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- - - - - - - - - - - -
The escape pod carrying John-117 docked with the Cairo MAC platform. The Spartan stepped out of his pod onto the polished metal floors of the Cairo's docking area. Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood was there to greet him. "Welcome aboard Chief. It's good to have you back. I trust you've been well?" John saluted the Admiral, who returned the gesture. "Pretty shitty, actually. We encountered another Halo, there were Flood there too, and I had to leave Cortana in a Covenant holy city. So, just the average Spartan day." Hood chuckled, then got serious. "Any word from In Amber Clad?" John looked down, then responded, "No, sir. As I was leaving, the In Amber Clad flew over, and I believed it to be full of Flood. I haven't heard from Commander Keyes either."

"You'll have to give me your video chip – I'm interested in finding out about this new Halo." John took out his chip and gave it to Hood, a bit reluctantly. He didn't think that anyone should have to see that kind of horror in his or her entire life. Admiral Hood saluted again, and John returned it in kind. "Well, Chief, I'm off to view this record. Maybe we can use it for training," Hood said with a wink. "Why don't you get some rest. You're to go to Earth's surface to repel another wave of Covenant ground units. They've landed in central Egypt. There's gotta be something in Africa, but we can't figure out what it is. And trust me, we've got even ONI working on it." John complied and went to the armory, where tech staff removed his Mark VI battle armor, then went to a bunk nearby. He fell asleep, a deep sleep without dreams.

He awoke several hours later. The clock on a nearby wall read 0300, UNSC standard time. An ODST was standing near him. "C'mon, Chief, we've got to get going. You're to go to the briefing room with the rest of the squad." The rest of the squad? thought the Chief. I have to work with a bunch of hard-up Helljumpers? Great. He crawled out of bed and returned to the Cairo's armory where the techs fitted his armor. He noticed that it had been undented and repainted. He thanked the techs and headed for the platform's briefing room.

Once there, he took a seat in a comfortable chair near the head of a briefing table. Admiral Hood walked on, holding a holo-projector. "Men, you're some of the finest the UNSC has on Earth. As you all know, two small Covenant frigates somehow got through our defense grid and have established a small foothold in Cairo." He activated the projector and a 3D map of 'Cairo and Surrounding Areas' appeared above the table. "The two frigates landed here – and here," he added, motioning to the locations of the two ships. "Latest intel says the infantry is located along this highway. Armor and light vehicles – Ghosts, Spectres, and Wraiths – heavily defend them. Anti-aircraft artillery has been placed. The only reason we know is because most of our Kestrel recon craft were shot down, but they did provide valuable information. You're the elite strike team that can disable those AA guns and take out those frigates. You'll have to eliminate enemy armor and infantry as well.

"You'll get a dozen Scorpions and some Kestrel air assistance, that's all we can do. We'll even throw in a battalion of LAAVs. You'll put down here and rendezvous with the Scorpions two clicks east of the LZ. If you need the Kestrels, you'll have to contact them yourselves," Hood concluded. "Any questions? Good. You leave at 0400. Good luck." The group of soldiers left the room and headed for the armory. Once there, they picked up frag grenades, BR55s, M7s, M9Cs, and some M41 MAV/SSRs, and a few S2AM sniper rifles, as well as some extra ammo for those weapons. The crew of twelve dozen ODSTs and one Spartan proceeded to the docking bay, where thirteen Pelicans were waiting – twelve for the troops, and one for medical and support staff.

The flight of Pelicans took off and began the long, steep descent into Earth's atmosphere. The view from the inside became pink as the Pelicans' heat-resistant coatings flared from the speed of entry. After a careful, long ride, thirteen Pelicans touched down near Geneva, Switzerland, to pick up seven Albatrosses carrying LAAVs and more supplies. The twenty aircraft set off south across the European continent, over the crystal waters of the Mediterranean, until the deserts sands of Africa came into view on the horizon.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
As Commander Miranda Keyes looked over the glowing wreckage and debris of High Charity and Installation 05, she sighed. This would be the fate of Earth, and indeed the whole human race, if the Fleet of Pious Loyalty did not reach the planet in time.

"Arbiter, four hundred sixty-three ships have gathered. We are ready to jump to the Sol System," a blue-armored Elite informed the Arbiter. "Move the fleet into formation and prepare for the jump," ordered the Arbiter. "It shall be done," the Elite humbly replied. He immediately sent the command to every ship in the Fleet of Pious Loyalty. The Enamored Glory shuddered as thousands of thrusters fired as ships moved into five battle clusters. "Cluster one, you shall take the front. Clusters two and three, arrowhead formation left and right, four and five, take the left and right rear," the Arbiter commanded. Affirmative roars were heard as ship masters maneuvered in the tightly packed area.

"Arbiter, we will jump in thirty seconds," announced the blue Elite at the control panel. "Initiate jump sequence!" ordered the Arbiter. "How much time will it take to arrive just outside the Earth system?" "Eighteen hours, Mighty One," the Elite replied.

Thirty seconds passed. Blue-green flashes of light appeared over the ruins of High Charity and Installation 05, and four hundred sixty-three ships simultaneously entered Slipspace. The lights faded as the orbiting city and superweapon were left, glowing embers floating in the endless blackness of space, testaments to the power of the Fleet of Pious Loyalty.

While the fleet was in Slipspace, Sergeant-Major A.J. Johnson plugged Cortana's chip into the Enamored Glory's interface. Even Johnson was surprised that Cortana's chip fit into a Covenant, or Order or Revelation, rather, interface socket. Even though Human AI's were light-years ahead of their enemy counterparts, they still used the same interfaces. It was just so odd that the two very different races could have such similarities.

Cortana entered the Enamored Glory's systems and took in information about its weaponry, architecture, and propulsion systems. Her hologram appeared in one of the bridge's holotanks. "Well, Sarge, this ship's systems seem to be very similar to those of the Ascendant Justice's that I encountered after the destruction of Reach. But their AI is quite primitive in comparison. I can't say I'm all that surprised," the AI said.

"Well, Cortana, how much of this information can help us by either destroying the Covenant fleets over Earth, or adding technologies to our UNSC ships?" asked Keyes. "A whole lot, actually. I can use this to determine the best spots to hit an enemy ship, and using data I've gathered, I can fix the plasma cannons to be much more efficient, like I did on the Ascendant Justice," Cortana answered. "Do it," ordered the Arbiter, "and send the instructions to all the fleet's ships. We will most likely be outnumbered or outgunned, so we will need all the power we can get."

"Can do…" "You may call me Arbiter," the Arbiter told Cortana, who was obviously at a loss as to who this decorated Elite was. "Right, can do, Arbiter," she finished. She sent the instructions to the four hundred sixty-three other ships in the fleet, whose AI's immediately adjusted their ships' plasma cannons. "There. Now you'll be able to fire at least three times more before the system needs to recharge, and you'll be more accurate at longer ranges," Cortana informed the Arbiter. "Thank you. Your name shall go down in our history as the mastermind that won us our first military operation," the Arbiter replied. "I'm flattered," said the AI.

The fleet cruised through Slipspace as life went on as normal aboard the ships. Little did they know that their definition of 'normal' would change within a few days' time…

- - - - - - - - - - - -
The thirteen Pelicans and seven Albatrosses zoomed several miles above the Earth's surface as they cruised over Africa. John looked below him and could see the endless expanse of desert, perforated only be scattered oases and the blue ribbon of the Nile River. He looked down, however, on a different scene farther south – black scarring from battles past; the Covenant had not been kind during their brief stay in New Mombasa.

"We'll be on top of the LZ in three-oh minutes – forty clicks out!" announced the lead Pelican's pilot. "C'mon boys, let's show those Covenant split-lips who's boss!" a Sergeant said to the ODSTs over the radio. "Hoo-rah!" responded one hundred forty-four voices. John grabbed his S2AM out of the weapons storage area of Pelican Echo 420. This bird was the sister of Echo 419, lost over Halo while John had escaped the Pillar of Autumn – and it was the same Pelican that the only survivors of Halo had escaped on. John popped a full clip of four rounds into his S2AM and took a BR55 and M9C Magnum off the wall racks, making sure each one had plenty of ammo. He grabbed four frag grenades out of a crate at his feet – he knew he'd need them later.

"We're over the LZ in ten!" came the pilot's voice almost thirty minutes later. A few Pelicans flashed their signal lights indicating that their paratroopers were ready. "Mark!" said the lead pilot, and a stream of Helljumpers poured from three of the Pelicans – thirty-six ODSTs were performing an airdrop to secure the site for the other seventeen aircraft. Thirty-six parachutes deployed as Covenant antiaircraft artillery began targeting the UNSC craft. Luckily, their aim was terrible, as was usual for the large plasma mortars.

"Alpha team to Pelican Echo 420!" came the crackling voice over the COM channel. "We've taken up the perimeter and the LZ's secure. We're taking light fire from Covenant infantry and would like it if you could get down here pretty damn quick!" "Roger, Alpha, we're moving in now," replied E420's pilot. The three Pelicans that had held the paratroopers flew onward, heading south over the desert toward the nearest UNSC base north of what was left of New Mombasa.

"Alright, boys, this might be a rough landing. I'll put down long enough to unload troops and gear, then we're dusting off," said the Pelican's pilot. "We'll see if we can distract their infantry so you can sneak in there." Seventeen aircraft descended until they were about four feet off the ground. Troops began tossing crates out of the ships, and they jumped out afterwards. The Albatrosses disengaged their Warthog LAAVs and the seventeen craft soared skyward. "Second squad, your Scorpions are about a click and a half away," came a pilot's voice over John's COM. "They'll be here in two minutes."

"Right," John replied. "We'll move in to assist Alpha squad," he said, this time speaking to his men. "Bravo and Charlie, you'll flank the Covenant from the left. Delta, you're with me, we'll go down the front and snipe out their Jackals, and see if we can take down their Ghosts and Wraiths. Bravo, you will be concentrating on the artillery, especially the AA guns. Charlie, break from Bravo at position 3, then wait for our signal to move in on their infantry while we're keeping them busy." Three squad leaders and over one hundred 'hoo-rahs' sounded as the ODSTs prepared for the battle of their lives. To John, though, this was routine – go in, kill the enemy, come back alive. He set the ODSTs in motion as the Scorpions rolled up. "Hey Chief! We'll go right, and get behind them. That okay?" a tank operator asked. "Sure thing, go ahead. We were just leaving," replied John. Twelve Scorpion MBTs rolled onward, moving toward the Covenant's right flank.

"All right, men, lock and load," John told the one hundred-eight ODSTs standing around him. The soldiers fell into their groups and set off into the desert. John took point for Delta, keeping his S2AM ready, pointed toward the Covenant encampment with its two frigates in the middle.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
"Doctor, we've left Slipspace and will arrive over Reach in one hour," Kelly-087 said to the middle-aged woman monitoring the Gettysburg's engines. Doctor Catherine Halsey stepped toward Kelly's monitor. "Good," she said, "we might run into surveying teams, and we don't want them to think we're Covenant. Turn on our FOF system." "Yes, ma'am," the Spartan replied. Her hands flew to the console and she flipped a switch, sending out a radio beacon that all UNSC personnel in the area would recognize.

The ship cruised on through the desolate space, moving closer to its target – the fortress world of Reach – or, rather, what had been the fortress world of Reach. Now, it was only a crystal orb in space, glassed by a Covenant armada after they had passed over. The armada had come for something, but no one was sure what. Either way, that something had been found, all life on the planet had been destroyed, and the human empire had lost yet another shipbuilding world. Most importantly, they had lost two Spartan-II super soldiers, lost while defending the ONI buildings on that planet.

Forty-five minutes later, while Dr. Halsey was preparing to bring a small party of marines down to Reach's surface to see if she could recover anything from her offices, Kelly was watching her console's readouts. There was nothing unusual – until her FOF indicator started blinking. Hmm, a friendly, she thought. Must be a Reach survey team. "Doctor," she said over the intercom, "I'm picking up friendly signals on my FOF indicator, but they don't seem to be coming from outside the planet's gravity well – which is odd." "Just a minute, Kelly, I'll be right up," responded Dr. Halsey. She dropped what she was doing and headed toward the Gettysburg's bridge elevator.

Catherine Halsey arrived on the bridge a short thirty seconds later and Kelly pointed to the tags on her monitor. "They're not coming from outside the gravity well, which is either an anomaly, a glitch in the system, or-" "Or, there's something inside the planet. Can you tell where that signal is coming from?" asked Halsey. "Uhh, yes, it appears to be coming from… inside the planet, where your offices were. Yeah, that's definitely an anomaly. And there are two of them. God, I guess we really DO need to fix our equipment." "No, Kelly, I don't think so. I think there's someone in my offices… but the only UNSC personnel that would be there are… no, it couldn't be… it's just not possible…"

"Sorry, doctor, but what's not possible?" Kelly was completely baffled by the doctor's strange reaction. "Kelly, when I left, there were several of your teammates on the planet, both defending the MAC gun reactors and defending my offices and the ONI HQ there. I had, like everyone else in the know, presumed them to be dead. But, if those signals are what I think they are, we're in for a very big treat." "You mean it's possible that there are some Spartans left on Reach?" Kelly asked.

"Yes, it's possible. Most likely, they're deep underground in my offices. Those would have survived the glassing, but we'd have to get into the building," Halsey responded. "So, let's do that," Kelly said. The Gettysburg zipped towards Reach and began hailing the signal found inside the planet. There was radio noise, but no one on board the ship could hear any indication of life.

The ship went into high orbit around Reach and Dr. Halsey and Kelly, as well as a small group of six Marines, headed for a Pelican. Once in the hangar bay, the crew of one dozen men (and women) climbed aboard the landing craft and took off for the planet's surface, above the area where the signal was coming from. "Ma'am, we'll be putting down shortly," the Pelican's pilot announced.

The Pelican touched down over a small glassy mound that Dr. Halsey knew to be her office door. It had been glassed over, but there was still a signal coming from the inside. "Corporal, I'm going to need you to back off and fire two Anvil missiles at this door here," "Yes, ma'am," the Marine replied. He climbed into the Pelican, backed it away, waited for the people on the ground to take cover, and pressed the 'fire' button. Twice.

Two HE Anvil-II missiles streaked toward their target and contacted. After the dust and bits of glass cleared, Halsey could see a hole the size of a large car blasted into her door. "Great, men. Let's get going," she commanded. The group of one dozen filed into the hole, with Kelly taking the lead and several Marines covering her and Dr. Halsey's rear. The group descended down several flights of stairs – the glassing had destroyed the building's emergency generators – moving silently as they went.

A cracking, weak, and tired voice over Kelly's radio broke the silence. "This is Spartan Vinh-030. Does anyone read me? Over." The entire group stood in shock. No one, not even Doctor Halsey, would have expected one of her Spartans to survive underground for that length of time – it had been almost three months since she had left with Kelly. She knew there was a good supply of food down here, but still…

"Vinh-030, this is Spartan Kelly-087. Can you hear me?" Kelly responded to Vinh's call for help. "Oh my God. Kelly, is that you? Holy shit, I though no one would ever come," came Vinh's voice over the radio. "Vinh, is anyone else down there with you? Any Marines, things like that?" Kelly asked. "Yeah. We've got… let's see… uhh, we've got three Marines and, well… Spartans Isaac-039 and William-043."

"Vinh, is everyone down there all right?" This time it was Dr. Halsey that called Vinh. "We're all fine, except for William. He got some pretty nasty food poisoning a few days back. The sooner you get down here, the better. We haven't seen light in… wow. How long have we been down here?" "Vinh, you've been down there for nearly three months. We're coming to get you out. Private Perez, take two men with you, go back to the surface, and see if the Gettysburg can spare another Pelican," Halsey commanded. "Yes ma'am," the Hispanic private responded. "Aerts, Adler, you're with me." The three Marines set off for the surface.

The remaining nine people moved farther down into the labyrinth of tunnels, all the while getting closer to Vinh's signal. After five minutes of walking, they arrived in a small room, the only light coming from Kelly's suit and the Marine's flashlights. Vinh and the others cringed at the sight of the light. "Doctor, take it easy. We've been in the dark since the backup generators died a week ago."

After some quick greetings, the three Spartans and their Marine companions headed out of the vast underground building, arriving on the surface about ten minutes later. Vinh, Isaac, and Will activated their Mark VI armor's face shield darkeners to keep out the sunlight, which was magnified reflecting off the glassy surface of Reach. The three Marines had to keep their eyes shut to avoid being blinded.

The group, now consisting of ten Marines, four Spartans, and one doctor, made their way toward the Pelican Dr. Halsey and the others had flown in on. As they did so, the second Pelican Perez had been sent after touched down nearby. The group met up with Perez, Adler, and Aerts, all of whom proceeded to climb onto the Pelicans. The two aircraft dusted off and headed back towards the waiting Gettysburg.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
The S2AM sniper rifle boomed as John pulled the trigger. He was gratified to see the round pierce the skull of a very ugly and high-ranking Brute, whose brains shot out the other side of its head. "Okay, men. Move in now," John whispered into his radio, letting Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and the Scorpions know it was time to start the fight.

"This is Alpha. We've been spotted by a small patrol of Jackals and are engaging," came the voice of Alpha leader. John could hear the sound of rifles firing and plasma whizzing past the speaker's head. "Roger, Alpha. Bravo and Charlie are on their way now," John replied. He again placed his crosshairs over a Covenant soldier, this time an unfortunate Jackal sniper. The round tore through flesh and bone as it flew through the Jackal's chest. Using the rest of his clip, John dropped the driver of a Ghost and a stray Jackal, both clean headshots. He slammed a fresh four-round clip into his S2AM and again took aim at the Covenant, who were now in disorder. Rockets, sniper rounds, and small-caliber bullets flew everywhere as Delta team came into full view. The Covenant scrambled to their turrets and vehicles, but it was too late. The Covenant's first line of defense had fallen.

John called up the Scorpion battalion on his radio. "Ready to move?" "We are ready, sir," came the response. "Go ahead, move in right." "Yes sir." With that, twelve Scorpions moved around the Covenant, stopped, took up position, and began raining high-explosive shells onto them. John's COM crackled with activity – Bravo and Charlie were in place and were engaging the enemy. "We're taking some casualties – these Covies are tough," said Charlie leader. "Hold in there, Charlie team. We're moving in now."

John's squad charged toward the Covenant. He switched to his BR55; he had decided that the S2AM would be useless, even in his hands, in close combat. Out of habit, he checked the ammo counter – it read 36 – and smiled. "Ready or not, here we come," he said. Looking to his left, he saw a few ODSTs from Alpha pinned down by three Brutes with Brute Shots. John swung up his BR55, taking aim at the first Brute's head. Half a second later, John had pulled the trigger, three rounds had flown from his rifle, and the Brute lay dead, its head destroyed by the bullets. He fired a burst at the second Brute just as it fired back. John rolled out of the way, avoiding the worst of the grenade blast. He checked his HUD (shields at 1/2) and looked to find the Brute clutching its shoulder. John threw one of his frag grenades at the two Brutes, and one second later, the 'pineapple' exploded, sending both Brutes to their fiery deaths.

John turned around and saw that the Brute's grenade had killed two of his men. He marked their location with a small transponder and took their grenades. He knew it wasn't the greatest thing to do, but the ODSTs were obviously not going to be using them anytime soon. He looked back where the Alpha soldiers had been – they had left to rejoin the battle. John smiled and looked up. He could see the flames of Covenant vehicles – the Scorpions had obviously done their work. He ordered the remnants of Delta team forward. Thirty-two men (he had lost four in battle) headed toward the enemy camp, which was now in disarray.

Two dozen Jackals jumped out from behind a clump of bushes, shields activated, and began firing on the ODSTs. The humans hunkered down and began firing their weapons at the new threat. John fired until his BR55's clip was fully depleted, but due to the Jackal's powerful shields, he was only able to score five kills. He reloaded and raised his head to see a flash of green plasma coming at him. John ducked, but it was too late. The overcharged plasma pistol bolt made contact with his helmet, fully draining his shields. He cursed and waited for his shields to recharge.

After what seemed like an eternity, the alert beeping stopped and the Mark VI's shield recharged. John again raised his head and saw that thirteen Jackals were advancing on Delta's – their – position. He yelled a warning as he drew a frag grenade from his pack. He pulled the pin and threw the grenade behind the Jackals. The grenade exploded, sending eight of the Jackal's bodies flying through the air and splattering John's armor with purplish blood and guts. He again cursed and wiped his faceplate. "Take them out!" he shouted to his men. They opened fire again, and one ODST threw another frag grenade. It, too, exploded, sending the other five Jackals in the advancing group flying over the human's heads.

"All right, let's finish them off," announced John, who kept firing at the remaining six Jackals. After several lucky or well-placed shots by both him and the ODSTs, the Jackals were down, and Delta team's march toward the Covenant camp continued.

"Chief, we've reached the center of the enemy camp," came the voice of Bravo leader over John's COM. "Looks like there's a bunker here, but it's extremely well defended. Apparently, there's a minor Prophet hiding down there. He seems to be in command of this particular group of alien bastards," Bravo leader said. "Tell your men to clear the area. I'm going to order an air strike, Anvil missiles," John responded. "Roger Chief!" came the response. "Chief, we've cleared the area and we are awaiting the air strike," Bravo leader said three minutes later.

"This is Spartan-117 to Longsword Wing 522, do you read me?" the Chief asked. "Yes sir, we're readin' you loud and clear," came Wing 522's response. "We're requesting assistance – there's a nice Covenant bunker that needs destroying, and you're the guys that can do it. I'm thinking four or so Anvils should do it," John said. "Roger, Chief. We can spare a bird – ETA, one minute. You've taken out the Covenant AA, right?" asked Corporal Mike Breu, commander of Longsword Wing 522. "Yes, 522, we've taken care of those. You've got free airspace from the Mediterranean down to southern Kenya," John answered.

Thirty seconds later John head the rumble of a distant engine – the Longsword was rapidly approaching. Within the minute, the Longsword was only a few hundred meters away from the bunkers. Looking upward, John could see the flashes as four HE Anvil-II missiles streaked across the sky, bearing down on the bunker. The Longsword pulled a fast turn and went back to rejoin its squadron. Four missiles were fired; four missiles hit their target. Sand and steel flew everywhere as the missiles impacted. John and a dozen select members of Delta squad hopped down into the bunker, guns blazing.

Brutes, Jackals, and Drones died as fire from small arms and explosions from frag grenades flew everywhere. Luckily, the bunker was large enough to allow the use of explosives. John left the foot soldiers to the ODSTs and began to search for his target – the Prophet that was down here. One floor down, John found him, hiding in a room, guarded by two Honor Guard Brutes, whom John dispatched with two quick bursts from his BR55.

"Hey, dirtbag. Why did you come to Earth, and what are you looking for?" John inquired, shaking the Prophet. "I am the Prophet of Glory! My sermon must be completed or all will perish before beginning the Great Journey! Let me speak!" the Prophet answered. "Wrong answer, buddy," John said. "Try again." He grabbed the Prophet by the throat and began to choke him. "I was ordered to Earth – by – the High Council… to… find the…" "Find the what?" "I cannot tell you… it would be h-heresy!" John looked at the Prophet of Glory and thought, Fine. Fuck you. You're not gonna tell me anything, so you're useless. John let go of the Prophet's neck, stepped back, raised his gun, and squeezed the trigger. "Goodbye, asshole," John whispered. He looked at the body one last time and headed back towards the surface.

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