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HALO: The Marine Chronicles
Date: 9 February 2003, 10:08 pm

Chapter 1: Recruitment

      My name is Command Sergeant Major Dimitry Illyich Siminov. But please, call me Russkie. Everyone does. My tale is not that of a cheerful happy little tale full of fuzzy bunnies and the like. My tale describes the wonder, the insanity, the sadistic joy, and the tragedy of war. I was a member of the 22nd Tactical Elite Infantry (Company E, 6th Marines). I will retell my part in the great Covenant War, but first, you must know my story.
      I was a high school dropout in 2552, the year we beat the Covenant on Halo, but with a price tag of a hundred thousand human lives. I was living on an Alpha Centauri colony, called Lenin's Colony, a Russian-culture colony. After I learned the Covenant attacked Earth, I decided to do something with my life, and join the Marines. Infantry was my second choice. I really wanted to be an engineer, but without a High School diploma, it was impossible to be anything else. My story starts as I am en route to Basic Training...
      "You got any cigarettes?" the guy next to me asked in a very heavy English accent. I looked at him and said, "No. But hey, what's your name?" "Well, I'm Mike. Mike Chadwick. You?" "Call me Russkie. My name's too long. I'm from Lenin. What colony you from, Mike?" "No colony. Earth. I was on vacation when I learned they attacked my planet. Me hometown of London was flattened by the Covenant's first wave. So, I decided to give the bloody bastards a taste of their own medicine." At that moment, a man, presumably the ship's AI, came over the PA and stated, "All recruits please proceed to the nearest exit, and rendezvous with the only uniformed Marine on the platform." We all got up and got out through the only airlock on the small ship. When we were all out, the airlock closed, and the bus-sized ship left its port. The Marine then addressed us. "I am Gunnery Sergeant John McCormick. I will be your senior infantry instructor in this camp. You men will undergo some of the most rigorous training currently in existence. Now, the rules." He cleared his throat, then yelled, "YOU WILL ADDRESS ANY UNIFORMED MARINE AS 'SIR'! YOU WILL REPORT IN AT 0500 EVERY DAY FOR ROLL CALL! YOU WILL NOT QUIT!" That's it? I thought. That's nothing like the Marine camps in the movies. Especially Russian Marine camps. Gunny McCormick then spoke again, saying, "However, you will be in trouble if you are ever out of uniform, if you are late for roll call, if you fall out of PT, if..." Oh drat! I'd jinxed myself!
      Our first day went fairly well. We were issued our gray work uniforms, as well as our black dress uniforms. We were told that we would keep these through our whole enlistment period. The best thing about that day though, was the glorious seven hours of sleep. The next day, at 0445 exactly, a fairly large person ran straight through my tent, raving, "THE COVENANT ARE ATTACKING! EVERYONE GET TO THE ROLL CALL STATION!" As it turned out, that was Corporal Diemel, one of three assistant instructors, and he was lying. We fell in to our positions. After roll call came, Sergeant McCormick said, "All right. First of all, for all you dip-heads who can't count, we have three hundred boots. That's right, three hundred. Today, we will learn how to fire the MA6-B, the best technology currently available. It's better than all that Covenant plasma boo-wah. It's better than those little needle-guns. It's the BEST! Period. If you can not pass the marksmanship test we will administer to you at the end of this month, then you do not need to be a Marine. Questions?" One boy, looking about 19 years old, raised his hand and asked, "But, sir, don't you need all the Marines you can get right now? Earth is under attack!" "Look recruit, we don't need any pansies on this force! It's pansies that lose battles, and cause casualties. I myself lost three men cause one of our snipers cracked under the pressure and ran away, leaving my squad with no good supporting fire, and we were overrun. All right, how many of you have fired a rifle before?" A few recruits raised their hand. "All right, step over here. We're gonna re-teach you the right way." Corporal Diemel, the same guy that ensured we didn't sleep in, seemed to take a liking to me. He told me during shooting that from the way I shot, I should specialize in close quarters combat, and be a shotgunner. I didn't say anything at the time, other than "Thank you, sir!" At the end of the day, I was very competent in my marksman skill. I'd hit among the 80th percentile in my unit. That's very good. As I went to sleep, the sleep that I was so used to, I thought that Boot Camp was easy. I could not have been more wrong.
      At night, we were prone to alerts. We'd have to jump out of bed, grab our weapons, and then get to our defensive positions. Mike and I were in the same recruit squad. The Brit and I became very good friends in those sleepless nights. We got frostbite together, trained for interrogation together, and always shared the Brit's love of smoking in the cold. Besides alerts, the other thing the instructors seemed to like was PT. We ran six miles very morning.
      For the next several weeks, things went from bad to worse. We slept in the wilderness with only our body armor for comfort. We ate less than five pounds of food a day. We counted ourselves lucky if we only had to march fifteen miles, with a full rucksack. It was horrible. After two months, out of the three hundred we started with, we only had one fifty. Mike and I were both among that one fifty though. The young Brit was very determined. You could almost see the anger in his eyes. What I didn't grip at the time was that we were not training to be regular Marines, but rather, Tactical Reconnaissance Elite Infantry, or just Tac Recon for short. At the end of our training, two months worth, every one of the ninety-seven graduates could effectively hit a moving target in the head or torso at 300 meters, call fire support from artillery or air power, shoot at sniper qualification levels, heal a needler wound, and last but not least, break any designated bone in a body.
      We were told at graduation that, "You are not any Marines. Regular Marines usually lose one or two men in boot camp, not a figure in the hundreds. You men are now Tac Recon Privates. Now, you'll receive your postings, and board your respective ships." Mike and I were both posted to the 22nd Tactical, a mostly American unit. "So, Russkie, why do ya think they posted us with the yanks?"
      "No idea. Don't have time to complain. I'm still trying to keep up with my sleep." We walked to the Pelican marked T221, assigned to the UNSC Daniel Bolger, along with 6th Marine Regiment. As I boarded, I noted another person I didn't expect to see. Corporal Diemel sat in the corner, near the pilot's door. About five minutes after Mike and I got on, the Pelican took off. At that moment, the pilot came on the intercom. "Hello, my name is Lt. Junior Grade Grace Lee, and I'm the Pelican pilot for 22nd Tactical, 1st Platoon. You men look ready for battle. We'll arrive at the Bolger in about three hours. In the mean time, just relax." I tried, but I kept wanting to know if Corporal Diemel was also being posted in the 22nd. I finally got up the courage to ask, "Are you assigned to the 22nd, sir?" Corporal Diemel looked at me and said, "Yes. In fact, I'm your squad leader. I got the roster this morning." He handed me a piece of paper. Sure enough, Mike and I were in 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, 22nd Tactical Reconnaissance Company, under the command of Martin Diemel. Apparently they couldn't find an experienced Sergeant. "So it looks like you two will be with me for a while." The rest of the trip went by with Mike apparently deep in thought, Corporal Diemel asleep, and me reading a very battered copy of Starship Troopers. I was nearly done with the book, when suddenly, the pilot came over the intercom. "We're now docked in the bay of the UNSC Daniel Bolger. Everybody out."

Chapter 2: Posting

      I headed to the barracks marked "Tactical Recon," with the slogan "Kill Them Where They Stand!" underneath. Mike and I found a bunk. We were the only PFCs in the whole unit. To make things worse, other than a Spaniard and a German, we were the only non-Americans. As time passed, I learned a fair amount of things. I learned that body armor was useless in a scout unit, because speed was more important. I ditched my helmet, and tied a bandana around my head instead. Besides, it kept a tradition alive. My great grandfather was Russian Spetsnaz, and they always wore bandanas. The bandana was much more comfortable than the helmet, and most of all, kept the sweat out of my eyes. I learned to put 57 rounds in a rifle, rather than 60, because that way it wouldn't jam. The most important thing I learned was the importance of stealth. We were told stories about Marines who lost the element of surprise due to some idiots snapping of a twig, etc. That ultimately ended up in the unit's destruction. I was assigned as the shotgun in 1st squad, but I never figured out why. Mike was the heavy weapons expert. He was given the Jackhammer launcher. My first taste of action occurred about three months after I arrived on the Bolger.
      We were designated Fireteam Zulu. It was my squad, the Platoon Sergeant, and two Warthog teams. Our mission was to set up a recon camp on a planet known as Bountiful, to get a bearing on the Covenant positions there. Picture this: A beautiful jungle. Soft sounds of a waterfall, birds chirping, and other natural sounds. A clearing with a set sandbag bunkers and LAAG (Light Anti Air Gun) emplacements. Around twenty Marines with Soft caps, Boonie hats, bandanas, and varied weapons. Then suddenly, plasma fire!
      I rushed to my station on the stationary LAAG. The first thought that crossed my mind was, "I'm gonna die!" Naturally, I was panicked. I fired all along the tree line, hitting a couple of Covenant grunts. Grunts are basically small aliens, about five feet, who aren't very well trained, but find strength in numbers. They fired their plasma pistols and needle guns at me, and I sprayed their lines with my LAAG. To my right, I heard scattered shouts of things like, "DIE COVENANT BASTARDS!!!" "COVERING FIRE!" "Fragged em, amigo!" "Firing!" "Come get some!" etc., etc. Mike appeared, and fired his Jackhammer. The rocket trailed toward the jungle, and exploded. Three grunts and a jackal went flying. I saw a Grunt shoot a plasma beam into PFC Harry Schmidt, the squad's other shotgunner. His eyes went blank, and he fell over, dead. I looked the other way, and tried to stay focused. I continued spraying the jungle with my LAAG. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a Gold Elite, a very tall humanoid alien, come charging toward me firing his plasma rifle at me. I felt the plasma singe my arm, and cried out. "AAHH! MEDIC!" Mike, who had his back to me at the time, turned, saw me, saw the elite, and put two and two together. "That's it!" He pulled the trigger on his Jackhammer, and hit the Elite, bursting the Covenant commander into pieces. Corporal Diemel ran near me, hastily bandaged my arm, and then screamed, "GET YOUR ASS BACK ON THAT GUN, RUSSKIE! WE'VE GOT INCOMING BANSHEES!" I stood up, manned my LAAG, and pointed it toward the Covenant flying machines. Banshees look kind of like a long pill with two legs near the front, as well as gun ports. I blew the hell out of the first Banshee, but I missed the second one. I cursed myself for missing, but at that moment, one of the LAAG gunners in the Warthog team hit it. At that moment, I heard a general command on my com link. "This is Diemel to all units. Prepare for evac, pronto! We're getting out!" I started packing up the LAAG. I put it in its box, and then pulled my shotgun to the ready. I saw a Covenant jackal coming toward me, and threw a grenade. I yelled the customary, "Fire in the hole!" And ducked. The small creature flew over my head. Jackals resemble lizards with circular energy shields. Their shields are almost impenetrable. At that moment, the Covenant attack eased off. "This is Dropship Tango Two Two One. Preparing for pick up." Two Pelicans flew in, and landed in the clearing. Out of Tango Two Two One, a figure clad in green armor got out. I recognized him as a Spartan II. The best of the best. The Spartan approached Corporal Diemel, and asked, "Are you in command?" "Yes, sir!" "Give me a situation update." "It's not good. We have wounded. We need to get out of here." The Spartan stared at him for a while, and then said, "Pick four men. You all will assist me. One of them has to be a qualified driver, and two have to be good LAAG gunners. Also take two warthogs. The rest of your men will evacuate." Corporal Diemel turned and said, "All right. Russkie, Chadwick, Perez, Richards. Step up. On the double, Marines!" "Yes sir!" We replied.
      Three minutes later, we were rolling. I was with the Spartan and Corporal Diemel. Chadwick was driving the other warthog, along with Lance Corporal Perez, a sniper, and PFC Richards, a tech expert who was trained as a gunner. We moved out, rolling through the jungle. The Spartan didn't talk much, be he did say that the enemy's headquarters had been located, and we were assigned to take it out. About ten minutes later, we caught up with the retreating Covenant from the battle we were in. I saw one, and shouted, "Enemies, 2 o'clock!" I fired off a long burst from "Old Faithful," the nickname for the LAAG. I hit several enemies, killing three and wounding one. Mike ran over an Elite, crushing the alien commander. The Spartan in the driver's seat instructed us over the radio, "Dismount. Stay near me." We got out, and followed the Spartan into the jungle. Mike popped a few shots off with his pistol at the retreating aliens. The Spartan assembled us, and said, "All right, I want a weapons count. Corporal, we'll start with you." Corporal Diemel replied, "One Assault rifle, on Pistol, and three frag grenades, sir." The Spartan turned to Mike. Mike replied, "One jackhammer with four rounds remaining, and one pistol, sir." The Spartan looked at me. "Sir, one shotgun with sixty rounds, one pistol, and four fragmentation grenades, sir!" "Shotgun? You'll take point." "Thank you, sir! It is an honor, sir!" The Spartan asked Perez. Perez replied, "Sniper Rifle, but no ammunition, and a pistol." The Spartan walked over and picked up a Covenant Plasma Rifle. He handed it to Perez, and said, "Use this. If it runs out, pick up another one. You don't want to have to rely on a pistol." He then asked Richards, who said, "One Assault Rifle, and one pistol." The Spartan then looked at all of us. "All right. You, with the shotgun-" "Sir, call me Russkie sir!" "All right, Russkie, you take point. I'll be right behind you. Sniper, Perez, is it? You take rear security. Corporal, I want you right in front of him. You other guys spread out 25 meters away from this column. Am I clear?" "SIR, YES SIR!" "All right, let's move." I got to the point, and took out my machete. I'd need it to clear brush, but only if it got very thick. I was supposed to be quiet. After everyone had assembled. We moved forward. After about twenty steps, I heard something. I pulled up my shotgun, and signaled the men behind me to stop and seek cover. As it turned out, all I'd heard was a small rabbit-like creature. I relaxed, and signaled to move forward. At that moment, I heard another sound. I pointed my shotgun toward the source, but there was nothing there. Suddenly, I saw an odd shimmer where I was looking. I realized, it was a creature with active camouflage! We'd used it a couple of times in training. It makes the user nearly invisible. I fired off two shotgun blasts at the figure. The first one missed, but the second one destroyed the active camouflage of the Elite who was about to ambush us. I fired once more to finish him, and then searched him for useful objects. There were none. From behind me, the Spartan said, "Keep moving. We're about three hundred yards from the regional Covenant HQ. After you take fifty more paces, stop, and await further orders." "Yes sir!" I moved out, and after a carefully counted fifty steps, I moved into a prone position. Over the radio, the Spartan Addressed me, "PFC Siminov, take out your binoculars. Scan the horizon and count how many guards there are out there." "Acknowledged, sir." I looked along the horizon. It took me a while to see the base, because of the thick foliage, but when I found it, it was very clear. I counted somewhere around fifteen grunts, five jackals, and an elite to boot. When I reported this to the Spartan, he stated this over the radio, and then followed it up with, "They probably also have a reserve of about thirty assorted grunts and jackals, with an Elite commander. All right, PFC Chadwick, time to earn your pay. Fire off a jackhammer at that elite. Then take out your pistol and give us covering fire. Perez, you stay with him. The rest of you, when Chadwick fires that jackhammer, you all throw your grenades. All right, Chadwick, open fire on my mark." What seemed like ages passed, and then the Spartan said, "Fire." Chadwick let loose and fired out both tubes of his jackhammer. I threw all four of my grenades, and then ran towards the encampment along with the Spartan and Corporal Diemel, firing round after round after round of shotgun ammo into unlucky Covenant sentries. I didn't see Richards. Then, suddenly, Richards ran out blasting away with his assault rifle. I watched as from his flank, a Covenant Elite with a beam sword made to strike him. I wanted to yell, but I knew all that would do is scare him. Rather, I pulled the trigger on my shotgun. All that happened was a dull click. Crap! I forgot to reload! The elite struck Richards, and he was sliced in half. I didn't have time to be sentimental. I drew my pistol, and fired all twelve shots into the Elite swordsman. The only result was that he stopped for half a second, seemed to throw a small tantrum, and kept on running. I picked my shotgun up (I had dropped it before drawing my pistol), put two shells into it and shot the thing. It fell over, bleeding from almost every one of the holes my .8 Gauge Buckshot Rounds had put into it. I moved on, but first, I fully loaded my weapon. I ran toward a structure that looked to be a covenant command post. Mike and Perez came out of the forest and joined me. At that moment, the Spartan came on the radio. "All right, all Fireteam Zulu elements, hold here. I'll be out in about three minutes. We need radio silence, because if I transmit from such a small place, the Covenant will be able to pinpoint my exact location. I'm going to place a HAVOK nuclear mine inside, then we have half a minute to evac. The mine will explode two minutes after I set it. See you in three minutes." Corporal Diemel responded, "Roger, this is Fire Team Zulu, commencing radio silence."
      It went ok, then suddenly, "This is the Master Chief breaking radio silence. The mine is in place. Request evac, NOW!" It was the first time I'd ever heard him yell. Corporal Diemel wasted no time. "This is Zulu one requesting evac. Come on, Grace!" "This is Pelican Tango Two-Twenty-One. I'll be there in a flash." Grace was true to her word. She was on scene not long after that was said. Corporal Diemel ordered, "Everyone, in the Dropship! Chief, hurry up! The ride's here!" The Spartan ran out of the structure, and then ran to the Pelican. "Let's go." "All right, Chief, what's the destination?" "UNSC Bolger, Grace. I think I've found a few good men." I never saw the Chief again, until one day on a devastated, arid battlefield deep in space...

Chapter Three: The Retaking of Sigma Six (Part 1)

      We move on to about January 2553. The UNSC was rapidly retaking planets, but at a very high cost. It seemed like every day we got replacements for some guy who died the week before. Corporal Diemel was made Company First Sergeant after a heroic boarding action on the Covenant Command ship Messenger. My rank stood at Sergeant. I was the leader for our old squad. I still liked my shotgun, and I still always wore a bandana during combat ops, and I still am the squad's designated LAAG gunner. Mike is now Corporal Chadwick, and he is my assistant squad leader. This next story is probably the biggest combat op I ever took part in, but it was not the most well known. Sigma Six was a desolate planet. The Covenant took it early and held it because of its strategic location to their homeworld. If we took that planet, we would have a straight shot at the Covenant home world. The problem was, time was running out. The Covenant were still assaulting Earth, and they were hitting it harder each day. Many attack forces were called back to defend Earth. The retaking of Sigma Six was a desperate gamble. If we took it, the Covenant would have to pull back some of their forces attacking Earth. If we failed, Earth had just lost two battlefleets, and six Marine Divisions. We were told, we must not fail.
      I remember my insertion on Sigma Six. It was very violent. Grace Lee was still the pilot, and she did her best to insert us. However, under heavy Covenant fire, we ended up crashing. That's right. It started kind of like this...
      "This is Lee to all passengers! We're rapidly losing altitude! BRACE FOR IMPACT!" I grabbed on to my seat, and hoped I didn't die. That's when we hit. If you ever want to experience the equivalent of crash-landing a Pelican, strap yourself into a chair, and then jump off your roof. It is just like that, except for usually you can get hurt a lot worse. Luckily, the worst wound in our Pelican was a sprained wrist. However, we now need to baby sit Grace and her co-pilot. After we all got out, Grace went into the Pelican's small armory locker, and returned with a sniper rifle and an assault rifle. She took the sniper rifle, and much to us Marines' surprise, she loaded and cocked the immense rifle, and said, "Let's go, boys." We landed three hundred Kilometers east of our landing zone. Behind Covenant lines. Gunny Diemel, who was with us, told me, "Sorry Russkie, but I'm taking command. We're in deeper shit than we've ever been in before." Shortly after Gunny Diemel finished his sentence, three Grunts appeared on the cliff edge near what used to be the UNSC Pelican. Before any of us could do anything, the Grunts were struck by rifle fire from in front of the Pelican. As I looked near the Pelican's nose, I recognized a familiar face, so to speak. The Master Chief stood in front of the wreck with a smoking rifle. "Need some help?" I immediately replied, "Yes sir! It's good to see you, sir!" Gunny Diemel then stated, "Sir, we need to get back to friendly lines." The Chief looked at him, and said, "Ok, but we have to make a pit stop. There's a Covenant Signals station about half a click east. If we take it out, it will help the guys on the frontline." Gunny Diemel and I replied simultaneously, "We'll do it, sir."
      The entire squad mobilized immediately. We lacked mobility, however, so we'd have to perform a very coordinated strike on this signal station. The station was located in the open for maximum reception. This meant it would be vary hard to achieve stealth, but on the other hand, the Covenant weren't running anywhere. After we got to the station, Master Chief would tag it with an air strike beacon. However, rather than evacuate, we would find away to our own lines. It seemed like a pretty good plan, but I told Chief that this plan would work great if he were alone, but we need to do something. It was decided that we would cart along a LAAG for some covering fire. Also, we saw two other Pelicans go down. One of them had a scorpion tank on the back. We needed to check for survivors on the way back, but that signal station had to go first. We moved along the cliff edge. I could see the signal station from the crash site.
      As we approached, the Covenant suddenly became aware of our position. They opened fire, but thankfully missed my squad. I had no time to spare. I shouted out commands in rapid succession, "Lopez, get that LAAG up, on the double! Smith, I don't see any sniping fire! Come on, Marines! Pick your targets and go!" I myself threw two grenades near a cluster of Covenant grunts. They fell a little short, but the small aliens ran right into the blast. My shotgun had an effective range of thirty meters, so I didn't even try to shoot that. The Chief turned, and said, "They've got this place well defended. We're gonna need some backup. In response, I commanded my signal expert, "Foster! We send out a distress call! Immediately!" Foster replied, "Yes sir!" He then turned to his radio, and said, "This is 22nd Tactical, 1st squad, 1st Platoon, designation fire team November. We are stranded behind enemy lines, and are taking heavy fire. Any local UNSC personnel report. We are in need of immediate assistance." There was silence for about three seconds, and then, "This is Gunnery Sergeant Herman Schroeder of the 10th Marine Armored Mobility Company, callsign Gold Eagle 1. We were shot down about 700 meters from your position. We're en route." "Roger Gold Eagle One. Assistance accepted. Maintaining radio contact." Our fire with the Covenant continued for a while, the only result was wounding our LAAG gunner, because we were all dug into the rocks near the cliff edge, and it was hard to hit anything. I looked up from my position, and was nearly hit in the head by a plasma bolt. Gunny Diemel said, "Damn it, Russkie! Keep your head down!" About a minute later, I heard a loud sound. It sounded like... a tank cannon! Gold Eagle had pulled through! I gave the order over my radio, "All right, let's cover that tank! Lopez, fire that LAAG! Smith, take that Elite with the sword. Lee, use that sniper rifle to cover us. Have your co-pilot stay with you. Kleckner, you and Santos stay here and guard their position as well. Everyone else, get your rappelling equipment out. We're goin' in!" I hooked a D ring onto one of my belt rings, and passed the rope through it. Then, just like a million times in training, I kicked off the wall, held the rope in a controlled fall, and then kicked off the cliff wall again. At least ten other Marines mimicked this movement, until we touched down. Foster hit the ground next to me to my right, and Chadwick hit near my right. The first thing I saw was 50 tons worth of UNSC Marine Armor. The hulking Scorpion Tank fired shell after shell into the Covenant complex. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Master Chief running toward the complex. I turned to Foster to tell him to get on the radio, but Foster was dead. Apparently, while I was reviewing the battlefield, he'd been hit. I didn't have time to fool around. I got on the radio and ordered Gold Eagle, "Cease Fire! You'll hit the Chief!" "Roger. Holding fire." "Ok, Gold Eagle, we've got incoming Covenant Ghosts. Blast 'em!" "Roger." As the small hoverbikes speeded forward, the Scorpion tank's cannon turned, and unleashed a brutal Armor Piercing round into the first ghost. The round didn't explode; rather, it punched a large hole into the Ghost, went straight to the one behind it, and then exploded. The other Ghost driver decided he'd seen enough, and turned around. I wasn't about to let him get away. "Lopez, Smith, get me fire on that Ghost. Now!" I looked toward the Ghost. There were tracer rounds all along the small Covenant vehicle, until finally, the fuel tank was hit and the hoverbike exploded into at least forty pieces. The remaining Covenant infantry scattered. They were apparently terrified. I reached for the radio, and said, "All right, fire team November, we got 'em all. Gold Eagle, we're going to need your help. Our drop ship was shot down two. We saw another one go down near your Pelican. Did you see it?" "Ja, I saw it, but there were no survivors. We salvaged some ammunition, though, as well as some medical kits." "All right, so everyone's accounted for?" Twenty shouts of "Yes, sir!" promptly followed my question. "All right. As soon as the chief gets back, we're out of here." Right then the Chief returned. "Fire team November, let's move!" Right before I left, I remembered Foster, and took his dog tags. We moved to the front line. As we got closer, we could see the Covenant defensive positions. We could also see Marine infantry. At that moment, someone noticed us on the battle map. "This is Strike 6 to unidentified Mechanized infantry. Identify yourself, over." I responded, "This is fire team November and Gold Eagle One. What're your orders, Strike 6?" "You all are not under my command, but boy are we glad to see you. We've been locked in combat for hours. We're losing men by the second. We need you to flank their guns." Then I noticed something. Three Longsword bombers flew overhead. Probably to the signal station Chief marked. "Wilco, fire team November, out." I then switched to squad radio, and said, "All right, we're gonna flank those guns so the crap hats" (A slang term for non-recon Marines) "can pull through. All right. Smith, you and Grace will take out the gunners. Gold Eagle, you outrank me. I can no longer give you orders. Do whatever you please." "Roger, fire team November. Gold Eagle providing support fire." "Perez, I want covering fire with that LAAG. Chadwick, Jones, Flores, Ashbury, Henderson, Kleckner, Bryant, Kim, Santos, Hill, and Hinkler, follow me. We're going in for a close attack. Fix bayonets, or draw Ka-Bars. Use your cover. Only fire if the enemy sees you, or fires at you. We don't want to lose the element of surprise." Eleven men said, "Roger sir, moving out." Now there was a bunch of brush between the Covenant emplacements and us. We could easily sneak in. "This is Gold Eagle, beginning fire." I saw a shell streak towards the Covenant position. It exploded, destroying a Shade Stationary Gun. The explosion was followed by sniper tracers from Grace and Smith, taking out the gunners. We sneaked closer to the positions. Pretty soon, we could clearly see the Covenant. They were very panicked, because their guns were being taken out from behind. With out their guns, the human Marines in front of them would push forward, eventually. Then on the radio, a panicked Mike Chadwick came on saying, "Contact! I need help!" I replied, "All fire team November elements, you are weapons free! I say again, weapons free!" Eleven Marines and one Spartan cyborg popped up from the Brush and sprayed the Covenant positions with fire. Mike threw his Ka-Bar at the Grunt firing at him. The Ka-Bar suck in the little alien's head, and it fell over screaming. Mike then pulled out his Jackhammer, and fired at the enemy Shade guns. It hit, and blew one off the cliff it was on. I myself fired my shotgun at a pair of jackals in front of me. They fell over, dead. I drew my Ka-Bar, and then gave the order that has been repeated so many times in history at so many battles, "CHARGE!!!" I ran toward the Covenant emplacements, firing my shotgun the whole way. When I fired all the Shells in my shotgun, I swung it over my back and drew my Ka-Bar. I knew it was suicide to melee an Elite, but I went and did it anyway. The big Covenant grabbed the knife from my hand, and cracked it in two. Too bad he didn't realize I had drawn my pistol. I shot the creature seven times, and then pistol-whipped him over the head. He died, with an odd gurgling sound. The Plasma fire stopped. I realized we had just done something close to impossible. We had successfully charged and taken a Covenant Gun Emplacement! "Assistant squad leader, report!" "This is Chadwick. We've got seven wounded and one dead. They got Kleckner. We need evac, and we need it now." Before I could respond, Strike 6 radioed me saying, "Good work, fire team November. We're approaching your position right now." Sure enough, I looked at my motion sensor, and it showed a large mass of Marines approaching us. The first one in line wore a Colonel's rank on his helmet. I called out, "Officer, on deck!" My whole squad snapped to attention, and salted the Colonel. "At ease. You men have done a very good job. But now, it's time for you to leave. I see you've sustained casualties. Squad leader, give me your name, rank, and ship posting." "Sergeant Dimitry Illyich Siminov, of the 22nd Tactical, UNSC Daniel Bolger." "Good. I'm recommending you and your men for the Silver Star, and a unit citation. My name is Colonel George McCoy. I command the 2nd Marine Regiment, Strike Force. We would've been destroyed if it wasn't for you men. I've called for a Pelican. It'll be here shortly. I'd like to hear from you again sometime, Sgt. Siminov." As it turned out, the overall first day of assault on Sigma Six was a complete draw. The UNSC took heavy casualties, though. We were needed to Recon Covenant positions, so we'd know whom we were up against. But in the mean time, we had twenty-four hours of free time onboard the Bolger.

Chapter 4: Free Time?

      "Bloody 'ell, sir, I can't believe they've given us free time." I turned to Mike, and said, "Look, just enjoy it now. Tomorrow we get to go behind enemy lines to do what we're trained for. Get some sleep." "I'll try sir. But bloody 'ell! Free time! When our mates are dropping like flies out there!" "You know very well it wasn't my choice, Mike." "All right, sir. I'm getting some sleep." "Be sure to check your weapons in with the armory." I then myself went down to the armory. The guy that worked there was a Russian too, in fact, he was on my colony. I decided to strike up a friendly chat. "So, Yuri, how's it been going in the armory?" "Pretty dull, Dimitry. Marines check in, Marines check out. I wish I would've volunteered for the Marines instead of the Navy..." "It's not that great, friend Yuri. I lost two men today. Foster and Kleckner. Both hardened veterans." "That's too bad, comrade. You have my sympathy. But, friend Dimitry, you should not worry too much. It was not your fault that they died. It was the will of God. God also wills us to win this war. So don't worry." Yuri looked down at my armory paper. "So you're going to keep your pistol out?" "Yes. I'm going to keep it just in case. I'll be in my room, catching up on some much needed sleep if you need me, comrade Yuri." "All right. Hey, some of the other Russians are showing the classic "Battleship Ptomekin" tonight. Want to come see it?" "Maybe, Yuri. Maybe." I then walked out of the armory, and headed to my room in the NCO's quarters. I laid down on my bed, and just as I was about to get to sleep, a voice came over the PA. "All combat personnel, report to your posts. We are being boarded by Covenant strike teams. All combat personnel, report to your posts." I cursed as I pulled on my BDU, and my combat boots. I loaded my pistol. And headed to my unit's armory to get my shotgun. On my way there, I ran into a very frazzled crewman, who was waving his pistol in the air shouting, "We're all gonna die! This is it!" I grabbed him, and said, "Look crewman, regain your composure. We are being boarded. We need you to help us defend this place. Come with me, and I'll get you a better weapon." The frightened crewman looked at me, and shakily said, "Ok... I guess... I'll go, sir." "Ok. Shut up and get behind me." Around the next corner was the reason the crewman was so terrified. Three crewmen lay dead, and one last one was hiding behind a supply box, occasionally popping a shot off at the Covenant at the end of the hall. I stepped out, and emptied my pistol magazine into the Covenant. They were all Grunts, and they all bit the big one courtesy of the UNSC Issue Pistol. I went forward, and to my surprise, the crewman behind the supply box was none other than, "Yuri! My friend, you have the armory key! I need that shotgun!" Yuri replied, "Alas, I am wounded. Here is the key. Please call a medic to this position." "I will, comrade." I left, and headed towards the armory. When I got there, Mike and another Marine in my unit, Juan Santos, were waiting outside the door. "Men, I have the key." I opened up the armory, and we went in. The first thing I did was grab my shotgun, and load it. Then I grabbed another shotgun, and handed it to the crewman who had followed me. "What's your name, and rank?" The crewman, who was now calm, replied, "Sir, Engineer's Mate James Anderson." "Well, James, do you know how to use this shotgun?" "No, sir." I walked him through the process. I then told him, "Now see here, crewman. You are going to come with PFC Santos, Corporal Chadwick, and me. You are going to guard our backs. Yell if you see anything." "Ok, sir. I'll try." "Good boy. All right, Marines! Let's move!" We left the armory, and headed toward the elevator. When we got there, we noticed a slight problem, which was that it was overrun by Covenant! "OPEN FIRE!" I fired my shotgun at the Covenant, and then threw a grenade to finish them. Confident they were deader than hell, I stepped onto the elevator, and set it for deck seven. On the way there, we saw what was becoming of the ship. Everywhere there were knocked over supply boxes, medical packs, and bodies of crewmen and Marines alike. When we finally arrived at our position in the deck seven hanger, I saw that the rest of First Squad had assembled... Without their weapons! I was furious! "Marines! How are you gonna fight without any weapons! Out of all of us, only three of us have our designated weapons! Come on, Marines! That's pathetic! How can we defend our positions without weapons!" At that moment, Captain Ridgway, the ship's commander, came on my radio. "Fire team November, you guys ready?" I angrily replied, "No sir. It appears that we lack weapons." He replied in an icy voice, "Well, Marine, that's too damn bad. We need you to defend Engineering. We've got the 12th Platoon holding right now, but they're getting slaughtered like pigs. Move out!" "Yes, sir!" I turned to my men, and said, "All right. We'll find weapons when we get there." I severely doubted this last comment, but we had to move out. Besides, this was no time to lose focus by getting angry. When we got to engineering, the commander of the 12th, some Lt., stepped up and reported. I snapped a salute, which he returned. "This is my relief? Fifteen Marines, twelve of who have no weapon?" "We're Recon Marines, sir. And there was a weapons shortage. Are you prepared to hand control of this area to me?" "I guess. I really need to get me men down to sick bay. We've got at least ten wounded..." "All right, fire team November, pull in. Use an weapons you can find!" At that moment, I saw my Recon Marines picking up everything from plasma pistols to jackhammer launchers. I was on no position to complain. Suddenly, a small explosion shook the hallway. Seven Covenant stepped out into the open! I fired my shotgun with a shout of, "Firing!" and watched as a jackal fell over dead. From our positions, plasma fire, 7.62 AP rounds, and .8 Gauge shotgun rounds flew toward the Covenant position. They were torn apart. Stupid bastards. They should've taken cover. At that moment, Captain Ridgway came over the PA. "All units, the Covenant attack is peeling off. Clean out any Covenant in your sector, then report back to combat posts for roll call." I said, "You heard the man. Let's mop up the rest of them!" We proceeded to clear out the hallway. The only other Covenant we found was a shivering grunt who looked like he'd seen a ghost. We took him prisoner, and brought him to the bridge. We then returned to our combat post. As it turned out, no one was killed, or even wounded! I sent Crewman Anderson back to his post, and then ordered my squad to fall out. I still had twenty hours of sleep waiting, and I wasn't going to waste them. But first, I remembered, I must check on Yuri. I met him in sick bay. He looked better than when I first saw him. "Yuri, how are you feeling?" "I've been worse... But not by much." We both laughed, and then I said, "How bad is it?" "Just a minor plasma scarring... Not too bad... I'll live." "Good to hear that. Goodbye, Yuri. I'm going to catch up on some sleep." I then left, and returned to my bunk for a much needed rest.

Chapter 5: The Retaking of Sigma Six (Part 2)

      As I awoke the day after the failed Covenant boarding action, my only thought was, "I really don't feel like fighting today." But I knew I had to, so I went to the armory and checked out my shotgun. I then proceeded to my combat post, and waited for seven hours. During that time I thought out exactly what I would do. We were given orders to reconnoiter a Covenant armor division's current location, and destroy and delay as much as we could. I knew it would be tough, but they issued us with three things that would help us: 1. Two satchel charges for each man, 2. A full artillery battery for support fire, and 3. The Master Chief. I knew these assets would be very handy, but I still wasn't sure about the success of the mission. I mean, so much could go wrong! This was not a favorable mission. I just had a bad feeling about it...
      That thinking went on for about an hour, then the Master Chief showed up and I talked to him. With about four hours left, PFC Santos brought his Xbox out, so we played that for about three hours, then the rest off the unit showed up. When we were all assembled, and equipped, I gave the following speech, "Men, today we are about to embark on the most dangerous mission that this squad has ever undertaken. But we're gonna give those Covies the worst beating of their lives! We're gonna hit 'em so hard, their grandchildren will feel it! All right, you bunch of hooligans. Head to Tango Two-Two-One, and board. All right, 22nd!" The reply came loud, "RECON!" We moved toward the Pelican. As I got in, one thing bothered me... I just couldn't tell what it was...
      We descended in a clearing of a dark forest. The clearing was very oval-shaped, and contained many entrances into the forest. We knew it was an area just asking to be ambushed, but Grace couldn't land in the middle of a tree. She, meaning Grace, came on the PA, saying, "All right. This is it. Marines, do your duty. May luck be with you..." We dismounted, and I signaled my scouts to get into position. "Smith! Santos! Scout out the area. Report any Covenant activity." "Roger, sir." "Order confirmed, sir." Smith and Santos both stealthily moved forward with rifles at the ready. Smith, being the senior of the two, then reported. "No Covenant activity, sir. I think we caught them napping." I felt very giddy inside. The Covenant were asleep! "Smith, you and Santos set up an Observation Post near the perimeter." "Yes, sir." I assembled the rest of my team. The Master chief then said, "Sergeant, pick a few good men to cover me." "All right, Perez, Chadwick, and you, you said your name was..." My new radioman answered me in a thick southern accent, "Jennings, sah. Roger Jennings, sah." I continued speaking. "Perez, Chadwick, and Jennings will come with me and the Chief. The rest of you men spread and search. When I give the command, I want you all to move forward. After we've located the Covenant armor, we'll call in artillery, and then call for evac. Simple mission, guys." We moved into the forest. As I moved, I pulled my shotgun to the ready. I still had a really bad feeling about this mission... It just seemed too simple. As we approached the Covenant positions, I noticed something odd. They were all armed and at the alert! They knew we were coming! At that instant, over the squad com line came a very panicked Corporal Smith. "This is " Static. "Smith, to Sarge, they're all over" Static. "positions. Can't" More Static. "Them. Help!!!" I responded with, "Calm down Corporal. How many men are left?" "Me, Santos, and Henderson." "All right, move to rally point Echo-Hotel-One-Eight-Five-Nine-Six-Seven-Zero-Two. Stay cool, Corporal." "Ok sir, moving out." To the rest of my men, I said, "All right. The Covies know we're here. Jennings, relay these co-ordinates to F Battery. They'll plaster this place with HE rounds." Jennings replied. "Sah! This is fia team Novemba to F Battery. Requesting fire for effect at location Echo-Hotel-One-Seven-Four-Nine-Six-Six-Two-Two." I heard the reply, "This is F Battery. Firing. You need to get out of there." Jennings replied saying, "Roger. This is fia team Novemba. Out." I thought it interesting that a man with such a thick accent was picked as a radio man. "All right Marines, we got a five hundred meter dash ahead of us. Let's go!" We all got up and ran, and about ten seconds later, the sounds of explosions and dying Covies filled the air. As we were running, we ran into a Covenant patrol. "MARINES! BLAST THESE SONS OF BITCHES TO HELL!!!" I was pumped on energy, and I remember very much enjoying my shooting an Elite to death. After they were all dead, we ran to the Rally point. There we met up with Smith, Santos and Henderson. "Chief, what do we do know?" I asked in a fairly calm voice. "This mission is over. Call for evac." I tried to protest, saying, "But sir!" "No buts, Sergeant. Call evac." I motioned to Jennings, and he made the following call, "This is fia team Novemba requesting immediate evac at the Rally point." Grace's voice came back, sounding very harsh. "Sorry, no can do. There are Banshees all over your position's airspace. However, HQ is sending you some support. They're space-dropping a tank." Space dropping was a relatively new technology. It involved putting vehicles in capsule, and then shooting that capsule to the surface of the planet. Skeptical, I grabbed the radiophone and replied, "Are you sure? I didn't think that was perfected." Grace said, "It's not. But you're getting support. Just wait." "Roger, fire team November out." I looked to the sky, and saw what looked like an oversized life pod coming out of the sky. "Men, take cover!" We all dove for cover and simultaneously felt the capsule land. About three seconds afterwards, I heard, "This is Gold Eagle. It appears I've been permanently assigned as recon support, along with two other tanks, that haven't shown up yet. This is Gold Eagle, awaiting orders, squad leader." I smiled as I replied, "Go with us back to the site of the Covenant armored Division. There was a Covenant Shade Emplacement there. If we can clear the skies, we can be evacuated." "Gold Eagle acknowledges. Moving out." "Marines, prepare for assault." The Chief nodded, and moved out. Private Henderson spoke up, "But sir! That's suicide!" I looked at him, and explained the facts. "Private, it's our only chance of getting back to the Bolger. Do you want to die out here?" "No sir." "Then let's move. Perez, you and I can both gun emplacement weapons well, so we'll be on the Shade Turrets." "Roger, sir." "Let's roll!" We moved out, crawling through the forest. When we found the clearing, there was very little left. I saw three intact turrets, but they were guarded by Covenant survivors. "Smith, you take out that Gold Elite." "Yes sir." There was one shot from a sniper rifle, and I saw the Elite go down. Then a complication arose. A little Covenant Grunt got on one of the Shade guns and sprayed our positions. Shades are very ugly looking anti-aircraft guns. They aren't half as effective as our LAAGs. They look like bowls with a triangular triple set of barrels. They fire an odd purple plasma that burns when it hits. Suddenly, I heard Smith cry out. Mike said, "Smith! The Covenant killed him! He's dead, sir!" "ATTACK!" We moved into the clearing. I fired shots off till I was out of ammo, then threw my shotgun on the ground and drew my trusty pistol. I knelt, and fired an entire mag into the Covenant grunt gunning the shade. The little thing crumpled over like a sack of potatoes. I turned on a jackal, and gave him a Christmas gift... In the form of an explosive grenade. He burst into pieces. Soon enough, all the Covenant were dead. "Perez, get on that gun! Chief, could you gun?" "Yes, but not at the moment." "Henderson, could you do it?" "Yes, sir!" I also climbed into a shade. I then realized there was no way we could attract the Banshees. But that didn't matter, because apparently one of the Covies had called some air support before he died. They had also called reinforcements. "All right, no KP for the next month goes to whoever can blow down that drop ship!" We all fired like crazy. Now, dear reader, you are probably wondering how we knew how to fire the Shades. It is simple. You just sit down and pull the trigger. Duh! Well, I fired and fired at that drop ship with no effect. Then suddenly, BAM! A huge explosion blew away the Shade turret that Henderson was in. The poor man became crushed under the Covenant turret. "HENDERSON!!!" I was really pissed off now. They seemed determined to destroy my squad. Chief came over the radio, and said, "Stay cool, Russkie. If you lose your head, you'll get killed. We can't have an effective commander becoming a casualty." Actually, I completely ignored this. I jumped out of the turret, and fired my shotgun wildly in the air. I really, can't remember clearly what happened next. The next thing I remember was a hard smack, and the Chief telling me, "Keep your cool. I don't want to have to slap you again." I looked around. The Covenant were gone! The only remains were a drop ship hulk and a smoking banshee. "They're..." The Chief finished my sentence, saying, "Gone. If only. They're getting ready for a counter-attack. They're bringing hunters." At this, I felt very scared. It seemed my survival chances had just plummeted from around 90, to 0. Hunters were huge armored beasts. Elite Covenant infantry. They carried laser rocket launchers, called fuel-rod guns, on one hand and a huge shield-like object on the other. Hunters looked like really big humans, with a shield and a fuel-rod gun. I tried to remain calm. Santos happened to share my thoughts, but he expressed them. He told the chief, "Sir, I don't think we can take these hunters! I mean, even with Gold Eagle, they still will wipe us out!" The Chief turned, and Santos looked into his facemask. The Chief told Santos in a relaxing voice, "Don't worry about it. I've dealt with these things before." Then, over the radio, "Sarge, this is Perez! They're here!" The hunters were assembled in a huge pyramid. There were six of them, more than any Marine had ever seen and lived. I knew it would be tough. I saw them coming, and felt the same feeling that was unquestionably felt by the Roman legions of Aetius when they saw the horde of Attila the Hun. I was terrified, but I knew what I had to do. Out of the middle of nowhere, I had this huge feeling of bravery. I ordered my men to open fire, with a catchy saying I heard from Gunny Diemel, "Ok, pick 'em up and lay 'em down, Marines! Gold Eagle, I want you to send a delayed High Explosive round into the center of their ranks." "Gold Eagle acknowledges." I watched as the Scorpion's turret turned, and fired a round into the cluster of aliens. They stopped, confused it hadn't exploded, and looked right into the blast when the delayed charge went off, blowing them all to kingdom come. One survived the blast, and charged its gun, which was pointed at Gold Eagle! The tank commander was still reloading, and didn't have time to respond. As if sent by God himself, Jennings, apparently psyched on adrenaline, readied his assault rifle and charged toward the Covie, firing all the way. The Hunter closed distance with him, bleeding from the gunshot wounds Jennings had afflicted, but not seeming to care, and right when it was a meter in front of Jennings, the Marine ran out of ammunition. Over the squad intercom, two words were heard, "Oh. Shit." But I wasn't about to lose another Marine. I blasted the Hunter with my pistol, and got his attention. Jennings, seeing this, reloaded, and blasted away. After what seemed like an eternity of drawing attention while someone else hit the hunter's back, the thing fell over, dead. I drew my Ka-Bar, went to the carcass, and cut off the alien's head. I handed it over to Jennings. I told him, "We'd all be dead if it weren't for you. An while you're at it, call for evac." "Roga, sah." Jennings turned to his radio, and somehow clearly spoke, "This is Fire Team November, requesting extraction." The reply came promptly, "This is Tango-Two-Two-One. I'm inbound. ETA, fifty seconds." I heard this, and told my men to stay put. I sat down on the ground, and reflected on the actions of the battle. My whole squad of fifteen men had been thinned down to just five people, and the chief! But on the other hand, we now have permanent armored support. That was a great relief, to know that we had armor. Speaking of armor, it was then that Gunny Schroeder got out of his tank. Gunny Schroeder was a thin, wiry guy. He wore a standard BDU, with a armor interface breastplate. On his head, he wore a standard soft cap with the word "CAV" in big gold letters. He saw me, and greeted me. "Ah, Russkie. Good to see you again. As you know, I'm now assigned to your unit. Vell, the Pelican is here. Ve must go." Gunny Schroeder spoke the truth. I felt so relieved to see the huge drop ship with the label T221. I gave a cheer, and headed to the back of the Pelican. I hopped on, and loudly exclaimed, "Let's go, Grace!" Grace, hearing the energy in my voice, responded with, "Hold on. We have to clamp the Scorpion." Clamping was a process that used the electromagnetic holds on the rear of the Pelican. The tank or other vehicle would move directly beneath the magnets, and physics would do the rest. It was a great system, but occasionally a careless pilot would accidentally detach the vehicle, and send a scorpion or warthog plummeting several hundred meters. But for the most part, it was a good system. But man, it took around three minutes to hook that thing up. Afterwards, Grace announced, "All right, we're inbound to the Bolger." On the way up, I thought about the day's actions. We did succeed. Just at a high price. A very high price. And I knew, the next day we would get more replacements. More men to day, and to feed the machine known as war. But what I didn't know what kind of enemy we would soon fight. The Covenant had gone an opened a very secure area on a Halo nearby... The creatures they found were incredible... Only God could save us from what awaited.

Chapter 6: The Flood (Part 1)

      I remember the day very well. January 23rd, 2553, it was. My squad, which still hadn't been put back to full strength, had been assigned to assault a Halo outside of the orbit of Sigma Six. The planet itself was nearly taken over, but we believed that the Covenant were holding up on the Halo. We were actually assigned to go find the first recon team that was sent there, but we also had to recon what they failed to recon.
      I woke up, and felt like going back to sleep. However, I knew I'd be in the shit with Gunny Diemel, who was assuming command of my squad and another today, if I rolled over. So I hopped out of bed and headed to my bathroom to shower. NCOs got their own bathroom with a shower and a toilet, and man, was that a godsend. I shaved, and then took my shower. When I was clean enough to pass inspection, I turned off the water. I got out, went to my closet, pulled on my BDUs and grabbed my bandana. I tied it tight around my head as I perpetually had, and grabbed a pack of cigarettes. I know, I know, smoking is bad for your health, blah blah blah. Well, that's too damn bad, cause it kept me warm throughout that war. I pressed the combination on my room's keypad to lock it, and headed to the armory. On my way, I ran into the newly promoted Corporal Santos. I saw him, and greeted him, "Hey! Ricardo!" Santos turned, and said back, "Sarge. Good to see you. Ready for today?" "Of course. I'm not in command today, though." "Yeah. Hell of a change." "Ricardo, I want you to use a sniper rifle today. I mean, Smith bought it..." "Sure thing, hombre. I can do it." I patted his back saying, "Good man." Upon entering the armory, I noticed that Yuri was back at work. Yuri greeted me, and told me, "I have a weapon update for you. It is being issued to all UNSC men with shotguns." "Really? What is it?" Yuri produced a small, thin cylinder with a trigger attached. "It is a grenade/flare launcher. You will no longer be issued grenades. Rather, you will be issued four grenade rounds, a white phosphorus round, a red flare, and two white flares." "Where do I put that thing, Yuri?" Mount it on the side of your non-shooting hand." I took my shotgun out, and clipped the small cylinder to the left side of my shotgun. "Thank you Yuri. Oh, Corporal Santos here is now using the spare Sniper Rifle checked out to Corporal Smith. Smith is no longer with us." "I'm sorry to hear that, Dimitry." He pulled the Sniper Rifle off the wall, along with eight magazines of ammunition, and handed it to Santos. Santos looked fairly pleased with his new weapon. "All right, Ricardo, let's go! Farewell, Yuri." On my way to the combat deck, I thought about someone I had not thought about in a while. Her name was Xenia Nikolaivich Novikov. I went out with her in my junior year of high school, before I dropped out. I knew she was in college at the moment, and I can't remember why I thought of her. She had given me a small piece of paper, with a small contact number. I then shook my head, put the piece of paper back in my pocket, and headed toward the combat deck. When I got there, Gunny Diemel stood up and gave us our briefing. It went a little something like this...
      "Men, you've all heard about Cpt. Keyes, and the fate of his crew, and the Marines on board. We are about to go on a similar mission." There were many groans throughout the formation. "We'll be supported by a Company of Marine Infantry, crap hats. Their designation is Enforcer Team. We couldn't get another Recon team, so we're making do with what we've got. We've found an interesting structure in the middle of the swamp. Here's how it's gonna go. Russkie, your squad will accompany chief, Major Nigel Tunney, and me into the structure. We are designated Guardian Team. Second squad, you will land first, and set up LAAG emplacements. Your designation is Threshold Team. Then, you will stand outside, and cover our rear while we search the structure. If anything weird happens, run into the structure, and use a pad to lock the door. The chief has warned us of the incredible power that this structure contains, but orders are orders. We are to find the missing Recon team. Do you get me?"
      All thirty fire team members responded with, "SIR, YES, SIR!" Gunny Diemel then stated, "Ok. Move out!" I called out, "First squad! Get to the Pelican. Let's move!" The four Marines that remained under my command headed toward the drop ship. To m surprise, Gunny Schroeder and his gunner showed up. I asked him, "Gunny! What're you doing? We can't bring the Scorpion." The tank commander's reply was short. "Don't need it. Every Marine is trained as a rifle." He produced a Cavalry Carbine. The Cavalry Carbine is a small weapon that resembles a shotgun, but in place of the pump, there is a magazine, and firing mechanism housing. There is also a scope on top. This weapon usually fired twenty round mags. His gunner produced a pistol. Gunny Schroeder got on the Pelican. Gunny Diemel and the chief followed. I then got onboard, and sat in the seat closest to the door. The door sealed, and I knew our space flight would not be enjoyable. A thought occurred to me. "Gunny Diemel, sir! What about Major Tunney?" "He'll meet us there, Marine. Now, in the mean time, you are all non-commissioned officers. You're going to get a tactics lesson." Mike and Perez groaned loudly. Gunny Diemel went on about something about Americans in Mogadishu during the late 20th Century, but I didn't pay any attention. About twenty minutes later, Grace came over the PA. "All right Marines. We're entering the atmosphere. Buckle your seat belts, gentlemen. It's going to get rough." I reached for my seatbelt and braced. I've always hated space flight. Especially atmosphere entry. I felt the ship jolt. It jolted again, and was very jumpy for about five minutes. Then, Grace came on the PA again. "All right, approaching LZ. It looks clear. Second squad did a good job of getting rid of the Covies. ETA, 30 seconds." The door dropped when she was finished, and I noticed a sprawling jungle swamp below me. The Chief, who was sitting next to me, said, "You have no idea what you're in for, Russkie." I turned, baffled, and asked, "What?" The chief stared at me through his facemask, and said, "Just wait." We touched the ground, and Gunny Diemel ordered us out. I remember exactly what the scenery looked like. There was about one and a half feet of water everywhere you stepped, and large jungle trees. To the left of where we landed, there was a large metal structure with Marines around it, setting up LAAGs, and one very large rocket system. After we got out, we moved toward 2nd squad's position. When we got there, I saw a man I immediately knew was Major Tunney. No line Marine would wear a dress uniform on an operation. "Ten-SHUN!" My squad and the men accompanying it stood at attention. Major Tunney replied with, "At ease. Which one of you is Gunny Diemel?" Gunny Diemel raised his hand. The Major asked, "Ready to go? We need to move in." "Yes sir. I've brought with me five of the Corps' finest men, and the Master Chief." The Major looked up, and ordered, "Get inside. Second squad, hold position. That Marine Company will be here soon." As we moved into the structure, I got the same bad feeling I got when we landed on Sigma Six for the second time...
      After we were inside, we took an elevator down to a basement room. There were Covenant bodies everywhere! Major Tunney threw up. Gunny Diemel told Jennings to get on the radio with 2nd squad. Jennings called, and asked, "2nd squad, why did you put the bodies inside the structure?" The 2nd squad radio operator responded, "Negative. We piled the bodies up on a hill in the swamp." Jennings face was blank. The chief spoke up, "We need to get out of here. You men have no idea what will happen otherwise." Major Tunney spoke up, "We're not defying orders, chief! We are going to find the heart of this structure, where that team was last found. They said they found an ultimate weapon before we lost radio contact with them." The chief looked at me, and said, "Russkie, I order you to pull out." Major Tunney, enraged, pulled out a sub machine gun, and pointed it at my head. "IF YOU EVEN MOVE, I WILL KILL YOU!" I was fairly scared. I tried to stay calm. Gunny Diemel intervened. "Major! Have you gone nuts? Russkie is on our side! So's the chief!" The Major turned, with his SMG still aimed at me, and told Gunny Diemel, "Look. We are going to follow orders. Chief, what is the reason for wanting us to leave?" The chief stated, "Flood." Major Tunney's face wrinkled up, and he shouted, "WHAT?" The chief, calm as always, responded, "The Flood. They're an infectious little fungus that eats other bodies, and then takes control of the remains." Major Tunney responded, "Fairy tales!" The chief shrugged, realizing it was useless to argue. We saw several odd sights as we progressed through the structure. We saw Covenant missing limbs, and a large supply of weapons piled in one room. We moved forward, and finally came to a locked door. Major Tunney immediately ordered, "Open it." The chief said, "I wouldn't do that. That's where the flood are stored. We don't want to go in there." Major Tunney ignored him, and repeated, "Open it!" I then further ordered, "Santos. Open the door." "Yes sir!" Santos removed what we called a "Modern Lockpick" which resembled a calculator with a magnet on the back. Santos attached it to the door, and pressed a combination of buttons. The door opened. I pointed at Perez, and then told him to move in using hand signals. Perez nodded, and moved into the room. He waved, meaning the room was clear. We all moved in. The room was large, and had a total of six doors, including the one we entered trough. In the center, there was a huge glass holding tank. Major Tunney wore a look of confidence and superiority, and gloated, "Flood, eh? Infectious fungus, huh? Chief, I'll have you -" He was cut off by the radio. We heard, "This is Pvt. George Farley of Threshold Team! We've got multiple contacts, but... They're not Covenant!" Jennings replied, "Cawlm down. Say agin." "We've got AAAAHHHH! GET IT OFF ME! AAAHHH!" And then there was a dreadful silence. The chief turned, and stated the obvious. "They've found the Flood, Tunney." Tunney's face was blank. Suddenly, one of the doors opened. Everyone in the room brought their weapon to the ready. Through the door stepped, or rather, swaggered, a Marine.

Chapter 7: Lance Corporal Daniel Lipton

      The Marine looked confused, and scared. He was wearing full battle dress, but was missing his helmet. He saw us, and screamed, "Oh my God! They're back! Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! Please! Don't make me like them... No, not like my friends..." The chief ran over and smacked him, saying, "Look soldier, we need to know what happened." The blubbering Marine slowly realized what was happening. "Humans! You... Are humans! Like... Me!" Santos spoke up, "That's right, dipshit! Now what happened?" The Marine started his story...
      I am Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Samuel Lipton, originating from UN Colony Freedom. I can't remember much, but here goes. We'd just got off the Pelican, when we met heavy Covenant resistance. We took serious casualties, and were forced to move inside the structure. Out of our squad of fifteen, eight remained, and three of them were wounded. We moved underground, and worked our way through the structure. Eventually, we came to a large door. The door was locked. We heard Covies behind us, so I wasted no time at all in opening the locked door. When we got in, the door closed itself, and locked. Warning lights came on all over the room, and alarms blared. After about thirty seconds, they went off. Not as if they turned off, but as if they were short-circuited. Then, I heard a funny clicking sound. It was otherworldly. And then, through the floor in the middle, these, these, things attacked us! They were about a third of a meter tall, and had many tentacles. They looked similar to squid. They, Oh God it was horrible, they used their tentacles to pry open the skin of everyone in my squad. I got away, carrying a wounded man and hearing the cries of my friends... It was horrible... I laid down the man I was carrying. He's still alive. But, it was hideous! A creature followed us. It looked like a Marine, but the skin was decayed and, its left arm had long tentacles instead of fingers! I picked up my rifle, and blew the thing's stomach out... And then I recognized the face... I just killed my commander... Oh, it was horrible...

Chapter 8: The Flood (Part 2)

      Lipton seemed in shock. After he told his story, he collapsed. Everyone was silent for a dreadful period, and then the Chief spoke up. "The Flood. They did this. We need to get out of here." I immediately agreed, "Right. We need to leave. Men, be on your guard. If it looks suspicious, blast it." "Sir!" We walked about one hundred meters, just barely through the first door, when Major Tunney shouted, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" He had pulled out his SMG, and was holding it to Lipton's head. I didn't hesitate. "Santos!" Santos knew what to do. Tunney looked around, confused, and then his head literally exploded. I turned, and Santos was standing with his sniper rifle smoking. The Chief spoke up, "It's a shame, what those Covenant do to Marine officers, a true shame." I grinned, and moved on. We rounded the corner, and came to a big room. It was filled with creatures I knew right away were Flood. I called out, "Open fire!" And tested out my new grenade launcher. The grenade round sailed right into the middle of the room, and exploded. I saw the Flood's greenish blood splatter everywhere. One rushed me, but I shot it before it got to me. The room was rectangular, and I saw but one way out. There was a crashed door in the far right corner. I ran toward it, yelling, "FOLLOW ME IN!" My men followed me, and I shot a grenade round into the rubble. Pieces of the door scattered everywhere, and I moved in, followed by the rest of my unit, the Master Chief, Gunny Diemel, and Lipton, carrying his wounded friend. I noticed that Schroeder's Cav Carbine was especially effective against the Flood. We all got in, only to realize it was a dead end. The first thing I did was seal the doorway, again. I turned the chief, and asked, "What are your orders, sir?" The Chief, apparently enraged at Tunney's actions, calmly said, "We need to get out. Look for ventilation openings." We all looked around, until Jennings found one. I wasted no time in breaking the cover, and taking point. The ventilation shaft was about a meter wide and a half meter tall. I crawled through, until I reached a drop. Activating the squad radio, I asked, "Chief! We've reached a drop. Now what?" The reply came, "Drop." I didn't have time to argue. I jumped down the shaft, sideways, landing about two meters down. I crawled forward, and heard Santos drop behind me. Then, suddenly, a cluster of Flood came forward! I shouted out, "Enemies! Infection! Twelve o'clock!" I fired my shotgun until I was empty, and then fired a flare, not wanting to break the vents with a grenade. The flare burned the flood to pieces, and then burned itself out. After all the flood were gone, I saw an opening at the end of the small tunnel. I could see trees, and hear swamp birds. Somehow, even though we went lower, we ended up outside. I later learned we crawled out through a steam vent in a canyon. I reported, "Chief! I've found an exit!" I didn't wait for a reply, and moved toward the exit. I broke the ventilation cover, and moved out. The first thing I heard was, "Hold your fire! It's another human!" I looked up into the face of a Recon Lieutenant, who was dressed in full battle gear. His helmet identified him as Lt. Robert Gorgio. He looked at me and said, "Identify yourself, Sergeant." I stood up, and saluted the Lt. Reporting, I said, "Sergeant Dimitry Siminov, 22nd Tactical Recon, First Platoon, First Squad." Santos climbed out of the shaft at that moment. The Lt. continued talking to me. "First of all, I'm Lt. Robert Gorgio of 45th Tactical Recon, commander, First Platoon. We're all here. I suppose you're aware of the situation?" "Yes, sir." "Well, I called for evac, but my platoon's Pelican was shot down, and the pilots were killed by those... things." "They're called Flood, sir." "Really? Flood... Suits the bastards. Any ways, can you call for evac?" At this point, everyone was out of the tube except for Lipton, Jennings, and Perez. I replied, "Yes sir, as soon as my radioman gets out of the tube." "Excellent. We have vehicles to transport two Warthogs. Can you call in an extra Pelican?" "Yes sir." Everyone was out of the tube now. The guys from the 45th were busy looking at the Spartan. I ordered Jennings, "Get Grace on the radio. We need immediate evac, and send an extra, if not two extra, drop ships." "Yes, sah," Jennings said. He cleared his throat, and then transmitted, "This is Guardian team to Guardian wings, we need immediate evac. I say again, immediate evac, with at least two, if not three, Pelicans." Grace responded, saying, "Ok, but there are too many trees, and the elevation is very uneven. You need to get about three hundred meters, there's a big, flat clearing there, with a Marine detachment holding. They'll help you." I cursed, and took the radiophone from Jennings, saying, "Ok, Grace, but we want you inbound now! It's Hell down here!" Grace replied, "Sorry, just meet up with the Marines there. Guardian Wings, out." I turned to the Lt. and said, "All right. Sir, we need to get moving. It's gonna be a bad day. But, hold on. We have other units from the Daniel Bolger here. I'll check and see if any of them respond." I picked up the radiophone, and called, "This is Guardian Team to Threshold Team. Do you copy, over?" Static. Oh. Great, I thought. No more second squad. Then suddenly, "This is Threshold Team. We've taken heavy casualties. We lost radio contact! Where are you guys?" I looked at my holo-map, and said, "We're exactly six hundred meters from your position. There's a steep drop to get to us though. How many men do you have left?" "Two, including me." "Then move towards us. Field strip your weapons, remove the firing pins, drop the weapon and any extra ammo you have, and run toward us." "Yes sir." I turned to the Lt., and told him, "We need to wait. We have two men coming." The Lt. only shrugged, and replied, "We're in no hurry." I then got back on the radio, and called, "This is Guardian Team to Enforcer Team. Come in Enforcer Team." A strange voice came on the other end. It hissed, and sounded kind of like... The Flood! I dropped the radio phone screaming, "Shit! An entire company, wiped out!" The Chief then said, "I'm going to the clearing for a quick recon." The Chief moved out. No one spoke for about five minutes, when the two guys from second squad showed up. Lt. Gorgio then ordered, "Ok, move out!" We moved into the jungle. I told my men, "Stick with me. I've got the shotgun." My unit clustered around me, and we moved out. About fifty meters later, the Flood were everywhere! It was a nightmare. One of them jumped on Schroeder's gunner, and dug it's tentacles into his head. He screamed loudly, and Schroeder turned, and with precision, blew the thing right off the unfortunate man's head. It was too late, though. The gunner was dead. I shouted, "Keep moving!" As I blew away an infested Marine. Then, a shout from Perez! Chadwick, who had been quiet most of the mission, screamed, "THAT'S IT YOU FLOOD BASTARDS ARE GONNA GET IT NOW!" There was a Flood burying itself in Perez's stomach. He was in dire pain. I pulled out my pistol and shot the Flood, but it was too late. Right then, I issued an order I knew I'd regret. "Cease fire! Just run!" My men stopped firing, and ran. We saw many Marine bodies on the way. The carnage was incredible. When we finally got to the clearing, the sight was astounding. There were sandbags all around the perimeter of the clearing, with heavily armed Marines looking down the sights of LAAGs, and 15mm M89 Mini guns. We saw around twenty men setting Scimitar class Mines around the perimeter. The Scimitar was an upgrade to the aging Claymore. It's small ball bearings were electrified, and fired out with an explosive charge. It was very powerful. As our straggling group approached, I heard the voice of a very familiar person state, "Blow the Scimitars as soon as those Marines cross the perimeter!" I looked up. I knew it couldn't be... But it was! Captain Michael Anthony Ridgway, Captain of the UNSC Daniel Bolger, stood with a Cav Carbine drawn, blasting down Flood attempting to cross the perimeter. Behind him was a veritable army of Marines and equipment. There were two landed Pelicans, cargo class Pelicans, with technicians hurriedly unloading all sorts of weapons. LAAGs, Stationery Rockets, and best of all, one of the most powerful weapons in the human arsenal, the 120mm Emplacement Cannon. As we approached the perimeter, the Captain himself greeted us, saying, "We heard you boys had a bit of a problem." I responded, "Yes sir!" He continued, "Good. Get behind an emplacement, and load your weapons from our armory Pelicans. Look, those Flood bastards will not penetrate this defense. We have direct orders from the Commander in Chief himself to hold this position. Oh, and switch your squad radio to frequency 5-6-7. That way you'll be in contact with the men holding that part of the line." He turned to where we came from, and saw a horde of Flood approaching. He called out to a Marine holding a detonator, "Hastings! Blow those Scimitars!" "Sir!" There was a huge blast as the charges exploded, and the Flood were vaporized. The rest of my men moved toward the ammo Pelicans, but I had a couple of questions for the Captain. "Sir, what happened to the men that got here before us? And you're Navy. Why are you here?" "Men? Well, there was the Chief, some Lt., Gunny Diemel, and Roberts from Second Squad. No one else has come across. I'm here to show the troops that this is serious shit. Besides, there is now battalion commander, only the Regimental commander, who isn't on my ship. Now get to your position. We have to hold these bastards."

Chapter 9: Holding the Line

      I was in shock as I headed to my newly assigned post along the Perimeter of what was being called "LZ Juliet" by the staff, and "The Valley of Death" by the troops. The clearing had three openings. The one we came from faced north, one faced almost due East, and the third faced Southeast. However, then Flood had a tendency to come over the hill on our Western flank, so motion proximity mines were laid there. If one went off, there was a rapid reaction strike team that would move into position. Also, the Flood would sometimes climb to the top of the sides of our positions, so an electric field was laid there. Anything that touched the field would receive 100,000 volts of shocking electricity, fatal for Flood. I was posted to the Southeast opening. The best thing was, we had loads of ammunition, and if we ran out, technicians would rush ammo from the Pelicans to us. Every ten minutes, a cargo Pelican would land with more ammo. I knelt down in my position, and looked for an open weapon. With me was Santos, who was acquainting himself with a fully automatic Mk. 67 Grenade Launcher, Schroeder, who had found a LAAG, Mike, who was more than content with Stationary Rockets, Gunny Diemel, Jennings, and the Master Chief, who were all setting up a 90mm "MacArthur" mortar. Along our row of sandbags, there were men with similar weapons, and in a small rifle trench behind us, there was a fire team of five men with M890 Light Machine Guns. Recon Marines don't like the M890, because it's very heavy. I headed toward an unoccupied LAAG, when suddenly, over the squad radio, "Flood! 12 o'clock!" I looked down the barrel of my chain gun. Sure enough, a horde of the suckers were charging our positions. I screamed, "FIRING! COME ON, MEN! TAKE 'EM DOWN!" I fired away, and blasted a load of infection forms. From down the line of sandbags and barbed wire, rockets and tracers streaked toward the enemy horde. Within seconds, only a few remained. Santos stood up, and threw a grenade, that was fatal to the surviving infection forms. Then, suddenly, a shout of, "More of them! Big ones! At my 11!" I turned my chain gun, and fired off a sustained burst. I yelled, "We can't let them get close!" After about five minutes of firing, they were all dead. A Pelican flew in overhead. I caught the designation, T221. Grace was here. I heard the Pelican land, and it's engines cooled off. Then, a shout of, "Third Squad, over there!" Accompanied by, "Yes sir!" Third squad fell in, strengthening our positions with more mortars, machine guns, and, best of all, remote charges. The Marines with charges threw them a good distance from our positions. They then held the detonators. Another person of note who had fallen in with Third squad was Grace herself, using not a snipe rifle, but a Cav Carbine. I made a note to get one of those myself. They were very effective. As I turned back to see where the charges landed, my eyes focused on something a little further away... "FLOOD!" The whole line opened fire. The remote charges went off, creating a large sized crater in the middle of the ground. The large humanoids fell. Some of them clumsily wielded weapons, but were horrible shots, and easy to kill. This process of getting charged, firing, and holding continued for twenty four hours. At the end of the next day, the bodies of the Flood were piled higher than our sandbags. I was sitting in my trench when I noticed, "The rain stopped," Santos said to me. Jennings rushed over, and said, "Sah, someone wans to tok to yah. Sounds impawtant." I took the radio phone, and said, "Russkie here." A voice on the other end said, "Sergeant Siminov, your squad has done a wonderful job. You, along with the rest of the crew of the Daniel Bolger is ordered to pull back to your ship. You have done a good job. Now, I'll tell you why you defended this position for so long. In the center of this clearing, there is a small concrete structure containing an elevator. This elevator leads to a room containing a large fusion engine. You've given our techs enough time to set charges on those reactors. Now pull out, we're blowing this whole planet. However, we ran into a problem. The Flood used a Covenant ship to get to Sigma Six. They're all over the place there. They took out three Marine divisions. Thankfully, we rescued the survivors, all five of them, along with the aircraft there. The only space vehicle they currently control is that Covenant frigate. We want the Chief to take out the ship. You, and three of your men will provide perimeter security. This is HQ, out." I was surprised. We'd been picked for the highest honor. All around me, Marines were packing equipment into the two Cargo Pelicans. Sixteen other Pelicans also were hovering above the Kilo-wide clearing. I saw a Sapper squad move and put charges into the sandbags. All around, everyone was moving quickly, occasionally stopping to fire at advancing Flood. Eventually, the clearing was bare. As my squad got onto the Pelican, the last Pelican out, we took one look at the sandbag lines that were still there. The Flood were overwhelming the sandbags! Then, BOOM! The sandbags went up in flames, along with the Flood. The Pelican's rear door closed then, and I sighed.
      A quick note on that operation. That was the most successful campaign to ever be waged against the Flood. Ever. We took two casualties, one was a technician who accidentally stepped on a mine and blew off his foot, he lived, but just barely, and the other was one unlucky SOB who got caught by a lone infection Flood while setting a scimitar. Captain Ridgway was promoted to Admiral, but requested control over the Daniel Bolger. Now, the story progresses...

Chapter 10 Covering Fire

      In the increasingly familiar combat hanger, I and my three picked men (Santos, Chadwick, and Schroeder) loaded up on Pelican TS22 (Tactical Support 22). The support Pelican is just like a transport Pelican, except all the seats have been removed. In their place was a fully auto grenade launcher. In the back, near the door to the interior of the Pelican, there were four cases of 200 grenade rounds. I would be manning the gun. Schroeder would be my loader. I thought about it. Schroeder the loader. Haha. Anyway, Santos and Chadwick would be on either side of the door with jackhammer launchers, and they too, had at least 600 rounds of ammunition bolted down in the back. I was asked to request a pilot, so naturally, my pick was newly promoted Captain Grace Lee. As we took our places, Grace came over the intercom, "Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you all are prepared. We're leaving in 5 minutes. Secure the emplacements." I made sure the bolts on my grenade launcher were secure. The jackhammer launchers were not secured, and would be fired prone. Chadwick and Schroeder put their launchers on their back, and headed near the rear of the Pelican. Five minutes later, the Pelican's engines roared to life, and the rear door closed. The oxygen light went on, meaning that the door was airtight. I'd never noticed the oxygen light before... But it is a small light on the top of the door. It goes green when the compartment is secure, and red if there is a breach. Grace spoke, informing us of the situation. "All right, our mission is to cover, and then evac the Master Chief. At first, they wanted to use a Longsword team, but another wave of Covenant Cruisers are en route to Earth. The Bolger was pulled back." My jaw dropped. Grace continued, "However, the special operations carrier Hermes is holding orbit above Sigma Six. After we retrieve the Chief, we will rendezvous with the Hermes. All right, entering atmosphere." The whole ship shuddered and shook. I suddenly wished I had a seatbelt. I clung tight to the ammo boxes. About thirty seconds later, it was over. The oxygen light went off, and the door retracted. The terrain of Sigma Six was changed immensely. Below us was a barren desert with a human-looking base. Grace came on, "That's Fire Base Lima. It was overrun by the Flood. Don't hesitate to test your weapons..." I got the clue, and motioned for my team to get into position. For a change, we were all in full battle dress, including helmets and body armor. It was a precaution against the sudden bumps and turns of the Pelican. The Pelican stopped, and hovered. "All right, Marines, I'm in hover. Open fire." I moved toward my launcher, and Schroeder put the ammo belt in. Schroeder gave me thumbs up. I unloaded. I watched as round after round streaked toward the Flood-infested base. After my ammo belt was out, I stood up. Schroeder also stood up. Then, over the PA, "Ok. I see from the rearview sensors that your weapons work... damn fine. Buckle up, we're moving on to the objective." We all sat back down, and held tight to the bolted ammunition crates. There were two small chairs, but they were taken by Santos and Chadwick. I just wished I had a seatbelt. I still have the bump marks from those crates...
      About fifteen minutes later, Grace announced, "Ok, Russkie. We're in hover overlooking the chief's position. The chief is on the line, and wishes to talk to you." The chief then came over my com link, "Ok, Russkie. You do have your eyepiece, right?" "Yes, sir." "Good. I am transmitting my position. It will appear on your eyepiece as a green arrow. Use that arrow to guide your shots. I will transmit it to your troops as well. This is the Master Chief, out." Suddenly, in my field of vision, a green arrow appeared. We were only twenty meters above the ground, so I could clearly distinguish the chief from the objects chasing him. The chief came on the squad radio, "Support. Do not open fire until instructed. I am getting a lead from these creatures. After I am onboard the frigate, you may fire at will. Just make sure that doorway's clear." We watched the chief streak towards the Covenant ship, and then, "Open fire." I unleashed a lethal burst of HE grenades all along the plains, destroying Flood. Some of them fired at us, but they weren't even good at hitting targets on the ground, so we had nothing to worry about. I continued firing, and I watched Flood explode. Rockets from the jackhammer launchers exploded everywhere. After about an hour, and two cases of grenade ammo, the chief radioed in, "Ok, I'm done. I've placed a HAVOK nuclear mine inside the brig control room, the bridge, and the shielding station. Grace, prepare for pickup." Grace came on over squad radio, "Ok, we're landing. Marines, pull out your normal weapons. We're gonna be face-to-face with the Flood for about a half a minute." We all silently acknowledged, and pulled out our regular weapons from the arsenal crate, which also contained a few spare weapons. I pointed my shotgun at a mutated Elite, and blew his arm off. He fell over in a pool of green blood. A sudden bump cause my shotgun to fly out of my hands, and into the crowd of Flood. As I desperately searched for another weapon, the Chief came running. But then there was a problem... Chief's shields faded, then went off completely. A swarm of Flood attacked him. I then did something incredibly stupid. I grabbed a Cav Carbine from the weapons inside the supply crate, and jumped out the back of the Pelican into the swarm of Flood. I screamed, "YOU FLOOD BASTARDS WILL NOT GET THE CHIEF!!!" I fired out the twenty round mag easy, and then attempted to reload while running. Needless to say, this didn't work well, so I drew my trusty M6 Delta Pistol, and fired away. Then I reached the chief. He wasn't wounded, but he was in grave danger until his shields recharged. I then reloaded my Cav carbine, and took out a wave of infection forms advancing toward us. Then, a slow hum. The Chief's shields were back on. He told me, "Move it. And thank you." I stood up, and sprinted back to the Pelican. I had one foot in the door, when, searing pain went through my leg. It was like someone took a bowie knife, and then hammered it into my leg with a baseball bat. I didn't even glance back, but I had a hunch what happened. Santos and Chadwick instantly dragged my onboard, and removed the infection form from my leg. Schroeder ran over, tore off part of his shirt, and stopped the bleeding. It wasn't very serious, but it was bad enough. They got the thing out early enough, I would live... The thing barely missed a critical artery... I survived by luck... I don't remember much... I just remember I woke up in the Hermes.

Chapter 11: Security Detail

      I was in the sick bay of the UNSC Special Operations Branch Corvette Hermes. A medical orderly with a nametag stating, "Burton" stood over me. He was saying, "He's awake! He's awake!" The crewman's face was replaced by that of a doctor in surgeon's green. The doctor said, "Well, if it isn't the lottery of extended life winner. Son, you are the luckiest man I know. All right. First of all, I am Petty Officer 2nd Class Doc Florence, but that's doc to you. Now, I have a couple of things for you..." He fumbled around in a bag next to the bed, and finally pulled out two things I never thought I'd see, and another thing I never wanted to see. Doc put a Congressional Medal of Honor on the table. Next to it was a pin displaying the rank of Staff Sergeant. The third was a Purple Heart. I had one already from my first op, but I rarely wore it. The Doc then stated, "Good news. The Flood aren't all dead, but they have no way off the planet Sigma Six. Oh, you're back on duty tomorrow. Hope you don't mind." I grimaced, then spoke, "Where are we?" "We are currently orbiting the planet Jengu, a new colony." The medical orderly ran in again, and said something inaudible to the Doc. Doc turned to me, and told me, "It appears you have a visitor." I wasn't surprised. "A Lieutenant Xenia Nikolaivich Novikov." I nearly fell out of my bed! Xenia walked in, wearing the uniform of a navigation officer, and double bars, signifying a Lt. in the navy or a Captain in the Marines. "Dimitry, dear. I knew we would meet again." I couldn't say anything. I was just shocked. I finally asked, "What are you doing here?" She replied, "I'm the navigator for the Hermes." I couldn't help but stare. Xenia was very beautiful. She stood somewhere around two meters, had dark black hair, brown eyes, and a smile that could charm the devil. "Dimitry, I need to tell you something. I came here to see you, but I also came to brief you. You and your remaining men, including Jennings, who transferred here, along with three replacement Recon Marines are assigned to escort me and the ship's commander down to the planet. We are mapping the planet. Pretty boring for my Dimitry, eh?" I chuckled, and replied, "I'll be with you, love. It's not going to be boring." She said goodbye, and then left. I laid back down to sleep, and mentally prepared myself for the security detail tomorrow.
      The next day, the doc shook my out of bed. Half awake, I pulled on my BDUs that had been in a pile next to the bed, tied my Spetsnaz bandana, and tied my boots. Then I woke up. I headed to the small armory, and picked out a Cav Carbine. I'd always wanted to try one, but I never got the chance. I then moved to the only launch bay, with three Pelicans in it. Much to my surprise, the rest of my platoon was there, with a figure standing in front of it whose nametag read, "Diemel." He'd been promoted to Lt., and took command of my platoon. As I approached, he said, "You're late. Get in that Pelican." I headed over to the Pelican marked C101, for cartography, unit ten, 1st detachment. Inside awaited Xenia, George Farley, the ship's commander, and my Marines. Santos was holding a Sniper Rifle, Chadwick was cleaning his jackhammer, Schroeder cradled a Cav Carbine, Jennings had also picked up a Cav Carbine, the newly added Lipton checked the chamber on his pistol, the Master Chief held both an Assault Rifle and a Sniper Rifle, and three newbies wielded assault rifles. The first thing said was, "Sorry I'm late. I needed a bandage on my foot before I came here." I turned to one of the men, and asked, "What is your name, Corporal?" He looked up, and replied, "Harland, sir. Corporal Andrei Harland." The Chief, looked up, and asked, "Any relation to Sergeant Major Harland, Special Operations?" The young Marine replied, "That's my dad, sir." The Chief seemed impressed, but it was impossible to tell. Then, we took off. The door sealed, and the oxygen light went on. Grace came over the speakers, "Hello, map team. I've got some nice music on the way down." A loud punk rock song blared over the speakers. Santos moved his head to the beat, but Xenia grimaced. She'd always been a sucker for classical music. She hated the modern stuff. I just stared at her. Next to me, Chadwick whispered, "Damn. That lass is 'otter than the bloody sun." I turned to him, and said, "That's my girl. No kidding. She went out with me before I joined the Marines." Chadwick just smiled, and asked, "Oh really?" He turned to Xenia, and shouted over the music, "Hey! Lt.!" Xenia looked up. Mike continued, "Were you Russkie's, sorry, I mean, Dimitry's girlfriend?" She responded, "Yes." Mike's face went blank. I smiled confidently. Mike turned to me, "Sorry old pal. I shouldn't have doubted you." For a change, the Pelican was quite talkative. Santos struck up a conversation with Schroeder, something about whether alien or predator is better. In the end, they decided they were both alien enemies, and should be killed. Mike and I discussed Xenia, and that ended with me telling him not to get any funny ideas. Xenia talked with the Chief. It seemed that even the cyborg wasn't immune to her beauty. Two of the newbies were recruits, and they just shivered the hour's ride from the Hermes to Jengu. Corporal Harland talked adamantly to Commander Farley about "the joys of advanced calculus." Then, the music stopped. Grace come over the PA, saying, "There seems to be a problem at the airport. NO one is answering my call requesting landing. Hang tight Marines." The rear door opened, and I could see the landscape of Jengu. My first thought was, "What a dump." The place resembled a wasteland... Combined with a festering swamp and a desolate tar pit. About five minutes later, we landed at the airport. I yelled, "Ok, hit it Marines! Stay alert, cause something's up..." I got out, and looked around. The airport was a mess. The control tower had been severely damaged, and many of the structures had huge holes on the side. I clicked on my squad com link, and said, "Men, get down. Something's up." I looked around, and pointed at Santos. I then signaled him to scope out the tower remains, and report what he saw. About thirty seconds later, he spoke up, "This is Santos. There are three bodies, two civilians and one Marine with a security label... Sir, something hit this place hard..." I responded, "Good work Santos. Cover the door with your rifle." Santos said, "Yes sir." I then ordered, "Mike. I want you, Harland, and Jennings to follow me in. And Jennings, notify Grace." "Yes, sah." Mike replied, "Yes sir. Waiting for you, sir." I went over to Xenia, and explained, "Something hit this place. We're gonna go find out what. It is my advice that you stay here." While I was talking, the Master Chief walked up. After I finished telling Xenia to stay in the Pelican, the Chief said, "I'm going with you." I just said, "We'd appreciate the help, sir." I then used hand signals to tell the three men I'd assembled to follow me. I got on the radio, and told Santos, "Ok. Anything weird comes out, pump it full of lead." "Yes sir." We moved in through the main doors. The structure with the tower on in was two stories, and rectangular. There were two doors, the one we came through and an emergency exit on the other side. Once inside, the now familiar stench of death filled my nostrils. We walked about fifteen paces when a high-pitched voice sneezed. I looked around the corner and saw three Covenant grunts inside an office, near a desk. I didn't talk to my squad, I just threw a fragmentation grenade, yelling, "Frag out!" One of the grunts looked up, just as the grenade exploded, banishing them to hell. I knew that wasn't it. From the hallway in front of us, an Elite appeared. Before I could fire, the thing was dead on the ground, and Master Chief was reloading his assault rifle. We moved through the building, and met three jackals and ten more grunts. Then, that was it. Over the radio, Santos yelled, "Sarge! Hunters! Two of 'em! They killed the newbies..." I replied, "Damn! Well, give them hell, Marine." Suddenly, "OOWWW!!! SON OF A BITCH!" I heard four crisp rifle shots, and a gurgling sound. Then, the radio went dead. Santos came back on about two minutes later. "I got them, sir. But one of them whacked me good. I think my leg is broken..." I grimaced, and then ordered my strike team to move out. The Master Chief radioed me; "I'm staying. You guys evac. This isn't a job for you."
      As my team moved outside towards the Pelican, we saw Santos sitting against a tree, bandaging his legs. There were sniper casings and empty magazines all around him, along with two dead hunters. Santos was bandaging his leg. I told Schroeder to take the rest of the guys to the Pelican. I walked over to Santos, and asked, "Leg hurting, Ricardo?" Santos replied, "Yeah. Could you help me up, amigo?" I reached down and helped him up, and then helped him walk to the Pelican. We got on, and I was glad to evac. It turns out, Jengu was ambushed by Covenant. Apparently they had a scout post there, and they took out the colonists and their Marine security guards with no problem. Our next stop was Guliani Airbase, on a planet known as Iota Centauri 12. The Chief, however, was evacuated and sent to Earth.

Chapter 12: Traitor

      At Guliani Airbase, there was a rapidly escalating problem. Lately, a rogue scientist had allied himself with the Covenant by offering them the MJINLOR blueprints, and the traitor was hiding with the blueprints and three hostages inside a Longsword at the airbase. Our mission was simple. Take him out. However, the mission seemed simple, but it was going to get complicated...
      We were landed by Pelican. The first thing that happened was a medic fixed Santos' leg. He announced, "Ok. I'm ready!" We walked off looking for someone who knew who we were. All around the perimeter, there were Marine MPs with megaphones and police line tape. I overheard things like, "Bar! Get over here!" "Ok, we need tape over here." "Set up the aid station over there." Finally, a Marine MP wearing 2nd Lt.'s bars walked over to me, and said, "Good to see you Sergeant. My name is Lt. Hutchings, and I'm the briefing officer today. The plan we have is very risky. The traitor is hiding inside that Longsword over there." He pointed to a single Longsword fighter sitting on the runway. "However, he has no pilot, and the ship's AI has locked the controls. He demands a pilot, and someone who can disable the AI. You are going to pose as a pilot, and one of your men will be an AI tech. Pick now, and then head over to HQ. They'll outfit you with the proper equipment." I turned to my men, and looked at them all. Then, I picked out a man, "Chadwick! Come with me." "Yes sir!" We walked over to the HQ, and opened the door. Inside, a bunch of people scurried around, looking like they were doing something important. Then, "Staff Sergeant! Over here!" It was the Lt., from before. "Ok." He read my nametag, and then said, "Sergeant Siminov, I need you to change into these pilot's clothes." He held a yellow jumpsuit up. He then turned to Chadwick, and offered an orange jumpsuit along with a pair of glasses. We changed into our disguises, and then headed toward the armory. The Lt. told us, "You have to take small weapons. Shoot the guy as soon as you're onboard, but if he sees you walking towards him with weapons, he'll freak." I selected a pistol. Chadwick selected a throwing knife. We then headed toward out on the tarmac. An MP with Corporal's stripes met us, and said, "Ok. We've told the guy we're sending a pilot and a tech. Walk towards the plane. Oh, one more thing, you'll have sniper cover. Some guy named Santos volunteered to cover you." I smiled. Santos was already back in action. We walked toward the Longsword. As we got closer, the door lowered. We walked on, and the door closed.
      A man with rather spooked looks appeared. He was wearing a lab coat, and a UNSC identification tag. I realized who he was, and drew my pistol. Before I could fire, a knife flew into his throat. The man gurgled, and fell over. Mike said, "Pretty good through, eh mate?" I smiled, and replied, "Yes." Then, a huge explosion rocked the runway. I shouted, "What the hell??!!" I looked out my window, and saw something incredibly bad. Six Covenant drop ships were landing, supported by Banshees and a Covenant gunboat. The gunboat looked like a purple cylinder with large bumps on it, and a triangular cockpit. Those bumps were plasma blisters, and were firing away at us. "Shit! We've gotta get out of this cockpit, Russkie!" Mike said as he ran. I followed him, and somewhere in the process dropped my pistol. Right after we got out of the Longsword, it exploded with a blue plasma explosion. All around me, MPs were running around. Some of them had crouched behind a corner, and were firing at the disembarking Covenant. I saw two MPs running for cover, and then a plasma explosion blew them off their feet. One of them survived the explosion, but was pounded by plasma fire, and fell dead. From my right, the MP Lt. screamed, "RUSSKIE! GET OVER HERE!" Mike and I ran toward him, and he showed us two Cav Carbines. We willingly accepted, and set out to make trouble for the Covenant. I analyzed the battlefield. We had an missile AA emplacement firing furiously at the Covenant gunboat, and even having a little effect. On the top of the tower, Santos fired round after round of sniper ammo into the advancing Covenant. The Covenant are not brilliant tacticians. They don't really know how to take cover, and they like to advance out in the open. However, seeing that it takes several shots to bring them down, they could afford to do that. On site, we had a police Warthog, but it was a troop transport model. A Pelican reading MP98 had been shot down, and the large wreckage formed cover that many MPs were firing over. I ran toward the Longsword wreckage. The pilot's clothes were incredibly uncomfortable. I fired my Cav Carbine, and hit a couple of grunts. Up at the Pelican wreckage, an Elite climbed on top of it, and stuck a plasma grenade to one of the Marines there. The man ran around, and then exploded. The Elite laughed viciously, and then a long tracer struck him dead. Then, a hand tapped me. Behind me stood Jennings, Harland, Schroeder, and Lt. Hutchings. Jennings asked, "What are yo orders, sah?" I told him, "Call for evac." Jennings responded, "Sah, the radio is insade. We cahn't get it. We need a security card, or some rockets. The Lt. lost his card." I sighed, and ordered, "Ok Jennings. You and Harland have Assault Rifles, so I want you to provide covering fire. Schroeder, you will come with me and Mike. We're makin' the 50 meter dash for that wreck." "Sir!" I also ordered, "Get Santos down. It's not safe up there." Jennings called Santos down. Then, "Ok, sah. Covering fire!" My men fired off a long burst, and I ran. I was shot at, but not hit. After what seemed like an eternity of running, we arrived at the wreck. It was sad. Everywhere I looked, I saw dead MPs, and other Marines. There was a small group holding out near the AA emplacement. They were about to be overrun. I ordered, "Schroeder! Give me your com link." "Yes, sir." I put the com link on, and asked, "Is Santos there?" The Puerto Rican came through, "Yes, comandante." I told him, "See those Marines at the AA launcher? Take out anyone that gets close to them" "Si, comandante." I used hand signals to tell Schroeder to cover us, and for Mike to follow me. We moved in, and met the Marines there. There were five of them, all wearing AA insignias, and plain BDUs. One of them spoke up, "Oh great. Our reinforcements are a pilot and a tech." I spoke, "Look, these are disguises. The rest of your unit has been wiped out. We need you to help us get the radio. We can't get to it. Do any of you have security cards?" A Marine Private with a nametag reading "Jenkins" spoke up. He handed us a card. I thanked him, and told him to come with us. He accepted and his unit followed. We got to the building, and noticed something odd. The Covenant fire had stopped. I looked out, and saw the last thing I expected to see. All along the runway, Flood infection forms gathered bodies!

Chapter 13: The Return of the Flood

      I was in utter disbelief. There were Flood everywhere. We later learned that a Covenant Elite onboard their gunboat had some Flood he was experimenting on. They multiplied, and when we hit the ship with a rocket, their container broke and they went everywhere. Well, We didn't know that at the time, and panicked. We ran through the hallways of the Airbase, until we found the room with our stuff. I grabbed the radio, and ran outside. I knew the Flood were weaker in the open, because of lack of surprise. I met up with Jennings, and handed the radio to him. He immediately called, "This is 22nd tactical to UNSC Hermes! We need immediate evac!" A voice responded, "This is Bravo 22. Roger." A Pelican appeared on the horizon, and got closer. It then was hit by Flood fire, and went spiraling. I looked through my binoculars. A pilot got out, and was overwhelmed by flood. I read the indicator, and it was B22. I said, "Shit. Jennings, request Grace." Jennings called, "Lt. Lee, this is 1st squad. We need evac!" Grace replied, "Ok, I'm inbound." Then, Flood came everywhere! We lost tow guys that we saved, but then we formed a circle formation, and took out enough Flood to discourage them from coming back. Grace landed the Pelican, and we got on. She came over the PA, "Ok. We're en route to the Hermes. The Commander's gonna want to hear about this..."
      When we arrived on the Hermes, the commander summoned me to the bridge. When I arrived, I saw the bridge of a starship for the first time. It was awesome! Everywhere, techs were pushing buttons, reading stats, and doing other technical stuff. I can't tell you exactly what they were doing, cause I don't know. But near a window that looked out on the vastness of space (I nearly hurled) the Commander stood. He noticed my presence, and said, "Staff Sergeant Siminov. Nice to see you. What exactly happened down there today?" I recounted the events, and he finished with, "The Flood are back? We will mobilize against them. But Russkie, I have some good news. The Covenant have been beat back from Earth. We lost all of our Fleet save three cruisers, and two frigates. Admiral Ridgway's personal ship, the Lancer also made it. Not to worry, the Bolger also made it. The Marines on the Bolger, along with a Spartan II, made the first ever boarding action on a Covenant Cruiser. Well, I'm going to inform command about the Flood. This is serious..." He turned back to a screen, and pressed some buttons. On the screen a display of the UN Flag came up, and below it, "UNSC SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND" I left, and headed toward my bunk. On the way, I ran into Xenia. I said, "Hello. If you have some time, would you join me in a lunch in the mess hall?" She smiled sweetly, and replied, "Oh, Dimitry. I would, but I must get back to my job. You know the Flood are back..." Damn it! The Flood had indirectly shot me down! I went to my room, depressed and worried. The Flood had survived! Xenia wouldn't eat with me! And on top of all that, Santos' Xbox was still on the Bolger, so we had nothing to do. I took off my uniform, took a shower, and then laid down in bed. I took out a copy of "Inside the Soviet Army", and began reading. Soon enough, I was asleep.

Chapter 14: A Bad Dream?

      I awoke, and what followed was like a bad dream. There were sirens blaring, and the Commander got on the PA, and ordered, "Abandon ship! The Flood are onboard! Abandon ship!" I got up, hurriedly put my clothes on, and rushed out the door. I had a pistol with me, as I always did, so I drew it. The first thing I saw was an infested crewman, and I blew it to shreds. I picked up the Assault Rifle the thing was carrying, and moved to my designated escape pod. As I ran, I saw other humans fighting off the Flood, and then following me. Finally, I reached my escape pod. The rest of my unit, along with the Commander, Grace's copilot, Xenia, and two techs were also onboard. Grace was in the pilot's seat, and she announced, "Hold tight. We're goin'!" The escape pod shot out of the Hermes, and down to the planet we were orbiting. As it turned out, we were orbiting a planet about the size of Earth's moon. The planet was known as New Bengal, and was a huge jungle planet. I thought to myself, Damn! I always end up in the jungle or the swamp.
      Grace suddenly exclaimed, "Brace for impact!!!" I held on for dear life, and said a short prayer. Then, there was a huge impact that rocked the life pod. Thankfully, no one was killed. I was the first out, and I brought my Assault Rifle to my shoulder. I surveyed the crash site. We'd gone through several trees, but we were not in a clearing. Rather, we were in the thick of the jungle, the worst place to be against the Flood. In the distance, I could hear plasma fire. I pulled out my holo-map, and determined that we were on a small island. I then shouted, "22nd Tactical! Sound off!" "Sergeant Santos, sir. Uninjured, sir." "Sergeant Chadwick, sir. Uninjured, sir." "Corporal Jennings, sir. My left arm is broken, sir." "Gunny Schroeder, sir. Uninjured, sir." "Corporal Harland, sir. Uninjured, sir." I then ordered, "Ok. Jennings, put a brace on your arm. We have to find some source of evac. Now, the life pod contains enough food for twenty people to survive for six weeks, so that's no problem. We have iodine, but someone needs to find a source of water. Most importantly, we need to link up with other Marines. Any questions?" Actually, the Commander spoke up, "I sent a distress call before we went down. A ship responded, the UNSC Peliliu. The Peliliu is a cruiser with a division of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers." I thought, Oh great. The ODST hated us because we, like the Spartans, challenged them. They thought we were a carbon copy of them. They didn't seem to realize that we had separate missions. You see, the ODST specialty is assault into heavily defended areas. We, on the other hand, are much better a reconnaissance, and small-unit warfare. We are also good at perimeter defense for commandos or Spartans. But any support at this point would be helpful. Besides, I knew the commander of the Marines on the Peliliu. He was a man I had served with once... His name was General McCoy. He was the same Marine that rescued us on Sigma Six. He loved Force Recon, as well as ODST.
      But back to reality. We set out the weapons on the life pod's ammo locker. Apparently, we had six shotguns, ten assault rifles, one sniper rifle, one rocket launcher, twelve grenades, and eighteen pistols. We also had one LAAG, but it had been field stripped to fit inside a small box. It takes enough time to set up a LAAG when it is not field stripped, so we looked at that right away. Santos took the sniper rifle, and moved off into the forest for some recon. The techs that came with us nervously wielded assault rifles, and talked to each other. The Commander was trying to get a hold of any other UNSC forces that would have a radio. No success so far. We had just sat down to eat, when Santos came running through the forest, shouting, "FLOOD! FLOOD!" We all stood up, and grabbed our weapons. I looked around, and then I say them. Mostly infested humans, but a few infection forms. I hurled a grenade, shouting, "Chew on this!" The grenade blew up, and sent the Flood flying. Mike was utilizing his jackhammer, and taking out a lot of Flood. After a while, the Flood started getting more and more numerous. One of the techs went down with an infection form attached to his face. I yelled, "All right Marines! Form a perimeter around the lifepod! Get the radio and the weapons inside! Grace, you, Xenia, and that crewman also need to get inside." The orders were carried out, but still, it was horrible. Santos' sniper shots went right through the Flood. He had pulled out his pistol, and shot one right before it hit his face. Jennings was firing away, but gradually losing ground. He would die in a matter of minutes if something wasn't done. For some reason, at that moment, the Flood attacks became less and less. We managed to some how live, and all of a sudden, the Flood attacks stopped. Then, over the radio, "This is Shock Six. Any UNSC personnel respond. I say again, this is Shock Six. Any UNSC personnel respond." The commander dropped his rifle, and ran over to the radio. "This is Commander Farley of the ship Hermes. We've been shot down. We need help." "Ok, hang tight. I'm sending down a Company of ODST. They'll help you." Sure enough, five minutes later, four Pelicans flew overhead, and landed in a nearby clearing. Three Platoons of ODST piled out, along with a small command section. They killed Flood by the bushels, and took minimal casualties. They headed toward me, and their lead, which bore Captain's bars, spoke. "Where's your leader?" I responded, "I'm in combat command. The highest ranking officer is that Navy Commander over there." I pointed to the Commander. The Captain then told me, "Ok. You're the combat commander. What's the situation?" I responded, "We're in a bad way. The Flood took the Hermes. It was damaged very badly though, and is just a derelict. We have no way to escape, though. All our Pelicans went down with the ship." The Captain replied, "Then you will come with us. We're onboard the ship Peliliu. It's a cruiser, and is virtually indestructible. We have a Pelican waiting to transport you to the Peliliu. From there, you will be returned to your original unit." I said, "Thank you, sir!" And saluted him. I turned to the people in my life pod, and said, "Marines! Assemble for evac! Let's go!" The survivors went with me to the Pelican. Then, I woke up. Had it all been a dream? I looked around. Of course not! It was real. I fell asleep on the Pelican, and Grace woke me up after we arrived onboard the Peliliu. She said, "Russkie! We're here. Wake up." I said something along the lines, "What a nightmare..." And then shook my head, and got off. Waiting outside was the General himself. I snapped to attention, and saluted the man. The rest followed suite. He returned the salute, and commanded, "At ease. That must have been one hell of a nightmare down there, against the Flood, alone." He had no idea...

Chapter 15: Feet First Into Hell

      After a crash course in Orbital Drop School, we were about to embark on our first mission with the ODST. Our commander was a Lt. Greg Miles, a veteran of Sigma Six. He told us, "Men, I know you are not ODST. That is acceptable. Our mission is to clean out the Flood on New Bengal. We're taking their most heavily fortified area on the planet. Thankfully, there are little infection forms on the ground. You Force Recon men will be dropped into the water, along with a Light Patrol Boat, which is just a nice term for a rubber raft with a Light Machine Gun. Then, you guys will meet us at the shore, and provide covering fire for our advance on the beach. Oh, and one more thing, who is your sniper?" I replied, "Corporal Santos, sir." The Lt. turned to Santos, and told him, "Ok, son. You have a Mk. 56 Grenade Launcher waiting for you in the armory. The Sniper Rifle is combat ineffective, so you're using a heavier weapon. Ok, we drop in 30 minutes. Head to your stations." We replied, "Yes sir. RECON!" The Lt. left the room, and we all geared up (I managed to find a shotgun, even with a grenade/flare launcher attached), and headed to our drop stations. The deal was, a Drop Ship would take us two hundred meters above the ocean, and then drop us and our raft. It was my first jump, and man, I hated it.
      Grace notified us over the intercom, "Ok, gentlemen. Here we go..." The 22nd all jumped out one by one, and then fell to the ground with our parachutes. The raft came afterwards. I remember feeling that I was falling, and then the parachute kicking into effect. As soon as I hit the water, I cut my chute. Then, the raft landed around three meters to my left. I climbed in, and shouted, "22nd! Sound off!" "Jennings here, sir. All equipment accounted for, sir." "Schroeder here, sir. My Cav Carbine tried to drown me, sir. I've lost it." "Harland, sir. All equipment accounted for, sir." "Santos, sir. I've got everything, sir." "Chadwick, here. My combat pack fell off. I have no extra rockets." I then ordered, "Everyone in the boat! Schroeder, you take the gun. Chadwick, you're a driver. Drive this thing!"
      Here's where we ran into problems. Chadwick drove the raft like crap and a half. He swore loudly every time the vehicle gave him trouble. About five minutes after we started our wayward journey, we found two rafts of ODSTs. In the first one, we were greeted, "Hey! Let's get going! The rest of the unit's in contact!" After twenty minutes, I looked at my holo-map for the about the fiftieth time, and saw we were within a click of the shore. I took out my binoculars, and scanned the horizon. I could see a shoreline. I got on the squad radio, "Ok, boys. Land ho! Marines, get ready for a good old-fashioned amphibious assault!" My message was responded with, "Yeehaw!" and "All right!" as well as a loud, "Damn watercraft!" from Mike. Eventually, we reached shore. I then ordered, "Schroeder! Santos! Covering fire! Jennings, Harland, and Chadwick, come with me!" "Yes sir!" We got out, and I pulled out my shotgun. We were assaulted by Mutated Elite Flood clumsily wielding plasma rifles. I disposed of them in no time. I got a good look at the beach designated "Red Beach." It reminded me of the beach in "Saving Private Ryan," that old World War Two film. There were dead Flood and dead Marines everywhere. In the distance, there was a huge rock face with Covenant bunkers built on them. Interesting, I thought. I never knew the Covenant had presence on New Bengal. The next thing I did was look for a source of cover. The closest thing I could find was a trashed Banshee. I hid behind the wreckage, and attempted to coordinate my team. "Santos! How's that launcher going?" "Horrible, sir. I'm a sniper, not a sapper." I sighed. "Ok Santos. Ditch your launcher and go pick up a plasma rifle." "RECON!" From my position, I saw Santos as he got out of the raft, and ran for the nearest plasma rifle. He picked it up, and fired off a burst at the Flood nearby. Just then, Jennings appeared beside me. "Sah, it's the General, sah." I took the phone, and said, "This is Russkie, sir." "Russkie, we need your team to make a run for the interior of the island. In the center, there is a Covenant structure. Inside is a blueprint for a weapon of mass destruction that will destroy the Flood. Go!" I got on the squad radio, and ordered, "Men! New orders! Everyone assemble near the Banshee wreckage. We're going inland." After everyone was there, I gave out orders, "Ok, Santos and Jennings, you come with me. Chadwick, you take Schroeder and Harland and go through the bunker on the left. We're gonna take the one on the right. All right, hit it Marines!" We moved out to our respective bunkers. When I got to the one we were supposed to clear, I opened up the ground floor door, and tossed in a frag grenade. After it exploded, I rushed in, and brought my shotgun to my shoulder. Five Flood appeared, and I dealt them their cards of fate instantly. We cleared the building, and finally got to the other side. The interior of the island was tropical, but not jungle. I silently praised God, and talked over the squad radio, "Sergeant Chadwick! Report!" "We've cleared the bunker, and can see the Covenant Lab. It's not well guarded, but there are some Covenant Spec Ops on the roof, along with a drop ship. Total, maybe six grunts, two jackals, and one Elite." "Good work, Chadwick. Hold position and fire until I give the order to storm the lab." "Yes sir, holding tight." We moved along a path until I could see the Covenant lab. It looked like a giant purple rectangle, with some weird Covenant writing and religious symbols all over it. I got back on the radio. "Ok, everyone. OPEN FIRE!" The Covenant on the roof never stood a chance. Taking fire form two groups of humans, and being attacked by Flood, they all died before they even realized what had happened. I then ordered, "Move in." Both groups of Marines got up and moved in. Two hundred meters behind us, the ODST were still combating the Flood. Two Long Swords zoomed overhead, bombing the beach. I then reached the Covenant door, and exclaimed over the radio, "Damn! It's locked. Santos, try the lockpick." Santos attached the modern lockpick, pressed a few buttons, and then cursed. "Sir, it's locked from a remote location. I can't do anything." I improvised, "Ok then, Chadwick, rig up a charge with some grenades and you two rocket rounds, and then blow that door." "Right away, sir." Chadwick took out the necessary explosives along with a wire, some det cord, and a detonator. Five minutes later, Chadwick ran up to the door, place an odd-shaped charge on it, stepped back thirty paces, took cover, and pressed the detonator. The door blew inwards, and the lab was suddenly accessible. I went in first, and clicked on my flashlight. I shone it around the lab. There were dead Covenant everywhere. Eventually, we found a room with a bunch of blueprints on a table. I took them, and shoved them in my combat pack. I hoped they didn't crush my holo-map as we moved out. I ordered, "Jennings! Call for evac!" Jennings got on the radiophone, and said, "This is 22nd Tactical, requestin' evac." A male voice responded, "This is Major Gerhard. I'm afraid there will be no evac until the island is secure. Out." Jennings looked up in disgust. I ordered, "Guys, we aren't getting any evac until this island is clear, so let's clear it! Jennings, request a Scorpion. We're gonna need it." Jennings picked up the radiophone, and asked. The reply was accepted, and a Pelican dropped off an empty Scorpion Main Battle Tank. Schroeder jumped on, and told me, "Russkie! Be my gunner. You're the only qualified person." It was true, and I climbed in the gunner's seat of the tank. It really wasn't that hard to gun, just move the turret with one joystick, and press the trigger to fire the cannon, or the button on the side to fire the co-ax gun. I ordered, "Everyone get on the tank!" I knew this was stupid, because if one rocket hit, we were all dead men. But on the other hand, I couldn't leave them. I then said, "Ok men, listen up! Gunny Schroeder is now in command. Over to you, Gunny." Schroeder ordered, "Men, fire at the small ones. We can hit the big ones." "Firing!" The men hanging on to the sides of the tanks opened fire at the small Flood, and I utilized the 12.7mm co-ax gun to mow down some infested Marines. The tank slowly moved down the slope, toward the coast. The Flood were growing less and less numerous. I shot everyone of the Flood I saw, sending them to their doom. After at least half an hour, an ODST voice came on the radio, saying, "All right. Good job. Everyone proceed to designated evac zones." Our zone was near the coast. As we approached, we saw the aftermath of the battle. There were dead Marines everywhere! There were medics and orderlies picking up bodies and putting them on small medical Pelicans called Puffins. We got on T221, and were transported to the Peliliu. Tomorrow's plans would amaze us.

Chapter 16: Zodiac Fifty

      As soon as I arrived onboard the Peliliu, a man in a lab coat wearing a Major's pin greeted me, "Hello. You're Russkie, right?" I nodded. The lab man continued. "That's great. I've found you. My name is Major Daniel Skinner, but please, call me 'Spock.' I need those plans, and you're team. We've got some Flood captured, and we're going to experiment on them! We want you to come with us, and see what all you're fighting has done." I was still puzzled why his nickname was Spock. I didn't get it... I replied, "Ok, Spock. We'll go." "Great! It'll be so cool! We're heading to a space science station, Zodiac Fifty. You'll like it! It's maximum security..." He continued to ramble on, but I still couldn't understand his nickname!
      We boarded T221, and took off. The journey was about 23 hours, and it was boring. Spock talked adamantly to Santos, who in return talked to him. Everyone else looked bored out of their mind, save Schroeder, who was reading a very ragtag copy of Black Hawk Down. I slept, cause those days I was always tired.
      When we arrived on Zodiac Fifty, my first thought was, "Damn! This place is guarded!" There were remote cannons everywhere. After we got inside, two Marine MPs came over and asked us for security cards. Spock showed his, and said something about we were with him. We then proceeded to a huge lab, filled with scientists and bureaucrat-Marines trying to look busy. Spock told me, "Ok, now in this next room is the Flood containment center. This is where we're gonna try that Covenant thing. Ok?" I nodded. I was still tired. At that point, a female Marine MP stopped us saying, "This is a clean room. Only the Major may proceed." Spock turned, and shrugged at us. He then went through the door. I attempted to strike up friendly conversation with the Marine. "So, is it any fun working here?" The iron-faced woman just stared blankly ahead. "Lance Corporal, are you forbidden to talk?" She turned, and said, "No, I just don't talk to scum." Santos tried not to laugh. This enraged me, and I said, "Lance Corporal, I should report you!" It was then she noticed I outranked here considerably, and apologized, "Sorry, sir! Talking is not encouraged, sir!" I responded, "That's better. Carry on." Then, alarms blared everywhere, and the lights went read. The MP pulled her pistol. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. I asked here, "Lance Corporal, what the hell is happening?" She said back, "The Flood have breached containment!" Oh, great. I thought. I pulled my shotgun off my shoulder, and brought it to the ready. The door to the clean room burst open, and Spock came running with a Flood attached to his back. The MP blew it off with one clean shot, but it was too late. The Major was dead. Then, and air duct cover exploded, and Flood dropped out. Everywhere, infection forms stuck to scientists. I took out as many as I could, and my team helped. Suddenly, a scream from my left. I turned, and the MP had a Flood burying itself in her face. She was dead, so I shot the small infection form with my shotgun, and then realized the situation. There were Flood everywhere! I ordered, "Men! Into the clean room!" We rushed in, and then I moved the bodies of the MP and Spock to block the door. I turned, and said, "Well men, we're about to go down fighting." Then, I realized I'd still had my squad radio on. Grace always tuned into squad radio frequency while we were onboard any ship, so that way if we were called to alert, she would know. I shouted, "Grace! If you can hear me, we need a little help here!" Grace immediately responded, "I could tell. Look, the docking bay is overrun by Flood! Can pick you up outside, though. Get moving Russkie! We can't lose you..." I then ordered, "You heard the lady! Move!" Then, Chadwick pointed out an important point. "Sir! What about bloody space suits?!" I looked around, and spotted a rack with space suits on it. "Ok, men. Take one." We each took a space suit, and put it on. I opened the airlock, and moved outside. The rest of my squad followed. After everyone was out, I closed the door externally, and then broke the controls. If the controls on the outside were broken, the controls on the inside were broken too. I then bounced toward the Pelican, and hopped in, along with my squad. Inside were two MPs with rifles. I sat down, and thought over the situation. I told Grace, "We can't just leave this..." Grace cut me off, "Already taken care of, Sergeant. I set a charge near a nuclear-powered test ship. It'll blow in five minutes." I replied, "Nice one, Grace." We left, and in the distance, I saw the station shatter. I was really angry now. The Flood had just ruthlessly taken out a whole station worth of humans. I knew something must be done. The next day, the final solution was made...

Chapter 17: The Final Solution (Part One)

      Grace brought us back to the Bolger. It was good to see a familiar ship. As soon as we arrived, Admiral Ridgway called Grace and I to his quarters. He told us, "Lieutenant, you and your Sergeant Major here," He handed me Sergeant Major's pins as he said this, "Are going to embark on the final mission. It has been discovered that the Flood are controlled by a single mind, a hive mind, and you are going to take it out. Your Sergeant Major will be in command of the entire 22nd Tactical. You are going to sigma Six, the home of the Flood. The Hive Mind is deep in the core of the planet. The Master Chief and CSM Diemel will also go along. I will observe, but Fleet Protocol prevents me from going down with you. Good luck, and don't fail. Recon!" Grace and I saluted, with my reply of "RECON!" And Grace's "RECON PILOT!" We left, and headed toward the combat deck. When I got there, I was in for the surprise of my life. There was the entire 22nd Tactical, and when I entered the room, CSM Diemel shouted, "Commander present!" And the whole unit saluted me. I saluted back, and then went to talk to Diemel. I asked him, "Diemel, why am I in charge?" He replied, "Because you have had more experience fighting the Flood than anyone else. Period." I smiled, contently.
      I then told the men what we were about to do. "Men of the 22nd Tactical Force Recon Company! You are about to embark on the most dangerous operation since the Halo landing two years ago! We are going deep into enemy territory, but not Covenant territory, Flood territory. We are on a mission to find their Hive Mind, and destroy it. We will use all three Platoons to their limit, and we will emerge victorious. Suit up, and prep to drop in ten minutes." CSM Diemel called, "Ten-SHUN!" And the unit snapped to attention. I stepped down, and headed toward the armory. For a chant, I put on all my armor, save my helmet. I put on my Spetznaz bandanna, and grabbed a shotgun from the weapons rack, along with some ammo. Yuri, who was still the armorer, approached me, and asked, "Would you like and extra pistol, comrade Sergeant Major?" I nodded, and Yuri got me another pistol. I knew I couldn't use both of them at the same time, but I could use one if I ran out of ammo with the other and didn't have time to reload. I then headed toward my Pelican, and got onboard. Grace then gave me a holo-briefing. A holo-map popped up, and showed the ruined landscape of Sigma Six, depicting the mission. Grace's voice came over, "Ok, Marines. You will be dropped in a Canyon. North of your position is a large cave with a complex tunnel system. We believe that the Hive Mind is somewhere inside. ETA to destination, three minutes. Say your prayers, Marines..." I crossed myself, and said a prayer to St. Martin to watch over me in this hour of need. Three minutes passed, and before I knew it, the Pelican's door dropped, and I ran out onto the ground. The five other Pelicans released their loads, and then flew away. An eerie silence I can only describe as terrifying followed. Gunny Diemel repeated an age-old line, "It's quiet... Too quiet." He was too right. I got a hold of myself, and started handing out orders. "Third Platoon, stay here and guard the entrance." The commander of Third Platoon, a young Lt. (The only ground combat officer) named John Perrins, answered, "Yes sir. Holding tight." I looked at my HUD. It showed I also had three Scorpion tanks, lead by Schroeder. "Schroeder, hold here with your unit. Support Third Platoon." "Ja, herr kommander." I continued issuing orders, "Second Platoon, First Platoon, follow me in." The commander of Second Platoon, Staff Sergeant Harris, responded, "Following." Gunnery Sergeant Mike Chadwick also confirmed movement, "First Platoon is en route to objective." We moved down the canyon, and I noticed the area. It was very barren, and there was fungus everywhere... It looked like something from a cheap sci-fi flick. I crouched low, and brought my shotgun to the ready. I knew that the Flood would appear soon... Then, a call from Perrins, "Sir! We've got two Covenant drop ships en route! They look like they're ready for Spec ops!" I looked up, and sure enough, two black armored Covenant drop ships flew overhead. "Shit. Men, hold tight. I don't think thy want to ally with us..." Then a booming, rough voice I recognized as that of an Elite came on. "You inferior humans will all die, and it will be the chosen people of the gods who will defeat the scourge." I heard Santos yell, "Shut up, you arrogant bastard. You're gonna die!" At that, I ordered, "Open fire on those drop ships! Fire!!!" The whole company opened fire, and blew down one drop ship. The second fired a burst of lasers, killing a man in my command squad. His friend, armed with a "Viper" anti aircraft missile launcher knelt down, and fired off a shout, screaming, "You bastards killed Harry!" The high-powered missile hit the front of the alien craft, and brought it down in flames about ten meters away. A covenant Elite crawled out, and was immediately shot to death by at least a dozen assault rifles. I shouted, "Ok, on with the plan!" We continued moving down the canyon, when suddenly, there was a huge rumbling sound. "What the hell is that?" someone shouted. Then, directly in front of me came more Flood than I ever wanted to see at a time. "HOLD THE LINE! OPEN FIRE! SCHROEDER, GET YOUR MEN DOWN HERE, NOW!" The Flood ran towards us, but my men mowed them down. Then, as a Marine was reloading, a Flood jumped on him, and killed him. I saw the Master Chief killing Flood after Flood with his assault rifle. As if sent by God, a wing of Long Swords flew overhead, and Jennings, still my radio operator, shouted over the fire, "Sir! I got some guy called Guardian One on the line!" I grabbed the phone, and told the man on the other line, "Bomb this canyon! You are the Long Swords, right?" "That's affirmative, leatherneck. We'll take 'em." I watched as the fighters came back, and unleashed a dozen canisters of napalm on the horde of Flood. I called, "Casualties!" "First Platoon, two wounded, one KIA." "Second Platoon, clean." "Third Platoon, one wounded." "Good to hear. All units, proceed with previous orders." For the third time, we moved down the canyon, seeing all the Flood carcasses. Many of them were infested Marines. It was sickening to look at. Jennings threw up. I tried not to look. At last, a huge cave loomed ahead. I thought, Ok, Russkie. This is it. I recruited a small recon team, "Jennings, Santos, Diemel, and Callahan! With me! We're going in for some recon. Everyone else, hold tight." My picked team of men moved in. I knew we wouldn't be there for long. The most important tool I brought was a pair of premium night vision goggles. I put them on, and moved into the cave. The place was covered with heat signatures. Everywhere, there were bodies. I walked over to a dead Marine, and just as I was about to take out his eyepiece to see what he'd saw, a hand grabbed me from behind. It cupped my mouth, and a human voice said, "You're not getting' me, you Flood sonofabi-" He stopped, and realized, "Oh. You're human. Thank God." He fell to his knees. The man was dressed like a ship's cryo-engineer. He stood up, and snapped to attention, "Sir! Cryo-engineer's mate third class Gary Payton, sir." I asked, "How did you stay alive? There were just hundreds of thousands of Flood in here!" He responded, "I hid... I covered myself in their blood, so they'd think I was one of them, and then I just laid down. They all though I was dead... they left me alone... I have a weapon..." He held up a Covenant plasma pistol. "I've been killing them, one by one, and piling their bodies on top of me... It's worked... Oh, but I have important information for you! The Flood have a leader... They all gather around him, and offer him sacrifices... I know. My ship's cryo-engineering section was chosen... I escaped... I tell you, you must take out the Flood leader." I grabbed the man's collar, and asked, "Where is it?" He replied, "Dunno. It left here. Got on some Covenant ship covered with moss..." I responded, "Thank you. Come with us, and we'll get you out of here." He accompanied us outside, and I radioed Grace, "The Hive Mind isn't here. Get your pals, and evac us out." "Yes, Sergeant Major." I smiled, and rubbed the Sergeant Major's chevrons on my arm. I got on board, and headed back to the Bolger. The Cryo-engineer's mate went off to Intelligence headquarters on Earth. As it turns out, he knew a great amount about the Flood, but hated them very much. He told us where all their major hives on Sigma Six were, so we were sent to investigate them. It was one hell of a wild goose chase.

Chapter 18: The Destruction of Sigma Six

      Two days and countless caves, caverns, grottos, and tunnels later, I was onboard the Bolger, when I was called to the bridge. Admiral Ridgway told me, "We're destroying the planet. We have enough nukes, and we're sick of you heading out on wild goose chases. Besides, Intel has just discovered the Hive Mind is somewhere else." My jaw dropped. Ridgway continued, "We believe it is onboard a derelict mining colony in the Rytean asteroid belt. We're sending you guys in to take care of it." He looked at me, and then read my mind. "We're not nuking the asteroid belt because we are using half of the Fleet's supply just to blow up this planet. The rest are being used against the Covenant. We wanted to ally with them against the Flood, so we sent a diplomat. Their response was to send the diplomat back. In a black box full of ashes. The bastards need to learn when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em." Ridgway grimaced, and stated, "I thought you'd like to watch us blow up Sigma Six. In fact, we'll let you press the button. Just show up in three hours. Be prepared to sentence 3 Billion Flood to their death.
      Sure enough, when I came back, I was ready. The Admiral issued orders in rapid succession, "All hands, secure airlocks, and electronically bolt doors to missile bays Alpha through Zulu. Prepare the first barrage!" He held out a small box to me. "Ok, Russkie. Just press the button, and watch the fireworks." I lifted the cover, and pressed the button inside. All around the bridge, lights came on, and alert warnings blared. Then, straight ahead, at least a hundred rockets headed toward Sigma Six. Admiral Ridgway ordered, "Fire the second wave!" A second barrage of nuclear weapons was launched. Then, Ridgway, "Conway! Set a course for Earth, and get us out of here." "Aye aye, sir." I saw the last few missiles impact on Sigma Six, and saw the planet's surface cracking, and then, wham. We were in subspace, again, orbiting Earth. A head came on the view screen, and inquired, "Is the destruction of Sigma Six complete?" Admiral Ridgway replied, "Yes. It has been destroyed. Awaiting further orders." The head on the screen said, "Well then. You have been assigned to attack the Covenant defense platform at Karu'-Albi. Good luck. Return when assignment has been completed."

Chapter 19: Hell in Orbit

      I updated my men with the new mission, and we went to receive our briefing. When we got to the War Room, an intelligence Captain got up, and questioned, "Are you the Company commander of the 22nd Tactical?" "Yes." "Good. You men get a difficult job. You will take out the power generator. However, only one Platoon will make the drop. Who is currently on guard?" "Third Platoon." "Good. You will take Third Platoon, and destroy the Covenant Power Generator. Then, raid the facility, and destroy the AI mainframe. Capture any data you can, and then destroy the mainframe. Sounds simple?" I was about to say no, when I realized the consequences and said, "Yes." "Good. Assemble Third Platoon, and prepare for drop." "Yes sir." I saluted, and walked out. I headed toward the armory, and then found Perrins. "Perrins, get your men ready. We're gonna kill some Covies." Perrins grinned, and replied, "My boys are ready, Sergeant Major." "Excellent. Get to the combat deck. Oh, bring a lot of knives, and silence your weapons. It's a stealth job." "Yes, sir."
      Soon enough, we were onboard three captured Covenant drop ships. As we flew into Covenant space, a team of Banshees came to inspect us. I heard over the ship's radio, "This is Covenant Fighter Zealot 156 to unidentified drop ship detachment. What are you doing?" Grace, who was piloting, put on a mask that made her voice sound like an Elite. She responded, "Just transporting a load of humans into the defense station." The Elite laughed, and said, "No, what are you really carrying?" "More food nibbles." "Ok, get moving." I nearly burst out laughing. They bought it, and we flew toward the orbital defense station. I was geared up in my UNSC space gear. It resembled our battle dress armor, but it covered every inch of our body, and our helmet had a thick layer of glass over our head. There were two main oxygen tanks, and a small quart reserve that we kept inside our suit. It would activate if the other two either ran out or were damaged. We also had jump jets in the boots, for propulsion in space. Soon enough, Grace ordered, "Ok, gang. Go blast some Covies! And Russkie, I want an Elite head as a trophy." I smiled, and replied, "Maybe, Grace. Ok, let's hit it Marines! Perrins, I'm passing command to you." We dismounted, and I surveyed the terrain. The defense station was pretty much a black rectangle with some structures, countless Shade gun turrets, and one very large spiraling tube. It appeared to be some kind of super-plasma weapon. Perrins handed out orders to his men, "Lucas! When I give the word, I want you to snipe out those Shade gunners. Clemens, you go with Russkie, Foley, and Ali, and blow that power station. I'm transmitting the coordinates to you now." Suddenly, on my HUD, I say a nav point appear over one of the structures. We moved out. As we neared the power station, a voice came over the radio, "This is Major Ferris of the 34th ODST. What the hell are you all doing?" Perrins replied, "Sir! Stop talking! The Covenant will lock on to our positions!" But it was too late. An alarm went off, and Covenant troops streamed out two large buildings, supposedly barracks. I brought my silenced assault rifle to my shoulder, and drew a bead on an Elite. I fired, and after I'd expended half a magazine, the thing fell dead. I heard Perrins scream, "This is our objective! Pull off!" As I was finishing off a Grunt, I looked up and saw numerous Pelicans heading toward the defense station. The station's shields went down, and Shade cannon fire streaked through space. Covenant fighters also followed them, and several Pelicans went down. Two made it, however, and dropped off thirty ODSTs. They fired, and took out a fair amount of Covenant, but they were rapidly losing ground. Then, "This is the Master Chief, en route to help the 34th." A huge Covenant fighter suddenly crashed, and I looked up to see a Long Sword, and out of the back dropped a figure clad in green. The Master Chief ruthlessly killed off Covenant after Covenant. He ran toward the troopers lying prone, and fired with them. Then, "This is Major Ferris. All Force Recon, you are ordered to help us take down that large cannon." Perrins, sounding discouraged, responded, "Yes sir. Awaiting orders, sir." Ferris continued, "Ok. You and your men will cover our demolition experts, and then withdraw on our two Pelicans. Also, have some men disable the power station." "Working on it sir," I responded. Foley had begun to place a charge on the station. About three minutes later, Foley shouted, "OK WE'VE GOT THIRTY SECONDS TO RUN!!!" I hit the jump jets, and directed myself to the large Covenant cannon, where a small group of ODST were holding. I fired some rounds at some Covenant on the ground. Then, BOOM! The power station went up in flames. This was trouble, because it disabled the artificial gravity. My weapon was useless! I had to get a hold of a plasma weapon. I grabbed a plasma rifle, and fired it at a Jackal. The Jackal's shield burst, and then the plasma bolts tore through its bird-like frame. I continued fire, and then, Perrins called, "22nd, sound off!" "First squad, I'm all that's left." "Second squad, one dead." "Third squad, perfect." I sounded off, "Demolitions team, untouched." I continued firing at the Covenant, when suddenly, Hunters appeared everywhere! They fired their huge weapons, and several ODST were incinerated. I had fought Hunters before, and ordered, "Everyone! Aim for the orange spots!" Suddenly, Hunters were dropping like flies. After a while, the Covenant just stopped coming. Ferris announced, "We've got 'em all. But I lost my whole Battalion... Save seven men." Perrins checked casualties again. No reply came from first squad. "This is second squad, we've lost three now." "Third squad, still untouched." Ferris replied, "Everyone on the Pelicans. Force Recon, notify your evac that you will be brought in by the 34th." Perrins did so, and then we left. That was the first time in months I had not thought of the Flood. But I was in for a rude awakening...

Chapter 20: The Final Solution (Part Two) or Claiming Ground

      Four days later, I was back on the Bolger, and back on the Hive Mind search. We headed towards the Rythean Asteroid Belt. As we approached, the Admiral summoned the 22nd to the combat deck, and made a personal appearance there. "Men, the Hive Mind has been located deep in the caverns of the planet Ryteana, which is orbited by the Rytean asteroid belt. You will go and destroy it. We're giving you an engineering Platoon to help you set up a fire base. Secure a foothold there, and then start your search. The engineers will have enough men to man the base, and when it is significant, we will call down an artillery platoon to help you hold. When the Hive Mind is located, call in. Dismissed."
      I boarded my Pelican, along with the Engineering Lt., a Lt. Dominick Hurlington. Perrins was also onboard, as was Santos (My designated bodyguard) Jennings, the Master Chief, and CSM Diemel, who was sick during the defense platform assault. Grace came on over the radio, and stated, "We're getting ready for takeoff, so make sure your tray tables are up, and your seat is in the upright locked position." We sniggered as we buckled in, the door closed, and the oxygen light came on. There was some turbulence, and we left. Grace clicked on the 22nd's anthem, an old song called "Sympathy for the Devil." I thought on the way down. I didn't like what I was about to do, but I had no choice. Schroeder would be with us, along with his two buddies, and I knew I had nothing to worry about. We were eight Pelicans strong, six of them holding the 120 Marines, and two holding the equipment to build the base, along with a total of four loadies, or orderlies.
      When we hit the ground, I got out, and pulled my shotgun to the ready. I'd gotten my shotgun back, and couldn't wait to use it again. We landed on a plateau, a great place for a firebase. After we had all unloaded, the Engineers and loadies went to work. I sent out Chadwick along with his first squad to recon the area for hostiles. About six hours later, with no sign whatsoever of the Flood, the fire base was completed. As I saw it, it reminded me too much of Whiskey Outpost from the movie version of Starship Troopers. It was rectangular, with a high wall positively bristling with all kinds of weaponry. Stationary rockets, LAAGs, fully auto grenade launchers, all kinds of stuff. The sappers also placed mines all around the compound. The mines were set to blow up only if the object stepping on them had the skin of a Flood. So, in short, we could play around on top of it as much as we want. The Artillery came in. There were four howitzers, each fit inside the compound.
      At around 9 o'clock, a patrol from 3rd Platoon encountered some Flood. We received the following radio transmission. "This is Patrol Sierra. We've encountered Flood. Nothing serious, they're all dead now. Be on the lookout, though. They came out of a tunnel. We believe it leads to their leader. The Hive Mind knows that we are here." I flicked an alarm switch, and everywhere people went running to their posts. I wasn't one to sat and fight though. "Command group, and First Platoon. On me! We're going after the Hive Mind."
      We mounted up on Warthogs (Me winding up in a side seat), and took along Schroeder's tanks. We headed down a natural ramp on the side of the plateau. The group of oddly assorted vehicles moved toward the coordinates Patrol Sierra had given us. When we arrived, there were Flood everywhere! The Warthog gunners opened fire, and one of Schroeder's tanks blew apart groups of Flood with one go. What followed was a huge battle. The Flood came in waves, but we chewed them down, and eventually there were so many Flood carcasses on the ground that they had to climb on top of the carcasses to get us. Amazingly, we took no casualties. We were losing ground quickly, when we got a radio call from the firebase, "Help! We're under attack! Men are dropping like flies! We're bein' overrun!" I yelled back, "Get away! Run!" This radio call made me realize something. I had to find the Hive Mind. However, if we weren't alive to get to it, we couldn't kill the Mind. I fired round after round, until finally, I commanded, "Retreat! Everyone fall back before we take casualties!" We fled the scene, and then I told the Master Chief, who was driving me, "Chief, I want you to come with me, my command group, and one squad from First Platoon. We're going down that tunnel." "All right. I'm game." I assembled a ragtag Flood hunting team, and proceeded down the tunnel. We fought for every inch, and on the way down, I lost Foley, who was on the command group. After we got down, there were several different ways to go. We headed left.
      As we walked down the dark passage, it seemed quiet. We encountered many disgusting displays, humans and Covenant mutilated by... Something. Finally, we hit a dead end. "Men, turn around back. We're going through a different tunnel. After three hours of disturbing sights and dead ends, we found a hive full of Flood. "OPEN FIRE!" The whole team cleaned house, but at the price of two men from first squad. We advanced through the hive, and on the other side there was a doorway, blocked by some kind of sticky material. I blasted it way with my shotgun, and then walked through...

Chapter 21: Schizophrenia

      We entered a great hole. In the center was a seemingly immobile blob. I crouched down, and moved in. There were no other Flood besides the blob in the center. All around, bodies of Covenant and humans lolled in odd positions, glazed eyes stared at me. It was morbid, like something out of Stephen King. As I walked further into the room, a voice pierced my brain. Human, you have come to your doom. I can read your mind, Russkie. I looked around. The Master Chief asked me, "Something bothering you?" "No, I replied." The voice came again. Why do you lie to your friends, Russkie? You know who is talking to you... I am the Flood. The Flood are me. We are one. We will vanquish you... I fell to the floor in agony, screaming, "Shoot that blob! Shoot it! It's driving me crazy!!!" The huge blob moved, revealing a large amount of bladed tentacles. Tentacles swooped toward our position. A huge hole opened in the Hive Mind, and infection forms came out. I got a grip, and stood up. I threw a grenade near the blob, but it exploded harmlessly. The voice of evil spoke once more, Fool! Your puny weapons cannot defeat me! Your efforts are futile. I have lived in secret for three millennia. There is no way a bunch of shrimps like you will beat me. You and your friends will make great servants to me... I shouted, "NOO!!!" I went wild, firing my shotgun everywhere. I ran out of ammunition, and threw the shotgun at the large blob. I pulled both of my pistols, and then I stopped. Mike had fired a series of rockets at the blob, with little effect. He couldn't see the infection forms sneaking up on his left... Then, "AAAHHHAAHHHH!!!" Mike crumpled to the floor, dead. This really pissed my off, and I gave a war cry. I fired both my pistols simultaneously, and it apparently hurt the blob, for a scream emitted from it. Then, over the radio, "This is the Master Chief. Aim for the small red circle." I acknowledged, and handed out orders. "Santos, you fire at it." The blob immediately turned, and Santos shouted, "Damn! I can't get a clear shot!" The foul voice of the Hive Mind struck my brain, I can read your minds, you worthless human. You cannot beat me. You will never succeed. You could not even finish high school! You will never beat me, human called Russkie. I was angry beyond words, and beyond reason. Then, a very odd thing happened. For a second, time stood still. Literally. The Hive Mind was the only other thing that moved. It slowly, slowly mutated into a human resembling Tom Hanks. The Mind walked towards me. It spoke, "Russkie, you can't beat me. I will break you. I will destroy you. You can't stop me. I'm unbeatable." I said, "No you're not. We'll beat you." He recoiled, and asked, "Oh really? You think so? You humans don't have any purpose in life. You spend too much time worrying over stupid things. You are far too arrogant. I'm going to break you. I will make you realize what happens to people who cross the Flood. I will make you go crazy... Give up now. You-" Then, back to reality. Blood ran down my face. Santos stood in front of me, "That thing had some kind of mind control on you sir! You fell on the floor and dropped your weapons. We've got it beat! Help us!" I got back up, and picked up the pistols that I had dropped in my spasm. I fired, and noticed that there were only six Marines left, along with the Master Chief. We fired, and then, the Master Chief did something incredible stupid and incredibly brave. He ran towards the huge blob, firing his assault rifle. He destroyed countless infection forms, and then he aimed at the large red spot on the thing's head. It sent a bladed tentacle at him, but he shot his assault rifle, and destroyed the tip. The Master Chief re-aimed his rifle, and pulled the trigger. He had run out of ammo! He dropped the rifle, and drew his Ka-Bar. I fired my pistols wildly at the Flood around him, and killed a good many. The rest of the Marines were firing without effect at the blob. I ordered, "Cover the Chief!" The six remaining Marines out of twenty-five covered the Chief. He jammed his Ka-Bar deep into the Hive Mind's red spot. The voice came across me brain, Hahaha. The humans have penetrated my shell...

Chapter 22: The Demon Inside

      The blob shivered, and then crumpled. Out of the inside came the most hideous creature I had ever laid eyes on. It was at least fifteen feet tall. It resembled a human, but had a head like a lizard. It had six arms, bristling with the same bladed tentacles as were on the blob. They swung towards us, and speared an unfortunate Marine to the wall. I shouted, "Everyone! Take cover!" We all rolled, and crouched behind various rocks. Santos was with me, and I told him in a calm voice, "They got Mike. We have to kill that thing. Aim for the head. Go!" We got up, and I fired my last two pistol clips into the beast. Blood seeped from its wounds, but the creature did not falter. The Chief had reloaded his assault rifle, and was firing like crazy, but with little effect. I threw my last grenade, and then sat down behind the rock. I was out of ammunition. Santos screamed at me, "C'mon, sir! Get up!" Then, down the tunnel streamed a mutated Elite holding a plasma rifle. I was berserk with rage, and charged the thing. I grappled with it, and pulled off its head with my bare hands. Before it died, though, it broke my left wrist, and badly bruised my left leg. The thing fell over, and I relieved it of its plasma rifle. I picked it up, and blasted the demon. In pain, I resumed firing. Then, I noticed an odd rune on the back of the creature. I fired at it, and the voice screamed, That won't work... But contrary to the voice, one of its arms went limp and useless. I fired at that arm, and it fell off. The demon screamed, and the Master Chief took advantage of the situation. He pulled out his secondary weapon, a rocket launcher, and fired it down the demon's mouth as it was screaming. The thing swallowed the rocket, and exploded. Right before it died, I heard, Oh. The humans have-- Then, remains of the thing went everywhere. I sat down, and prayed to God for letting me live when so many others have died. Santos came over, and said, "It's done, sir. We got the bastard." I broke down in tears. I replied, "Santos, Chadwick is dead... He's dead..." Santos replied, "We'll give our amigo a good burial, sir. A fine burial on Earth itself. I think this is over." I looked at him, and though about quoting the Master Chief, but instead said, "Yeah... It's finished. Thank God."

Epilogue: Grassy Field Cemetery outside Rebuilt London, Earth

      The body of Michael James Chadwick was buried in full military honors. He wore his Distinguished Service Cross, and his Silver Star he won on New Bengal. Of all the men I knew, he was the most ambitious by far. He was a fine Marine, but did not live through the worst battle of the Flood War. As I watched the honor guard fire their rifles in salute, I thought about everything that had happened with Mike and me. It was a hell of a lot, but it was a life experience. Before I'd joined the Marines, I was worthless. It was people like Mike who shaped me. He is still buried outside London today, and his tombstone reads, "There are two kinds of Marines, Marines, and dead Marines." Below that is his name, and the date he was killed.
      As for the rest, I suppose you're wondering what happened to them. Well, they ended up is several different ways. First of all, the engineering unit was overrun by Flood. No survivors. Every man in second Platoon was also killed. Lt. Perrins managed to get away with his Platoon sergeant and two men, but they were the only survivors of Third Platoon. After the destruction of the Hive mind, all the Flood stopped thinking, and were easy targets for humans and Covenant forces alike.
      Several people I met during my time in the Marines went on to be famous. Gunnery Sergeant Ricardo Santos went on to become a famous scientist. His most notable achievement was the Devastator cannon, which could lower the shields of Covenant cruisers. Ricardo married Grace Lee, pilot extroadanaire. It was a marriage I'd certainly never predicted. Grace was quite a character herself. She became a military movie advisor.
      Admiral Michael Ridgway went on to become the commander of the UNSC Space Fleet Three. This Fleet was in charge of the bombardment of the Covenant home world. He communicated with me much, and we retired on the same plot of land outside Kansas City, Kansas, a fine Earth City. Admiral Ridgway was a fine man, but he was not the one who one the Covenant War...
      I lost touch with the Master Chief... But he wasn't a very social guy in the first place... He was the best man, er, cyborg out there, and he saved my hide more times than I can count. I wish I knew what happened to him, but all I know is he made plenty of achievements without me.
      Roger Jennings, my best signalman, died in an unfortunate Pelican crash over the Covenant home world. CSM Schroeder was a bit luckier. He is paralyzed, but still alive. He currently works on security systems. He married a woman I never met, Ruth Crockett, who didn't seem to mind that he was paralyzed.
      Oh, and as for me, the humble star of this little adventure. I was given an honorable discharge after a mission on a Covenant outpost. You seem if you went on a certain amount of operations, you could retire. I hit the quota, and retired. I liked being a Marine, but I wanted some rest. Don't get me wrong, I didn't abandon my planet. Rather, we had the Covenant on the run when I retired. I married Xenia, and we had three children. I didn't do much, mostly just communicated with old friends, and became a history teacher at a local high school. At first they didn't want to let me in, but after they checked my combat record they welcomed me.
      Thus is my tale, one of grief and violence. My story is one of many. I know many men who will never read this tale, and I pity their dead souls. I close with a quote on warfare, one which I believe greatly describes my experiences and my actions,

"One death is a great tragedy. A thousand deaths... merely a statistic."
            -- Joseph Stalin, Secretariat of the Soviet Union

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