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Attack on Sol (Part 1)
Date: 7 May 2004, 10:56 PM

Ensign Margaret Gibson blearily opened her eyes. A status screen located just over her bunk blinked on as she took stock of her surroundings. Gibson was stationed on the observational outpost orbiting Pluto. Ever since the survivors from Reach had returned and uncovered the immediate threat to Earth, the U.N.S.C. had been on full alert. They had reassigned top people to the outposts on the edge of the system and had ships on patrol 24-7.
Margaret slowly sat up and checked the monitor; everything was green and no contacts, friendly or otherwise. Her curly brown hair bounced as she got out of the bunk and dressed. It was 0600 and her watch started at 0630, but Margaret had a habit of being early. She walked down the bare hallway leading to the main analysis station and opened the door. The young man sitting at the main computer gave a start and turned around.
"Hey Marge. I wish you'd stop sneaking up on me like that, it gives me the creeps!"
Max Stratel was the Lieutenant in charge of the outpost and had been for several months.
"Hey Max," Margaret returned with a grin, "is it me sneaking or you sleeping?"
Suddenly a red light pulsed on the control panel. They both just stared at it for a moment before responding. Red meant either the Covenant or a malfunction, and with the maintenance check only a day gone, it was sure to be the former.
"Get Pluto HQ on the line, quick," Max ordered, already typing in commands for a probe launch, "probe launch in 3,2,1."
A small dot appeared on the display as the probe entered Slipstream to check the source of the warning.
"Pluto HQ on the line," Margaret announced. " General Kamter, we have incoming contacts, likely Covenant ships, probe is checking now," Max said into the desk mic, " standby."
The data collector was suddenly covered with calculations and one brief message: HOSTILES CONFIRMED.
"Covenant battle group incoming sir, better warn the Fleet."

**********************************************************
Master Chief, Spartan John-117, was dozing. There had not been much time for resting after he and his team returned with the news of the dire Covenant threat. This was the first time in 3 days that he had gotten any sleep at all.
John was awakened with a jolt as a Klaxon went off in the loading bay. He immediately jumped off the bench he had been relaxing on and activated a com link to the bridge.
"What's going on sir," he asked, "are we under attack?"
"Not at the moment" came the terse reply from Captain Mark Telling, "but we've just received a report from the Pluto observational outpost that the Covenant are on their way. The Washington is enroute to head them off."
The Washington was one of about 20 cruisers left in the Fleet. It had been Vice-Admiral Preston Cole's flagship in the campaign for Harvest. Now commanded by Captain Mark Telling, it was manned by some of the best naval personnel in the Fleet including all surviving Spartans. Even armed with 3 formidable MAC cannons, 75 automated defense guns, and 50 Archer missile pods, however, the Washington was no match for a Covenant battle group.
"Alone sir," asked John, incredulously, "with all due respect, is that wise?"
"Not alone," responded Telling, "but with 9 other ships. You see, when you and your squad returned, Cortana gave us the specs on the Covenant shield system. We improved upon them as best we could and these ships have been outfitted with the improved shields. We also were able to install the improved weapons and reactors used on the Pillar of Autumn. These ships are the best in the Fleet as of yet."
"That's good to know sir," acknowledged John, relieved, "what should my team and I do?"
"Just be ready, we may need you to board one of their ships."
"Right sir, we'll be ready."

**********************************************************
"What was that about?" asked Linda when John turned away from the com panel on the wall.
"That was the Captain." John said, "we're on our way to Pluto to head off a Covenant assault."
Fred sighed, "it was only a matter of time."
"So what's the plan Chief," queried Will.
"When we reach Pluto, if the battle starts to tip in the Covenant's favor, we'll board one of their ships and attempt to take it over." 'Just like the Ascendant-Justice' he thought.
"So we're just extra cargo until things get nasty," concluded Fred. John nodded.
"We might as well get some rest," suggested Linda, " we have about 10 hours."
10 hours later, the Washington's battle group exited Slipstream about a billion kilometers from Pluto to find a desperate battle taking place. 20 human vessels, mostly frigates and a few destroyers, were being slaughtered by a Covenant armada of at least 50 ships!
A few of what passed for frigates in the Covenant fleet moved to engage the interlopers. Their plasma turrets warmed and belched superheated plasma at the incoming ships. The Washington and other ships opened fire with their MAC cannons. Plasma and depleted uranium shells crossed each other so that it seemed the intervening space was on fire. The plasma impacted first but the new shields flared, cooled and held.
The MAC rounds, however, hit the Covenant ships with such force that their shields did not so much as flicker before they died. Several punctured each ship and they all went up in clouds of nuclear gas. The remaining 30 or so Covenant ships turned and opened fire on the new threat. All of the original human ships were either dead in space or utterly destroyed.
Once again fire covered the intervening space and impacted each side but due to the sheer number of enemy ships, the humans began to take losses.
The first to go was the Lincoln. It took 3 hits to the nose and its shield flickered and faded. Another round hit the bridge, and rendered the ship dead in space. The Covenant, however, were taking heavy casualties.
Out of the original 50 ships, only 12 remained and they had all taken damage to one degree or another. Suddenly all of the ships wheeled around and moved off. They gathered speed for a Slipstream transition, but the Washington launched one more volley at the retreating ships and managed to disable one. The rest entered Slipstream and escaped.
The Spartans had watched the battle via external cameras.
"That was impressive," said Will "I guess the shields really work, we only lost 3 ships!"
"I just wonder why the Covenant retreated," mused Linda. "They've only done that a few times. At Reach, and Sigma Octanus they dropped ground troops and at Halo they warned their leader. I wonder what they're up to here." said John ticked them off his fingers and shook his head.
"Well the shields must have been a shock and we did hit them pretty hard," pointed out Fred "maybe they went to get reinforcements or to regroup?"
"Let's make sure they didn't drop any troops," suggested John "we don't want to loose any planet unawares.
He walked over to the com and linked to the bridge. "Captain, I'd like you to scan the planet's surface for troops and such." requested John.
"Already done. There's nothing unusual down there that we can tell, and even if there were, we have bigger problems."
"Like what sir?" asked John.
"We just got the news a few minutes ago. The Covenant bypassed all the other planets, Earth is under attack."

Attack on Sol (Part 2)
Date: 9 May 2004, 8:07 PM

I know this is the same story as the first "Attack on Sol (Part 2)", but this one is part of the series. Sorry for the inconvenience. -Slit Throat

      Ship Master Mato 'Tuknamee watched the battle on an overhead projection screen. The battle above the Infidel's homeworld was going well. Over half of the defending ships had been destroyed with only a fraction of Covenant ships being disabled. His own ship, the cruiser Dark Majesty, had not yet taken damage, but had destroyed several enemy vessels. The only reason the enemy defenses were holding was the awesome power of the orbital gun platforms. 'Tuknamee had seen multiple Covenant ships utterly destroyed by those death dealing instruments.
       "Target the nearest orbital gun," commanded 'Tuknamee to his gunnery officer, "they must all be destroyed soon!"
       "It shall be done Ship Master," intoned the officer. "Charging plasma cannon..... Ship Master, there is a Human ship approaching us from behind!"
       "Destroy them, hurry" shouted 'Tuknamee.
He watched as the cannon belched plasma at the enemy vessel, but was stunned when the plasma splashed across an invisible surface before reaching the ship!
      "What happened?!" asked 'Tuknamee, astonished.
      "It seems they have shield technology now!" announced an equally surprised gunnery officer.
      'Tuknamee watched in horror as the ship turned and fired 3 balls of superheated fire at them. Dark Majesty's shields rippled and failed. One of the rounds got through and 'Tuknamee's last thought was that he should have notified command about this new threat.

      John watched impassively as the Covenant ship exploded into a large fireball; he had seen the like many times. He glanced over at the Captain who was nodding his head in satisfaction. John looked back at the view screen. It showed many explosions and flashes of light, all eerily silent in the vacuum.
      The battle was not going well for the Fleet. Most of the ships were damaged or destroyed while more than half the Covenant continued to attack. He had a plan to reverse that however, and the Captain had approved it. John and the other 3 Spartans would board separate Covenant ships and attack the enemy by surprise. Once they had destroyed a fair amount of the enemy, the Spartans would exit their ships and land on Earth to help the ground defenses. John figured that if it worked once, it could work again.
      "Spartans, get to the loading bays," ordered John. The others nodded and jogged to the elevator.
      "Captain Telling, head for that ship," said John indicating the target on the view screen. It was a stationary Covenant destroyer which was firing upon the planet below.
      "Aye Chief," acknowledged Telling, "we're going in!"

      John stood in the middle of the decompressing loading bay, one of 5 on the ship. With his back to a solid Titanium A pillar, John could just see the nose of his target destroyer. He shifted the Battle Rifle on his shoulder, took a deep breath and leapt into space.
      John rotated slowly as the destroyer drew closer. He had to time it just right or he'd bounce of the shield. A plasma turret fired, the shield lowered briefly and John crashed into the ship's hull. He pulled himself along until he found a small maintenance hatch which he forced open. John climbed inside, slid down a short ladder and landed on the deck.
      John quickly checked his motion tracker and found it clear. He walked swiftly down deserted passages, rounded a corner and all but ran into 2 jackals guarding a ladder. He brought up the Battle Rifle and killed both with head shots.
      "Cortana, can you check where this leads?" requested John.
      "This particular ladder runs up to the command deck. Be careful though. There is sure to be more resistance above," warned the A.I.
      "Don't worry," assured John " I can handle it."
He climbed the ladder and lifted the hatch at the top. Right in front of him was the hairy form of a Brute! John gave him no time to react. 3 swift shots brought the Brute to its knees and another finished it off. John climbed out of the hole and looked around. There were no more enemies in visual range nor on the motion tracker.
      "Which way to the bridge Cortana?" asked John.
      "Turn left at the next intersection and then right," answered Cortana confidently.
      John followed the instructions and soon found himself outside the bridge. He drew his pistol and activated the door which slid open silently. John found himself face to face with a Gold Elite! The Elite growled a challenge and leapt at him. John sidestepped and slammed the pistol in the back of the Elite's neck. The Elite crumpled to the floor. John stepped over the body into the command center.
      A Grunt screamed and tried to run only to be brought down by a head shot. Another Elite, in blue armor, pulled out a plasma rifle and fired at John. The plasma splashed across his shield which only flickered by a hair. John returned fire with his pistol and brought down the Elite with consecutive head shots.
      The Spartan climbed the short ramp to the command platform. He scanned the display and found what he was looking for; a slot for an A.I. chip. John inserted Cortana's chip into the slot. After a few seconds, the panel lightened and Cortana's holographic form appeared.
      "Ahh," sighed Cortana, "much roomier. Now I suppose you'd like to get underway." The ship gave a slight shudder and a view screen appeared. "There. Now which ship are you going after first?"
      "That one," said John, pointing. The ship indicated was a flagship, with deadly long range plasma cannons. "It's heavily guarded but we're in disguise. Charge all plasma cannons and target the nose." The lights suddenly dimmed and a power monitor on the control panel spiked.
      "Firing solution ready," announced Cortana.
      "Fire!" ordered the Chief.
      The space between the ships was filled with large blobs of superheated plasma. The flagship was caught by surprise. Its shields flickered and faded as the large bolts hit, then the hull seemed to catch fire as smaller balls impacted. The flagship spun out of control and smashed into a cruiser. Both ships detonated in a cloud of nuclear gas.
      "Nice work Cortana," said the satisfied Spartan, "lets get another one."
      "Wait Chief," warned Cortana, "our cover is blown. I'm detecting multiple incoming ships; all destroyers!"
      "Target one and fire when ready, then prepare to leave," ordered John.
      "Firing."
      One of the incoming ships was silhouetted by burning plasma. Its shields flickered and faded, but the hull did not breach! All of the Covenant ships returned fire and the captured destroyer's shields lasted for a second before failing, and the destroyer began to spin slowly as the plasma burned through the hull.
      "Time to go Cortana," said a suddenly anxious John. The A.I.'s chip popped out and John grabbed it and inserted it into his armor. He then sprinted for the lifeboat airlock.
      The Chief slammed the door open and jumped into the small, cramped pod. He hit what he hoped was the launch button. The lifeboat gave a shudder and John was thrown back in his seat as the pod rocketed away from the doomed ship toward the besieged planet below.

Attack on Sol (Part 3)
Date: 14 May 2004, 11:37 PM

I know; most of this section is taken off the E3 demo but bear with me, there will be a more original entry next time. -Slit Throat


      The tiny lifeboat shook as it passed through Earth's atmosphere and the interior became very hot. Evidently the pod had not been made for atmospheric flight. John was flung from side to side as the pod bounced and rattled. The lifeboat impacted with the surface and threw the Spartan against the armored control panel, denting the surface.
      John slowly stood and checked his equipment. Both his Battle Rifle and his M6D were undamaged. He climbed out of the escape pod and looked around.
      "Cortana, do you have any idea where we are?" asked John.
      "I do not have precise coordinates but I believe we are within 500 kilometers of New Mombasa," replied the A.I., "the Covenant seem to be particularly interested in this area. I'm reading a cruiser in the city, as well as several thousand troops. There are a few platoons of Marines nearby but they are scattered."
      "Well then," decided John as he began jogging in the general direction of the city, "we'll just have to help them out."
      As the Spartan topped a small hill, he saw a battle before him. Off to his right, a small platoon of Marines was trying to hold off a Covenant assault several hundred soldiers strong. The Marines had taken cover behind a rise and had piled dirt around the crest as extra protection. The Covenant were pushing the Marines hard but had not yet seen the Chief.
      Once more into the breach, thought John as he charged down the hill readying his Battle Rifle.
      The Covenant had no idea that he was coming. John opened fire on the unsuspecting aliens killing Grunts and Jackals by the dozen. He dropped the spent clip then turned and threw a plasma grenade at a red Elite. The grenade stuck to the alien's faceplate and when it went off, killed several other Elites close by. The Covenant began to react and brought their full force to bear. The Spartan was falling back, his shields at 1/4 charge when a scream split the air.
      The pinned Marines had charged out of cover and attacked the other Covenant flank. Now being hit from both sides, the Covenant began to panic. Some tried to run only to be brought down by accurate shots from the Chief. Frag grenades went off inside the enemy formation, killing scores of soldiers. Finally, the entire Covenant force broke and ran. The Marines and Spartan continued firing until the last aliens stumbled and fell.
      John approached the surviving Marines. There were only 7 left and most of those were wounded. John was surprised that any had survived at all. But that was not so surprising when he realized who led the platoon. Sgt. Avery Johnson was one of the few survivors of Halo and a friend of John's.
      "Master Chief," acknowledged Sgt. Johnson. "Glad you showed up. We were getting overrun. Those Covies just dropped out of nowhere in one of their dropships and started shooting!"
      "I'll call in some evac Sergeant," assured Cortana over the Chief's speakers.
      Soon, a Pelican dropship flew over the battle site, circled once and set down. The Marines piled aboard with John bringing up the rear. Sgt. Johnson climbed into the cockpit. As soon as everyone was in, the pilot lifted off.
      "Where to Sergeant?" asked the pilot.
      "New Mombassa," answered Sgt. Johnson, "we have some business to take care of with our little Covie friends."

      The Pelican flew through the city of New Mombassa, dodging buildings and plasma fire. John looked out through the dropship's main hatch. The city was a mess. Most buildings had large holes in them from mortar fire and more than a few lay in piles of rubble. Occasionally there was movement or flashes of gunfire but for the most part, the Covenant owned the city. Off in the distance, the Chief could see the cruiser that had entered New Mombasa.
      "They took two in the nose and dropped into the atmosphere" said Cortana, monitoring John's line of sight.
      "Who was first contact?"
      "Oral Fifth out of Diego Garcia," answered Sgt. Johnson from the cockpit, "but don't expect a big welcome; the Covenant wiped most of them out before they hit the ground."
      A voice suddenly blared over the loud speaker as the Pelican banked for a landing:
      "Grid kilo two-three is hot, recommend mission abort."
      "Roger recon," acknowledged the pilot as he pulled up the dropship. "Your call Sarge."
      "We're going in!" announced Sgt. Johnson. He glanced back toward the troop compartment, "get tactical Marines!"
      The Pelican's main hold was suddenly filled with Marines loading weapons, and putting on armor. As soon as the Pelican touched down, Sgt. Johnson yelled "lets go Marines, go, go, go!" All of the Marines, and the Master Chief, leapt from the Pelican ready to retake New Mombassa.

      The Chief walked over to a nearby Marine who was shielding his eyes from the dust caused by the Pelican's engines. The Marine looked up as John approached.
      "I'm Corporal Perez, 8th Company, CP's this way" said the Marine and began to jog away. The Chief followed him. They passed several tents filled with wounded soldiers laying on operating tables. Corporal Perez stopped by one such table out in the open.
      "The Lieutenant got hit as soon as we dropped in," Perez said.
      "Who's in charge now Corporal," asked Cortana through the Chief's speakers.
      "Sergeant Banks ma'am," answered Perez, "he's pinned down out front. Come on, I'll show you."
      The Master Chief followed the Corporal up a short ramp to a broad doorway where several Marines were waiting.
      "Parsons, is it clear?" yelled Perez to another Marine outside. A large explosion shook the ground beneath the Chief's feet.
      "You tell me," Parsons yelled back wryly. Perez muttered to himself, then said "friendlies moving out; covering fire."
      The Marines and Spartan charged out of the doorway to the railing of the walkway. They opened fire on the Covenant below, some of whom were trying to cross what had once been a parking lot. A flash of blue light drew the Chief's attention to a large Covenant mortar cannon. That had to be neutralized, and fast.
      The Chief jogged farther down the walkway to a ramp and threw a grenade at the Grunts at its base, quickly killing them all. He walked down the ramp while reloading and moved at a crouch to where Sergeant Banks sat against a wall.
      "We asked for reinforcements, I didn't think they'd send a Spartan," said Banks through gritted teeth. He had a wound in his side. A large explosion drew the Chief's attention back to the mortar cannon. it had fired again at a nearby building.
      "We have to take that thing out; cover me!" groaned Banks. He moved over a few meters.
      "Tech HQ this is Sergeant Banks. I've got hostile artillery 200 meters north of my position; create some smoke, over!" he said into a walkie-talkie.
      The Chief crouched behind a low wall and opened fire with his Battle Rifle. The Grunts went down quickly while the Jackals took several shots to bring down. He stepped up to a nearby chain gun and unleashed a hellish rain of lead on the enemy positions.
      "Dammit HQ, is anybody on this freak?!" exclaimed Banks.
      "Sergeant, this is Major Easly. Hang tight, we're inbound."
      The Master Chief looked up as several Longsword fighters tore across the sky. Bombs dropped from their cargo holds hit the mortar cannon and destroyed it in a flash of blue light.
      "Verified delivery of ordinance on target," reported Major Easly.
      "Dead on Major!" agreed Banks; he turned to the Chief.
      "Take my weapon, you'll need it," he said handing him a sub- machine gun. The Chief took the proffered weapon and followed the other Marines in an attack on the Covenant position.
      The organized charge took the enemy by surprise and the Marines quickly broke through. After clearing an almost destroyed passage, the Master Chief found himself on a low platform overlooking a street. A formation of six Jackals was making its way slowly along supported by a Covenant ground vehicle similar to a Warthog called a Shadow. The Chief immediately opened fire on the Jackals.
      Two Warthogs suddenly plunged through the enemy formation. One stopped and the Marine riding shotgun yelled, "we could use a gunner sir!"
      The Chief jumped off the platform and climbed in behind the auto cannon that had replaced the chain gun. He opened fire on the Shadow, destroying it in a few shots. The new gun had power. The driver floored it and the Warthog leapt forward. The Master Chief focused on the enemy Shadows and Ghosts, killing each in just a few rounds.
      Suddenly, a large purple ship glided overhead.
      "A Phantom," cried Cortana. The ship began firing its underside plasma turret, leaving pink splotches in the road. Large, hulking shapes began leaping from the Phantom and no sooner did Cortana exclaim "Brutes!" than one landed on the front of the Warthog. With two sweeping punches, the monster killed both the driving and shotgunning Marines.
      The Master Chief jumped from the back of the jeep and circled around as the Brute leapt off the front. The Chief smacked the alien several times then planted two rounds in its chest. The beast lay still. He fired a few rounds to get the others attention, then fired at a nearby car, which exploded, killing all but one of the Brutes. The other was put down with a head shot.
      "Ghosts, to your right," said Cortana. The Chief turned, switching to his SMG's as he did. The first Ghost sped by, but the second did not. The Chief jumped onto the front and kicked the driver, a Brute, off. Quickly turning the Ghost, he mowed down a few more Brutes.
      "The Marines won't stand a chance if those Phantoms double back, try to draw them off," suggested Cortana. The Master Chief fired a few plasma bolts at each then sped off with both Phantoms and two Ghosts on his tail.
      Zigzagging to avoid obstacles and enemy fire, the Chief made his way down damaged highways. Ahead, he saw a sign crumple and fall as the result of Phantom fire. He quickly turned right and heard a large explosion behind.
      A blinking red sign read 'HIGHWAY ACCESS DENIED'.
      "Chief," warned Cortana as a large blast door ahead began to close.
      "Hang on," replied the Spartan. He dove through the narrow opening and slid for several dozen meters. Behind him he heard two explosions from what he assumed were the pursuing Ghosts. Slowly he stood and looked around. About a kilometer away he saw the cruiser hovering with a gravity lift extended.
      "Look," exclaimed Cortana, "there's the cruiser now all we need to do is...., she trailed off as small pods by the hundreds came hurtling down from above. Eight landed around the Master Chief.
      The front panel burst open on the closest pod to reveal a black armored Elite. The Elite climbed out and saw the Spartan. It worbled something and activated an energy blade. The Chief pointed both SMG's at it, but before he could fire, he realized that all of the other pods had opened too, revealing more sword toting Elites. The squad began circling him, so there was only one thing to do. The Master Chief pulled out and activated a plasma grenade.
      "Bet you can't stick it," teased Cortana.
      "You're on," answered the Chief, and he threw the grenade at the closest Elite.

Attack on Sol (Part 4)
Date: 23 May 2004, 3:30 PM

      The grenade flew straight at the Elite's faceplate and attached itself. The Elite roared in anger and charged at the Master Chief but the grenade exploded before he could get close. The explosion took out 4 of the other Elites and dropped the shields of the rest.
      The Chief opened fire on the remaining three Elites killing two almost instantly. The last got too close and took a swipe at the Spartan with its energy blade. He rolled aside still firing. The Elite finally moaned and collapsed in a bloody heap.
      "Nice job Chief," complimented Cortana, "now we need to deal with that cruiser. I do not recommend destroying it as that would likely wipe out the entire city."
      "So you're saying that we go in and neutralize the crew... alone?"
asked the Master Chief, doubtfully.
      "Not alone," responded Cortana, "I'm picking up several NAV points. They match the identity of the other Spartans."
      "Good," sighed the Chief, relieved, "lets go get 'em."

      "Will, give me a hand!" shouted Fred as he fired upon the oncoming tide of Covenant soldiers, "fire those... " Fred was cut off as a two large explosions detonated among the oncoming aliens, killing them all.
      "Nice shot," exclaimed Fred as Will emerged from behind a piece of rubble, "Where's Linda?"
      "She's back there," said Will, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward a tall building, "covering our flank."
      "Well," said Linda, joining the group, "there's nothing to cover now. But I did see several large explosions from a highway back there. I wonder what caused it."
      "That would be me," said a voice behind Fred. He spun around, bringing up his rifle. As soon as he recognized John, however, he lowered it.
      "Where have you been?" asked Fred, "we've been here for a couple of hours and have been attacked multiple times! We could've used your help."
      "I landed several hundred kilometers away, saved a group of Marines, and fought my way halfway across the city. You might say that I've been busy," responded John calmly.
      "Okay, so now that we're al together, what are we going to do about that cruiser?" asked Will.
      "Well, Cortana and I worked out a plan. We board the cruiser and take over the command center. Cortana will then take the cruiser up into the atmosphere and begin the self-destruct sequence. We get out of there and help the Marines take the city," explained John.
      "That might work," said Fred, "but what will the Marines do while we assault the cruiser?"
      "They'll hold their positions," answered John "the cruiser takes precedence." The other Spartans nodded.
      "Then lets get to work!" announced Linda.

      The Spartans jogged quickly along the streets of New Mombasa. All around them, death, destruction and chaos reigned. Buildings collapsed and fell, covering the streets with layers of debris. Surprisingly, the closer they got to the cruiser, the fewer battles were fought. Just a few blocks from the gravity lift, the Spartans realized why.
      A huge ring comprised of thousands of Covenant troops encircled the lift, all of them ready and alert.
      "How are we supposed to get through that?!" asked Will as the Spartans pulled back behind a building.
      "We're not going through," responded the Chief, looking up at the top of the building, "we're going over.

      It was a matter of minutes for the Spartans to get to to the top of the battered and broken building. Standing on the roof, they could see the whole of the burning city and the sleek purple shape of the cruiser fifteen meters away.
      "Okay," said Will "now what?"
      "Now," explained the Master Chief, "we board the cruiser. The Covenant seem to think that no one can get in the ship other than the gravity lift. So, we use our grappling ropes to attach to the hull and pull ourselves up. Then we descend into the ship via the maintenance hatches on the top. Any questions?"
      "Sounds good Chief," agreed Fred, "lets do it."
      The Spartans threw the ropes onto the cruiser's smooth outer hull. The ship's shields were down for some reason which made the boarding possible. Soon, the Spartans were standing above an open maintenance hatch and preparing to descend into the enemy vessel. Fred, who was point, dropped first into the alien corridor and immediately came under fire. A pair of Brutes at the end of the corridor had dropped to their knees and opened fire with plasma rifles.
      "Team!" shouted Fred into his com, "I'm pinned by a couple of Brutes. Need covering fire!"
      The other four Spartans dropped to the deck and opened fire with their Battle Rifles. The first Brute dropped with a low moan, while the other, bleeding from multiple wounds, pulled a plasma grenade and activated it. Linda landed a head shot a moment later and the grenade exploded harmlessly.
      "Whew," sighed Will, "those guys can take a lot!"
      "Lets move," ordered John.
      As the Spartans moved deeper into the ship, they encountered more resistance. Grunts, Jackals, Elites and a few Brutes attempted to halt the intruders' progress but were cut down mercilessly.
      After about fifteen minutes of intense fighting, Cortana noticed something on the Covenant Battle Net which she had been monitoring.
      "Chief, I'm picking up human vital-signs on this ship. It would appear that the Covenant have taken prisoners. I recommend that you release them before you destroy this ship."
      "Copy that Cortana," said John. "Spartans, we have a snag. It seems the Covenant have been keeping some captives here on this ship. Cortana recommends that we rescue them."
      "More bodies would slow us down," pondered Linda, "but the extra firepower might be worth it. Also, I don't feel good about leaving human prisoners to die."
      "Then we rescue the prisoners," announced John. "Cortana, which way to the detention center?"

      Corporal David Nunéz stared dejectedly out of the Covenant holding cell. He and his men had been captured trying to hold a small outpost on the edge of the city several hours previous and had been brought to the cruiser. Nunéz had no thoughts of rescue nor of escape. He had decided that his fate was sealed and would try to make the best of it. However, these thoughts froze in their tracks as he both heard and saw the Gold Elite in charge of the brig crumple and fall, its head fountaining purple blood.
      David stood up and moved to the front of his cell. The other Elites and Grunts turned in response to the shots, jerked and fell. Soon, none of the guards were left alive. David saw a large shape move across the brig to the control panel. The shield blocking the cell that he was occupying winked out and David stepped out into the gore splattered detention center. The large shape and three more like it moved closer, close enough for David to see that they were Spartans!

      The Master Chief watched as five Marines walked cautiously out of their cells. He quickly picked out the commander, a corporal, and moved toward him. The Marine was still in shock but managed a salute.
      "Corporal David Nunéz sir!" shouted the Marine, "twelfth company. Thanks for the help."
      "My pleasure Corporal," said the Chief, "now you can either help us blow this ship to bits, or you can get back to the fighting in the city. Your choice."
      "We're with you sir!" called one of the other Marines, picking up a fallen Elite's plasma rifle. The other Marines shouted approval and armed themselves.
      "Then lets move out!" said the Chief as he started for the door. Before he reached it, however, it slid open to reveal a squad of ten Elites with rifles extended and ready.
      The Spartans dropped to their knees and opened fire a split-second ahead of the Marines, who screamed curses at the Covenant. The Elites had obviously not expected to find anyone and were taken by surprise. Four of their number were down before they got a shot off. A frag grenade landed among the aliens, detonated, and sprayed the humans with purple blood.
      "That showed 'em!" cried one of the Marines.
      "Lets move Marines," ordered the Chief. The humans jogged out of the detention center and moved swiftly through the ship. The extra firepower provided by the Marines made each firefight quicker and easier. Along the way, the Master Chief briefed Corporal Nunéz on their plan. Within ten minutes, the humans stood just outside the cruiser's control center.
      "Well," muttered Nunéz, "here goes nothing."

Attack on Sol (Part 5)
Date: 28 May 2004, 12:09 AM

      The door slid open to reveal a large number of Elites facing the door. As soon as the door was open, they fired through it at the unprotected humans. The Spartans' shields took the brunt of the volley but a round got through and hit a Marine. He screamed and dropped to the floor holding his right arm. The humans returned fire and Elites began to fall. However, one Elite lived long enough to hurtle a plasma grenade into the hallway. It attached to a startled Marine's rifle and began to glow. Fred ripped the gun out of the Marine's hand and threw it at the Elites. With no time to respond, the grenade's explosion enveloped the entire alien squad and threw bodies every which way. No Covenant were left standing.
      The Chief turned and knelt beside the fallen Marine. The burn on the Marine's arm stretched from the wrist to lower forearm but did not look life threatening, he would live. The Chief helped the Marine to his feet and Corporal Nunéz came over to help the wounded soldier into the control center. For the second time in several hours, the Chief climbed the short ramp to the control platform and inserted Cortana's chip into the slot. Her holographic body appeared with hands pressed to forehead.
      "Chief, I've got a problem," she said. "It appears that there is a Covenant A.I. in this ship's system and it is blocking my attempts to lift off. I can't access the ship's controls. I..... wait," Cortana's figure flared red for an instant then settled back to a cool blue.
      "Got him!" she announced. "The tricky freak tried to shut down main power but I caught him. Preparing to delete....."
      "Wait Cortana," interrupted the Chief, "shouldn't we analyze it before it is destroyed?"
      "I guess you're right," agreed Cortana, grudgingly, "transferring A.I. to a data chip....." A chip similar to Cortana's popped out of the slot. The Chief picked it up and put it in his equipment pack.
      "Preparing to lift off," warned Cortana, "in three-two-one...."
      The thousand Covenant troops guarding the gravity lift stared up in amazement as the cruiser began to drift slowly upwards. The lift disengaged, leaving the troops stranded on the ground. At an altitude of a seven hundred fifty meters, the cruiser simply stopped and hovered. The Covenant troops continued to watch in case the ship should descend, which it did, but not in the way they expected.
      "Self-destruct engaged. We have fifteen minutes to get off this ship!" announced Cortana. "Chief, I recommend we leave."
      "Good idea Cortana," agreed the Master Chief, "lets move people!"
      A good ten minutes were spent getting from the bridge to the hangers, seven decks below. A large firefight broke out as the humans attempted to seize a dropship. The guard force, twenty odd Elites, Jackals and Grunts, took cover behind fuel tanks and fighters as plasma and bullets crossed the large room. The battle was brought to a close, finally, when Linda shot and killed the commander and several well placed grenades destroyed the gas tanks being used as cover.
      "Everyone move!" shouted the Chief as the timer on his HUD ran down to two minutes. The rest of the squad ran up the gangway into the U shaped ship with him right behind.
      The hatch closed, the bay doors opened and the small ship flew out in a rush of exhaust. Will, who was flying, turned the dropship back toward the city center as the cruiser detonated behind them, showering the Covenant troops on the ground with hot pieces of melted metal and sections of hull.

      Will gently set the dropship down on one of the Pelican landing pads near the Marine HQ. A Marine fire team surrounded the enemy ship, but relaxed when the Spartans and other Marines exited the craft. They were quickly shown into the base by a MP and asked to wait in a drab, metal walled 'lounge'.
      The MP returned a few minutes later and said that General Ketin would see them now. They decided that the Master Chief and Corporal Nunéz would go. The Spartan and Marine followed the MP into a bare office with a desk and chair. Sitting in that chair was General Ketin. Ketin was a thin man and tall, with gray streaks in his brown hair. The Chief and Nunéz saluted.
      "At ease," said Ketin. "Gentlemen I must congratulate you on a job well done. That cruiser had been giving us trouble for a long time. Now with it gone, we can concentrate our efforts on clearing the city."
      "Thank you sir," acknowledged the Chief.
      "Also of note," continued Ketin, "is that you captured an intact, fully functional Covenant A.I. This could be the break that the Fleet has been waiting for, depending on what's in the A.I."
      "What do you mean sir?" asked Nunéz tentatively.
      "I mean that this A.I. may contain the location of the Covenant homeworld!" responded Ketin. "If it does, and if we can drive the Covenant from Earth, then we can launch an attack on their home planet and end this war once and for all!"
      "That would be wonderful sir!" agreed Nunéz.
      "But before we wipe the Covenant from their homeworld, we must wipe them from ours. Intel has learned that the Covenant has set up a base of operations on the moon. If that base is not neutralized, then the Covenant will continue to send reinforcements until the entire planet is overrun. We must stop them at whatever cost!" announced Ketin adamantly.
      "General," said the Chief, saluting, "I believe you have given my team and I our next mission."

      "Spartans," announced the Chief, after he had exited the General's office a while later, "we have a new mission."
      "What's that?" asked Linda.
      "We're going to neutralize the base of operations that the Covenant have set up on the moon," the Chief announced. "We leave in six hours. We should all get a couple of hours rest and meet at the hanger at 1800." The other Spartans nodded. "Then lets get ready."

      The Prophet of Vengeance turned from one of the many view screens spaced around the large room. The control center was located in the heart of the Covenant attack HQ and was heavily fortified. Protected by a screen of ships, ground defense turrets, as well as a legion of top Covenant troopers, the base could withstand a full scale assault with ease.
      The Ship Master that bowed low before the Prophet was the commander of the force attacking the Infidel's world.
      "Everything is going according to plan," he announced, "the assault has taken control of many cities and has crushed all resistance. It will not be long before the planet is taken my Lord."
      "Very good," said the Prophet, "how goes this base's defenses?"
      "They are almost complete my Lord. Only a few air defense turrets need to be installed," announced the Ship Master.
      "That is well. You are dismissed," said the Prophet, waving his wrinkled hand. The Ship Master bowed his way from the room and the Prophet turned back to the view screen which showed the space surrounding the moon. The space was filled with orbiting destroyers and cruisers even though the surviving human ships, and there had not been a great many, had evidently fled the system. There was no way to confirm that as of yet, however.
      The Prophet allowed himself a small smile. Soon this victory would be complete and he would be raised to a High Prophet. That was reason enough to smile.

Attack on Sol (Part 6)
Date: 4 June 2004, 10:51 PM

      At 1800, the four Spartans met outside the hanger that contained the Covenant dropship. General Ketin and a Marine escort were standing by the small side door.
      "Master Chief," acknowledged Ketin, "lets get going. I can't spare any Marines so you're going in alone. Your objectives are to infiltrate the enemy base, capture or kill the commander, destroy several key facilities and escape."
      "Is that all?" asked Will wryly. Ketin glanced at him.
      "The base is heavily defended. Upwards of a legion if recon was accurate. There are also many turrets covering both the ground and air approaches to the base. Be careful and good luck."
      Ketin stepped aside and the Spartans entered the hanger and boarded the dropship. A few minutes later, the ship zoomed out of the hanger and disappeared into the night.
      Ketin watched the sky for a few moments then motioned for his escort to follow him as he walked back to his office. The Spartans would either complete their mission or they would not. If they succeeded, the battle for Earth would begin to swing in the human's favor. If they failed and died, Colonel Ackerson would be pleased. It was a win-win situation for Ketin.

      The Master Chief watched space roll by through the view port in the side of the Covenant dropship. Occasionally, he saw the shimmery grayish-purple length of a Covenant ship orbiting the planet, but those ships had no reason to suspect the tiny dropship.
      "Five minutes to dirt," called Will from the cockpit.
      "Okay team, check your weapons," ordered the Chief. His own arsenal included a Battle Rifle, SMG and M6D along with a bandolier of grenades, both frag and plasma. He was also carrying an optical probe and two field medkits.
      "Equipment is one hundred percent," announced Fred, "we're ready for anything!"
      "One minute to dirt," called Will. The dropship was to put down on the outskirts of the Lunar City, the first city built on the Moon. From there, the Spartans would work their way to the center of the city where the Covenant HQ was set up. The dropship would be rigged with explosives and blown, if needed, to attract attention while the Spartans slipped inside the base.
      The Covenant dropship quietly touched down and opened the troop hatches. The Spartans quickly piled out and set charges around the craft. Will grabbed the timer and some more charges, and the small strike team set out.
      Lunar City was, for the most part, deserted. The Covenant had crushed the small garrison stationed there and left no survivors, civilian or military. There was rubble and ash spread liberally in the streets and nothing above two stories was left standing. Covenant soldiers did patrol the perimeter of the city in regular patterns and inside apparently at random.
      As the Spartans moved deeper into the city, they encountered more such patrols but did not engage. Security was sure to be tight around the base and they did not want to draw any unwanted attention.
      As they ducked behind an abandoned house to avoid a patrol of Special Ops Grunts, John caught his first glimpse of the enemy HQ.
      It reared up out of the ground like a mountain of purple metal. The slightly domed roof was defended by at least twenty turrets and several flights of Banshees. The ground was patrolled by many fleets of Ghosts and many more troops.
       "They obviously don't want any guests," noted Cortana.
       "Any ideas on how to get in?" asked the Chief grimly.
      "I've determined three possible entry points, not including the main entrances," said Cortana. "One of which is the sewer system. It is not guarded so it seems like the most logical choice."
       "Where is the entry to the sewers?" asked the Chief.
      "It's on the other side of the complex, but there are sure to be street level entry points that lead to the city's main sewer system. The Covenant have likely attached their sewers to the existing ones," explained Cortana, "so I advise that you look for one of those."
      "Thank you Cortana," said the Chief. "Spartans, we have a way into the base that is not guarded. The sewers seem to be the best bet and street level entrance points are the safest access. We need to find one."
      "We'll get on it Chief," agreed Fred. The four Spartans spread out, still cautious of enemy patrols. They searched for five minutes before Linda announced over her com, "Found one. It's behind what used to be an apartment building. I'll load a NAV point." An orange arrow appeared on the Chief's HUD pointing to a location a few hundred meters away.
      The Spartans rendezvoused with Linda behind the pile of rubble that had been an apartment building. The sewer entrance was a metal grate bolted to the asphalt. Fred easily wrenched the grate up and set it to one side. The Spartans then dropped one by one into the darkness below.

      There was a small splash as each of the Spartans landed in the dark water. They formed a line, ducking since the top of the tunnel was too low for them to stand erect. The tunnel was pitch black so Fred, who was point as usual, activated his helmet lamp. The wide beam of light showed the metal walls of the tunnel and the low ceiling.
       "Not a lot of space in here," commented Linda as the Spartans walked quickly down the tunnel. Soon, they came to a split in the piping, one tunnel went straight, the other branched off left.
      "Which way Cortana?" asked the Chief.
      "Straight ahead," answered Cortana. "We're about three hundred meters from the outer wall of the base. There is a covered maintenance grate twenty meters beyond that. That's our way up."
      "Thanks," said the Chief and motioned the Spartans to go straight.
      As the Spartans drew closer to the base, they began to hear faint footsteps above them. Then, silence.
      "We're under the wall," whispered Cortana, "just twenty meters to go. I must warn you, I have no schematics of the base so once inside, you're on your own."
      On the right hand wall Fred saw a ladder and called a halt. The Chief moved up and climbed the ladder, almost to the top, and pushed against the grate. To his surprise, it creaked softly and began to lift. The Chief hurriedly lowered it so as not to be discovered. He pulled out an optical probe and linked it's view to his HUD. Then he opened the grate a few centimeters and slipped the probe through.
      There were no Covenant in the vicinity but there was plenty of equipment. Plasma weapons, portable shields, crates of grenades and many other items. A lurid blue light cast shadows everywhere so the Chief could not assume anything. He motioned the rest of the Spartans to follow him as he pulled himself slowly out of the hole, Battle Rifle at the ready, Covenant or no.
      He moved to the large blast door that seemed to be the only other way in or out. The other Spartans searched the room and signaled clear.
       "Well, we made it," said Will.
      "We made it in, " responded the Chief, "now we have a mission to complete. Stay alert team, the hard part is about to begin."

Attack on Sol (Part 7)
Date: 10 June 2004, 7:11 PM

      The Master Chief stepped up to the control panel next to the door. The odd purple symbols glowed and flickered as if they had a life of their own. The controls also looked oddly familiar. The Chief touched one, hoping it was the one that opened the door.
      The large blast door gave a low moan and slowly slid open, surprising the Grunt who was on guard duty. The opening door did not surprise it as much as the four bullets that took its life.
      The Spartans stepped through the doorway into the two way hallway. Neither direction gave any indication of leading to their objective.
       "Well, which way?" asked Will. The Chief pointed down the right hand corridor.
       "That way."
      "Are you sure?" asked Fred, peering down the hall. "It doesn't look any different than the other one."
       "There's only one way to find out," replied the Chief as he started down the hall. The rest of the Spartans followed.
      The chosen hallway took several abrupt turns to the left and right. There were also routes that branched off, but the Master Chief continued to go straight.
      The corridor took one last right turn and ended at a door. As with most standard Covenant doors, this one was proximity activated. The door slid open to reveal a cavernous room with all manner of machinery humming away. In the center of the room was a large cylindrical container filled with a bright blue liquid that was being spun at a tremendous speed. Many wires ran off the machine into the upper floors of the room.
      There were several Covenant engineers moving around near the machine and a squad of red armored Elites guarding them. The Spartans moved behind two large supply crates to either side of the door to avoid notice.
      "This must be Engineering," said Cortana. "I would guess that that machine is the power generator for the entire base. If we can disable it, it would shut down the power and confuse the Covenant, which would make our job much easier."
      "Would blowing it destroy the base?" asked the Chief.
       "The explosion would disable much of the base but I doubt that it would destroy it outright," answered Cortana.
      "Disabling the machine would also give away our cover so that's out of the question," said the Chief. "I suggest we neutralize the guard and come back later."
       "That might work, but what do you intend to do while we're here once the guard's gone?" asked Cortana.
       "Can you infiltrate the Covenant computer systems and pull up some schematics so we can get to the command center and the other targets?"
      "That shouldn't be too hard unless they have an A.I. in the system," assured Cortana.
      "Then it's settled," said the Chief. He motioned for Linda to cover the upper galleries while he, Fred and Will took out the rest.
      The patrol of red Elites had had their backs to the door, but when it opened, five of them turned toward it. Not seeing anyone, the Elites relaxed but did not turn back around. The Engineers floated through a door at the back of the room.
      The Chief poked his head around the supply crate and took aim at the Elite at the end of the line. He heard Linda shift as she prepared to fire. The Chief made a flicking gesture toward the Elites and the Spartans opened fire. Three of the Elites went down and another fell from the upper gallery as Linda's shot found a target.
      The remaining seven Elites on the ground floor were confused but smart enough to get behind cover. The Chief's last shot hit an Elite in the leg, but he fell behind the power generator. The other Elites got behind the generator as well and fired at random over the top.
      "Keep them pinned down," ordered the Chief, "Fred, you're with me." The two Spartans crouched and moved behind a large silver machine that was making a high pitched humming sound, barely heard over the fire being exchanged.
      The Chief and Fred moved to the left side of the machine and peeked out. The Elites had left their flanks exposed which made the Spartan's job much easier.
      The Chief made another flicking gesture and threw a grenade as Fred opened fire. The nearest Elite's shields faded just as the grenade landed on its face. The alien stood up and tried to claw the grenade off, but to no avail. The explosion took out five of the seven remaining Elites and dropped the shields of the other two. Two more quick shots by Fred ended the firefight.
      The four Spartans moved into the open, still on the alert. The Chief motioned Linda and Will up the ladder on the far side of the room. He and Fred covered the door.
       "All clear Chief," came Linda's voice over the com a few moments later.
      "Okay," responded the Chief, "you and Will hold your position, I'm going to get us the coordinates for the command center and the weapons control station."
      "Acknowledged," said Linda. The Chief signaled for Fred to continue to cover the door while he walked over to a computer terminal and inserted Cortana's chip.
      "I'm in Chief," she said. "Surprisingly, there is no Covenant A.I. in the system. Maybe they have not had a chance to install it as yet. Ah, here are the coordinates." Two NAV points appeared on the Chief's HUD.
      "The one to the left is the weapons control center. That exit is on the top floor. The other is the command center which is out of the door behind you."
      "Good work Cortana, thank you," complimented the Chief. "Prepare to move out," he switched to his team's freq, "Spartans, it's time to split up. Will and Linda, you will neutralize the weapons control center. Fred and I will take the command center. Uploading the coordinates now. We'll rendezvous back here when done. Any questions?" Silence. "Then lets move!"

Attack on Sol (Part 8)
Date: 15 June 2004, 12:25 AM

      The Master Chief motioned Fred to the right side of the door that the Engineers had left through. The door activated and the Spartans stepped into the doorway with weapons raised. The hallway beyond was empty as were the right and left corridors.
      "Which way Cortana?" asked the Chief.
      "Left," responded Cortana promptly. The two Spartans crept down the hall, Battle Rifles up and ready. Another intersection loomed up before them but Cortana guided them past confidently.
       After several more twists, turns and intersections, Cortana announced that they were directly outside the command center. The gray engraved door was not proximity activated, so there was a control pad on the wall beside the door.
      "Be careful," Cortana warned, "this won't be as easy as the cruiser was."
       "Then it might actually be hard," said Fred wryly. The Chief took a deep breath and punched the control to open the door.

      The Prophet of Vengeance turned in surprise as the door to the command center slid open. He was even more surprised when two green armored Humans fired into the room killing three of the Brutes assigned to his body guard almost instantly. The Prophet overcame his alarm however and screamed, "kill the Infidels!" The other members of his bodyguard and the Elites stationed around the large chamber returned fire scoring hits on the two Humans.
      The enemies did not fall, however, and the Prophet felt a streak of terror course through him. These must be the Human super-soldiers that had caused so much trouble for the Empire. They were nearly impossible to kill and were equipped with shields and powerful weapons. The Prophet realized that he might not live to see the end of this battle.

      The Chief winced as shot after shot connected with him, dropping his shields rapidly. They had killed at least a third of the defending force but they could not take much more of this.
      "Fall back to the hallway," he ordered and Fred immediately dove back into the corridor. He was not quick enough, however, as several more plasma bolts hit, dropped his shields and scored a burn along his shoulder pads. Fred landed and fell behind the door.
       The Chief barely avoided several last shots and dodged behind the door as well. Fred was sitting against it. The left shoulder pad on his armor was blackened and burned.
      The Chief looked back around the door and fired off a few shots just to keep the Covenant away. Fred stood slowly, picked up his Battle Rifle and fired at an overly ambitious Elite who had gotten too close. The Elite dropped and Fred reloaded.
       "We can't hold them off all day," he said, "what do we do?"
      "That... thing... floating by the wall appears to be their leader," answered the Chief as he picked off a Brute trying to cross the room. "If we can capture or threaten him, the others might lay off."
      "How are we going to do that," asked Fred.
      "Cortana," asked the Chief, "is there an air vent or other small opening into the command center?"
      "Negative Chief," she said, "the main doors appear to be the only way in or out."
      "Doors?" asked the Chief.
       "There is another door on the other side of the room. You may be able to catch them by surprise that way."
      "Thanks Cortana," said the Chief. "Fred, can you stay here and attract their attention while I sneak around and surprise them?"
      "Sure Chief," assured Fred continuing to fire into the room, "I'll hold here. I'm not hurt very badly." The Master Chief nodded, turned and jogged down the hallway.
       "Take two consecutive rights and go straight," said Cortana, "then you should be there."
       A few moments later, a door identical to the one they had first gone in appeared on the right. The Chief readied his Battle Rifle, hit the door control and stepped into the room.
      The Covenant force had not moved other than the addition of several more bodies on the bloodstained floor. The Master Chief saw the Covenant leader off to his left, pulled out one of his SMGs and crept along toward it.

      The Prophet of Vengeance was pleased. His bodyguard had driven the Humans back into the hallway they had come from. Although his action of taking cover behind one of the control panels was undignified, the Prophet was sure that it would be justified in the effort for survival.
      Suddenly, a large armored hand pressed itself over his mouth! The Prophet struggled vainly to get free or call for help but froze as he felt the cool metal of a Human weapon against the side of his head.
      If this is to be my death, thought the Prophet, then I will make my death honorable. He reached for the alarm button, but the gun against his head screwed in painfully. The Prophet was still reaching for it when something hit his head and darkness closed in.

      The Master Chief caught the unconscious form of the Prophet before it hit the ground. He carried the body out into the hallway and carefully laid it down.
      "Nice job Chief," said Cortana.
      "Thank you," responded the Spartan, "now I need to help out Fred." He moved back into the room and drew out his Battle Rifle. The Chief took aim at a Brute that was spraying the doorway with plasma fire and pinning Fred in. The first shot hit the alien's arm causing his aim to go haywire and an Elite took several shots before the Brute ceased fire. The Chief's second shot hit the soldier right between the eyes as he spun around looking for his assailant. Another Brute leveled one of the high velocity grenade launchers and fired.
      The Master Chief dove to the side and the grenade missed, but the wash from the explosion drained his shields to half. The Spartan rolled to his feet and fired at the Brute. Several armor piercing rounds impacted the alien, but he did not fall.
       Another grenade flew at the Chief, missing by several centimeters and drained his shields to a hairsbreadth charge. Suddenly, a plasma grenade flew from the hallway and landed on the Brute's arm. The alien stared at it and roared in anger as the grenade exploded, claiming the lives of three Elites and two other Brutes. The Covenant had forgotten about Fred.
      Now being hit from both sides, the Covenant were confused. The Master Chief gave them no time to recover. He dropped the Battle Rifle and pulled out both SMGs and a frag grenade. The grenade blew apart a cluster of Elites trying to get organized and the SMGs turned a pair of Brutes into bloody ribbons.
       Fred burst from the doorway and took down several Elites with consecutive head shots. The Covenant were unorganized and were quickly falling. Within a minute, all the Brutes were down and only five Elites remained in the middle of the room. The Spartans circled the surviving Covenant firing short controlled bursts and downed the Elites swiftly.
      "Area secure!" announced Fred tiredly. "That was not easy."
      "You all right?" asked the Master Chief.
      "My armor took most of it," said Fred, "though I might be a little singed. I haven't felt how hot a plasma bolt really is in a while."
      "Good," acknowledged the Chief as he picked up his Battle Rifle. "The Prophet is in the hallway outside. We have their leader, now we need to disable the weapons and main power. Lets hope Linda and Will are doing their job."

Attack on Sol (Part 9)
Date: 22 June 2004, 11:18 PM

      Linda watched as John and Fred left the room. They would most likely have the hardest job, but then, John always took the most difficult assignment.
      "Are we just going to stand here?" asked Will. Linda shook her head and moved toward the door. A bright orange NAV point on her HUD pointed to the left and read a distance of one hundred meters.
      The hallway beyond was devoid of enemies but Linda's motion tracker showed movement ahead. She signaled for Will to move cautiously down the hall. A left hand turn led the Spartans up a ramp and into another long hall. This one, however, was occupied.
      Three Grunts squealed in surprise as the two Spartans appeared at the top of the ramp. They all tried to run at once, but bumped and tripped over each other until put down by a burst of fire by Will. Linda's motion tracker still read movement, but it was farther away and she was confident it was not a threat.
      The Spartans continued down the twisting hallways, putting down several small groups of unsuspecting Grunts. They were within twenty meters of the target when they turned a corner and a locked door appeared in front of them.
      "Now what?" muttered Will as he vainly pushed against it. "This door is locked and shielded. I don't know how we're getting this open."
      "Stand back," ordered Linda as she primed two plasma grenades. Will stepped back and Linda tossed the grenades at the door. They went off in quick succession and the door sparked as the locking mechanism was destroyed. Suddenly, contacts flooded Linda's motion tracker as the shield on the door was disabled.
      "I think we're about to have company," she announced as the Spartans backed around the corner. The door slid open and a horde of Covenant troops poured out, looking for the intruders. They were met by a hail of lead from Will's Battle Rifle and armor piercing rounds from Linda's sniper rifle. Grunts fell by the dozen and Jackals dropped before they could bring up their shields. Oddly, there were no Elites in the force.
      Finally, the Grunts turned and ran back into the room, trampling the few remaining Jackals that tried to marshal them. Many were cut down, but at least twenty survived.
      Without saying a word, the two Spartans ran after them, regardless of ambushes or traps. If the Grunts raised an alarm, the operation would become much more difficult.
      The Grunts were still running at top speed when the Spartans caught up. Will managed to stick a plasma grenade to one of them which detonated and took out most of the column. The surviving Grunts kept running however and managed to get within a few meters of another sealed door before they were brought down by rounds from Will's rifle.
      "That was close," sighed Will, "but they led us right to the target."
The NAV point was centered on the door directly in front of them. There was a faint red light around it, signaling that the door was locked.
      "Well," said Linda, turning around, "I'm not going to try blowing a door again. Lets go back to, what I assume are, the barracks and see if there is a less obvious way in."
      The two Spartans jogged back the way they had come. The barracks were a rectangular room with tables and benches that had been upset by the stampede of Covenant a few minutes before. There were other doors that, upon investigation, were found to lead to sleeping quarters. One door at the opposite end of the room, however, opened to reveal what appeared to be an office of sorts. There was a computer terminal on one wall and several holographic displays spaced around the room. One large screen showed the view of Lunar City.
      Linda immediately moved to the computer terminal and pulled out her 'hack pad'; a portable computer hacking device developed by ONI. Will covered the door after examining the holographic displays.
      The hack pad vibrated as it contacted the computer terminal and infiltrated the system. A few moments later, the pad beeped to indicate success.
      "I'm in," announced Linda. "Still no A.I. in the system and no serious barriers. This should be a piece of cake." She tapped a few buttons and the base schematics appeared along with other security options. Linda selected the 'open security doors' command and set the hack pad to work.
      The decryption process took several minutes as the hack pad penetrated several layers of Covenant code. Evidently, the Covenant force valued secrecy over other things. Finally, the pad beeped and DECRYPTION SUCCESS appeared on the screen. Linda shut the pad off and replaced it in her equipment sack.
      "The door's open," she announced, "time to move." She and Will jogged back out of the barracks and back to the formerly locked door that led to the weapon control center. The faint red light around the door was gone, replaced by a faint blue. The sensor blocking shield on the door had been deactivated as well and Linda's motion tracker picked up multiple contacts.
      "They've got a welcoming committee ready," she warned, "we need to be careful."
      "Acknowledged," Will said and hit the control to open the door.

      The weapon control center was alive with activity. Engineers floated to and fro installing terminals and control panels. White masked maintenance Grunts ran back and forth carrying parts and checking monitors. A gold armored Elite stood at one end of the room, gazing at a large view screen that displayed the positions of the Covenant fleet around Earth. More Elites, wearing red armor, stood around the room watching the pandemonium. All activity halted, however, as the door slid open and the Spartans appeared with rifles held at the ready.
      The Gold Elite turned around and growled a command. The Elites stationed around the room aimed their plasma rifles at the two Spartans. The Engineers and Grunts scrambled for cover.
      "Well," Will muttered, "at least we know where all of the Elites are."
Linda snorted in derision, raised her sniper rifle and fired at the Gold Elite. The fourteen millimeter round took the Elite through the right eye, killing him instantly. The other Elites hesitated a split second before returning fire, but it was enough time for Will to activate and throw a plasma grenade. The grenade latched onto an Elite's arm and both Spartans dove back into the hallway, pursued by plasma bolts. They took cover on either side of the door. Three seconds later, there was a large explosion and several sickening whumps as the grenade did its job.
      Linda peeked around the corner but ducked back as a plasma bolt flashed toward her. There were at least a half-dozen Elites still alive inside the control center.
      "Covering fire," Linda ordered and primed a frag grenade. Will stepped out into the doorway and fired on the Covenant position. Plasma splashed across his shields, but they were holding. Linda moved into the open, located the source of most of the fire, and threw the grenade. It tumbled through the air and landed behind a storage container. Linda heard an Elite warble in surprise before the grenade exploded. Purple blood sprayed across the room. The incoming fire slackened and Will charged into the control center firing at the two remaining Elites. The ten millimeter rounds penetrated their shields and blew out their brains. Both aliens crumpled to the ground, dead.
      Will scanned the room and announced "Area secure!" Linda nodded and moved toward the view screen the Gold Elite had been studying. As she stepped over the dead Elite's motionless body, her foot clicked against something. Linda looked down to see a gray tube about the width of her palm. Linda picked it up and saw two small buttons on the surface. She pressed one and a blue, double bladed energy sword flashed into existence. It was identical to the ones carried by upper ranking Elites. Linda tapped the other button and the energy blade powered down.
      "New toy eh," observed Will. "I bet that'll make the scientists at ONI happy."
      "No doubt it will," said Linda, "but first, lets finish this mission. Set those charges around the room and rig them for remote detonation." Will nodded and moved off. "Master Chief," said Linda into the com, "we have control of the weapon control center. Will is setting charges to blow it sky high. We'll meet you back at the reactor chamber."

Attack on Sol (Part 10)
Date: 27 June 2004, 3:16 AM

      "We'll meet you back at the reactor chamber," finished Linda's voice over the com.
      "Acknowledged," replied the Master Chief, "we'll see you there." The Chief scanned the command room once more to be sure it was empty, then nodded to Fred. "Lets go."
      The trip back to the reactor chamber was uneventful as there were no Covenant encounters, blocked hallways or locked doors. The Chief and Fred arrived back in the large reactor chamber ahead of Linda and Will.
      The reactor chamber was unchanged since they had been there last. The main power generator was still humming away in the center of the room, accompanied by the high pitch wining of the other machines. However, it appeared that the two Engineers that had left earlier were back to work. They floated around the power generator, occasionally stopping to run a tentacle over its surface to fix some microscopic error.
      The Chief and Fred ducked behind a storage container on the right side of the door so as not to be detected. The Chief looked at Fred, held up one fist and wrapped his other hand around it, the Spartan's signal for capture target. Fred nodded and crept out to the right as the Master Chief, after setting down the Prophet, did the same to the right. The Engineers had their backs to the Spartans so it was easy for them to sneak up behind the aliens and drop them with blows to the back.
      Fred knelt and verified that each Engineer was still breathing. He then stood and glanced around.
      "Linda and Will should be here soon," he said. As if their names were a que, the two absent Spartans appeared on the upper level.
      "Sorry we're late," apologized Will as they slid down the ladder. "We ran into a few old friends."
      "What are we going to do now," asked Linda. "We've completed our mission objectives, so I would recommend that we leave."
      "We're leaving soon," replied the Chief, "but first I would like to give our Covenant friends something to remember us by. Will, do you have any more charges?" Will nodded and pulled out three. "We're going to blow the power generator with those," the Master Chief announced. He switched to a private freq with Cortana. "Will three charges be enough to destroy that thing," he asked.
      "They should," answered Cortana, "but they need to be placed on the exhaust ports on either side. The explosives should shatter the ports and open the casing. You can then place the last charge inside and detonate it remotely."
      "Thank you Cortana," said the Chief. He switched back to his team's freq and relayed Cortana's instructions.
      "I'm on it Chief," assured Will. He handed one charge to Fred and they moved to both ends of the generator. There were two clicks as the charges attached to the surface of the generator then a series of high pitch beeps as they armed.
      A countdown appeared on the Chief's HUD; ten seconds to detonation. He picked up the Prophet and Engineers and the Spartans ran to the entrance they had first used. They secured and entered the hallway and Fred hit the button to close the door. The Chief's timer clicked to zero just as the blast door slammed shut.

      The roar of the charges tearing through the outer surface of the generator was somewhat dampened by the heavy blast door, but it was still loud enough to set the Chief's ears ringing. The blast door shook slightly as the explosion rattled the immediate area, but held firm.
      When the sound of the explosion died away and the shaking stopped, Fred touched the door control. The blast door slid open and The Spartans stepped into the room to survey the damage. The reactor room was a mess.
      The floor was blackened in a ten meter radius around the power generator and other nearby machines sparked and crackled as a result of the detonation. The generator itself had suffered serious damage. The outer casing had been cracked open like a chestnut and the silver liquid inside had sprayed all around the room. Several plumes of smoke and steam rose from where the exhaust ports had once been.
      The Master Chief turned to Will. "You know what to do." Will saluted, pulled out his last charge, and jogged over to the generator. He placed the charge on the inside surface of the generator, just above the fluid line. There was a click and two low pitch beeps as Will armed them for remote detonation.
      Will jogged back and said, "charges armed sir. They're set to a different frequency then the weapon center charges so we can detonate them separately."
      "Good work," answered the Chief, "now we can leave." The Spartans turned and moved back into the hallway. They moved swiftly along, dispatching small groups of Covenant that came to investigate the source of the explosion.
      When they reached the entrance to the supply room where they had entered the base, the Chief paused. They could either leave the way they had come, through the sewage system, or, they could try to find another way out. The Chief glanced at Fred who gave an almost imperceptible nod in the direction that they had come in. The Chief understood; it was time to leave, not explore.
      The Spartans entered the supply room and climbed down the ladder into the sewers. They walked along, hunching beneath the low ceiling, for the better part of fifteen minutes. Finally, Cortana announced that they had arrived back at the duct they had entered through.
      The Master Chief stood beneath where the grate had been, handed his burden to Will, and took out the optical probe. He linked the view to his HUD and climbed up the ladder until he could poke the probe out into the street. The alley was clear of contacts. The Chief motioned for the other Spartans to follow him and climbed the rest of the way up the ladder. At the top, he hid behind the large pile of rubble that hid the manhole from view.
      Fred was the next up and he moved off the the left of the manhole and verified that the next street was clear as well.
      As soon as Linda and Will had climbed out, the Chief slowly walked to the corner that Fred was covering and checked both directions. Just because the mission was nearly over did not mean the danger was. His caution was justified. A patrol of three Blue Elites came around a corner about a block away.
      The patrol, luckily, did not see the Chief as he ducked back around the corner. When he peeked out again, the Elites were gone. The Chief motioned for Fred and Linda, for long range support, to take point. They moved along, not as slow as they had going in, but still very cautiously.
      Two blocks from the dropship, the Spartans turned a corner and found themselves face to face with the patrol of Elites the Chief had seen earlier. Three Elites alone was not so bad, but when they were accompanied by six Special Ops Grunts with fuel rod guns and a pair of Hunters, they became a problem.

      Fred and Linda dropped to their knees as the Chief and Will, after dropping their unconscious cargo, fired over their heads. Linda managed to drop one Hunter as it reared in surprise, but the other brought up its shield and ducked behind it, rendering itself safe from the Spartan's fire. The Elites and Grunts however, were not so lucky. Another round from Linda's rifle took an Elite through the chest and another was downed by the explosion of a dead Grunt's fuel rod gun with a bullet chaser.
      Within the first few seconds of combat, four Grunts were killed. Another died by his comrade's exploding weapon. The last Grunt dropped his gun, without hitting the fail safe, and tried to run; he only made it a few meters.
      The last Elite and Hunter returned fire. Plasma bolts slid off the Spartan's shields like water and the Elite collapsed in a pile of purple gore. The Hunter's first shot went high and its second was thrown off by the Spartan's barrage, but it hit a nearby building draining the Spartan's shields and ripped out a chunk of concrete and melted steel.
      Finally, the mighty warrior took a round in its shield arm, causing the shield to drop. Linda took it down with a shot to its orange midsection.
      Without saying a word, the Chief and Will picked up the Prophet and Engineers and the Spartans ran the short distance to the dropship.

      As Fred climbed inside, with the Prophet and Engineers, to ready the small ship for takeoff, Will removed the charges from the base of the craft. The Chief and Linda covered their six.
      A few minutes later, Will announced, "she's ready to go. Should I blow the charges?"
      "Set a delay of thirty seconds," ordered the Master Chief. He waved for Linda to board then climbed in himself. Will, now in the cockpit, activated the engines and the dropship lifted into the air.
      Twenty-five seconds later, there was an explosion inside the Covenant base. The entire base went dark. Several plumes of smoke rose from the general area of the reactor chamber.
      A few seconds after the first explosion, there was a second from the weapon control center. The turrets that had been scanning the sky for incoming targets stopped moving.
      On the ground around the base, Covenant patrols scurried about searching for the cause of the explosions. None of them suspected or even noticed the dropship flying rapidly away from the moon's surface.

Attack on Sol (Part 11)
Date: 30 June 2004, 8:38 PM

      The Covenant dropship passed through Luna's atmosphere and into space. Covenant ships orbited the moon trying to figure out what was happening. The dropship continued toward Earth at its top speed, just under Mach one.
      As they passed through Earth's atmosphere, the Master Chief said, "land in New Mombasa, we need to report to General Ketin."
      "Understood," responded Will.
      Five minutes later, the dropship touched down on a Pelican landing pad near the Marine HQ. Two Marines standing guard raised their weapons, but quickly lowered them when the Chief and his team emerged.
      As they had after the mission on the cruiser, the Spartans were shown into the bare 'lounge' by a MP and were asked to wait. The MP returned almost immediately and showed them in.
      Ketin's office was as bare as before. The man himself was sitting at his desk examining a computer screen with a grim look on his face. He looked up upon the Spartan's entry.
      "Congratulations on a successful mission. Intel has confirmed that as of one hour ago, there were numerous explosions on Luna's surface in the vicinity of the Covenant base. You have completed all of your objectives?" He barely waited for the Chief's nod before continuing. "Since the Covenant have become disorganized because of the attack on their base, it is time to make another move.
      It has come to our attention that Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood and other important UNSC officials are trapped in New York City. They have only a light guard of Marines and whatever secrecy they can maintain. Since the Covenant captured the city five hours ago, we have only received one transmission from them requesting evac. You will be providing that.
      Of further note, the A.I. you recovered from the cruiser has been decoded and has revealed startling results. The data extracted includes the location of the Covenant homeworld."
      The Spartans exchanged glances; this revelation opened many new opportunities.
      Ketin took a deep breath and continued. "Intel has also located the remnants of Earth's fleet. They are hidden in the Oort cloud around the system but are in no shape to attack. Out of the original five hundred ships that regrouped to repel the Covenant attack, only sixty-two remain intact and they have all taken moderate to heavy damage.
      Seven of our shield equipped capital ships survived and two battle groups consisting of twenty ships apiece that arrived too late have joined them. Still, that only brings our entire 'fleet' to one hundred and nine ships, not nearly enough to destroy the two hundred plus Covenant ships in system."
      The Master Chief was taken aback by the sheer amount of ships lost. He was also confused. Why was Admiral Hood so important and how did the Fleet's losses and the Covenant homeworld fit in? He glanced toward the Prophet in Will's arms; and why was the Prophet so important?
      When he asked as much, Ketin shook his head. "Admiral Hood is the only one who can officially command the Fleet. The smaller the Fleet, the less chance we have of successfully attacking the Covenant homeworld. As for the Prophet; it's main value is for intelligence, but it may be useful later on."
      The Chief was stunned. General Ketin actually believed that Admiral Hood would approve such a suicidal mission! But he reconsidered. Ketin's proposed mission was not so different from the one he and the other Spartans had been assigned. He nodded slightly and saw Fred do the same.
      "Now that that's out of the way," Ketin said, "on to the rescuing of the Admiral. You will be transported by Pelican to the southern outskirts. Admiral Hood and the others are in the underground bunker below the city hall. Evidently the Covenant found out where they were and have surrounded the site. Hood and co have sealed themselves in the armory and reported that they are safe-for the moment. How you get them out is up to you, but do it fast. Any questions?"
      "There is one thing sir," said Linda, stepping forward. She held a gray tube about ten centimeters long in her hand. The Chief noticed two small buttons on its surface.
      "It appears to be an energy blade, like those carried by upper ranking Elites. The button on the left activates it and the one on the right deactivates it. If the blade is dropped without being deactivated, a sensor in the handle triggers a fail safe." Linda handed the tube to Ketin who took it gingerly.
      "Thank you," he murmured. "I'm sure the ONI scientists will love to get their hands on this." He set the tube on his desk. "Is there anything else?" The Spartans shook their heads. "Then I suggest you get ready. The Pelican will be here in half an hour or less."
      "We're on it sir," announced the Chief. Ketin nodded and looked back at his computer, a clear sign of dismissal. The Spartans spun on their heels and walked out of his office.
      After they had deposited the aliens in the Marine HQ hospital, the Spartans walked outside to the Pelican landing pads. The Pelican had not yet arrived. The Master Chief sent Will and Linda to collect more ammunition and supplies. He and Fred leaned against the outer wall of the base and watched the sun rise in a sky of fire.
      A few minutes after Linda and Will returned with the ammo and supplies, the Pelican arrived. The four Spartans climbed aboard and the dropship lifted off.
      The pilot obviously already had his orders as he left the Spartans alone for the flight to New York. They used the time to rest, their first sleep in a day.
      Finally, the Pelican's engines slowed to a low moan and the dropship began to descend. The Chief look out of the main hatch and surveyed the devastation. Fires raged in some parts of the city and the skyline had been significantly lowered.
      The Pelican touched down in an open field that had once been bordered by buildings, but now was surrounded by piles of scrap metal and ash. There were several one and two story buildings about two hundred meters away.
      The Spartans quickly climbed out and the Pelican rose into the air and sped away. They spread into a staggered line and cautiously moved forward.
      As they approached the corner of a two story building, the Master Chief heard gunfire and the familiar whine of plasma weapons. There still appeared to be resistance in the city.
      "Spartans," he announced over the com, "lets give the Marines a hand while we're here." Their acknowledgment lights blinked on. The Chief turned the corner and readied his Battle Rifle.

Attack on Sol (Part 12)
Date: 7 July 2004, 1:25 AM

      Corporal David Nunéz fired his SMG at the oncoming group of Covenant and ducked behind a twisted pile of metal to reload. He and his squad were screwed and David knew it. This patrol had dropped out of nowhere.
      The Grunts had opened fire immediately but were cut down quickly by the Marines. The Brutes were another story. Five of his twelve Marines had been dropped by the suppression fire of the huge, gorilla like aliens.
      His squad had killed two of the aptly named Brutes but there were at least six more hosing the Marines with plasma fire.
      Nunéz was brought back to reality as a plasma grenade detonated three meters behind him, blistering his back and generally scaring the hell out of him. He peeked over the pile of metal and fired off a few rounds at the Covenant. They needed to hold this position.
      "Marines, hold your positions. Bunker down and return fire," Nunéz yelled. He was answered by a flurry of fire, but not from his squad. David looked over his shoulder and saw four tall figures in green armor reigning death on the Covenant. He knew instantly that they were Spartans. Evidently, the Covenant did too as their barrage of fire slowed to widely spaced single shots and their attack stalled. Frag grenades landed in their midst, both from the Spartans and rejuvenated Marines, and blew the surviving aliens to their rewards.

      The Master Chief watched as the surviving Marines emerged from cover. One, a corporal, walked up and saluted. The Chief realized that it was David Nunéz, on of the Marines he and his team had rescued from the Covenant cruiser in New Mombasa.
      "Nice to see you again sir," said Nunéz. "We wouldn't have been able to hold them off much longer."
      The Chief gave him the courtesy of returning the salute. "Corporal. How is the city's defense holding?" The Marine's face became grim.
      "There are only a few small squads left. The Covenant hit so quickly that all our major defenses were destroyed within the first hour. There seems to be something important going on over at City Hall. Most of the Covenant forces are located in that vicinity."
      "That's where we're headed," said the Chief. Nunéz stared at him. "Admiral Hood is pinned inside the building. It's our job to get him out." Nunéz nodded in understanding then glanced at his squad.
      "Permission to accompany you sir. My squad and I would like to get a little revenge."
      As he had on the cruiser, the Chief weighed the options. Was the extra firepower offered by the Marines enough to balance the risk of them getting killed or overcome by battle rage and jeopardizing the operation? Cortana, however, took the decision out of he Chief's hands.
      Using his external speakers, the A.I. said, "the insertion will be too dangerous without the enhancements and armor the Spartans have; even with them it will not be easy. However, there is the question of extraction. General Ketin in New Mombasa believes it would be too risky to send a Pelican for extraction, so we will have to find another way out of the city. If you and your squad could do that, we would be much obliged."
      Nunéz considered this, then nodded. "We'll find a way out for you and the Spartans ma'am. I'll notify you when we have it secured." He saluted again, motioned to his squad and they jogged off.
      The Chief pulled up a map of the city onto his HUD and checked the location of City Hall. He then turned to the other Spartans and signaled for them to move out.

      City Hall lay about five kilometers north of the Spartan's position. The Chief decided to take the most direct route, straight through downtown, knowing the the Admiral's position could become compromised at any minute.
      Many of the skyscrapers that had dominated the city's skyline were gone, replaced by piles of rubble. The few remaining had been used for target practice judging by the gaping holes torn in their outer walls.
      The farther into the city the Spartans went, the fewer intact buildings there were. They also encountered fewer Covenant patrols. Remembering what had happened in New Mombasa, the Spartans moved along cautiously. Their caution was justified.
      Two blocks from the coordinates of City Hall, the Spartans turned a corner into a huge plaza. It was at least half a kilometer across in each direction and, in the center, the silver white dome of City Hall rose into the morning sky, seemingly floating on an ocean. An ocean comprised of thousands upon thousands of Covenant troops and artillery.
      The Covenant seemed to be using this area as their attack HQ. Small domed tents had been set up for the Elites and long, tube shaped barracks for the Grunts. Most of them were set up around the front of the building, but there were a few square metal barracks behind City Hall. Wraith tanks were set up along the perimeter and a large group of unmanned vehicles sat just outside the ring of tents. One manned tank sat just a few hundred meters away as it patrolled the perimeter of the camp.
      The Spartans ducked back around the corner to avoid notice. Evidently, the driver of the Wraith did not seem them as there was no roar of a plasma mortar being fired.
      The Chief waited a few minutes, then peeked out again. The Wraith had moved off a few hundred more meters to continue its patrol route. Another tank was approaching the Spartan's position, however, and the Chief was forced to duck back to avoid being seen.
      The Chief turned to the other Spartans. They appeared as shocked as he felt.
      "Well," said Will, "I don't think there is much chance of fighting through that."
      "There does not seem to be any chance of sneaking in either," continued Fred. "The patrols are well organized and thorough; they'd see us for sure."
      "What if we were to draw them away from City Hall with a diversion?" asked Linda. "It would make the tanks move away and, most likely, a large number of troops."
      "And while they're away," mused the Chief, "we could sneak past the rear guard into the building. There will most likely be many troops inside City Hall as well, so getting in might be the easy part. As for the escape... we might have to rely on the old sewer pipes again." The other Spartans nodded in agreement.
      "Fred, you and Linda will create the diversion. Make it loud. Will, you're with me. I'll post a NAV marker at the rendezvous point. Lets move!"

      Fred hefted the Jackhammer launcher and sighted on the Wraith tank as its patrol route brought it near the concrete wall he was using for cover. Linda was station twenty meters away, behind a pile of steel girders in a small crater caused by a mortar impact. As soon as the Wraith blew, she would take out as many Covenant soldiers as she could before they locked on to her position.
      "Ready?" asked Fred. Linda's acknowledgment light winked on. Fred steadied the tube and fired.
      The rocket impacted the side of the tank near the unarmored rear, destroying it instantly. Immediately after the explosion, four shots rang out killing two Elites and Grunts near the other vehicles. Another quartet of rounds split the air as Covenant soldiers appeared from their quarters to investigate the disruption.
      The other active Wraith tank moved into view around City Hall and prepared to fire. Fred steadied the launcher for a second shot and pulled the trigger. The Covenant tank tried to dodge the rocket but the explosive hit just above the cockpit, killing the pilot and severely damaging the vehicle.
      More sniper rounds made friends with Covenant brains as Linda's accuracy took its toll. From the buildings behind City Hall, Brutes appeared and began running toward Fred and Linda's position. Linda unleashed another clip on the huge aliens, downing four with headshots. She reloaded multiple times, using each clip to its maximum. Finally there were only five Brutes left.
      Linda dropped four with headshots but the last Brute roared in anger and fired its grenade launcher. Fred saw Linda dive to the side as the grenade impacted where she had stood a moment before. Another grenade impacted and blew away what remained of her cover.
      By this time however, Fred had reloaded. He sighted on the ground at the Brute's feet and fired. The Brute turned in surprise to see the rocket hit the ground and explode. When the other surviving Covenant saw the body of the Brute go flying in the air, they scattered. It was at this moment that an orange NAV point appeared on Fred's HUD, pointing to a location in the rear of City Hall.
      Fred stood and jogged over to Linda. She shook her head, "almost got me again," she muttered. "I need to be more careful!" She nodded to show she was all right and began jogging toward City Hall. Fred followed.

      The Master Chief saw Fred and Linda approaching and signaled for them to follow him. Will was waiting outside the broken down door that led into City Hall.
      The diversion had worked perfectly. Stunned by the loss of their armor support and many soldiers, the remaining Covenant had moved to the front of the building, out of sight of Fred and Linda's former position.
      When they reached the door, Will gave the Chief a salute and said "all clear Chief." The Chief nodded and stepped inside the dark interior of City Hall. They had made it past thousands of Covenant troops, but he knew the hard part was only beginning.

Attack on Sol (Part 13)
Date: 9 July 2004, 3:03 PM

      The Spartans crept down the long whitewashed hall. Along the walls, there were many pictures and newspaper articles framed, most showing the mayor taking office or reports of great human victories.
      Down the left side of the hall, were many offices that had been evacuated when the Covenant took the city. Overturned desks, chairs and scattered papers showed that the Covenant had explored the area.
      A left hand turn appeared a few meters ahead and the Chief cautiously moved up to it and glanced around the corner. Through a set of glass doors about ten meters away, he could see a sweeping staircase leading to the upper levels of City Hall. Cortana chose this moment to speak.
      "The Admiral and others are located in the basement of the building. There is an elevator shaft that is located next to the receptionist's desk in rear of the main lobby. There is likely to be a large guard force so be careful."
      "Don't worry," responded the Chief, "I'm always careful." Cortana processed the equivalent of a sigh as the Chief turned back to the other Spartans and relayed her information.
      Linda moved slowly toward the door and looked to the left. She started to open the door but suddenly flattened herself against the wall. The Chief crept up beside her and glanced out just in time to see a line of Brutes walk across the lobby and exit through the main entrance. He then opened the door a few centimeters and looked to his left. The Brutes had not left City Hall undefended.
      A pair of Special Ops Elites had taken up positions outside of the elevator leading into the basement. They obviously did not think anything would make it inside, however, as they appeared relaxed and were not watching the surrounding area very closely.
      The Chief turned to Linda and pointed to her, then to the darkened staircase fifteen meters from the doorway. The only light came from the main entrance and, since the lights were out, the sides of the room were left in shadow.
      Linda cautiously opened the door and, hearing no reaction from the Elites, moved silently into the open. She crossed the distance without attracting notice and took a position on the bottom step of the stairway, then waited for the Chief's order to fire. The order came quickly and the the echo of the sniper rifle's reports was lost in the noise of the Covenant force outside.
      "All clear Chief," came Linda's voice over the com. "Those two were the only guards up here."
      "Roger," replied the Chief. He motioned for Fred and Will to follow him and moved into the lobby. Linda immediately walked over to join them.
      Not wasting any time, the Chief jogged quickly over the the elevator and punched the button to open the door. Fred and Will policed the bodies and moved them behind the receptionist's desk, then they joined the Chief and Linda in the elevator.
      The door slid silently shut and the elevator rattled as it descended into the depths of City Hall.

      The elevator ride was a short one. City Hall's basement lay about thirty meters below the ground floor, protected by layers of Titanium-A and hardened concrete.
      The Chief felt the elevator slow and motioned for the Spartans to get ready. The door slid slowly open, revealing what appeared to be a storage room. There were filing cabinets along every wall, many of them had been opened and their contents spilled out by the Covenant. The room was lit by an eerie glow, courtesy of the portable lights used by the Covenant.
      At the end of the storage room, there were three doors; two heading off to the right and left, the other, straight ahead. Upon investigation, it was found that the two side doors led to more storage rooms packed with boxes.
      The center door, however, led into a large room with weapon racks along the sides. The racks were empty, the weapons had probably been taken when the Covenant took over the building.
      At the far end of the room, however, was a large blast door that most likely led to the bunker the Admiral was pinned in. Getting him out was not going to be easy, though; the room was occupied.
      A pair of Special Ops Elites had been studying the bunker door when they heard the door behind them swing open. They spun around, plasma rifles at the ready, and fired a burst of plasma bolts at the Spartans in the doorway.
      A group of Special Ops Grunts had also heard the door open but, instead of firing at the Spartans, they began to run around the room screaming "they're gonna kill us all!"
      The Spartans ducked out of the doorway as the plasma bolts slashed through the air. The Chief peeked back in and fired a burst of rounds at the Elites, forcing them to dodge. He withdrew and turned to Fred.
      "Do you still have that Jackhammer launcher?" he asked. Fred answered by unslinging and shouldering it.
      "I'm on it Chief," Fred said. He stepped into the doorway, ignoring the plasma bolts that splashed against his shields, and fired a rocket at the ground between the two Elites. They had just enough time to warble in surprise before the rocket blew them away.
      The five surviving Grunts were thrown into a greater panic then before, but it was short-lived. The other Spartans moved into the room and unloaded on the diminutive aliens, killing them quickly.
      The Chief walked over to the bunker door while the others searched the room and took up positions in front of the door. He stepped up to the intercom panel on the wall beside the door and pressed the speak button.
      "Admiral Hood," he said into the mic, "this is the Master Chief, Spartan-117. My squad and I are ready to evac you to New Mombasa per the orders of General Ketin." It was silent for a few moments, then the blast door creaked and slid slowly open.
      Five Marines stepped forward, Battle Rifles at the ready, but they relaxed slightly when they saw the Chief. One turned and called back into the bunker, "it's all right sirs, the Spartans are here." Three figures emerged out of the darkness of the bunker.
      Admiral Hood's silver hair was rumpled and there were dark circles under his eyes, but he nodded, grateful for the evac. The mayor of New York City, Charles Hopler, had a bandage wrapped around his chest, and a Marine's helmet on his head. The last person to emerge from the bunker was one of the last people the Chief would have expected; Colonel James Ackerson.

Attack on Sol (Part 14)
Date: 15 July 2004, 12:13 AM

      The Chief saluted to each of them but only Ackerson refused to acknowledge it. Admiral Hood shot him a glare and turned back to the Chief.
      "Good to see you Master Chief," he said. "Things were getting pretty hot down here. Do you have a ride?"
      "We have a squad of Marines securing one right now," replied the Chief. "With all due respect sir, I recommend we get out of here. The Covenant will probably be sending a patrol down here to capture you and if they find you're not here, they'll mount a search. We need to be out of here by then."
      "I agree Chief," said the Admiral. "It should be clear up there."
      The Chief hesitated. "With all due respect sir, how do you know?"
      "There is a security camera monitor inside the bunker we were in," responded the Admiral. "We checked it regularly." The Chief nodded in acceptance then saluted, and motioned for the Spartans to move out.
      With the Spartans on point and the five Marines covering their six, the group moved quickly back to the elevator. It was just large enough for everyone to fit on at once.
      When the elevator doors opened at the top of the shaft, the Spartans braced for incoming fire, their experience had made it clear that machines break, but none came. The Covenant outside were still milling about in confusion, from what the Chief could see, and had no idea that anything was happening inside City Hall.
      Wasting no time, the group walked quickly over to the door that the Spartans had come in. The hallway was unchanged and unoccupied which allowed them to reach the back door to City Hall quickly.
      A few meters from the door, the Chief's com burped static and the voice of Corporal Nunéz came through. He held up a hand and the group stopped.
      "Master Chief, this is Corporal Nunéz, do you read me?"
      "I read you Corporal," responded the Chief, "do you have our ride secured?"
      "Yes sir. We've got a Pelican that was grounded when the Covenant attacked. Just need your coordinates and we'll pick you up."
      "Uploading a NAV point now. We'll see you there," said the Chief. He turned to the others and relayed the information.
      Jogging the few remaining meters to the door, the Chief opened it a few centimeters and looked out. There did not appear to be any guards, but just to be safe, he pulled out the optical probe and fed it around the corner of the door. All clear. The Chief started to retrieve the probe, but stopped, there seemed to be faint ripple in the air. It was too faint to be a camouflaged Elite. He zoomed in to the probe's maximum gain; there was something there, but the Chief couldn't tell what; the shape was too vague.
      The Chief motioned for the group to stay there and then stepped around the door, an SMG at the ready. He fired a five round burst into the shape and it gave off a small shriek and fell. As soon as it hit the ground, the shape became visible.
      It was tall, about six'- eight" and thin. Its head was like that of a Jackal's, but with a longer snout and larger eyes that, even in death, seemed to pulsate. The white armor it wore had a mirror-like quality that made it difficult to see, even without the camouflage. It carried a rifle with what appeared to be a bayonet on the underside. The rifle itself appeared to be a plasma rifle with a longer barrel and a tube on top that looked like a scope of some kind.
      The Chief winked his acknowledgment light twice, the Spartan's inaudible signal for all clear. The rest of the group moved into the open, still watchful. They paused when they saw the creature lying dead on the ground.
      The Chief shook his head, there was no time for examination, and pointed to the buildings a few hundred meters away. He picked up the body and began to jog away. The Spartans followed immediately and, after a moment, the others did too.
      The group was only fifty meters from the buildings when suddenly, behind them, the Chief heard a plasma pistol shot and the high pitch scream of a Grunt
      "Run," shouted the Chief. He and the other Spartans spun around as the rest of the group streamed past them. A group of Grunts had rounded the side of City Hall and spotted the humans. One of them had let off a shot while the rest ran for the main force.
      Linda fired and brought down four of the Grunts quickly, but one managed to get in sight of the main force before he was killed. The Spartans heard the reaction of the shot and, knowing they could not stop that large of an onslaught, began to fall back. They reached the edge of the plaza and the rest of the group just as the first Covenant poured around the sides of City Hall.

      Taking point again, the Spartans lead the group deeper into the city. About a kilometer from the plaza, the group stopped to rest as the officers were exhausted and the Marines, winded.
      "We need to go now, before the Covenant find us or the dropship." Admiral Hood nodded wearily and the group moved off.
      The Chief had placed the NAV point at a small park about a block away. The group arrived there ahead of the Pelican, but stayed under cover so as not to attract attention.
      Finally, the Chief heard the roar of the Pelican's engine and the craft itself appeared soon after. As the dropship touched down in the park, four Marines hopped out and formed a semicircle around the main hatch, weapons at the ready.
      The Chief stepped out from the shadow of a building, followed by the others. The Marines around the Pelican saluted and climbed back in. The Chief waited until everyone was inside, then climbed in himself. He made his way to the cockpit and stood behind the copilot's chair, which was occupied by Corporal Nunéz.
      The pilot pressed a few buttons and the Pelican rose into the air with a roar and zoomed off toward New Mombasa, leaving behind a burning city.

Attack on Sol (Part 15)
Date: 20 July 2004, 6:44 AM

      The long flight back to New Mombasa was not as tedious as the one in. After explaining General Ketin's plan to Admiral Hood, which he had been optimistic about, the Chief began to study the alien he had killed. He was especially interested in the camouflage unit that was so much better that the Elite's, and the weapon.
      The unit was simply a small, square, white box that matched the creature's armor. Other than being slightly smaller than an Elite's, there was not much difference.
      The weapon very much resembled a plasma rifle, except that the tubes came closer together to form a longer barrel. The tube on top which the Chief tested, verified it was a scope, with four times magnification.
      Abruptly, the Pelican gave a jolt and began a landing sequence. The Chief looked out of the main hatch and saw New Mombasa rising to greet them.

      The Marine HQ had changed drastically since the Spartans had been there six hours earlier. The walls of the building were blackened and the charred remains of Warthogs and Ghosts littered the area. No MPs came to meet them.
      Motioning for Fred to come with him, the Chief ordered the rest of the group to stay there. Ackerson ignored the order and began to walk forward, but was frozen in his tracks by a look from Admiral Hood.
      The Chief and Fred began to move forward as Linda, Will and the Marines formed a perimeter around the Pelican's main hatch.
      The base's door had been hit and was leaning crazily on one hinge. The Chief and Fred walked cautiously inside to find that, contrary to the exterior of the base, the interior was perfectly normal. No plasma scars marred the walls, nor was there any blood or bodies in the hallways.
      The Spartans moved into the lounge, where they had waited to receive their orders several times. The room was unoccupied, as was General Ketin's office a little further down the hall. There was, however, a data chip, labeled "C. Home.", lying on the General's desk which the Chief picked up and secured. He figured Ketin must have heard the attack and taken cover somewhere else, leaving the chip in plain sight.
      The Spartans explored the entire base save for the mess hall, but when they reached the science lab, a surprise waited for them. As they walked slowly along the hallways of the base, the Chief saw a dark shape lying in the middle of the hall. He jogged quickly over to it and realized it was a body lying face down. Instantly on alert, the Chief cautiously rolled the body over.
      Blood covered the face and chest from a head wound and a slit throat, but it was not enough to obscure the staring, dead features of the late General Ketin.

      Once he got over the shock of Ketin being dead, the Chief noticed what the deceased General held in his hand. They were four exact copies of the plasma sword Linda and Will had recovered from the Covenant base! He gently removed the gray tubes from Ketin's hands and stood, still on the alert.
      Fred had approached from behind and was standing with his back to the Chief, watching the hallway behind them. The Chief handed the energy swords to him, then gently picked up Ketin's body and moved it inside the lab and covered it with a sheet. He opened a com link to Linda and Will.
      "Spartans," he said, "Ketin is dead."
      There was silence for a moment, then Linda said "how?"
      "His throat was cut," responded the Chief. "However, there is no one in the vicinity. It must have happened a while ago. Fred and I are going to clear the rest of the base, then we'll leave."
      "Got it Chief," said Linda regretfully. The Chief nodded to Fred and they walked slowly away from the science lab to check the mess hall where they thought the other Marines and personnel might be.
      It was not very far away, but when the Spartans arrived, they found the door locked. Fred slammed the butt of his rifle against the door several times, breaking it down. The Chief stepped through the doorway, weapon raised, and stopped. He was not prepared for the sight that met his eyes.
      The Marines and other personnel that had manned the base were there all right, but they weren't alive.
      Whoever had killed General Ketin had struck here too. Dead bodies lay on the floor and strewn across tables. Some were still sitting on the benches as if they had been killed from behind even while eating. Human blood covered the ground around almost every table, but there was no Covenant blood anywhere.
      Suddenly, the Chief heard a coughing sound from his right. He spun and brought his Battle Rifle to bear. A wounded Marine was sitting against a wall, holding his chest and coughing. The Chief could see several streams of red running through the man's fingers. He stepped over to the soldier and knelt in front of him.
      The Marine heard the Chief approaching and looked up through pain filled eyes.
      "Sir," he stammered, "couldn't see them. People... dying. Mark... dead." The soldier took a shallow, rasping breath and continued. "Pain. Knocked out. Woke up... everyone else dead. I'm... dying." He glanced around in terror. "Keep them away... sir. I can... see... them." The Marine's eyes widened and he reached for the Chief, but he fell back and his eyes glazed over in death.
      The Chief checked the soldier's pulse but found none. He then stood and saw Fred staring at the carnage, unmoving.
      "Fred," he said sharply, waking the other Spartan from his shock, "we have a mission to complete. There's nothing we can do for them now." Fred nodded slowly, then snapped a salute.
      "I'm ready Chief."
      The Chief nodded and quickly walked to the door and out into the hallway trying to escape the scene of carnage now imprinted on his mind.

      Linda was standing to the side of the Pelican's main hatch, watching the door into the base and the area surrounding it. Behind her, she could hear Admiral Hood discussing the new creature with the others.
      Linda had already formulated her own opinion on the alien. She believed that it was a thus far unseen Covenant race trained for stealth missions. Assassin would be a good name for it...
      Linda's speculation was interrupted by the opening of the base door. As John and Fred emerged, she turned and looked inside the Pelican's bay. The officers were crouching around the body of the alien lying on the floor.
      "Sirs," she said, "the rest of our team has arrived."
      "Thank you Spartan," acknowledged Admiral Hood, as he and Mayor Hopler stood up. Colonel Ackerson did not even look at her.
      When the two absent Spartans arrived and related what had occurred in the mess hall, Linda could not help but think of the new alien.
      "Chief, could the assassinations have been committed by the new creature you killed?" she asked.
      "That seems highly likely," responded John. "The Marine I spoke to seemed confused on where the attack was coming from."
      Linda nodded, then Will spoke up. "Well, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do here, so now what?"
      John glanced at Admiral Hood, and the Admiral nodded. "I've considered the mission proposed by General Ketin... and I approve it." Ackerson opened his mouth to protest, but Hood overrode it.
      "We haven't got a damn chance of beating the Covenant here. They're too well entrenched. If we take the fight to them in a swift, unexpected attack, we may have a chance." He looked straight into John's faceplate. "I hereby surrender tactical control of this mission to you Master Chief." This time, Ackerson did not even protest. He just stood there, eyes glittering in surprise and anger.
      "I know you'll do your best to complete this mission," continued the Admiral. "You and your Spartans will be be the biggest part of this attack." Admiral Hood fell silent, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the Chief's orders.
      Linda watched as John realized that it was up to him to save humanity from destruction.
      "First," he began, "we need to find a way to reach the Fleet..."

Attack on Sol (Part 16)
Date: 23 August 2004, 12:18 AM

Hey, I'm back! Sorry about the long drought but I've been busy for a while. I've had these parts sitting around for a couple days but with ten hours of band camp each day for the last week... you get the idea. Same scenario next week, oh well. Enjoy!

      Yato 'Murlamee stood between the Human hanger and a fence and wondered what in the name of the gods he was doing there. There was nothing in the building except for a medium-sized personnel transport ship he had heard the Humans call a Cormorant. It did not seem important enough to send an entire squad of Special Operations soldiers to defend. But then, Yato was only a soldier, not given to the machinations of the Holy Ones.
      Suddenly, Yato heard the sound of gravel crunching beneath armored feet. He squinted into the bright sunlight and was startled to see four tall, green armored figures walking toward him. Yato turned his head to shout an alert, but then heard another, more frightening sound. The sound of a plasma sword activating.
      Yato turned back just in time to see one of the figures raise a plasma blade and plunge it into his armored body. He fell to the ground as the plasma burned through his armor and into his flesh. Yato tried to call for help, but only a gurgle escaped his mandibles and a moment later, life left him.

      The Master Chief shut down his energy sword and stepped away from the Elite's body as it convulsed in its death thoroughs. He turned and motioned for the Marines and officers to move up.
      "Admiral," he said, "keep your squad here until we verify the area is clear. Then we can secure the ship." Admiral Hood nodded, unholstered his sidearm and stood against the wall of the hanger near a door with Ackerson and Hopler beside him. The five Marines covered both flanks.
      The Spartans walked to the corner of the hanger and peered around. There was a small patrol of Special Ops Grunts walking up and down the small walkway between the hanger wall and fence. An Elite was watching the patrol with his back to the Spartans.
      "I've got this one Chief," murmured Fred as he backed up to get out of Covenant earshot. He pulled out his energy sword and activated it. The hiss of the sword activating went unnoticed among the Covenant.
      Fred crept back up to the others and, after watching the Grunts patrol back and forth several times, moved into the open. He crept up behind the Elite, who was still oblivious to his presence, raised the blade and cut straight down the Elite's spine. The alien dropped without a sound.
      Deactivating and dropping the energy sword, Fred pulled out an SMG and opened fire on the unsuspecting Grunts. They spun around, looking for the shooter, but very few actually saw Fred before they fell. The entire patrol was downed within thirty seconds.
      The Chief moved up next to Fred followed by the other Spartans. "These things work really well," said Fred, holding up the energy sword. The Chief nodded, then walked to the next corner. The walkway beyond was clear as was the front of the hanger.
      When they arrived back at the Admiral's location, Hood asked "the area secure?" The Chief reported that it was and walked over to the door that lead into the hanger.
      The hanger had been the storage place for extraterrestrial transports used by the Marines stationed in New Mombasa. The only ship left inside, a Cormorant, was usually used for stealthy insertions, perfect for getting to the Fleet. The sleek black ship was fast and armed with four 120 millimeter cannons and three Anvil II missile pods. It had two passenger compartments, one on either side of the craft, that could hold twenty Marines apiece
      Will climbed into the cockpit of the forty meter long craft while the officers and Marines got in the port passenger compartment. The Chief, Fred and Linda occupied the starboard compartment.
      Will contacted the hanger's computer system and opened the ceiling door, then brought the ship's engines online and nudged the Cormorant up and out of the hanger. Will spun the ship so its nose angled up and boosted the engines to full power. The Cormorant rumbled and shot up as if eager to escape the pull of Earth's gravity.

      When the Cormorant cleared Earth's atmosphere, there were only two Covenant ships in sight, both of which were what appeared to be tugs. They were dragging wreckage from destroyed ships into a large area roughly located over the Rocky Mountains. The Chief could barely make out small shapes moving around on a platform already half a kilometer across. Just like at Reach, he thought.
      Will's voice suddenly came through the overhead speakers, he sounded confused. "Looks like the area is clear of enemy warships Master Chief. I'm heading to the Fleet's last known coordinates."
      "Roger that Will," responded the Chief. "Everybody get some rest, we should be arriving in about an hour."

      Forty-five minutes later, the Chief woke with a start and realized the ship had slowed down. He had been dozing while leaning against the bulkhead separating the two passenger compartments. Fred and Linda were still asleep a little further down the twenty meter room.
      The Chief got to his feet and walked to the door leading into the cockpit. Will was still sitting at the controls, but the computer was flying the craft. He turned around at the Chief's entrance.
      "Chief," he said, "I was able to make contact with the Fleet a few minutes ago. They've managed to keep themselves hidden from the Covenant in system. I told them we had Admiral Hood aboard and Rear Admiral Garten agreed to send out an escort of Longswords. They should be arriving any minute."
      Even as Will finished speaking, four blips appeared on the motion sensors. A few seconds later, the four Longsword fighters came into view. They quickly formed up around the Cormorant and matched its speed. The lead fighter's pilot contacted them over the com.
      "Spartan-043 do you read?" the pilot's voice was tense.
      "I read you," responded Will, "thanks for the escort."
      "Our pleasure," said the pilot, "now I'd like to get back before the Covenant figure out we're here."
      "Sure thing," said Will as he boosted the Cormorant to full power.

Attack on Sol (Part 17)
Date: 23 August 2004, 12:25 AM

      The Chief stepped from the port passenger compartment onto the deck of the shielded cruiser Hercules, Rear Admiral Garten's ship. It was one of the few ships that had taken only light damage.
      A squad of Marines were waiting for the group just inside the docking bay door. The leader, a Sergeant walked over to the Chief.
      "Master Chief," he said, saluting, "Admiral Garten is waiting for you and you squad." He paused as he saw Admiral Hood exit from the opposite side of the Cormorant.
      "Thank you Sergeant," said the Chief, reacquiring the Marine's attention, "we'll be right there." He turned to Admiral Hood. "We're expected sir,"
      "Well," said the Admiral, starting forward, lets not keep 'em waiting."
      "Aye sir," responded the Chief.

      Rear Admiral Louis Garten stood on the bridge of the Hercules. He had not supported the idea of fleeing the Covenant attack, but had accepted it as the best tactical move. With the addition of the new shielded ships and patrols that were late arriving, Garten had been toying with the idea of making an assault on the Covenant fleet in orbit. At least until long range sensors came in contact with the Spartan's ship.
      Abruptly, he heard the sound of the elevator door that accessed the bridge open. Garten turned to see four Spartans and two officers emerge from the elevator.
      The Spartans immediately saluted and one shouted "officer on the deck" to which Garten gave the customary "at ease." Admiral Hood stepped forward and Garten snapped to attention.
      "At ease son," said Hood. "Thanks for letting us aboard."
      "My pleasure sir," returned Garten.
      "Well," continued Hood, "I have a proposition for you." Garten raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "The Spartans recovered an intact Covenant A.I. which was found to contain the location of the Covenant homeworld. We are going to hit them where it hurts." He signaled to one of the Spartans who stepped forward carrying a small data disk. He inserted it into the holographic display module, with Garten's approval, and touched a button.
      The area above the module came to life. A map, showing all of known space flickered into existence. There were two small red arrows displayed on the map however. One was centered over where Earth would be, just about the center of the map.
      The other was located, about halfway between the edge of the map and Earth. The Spartan touched the arrow over the Covenant homeworld and the display zoomed in to show dozens of planets, most the size of Earth, revolving around a red gas giant. As the view rotated another planet came into sight. This one was twice as large as Olympus Three, ten times the size of Jupiter!
      "That is the Covenant homeworld," said Admiral Hood. "According to the A.I., they call it Sanctum of the Hierarchs. We'll refer to it as Sanctum. The plan is to muster what remains of the Fleet and enter Slipspace."
      Garten tried to protest running away, but Hood was not finished. "Our target will be Sanctum. From what we've gathered from the A.I., the Covenant have an impenetrable line of defense surrounding the system. We cannot fight our way in. The goal is to capture a Covenant ship and steal our way in-system. From there, we can hopefully find a weakness in their security measures and send down the Spartans and Marines."
      "What can we hope to accomplish by a ground assault?" asked Garten.
      "Remember project NOVA?" replied Hood. Garten nodded in sudden understanding. "The ground troops will plant a NOVA bomb as close to the planet's core as possible. They will set the timer and get out of there while our forces keep the Covenant fleet occupied. Once they're back, we exit the system, leaving a few ships to reconnoiter. The rest of the Fleet returns to Earth and, after the remaining Covenant are destroyed, victory!"
      "It's a good plan sir," said Garten "one I'd be happy to be a part of. One of the late arriving ships was equipped with a NOVA bomb, so getting one will not be a problem." Hood nodded and turned to the Spartans. The one who had inserted the data chip responded.
      "Longsword fighters will be used to transport the bomb," he said. "Pelicans and Cormorants will be used for transporting troops. As for the placement of the bomb, we'll need to get close enough for a scan, but a deep valley or crater should do the job."
      "Now, without further ado, Admiral Garten," announced Hood, turning back to him, "would you muster the Fleet. I'd like to get underway. Don't want to give the Covies too long to get comfortable."

      In less than a minute, Admiral Garten's orders had gone out to every ship in what remained of the Fleet. With the Hercules in the lead and the rest close behind, the Fleet entered Slipstream bound for Sanctum. Revenge would be dealt out swiftly and completely. It was time for a counterattack.

Attack on Sol (Part 18)
Date: 31 August 2004, 8:46 PM

      It felt the slight vibration through the deck as the ship reentered normal space. Displays were suddenly filled with views of the large planet that dominated the system and readings ran across the main screen.
      It could not feel excitement, but the presence of a planet full of sentient life sent a wave of adrenaline racing through its body. It quickly sent a signal to the others who responded with the same feeling of pseudo-excitement. The time had come. Their species, nearly extinct, now had a chance for survival.
      It gave the necessary command and the others boarded landing craft and prepared to launch. The ship moved steadily in system. Enemy ships moved to engage, but It paid them no heed except to signal some of the others to launch. Some of the landing craft that launched toward the incoming ships were destroyed, but most attached to the enemy hulls and the occupants boarded. These ships stopped firing soon after.
      The ship continued on toward the planet, ignoring hits that scored its hull. When the structure of the ship could simply bear no more, It sent one last signal and the remaining landing craft launched toward the planet. Now that Its job was complete, It sent the ship barreling at one of the large enemy ships. The resulting explosion destroyed both vessels, but Its ship had been destroyed too late. Once the others reached the planet's surface, the nearly extinct species would live again.

      Ship Master Arlo 'Yulamee paced the elevated command platform on the deck of his supercruiser, The Prophet's Hand. Although his position honorable, it was extremely boring. Arlo would much rather have gone with the fleet that attacked the Human's homeworld.
      Nothing exciting ever happened here. He did not believe that the Humans would be stupid enough to attack Sanctum of the Hierarchs, and the only rebellion ever to occur in the Empire had been crushed long ago.
      Arlo sighed and continued his pacing. Abruptly, a contact alert blared from one of the probe control panels. The officer overseeing that probe activated the view screen, normal operating procedure. The image resolved but it was not another Covenant ship as 'Yulamee had expected. This ship looked like none he had ever seen.
      It had lumps and bulges jutting from the sides, and the hull was an ghostly green color. There were no apparent weapons. The communications officer, after only a short delay due to surprise, sent a transmission to the strange vessel requesting the proper identification codes. There was no answer.
      Arlo gave the only order he could. "Destroy them." His gunnery officer nodded and his hands raced across the controls.
      The Prophet's Hand's cannons warmed and belched plasma at the vessel which was now defined as an enemy. But as the plasma closed in on it's target, the ship seemed to shift and distort. The gunnery officer tried to compensate, but whatever he did, it had no effect. The plasma sped by the enemy ship causing no harm.
      Arlo felt a sudden, unaccustomed feeling. Fear. He immediately contacted the other ships guarding the same sector and requested assistance. Frigates, carriers and other cruisers moved toward the enemy ship and opened fire. Again, the strange shifting phenomenon occurred and the ship dodged the incoming plasma. After this volley, however, small pods were fired at several of the other Covenant ships. They were fast and hard to hit.
      The ship nearest The Prophet's Hand, the carrier Swarm of Vengeance, was able to destroy one incoming pod, but two others closed and attached to its hull. A few cycles later, it ceased fire and began to drift.
      The rest of the Covenant fleet continued to fire at the main enemy ship. They coordinated their attacks by aiming at every side of the ship so, while it was able to dodge some, others impacted. Those that did scored deep gouges in the hull and the ship began to vent atmosphere and slow down.
      Just as the remaining Covenant ships prepared to fire one last time, small explosions appeared from every surface of the ship. More pods. These, however, were fired on a trajectory intersecting the planet below. Even as The Prophet's Hand turned to fire at the swarm of pods, the strange ship made one last move and plowed into the side of the Covenant vessel.
      The last thing Arlo saw before a wave of fire engulfed the bridge was a scan on the occupants of one of the pods appear on the view screen. He immediately knew what it was and felt unspeakable terror, but even as he reached for the communications control, the bridge exploded in flame .

      The Master Chief stood on the bridge of the Hercules with the rest of his squad as the human fleet reentered normal space just outside of the system. He expected to see a group of Covenant ships immediately bear down on them and was surprised when their sudden appearance garnered no response.
      "Cortana," said Admiral Garten, "scan the system for enemy contacts." There was a momentary pause as Cortana used the Hercules' scanning equipment to locate the enemy presence.
      "There are a large number of ships present in this system," she reported, "but oddly, most of them seem to be concentrated at a point approximately one light-minute away from us. However, there are still... two of the contacts just disappeared."
      To the Chief, it seemed as if everyone on the bridge immediately became more alert. Admiral Hood was the first to break the silence.
      "Explain," he ordered.
      "There isn't much to explain Admiral," responded Cortana. "All I can say is that two of the contacts are gone. We're not close enough for me to make an in-depth scan, so that's the best I can do." She sounded vaguely disappointed.
      The Master Chief chose this moment to speak up. "Sirs, if the Covenant are preoccupied, shouldn't we make our move? They won't know what hit them until it's too late."
      Admiral Hood nodded. "Master Chief, get your squad ready for the insertion, and coordinate with Cortana to find the ideal place to plant the bomb. You'll be going in with it."
      "Yes sir," shouted the Chief. He turned to his squad. "Go down to the armory and get ready. I'll meet you there." The other Spartans saluted and walked into the elevator. As the door closed, the Chief turned around, expecting some last minute instructions. What he did not anticipate was Colonel Ackerson stepping forward.
      "Admiral," he said, addressing Hood, "I request permission to accompany the Spartans on their mission."
      Admiral Hood was plainly taken aback by this odd query, as was the Chief for that matter. Ackerson was the main adversary of the SPARTAN program and had done everything in his power, and much that was not, to sabotage it.
      Hood seemingly had the same thought. He turned slowly to face Ackerson who was standing next to him. "And why should I let you accompany them?" he asked. "For one thing, you've been against the SPARTAN program ever since it was announced. For another, what good could you do? You're not a pilot, scientist or soldier. You just be another liability in combat!"
      Ackerson obviously had been considering this for a while and had his answer prepared. "I plan to stay aboard one of the transport craft and monitor the progress in the ground, and orbital battles. That way, I can assist the ground forces by giving them up to the minute intel and recommend mission modifications. As for the Spartans, I'm willing to work with them to save humanity."
      Admiral Hood apparently believed this to be a good argument and rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger all the while staring intently at Ackerson.
      The Master Chief watched this impassively. While he had nothing personal against the Colonel, he knew what the junior officer had done to try and lift his own projects above those of his rival Catherine Halsey's. Whether the man could be trusted not to let his pride get in the way of what was best for the human race remained to be seen.
      Finally, after a long pause, Admiral Hood said, "all right Colonel, your plan makes sense. You will help the Spartans however you can without doing anything presents a problem for the them. Understood?"
      "Of course sir," replied Ackerson.
      "Very well then," said Hood, turning once again to face the Chief. "Master Chief, you have complete control over the ground operations. Good luck."
      "Thank you sir," acknowledged the Chief. He saluted and walked into the elevator. Just before the door closed, however, he saw Ackerson cast a glance at him. The Chief was taken aback. That look was filled with such a victorious malevolence that it very nearly gave him a chill. He began to have a bad feeling about this mission.

Attack on Sol (Part 19)
Date: 12 September 2004, 6:30 PM

      The elevator door opened and the Master Chief stepped into the Hercules' massive armory. The room was a square twenty meters, but with very little open space. There was a long weapons rack down the center with scores of shotguns, Battle Rifles, and assault rifles stacked down its length. There were lockers on one side of the room that held the smaller arms and large cabinets on the other that held the heavy weapons.
      The Spartans were clustered at the far end of the room around a table stacked with munitions. They glanced up as the Chief began to walk towards them.
      "Anything new?" asked Fred when the Chief arrived.
      "Ackerson is going to accompany us," he replied. He then proceeded to tell his squad what the Colonel had proposed.
      "I don't like this," mused Linda. "Admiral Hood knows what Ackerson has done to try and undercut the SPARTAN program. Why does he trust him?"
      "It doesn't matter," said the Chief. "What does matter is whether we trust him. Under the circumstances, I don't think we should." The others nodded. "Right. As for equipment, we go in heavy. We won't be able to restock."
      He grabbed a Battle Rifle and two SMG's off the table along with a dozen clips for each weapon. The Chief also picked up a case of fragmentation and plasma grenades. Fred took similar equipment, while Linda selected an S2 AM sniper rifle with a modified Oracle scope and a standard issue pistol. Will chose a Jackhammer launcher along with his Battle Rifle.
      The Chief also picked up a duffel bag and set it on the table. Inside it he placed two Lotus antitank mines, extra communications gear, and two smoke grenades to signal for pickup.
      He walked over to a small view screen mounted on the wall.
      "Cortana," the Chief said into his helmet mike, "display an image of the target area." Almost immediately a picture appeared on the screen. It appeared to be of a deep valley with a mountain at one end and steep cliffs along the sides. Cortana's voice accompanied the photo.
      "This appears to be a Covenant mining camp. The mountain is an dormant volcano that supplies them with an unknown resource. The shaft is very deep and wide enough for a flight of Pelicans to enter side by side."
      There was a short pause. "The entire valley is very heavily guarded. Apparently whatever the Covenant is getting from the volcano is extremely valuable. You will have to disable the AA weapons in order for the air support to move in with the NOVA. Once you and your team are groundside I will be able to locate the control center for you to neutralize."
      "Is there anything else we should worry about?" asked the Chief.
      "Other than the air being highly toxic... no."
      "Toxic?" he asked.
      "There is a high concentration of carbon monoxide, mercury and sulfur in the atmosphere around that location. There are also traces of the unknown element and heavy radiation. A few seconds of exposure would be lethal to any unprotected individual. You and the other Spartans shouldn't have much trouble but the Marines..." she trailed off.
      "So we'll be going in alone," finished the Chief.
      "Unless they've got some special equipment on this ship that isn't in the inventory, yes."
      "I see." The Chief had been in similar spots before, heading into enemy territory under hostile conditions, but this was, for lack of a better word, very bad.
      Nevertheless, he and the Spartans would be going in whatever the conditions. The fate of the human race rested on their shoulders.

      A half-hour later, the Chief and his squad were in a Cormorant heading down toward Sanctum. The unknown enemy had bought enough time for the human fleet to get close and launch the attack force.
      As Cortana had said, there were no Marines accompanying the Spartans. The soldiers were in other transports heading to different locations on the planet to distract the Covenant. They were all volunteers, knowing full well what the likely outcome of this mission would be and what the potential reward would be if they succeeded.
      The Spartan's ship rumbled and bounced as it passed through the planet's thick atmosphere. The Chief had to admit, having Colonel Ackerson in the co-pilot seat was not a very reassuring fact, but he paid little heed to it. If they did not complete this mission, it wouldn't matter who trusted who.
      On the main view screen, the Chief could see the other transports peeling away to either side as they headed for their own LZs. Then, the view of the sky was replaced by a picture of the volcano that was their objective. The ground for kilometers around was a mottled black and brown, nothing that indicated anything alive.
      The pilot set the Cormorant down just inside the ring of death. The black paint of the ship blended in well with the ground and made it difficult to see. The hatch popped open and the Spartans piled out. They arranged themselves in a vanguard formation with Fred on point and Linda drifting a few meters to the right side.
      As the Cormorant lifted off behind them to set down in a more secure location, the Spartans began their trek. It was a long ways to the volcano and even though they moved fast, it still took a good thirty minutes before they reached the most outside mine. It was abandoned and looked as though it had been that way for some time, but the Chief was cautious just the same. They entered and went a few dozen meters into each tunnel before moving on.
      The Spartans were only a kilometer from the base of the volcano when the Chief heard a faint roar, like that of an escape pod, coming from the sky behind him. He spun around and immediately spotted the source of the noise. A small ship was closing extremely quickly and looked to be headed right at them!
      "Incoming," the Master Chief yelled and dove to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others do the same. The ship crashed to the ground a scant hundred meters from their position. The over wash and shock wave from the impact dropped his shields to a sliver and lifted the Chief a few centimeters off the ground.
      When the shudders from the crash had stopped, the Chief slowly stood, turned, and after a short delay, raised his Battle Rifle. The ship had not been sheared in half as he would have expected, but instead stood, intact, a short distance away. The only evidence that the ship had ever hit anything was a large dent in the port section. It was as if the ship had absorbed the force of the impact!
      The Chief quickly checked his squad's bio-signs and verified they were alive and conscious. As soon as their heads cleared, they too rose and moved quickly to his position.
      The Master Chief motioned for them to spread around the craft, which they started to do, but before they took more than two steps, a door opened in the side of the ship.
      From the depths of the craft stepped a figure the Chief knew only too well. He had hoped they were all destroyed, but in vain. He felt himself unconsciously lock up, hands tightening on the Battle Rifle, teeth grinding. A chill swept through his body. His neck began to throb, an echo of a now healed wound. The other Spartans glanced at him, waiting for orders. The creature didn't look friendly, but appearances could be deceiving.
      The Chief wanted to tell them to kill it and now, but he could not make himself form the words. It was all he could do to raise his rifle and send a bullet through the mutated head of this spawn of nightmares.
      But even as the first went down, a horde emerged from the craft. Gurgling, they charged at the Spartans who fell back slowly under the onslaught. It seemed impossible that such a small craft could hold so many. Just when it seemed they would be overwhelmed, like shutting off a faucet, the attack stopped.
      Never letting down their guard, the Spartans reloaded and moved in unison toward the small ship. After verifying that the craft, which appeared to be an escape pod of sorts, was empty, Linda turned to the Chief.
      "What was that?" she whispered.
      "That," the Master Chief answered, "was the Flood."

Attack on Sol (Part 20)
Date: 3 November 2004, 11:28 PM

Sorry about the long wait but I've been really busy with school and stuff. I'm trying to finish by Nov. 9 so I'm sorry if the final couple of chapters are not the best I've written.

      The Flood. That name was charged with meaning for the Master Chief. The days of fighting on Halo had been some of the worst in his life and now, the creatures that had made those days a living hell were back.
      The rest of the Spartans had little idea of what the Flood were aside from what the Chief had been able to tell them. Linda had no knowledge whatsoever as she had been clinically dead during that period of time.
      "The Flood?" she asked.
      "A parasitic life form that infects a host and rewrites its nervous system, effectively taking control of the host's body," said Cortana, cutting off the Chief. "The small ones are the infection forms, and the larger ones are infected hosts. The bloated ones are essentially breeding grounds for more infection forms. Shields will keep them out, but if they go down..." she trailed off.
      The Master Chief gestured towards their objective, the huge volcano that dominated the skyline. "There's nothing we can do about them right now. We need to disable those AA guns. Humanity is depending on us."
      "No need to be so dramatic," teased Cortana as the Spartans began to jog towards the volcano once more.

      Kalit stood guard at the main entrance to the air defense facility. As soon as word had reached his commander about the Infidel's attack, he and two other members of his unit had been stationed outside the main entrance to keep watch for any landing parties that may try and disable the defenses in this sector. He had been ordered to be ready for anything.
      Kalit did not really think the Infidel fleet would try anything that hopeless as they were sure to need all of their resources in the orbital battle.
      Suddenly, something large flashed overhead and slammed into the ground a short distance away, just over one of the hills the base's main entrance was surrounded by. Kalit and his soldiers immediately had their weapons trained in the direction it had gone. He gave a signal and one soldier flicked on his camouflage and went to investigate.
      Several units ticked by when abruptly, a dark shape rose up behind the other soldier, raised one tentacled arm and brought it down on his head. The soldier immediately collapsed. Kalit had just enough time to turn on his camouflage and roll to avoid the enemy as it leaped at him.
      The creature stood for a moment, confused, then turned and ran to the huge metal door guarding the base. It gave a short gurgling sound and abruptly, a huge number of the creatures were flooding towards the base from seemingly nowhere.
      Large, bloated forms waddled forward, fell to the ground and exploded doing the door little damage. Another form like the first ran forward and from where Kalit lay on the ground, it appeared that it was carrying a fuel rod gun! This form fired at the door, melting some of the outer layer away. It fired again and this time blew a significant hole in the metal. The rest of the creatures began gurgling excitedly and hitting the door with their tentacles.
      Finally, the solid metal door fell to the ground with a crash and the horde swarmed into the base. Kalit slowly stood and turned on his communication device.
      "The base has been penetrated by enemies not of the Human's kind Your Excellency. Be warned, they are very dangerous." A swift 'beep' followed the message informing Kalit that it had been heard and acknowledged. He glanced around and without hesitation followed the creatures into the base.

      The Spartans arrived at the main entrance to the control center to find the door already down and the body of what appeared to be one of the Assassins lying on the ground.
      "Looks like the Flood have already been here," observed
Cortana.
      "Great," muttered the Chief. He motioned for the Spartans to follow him as he moved forward.
      The interior of the base was dark and gloomy and the Chief felt as thought they should be ambushed at any moment. His worries only grew as the Spartans continued on without meeting any resistance. They were few obstacles in their path and those that there were had already been cleared by the horde of Flood that had poured down these narrow corridors. After a little while, the Chief began to hear the sounds of battle in the distance which only grew louder as the Spartans moved deeper into the base.
      Abruptly, the Spartans turned a corner and found themselves in the entrance of what appeared to be the main control center of the base. It was also the scene of what must have been a large battle. Blood, both green and purple, covered the walls of the room. The numerous bodies littered on the floor gave evidence of a major assault by the Flood that had succeeded in pushing the few surviving Covenant out into a hallway on the opposite side of the room from the Spartans.
      A few Flood combat forms were guarding the hallway's entrance firing down it's length. Occasionally a plasma bolt would flash the other direction and strike one of the Flood, but it would simply shrug off the damage and continue firing. They could not, however, shrug off the damage issued from the Spartan's Battle Rifles.
      Even as the body of the last combat form fell to the ground, the Spartans charged into the room. Will, Linda and Fred covered the hallway as the Chief moved to one of the computer consoles and inserted Cortana's chip. He hoped she would be able to find a way to disable the AA guns quickly. The Fleet did not have much time left. As she did so often, Cortana surprised him.
      "I can trigger an overload sequence of the base's energy source with a timer from this location," she said almost immediately. "The explosion should have enough force to destroy this entire facility and perhaps even the guns themselves."
      "Do it," replied the Chief, "we don't have any time to lose. Set the timer for three minutes." Instantly, a three minute countdown appeared on his HUD. The Chief ejected Cortana's chip and inserted it into his helmet.
      "Spartans," he said, " we have three minutes to get out of here. Lets move!"
      They turned and ran back through the entrance they had come through and back into the system of hallways that separated them from the outside. But their escape was not nearly as easy as their infiltration. It seemed that the Covenant had brought in reinforcements and the vast majority of those were dedicated to keeping the Spartans from escaping the facility.
      The hallways were jammed with Covenant, both alive and dead, as the Spartans made their bid for freedom. For a long minute and several intense firefights, it seemed to the Chief that the waves of Covenant were simply too much and that this was another Charge of the Light Brigade, but even as those thoughts began to surface, the purple hallways opened up into the barren landscape that surrounded the volcano.
      Without pausing, the Chief and the others launched into a full sprint attempting to get as far away from the imminent explosion as possible. With only fifteen seconds left on the countdown, they reached the entrance to the mine they had seen earlier. The Spartans climbed down into the shallowest part and braced themselves.
      For what seemed an eternity, the world was still. Then came a low rumbling and the tunnel groaned as the explosion shook the ground in a huge radius from the facility. When the ground finally stilled, the Spartans climbed back outside to find that the large building was now no more than a large smoking crater.
      The Chief contacted Colonel Ackerson on his helmet mike, informing him of the destruction of the base. "The AA guns have been disabled Colonel," he said, "we're ready for the NOVAs."
      "Longswords inbound Chief, nice work. The explosion rattled something in the Cormorant, so you'll have to return here for extraction." Colonel Ackerson sounded oddly disappointed, almost as if he had wanted the Spartans to fail!
      "On our way sir," the Chief acknowledged. He motioned for the other Spartans to follow and jogged off in the direction the Cormorant lay.
      Within a few minutes, a pair of Longsword bombers appeared with a NOVA bomb slung between them on a multitude of Titanium A cables. The Chief glanced up at them and smiled behind his faceplate as they flew off toward the volcano. Mission successful.

Attack on Sol (Part 21)
Date: 18 December 2004, 1:39 AM

      Colonel Ackerson cut the transmission from the Master Chief. His plan was coming to fruition. Although it would have been much easier if the Spartans had simply been killed on this mission, but he was not worried. His own plan was perfect. Still, Ackerson was a cautious man and he did not want any witnesses of what he was about to do. So when he quietly stood, walked over behind the pilot and hit him over the head with the butt of his pistol, it was merely a precaution. Even so, the way the pilot's unconscious body fell to the floor was quite pleasing.
      Ackerson sat down in the pilot's former seat and ran his hands over the controls of the Cormorant. It had been a long while since he had been trained in single ship use, but he knew enough to take off, land and fire the weapons, which was all he needed.
      After a few minutes, the sensors on the ship showed four incoming green blips. The Spartans. He very nearly rubbed his hands together with glee.

      The Master Chief topped a low rise and saw the Cormorant sitting in the center of a depression just a few dozen meters away. He began to walk toward the craft when it suddenly fired its atmospheric thrusters and rose into the air.
      Colonel Ackerson's voice broke through on the com, "look out, behind you!" The Spartans all spun around, weapons raised, expecting an assault from either the Flood or the Covenant. Instead, there was nothing, only dust blowing over the blackened lava flow. Just as the Chief realized this, he heard an evil sounding chuckle over the com and a puffing sound. A missile being fired. The Chief waited a heartbeat then dove to the side shouting one word over the com; "Down!"
      He could not see whether or not the other Spartans had been able to dodge in time, but he had no time to think either as the missile impacted, throwing the Chief several meters and knocking the wind out of him. His shields were completely drained.
      Once he hit the ground, the Chief held perfectly still, knowing that even the slightest movement would show up on the ships sensors and alert the Colonel that he was still alive. The Chief remained in that position for several minutes until he heard the sound of the Cormorant's engines fade into the distance, then slowly got to his feet.
      "That's the second time he's tried to kill us," muttered Cortana. "He's not going to get away with it this time," but even she sounded shaken.
      The Chief was not injured aside from a few bruises and so was able to stand easily and look around for the other Spartans. They lay scattered across a large radius from the impact crater and had evidently all followed the same tactic as the Chief. They were all standing now, except one: Will.
      He lay stretched out on the ground only a few meters from the Chief, who immediately ran over and knelt at his side. His armor was punctured in many places and blood and hydraulic fluid flowed out of his wounds. Will was still alive, but his breathing was labored and when the Chief pulled up his bio-signs on his HUD, they were dangerously low. The Chief glanced around hopelessly. There was no way they were going to get Will or themselves off of the planet before the NOVA blew it to smithereens. The Chief froze; the NOVA was being carried by Longswords! Even as this thought entered his head, the Chief heard the sound of engines in the distance. He fumbled in his equipment case for the smoke grenade, pulled the pin and lobbed it into the center of the depression.
      As the engine noise grew louder, the Chief looked up at the blood red sky searching for the Longswords. Blue smoke from the grenade clouded his vision somewhat, but he could still see well enough to glimpse the Longswords as they passed overhead. Neither of them slowed down however.
      The smoke from the grenade dissipated just as the Chief's hope had. He was suddenly filled with a new emotion. Despair. There had never been a situation that the Spartans had been in that had not seemed so hopeless. Even in the battle for Reach, they had always known where their path of retreat was, and even if they hadn't made it, they would have gone down fighting. Now, they could do nothing to affect the outcome of this mission. There was no escape.
      Even as the Chief hung his head, acknowledging defeat, Linda cried out. "They're coming back!" The Master Chief was instantly on his feet, weapon at the ready. Sure enough one of the Longswords was coming in low directly towards them. The Spartans fired off a few rounds to show their position, then backed away, carrying Will, as the ship began a landing sequence.
      As soon as the Longsword touched down, the Spartans ran forward and climbed in. The pilot appeared surprised that the Spartans actually needed a ride, but willingly gave a status report.
      "The Fleet's distraction was successful and, although we took heavy casualties, the NOVA bomb was deposited successfully sir. All UNSC ground forces are beginning to evacuate. We have two hours to detonation." He paused, then added, "with all due respect sir, why are you here? I thought you would already have a ship waiting to get you off planet."
      "We did," replied the Chief, "but we were betrayed and one of my men was severely injured. It is imperative that we return to the Fleet as soon as possible."
      "You got it sir." With that, the pilot activated the Longsword's lift off sequence and the ship lifted into the sky.

      Captain Matthew Tyler of the frigate Jericho turned as the bridge elevator door opened and Colonel Ackerson stepped out. "Welcome aboard Colonel," he said saluting. His mouth tightened when Ackerson did not return the salute. Instead, he walked to the main viewport and gazed at the planet thousands of kilometers off.
      "This is the ship ordered to remain here to report?" asked Ackerson. There was something odd about the Colonel's tone, Tyler would have said it was regret if his hadn't known that Ackerson rarely showed emotion. Verbally or otherwise.
      "It is," replied Tyler as he moved to stand beside Ackerson.
      Ackerson nodded thoughtfully. "When will you be breaking system?" Now Tyler knew that something was amiss. Ackerson knew the plan as well as anyone and he never let anyone know that he was not informed of something.
      "Once we know the result of the Spartan's mission... Is something wrong?" He could have sworn that Ackerson had flinched when he said Spartan.
      "The Spartans never made it to the ship. The last I heard from them was that they were pinned down in a mine shaft by overwhelming odds. I flew over the area but there was nothing left. It was if a huge bomb had detonated and flattened the entire area."
      Tyler was silent for a few moments. The Spartans were dead and Earth's last hope was gone. If they had not disabled the AA guns, the Longswords would not have made it in and the Covenant would ultimately win the war.
      Tyler's stupor was interrupted by a shout from his targeting officer. "Sir, we have two friendly contacts inbound! Looks like the Longswords!"
      "Are all Marine and Navy personnel aboard?" asked Tyler.
      "They all boarded about a half-hour ago," responded the officer.
      "Good. Break system once the Longswords are on board, but keep us within sensor range," ordered Tyler.
      "Yes sir!"
      He turned back to face Ackerson who wore just a hint of a smile. It didn't touch his eyes however.

      The Longsword containing the Master Chief and his team set down gently inside the hanger of the Jericho. According to the pilot, the rest of the Fleet had left the system about a half-hour ago on their way back to Earth, leaving the Jericho to observe the doom of the Covenant homeworld.
      As the Chief stepped onto the deck, he felt the ship accelerate. Ackerson must already be onboard, likely on the bridge. A stretcher and medical staff waited outside the Longsword for Will. His injuries were severe, but then, Linda had been revived from the edge. Will should survive.
      The Chief waited for the rest of his team to exit the Longsword then started for the elevator that linked the ship's decks. Once they were inside, the Chief punched the button for the bridge and the elevator began to rise.

      Captain Tyler turned as the bridge elevator door opened once again. Colonel Ackerson, who stood beside him merely turned his head, then started and spun the rest of his body around. The four figures that stepped out of the elevator were dead, according to Ackerson, but Tyler didn't believe in ghosts and he doubted that a ghost would have a very real looking pistol pointed straight at the colonel's chest.
      "Colonel Ackerson," announced the lead Spartan, undoubtedly the Master Chief, "you are under arrest for treason and attempted murder." Beside him, Ackerson went bug-eyed and made a soft choking sound. Before either officers could react to this statement, one of the other Spartans stepped up to the colonel and pinned his arms behind his back.
      "Master Chief," responded Tyler angrily, "what is the meaning of this? You do not have the authority to arrest a colonel even under such serious circumstances!"
      "I know that sir," said the Spartan calmly, "so I am hoping you will do it for me." He stepped over to the holopanel and inserted a small disk. Tyler recognized it as one of those that contained a soldier's mission records. The Master Chief pressed a button and the screen flickered to life.
      The recording showed the Spartans crossing a dry, barren wasteland covered by dried lava. He watched as the Spartans reached the top of a small rise and spotted the Cormorant waiting for them. What followed after was a huge shock. Tyler knew that Colonel Ackerson hated anything to do with the Spartans, but even he had grudgingly acknowledged that they were humanity's best hope for the moment. That he would try to kill them was simply astounding.
      The bridge was completely silent as Captain Tyler turned to face Ackerson. The colonel avoided meeting his eyes and kept his gaze fixed on the deck plating. Tyler motioned for one of the bridge Marines to take him to the brig. As he was being led off, however, the colonel flashed a glance of pure hatred at them. Tyler shivered and was glad when the colonel and his guard turned into the hallway leading from the bridge.
      "Master Chief," he said, "you've done an excellent job down there. I admit I doubted you'd make it back." He glanced in the direction Ackerson and his guard had gone and sighed. "We will be staying within sensor range until the detonation," Tyler said, looking back at the Chief. "We have an hour and a half."

      Kalit and his squad exited the air defense facility and moved at a jog down the hill on which it sat. The battle inside had been a long one and it had not looked good for the Covenant forces, especially when the Humans arrived. They had left quickly though and since they had disrupted the Flood attackers, the Covenant had been able to mount a counterattack that eliminated most of the foul creatures.
      Now, Kalit and what remained of his squad were enroute to a nearby underground weapons storage facility to make sure it had not been infested. They were nearing the entrance when a huge shudder shook the ground under Kalit's feet almost knocking him over. Several of his squadmates were thrown to the ground. Another quake did knock him to the ground and when he raised his head, he was looking directly at the volcano.
      Kalit had just enough time to open his mouth and emit a high pitched shriek before his world was enveloped in fire.

      "Recall the probes," barked Captain Tyler. The bridge had been completely silent for what seemed the last eternity. The Master Chief had expected there to be cries of joy and celebration, but there was nothing. Only dead silence. The Spartans had been initially trained to prevent a bloody civil war. But even though they had been bred in violence and death, none of their training had prepared them for this, the ultimate measure of defense. The destruction of an entire world.
      Still. the Covenant had done their best to wipe humanity from the face of the galaxy and humanity was merely returning the favor. The Chief had no sympathy for those who had killed so many of his teammates. He had completed his mission.

      The Jericho turned slowly around, picked up speed and entered Slipspace on its way back to Earth. There seemed no reason to follow the Cole Protocol any longer as the Covenant already knew the location of Earth. Behind the ship, pieces of debris drifted like motes of dust in the air. Covenant ships drifted randomly throughout as well as if looking for something among the wreckage that had once been their homeworld.

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