sure it wasn't a trap set up by the Covenant. Again Master Chief's vital were off putting, Jake watched the Spartan momentarily leaning on a wall.

He didn't ask anything, it wouldn't have been wise.

Drones flew from one pipe to another, but they didn't attack the two. Maybe they were toying with them, or maybe they truly didn't see them. Either way, they just continued walking. They weren't scared at all. They jumped down through vertical shafts into a canal. Scanning the environment, Jake noticed some blood on the floor to the next door.

He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at the door. "Watch out, eyes open."

Chief connected his thumb and index fingers together, forming a circle. "Affirmative."

A marine was suddenly launched against the wall on the left, blood spurted from the wounds; he was dead long before he hit the floor.

Three Brutes had rounded up both Eliksni and humans in a straight line. It resembled WW2 Nazis executions. Hatchlings latched on their caretakers looked in fear at the giants in front of them, they tried to bury themselves further in the fabric. One of the Brutes snorted and waved his gun. "Tell your spawn to seal its mouth before I consume it as my lunch."

Said caretaker knew English, for she nodded and patted the youngs on her, crooning and purring at them. It wasn't working.

The Brute growled yet again… but didn't have time to react for his helmet and head popped off its body by a round of shotgun. Jake used four bursts of his BR to kill the other remaining mammals. As Chief checked the prisoners, he picked up other Covenant yelling further into the room. He grabbed two UNSC assault rifles and threw them at the marines, he then flickered his eyes between a BR on the floor and a Vandal comforting the caretakers in his language.

"You know how to use these?" He asked.

The Eliksni stared at the weapon for a few moments before nodding. Jake nudged it with his foot at the alien, who secured it in his grip and clicked at the other Dregs to arm themselves as well.

"Listen up!" He raised his voice. "Priority is to secure the civies. Don't worry though, you'll get your asses out of this dump as well. Stay behind me and Master Chief and provide suppressive fire if needed. Let's show these bastards what happens when they mess with both humanity and honourable Eliksni. OO-RAH?"

"OO-RAH!" The marines bumped their free fists in the air. The Eliksni supposed it was some kind of battle cry so they participated too through their own sounds.

The Covenant had swarmed the entire barracks, showers included. It had been a bit difficult trying to protect the civies while simultaneously clearing the way of enemies. But some help from his Light thankfully lowered the difficulty. Jake glanced at some executed humans resting on the beds, blood soaking the matress.

"You did the best you could, sir." Stacker's voice spoke. "Let's get the survivors up to the hangar. There's an elevator just outside the barracks."

Chief clicked on the button of the lift, they all waited for the elevator to lower down on their level.

"Commander…" Johnson panted. "We've lost the Ops Center. Brutes attacked in force. Couldn't hold them off. We're falling back to the hangar. But don't wait for us."

Hocus uhh-ed on the comms. "What should I do, ma'am?"

"Hold position! I'm not leaving without him."

The Eliksni and marines hopped on the platform, Jake was, this time, the one pressing the button. They started ascending, they'd need to reach the secondary flight deck and let Kilo-23 evacuate.

"I've got moment, above and below." A pause. "Brutes! They got jump-packs!"

Are you kidding me right now?!

The Brutes used the thrusters to land on the deck and start shooting at the Pelican. Jake immediately got out of the elevator and waved at Kilo-23. "Fall back! Fall back, Hocus! We'll deal with them and meet you later!"

She nodded from her cockpit and turned on the Pelican's engine. "Roger that." Kilo-23 took off, barely getting out of the Brutes' projectiles in time.

Chief waved the humans and aliens to hide behind some boxes, the Titan remained by the elevator. The Brutes did not notice them yet, maybe because of Hocus' engines and the projectiles emitting loud noises which covered his words?

John raised three fingers at the Guardian. When the last one was lowered, they pushed out of their hideouts. Jake double jumped and settled in shoulder charging the Brutes sniping from the roof of the comms center used to intercept incoming planes. Noticing Chief surrounded by Brutes and his shields lowering, he switched to his magnum and popped the heads off a few mammals. If the Brutes thought their jet-packs were enough to give them a chance of winning, then they were in for a different treat.

The last Brute was killed by a different projectile. From below the stairs, Johnson approached the flight deck with the Arbiter and Mithrax standing beside a small group of three soldiers and two Eliksni caretakers. Jake opened a channel to contact Hocus. "Flight deck is secured, Kilo-23. Get down here and take these people away from this hell." He focused his attention on the Kell. "You okay, Mithrax?"

"Yes. Me and the Arbiter tried to hold this deck for as long as we could, but we got overran. We reunited with the Sergeant as he falled back."

"Brutes." The Sergeant picked up from there. "In the Ops Center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry Commander, there were too many. Even for me."

Kilo-23 landed on the deck.

"Chief, Jake, get back to the Ops Center. Kill those Brutes and rearm the bomb. I've gotta get these men outta here."

One of the caretakers, instead of hopping on the Pelican, suddenly sprinted towards the Guardian. She waved her hands around and talked in Eliksni; judging by how agitated she was, she was trying to tell him something important. Which went as far as gripping his arm and shaking it.

"I-I don't speak Eliksni, sorry."

Mithrax growled. "She says one of our young is missing. She was running away from these beasts and must have left behind a hatchling as a mistake. He's in the hangar."

Right where it all started.

"Commander, is there a secondary exit in the hangar we can use once the timer is set off?"

"Hold on… yes, a service elevator. You can use that to escape the blast."

He posed a glove on the caretaker's shoulder. "I'll find and keep your hatchling safe, don't worry." Mithrax translated his words and the female let him go. Nodding, but hesitating for a moment, she let herself be led on the Pelican. "You and the Arbiter can go, Mithrax. We'll handle this from here." He snapped another magazine into the magnum for emphasis.

"May the Great Machine be with you."

The Arbiter snorted. "Yes, may the Gods accompany you, Guardian."

As the Pelican's hatch closed and it pushed itself into the air, he nodded at Chief and started running. On their way to the Ops Center, John's vitals spiked yet again. He privately demanded a scan from Ghost and the little light complied. They didn't know how, but the interferences were somehow echoes coming from Cortana. Maybe their prolonged synchronization had created a faint and yet present link despite being apart?

They opened the next door and crouched to avoid the Covenant's line sight of sight.

"We have taken their Command Center." A Brute Chieftain rasped in satisfaction.

"Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?" Truth's face was displayed on the monitors. He intertwined his disgusting slimey fingers together in thought.

The Chieftain frowned, breaking eye contact with the Prophet. "Not just yet, Noble Prophet."

Said Prophet narrowed his eyes and pointed one of his fingers at the Chieftain. "Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!"

"Y-Yes, Holy One. It shall be done." As soon as Truth disconnected he breathed a sigh of relief. "Have the Drones scour these machines! Find out what these heathens know about the Ark!"

"Let me handle them." He whispered to Chief. "I'm charged again and can control my powers to not damage the bomb." John stared at him, in the end he stepped back and nodded.

The room was cleared in less than fifteen seconds. Fist of Havoc was really useful for multiple targets at once.

He cracked his muscles as Chief activated the bomb and set a timer. An alarm blasted throughout the base, Johnson congratulated and urged them to escape. Over the marathon, Chief slowed down, on the second time Jake grabbed him by the shoulder and helped him jog away. These episodes are becoming more erratic and frequent as time passes. I'll have to talk to him.

The hangar was near. "Run a biological scan! I did not forget about the rescue." The entire structured was crumbling and shaking. Grunts were on high alert and did not know what to do, running around aimlessly, arms waving in the air like idiots. It was there he found his target…

An Eliksni hatchling, wrapped around himself in a corner. He looked around and hissed, probably one of the many ways to call for help. He was much more developed than other baby Fallen Jake had ever laid his eyes on. Not giving the hatchling the chance of understanding who was in front of him, he scooped the little Eliksni under his right shoulder and sprinted for the elevator where Chief was waiting for him.

The Eliksni shrieked all the while in confusion.

Whatever paracausal luck followed Master Chief, it couldn't save him forever. The doors didn't close, an explosion echoed in the distance… and the hatch diseganged from its locks, falling at high speed.

"No, no, no, NO!" Jake offered the alien at John as he tried to stabilize his weight. "Take him! I need to summon a Ward of Dawn!" Chief stared at the Eliksni. "Whatever xenophobia you have, just push past it! Do it at least to save your skin, for the Traveler's sake!"

Shaking his head, Master Chief grabbed the hatchling and held it on his chest.

Jake gathered all the Light and void energy he could. The familiar violet 'bubble' spread around them. "This should shield us from the main impact. But brace yourself!"

The image of Cortana appeared yet again on his visor. Was it a hallucination? Or something entirely different? "This place will become your tomb." She said.

And everything faded to black.

"John. My name is John."

"John, uh? That's a nice name. My name is…"

Author's note 2:

Consider this a treat in occasion for Lightfall's launch. My biggest chapter yet!

Our. End. Begins.