An Unexpected Alliance Adopted

by PyreElegy

Re-readopted from JTF0012. Noble Team has been tasked to defend Reach to their last breath from invading Covenant forces, an impossible mission. Can the meeting between a female Sangheili and Noble Six change the course of the battle and more importantly, the Universe? fem. Sangheili/Male Noble Six

13. Where It All Began

Chapter 13: Where It All Began

Six POV

The ice caps of Reach used to coat the northern hemisphere of the planet in gleaming ice, but now nothing remained but scorched dry rock. Six watched as the skies once more turned a bloody crimson hue as the Covenant ships positioned all over the globe started their haphazard glassing campaign.

Something was definitely off. The Covenant would usually position their ships into a long line and slowly work their way over the planet's surface, blasting every centimeter of the land with intense heat. Yet here, the Covenant ships were stationed over specific areas, burning them carefully so the glassing process didn't spread too far. Why were they suddenly sentimental of how they destroy a planet?

Six's attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of rotor wings; he turned just in time to see a sleek Falcon speed by. He watched as it went, heading in the direction of the former Sword Base.

The outpost had been occupied by an army of stalwart UNSC troops when Six had last seen it, but now the former ONI stronghold was in ruins. The sturdy gates had been torn down, dried blood was splattered over the ground, and there was oily black smoke rising from Sword's tower. Nearly a month ago, Six and his team had defended the base with their lives. Yet now they were playing the part of being the infiltrators. Almost if summoned his radio buzzed, the commander's voice instantly recognisable, Six quickly raised two fingers to his helmet.

"Six, this is Carter. Report in, over,"

"Noble One, this is Six, en-route to link up with the ODSTs, over."

"Copy Six, Noble Team will be standing by, destroy the AA guns and we'll move in, over."

"Wilco, Commander. I'll get it done."

With that Six leapt from the jagged boulder outcropping to the ground and began to make his way to the rendezvous point. He jumped over the craggy terrain of the once frozen north until he reached the end, where three ODST's were waiting for him.

The troopers were startled when Six landed in their midst, but they quickly recovered their pride, and one of them stepped forward and saluted stiffly.

"Staff Sergeant Gonzales reporting for duty, sir."

Noble Six gave the sergeant a nod before he observed his soldiers more carefully. They were all prepared for a fight, grenades adorned their combat vests, extra pouches for ammunition had been added and the dirty scratched armor suggested they were battle-hardened veterans. At the moment, they were the few remaining military Special Forces on the planet. They were possibly the best human soldiers still currently on-world, save for the Spartans. He turned back to the senior ODST and saw him staring right back at him.

"You've been briefed about the mission, Sergeant?"

"Yes sir, we are to ensure you get into the base while we pull rear security."

At this the other two ODSTs begin to groan to themselves. They were trained to be the best soldiers on the field, having their roles taken by the Navy's "super soldiers" had sparked hostilities dating even before the Covenant war. Gonzales, however, was a reasonable man, he turned to his men and simply told them to shut it. With that, the troopers fell silent. Six hoped that the ODST leader could keep his boys in line, the last thing he needed was for discrimination to ruin the mission at hand. Realizing there was nothing he could do, Six pulled the DMR from his back.

"Follow me."

With that he led the way to their objective, without even casting a backwards glance to see if the troops were following him.

They navigated their way over the rocky terrain, carefully marching in line with the Spartan leading the way. They were at least a mile away from the base, but they still had to avoid the roaming Covenant patrols which were circling around the base like vultures around a rotting carcass.

Six's part in the operation was to discreetly make his way to the cliffs overlooking the seashore close to the base, where a pair of Tyrant anti-air cannons have been erected. The massive guns were keeping the UNSC and the Spartans out of the immediate airspace, making it near impossible for Noble Team to get in. Six had been given four packages of C-12 that could easily do the job, but that would mean clearing out the Covenant defenders and having the ODST squad protect him as he set up the charges. This would cost the small team time and possibly their very lives in a situation where speed and maneuverability was essential–which was why Six decided to change it up a bit if he ever found a better alternative.

They were a few short yards away from their target when one of the ODST's slipped on a stone and fell into a crack in the rocky foundation. He didn't scream or cry, but what got Six's attention was the splash. The team carefully looked down into the shadowy crevice and watched as the sodden ODST steadily returned to his feet, almost waist deep in the dark water. Gonzales called his fallen comrade in a low voice, one eye fixed on the skies above them.

"This is no time for a swim, Dering. Get your sorry ass back up here."

"Wait."

Six commanded as he knelt down and peeked into the ravine. He saw light streaming out from behind an outcropping of rock. An idea occurred.

"Trooper, go check that out."

The trooper grumbled but still slowly waded his way over to the source of the light, careful not to splash too much. Before he disappeared behind the fissure for a moment before he reappeared.

"Noble Six, it comes out to one of the main roads leading to the base and there's something here I think you should see."

Six wasn't sure if it was a good idea to divert from the route the team is on, but curiosity got the best of him. He nodded to them and the remaining troopers dropped into the ravine, with Six following them down. They walked through the water, wedged their way through the crack in the wall and found themselves out in the open.

Six felt a sickening sensation take over as he identified the place. It was Sword Base's relay post, the same one where he and Kat fought their way through alien forces to reactivate the base's communications channel.

The last time he had seen this place it was nothing more than a pair of wooden buildings hooked up to a satellite tower. Now only pieces of the buildings were intact, the few remaining boards were black as if they were all shot by plasma. Another obvious thing that had changed about the landscape was the water. The water from the melted ice caps had flooded the roads and now covered the land in near waist deep water.

'And that's not even taking into account the Covenant emplacements…'

There was a sniper tower floating on top of a nearby hill with Jackals manning their posts. Next to the tower were squads of Grunts pushing each other around as they lifted and carried a variety of glowing boxes and positioned them near the newly formed river that was flowing through the former comms relay post.

Six counted at least twenty five Grunts and two Jackals, all armed to the teeth. The Spartan continued to scan the area, trying to see what interested Dering when he saw it. Behind the Covenant forces is a Scorpion Tank… in what appeared to be working condition.

Upon seeing the vehicle, the whole group soon felt a thrill rise up within them. A tank is the most needed piece of equipment in the war, to find one when they need it the most was almost too good to be true. They could use it to easily destroy the light Covenant guards around the base, and with it they could destroy the Tyrant weapons without wasting time or lives.

Six glanced at the ODSTs who looked as if they were ready to rush forward and fight their way to the tank. However, the Spartan had a different plan in mind. He cleared his throat to make sure he had their attention before he began.

"I need you three to take the right flank."

"Now wait a second–" one ODST began speaking up but was quickly cut off by his squadmates' swift "yes sir."

"But Sarge–" The ODST began again but was silenced when Gonzales looked at him as well, switching from the first.

"Trooper, are you telling me you don't want to get the pleasure of blowing the Covenant to pieces with the tank?"

That shut them up.

Gonzales turned to Six. "We'll get in position sir,"

With that, he turned again and took the lead as he and the other troopers silently went around the oblivious Covenant soldiers.

Six let out some withheld air and loosened his muscles. He pulled back on the bolt of the rifle and checked the ammo count. He had exactly fourteen rounds; he could probably take down five Grunts before they could reach for their weapons, but the main thing he's concerned about were the Jackals. They were usually the commanding officers of the squads of Grunts, and since they have a bird's eye view at the moment that made them an even more dangerous foe.

Six unhooked one of his grenades and pulled the pin. He tensed before he sent it hurtling towards the cheerfully oblivious Grunts. His targets were fifty yards away, easily within reach of a Spartan's throwing arm. The grenade hits one of the waddling aliens in the head. It lets out a surprised snort. The small group looked down at the small rolling orb. Upon recognizing the object they all let out squeaks of alarm as they ran for cover, just as the explosive detonated, four of the Grunts perished in the fireball, leaving eleven.

The survivors let out premature sighs of relief. However, as soon as their heart rates began to go down, they spiked instantly upon hearing the screams. During the confusion, Six had run forward, slicing with his knife in hand and shooting grunts with the other hand as he smashed through the enemy lines. Six was almost to the tower before the Jackals began firing, purple needles smashed against the Spartan's armor as he ran. Despite the apparent harmlessness of the breaking crystals, they were actually draining Six's shields, forcing him to find cover.

Six dove behind a boulder, hunkered down and tried to stay low as more of the pink explosive ordinance continued to fly overhead. The Grunts regained their courage and tried to advance forward to deliver a killing shot, but every time they got close Six would either shoot at their feet or if the opportunity presented itself, deliver a skillful headshot.

Six could easily overpower the Grunts and maybe the Jackals if he sacrificed some of his shields, but he needed to provide some time for the ODSTs to–

There was a burst of automatic fire that filled the air. The Grunts were all huddled together in the open as they tried to get at Six, making them easy targets for the machine gun. Six had an idea who was firing and glanced over the boulder to confirm his theory.

Firing from the turret of the Scorpion was one of the ODSTs, letting loose a devastating six-hundred rounds-a-minute burst while his comrades stood next to the tank cheering him on. The Jackals were taken off guard by the new threat, giving Six the time he needed. Trusting the ODST would keep the grunts busy, the Spartan ran forward.

With their focus on the tank, the Jackals didn't even see Six as he ran at them and jumped into the grav lift at the bottom of the tower. When Six reached the top of the sniper nest, the bird-like creatures were firing their rifles at the tank; not taking notice of the towering Spartan until it was too late. Six grabbed the first Jackal and flung it over the side of the railing, listening to its cries of fear until they came to an abrupt end with a crunch. The last Jackal fired at point blank range, but Six stepped out of the way, grabbed his knife and in one swift movement, buried the blade into the creature's neck and twisted. The alien let out a strangled gurgle before losing the light in its eyes and going limp.

Six yanked his knife out and the creature crumpled to the floor. The Spartan walked to the side of the pad and looked down. The tank was still working as the ODSTs used the machine gun to mow down the remaining Grunts. Six stepped on the guard rail surrounding the pad and leapt down from the tower. Tucking into a ball as he landed on the ground, he rolled into a kneeling position and held out his DMR. Taking a moment to scan the perimeter, he made sure the area was clear before he made his way toward the squad of ODSTs.

Calmly walking over to the tank, Six watched just as the ODST on the gun let out a final burst that tore the last Grunt to bloody pieces. The trooper was obviously grinning under his helmet as he cheered, happy that this battle ended with a decisive victory.

"I haven't had that much fun in forever!"

Six ignored the exuberant soldier. He was still focused on his objectives and far too aware of the noise machine-guns made.

"Let's get moving." He scanned the surrounding area cautiously, expecting to hear the noise of an approaching aircraft, momentarily satisfied he pointed to the sergeant and the other ODST. "I'll drive."

The second ODST looked like he was going to protest, but Gonzales gave him a shove and the Trooper grudgingly obliged and hopped onto the side of the tank, with the Sergeant sitting on the other side. Dering stayed behind the machine gun position in front of the main cannon, no doubt still grinning from the recent shoot out. With the soldiers in position, Six opened the hatch near the base of the primary gun and climbed in.

The quarters of the tank were snug. Just like every vehicle, they weren't made to accommodate the average Spartan. Six's head was banging against the hatch and he had to pull his legs up to his chest so his feet could reach the pedals. He had to be careful because his large fingers may press two buttons instead of the one he wants, with a variety of consequences. It was in conditions like these that made the Spartans feel like giants among men.

Six was glad to find the keys were in the ignition, most likely whoever it was that drove the tank left in a hurry, probably leaving before being of any help since the Covenant didn't destroy the great war machine.

Six switched the tank on and it rumbled to life. The troopers started to whoop when they felt the shaking of gears beneath them, signaling that the thing still worked. The Spartan checked his gauges, he had enough fuel, a lot of ammunition, and readings detected a lot of contacts in front of him. Ideal. Six pressed the tank forward and they began to advance.

The four tread vehicle soon picked up speed as Six added more power to the engine. As they traveled, memories began to surface and without Six realizing it, he was swept away within the folds of his mind. He thought of the last time he had traveled along the road they were on. He was with Kat and Gunther at the time, turning back on the relay outpost and activating an anti-air craft cannon.

That day was viewed as a great victory, but it was also significant to Six for another reason; on that day, he met Shress again; on that day, they first began to talk to one another. Soon their neutral phase had shifted into something else.

He sighed at the thoughts of his otherworldly friend and hoped she was alright, wherever she was. He missed her so much already. It was starting to scare him a bit. He never felt this much anxiety about anything or anyone before. What could that mean?

His thinking was interrupted when something sped within range of his monitor. It was a grunt on a ghost speeding their way. Upon seeing the moving tank, however, the Grunt skidded and turned around, trying to speed off to safety. Six didn't let that happen. Years of training took over, as if he had done it hundreds of times already, Six twisted the turret of the tank, sighted his target and fired. The tank shudders as a 90mm slug is shot out of the end of the cannon and whizzed towards the fleeing Ghost. The Grunt was just making the turn when the round slammed into the purple machine, blowing it to pieces with the unfortunate creature in it.

The back of the Scorpion opened as it popped out the used cannon shell, the metallic clang it emitted mingled with the ODSTs who were cheering again.

Six responded by pressing the Scorpion forward faster. If the Covenant wasn't aware of their presence before, they were now. Just as he thought that, they turned the corner and were presented with a horrifying sight.

They were face to face with their objective: twin Tyrant turrets, both of their muzzles up and shooting at a faraway dog fight between human and Covenant spacecraft. In front of the Scorpion was an entire company of Grunts, Jackals, Elites and even Hunters. The two groups froze at the sight of the other, both unable to believe what they were seeing.

Dering as per usual broke the silence first.

"Oh sh–"

The trooper didn't get to finish as the Covenant opened fire. With combined shouts, Gonzales and the fellow ODST jumped from where they were sitting and retreated to safety behind the Scorpion. Dering remains where he is, the small blast shield offered him limited protection as he blindly fired into the packed crowd of aliens before them. Six helped as well, blasting away with the cannon. At point blank rage, there was no way the Spartan could miss. The machine gun, cannon, and the grenades the ODSTs behind the tank were liberally popping were thinning out the alien's ranks, but it was becoming clear that the plan wasn't sustainable for long.

The plasma and needles had started to take effect on the tank. The plasma was molding the tank's armor. The needles stuck to the side of the tank and as they detonated leaving pock marks, the small explosions causing havoc on the Scorpion's weapons system. The powerful blasts from the Hunter's fuel rods weren't helping either. Both sides were linked in a brutal back and forth tug of war, like two heavyweights taking punches at each other.

Eventually the firing began to die down as the Covenant suffered massive casualties. Six had no idea how long they were fighting, but finally after the fall of the last Hunter and a golden armored elite general, the remaining alien forces retreated to within the safety of the Tyrant gun's fortifications. There were too many bodies on the ground to count.

"Sergeant, status?"

There was a moment of silence before somebody began speaking. An as of yet unknown voice, most likely the un-named trooper.

"Sir, it's Parker. The Sarge is hit. It's nothing serious, but he's having trouble using his arm at the moment."

"Can he still shoot a weapon?"

There was another pause before he answered.

"Yes sir, but he's only able to hold up a magnum."

"Good enough,"

Six opened the channel so Dering could hear his plan.

"Alright people, here's what we're going to do, I'm going to blow the turret out of the way, you three cover me, cause I have a feeling the Covenant aren't going to like me for remodeling their fort, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Six exhaled. "Ok, here we go."

With that he repositioned the cannon and started firing once more. No sooner did he start the bombardment the remaining Covenant soldiers returned to the field to retaliate. The ODSTs respond in kind, either forcing the Covenant back into hiding or slaughtering the poor aliens who stood out in the open. Six barely registered this as he continued firing at the enlarged cannon resting on top of the fortification. The tough Covenant metal proved its worth as it continued to hold against a constant line of fire from the tank. Six continued counting as round after round was shot at the massive gun. Six counting marked the next slug as being the twenty third when the Tyrant finally surrendered. Slowly the gun began to sway and, without another warning, it fell to its side, taking half of the fortification with it as it tumbled to the ground, causing a small earthquake to occur as it became nothing more than a twisted heap of rubble and metal.

With the first gun destroyed, Six turned to face the second. He was disappointed at the amount of ammunition he had to use to dispose of the first one, the giant rounds were almost all gone. He needed to dispose of the second one without using as many shells. The Spartan tried to think, but the remaining Covenant forces continued to fire at him with everything they had left. The troopers tried to hold them back, but they were quickly getting overwhelmed.

Something it seemed Dering had no problem telling him.

"Sir! Hurry up and do something! It's bad enough that the Covies are attacking, but I think if we don't move soon, the ground will go out right beneath us."

Six was confused by the Trooper's words until he positioned his camera downwards and saw what the ODST meant. There were dozens of cracks in the ground; no doubt appearing right after the first turret had fallen, making the surface unstable.

Six hada sudden idea. He repositioned the cannon once more, but this time with it aiming down.

Before the ODSTs could ask, Six pressed the trigger and released a single shell that slammed into the ground. That was all it took. The ground began to shake again, but at the spot where Six had fired, close to the base of the Tyrant. Soon the crevices grew wider and wider, potholes began to bloom all around the gun. The Covenant realized the danger they were in and tried to flee. But it's too late. Crumbling bits and pieces of the cliff begin to tumble to the seashore, the cliff rapidly becoming wildly unstable. Finally with a humongous crack, the ground beneath the turret disappeared, causing the Tyrant and the unlucky aliens close to it to fall to the rocky seashore beneath them and be crushed.

There was a moment of silence as the humans just stared at where the massive canon once stood. Now gone in less than a minute. It's Dering who broke the silence again and although he muttered it the word was yet loud enough for the whole team to hear.

"Awesome."

Six shook his head to clear his mind before touching his radio. It was time to report his success.

"Noble Team, you are clear to enter Sword Base's airspace, over."

There was a heartbeat of silence before Carter responded.

"Copy that, Six. We are already in-route, over."

Six glanced to the air in the direction of the air fight and sure enough, one Falcon broke free of the scuffle and headed their way.

Six turned the tank's engine back on, waited for Gonzales and Parker to mount back up, and slowly they rumbled off in the direction of the base. The entrance of the base wasn't too far; just a mere two hundred yards, and, between the humans and the door, there were only a few Covenant foot soldiers. With the tank in tow, nothing was able to stand in their way.

Just as the humans made it to the blast doors, the Falcon passed overhead and Six heard Emile playfully taunting him.

"See you inside, Six. I'll try and leave some for you but no promises!"

The Spartan just shook his head as he opened the hatch above him and climbed out. He jumped from the tank and walked over to the computer console resting on the side of the main road. He switched it on and entered the code Auntie Dot had given him, hoping that it still worked. No sooner did he press enter, then the blast doors opened and he felt like sighing in relief.

Instead he turned somberly to the ODSTs who stared back at him, their faces determined yet equally somber. This was where they were supposed to separate. While Six and his fellow Spartans moved on to complete their mission, the ODSTs remained at the gate, holding off any other Covenant forces that would try and get in. They all knew the ODSTs chances of survival were slim; this was most likely a suicide mission.

Six felt like saying something, anything that could comfort the men, but instead the sergeant calmly spoke for him.

"Go ahead Spartan, we'll hold here. We know what they're asking of us."

Six stared at Gonzales before Parker walked forward in support of his sergeant, his voice clear and calm, a contrast to his cheers earlier.

"Don't worry Spartan, ODSTs don't die. We just regroup on the other side."

Respectfully, he just nodded to them, and they nodded back. Six tossed the keys to Dering, who caught them, confused anticipation clear on his face, even with the helmet.

"It's all yours."

"Yeah!" Dering said a little too loudly to himself.

Six shook his head at the gleefully fistpumping ODST before he passed through the blast door to regroup with Noble Team in the shattered bloodstained ruins of Sword Base.

Shress POV

Shress awoke irritable and in pain.

She was angry with herself for so many things. For using her very hands to destroy a city, murdering thousands and destroying her friend Michael. For crying like the weak female that her male counterparts took her to be. For falling asleep without removing her armor, which caused her whole body to cramp up during the night, And now how her body painfully ached as she stiffly rose from her bed.

She cursed her sore form before she forced herself up and began to pace around her room, trying to work out the kinks in her abused muscles. Soon the physical pain went away but the emotional turmoil remained and continued to haze her. She tried to take comfort from her station.

'No, don't you dare shed a tear, you're a Zealot! Zealots don't cry! They don't break down! They…don't murder the people they care about.'

That did it; she felt the prickling sensation beginning to build as she started to rub her eyes. She never thought she would cry during the war or any other time for that matter. The only time she had ever cried was when a healer inspected her before she joined the Covenant military, and that was only because they made the startling discovery about her condition. She cried then, showing weakness; it was there she vowed never to be weak again, but all that changed after she met Michael.

He was so wonderful.

Never before had she ever had a friend, even as a child she was lonely, for it was at her early age she was determined to become a warrior, a path that hardly any other female would ever take. She was always shunned by others in her young life and soon her adult life as well, and then he came.

He was the first one to have ever looked at her with something other than desire and ambition, the first one to accept her odd ways, and the first one to generally care for her well-being, something that even her father had deprived her of.

She remembered when they had first met, how she watched in horror as he literally gutted her fellow Zealot brothers. How she ambushed him and was ready to kill him when he reminded her of her honor–reminded her that she was a warrior, not a murderer, or so she had thought at the time. Then they met once again, arranging for future meetings, and through those meetings they had formed their strange friendship. It wasn't until later on did she realize how much she needed the support of another person.

She remembered the horror, the sadness and the depression that took over her as she realized that all this time she had been slaughtering innocent men, women, and children. She actually charged at Michael hoping to provoke him into killing her, but even then he was still loyal and spared her, he even gave her a purpose to live, to help mend her wrongs by aiding humanity.

After that she began to rely on the human more and more. She soon found herself longing for his presence, to feel his hand on hers, to hear his encouraging voice and to just feel his presence. Finally, he relied on her for once, and she was there to provide him the comfort that he had always given her. It was after then that things seemed to change, when she soon wished to hold him in her arms, to bury her head into his neck and just to smell his scent… making her wish they had done more than just the occasional hand holding.

She shivered slightly at this thought. Was she wishing to be more than socially involved with this human? Why? They were a different species, they were at war with each other. What sort of male could possibly want a female who wished to be treated like an equal?

Through her unshed tears she let out a frustrated growl and slammed her fist against the wall. Why am I even thinking like this? He's gone! He's gone…and it's my fault.

She allowed her tears to fall just for a few more units, allowing them to fall in a small remembrance of the human she had always thought of as a demon. She allowed the pain to show, to allow the world to see she does care for the human, the only person to have ever treated her like a friend, like an equal. She thought of his face one more time, the green eyes, short black hair and the assurance of his hand touching hers, how she wishes she could see and feel those things again, just one more time.

She sighed and wiped her moist eyes, straightening her posture. This was no time for crying. Now, with everything going so terribly wrong, she needed to figure out what to do.

'Should I leave? The Prophet obviously knows of my betrayal yet didn't expose me. Why? Should I stay or leave the Covenant? Take the "tags" that Michael has given me and try to join the humans?' She shook that thought away. 'They'll sooner kill her rather than listen to me say that I'm Michael's friend. Who would even believe that?'

The frustration returned, making her want to lash out at something once more when there was a heavy thumping on her portal. She made sure her eyes were truly clear of moisture before giving her permission for the individual to enter.

The portal warped open and in stepped Kova. Kova… could she consider him a friend? Shress waved the thought away and focused once more on the task at hand.

"What is it, Ranger?" She addressed him, shakily assuming her usual commanding demeanor.

The Sangheili male gave her an odd look before he responded, only serving to puzzle Shress further.

"Are you alright, Commander?"

"Yes… why do you ask?" her voice cracked.

"Your voice sounds… rough, are you ill?"

He was hesitant to bring up the topic, and Shress realized it should be easily diverted with a quick lie.

"Well…I was feeling a little unwell last night, but I'm better now."

"Unwell? That's unfortunate, especially after all the glory you have obtained the other night, which was expertly done by Zealot, if I may say."

'Expertly? Yes… that's right. They're glorifying me because I murdered millions.'

It took all of Shress's restraints not to say those damning words as she asked, in what she hoped was a calm voice.

"Indeed. Is there something you wish to inform me of?"

Kova bowed his head once more to her. It made her feel somewhat guilty at such a clear sign of respect towards her. However, despite this she noticed that beneath the old warriors stoicism bubbled, giddiness?

"The High Prophet of Regret wants all those of zealot class and higher to prepare to be deployed to the human structure obscuring the way to the Navigator. We are almost there Commander. Soon we will find the holy instruments of the gods, follow the great journey and transcend into godhood, but not before burning the human filth from existence."

Shress actually felt sickened at the glee presented in Kova's voice and even more so as she made her voice mimic the same happiness as she confirmed her receipt of the orders. Once he'd left and the door closed she looked to her bedside table and the ornate weapons presented on it.

"Soon…This will all be over."

Six POV

The doors slowly slid open with grinding gears, revealing a desolate sight. Limp bodies of human soldiers were thrown askew throughout the room, blood splattered the floor and walls, and every single one of them were no longer breathing.

The Spartans walked carefully inside, taking note of the hastily constructed UNSC fortifications that were left in ruins.

Carter shrugged off the blanket of silence that had fallen upon them

"This was either a futile attempt to stop the Covenant from getting to something important. Or these troopers were cornered."

Emile walked to the back of the room only to discover another body of another valiant soldier, slumped bonelessly against the dented wall.

"I'm going with cornered." Emile said, lowering his shotgun, "There's nothing here."

Six followed Emile, helmet tilted, as he scanned the battle-scared room.

"Sir, are you sure we're in the right place? All we have are C-12s, that's not enough fireworks to blow this part of the facility," Emile continued.

Jun butted in from across the room, "If the room has no load bearing columns, we should detonate the explosives in the center of the structure," he turned to Carter and said, "Sir, if we're to demo the building, this isn't the place to do it from."

Carter didn't say anything in response to Jun for a while before he touched his comms.

"Dot, check your vector. Are you sure we're at the correct coordinates?"

For the first time in Six's career, an AI didn't instantly respond. The silence drew on for seconds, which would have been hours by AI standards. Carter waited then asked again.

"Dot?"

Another heartbeat passed before their radio's crackled and Dot's smooth cool voice responded, her tone emotionless.

"Noble Team, Your current objective has been altered. Please look to your HUDs to find your new objective."

"Altered?"

Carter was dumb struck. Here they were, deep behind enemy lines even as the Covenant began glassing the planet, and command didn't even deign it reasonable to let one of their best Spartan team know what the damn mission was?

Standing in silence for a moment, a ping went across their hud. Jun was the first to check, then double check it before commenting on what they all thought of their new objective in his signature dry tone.

"Well sir, the objective is about ten kilometers away and about two hundred kilometers down. Sir, I suggest we go AI free on this one."

Carter held up a finger to the green Spartan and attempted to further question Dot, "Dot, what do you mean by rectified? Have we been given the wrong orders?"

Yet again another pause before Dot responded. The team looked at each other, what could be distracting her so much?

"My apologies, Noble One, but the orders came from an AI with much higher clearance than my own."

"That's fantastic." Emile muttered to himself, and everyone just about agreed with him, even Six.

If there was any AI with a greater clearance than Dot, then it belonged to ONI, which meant that this just became a spook mission.

Carter tried again. "Dot, who gave the order? Who are we operating under now?"

Again silence, except this time it dragged on, only to be broken by a soft impudent chuckle from Emile

"Hey Carter, looks like you have a talent for repelling women."

Noble One looked to Emile but before he could say anything, they all heard a loud metallic clang. With fluid motion, the Spartans all raised their rifles in the direction of the sound. The back wall shuddered before it pulled itself to the side, allowing the body of the human to fall within the now revealed hallway.

Six gazed inside. It looked like a tunnel in the middle of construction; it had visible wires, tubes and on occasion, steam puffed from the pipelines along the walls. Six felt Jun move up alongside of him, and saw him fiddle with some buttons on the side of his helmet before he reported back to Carter.

"This isn't on the map. I have no idea where this goes."

"Dot what is this?" Carter said, as curious and confused as the rest of Noble Team.

Dot's response was instantaneous this time, yet neither this or her calm voice seemingly eased any of the Spartans growing apprehensions.

"Your new objective, Noble Team."

Carter tried to confirm the order, but this time Dot didn't answer as the frequency went dead. Leaving nothing, not even static, for the team to hear in the ashen ruins of the base. This time it was Six who broke the silence.

"Anyone else feeling a little creeped out at the moment?"

"Now you're feeling creeped out Six? Was it the dark hallway that didn't exist or the fact that our AI just went dark?" Emile's teasing voice echoed back as he took point down the corridor, with Noble Team followed him closely behind as their eyes carefully glossed over the gray walls. "Don't worry I'll hold your hand," he added, amused.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, the door closed behind them. The Spartans were shrouded in darkness for a while before they switched on their helmet's night vision.

"Okay, now I'm officially creeped out." Emile said flatly.

Six had to chuckle at the irony of Emiles sentiments, even if he did share them.

"Lock it up Noble," Carter ordered as he pointed two fingers in front of them, over Jun's shoulder. "Move out, and keep it quiet."

There was a deep echoing rumble above them that caused fine dust to fall from the ceiling, the pipes groaned in their fixtures and the steam intensified briefly, leaving a murky cloud caught in their flashlights.

"Double time it Noble!"

The team moved forward as fast and as cautiously as they could go. So far there was nothing but the endless darkness that filled the hallway, and with their flashlight's limited range they had trouble keeping their eye open for any hostiles, both in front and behind. They traveled for what felt like miles until at last they saw light at the end of the tunnel.

Though they are glad to reach the end, they still moved carefully so they wouldn't walk into an ambush. When they reached the end of the hall, there was a small bare room, the light that they had seen earlier was originating from a large box connected to rails on the ceiling; the tram.

Slowly, the team entered one by one, the door sliding closed behind them. Immediately, they were pushed backwards as the tram took off at a speedy pace. Six glanced outside the window and watched as they passed large walls of rocks, with the tram being the only source of light in the cave.

The team was still taking in their surroundings when the sound of static broke the silence. It was then that the team noticed the monitor above them. At first there was nothing but interference, however, when it cleared, the Spartans felt astonishment as they saw someone they thought they would never see again.

The woman on the screen was looking at a data pad in her hand. Her small status, the graying short hair and the all familiar know-it-all voice as she continued to focus on the pad.

"Commander."

"Doctor Halsey."

His surprised response was more of a verbal confirmation than a greeting, and Six couldn't blame him. They had to fight through what had to be a battalion of Covenant soldiers to enter Sword Base. How could she, a civilian that supposedly died days ago, still be alive?

"Doctor Halsey, The UNSC marked you as KIA–"

"Yes, well, as they say news of my death has been greatly exaggerated…" she interrupted uncaringly as she glanced up from some unseen terminal, somehow conveying a glare of disappointment even through a low resolution monitor. "I only wish the same can be said about the rest of Noble Team."

"We all do, ma'am,"

Carter's response seemingly did little to mollify her, although she seemed unwilling to talk further other than a stoic, "Indeed."

The tram abruptly came to a stop in the middle of nowhere. Before anyone in Noble Team could comment, the tram shot down an unseen shaft, falling at what felt like break neck speed. Despite this the Spartans maintained both an even footing and tone.

"Ma'am, I have no idea where we are going, but we have a mission. We need to return to sword base and–"

"I am aware of your mission, Commander, and if it comforts you, we ordered the ODST squad that accompanied Noble Six to destroy the base."

This didn't comfort the Spartans at all. They were trained to believe that any force other than a Spartan's is considered unreliable, especially in a crucial mission. Halsey should know this. It was her rule book that their instructor, Lieutenant Ambrose, had installed within the Spartans during their training.

The tram exited the cave, and now the Spartans found themselves in what appeared to be a large underground cavern beneath a huge glacier. The cavern opened up to a vast well lit area, filled with small glaciers and large particles of ice. At the bottom where the tram was headed they could see what appeared to be a quickly established human base, built right within the folds of a wall of rock. The skies were blocked by the giant ice ceiling, but even as the team gazed at it, a large chuck of it, the size of a building, fell from within the folds. The team watched it fall, and that was when they saw it.

It was huge, gray, and definitely not human. There was something buried in the ice, and what they were looking at could only be a small side of it. It was easily twice the size of a Covenant carrier. Carter turned to face the monitor once more.

"Ma'am, what are we looking at?"

"You are looking at a piece of technology that is older and more advanced than our species, even the Covenant…" Halsey informed them, awing the Spartans. Advanced technology that wasn't Covenant and a lot older too? This was starting to get too weird. Meanwhile Carter continued to attempt to get information from Halsey.

"What is it exactly ma'am?"

"Our salvation, Commander,"

The team looked to one another at her cryptic response. Six thought Emile put it best when he put a finger close to his head and twirled it in circles, to which everyone except Carter nodded with approval.

"Ma'am," Carter began to say, "If this is delicate equipment, then we have orders sanctioned by HIGHCOM to bury any critical–"

"Bury any of it Spartan," Halsey responded with emotion evident in her voice, "and you bury humanity's best chance of survival."

This got the team's attention; they looked to each other now with evident determination. The protection and security of Humanity was the Spartan's primary job. Finally, the tram reached the bottom and released the Spartans. They fanned out and made sure the area was secure before Carter radioed Halsey again.

"Alright, ma'am, what do you need us to do?"

Six heard Halsey let out a held breath as if she was relieved before she started to order them. As strange as it sounded, he could have almost sworn Halsey seemed almost energized.

"Head to the base, there's a weapons armory where your team can prepare themselves."

"Prepare ourselves for what?"

"A Covenant flagship is inbound to our position. I need you and your team to fortify the base until I can ready a package for exfil."

Carter nodded to himself before looking expectantly at his team, "You all heard that?"

"So basically we have to hold off an entire army while the mad Doc packs her bags?" Emiles tongue-in-cheek jab at the doctor got a chuckle out of them all, even Carter, before he gestured in the direction of the base,

"Pretty much, Four. Alright Spartans, move out."

Shress POV

Shress walked out of the armory ready for war. Her armor had been rebuffed, the shields had been charged to full power, and she had a needle rifle as her primary weapon, plasma rifle holstered on her belt along with her family energy blade.

She kept her face devoid of emotion as she walked through the hallway. For once she was alone. Her entire legion had been called to arms as well, but even the mighty Zealots were to wait while the regulars were sent in first to clear any human resistance that still remains in this holy place.

She had again left Dinjit in command, who looked at least happy with being in charge this time. She hoped she was right about the Ranger and that his ignorance wouldn't get most of her troopers killed in her absence. However, she had been told (anonymously of course) that Kova watched over her legion and sometimes subverted some of Dinjit's more reckless orders. This didn't worry her a bit, truth be told she was glad there was another who viewed Dinjit's ways as being dangerous, it was one of the smallest assurances that she wasn't alone.

She reached the hanger and found it in an organized manner, for once. The troops were lined up, Unggoys at the front and Mgalekgolo last, all waiting to board an aircraft that will take them to the surface. She was displeased however when she saw that the Sangheili were placed right in front of the Jiralhanaes and sure enough, more than one scuffle emerged. She was glad she didn't have to stand with the legion and instead headed to the back to wait to be deployed with her Zealot brothers.

She was taller than two of the other crimson clad warriors and just as heavily armed, but it was obvious she was different from them for her form was more slender than theirs. As she stood beside them, some of the Zealots stepped away from her as if to be close to her was considered shameful; she tried her best to ignore them. Only four or five of them gave her a glance before silently returning back to grumbling with one another, leaving her out of the conversation. This was about as friendly as any of her peers ever got.

Shress sighed to herself and began to inspect her weapons as she waited to board her own craft. It was in instances like this that she wished she had a true comrade in arms, someone she could talk to steady her nerves; instead, she was left to herself to ponder what would come next.

The line steadily moved as more and more Phantoms and Spirits were deployed with the first legion within them.

Shress was happy to see the line moving more steadily but then she felt a chill form on the back of her neck, causing her to turn and search for the source. In the back of the room, flanked by his guards, was the Prophet of Regret, whose eyes were fixed right on her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he was feeling, but the look he was giving her gave her chills.

She suppressed that urge and looked down as she continued to check her weapons. She wished that they could hurry and board a ship so she could be away from the Prophet.

For a supposed holy being, there was something about him that made him seem diabolical.

Six POV

Six loaded his DMR and let out a steady sigh as he and Carter stood side by side.

In less than fifteen minutes, the Spartans had fortified the surrounding area; it wasn't the best of defenses, but it would have to do. There were three main paths which the Covenant could take to advance on to the base: one to the right where the tram was, one to the left that heads to a small cliff and a middle lane that was backed up against an abandoned ONI research facility. Separating the lanes were naturally formed mini mountains that would keep the Covenant from banding together before they made it to the front of the base.

The middle and right roads both had bridges to cover a gap between the walkways, the Spartans used some of their C-12's to booby trap the bridges, waiting for the right number of troops to be on it before triggering detonation. Another defense that the Spartans had were three ADS (automated defense systems) Wolf Spider turrets, each strategically positioned at key points along the road where they could mow down infantry soldiers.

That was all the Spartans could muster in such a short time, leaving themselves as their first and last line of resistance.

The small armory outside of the base had just about every weapon imaginable. It didn't take them long before they pooled their resources together and came out as fully equipped soldiers prepared for what would most assuredly be a gruesome battle.

All the Spartans were decked out with the same weapons, more or less. Nearly a dozen grenades were strapped to their chests, assault rifles and grenade launchers were strapped to their backs. Carter and Six's held DMRs while Jun wielded his signature sniper rifle. Emile, on the other hand, had two SMGs on his belt, a SPNKR rocket launcher and assault rifle on his back, his shotgun in one hand, and a spartan laser in the other.

Six and Carter stood in the small courtyard in front of the base while Jun and Emile hung back close to the door. The two Spartans up front were positioned behind concrete covers that formed a "U" shape, overlooking all three lanes. Five loaded assault rifles leaned against the bunker, so the Spartans could reach down and start firing, being able to shoot off one hundred and fifty rounds without reloading. Jun and Emile crouched behind some ammo crates, Jun would pick off important high value targets with his sniper rifle, while Emile would take out any Covie who got too close or destroy any war vehicle the alien's would employ.

They all stood at their designated areas and waited. Tense minutes passed but the team remained as still as stone. They were trained to never relax before a fight, never show fear, and never compromise. This would be brutal. For once, there were no fragile UNSC troops they had to watch; it was just them and the Covenant, something that all four Spartans had been waiting for ever since finishing training. No other soldiers left on Reach were more prepared for this.

Six uneasily shifted his weight from foot to foot, it was in situations like these that he wished he could take a sip of water, but taking off his helmet now with the enemy so close would be a bad mistake. The only time he had ever taken off his helmet with the Covenant close by was during his meetings with Shress…

Six abruptly shook his head. As much as he liked to think about happier times, this wasn't the right moment, he had to have a clear head, take a breath, be ready to sight in on his targets and pull the trigger.

A loud shattering noise filled the cavern, and about a few hundred meters away from the Spartans, large chunks of ice fell from the glacier above in skyscraper-sized proportions. Moving painstakingly slowly, the giant mounds of ice slammed to the bottom of the cavern and sent up white powdery snow that raised all the way back up to the newly created hole with the ground shuddering under the steady feet of the awaiting Spartans.

That was when Six saw them, emerging from the white screen like ghosts from the fog were garish, purple Phantoms, flying straight towards them. There was another flash of light, and soon another Phantom followed them, then a Spirit, and another Phantom, and by this time, the white screen of disturbed snow finally dissipated, revealing what appeared to be hundreds of Covenant drop ships inbound on the Spartan's position.

The defenders of humanity didn't flinch, they didn't shiver, instead they took deep breaths, strengthened their stances, and raised their rifles to their shoulders. This was their moment, their destiny; protecting humanity to the last.

The alien ships drifted lazily over to the field of battle, making no sudden movements. The ships could easily blow Noble Team away, but Six guessed that the aliens inside wanted a crack at gaining honor on the battlefield first before they killed the Spartans.

There wasn't enough room for all the ships to land, so instead, six airships moved in first, dispersing into pairs, with each heading to one of the designated paths that lead to Noble Team. The Spartans tensed a little as the ships drew in close, but instead of firing on them, the ships headed to the end of the paths and hovered. It wasn't long before the sides of the aircrafts opened wide and out jumped the attackers; squads of yapping Grunts, teams of twitchy Jackals, and the single commanding presence of an Elite. The ships then lifted back off into the air leaving what must have looked like a one sided fight. They would be surprised.

Six looked all around him and estimated the number of Covenant forces to be about three dozen, with one group at the end of each path. Noble Team didn't say a word, they all knew what to do, and they were just waiting for their enemy to make their move first, which didn't take long.

An Elite at one trail lifted its head and let out a roar. Another elite positioned on the other path let out a similar war cry, and with that, the small armed group of aliens began to advance. The steady walk soon turned into a trot, until finally the Covenant forces were sprinting towards the humans. They closed in on the Spartans, who still had moved a muscle, an action that for some reason just seemed to enrage the aliens even more. The Covenant troops on all three paths were now a hundred yards away, within DMR rifle range. That's when Carter turned around and shouted.

"Now!"

Behind him, Jun raised the small data pad in his hand and pressed a switch.

Along all three paths, mounds of rocks suddenly shoot skywards as the Wolf Spiders rose from the hiding places. Upon seeing the turrets, the aliens all tried to slow down, but it was too late. The Wolf Spider locked in on the nearest heat signature and started firing short controlled bursts of fifty caliber rounds.

The Grunts all squealed in fright and desperately tried to run away, forcing the Elites to break rank as they tried to rein order over the panic stricken troops–all while firing their weapons at the Wolf Spiders.

It was only when they were in disarray that the lead Spartans did react. Simultaneously, the Spartans raise their rifles and sighted downrange. Six found his first target, one of the commanding Elites, a minor in blue armor but a leader nevertheless. He shifted his rifle to the right, trying to anticipate the wind speed, aimed his rifle and squeezed off two shots. The first bullet took out the Elite's shields; the following round buried itself deep within the skull, causing the head to implode with a fountain of blue blood.

Six steadied his aim as he lined up his rifle with the next target–an unlucky Grunt–and took another shot. The two veteran's fired only five shots before the Wolf Spiders finished off the remaining forces. The platoon size attack force had been neutralized.

Carter didn't look satisfied though. He anticipated more Covenant forces.

"So easy. Just like always. Covies never seem to learn–" commented Emile, before he was interrupted by Jun.

"No, it's just like New Alexandria. They send in the light stuff first to test us. The next round will bring the bigger guns."

Just as he finished speaking Six heard the whine of Plasma rounds and instantly crouched under his concrete cover. The other Spartans did the same as the Phantoms, Spirits, and Banshees fired on their position. Despite the noise, Six could still hear Emile complain.

"You just had to say it!"

"Not now Emile!" shouted Carter.

Six lifted his rifle above his cover and started spraying bullets in the direction where he pinpointed the enemy shooters. The other Spartans did the same, save Emile who shouldered his shotgun and took out the Jackhammer missile launcher.

Emile jumped and rolled out of cover and came up in a crouch. With the Jackhammer in one hand and the laser in the other, he ignored the plasma shot around him as he raised both heavy weapons. He fired both projectiles in the Jackhammer and fired a red arch of light from the laser. Six didn't see where it went but he heard the explosion and the sound of metal banging against the ground. Emile couldn't reload the launcher so he dropped it and continued firing the Spartan Laser which, by the sound of it, continued to have a devastating effect on the Covenant.

Soon Emile came under fire; this time it was from infantry weapons–not the powerful guns of an aircraft. Emile picked up the dropped launcher and retreated back to cover, yelling over the sound of copious weapons fire.

"You guys might want to see this!"

Six looked over the concrete and felt his stomach drop. The Covenant was no longer playing games. Now all three lanes were full of Covenant legions as the transport ships crowded over the paths and dropped their cargo. Soon an army of Grunts were on the ground, and squads of Jackals armed with shields and sniper rifles filed behind them, while platoons of Elites ordered their troops to move forward. With so many troopers, the Covenant was forced to slowly advance, so their mass numbers wouldn't get stuck in the limited space. It didn't stop Carter from taking full advantage, though.

"Open fire Spartans! Don't let them destroy the turrets. They are the only support we will have out here!"

"Sir!" called out Jun as he let loose another one of his armor piercing rounds, taking the hat of an elite minor. Six idly noted that it wasn't quite two-thousand yards away in his mind even as he continued firing. "The charges under the bridge?"

"Not yet! Save them for when we need them the most!"

"We don't need them now?" Questioned Six as he landed another headshot on a major while watching the seemingly infinite drop ships deliver yet more troops.

"Just wait until I give the order, Spartan! Hold your positions!"

At his commanders' roar Six started to shoot into the middle lane, taking out the Grunts up front so that their bodies would pile up and falter the Covenant advance. Carter fired to the right, following the same strategy that Six. Jun started taking out anything that he saw as important, field leaders, enemy snipers, and any Covenant trooper who was carrying a heavy payload. Emile put the laser to the side, reloaded the missile launcher and took out the grenade launcher. He soon began firing missiles and grenades into the crowds that he deemed too populated.

The Covenant responded by firing back, trying to shoot the Spartans, but they were too close together; they were bumping into one another and accidently pushing each other into the clear kill-zone the Spartans set up. The few plasma shots that made it out of the crowd mostly went wide and missed the human defenders completely. Things got more chaotic as soon as the advancing aliens got within range of the Spider turrets. The short bursts that were fired were just enough to tear any unprotected being to pieces. This caused the Grunts to become panic-stricken as they tried to turn and run, causing more casualties as they shove one another into the way of incoming fire.

It didn't take a genius to see the Covenant were getting more and more frustrated, the Elites howled and Jackals screeched in agitation. Soon Banshees came back into the fight, firing plasma rounds and bombarding them with mortar fire.

Noble Team, unable to retreat or find a better angle, were forced to bunker where they were. Waiting for Emile to take out the enemy birds, Six used his right hand to take pot shots over the sandbags, hoping that the sustained fire would keep the more skilled warriors at bay. As they waited, Using his open hand and began hoarding ammo from where he stashed it before the fight. The fight might have started ten minutes ago, but he had already spent close to two hundred rounds. Carter and Jun joined him as they stuffed more magazines into every pocket they could find, especially Jun who was charged with retrieving ammunition for Emile from his spot in the open. Once they were reloaded.

"Carter! My Laser is empty! Hand me something else or we are about to be swarmed by Banshees!"

As if in reply to Noble Four's words, the Phantoms and Spirits start to spit out plasma from their on board turrets with ever greater fury. Six watched as a Banshee flew overhead, flipped in mid-air and circled back around for another pass. Carter saw it as well and called out to Emile.

"What about your missiles?"

"I'm out of those too! Should I try my grenade launcher?"

Six couldn't tell if he was joking or not. By the looks of their situation, they were getting desperate.

It only got worse when there was a beep from Jun. He checked the data pad, cursed and called out, "Right side turret is down! Nothing is stopping them now!"

Carter cursed as well and yelled back to him.

"Emile, Jun, see what you can do about the fighters. Six, you and I are going to concentrate fire to the right lane, ready?"

Noble Team could only nod as their already grim situation turned dimmer.

"Go!" Carter shouted.

Six swapped his DMR for one of the assault rifles and rose to face the figurative tidal wave of the enemy head on. Carter and Six had to rely on the other automated turrets to keep the enemy on the other paths off their backs while Emile and Jun tried to clear the skies. To their right was a horde of aliens. Six felt his gut sink as he saw that Brutes now led the Covenant's advance, determined to tear the humans apart.

He kept his movement steady as he raised the rifle and fired non-stop rounds at the ape-like combatants. The Brutes let out howls of fury and agony as they were pierced with bullets as they attempted to push forward, the bodies of their dead soon began hindering their movements. When Carter or Six ran out of ammunition, they easily dropped their rifles, reached down, picked up the next and continued to fire.

Six had started on his fourth rifle when the Covenant airships swooped in and started firing again. The plasma ate away the Spartan's shields as they tried to lower themselves into cover while fighting at the same time. A Banshee flew in from overhead; Six saw the energy ball at the last second and hastily dropped to the ground. No sooner did he land on the floor than he heard the mortar pass by overhead and felt the intense heat wash over him as the plasma incinerated whatever was behind the Spartan. Suddenly he heard someone shout, and turned his head to see what was happening.

Sprinting from cover, was Emile and Jun, running into the open. The Banshee that had almost hit Six turned its attention to the two exposed Spartans and started firing again. The two Spartans braved the fire, however, until Jun dropped to the floor in a stable crouch. The Banshee was passing over him when Emile ran forward, stepped on Jun and used his body for leverage, he pushed himself off the floor and soared into the air.

Six watched in stunned amazement as Emile grasped the wing of the Banshee and caused it to turn. As it was off balance, Emile reached into the cockpit of the alien ship and pulled out a squirming Elite. Emile let the alien drop, its shouts of protest going silent when it hit the ground head-first, and acrobatically flipped himself into the vehicle.

Now in control of the fighter; Emile flipped it around until the commandeered Banshee was bearing down on the Covenant on their right flank. The aliens were unaware of the danger until it was too late. Plasma bolts hailed their way through the armored foes, and powerful mortars blasted the enemies backwards. Emile didn't eliminate the entire enemy column, but he did leave them in bloody ruins before he turned the fighter around and engaged a nearby Spirit.

Six grinned with renewed strength as he rose and continued to fight. The intervention of the turned Banshee confused the Covenant troops for precious seconds and caused distrust to erupt among them, particularly between the different species. This only added more chaos as Noble Team fired away at them.

Things were looking up for the spartans until Jun called out, "Carter! We've got Phantoms carrying heavy-ground vehicles inbound!"

"Where?"

"They're being dropped off on the central path!"

Carter nodded even as he lobbed a grenade into an advancing phalanx of jackals, "Activate those charges when they get close, Three."

"Yes, sir!"

Six finally used up all the stored ammunition in the assault rifles, finally forcing him to actually reload. When he peaked again, he aimed his gun at the advancing aliens to the left; he heard a deafening explosion, felt a dull thump pound the ground and saw the billowing smoke. It didn't take a genius to tell from the dying screams and faltering troops that the bridge had been destroyed and had taken a good amount of Covenant troops with it.

Failing shields and depleting ammunition finally forced Six to take cover as he tried to recover a small amount of his lost shielding. Things were getting intense. Despite the newly acquired air support and assistance from the three remaining Wolf Spider turrets, they were still outmatched. The Spartans were now taking fire from every direction.

Six let out a heavy sigh and wished he could take off his helmet to wipe the sweat from his eyes. His suit did its best to keep him cool, but even some of humanity's greatest technology wasn't enough. The Spartan wished he could take a real break, take a swig of water, eat an energy bar, maybe sit just for a minute, but the grueling conflict called him back to the forefront of the fight.

Six and Carter were now slowly being forced back to the front of the base, trying to lay down suppressing fire for each other as they went. There was another thump, more screams, and more smoke began to rise from the right. However, this wasn't doing any good for the drop ships, who were now dropping their loads of soldiers ever closer to the base.

Something to the left caught Six's eyes and he felt his heart rate accelerate. Approaching them was the purple hull of a Wraith, with two Hunters flanking it; all three had their plasma weapons charging. Six's first instinct was to duck behind a nearby pillar for cover, until he realized the energy weapons weren't aimed at them; they were pointed up into the skies.

Six quickly reached for his radio and shouted, "Emile, bail!"

He spotted the Banshee just as the Covenant forces released their deadly arsenal. Six thought Emile was done for as the blue and green projectiles sliced through the air to their target. Then the hatch opened, and Emile jumped out of the aircraft just as the plasma hit the aircraft, and it exploded.

Emile dove head first into the crowd of Covenant fighters and disappeared from view. The rest of Noble Team were pinned down by enemy fire, if they tried to venture out of the limited cover they had, they would be killed before they could even make it to Emile's location. The Spartans could only fight back the best they could as they helplessly thought of their comrade who had literally fallen into the middle of the enemy ranks.

The Wraith and Hunters slowly advanced forward, forcing Noble Team to shed their heavy gear and release their explosives. Grenades flew and detonated on target while Jun tried to shoot the soft abdomen of the Hunters with his rifle. The Hunters responded by placing their shields in front of them and continued marching forward while the grenades harmlessly exploded on the exteriors of the alien tank. So far the Spartan's pride was being devastated, not the enemy's.

Six was unclipping another grenade when he heard the cries coming from the central path. He glanced over and had trouble believing what he was seeing. Emile was alive; he had two assault rifles in his hands and he was… running on top of the Covenant fighters? Six continued to stare until he knew he wasn't hallucinating. Emile, a near two ton Spartan, was stepping on the heads of the Covenant, mostly Brutes and Elites as he rushed to Noble Team's position, firing off multiple rounds as he went. Finally he made it to the front, where the Grunts were. He tried to step on them like he did with the other Aliens but the small creature's skull couldn't take his weight and they both crash to the ground. Emile rolled onto his feet and, with a single swipe of his arm, released five grenades into the crowd of enemy fighters. Panic erupted again as the Grunts tried to scurry away, while Emile turned on his heels and sprinted back to cover. Hundreds of plasma weapons opened fire on Emile as Noble Team tried to back him up with covering fire until the Spartan made it back to cover.

Emile virtually collapsed behind an ammo crate. Concerned for his team mate, Carter tried to take a look at Emile, but he waved Carter away. Slowly, he rose back to his feet and took his shotgun off his back and began firing at the enemy again.

Six also returned to his designated spot and his eyes widened at the scene. There must have been over a hundred aliens, and they were now practically at the foot of the base. The Spartans began shooting everything they had, trying to gun down their enemy. Plasma rounds, crystal shards, and grenades began taking their toll on the Spartans' shields.

The entire team had switched to assault rifles and was firing blindly into the fray, but it was becoming too much. A Brute launched itself at Six and tried to smash him with its fists. Six easily sidestepped, slid his pistol out of his holster in one fluid movement, and shot the Brute point blank in the head. Upon seeing this, Carter got back on the radio and yelled.

"Halsey! We can't hold them off any longer! What's your status?!"

Her response was immediate, cool and crisp, a striking contrast to the absolute chaos the Spartans were currently enduring. "The package is ready Commander, Have your team report in."

"You heard her Spartans!" Carter yelled, "Everyone inside, GO!"

Shress POV

The Sangheili were all ready to spill blood. They tensed their muscles, checked their weapons and occasionally muttered to each other. The Zealots were all linked together by brotherhood, but their pre-battle rituals excluded a certain female from the ranks. This left Shress on her own as she leant against the hull, arms crossed, head down and deep in her own thoughts as the Phantom continued its descent to the embattled human planet.

Shress had no idea how this was going to play out. Should she do as the Prophet of Regret told her, forget about Michael and rejoin the Covenant whole heartedly? Or should she try to side with the humans, hoping that they wouldn't kill her first.

She sighed as she clenched and unclenched her hands, unsure who was her enemy. For now she'll shoot and kill whoever it was trying to kill her first. Until she knew otherwise, that would be her plan.

The whispers among her Sangheili brothers quickly fell silent as their leader stepped forward, Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee had volunteered to lead the Zealots into battle. Shress had just been beginning her own journey in the Covenant by the time the young shipmaster had already started making a name for himself. He had glassed five human worlds, slaughtered thousands of humans and razed destruction upon the enemy of the Prophets. Shress couldn't restrain a sliver of fear, if Regret hadn't secretly pardoned her, would he have ordered Thel to assassinate her? If the rumors were true, it wouldn't be the first time the Shipmaster had taken orders directly given by the hierarchs.

The shuttle lurched sharply, causing Shress to fall forward. With quick reflexes she gracefully rolled and flipped herself back onto her feet as the Phantom went into a nosedive. Not knowing what else to do, she leaned back slightly and crouched, her splayed feet providing the necessary friction to keep her from sliding towards the front of the hull. Just as she was about to make contact with the wall the Phantom leveled out, ceasing her descent.

Shress looked behind her and couldn't refrain from the chuckle that escaped her. All of her male companions were lying on the floor in a hilarious heap, all cursing and swatting at each other as they tried to get back on their feet. Then she noticed that there was only one other Sangheili standing upright and looking at her. It was the Supreme Commander, seeming to have kept on his feet the same as she did.

The Fleet Master looked at her and they locked eyes for a brief moment before she broke the gaze.

The Phantom shuddered again, forcing the two standing Sangheili to hang on to the walls as the Fleet Master shouted.

"Pilot! What is happening?"

"One of our own Banshees is attacking us!"

Shress tilted her head in confusion. Why would a pilot go rogue now of all times?

Thel didn't ask any of these questions, nor did he seem to care as he reached for his communicator.

"Ultra W'Ateree, where are you?"

"Commander," answered a gruff voice, "We are engaging the enemy, but are finding heavy resistance."

"Do you have your Wraith with you?" Thel inquired

"Yes and an additional pair of Mgalekgolo as well."

"Target the rogue Banshee and destroy it," ordered Thel in a cold voice. "Death to all heretics."

Shress couldn't help but shudder at his words as she and the other Zealots waited. Only a few units passed before the Ultra called back.

"Shipmaster, the rogue aircraft has been destroyed."

Thel seemed to grin at this as he ordered the pilot to set them down.

Shress breathed steadily as she lifted the needle rifle and prepared her mind for whatever would face them. Around her the other males took out their weapons as well, they ranged from plasma rifles to carbines, their past silent conversations long gone as they waited for the doors to open. They all felt the ship slow its speed and lower its height; they knew it was time. The panels in front of them smoothly opened upwards, showering them in bright light. Partially blind, Shress led the way as she jumped out of the Phantom alongside four other Zealots. She landed on her feet, causing a slight shock wave to erupt upon the floor as she rose and scanned the area.

The scene was a nightmare. Bodies of Sangheili, Kig-Yar, Unggoy. and even Jiralhanae littered the ground. The surface was blackened by fire, boiled by plasma and torn by hundreds of marching feet. Shress could see that the cavern was once a wonder, but the fighting had crumbled many rock formations. The constant firing had melted some giant ice structures, and the multiple bloods from the varying alien species was no doubt destroying the soil. She could hear the sound of combat, whines of rifles, hisses of needles, and rattles of human bullets echoing along the cavern walls. The echoes made it near impossible for her to pinpoint where the sounds were originating from.

One of her brothers let out a gasp, making Shress wary as she glanced at the male. He was staring at something to their right with his maw wide open. When Shress glanced in that direction, she too felt her mandibles part in surprise.

Soon almost all the Zealots were bowing and praying as they gazed at the sight before them. Sticking out of the ice was a massive Forerunner artifact. Truth be told, Shress didn't see much to marvel at, only a portion of the structure was visible, but years of praying and worshiping at the sight of a any Forerunner artifact, no matter how small, tempted her to bow as well, even though she was starting to question the teachings of the High Prophets.

She noticed only one other person wasn't bowing and looked over to see Thel. He gave an angry snort as he gazed scornfully at the Zealots who were no doubt easy kills in their current positions. Shress then walked forward, acting as if nothing was happening. She felt Thel's eyes follow her, making her wish that she could turn the rifle on him, but she figured that it was a price too high to pay just for a simple pleasure.

She walked forward before she came to a stop. She turned a corner of one of the high rock formations and saw the battle in progress. Hundreds of Covenant forces were pushing forward, trying to rush a human base that was built into the base of the cavern wall. She couldn't see the defenders of the base, but she saw the muzzle blasts and knew that there were still humans within.

She breathed steadily as she raised her rifle and zoomed in, prepared to kill the first target that would appear in her scope. However the defenders weren't leaving their cover, they were just sticking their weapons out and firing, making it much harder for her to see them.

She was considering trying to help the other troopers in rushing the base when a Jiralhanae broke ranks and charged forward. The human defenders fired upon the oversized savage creature, but he burrowed in a loud roar and raced for something behind a pillar. That was when Shress saw movement and aimed her rifle. At first she watched as the hairy Covenant soldier slammed into the pillar before the moving target held a small human gun at its skull and fired. She winced at the violent explosion of red blood as the Jiralhanae head exploded, and it slumped against the pillar. Shress followed the arm of the gun holder, getting ready to pull the trigger. When she reached the shooter's head though she let out an audible gasp.

Her mind couldn't accept what she was seeing, but somewhere within her she knew it was true. Standing a couple of yards away from her was Michael. It was him. She zoomed out and saw his azure color body armor, the familiar helmet and if she had to guess, the familiar height. Somehow, against all odds, her friend had survived the glassing.

She felt her form shudder as she watched. He was alive, and for some reason she was filled with a sudden joy. She felt her legs urging her forward, wanting to be close with the demon, to be with him, but she stopped herself.

Behind Michael was another demon, a shade darker than Michael's blue color and it seemed to be issuing orders. Michael slowly backed away from the fight, firing off rounds from the miniature gun as he went. Behind him Shress could see a large, flat black mass closing behind him.

Suddenly, Michael stopped firing. He was staring right back at her. She could not see his green eyes, nor could he see hers, but something within her was telling her that they could see each other. Their momentary connection was broken when a green demon ran to Michael and began to pull him away.

She wanted to sprint forward, more than ever now, and to touch Michael; just to make contact with him to see if he was truly real and make sure that this whole thing was not in her head.

Michael wrestled out of the green demon's grip and ran alongside him as they ran into the base. She watched through the scope as the door began to close, but before it shut completely, Michael turned, made what seems to be eye contact with her again before he raised his hand and moved it side to side. Shress felt emotional for some reason at the gesture; she continued looking into Michael's blue faceplate before the door closed completely.

The Covenant troops let out howls of anger and frustration as they ran towards the base. They started to hammer their fists against the exterior but the door continued to stubbornly hold them back.

Shress sighed as she lowered her rifle, that's when she felt a presence nearby and looked over her shoulder. Standing close to her was Thel, and he didn't look happy.

He gave her a look that she could not read before he questioned her.

"Why didn't you fire?"

Shress felt panic take over as she tried to think of an answer. Before she could even react, she felt herself say, "... I don't know."

Shress tried not to shudder as she realized her mistake, but before she could further defend herself, Thel leaned in close and growled threateningly.

"Do not hesitate again, female, or else you'll have more than just the demons to worry about."

Shress lowers her gaze fearfully as she thought, 'I'm well aware.''

Six POV

Noble Team sprinted as fast as they could down the dark corridor, trying to be stealthy yet fast at the same time. Behind them, Six could still hear the pounding of the Covenant, but for some reason he wanted to go back, go back and kill them all, for standing behind them was a familiar Sangheili. As he ran, Six couldn't help but feel torn knowing with each step he was separating himself further from Shress. But what could he do? If he went back he'd be killed, and he may get her killed as well if the Covenant saw them together.

Six almost tripped when Jun nudged his shoulder as they ran. Six shot the green clad Spartan a glare even if Jun couldn't see it.

"So what was that?" Noble Three finally asked.

"What was what?" responded Six mechanically although he knew perfectly well what it was that Jun was asking.

"Why did you freeze out there? I swear I thought I needed to slap you when I went back for you."

Six was silent until he quietly replied, "I just thought I saw something."

Before Noble Three could respond, the small hall began to brighten as they neared a door at the end. Greenish light flowed from the doorway as the team finally slowed down and entered. At first, none of the Spartans could tell what they were looking at.

To Six, it looked like a large brightly green coloured sphere that was attached to a squid. The object hung above them with what looked like thousands of glowing cables attached to it. It was encircled by miniature rings which were emitting a steady pulse, like a heartbeat. Six couldn't see what was holding it up, but then he realized something just as disturbing, there was no floor, only a quickly erected platform, below them was complete unending darkness. What concerned Six, though, was that the light was fading, on and off in a steady pattern, it's as if the piece of machinery above them was truly alive.

As soon as they finished inspecting the strange tech, they looked at the platform and saw that it's crowded with machinery, from laptops to what looked like a flash cloning kit. Styrofoam cups littered the floor while a pot of coffee sat on top of a miniature heating device.

"What is this stuff?" Emile asked no one in particular.

"Knowledge," a voice suddenly rang out. The team looked back down towards the platform and saw Doctor Halsey at work on what appeared to be a holographic tank as she continued.

"A birthright from an ancient civilization."

This sparked some interest as the team looked to one another. An ancient civilization?

The team looked back to the doctor who still hadn't turned to face them. This slightly annoyed Six, the whole world was literally burning away and here she was working on some pointless machinery.

Her next words took them by surprise.

"This AI unit is its custodian, and it has chosen you as its couriers." She said in what Six believed to be a disgusted voice.

"Chosen," Emile stated again skeptically, "by an AI?"

Six had to agree with his team mate. He had some experience with the so-called 'smart' AI, but Halsey was talking like this piece of equipment was making its own choices as if it was truly alive.

"By this AI," continued Halsey and this time she looked up at them, "Yes. Her measure of view carries about as much weight as my own… perhaps more."

That's when she stepped away from the tank, allowing Noble Team to see what lies within. Inside a small sphere was a miniature woman, a purple AI, sitting cross-legged and looking like she was concentrating. She glanced backwards and Six felt astonishment blossom inside; the AI looked like a carbon copy of Halsey.

'How did she–' Six started to wonder about the AI's origins when he stopped mid-thought. After all, who cared about some AI similarities when the world was coming to an end?

Halsey started talking again, "You are to take her to the UNSC ship breaking yard in Azod. There you'll find a Halcyon-Class Cruiser waiting to get her off planet."

An ordinary milk run? This sounded a little too easy but Carter spoke for all of them when he spoke.

"I understand."

"Do you?" Asked Halsey in a doubtful voice as she turned her back on them once more. "Mankind is outmatched," she commented as she walked among the various equipment on the table and began to shut them down.

"When Reach falls, and it will fall, our annihilation is all but certain."

Nice pep talk, Six thought as they continued to watch the doctor walk around her 'lab.'

"Unless, We can glean from this artifact,"

Halsey voice strengthened as she waved at the machinery above them,

"And use its information as a defense against the Covenant, a game changer. We can make a discovery far greater than the discovery of the conical bullet in the nineteenth century or faster than light travel in the twenty third."

Six could hardly believe that the machinery around him could do what the doctor was saying, but Carter spoke the dreaded question not far off of Six's mind.

"And what if we can't?"

"A reasonable question if there was somewhere else we could place our hope," She stated quietly as she turned off the protective hub over the AI unit, allowing the holographic woman to stand, and they both looked at each other, like a parent and a child as Halsey finished somberly. "There is not."

With that she switched the holo-pad off and the room seemed to dim. Six glanced up at the so-called artifact, its lights fading as if it really was dying.

Halsey reached for the base of the pad, grabbed a handle, twisted, and pulled out an odd container that Six often sees small exotic plants and animals be placed in for safety, but the object within is far from organic. Inside was an enlarged computer chip, slightly glowing in a blue hue that resembles the color of the AI.

Cradling it as if it was a baby; Halsey walked towards the Spartans, not appearing to be intimidated by their large size or the alien blood that covered them. She walked in front of them, inspecting them before coming to a halt in front of Six.

The Spartan was confused; but before he could ask a question, he was shocked when Halsey offered him the container.

"Take it Lieutenant. She has made her choice," Halsey said.

Six stared at her before looking to Carter, to see if his Commander agreed that Six should hold what could quite possibly be the salvation of humanity.

Carter nodded, reassuring Six as he reached out to take the object. He was surprised again as Halsey continued to hang on with a death grip.

"Do you have it?" she asked intently.

"Yes," Six said, trying to pull it away, but the doctor continued to hang on.

"Say the words… please," She finally said in a surprisingly emotional voice. Six realized it actually meant something to her.

"I have it."

Even then, she was reluctant to let go. As Six held the package in his hands he suddenly felt his hair stand on end as he looked down at the glowing chip. It's almost as if it's radiating life. Whatever is inside, it was definitely not a normal AI.

Halsey turned to Carter and gestured towards one of the walls.

"The emergency exit is this way,"

Carter nodded.

"Move out Spartans,"

He and Noble Team lead the way, leaving Six and Halsey in the back.

Halsey bent down and picked up a small duffel bag and was about to follow the others when Six stopped her.

"Doctor,"

She paused and glanced at Six who was silent for a moment before asking, "Why me?"

Halsey sighed, "That… is something you're going to have to ask her if you ever get the chance."

She gestured towards the package in his hands before lifting her bag and following the other Spartans.

Six stared after her before he looked down as the strange object in his hands. Was she actually saying that this thing was alive, that it really did choose him? 'Maybe the doctor had been underground for far too long,' he thought. Suddenly the chip inside sparked a bright blue, as if it heard Six's thoughts. Still confused, Six placed the container onto a small clip on the small of his back and hurried after the rest of his team.

Shress POV

Shress was silent as she sat on a rock as the rest of the Covenant army milled around in anger and confusion. The Sangheili set the Unggoy to work by ordering them to pile their dead as they await further instructions. Shress glanced at her Zealot brothers, who were restlessly pacing around, agitated at having missed the entire battle and now left behind as Thel and a small team of Spec Ops attempted to infiltrate the human base by discreetly entering through a hole a Jiralhanae had made earlier. Now the entire Covenant army had to wait and see what would happen next.

Shress said nothing as she mulled over the brief encounter she had had with Michael earlier. What were they to do? For his sake, she hoped there was a way he could slip away from all this bloodshed without them having to chase him and his brothers down.

'Doesn't he understand yet?' She wondered, 'He and his brothers needed to leave, now, while they still have a–'

She let out a surprise yelp as someone roared across the Covenant's communications waves, startling all who were listening.

"Soldiers!" Shouts a voice she identifies as Thel's, "We have been deceived! The humans have stolen the holy relic from us!"

Shress tilted her head in confusion, she, and everyone else for that matter, looked at the giant structure in the ice. Sure enough, it was still there, how could anyone, let alone a human, be able to steal a relic of that proportion?

Thel continued, "The interior of the artifact had been stripped clean! There's nothing left of the navigation data!"

That got their attention. The Sangheili roared in outrage, the Jiralhanae growled, the Unggoy squeaked, and the Kig-Yar screeched. Even Shress was wheeling from his words. It legitimately surprised her that the humans were able to manipulate the gods' creations, let alone be thorough enough to leave nothing behind.

"Return to the ships at once! We shall chase these pieces of filth until our feet bleed and their blood waters this pitiful dirt of a planet! We shall reclaim what is rightfully ours and bask in the glory of the gods forever!"

The Covenant troopers roared their approval as they turned and hurried back to the waiting Phantoms and Spirits, with Shress trailing behind beginning to feel sick again.

Six POV

The sun was starting to set as Noble Team exited the cave and came into the light. They were on a helipad with two Pelicans waiting for their arrival, each positioned in a different direction.

Halsey headed for one ship facing South, but before she boarded, Carter called out to her.

"Ma'am, I'm assigning Noble Three to escort you to Castle Base."

Halsey huffed. "I don't require an escort Commander."

Carter simply ignored her and turned to Jun.

"Make sure no critical data falls into Covenant hands, Spartan"

"I'll do what is necessary, sir." Jun then looked over what remained of Noble team who stared back as well. They weren't speaking of meeting up at some rally point later on, or exchanging codes for secure frequency channels. Six wasn't so sure about Jun's mission, but something inside of Six told him that there was something different about this mission, as if it was a one way trip. Jun nodded his head and followed Halsey into her Pelican, at its entrance he turned around briefly.

"Good luck."

"Good luck marksman," Carter said silently before he and the small remainder of Noble Team entered the other Pelican. Carter sat up front in the pilot's seat.

"I need a heading Dot"

"Noble One, follow the coordinates on your HUD. They will take you straight to the Cruiser, The Pillar of Autumn."

The Pillar of Autumn?" asked Emile as he sat on the ramp of the Pelican as it took off, "Who names these ships nowadays?"

Six just shook his head and gazed out the back with Emile. The landscape was now barren. Red rocks littered the surface of the world, only leaving a single giant glacier as the only thing with a different color, the one covering the secret cavern which remained untouched. The two Spartans watched as the Pelican carrying Halsey and Jun took a turn and flew off towards the southern hemisphere. They kept watch over it until it was nothing more than a receding dot flying in the distance.

There was an explosion that sent shock waves into the air. The Pelican jerked before leveling itself out. Both Six and Emile scanned their surroundings, trying to detect the source of the disturbance until they looked towards the ground and saw what was happening.

The giant glacier had been hit by a high yield explosive from below and now it was crumbling in on itself. Rising from the wreckage were hundreds of Covenant aircrafts, Phantoms, Spirits, and Banshees, they all turn in their Pelican's direction and with a mighty thunderclap, they all took off, racing towards them, a giant violet cloud of destruction shadowing the Spartan's ship.

Emile jumped to his feet and Six yelled up front to his Commander, "Carter, we need to leave, now!"

-Author's Note-

Yo, been a while since I wrote something in the A/N. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's been sticking around and enjoying this fic (again). All the nice reviews mean a lot. It makes the passion project worth it. And to those who don't believe it will be finished, I will prove you wrong. :) -Lead editor, WhateverRex

Hey everyone, we've been busy with life, my fiancé and I are moving in together plus traveling all over the country for work. But we're still gettin these chapters out as much as we can. Rex is right, this is a passion project between quite a few people on our discord led by Pyre. See ya'll next chapter. -leaderest editor,

DaffyDafuq

Sorry for the delays everyone, life recently has been hectic, and the delay on this chapter has been on me. Housing instability is a pain, and I wouldn't wish this kind of stress on anyone. Here's hoping life can be a bit less expensive in the future eh?

... I really hope so.

-Pyre