Chapter 2

The next morning started with groans and complaints as the two teenagers and their younger brother finally began to shift.

"Dad, why'd you let us sleep like that?" Jasmine whined. "Now my neck hurts."

"You all looked so peaceful," Alan smile at his trio of kiddos. "I couldn't bear to wake any of you up."

The innocent look in his eye seemed to turn devilish when he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"By the way, it's already seven o'clock," his smirk turned into a grin at their horror. "That means you've got an hour to see to your chores and get ready for school."

"Dad!" Evelyn jolted up. "We're going to be late!

"I can get y'all to school," Alan looked at all three of his kids. "Or, you can all skip class today and after you're done with your chores we can do something else as a family."

They didn't even spend a minute considering the options.

"Stay home," all three of them replied.

"That's what I thought," Alan smiled. "Let's get the animals taken care of and then clean up for breakfast. I'm thinking we can watch some movies afterwards."

The kids dispersed to do their chores and Alan groaned and finally stood up. His prosthetic itched and where it met the stump of his leg it was slightly irritated.

"Gonna have to clean that," he grunted to himself. "Don't want it to get infected."

He limped into the kitchen and began pulling out the ingredients for breakfast. It was definitely a day for a big meal.

Around thirty minutes later, the twins piled into the kitchen.

"Go wash up," Alan ordered. "I'm almost done here."

He pulled the last few waffles off of the iron and set them on a massive serving plate.

Alan stuck his head out o the door and looked towards the pasture. "Adam, get in here, it's time for breakfast!"

"Coming!" the preteen yelled back, his figure appearing across the fields as he ran back.

"Sorry," he gasped. "Chuck managed to break the fence into the fallow pasture."

"You pen him up?"

"Yessir," the boy replied.

"Good, now go wash up, breakfast is on the table."

Adam rushed in and began washing his hands as Alan shut the door behind him.

The family sat down at the table and began to eat, Alan asking after specific parts of the chores while they began to plan the rest of their day.

Xevo Lucamee looked out over his squad. The Elite Minor nodded in satisfaction as the Grunts and Jackals checked over their gear. He had served with these warriors for years now, and they had bonded well.

He spread his mandibles in a smile as he checked over his own kit, his Rifle was in good condition, and there, side by side lay his blade and that of his ancestors. He had forged his own replica, as his father had before him. But there was something about the design and structure of the ancient energy sword that spoke to him.

It reminded him of learning from his Grandfather. Of the statutes and traditions of House Lucam that were passed down from generation to generation, repeating endlessly for all of time.

His body stilled as he settled into a meditative stance and he reverently grabbed the ancient handle, and pulled a small rag out and some polishing oil out of a nearby locker.

"Must you always do this before we enter battle?" Taz Kec, the Kig-Yar sergeant grumbling at Xevo.

"It is important to honor our traditions," Xevo opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. "Is it not you who refuses to eat fresh food before an operation?"

"Every time I eat fresh fish before we go planetside bad things happen," Kec snarled. "It's not my fault that the gods have it out for me!"

"You keep to your traditions (and your ration blocks) and I shall keep to my own."

"I heard that," Kec snarked. "You laugh now, but if I eat the ration block everything will go well. Even if I hate the way that they taste."

"We shall see how things go once we arrive planetside," Xevo smiled. "The heretics have put up quite the fight as of late."

"I still do not understand why we war against them," Kec looked around to make sure they weren't overheard by a Commisar. "Every other species has been given an opportunity to join the Covenant. Even the Jiralhanae, brutes that they are," he spat. "Why should we not allow such a species as this the chance as well?"

"It is not our place to decide," Xevo sighed. "Besides, you and I are sworn to uphold our duties until our contracts are up. Then we may decide what it is we wish to do with our lives."

"I'm just here to get paid," Kec laughed. "After it's all said and done, I'll retire on some planet with nice waves and some ladies. I might even leave a spot open for my friends."

"Aye," Xevo laughed. "It shall be good for us both!"

Xevo put his ancestor's energy blade handle away and turned to the other Unggoy and Kig-Yar that made up his squad.

"Come, let us check over your gear before we drop," he began doing thorough inspections of each combat harness. "Ensure your gas seals are adequate. Our foe has learned well, and will not hesitate to end you if he faces you in combat."

Alan and the kids were snuggled up on the couch when the television flickered into an emergency broadcast.

"We interrupt all programming to give a warning," the calm voice of the Eridanus II Superintendent Class AI spoke. "The Covenant have entered the system, please make way to the designated shelters and evacuation routes. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill.'

The movie didn't flicker back in, instead the message repeated.

"Dad?" Evelyn looked up at her father.

"Girls, go get the go-bags," Alan's eyes were shut. "Adam, go to the safe and get out the rifles and vests. We don't want to hurt anyone, but people will act crazy because of this scenario. And we want them to know that harming us is not a wise decision."

Alan stood up from the couch.

"I'm going to get the food and water supplies ordered, and then we're going to open all of the gates. Hopefully we'll give the animals a chance at survival."

The twins faces vanished up the stairs while Alan moved to the master bedroom and began opening the gun safe.

Each member of the family did their task with efficiency borne of practice. Ever since Emily had been deployed, Alan had been going through drills with his kids.

While the UNSC filtered out information that was sent back home, he and Emily had long since worked out key phrases and words that seemed innocuous but meant specific details to each other. Over the last few years, she had been relaying information on exactly what the alien menace was doing to the worlds they encountered.

So he'd put a plan in place, he'd told his kids the truth, and they'd worked on practicing said plan in case the worst happened.

"Go bags are ready dad," Jasmine jumped down the last few steps with two duffle bags in her hands, a set of practical clothes on. "Evelyn's making sure that we didn't miss anything."

"Go get your kit on," Alan grabbed the bags and began walking to the outside door. "We're about to leave and head for the shuttles."

Evelyn soon joined her twin in getting the vests with ceramic plates on.

"Dad, you want the 2B, or one of the 3s?" Adam asked.

"Gimme the two," Alan called back from the truck. "And make sure the mag's loaded with the black tips!"

After securing the go bags, Alan walked inside and told his kids to go let the animals around the farm loose.

While they did that, he took a deep breath and began to put on his old UNSC Army kit, the armor locking into place as he grabbed his old service rifle and slung it onto his back.

Securing his magazines, he nodded as he pulled his shooting glasses over his eyes. The HUD began lighting up and synchronizing with his old Neural interface and his rifle.

When he stepped out of the master bedroom, he grabbed the case off the mantle and set it gently into a backpack. Then he grabbed the ancient handgun and the box below it.

Loading the seven round magazines, he secured the sidearm into a holster and pocketed the remaining magazines. It was safer on his hip than it was anywhere else. If it was on his hip, then it couldn't be left behind.

He opened the door and looked at the concerned faces of his children.

"Everything ready?" He asked.

The three nodded.

"C'mere," Alan pulled them all into hugs. "I know that it hurts. We get attached to places, to things. They're ours, we worked hard for them, we built them. But in the end, all of this," he gestured to the farm behind him. "That can be replaced. What I can't replace, is all of you," he squeezed them tight. "One day, we'll come back here, but right now we need to leave so that we get the chance to come back at all."

Alan smiled sadly as he wiped a few tears from the kid's cheeks.

"You're all so brave," he released them and gestured for them to get into the truck. "I love you, so so much."

But Alan could feel the war coming, his stump itched, and the atmosphere had shifted. He could smell it, the desperate war that was soon to come, the death, the decay, and everything else that would come with war.

Before he climbed into the driver's seat, Alan looked up into the sky. He had no idea how long it would be before the enemy arrived.

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The year, is 2530. Eridanus II has been found by the Covenant, and few, if any will escape.