Chapter 2: Fighting For What's Important

The Covenant ship hadn't broken the atmosphere yet. If it was following standard Covenant doctrine, after knocking out the elevator, it would stay on station a few hundred klicks off the surface, well out of range for any rudimentary ground-based anti-ship batteries until the ground forces had neutralized them.

"Comms check", Craig's voice came through my helmet. "Do you copy, Polk?"

"I copy", I replied. They all kept calling me "SPARTAN Polk". It had been getting aggravating. I had to specifically request they drop the 'SPARTAN' or I was going to lose my mind. "What's your status?"

"We're set on our side. Teams in position. If you… need support we have our two best marksmen on standby to assist."

I frowned. I'd prefer they focused on keeping everyone, especially my parents, alive. Even so.

"Acknowledged."

… Even if it wasn't my mission, I'd love to get on that Covenant ship.

Despite my attempts to remain calm, I could feel a steady stream of adrenaline teasing into my bloodstream. I needed to get that to stop. While I had a much higher tolerance than a normal human, it wasn't good. It had only been an hour since the assault on the city began; if I was running on an adrenaline high until they attacked Hatch, I might crash before the fight was over.

I pulled in a deep breath, counting to four, until it felt like my lungs would explode, held for four, exhaled for four, and held for four. Box breathing was one of the simplest relaxation techniques but I found it to be the most consistently effective.

From my position kneeling a few meters from the front windows of a small restaurant- with the long tables, bench seats, and wide self-serve counter at the back, maybe "cafeteria" would be a better word- I could see the invasion taking place. The near-constant stream of drop ships buzzing down into the city had come to a stop about 10 minutes prior. Seraph fighters were still circling. Fortunately for the defenders, with how densely packed the buildings were, it was difficult for them to get a clean run.

A large part of me did want to go to the city and assist in the defense there. I know they held long enough for a task force to arrive but I could help.

Then the reason I was here brought me back. I'm doing this to save my parents. In this timeline, at least.

It was Cass' idea.

"You need to do something for yourself", she'd said. "If you keep going like this for everyone else, you'll burn out."

There were a lot of things I'd like to be able to change. The one that stuck out as truly worth doing was this. No, I wouldn't get my parents back. I could save this version of them, though, and maybe give them a real thank you.

And a real 'goodbye'.

Later.

I watched as, in the distance, the small dot of a Seraph intersected with an exhaust trail. The fighter burst in a bluish explosion. No shields. The defenders must have taken them out with small-arms fire.

Not bad.

It would have been nice to remember when the assault on Hatch started. That heads-up wouldn't give me any more advantage than I already had. I would have been coping with less stress.

As if the universe sensed my impatience, the gentle thrum I knew all too well began buzzing at the edge of my hearing.

Once I heard that, the doubt and tension I'd been feeling dropped away.

The Covenant was here and this was a fight. This was what I knew.

This was home.

I had an opportunity I never imagined. That was not about to go to waste.

"Corporal Hanson, do you copy?"

"I read, Polk, go ahead."

"We have inbound from the north."

There was a brief pause and, when Craig's voice came back over my helmet's speakers, I could hear a tremble.

"Understood, we're ready for 'em."

I almost repeated my instructions from earlier: no heroics, no one even needs to land a shot. All they needed to do was make it look like there was a natural opening on the building's north side.

But I didn't. He already knew. Repeating it would only undermine what confidence he had.

Stay safe.

The thrum grew louder over the next 30 seconds. Phantoms were quiet so, with that much noise, it had to be at least two or three. Between 48 and 72 ground troops.

If this was a unit only meant to seize the station, I could count on standard squad composition: mostly Unggoy, one or two Kig Yar for either close combat with their shields or marksmen, and a Sangheili squad leader. Each Phantom would have a Sangheili commander.

The other option was this unit meant to capture the station and infiltrate using the train. That would mean a larger contingent of Sangheili, likely SOF.

Based on what I remembered, the former was more likely.

That would be something I'd confirm once they started engaging the community center.

A sharp rise in volume from the Phantoms' anti-gravity pods signaled them flaring out for a landing. It sounded like they weren't far away from me, probably at the base of the hill.

150 to 200 meters from the community center.

Just under the sounds of hovering Phantoms, I heard two thuds. Underbelly grav-clamps releasing.

They were carrying Ghosts for support.

Easy enough to deal with in tight quarters.

Right after the thought crossed my mind, the sounds of the Ghosts' propulsion systems kicking on reached me.

My hands tightened around my BR55.

"Polk, come in."

"Go ahead."

"I see fifty-plus ground troops disembarking from two Phantoms, standard formation. Two Ghosts in front."

Sounds right. "Count on Elites? Any black armor?"

A brief pause. "I count eight in blue armor, one in red, one in silver. Negative on black armor."

An Ultra, huh? Alright.

It had been a long time since I fought one of those. This would be good.

"Don't worry about the Ghosts or Elites", I said. "If you have a safe shot, take the little bastards out."

"Copy that."

"Weapons free."

A moment that both seemed to go by in an instant and stretch into eternity passed and then gunfire erupted from the community center.

The whine of plasma fire echoed in response and I heard the Ghosts surge ahead.

Those could cause some problems.

I slipped out of the cafeteria and north up the east edge of town. While I wanted to run, I couldn't. I needed the Covenant forces to be entirely occupied by the community center. I had some time. The defenders were in a hardened position and the Covenant probably weren't expecting an organized ambush. They'd take 20 seconds to get into cover and organize before executing a counterassault. That would be enough time to loop around north of them without being seen.

The Phantoms' gravity pods flared as the two drop ships started climbing off the deck. By the time I glimpsed them over the buildings, I was nearing the northern edge of the tiny town.

10 seconds.

Sliding to a stop at the corner of the last building, I checked the street for stragglers. One of the Sangheili minors and his squad was there, standing rear guard. The two Unggoy were in cover behind the corner of the building across from me. A Kig Yar marksman with a Carbine propped on the corner of the building on my side of the street was taking aim at the community center. The Sangheili was beside it, looking north, up the hill where it probably expected any surprises to come from.

It was expecting townspeople and militia defenders, not a SPARTAN.

The Phantoms flew overhead and began circling the town. I saw door gunners but no chin cannons.

That was weird. Were those later additions?

It made my job easier, at least. Those chin cannons were heavily armored. Door gunners were Unggoy. I could eliminate them as needed.

For now, my attention returned to the rear guard. The Kig Yar would have to go first; a marksman was the biggest threat to cause casualties.

Bringing my BR55 up, I placed the scope's reticle on its head and squeezed.

The suppressor was, according to Jackson, a proprietary design, built specifically to work with the low-pressure gas piston system they'd custom-made for my rifle. It had aggressive baffling and a closed endcap. It was a high-back pressure design. That meant, in most guns, it would force the action to cycle faster and throw a lot of gas back at the shooter. Since I didn't care about gas in my face, that wasn't an issue, and they'd tuned it to cycle even with the increased bolt speed.

All of that was to say that despite the supersonic crack from the bullet as it broke the sound barrier, the rifle was surprisingly quiet.

Even though I was the one shooting, it was hard to distinguish its report from the cascade of gunfire.

The Covenant ahead of me probably didn't notice it until the Kig Yar collapsed to the ground, minus the back of its ugly head.

By the time the Elite started turning, I closed half the distance between us. My rifle coughed two more times and the Unggoy were down.

I reached the squad leader as he turned to face me. Its plasma rifle was up and glowing.

Countless hours of drilling and fighting took over and I stepped away from the wall. The plasma rifle whined as a blue bolt discharged. It passed between me and the building, a clean miss.

My momentum carried me into the Sangheili.

It wasn't one of the Raiders or Brotherhood I'd gotten used to. They were soft by comparison.

Instead of regular humans like the Raiders that crumbled when I slammed into them or the Brotherhood in their bulky armor who were too slow to react, the Sangheili took the impact as I drove it into the wall and brought a knee up to strike at my abdomen.

I twisted to avoid the blow and brought the stock of my rifle around. Between my momentum and the extra force I added, the strike was hard enough to snap the Elite's head to the side.

But it wasn't done.

The alien wrenched its plasma rifle around and tried to jam it into my side. Already inside its guard, I slapped it aside and forced my rifle's suppressor into the underside of its mandibles.

The next shot didn't blow the back of its head off because one round didn't have the punch to get through its armor. That just meant the mulch its brain turned into didn't scatter across the wall.

It tumbled to the ground and I stepped over the Sangheili's body.

Taking up the Kig Yar's position, I scanned the assaulting force.

Craig's assessment was spot on. The small force was steadily advancing on the community center, plasmafire splashing against its concrete construction. The Ghosts were in the lead, providing physical cover and covering fire for the infantry. The Phantoms were circling overhead.

It was a sound, if extremely simplistic, strategy. It was designed to get the ground forces inside and take away the advantage of being the defending force.

But it only worked against similarly simplistic defense strategies. If the fighters inside were on their own without the ordinance to eliminate the air and ground support, they'd be screwed.

I knew that from experience.

This time was different.

Engaging and stalling the ground advance was what I wanted to do but, I knew, the correct decision was to dismantle the assault in layers. If I could remove an entire element quickly, it would be more productive than slowing, not eliminating, another.

My rifle's optic fell on the door gunner for one of the Phantoms. It was circling around the eastern side of the building, the Unggoy in full view for me.

Drawing a slight lead, I squeezed the trigger, and my BR55 coughed another round straight through the Grunt's head.

The pilot noticed and banked away, taking that drop ship momentarily out of the fight.

Fortunately, the other pilot either didn't notice or assumed that shot came from the community center because they continued their circuit, bringing their starboard gunner into view.

One shot later, it was down too.

With both Phantoms temporarily out of the fight, I dropped my sights to the advancing ground troops. The Ultra in charge of the force ordered a halt and the Covenant spread into cover.

Sound tactics. Again, good against a simple, single-layer defense.

They still hadn't noticed me. That wouldn't last long. With his air support temporarily indisposed, the Ultra would probably check on its rear guard to make sure the halt didn't expose them to a counterattack. I had, maybe, five seconds.

Instead of advancing directly after them, I pulled back and circled to the east again. Before the main street was out of sight, I counted eight dead attackers, mostly Unggoy, all within 20 meters of where they dropped. They must have been caught in the initial barrage.

It was impressive. That spoke to a surprising level of coordination and discipline.

As I rounded back onto the east side of town, I heard the warbling shout of the Ultra screaming an order. He must have realized this defense wasn't as simple as he thought. They'd be spreading out to secure more of the town.

Perfect.

I slipped into a walkway between two of the buildings cast in shadow from the late-morning sun.

The gunfire from the community center hadn't slackened. Good.

Pounding footsteps neared the opposite side of the walkway and several signatures registered on my tracker. Way too heavy to be anything but a Sangheili.

The walkway was narrow, just wide enough for two regular-sized people to pass side by side, and no cover.

I stopped and started backing away, rifle up and scope trained on the opposite end at Sangheili-head level.

Just before I was out, the blue-armored form of an Elite emerged. It was probably a newly minted minor because it didn't notice me until it was halfway down the passage and I'd put two bursts into its shields.

The thing tried to bring its plasma rifle up when its shields failed on the third burst and all three rounds from the fourth burst tore through its unarmored face.

An Unggoy's scream followed my target collapsing to the ground and I caught sight of the little bastard just as it was trying to run back out of the passage.

My first and second shots tore through its methane tank and the third one hit it square in the back of the head.

They knew where I was now. That meant the Ultra would try to limit my movements.

Fast pursuit and attack.

My hand slipped into a pouch for one of the bricks of plastic explosive.

I ran south, toward the road just north of the community center. I was about 20 meters away when the Ghost appeared.

The pilot was ready. As soon as I was in sight, its plasma cannons opened up. The first bolts went wide to my left. By the time I took my next stride, the pilot had corrected and one ball of plasma splashed against my left shoulder. My shields flared.

Another bolt hit me in the leg but, before a third one could, I launched myself into the air, toward the Ghost.

Apparently, the pilot wasn't ready for that.

It tried to maneuver its Ghost to the side but I came down on its port winglet. The impact forced the side of the Ghost down and the grav pods on the bottom scraped the pavement.

Triggering the five-second fuse, I dropped the plastic explosive into the driver's lap and leaped from the small vehicle.

I landed in a roll and, just as I came out of it, the explosive went off.

One Ghost down.

My shield status bar hummed while they recharged and I continued around the south side of the street.

Now, the Ultra would really know something was wrong. I needed to let him make the next move.

Slowing to a stop just around the corner of the next building, I glanced at the community center. Every window I could see was blown out and there were plenty of chunks missing from its concrete structure but it was largely intact.

First push was stalled; things were about to get more interesting.

As I tried to hear past the ongoing gunfight for whatever adjustment the Ultra would make, part of me was trying to figure out why an Ultra was assigned this mission. It was a low-level job. A pair of Majors should have been more than enough.

A dull hum was audible just under the gunfight.

The Phantoms were coming back. They'd be coming for me. Did I engage? No, the Ultra would be expecting that. My behavior so far has been to fight whatever he sent my way.

If he was switching his strategy, I'd do the same.

I slipped back around the corner and ducked into the first building, a two-story-

The pitch was wrong; they weren't on a vector to intercept me, it sounded like they were going for the far side of town.

"Polk, come in."

That wasn't good. Hanson was smart; he knew contacting someone who might be engaged was a huge taboo unless it was urgent.

"I copy, corporal", I replied, stopping just inside.

"We've got a push coming up the west side. We can handle it but we'll need to shift fire. It'll leave you on your own."

That motherfucker.

"Negative. Maintain spacing, watch for the Phantoms making a strafing run over your west flank."

The Ultra was trying to do the same thing I was: eliminate a layer of defense. He didn't know what he was dealing with outside so he was trying to force his way in. It added the wrinkle of potentially drawing whoever was tormenting them into the open on a cross. If Hanson shifted fire, he'd be better prepared to deal with a push there, but it would leave them vulnerable to a low-pass from the Phantoms or a redirect from the Ultra. I'd have to compensate for them.

"Understood."

The third option would be a split flyby where the Ultra tried to catch both of us. That seemed unlikely. My bet would be he adjusted tact and tried to force us to make a decision.

I needed to free up the community center to repel a push. They'd have the advantage of cover and a static position. The Covenant still had numbers but not by much.

The Phantoms. I could get to the roof and pick off the gunners while staying in cover from the ground forces. If the Phantoms split their assault, I would still be in position to remove the threat from the community center or take cover if needed.

"Belay that", I said. "Keep a team on the northeast corner for insurance. Concentrate fire on the northwest approach. Stay in cover until my mark."

"But the-" Hanson started. He squelched the protest. "Affirmative, on your mark."

I was back in the street by the time he finished. It was empty aside from pieces of the Ghost. The largest part of its fuselage had crashed into the cafeteria I started in.

The hum was growing louder. I only had a few seconds to get in position for their strafing run. They would come in fast and low, slowing down behind the community center to be in cover from me and give the door gunners more time on target. I needed to take them out on approach.

I leaped just high enough to grab the edge of the roof and hauled myself up the rest of the way. No reason to give the ground forces a shot at me.

Just in time. The Phantoms were making their run, a half-klick south of the community center. Like I thought, they were coming fast. They'd be on it in 10 seconds.

Mendez would be proud of me for using one of his favorite shooting positions. I knelt, sat back on my right heel, and propped my left arm, just behind the elbow, on my left knee. It was a little awkward in power armor but I'd practiced enough to make it work.

With my aim steadied, I counted down from five. At over 500 meters and the speed they were traveling, I doubt I make that shot. I'd need to wait until they were just south of the community center.

My window was tight and, once they were behind the building, I wouldn't be able to provide covering fire.

As my perception of time slowed, the Phantoms seemed to hang in the air, creeping closer to the community center. To my parents.

I placed my sight just ahead of the door gunner. They were coming in at an angle, narrowing my shot, but it had the added benefit of reducing my lead.

The Unggoy was in deep blue armor, its head just large enough to make out in my rifle's low-power scope. While my MO was to go for the head, that wasn't an option. If I couldn't kill it, I at least needed to take it off the gun for a few seconds.

Deep breath.

Hold.

Squeeze.

My BR55 coughed a round at the gunner. I wouldn't be able to see the impact at that range.

I fired again. Both shots felt on target. No time to verify.

My aim switched to the second Phantom in line.

It was right on the tail of the first.

Shit.

My window was maybe a second.

Another deep breath. I placed my sight on the hull ahead of the gunner and squeezed.

And watched the round spark off the door just behind the Grunt.

Then it was behind the community center.

"Heads down!" I barked. "Heads down!"

I couldn't see the blue flashes of the door gun's rapid discharge but I heard it.

Plan B.

My motion sensor registered a mass of movement directly ahead of me. The Covenant were using the strafing run for cover.

Pushing myself into a high-crouch, I dropped my aim to the street below. There were a dozen Covenant on the street below. The others must have been taking cover from me on the other side of the buildings.

Some of them were stationary, watching for a flank.

We opened fire at the same time, my shots directed at the advancing forces. I moved to my right, emptying what was left in that magazine. Most of the Covenant's return fire missed. The few shots that splashed against my shield flared them and the energy bar began draining.

By the time my rifle's bolt locked open and I flattened myself to the roof again, a dozen plasma bolts had hit, and my shields were blaring a low-energy warning.

Gunfire was still pouring out of the community center. It sounded like the reports were coming from the east end. Good, the defenders who weren't threatened by the strafing run were still fighting.

As I slipped over the north side of the building and landed in a crouch, a small part of me wished I could remember the defense when I- this version of me wasn't here to assist. I don't know if my presence changed how they fought but it was… inspiring.

With a new magazine in, I kept my sights on the mouth of the alley and started forward. Signatures on my motion sensor were approaching my alley. They couldn't move to the south side of the building without exposing themselves to the defenders.

The first to appear was a shielded Kig Yar. Its blue barrier of coherent light took up most of the alley's opening. As soon as it moved a hand out to shoot, I opened fire.

The round hit its wrist and the avian creature recoiled.

I took the opportunity to charge forward and launch a straight kick into the center of its shield.

Unfortunately for the Jackal, its shield emitter was strapped to its arm. As my armored boot connected, the bones in its arm turned to dust, and it was launched backward with a keening wail.

Another signature was right on top of me. My guess was Sangheili.

Dropping to a knee, I sighted upward-

Nope.

A Unggoy rounded the corner, plasma pistol in hand, glowing green.

I shoved myself to the right as it fired. The overcharged bolt passed close enough to activate my shields but it didn't drain them.

My shot punched through its breathing apparatus and the Grunt dropped.

There was no time to regroup, however. Another Kig Yar stepped into the opening, a Sangheili right behind it, using the smaller alien's shield as cover.

Its plasma rifle whined and a bolt splashed against my chest.

Driving my boots into the ground, I jumped, the rest of the burst passing beneath me.

I needed to reposition. The longer these ones delayed me, the closer the rest of the force would get to the community center.

As I swung myself back up onto the roof, more blue blobs of plasma flashed through the air behind me. One caught my foot and my shields burst into life again.

The Ghost was on the street below, using the cover from the Phantom to avoid fire.

It was facing me and its pilot opened fire.

This goddamn Ultra.

On one hand, I understood his adjustment: eliminate the enemy with better cover and take their position. By now, he likely knew I was also the more dangerous threat, so it would be easier to deal with me once the others were dead.

On the other…

My parents were in that community center. It might not be personal for him but it was for me.

This fight was about to stop being fun and start being aggravating.

Returning fire on the Ghost would be a waste of time. I backed away from the edge of the roof and took stock of the situation.

One of the Phantoms, probably the one I'd shot both door gunners out of, was climbing up and away. I could see the top of the other just over the community center's roof. With it there, none of the defenders on that side of the building could safely fire on the advancing forces.

The signatures on my motion tracker were about to emerge into the street. If they couldn't return fire on that cross, we'd run out of room in a hurry.

I had no shot on the door gunner, though. Its plasma turret was still thundering away at the side of the building. Unless I wanted to risk an open cross-

The Ghost.

My hand went back into the pouch and I pulled out two more of the plastic explosives.

Priming one, I underhanded it over the side of the building down to where the last Kig Yar and Sangheili were on my motion sensor. Then I surged toward the Ghost. It was slowly drifting to my right, probably trying to get an angle on me.

It opened fire again as soon as I was in view.

Driving my legs down, I launched myself toward the small vehicle.

The explosive went off behind me and I heard a pair of screams.

My target was still firing but I was too high for its guns, almost right on top of it. The pilot, an Unggoy, tried to move out of the way. I was too close.

The Ghost shuddered as I slammed into its cowling. Bringing my rifle around, I buried its suppressor in the Grunt's face and pulled the trigger.

With its pilot dead, the Ghost continued drifting to the right.

I pulled the dead alien out of the seat and dropped in. Hammering the throttle, I steered back toward the advancing alien force.

Just before I rounded the corner, I primed the second explosive.

The Covenant came into view. I aimed the Ghost's bulbous nose at the center of their formation, jammed the small explosive into the control panel, and leaped from the vehicle.

It careened into the Covenant force and erupted in a blue and orange explosion.

Considering I was busy tumbling through the street, I wasn't sure how many were caught in the blast.

What I did know was I came to a stop when my chest slammed into a curb. If I hadn't been wearing armor that would have hurt.

As I shoved myself back to my feet, I noticed the second Phantom steering away from the community center, its door gun unoccupied.

They took the gunner out themselves.

The defenders in the community center were firing at the Covenant again almost as soon as I brought my rifle up.

I moved toward the west side of the building, adding my gunfire to theirs.

Without the air support and my impromptu suicide bombing attack, the remaining forces were disjointed. I dropped three Unggoy and a Kig Yar-

"Polk!" Craig snapped. "We have Covenant trying to enter on the west side!"

"Acknowledged."

I ripped through the rest of my magazine, advancing the entire time. The bolt locked open and I swapped in a new one.

The Covenant were too focused on making the cross to pay attention to me. By the time that magazine was empty, I'd dealt with three Sangheili, all Minors, and several Unggoy and Kig Yar.

Unless the others killed any, That left four Sangheili alive, including the Major and Ultra.

Reloading again, I pushed to the corner. My motion sensor registered a mass of movement about 10 meters-

"They're in!"

I primed my last explosive and lobbed it around the corner.

The instant it went off, I turned the corner, rifle up. The Sangheili must have been the ones who pushed inside because I was faced with a half-dozen Unggoy and two Kig Yar. One of the Jackals was missing an arm and leg and a few of the Unggoy were on the ground, unmoving.

With the remaining Covenant disoriented from the blast, I didn't waste any time with avoidance. I put a round through each of their heads and rushed for the door. There was too much movement inside, none of it FoF identified, for me to make any sense of where the Sangheili were.

There was shooting, though.

After a quick check, the immediate entry was clear, I ducked though-

The door took me into the back of the lobby. One of the Minors and the Major were advancing on a door at the northeast end. Two of the defenders had taken position in there. The Ultra and the other Minor…

One problem at a time.

Sighting on the Major, I advanced and fired. The two of them rounded on me and returned the favor.

Two against one in that fight wasn't promising.

So I changed it.

After diving to the side to avoid their initial burst, I rushed them.

The Minor tried to step forward to meet my charge but, even though it was half a head taller, I weighed at least twice as much in my armor.

I lowered my shoulder and barrelled into him. We both careened into his superior and the three of us crashed to the concrete floor.

Rolling with the momentum, I twisted and got my feet back under me-

Just in time for the Ultra to charge into the fray, bellowing a warbling roar.

It was brandishing an energy sword.

The brilliant blue weapon swung at me and I leaped back to avoid the superheated plasma.

Three-on-one in close-quarters combat…

My right hand found my M6S as the Major got to its feet.

That sounded like fun.

If I let them dictate the fight, this could go poorly.

I snapped the pistol up and fired at the Ultra. While Sangheili were as strong as SPARTANs, they didn't have modified nervous systems. They were only able to react as fast as nature intended.

That was my advantage.

The silver-armored Elite took three magnum rounds to the center of its head before it reacted, ducking to avoid the fourth. Those shields were tough but that would weaken them.

As it did, the Major surged forward, plasma rifle spitting a blob of superheated plasma. I was already moving, sliding to my right to avoid its retaliation. The first shot skimmed off my shield and I adjusted my aim to keep my sights on the Ultra. I needed to keep it away from me until I dealt with at least one of its subordinates.

The Major continued forward, closing the few meters between us and putting itself in front of the Ultra.

I changed course, stepping into its charge. The Sangheili adjusted, swinging its plasma rifle like a club.

A duck and shift to my left resulted in the bulbous weapon passing just over my head.

It wasn't done, though. The Elite followed the first strike with a forearm that caught the side of my helmet. The blow wasn't clean but it was enough to knock me off my path. Instead of jamming my handgun into its neck, I had to shift my right foot forward to avoid falling into the path of another strike.

The Minor was starting to get to its feet and the Ultra was circling to my left.

It was too tight for the others to open fire; I was on my own for the time being.

Make it a one-on-one.

As the Major attempted a knee-strike to my stomach, I wrapped my right arm around its leg, slid my heel behind its right leg, and shoved.

The Sangheili tumbled over backward and right into the path of the Ultra.

That left the Minor who, while physically formidable, were inexperienced. Sangheili inexperience manifested as over-aggression.

True to form, the blue-armored Elite charged.

There was just enough room for me to level my handgun at its head and empty what was left of my magazine. It didn't kill the thing, but its shields flickered and failed.

Instead of doing what an experienced fighter might, it tried to tackle me.

I ducked the attempt and kicked out its right knee. The joint buckled with a snap and the Elite roared as it tumbled to the ground-

A blue blur shot toward my face. I brought my arm up just in time to deflect the energy sword. Its plasma blade skimmed across my shields, draining them by a third.

Those things didn't have many strikes in them but they dumped a lot of energy very quickly.

Unlike its junior subordinate, the Ultra didn't rush into a second attack. It pulled back and jabbed at me with its blade to keep me at a distance.

Backing away, I took the opportunity to reload my handgun. The Minor wasn't out of the fight but it was crippled.

The Ultra snapped something in Sangheili and the Major rushed forward. We were close enough bringing my M6 up to fire would give it enough time to close. I backed away to buy myself a few instants-

Gunfire poured from the doorway the two Elites had been advancing on. Most of the barrage missed but enough caught the charging Sangheili to distract it.

I lunged forward, tackling it around the waist.

We both slammed to the concrete floor and I maintained my hold, leveraging my hips to keep it pinned.

A heartbeat separated me from the Ultra's energy sword; I could feel it bearing down on me.

The Elite I had pinned raised its arm to strike.

Twisting my hips as hard as I could, I rolled to the right, putting the Major's body between me and its superior.

There was a strange tearing and searing noise, and the Major screamed.

Before the Ultra could recover from mutilating its friend, I released my hold and brought my handgun around. The Major was writhing but I still managed to jam the muzzle under its mandibles and pull the trigger.

Then their commanding officer was back on me.

He stabbed the energy sword downward at my neck. If it had gone for my torso, it might have scored a hit. The neck is too narrow. It gives me too many options to avoid the strike.

I turned on my side and the blade jammed itself into the floor.

The maneuver put me in the perfect position to kick the Ultra's legs out.

It lost its grip on the energy sword and, sensing its owner was no longer wielding it, the blade blinked out of existence.

Unfortunately, the Ultra collapsed on top of me and, even without its weapon, was a dangerous opponent in hand-to-hand combat.

It grabbed for my neck. Apparently, that was its preferred method of killing.

With 11 rounds still in my M6's magazine, I had a stupid idea. I let it wrap its hands around my neck.

The Sangheili started squeezing right as I jammed the handgun in its neck. The bastard realized what was happening too late.

Its shields were still recovering from the half-dozen rounds I'd put into it a few seconds ago. Three shots later, those shields collapsed. As the Sangheili recoiled, two more entered the base of its skull.

The silver-armored elite collapsed on top of me with a gurgling shout.

One more.

I shoved the body off-

Oh shit.

I dropped my handgun and just managed to grab the Minor's arm as it shoved a lit plasma grenade at me.

It started roaring, trying to push its arm down on top of me. I clamped its hand around the grenade and kicked its destroyed leg. The roar turned into a half-yelp and its resistance disappeared just long enough for me to twist its arm and jam the grenade into its chest.

Wrenching it to the right, I managed to scramble on top of it and pin its arm between its chest and the ground.

While I wasn't in danger of having the grenade stuck to me… it meant I had to do something even dumber than letting a Sangheili strangle me.

I leaned on its back to keep the grenade in place.

And a second later, the grenade went off.

Unlike fragmentation grenades, plasma grenades kill their targets with energy released.

The force of the blast tossed me off the Sangheili's back. I slammed down on the concrete floor on mine a few meters away hard enough to make my vision flash white.

My ears were ringing, too. Hard.

As my vision cleared, I found myself looking up at the lounge's massive skylight. The sky above was a beautiful clear blue.

When the ringing in my ears dissipated a heartbeat later, the blaring alarm telling me my shields were depleted replaced it.

While I knew it was a residual effect of getting my bell rung, my entire body ached. I craned my neck to look at the last Sangheili's charred remains.

That's why a crippled Elite is never out of the fight. They'll kill themselves.

But it, and its friends, were dead. And I was alive.

I let my head fall back to the floor with a thunk.

My heart was pounding and, even though that fight wasn't particularly long, I was breathing hard.

"Status, Hanson?" I heaved.

"You're- you're still alive?" his response came. It sounded distant.

I took another deep breath. "Affirmative."

"We're… holy shit. We're clear. Phantoms pulled back."

Clear. We were… clear? Had I done it?

"Casualties?"

"Jim, Lisa, and Trevor got caught by the Phantom on that strafe. I- I don't know about the other side yet."

Anxiety that had probably been in the back of my mind the entire time surged to the front. Even if I'd taken most of the responsibility, my parents had been involved in this fight. There was still the chance they'd die.

Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I looked at the three dead Sangheili. The blast had burned both the Ultra and the Major. The only reason I hadn't been was because my shields were up to absorb the blast.

My BR55 was still, somehow, on its sling. My M6S… I looked down at my right hand. It wasn't there- oh. I'd dropped it when the Minor tried to shove a grenade into my chest.

I looked at the blast zone of charred bodies and concrete and grimaced. It was probably a loss. Oh well, any investigation would find a burnt, standard-issue handgun.

Footsteps from behind me pulled my attention away from the dead Elites.

Three people were coming down the stairs.

Turning-

My heart jumped.

The woman in front had medium-length, curly, dark brown, almost black hair pulled back in a tight knot. Her hair framed a firm, dark face, and piercing brown eyes. It was exactly the same as I remembered.

The man behind her was tall and broad, his hair worn short with a trimmed beard. I still remember seeing that face smiling and laughing in the market.

My parents were walking down with another defender, an older, bald man. All three were unharmed.

So much emotion clogged my throat it took me a moment to remember to breathe. A feeling- I don't know what. It felt like something knotted in my chest released. I didn't know it was there. It was something that had been there for so long I didn't even know it existed. It had been buried deep. Even after everything I'd been through in the Commonwealth, I hadn't managed to untie that knot.

Until now.

I'd done it.

The one thing I- I needed my entire life.

I'd done it.

I saved my parents.

My vision went blurred. I closed my eyes and let my head fall for a moment. I took a deep breath as a new sensation washed over me.

I was… free. That little kid who missed his parents, who needed his parents, was happy. Even if these weren't the parents I would remember, they were still my parents.

And I'd saved them.

"Are you alright, Polk?" my mom asked. "That was a pretty serious blast."

I opened my eyes and nodded.

"Yeah", I said, standing, and I couldn't help the smile that split my face as I looked down at them. It hurt the muscles in my face and I couldn't have cared less.

The relief was indescribable.

"I've been through… a lot worse. Trust me."

My mom frowned and glanced past me to the trio of dead Sangheili. "I guess I don't have a choice."

The others began filtering back into the lounge.

As they did, that sense of pride from earlier returned. These people stood in the face of the Covenant. I'd been right: they were inspirational. The courage they showed despite not having the training, experience, or, in my case, augmentations and armor of a professional soldier or SPARTAN was unbelievable. These were the people that, even without the current me, in my time, fought to defend themselves, their homes, and their loved ones. They did it knowing they'd likely die.

And, on top of being able to save my parents, I was able to save them, too.

I was right to look up to them all those years. I'm- I'm glad I got to pay them back for that. In a way.

"Double-checked", Hanson said as he appeared at the top of the stairs my parents had descended. "We're all clear. Got chatter on comms, UNSC task force just dropped out of slipspace. They're engaging the cruiser. Ground forces are pulling back to orbit. That was way faster than I thought they'd be. I… think we're good."

The lounge grew quiet as the defenders looked at each other. There was no cheer. Several of them collapsed into chairs and buried their faces in their hands. One started crying.

That might have been the most human thing that happened since I landed here.

These people weren't fighters but they fought. And they survived. Even if they wouldn't have without my help, they still fought when they didn't have it.

I felt like I should say something. These people had just stared their own deaths in the face and came out the other side.

What would a SPARTAN say?

I don't think I need to say what a 'SPARTAN' would say. These were the people I grew up with. These are the people this version of me will grow up with. Even if they don't know it's me… they deserve that much. They gave their lives to protect me and the other survivors.

"Everyone", I said. Every eye was locked on me by the time the word faded. For the first time I could remember, that didn't make me nervous. Like I said: I grew up with these people. There was something strangely comforting about knowing that, even if they didn't.

"Thank you. I…" I had to force another lump down as it tried to climb my throat. "I can't explain why but seeing everyone here fight will be something I remember for the rest of my life." I dipped my head. "Thank you all for the privilege of fighting by your side today. It's an opportunity I never thought I'd have."

"Uh… you mean… fighting with civilians?" Craig asked. "Is that really a big deal for a SPARTAN? You guys do crazy shit all the time."

As I looked at the former-infantryman, it dawned on me: his face was familiar. He was one of the people fighting along with my dad at the very end.

"Yes", I said, nodding, "I do crazy shit all the time. None of that comes close to being a part of this fight. Seeing how hard you fought to protect each other is-"

I can't say that.

I can't say that.

I can't say that.

"Because of how we operate, we don't get to see the courage it takes to stand up like you did. As strange as it might sound… it's an inspiration for me."

They all exchanged glances again. Each of them was wearing some kind of bewildered or confused expression.

"You're… welcome?" one of the defenders finally said.

I laughed. It was relief, happiness, and amusement all smashed together. I couldn't help it.

Happiness.

There was only one more thing to do. The question was… how? Did I come out and tell them?

I'm not creative enough to do it any other way.

How would they take it?

No idea.

Would it put them in danger when the investigation inevitably happened?

Probably not. What would they be prosecuted for even if they told anyone?

"I'd like to do a sweep of the town to make sure we're secure", I said. I nodded at my parents. "I have to return to my station ASAP, so I'll be leaving once the sweep is done. Can you two come with me?"

They shared a glance. "... Yeah", my mom said. "Any reason us in particular?"

"Not really", I managed.

"Okay, then."

Craig stepped forward and came to attention again. "SPARTAN Polk. I don't understand why you believe fighting with us was such a privilege but I appreciate it." He saluted. "Thank you. I think everyone would agree we all owe you our lives. This is a day I will remember for the rest of my life, too. You are every bit the stories people tell about SPARTANS."

I came to attention and returned the salute.

It felt significantly less awkward.

There was a cacophony of agreement from the defenders. Several of them followed suit and saluted me.

At that moment, I understood why some SPARTANs enjoyed doing things like PR events. Even if I didn't see myself as any sort of hero, these people did. What I did not only saved their lives, it inspired them. In turn, their courage in the face of what otherwise would have been their death would be something I'd never forget. I can only hope I'm the person they see me as.

The moment passed and I lowered my arm.

My parents stepped out of the crowd and we started toward the front door. I felt everyone watch me duck back out into the late afternoon.

It took every ounce of my willpower to keep walking and not look back.