High above the planet Reach, a few fleet grew, ships from all around the area were coming out of slipspace and joining up with the rest of the fleet, why you may ask? Because a army, of over 300 Covenant Cruisers and destroyers were heading through slipspace…straight for Reach, the last military headquarters besides Earth. On the other side of the planet a UNSC Destroyed, called The Heritage floated near the planet’s gravitational pull. “So, Sephrio, and news on the situation?” Captain John Reynolds said, he wore his military outfit, his hands behind his back, his short blonde hair neatly tidied up.
“Well sir.” A voice said, as a holographic form of the AI Sephiro appeared. “The Covenant ships have not left Slipspace yet, and we still have our orders to guard Reach’s Six.”
“Alright, so he expects this one ship to defend all of this side of Reach?”
“Yes, with some reinforcements, and the special weapons on this ship.”
“Reinforcements?” Reynolds turned to the AI. “What kind of reinforcements?”
“Spartans…” Sephiro said. “Senior Chief and his squad of Spartans.”
Reynolds nearly choked on his own spit as Sephiro said that. “We get Spartans? I’ve heard of Senior Chief and his squad, it’s almost as good as Master Chief’s squad.”
“Correct.”
“This is going to be interesting.”
Spartan 133, or other words Rory, or Senior Chief, was sitting in a pelican seat, as a group of pelicans made it way to The Heritage, his mission was to help destroyer in any way they could in the on coming battle, though it should be quiet, seeing as there was probably not going to be to much to do, seeing as the battle would be on the other side of the planet. He clicked on a Com Channel to his Spartans. “How is everyone doing?” He asked, he saw many green lights blip on his HUD showing that they were fine. He turned to a fellow Spartan. “Shinzo, you ready for this?”
The Female Spartan looked up at Rory, she was Spartan 222. “Yeah I’m fine.” She replied, smiling under her helmet. “And how are you, fearless leader?”
“Fine, just wanting this battle to be over quick, we can’t lose Reach.” Rory sighed sitting down next to her.
“Yeah we can’t lose Reach, it would be a major disaster.” A Spartan clad in Grey EVA Mark 6 armour looked over at them, Spartan Marcus 126. “Reach is the last major Military stronghold other then Earth itself.”
“Yeah, we can’t aford to lose this.” Rory repeated and nodded, he got up and banged on the door to the cockpit. “Hey, what’s are ETA to The Heritage?”
The pilot called back through the door. “Our ETA is 10 mins.”
Satisfied, Rory turned back to the Spartans. “You heard the lady, get ready Spartans. I want half of you to stay in the launch bay and wait for my further orders, everyone else, your with me up to the bridge.” He received acknowledgment flashes on his HUD, showing that the Spartan’s heard his order. “And go into the usual groups, we know what we’re doing.”
10 mins later, right on cue, the group of five Pelicans landed in Destroyer’s docking bay and the Spartan’s filed out, weapons at the ready, they stood at there post, as half of them followed the Chief up towards the bridge. As they strode down the hall, 30 Spartans in total, every Marine they passed, stop and Saluted, with wide eyes, the Spartans were pretty well famous, they had almost more kills in the war then the ODST’s who outnumbered the Spartans 20 to one. Rory walked into the bridge and strode up the Reynolds and stopped saluting. “Good to see you Chief.” Reynolds said turning around and returning the Salute. “At ease.” He said and the Spartans relaxed a little. He turned back to the main screen. “Sephrio, how are the ships combat systems.” A glowing flash, then Sephrio’s holographic AI form appeared.
“Mac guns are fully charged sir, Archer pods 1-110 are armed sir.” He turned to Rory. “Long time no see.”
“Yeah it has been awhile.” Rory nodded back.
“When the fighting starts, I can join back up with you right? I’m tired of this ship.”
“Of course.”
“Anyways, back to business.”: Reynolds interrupted. “Serena?”
A glow appeared next to Sephiro and a image of a female AI appeared. “Yes Captain?”
“What’s the status of the fleet, have they come out of slipspace yet?”
“Checking….” Serena said closing her eyes for a few seconds. “…No, but they are likely to come out of hiding soon.”
“Alright, then bring the ship up to combat alert, let’s get this party warmed up.”
“Yes sir.” Serena vanished.
“Alright, Spartans this is our mission.” The Captain turned back to them. “As you are well aware of , a fleet of Covenant ships are going to be attacking Reach, appearing in front of where the main fleet is. Next, we are positioned here on the fact that the Covenant may try to flank our rears, so us, with our well armoured Destroyer and you Spartans, we should be able to stop any flanking from happening.”
“Um, I have a question?” Rory said. “We are not pilots, so why do you need us on this ship?”
“In case they try to board and take control of The Heritage. Understand?”
“Yes sir.” Rory nodded. He switched on his com to all the Spartans. “You heard the mission, we will split into four teams, Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow teams. Green team, stay at the Hanger and guard it from borders.” He received 15 green flashes, indicating that they understood. “Yellow team, Make your way to the Engine room and protect it form borders.” He received 15 yellow flashes. “Red team, you stay here and protect the Bridge.” He received 15 red flashes. “And lastly, Blue team, we’ll go around the ship and do what we can to help fend off borders.” He received 15 blue flashes. “Alright, you know what you have to do, so move out, Blue team I will join you when the battle starts.” The Spartans rushed to there positions.
No sooner then they had gotten to there positions when Serena appeared again. “Captain, the Covenant fleet will arrive, ETA 10 mins.” She said.
“Thank you.” He turned to Rory. “So I hope you are as good as everyone says you are.”
“You don’t have to worry.” Rory said slinging his Assault rifle over his shoulder.
“That’s good to hear.”
Ten mins later, right on cue, Slipspace opened all around the Human fleet on the other side of Reach, and Covenant Cruisers, Destroyers and Frigates came out. Serena appeared again next to Sephiro as they watched the screen. “That’s the largest fleet I’ve ever seen.” Sephiro said.
“335 Covenant ships just transitioned out of slipspace. The odds are with us for now, but I doubt that this is all they're sending. If they send more than 275 ships as reinforcements, which is more than possible, then, to borrow one of your humanisms, we're screwed. To the wall, and without mercy.” Serena said.
“Hey, I think we can take them.” Sephiro grinned.
“Do you even know what you are talking about, we are outnumbered at least 12 to 1” Serena started. “Do you have any idea how much-” Sephiro snapped his fingers and Serena’s voice instantly was put on mute as she continued to ramble.
“I love being able to do that.” Sephrio grinned, then looked over at Rory who was giving him a glare through his visor. “Ok, fine.” He snapped his fingers and she was able to talk again. “Let’s just go already.”
“Right.” He put his hand on the pedestal and Sephiro flooded into his mind. “All Spartans, the first wave of Ships are there. Prepare for flanking cruisers. Lock and load!” He walked out of the Bridge giving a nod to Marcus and another Spartan Yusuke. “Don’t die on me Marcus, I don’t want to have to find a new rival.”
“Hey, you know what I always say, Spartan’s never die, they just fall asleep, or go on vacation, then the next morning it’s back to work.”
“You got that right.” Rory nodded then walked out of sight.
Serena watched the battle take fold and her sensors went off. “I can’t believe it, the Brass was right, ten incoming covenant Destroyers, from behind the planet. ETA 5 mins.”
“Thank you Serena.” Reynolds opened up a radio to the whole ship’s speakers. “Attention, all hands, to battle stations, ten destroyers, ETA five mins. I repeat this is not a drill, battle stations, prepare to fight off borders.” He turned it off and turned to Serena. “Do you think you can stop the boarding craft when they are sent out?”
“I can probably destroy some, but the majority would get through my attacks.”
“Affirmative, just do the best you can.”
“Aye aye Captain.” Serena said, and vanished, as the ship changed it’s course to meet the incoming Destroyers. “Get MAC guns A and B online and charged, when they come out of Slipspace I want to nail them!”
“MAC guns A and B are at 100% charge level Captain.” A crew member said who was at the weapons station. “They are ready to fire at your command.”
“Serena.” Reynolds spoke again. “Get a firing solution to where the Covenant ships are going to come out at.”
“Firing code received.” The crew member said back over. “We are a go sir.”
“Then get ready to fire on my signal!”
Rory braced against the wall as he felt the ship turn to face where the Destroyers were going to be. “Looks like we have contacts.” He turned to Blue team and nodded. Then the Captain’s warning came over the speakers. “You heard the man, everyone let’s roll.” He pulled out his Assault rifle, checked the ammo reader, and stopped on one of the lower sections. “Ok, we split up here, all groups of two and one of three, Shinzo, your with me.”
“Yes sir.” She nodded. Pulling out her Battle rifle. “Where will we head to first?”
“Me and you will head to the life pods, in case they try to get in from there, let’s move.” He ran down the hall, and Shinzo fallowed behind.
Purple sparks, sparked in space, as the Ten Destroyers came out of Slipspace. Reynolds gave them five seconds before shouting. “Fire MAC guns!” As he said that, the Twin MAC guns on the bottom of the hull aimed and shot out three 2,000 ton projectiles each. The first two slammed into the first two destroyers and there shields flickered, then faded under the pressure, and the last round from each of the MAC guns hit there target, right through the hull as the ship smouldered and exploded in a wave of Blue flames. The Destroyers turned towards The Heritage and there plasma turrets started to glow white hot. “Evade to port!” Reynolds yelled as all the reaming eight Destroyers fired there plasma turrets at the one UNSC ship. The ship moved at incredible speed as most of the blasts of plasma went flying by, but a few hit there mark on the side of the Heritage. It melted through the metal an atmosphere vented out through the hole. The enemy ships unleashed waves of boarding crafts, towards The Heritage. “Serena, fire archer pods, stop those boarding crafts!” He flicked on the ship’s com. “All hands, prepare to repel boarders! I trust in Serena but she won’t be able to get all of them. Spartan’s I wish you luck.” He turned to Red team. “Good luck.”
Marcus pulled out his Assault Rifle. “Don’t worry Captain, we won’t let anything happen to this bridge.”
Another Spartan near Marcus yawned. “Yeah, as long as I don’t have to do to much work.” Spartan 1-6-4 Yusuke said, he pulled out his two pistols and made sure they were full loaded and ready to go.
“Sir.” Serena came up on her projector. “A destroyed 32% of the incoming Boarding crafts, the rest got through.”
“That’s alright, you did your best Serena, we can take it from here, you join up with Marcus.” He said and pressed a few buttons.
“Understood.” Serena vanished and a chip popped out, the Captain gave it to Marcus, who put it in his head. “It’s good to be back.”
“Yeah I missed having that little voice in my head.” He smirked under his helmet. “Let’s go kill em!”
Rory felt the ship shake near them and he looked around. “A boarding craft must of hit.” He said to the rest of blue team, he received blue flashes on his HUD indicating that they heard, he looked back at Shinzo and nodded, he then looked around the corner and sure enough, spotted the end of a boarding craft slammed into the spot where a life pod would have been, but they weren’t full with life pods yet, it opened up, and a few grunts came out, Plasma pistols drawn up, and they looked around, then signalled the ok for the others, and two minor Elites came out, Plasma Rifles at the ready. He looked back at Shinzo and put up five fingers, indicating five contacts, and he pointed around the corner to help state that, Shinzo nodded in response. He readied a frag grenade and spun around corner, pulling the pin and tossing it into the group, it exploded and the grunt’s flew into the air, there bodies limp, blue blood splashing the ceiling, the Elites were stunned and there shields flickered. Shinzo spun around the corner and fired a three round burst from her Battle Rifle and the first Elite fell, she ran forward and slammed the but of her rifle into the other’s head, and it collapsed. She turned to face Rory.
“That was way to easy.” She was excited and slacked her arm. “We are going to be able to defend from boarders all right.”
As she said that, a energy sword seemed to float in mid air, and a faint shimmer of light seemed to reflect off the air around the sword.
Rory quickly switched his Assault Rifle to his Shotgun and he ran out from behind the wall. “Shinzo, duck!” He said still running towards her. With her quick reflexes she quickly ducked down, as Rory got close to her, he jumped over her and kicked the reflecting air, he hit something solid and a faint image of a black armoured Elite appeared. It had stumbled back long enough for Rory to react, while he was still in mid air, he fired a first shotgun burst right point blank range at the Elite’s head, and a burst of flesh and liquid burst forth, as they fell towards the ground, he pumped the shotgun and fired on more shot, he landed, and the Elite didn’t even stir, It was dead. Rory stood up straight, and turned to Shinzo. “Are you alright?”
“No…I’m fine.” She shook slightly, then fixed herself. “Thanks Rory.”
“No worries.” Rory said turning back to the next hall. “Just stay focused and let’s go.”
“Right, sorry Chief.” Shinzo took her battle rifle and made sure it was fully loaded and then they went down the hall.
On the bridge, Reynolds was doing bad on the bridge, as Serena had predicted, more reinforcements came from slipspace to support the original 10 Covenant Cruisers, more then fifty had already appeared, and were launching dropships by the dozens. They were losing badly. “We are not giving up, if they aren’t going to destroy are ship, then we ain’t going to let them take it, if they do, they could find where Earth is.” He turned to the fire controls. “Get those MAC guns back up, and prepare to fire again.” He turned to the Spartans that were left on the bridge, five of the 15 had gone out to protect the door to the bridge, while the other 10 stayed by to fight if any got through.
Out in front of the bridge, Marcus had just finished setting up a trap for the Covenant. “I think this will work, what do you think Serena?”
“Why do you like to use so much explosives?” She replied to him. “It would be so much easier just to make them come in single file, like bottle them up or something?”
“That ruins the fun of it.”
“Um….you think very illogical.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re the AI and I’m the Spartan?”
“Agreed.”
The hanger and Engine room were fine, no contacts sighted, though they could hear the fight far off, and wished they could go and join the fight, but orders were orders, and they were Spartans.
“Ok, here they come, get ready.” Marcus called back to his Spartans quietly and he got ready for the assault, a boarding craft had hit the wall in the hall next to the one they were in. He could hear the barking of gunts, waiting to fight, and a few Elites at least barking orders. He could see shadows coming over the corner and a few grunts walked out. Marcus flashed a red light on his HUD and the three snipers that were at the complete other end of the hall fired and they fell silently. He heard a few grunts squeal from seeing there brethren fall right in front of them, but they ran out, and three Elites fallowed. Marcus spun around from his cover and let out a magazine from his Assault rifle, and a few grunts and one of the Elites fell. More war cries were heard as more squads reached the hall, and Marcus started falling back, he was grinning under his helmet. He stood up straight as they rounded the corner, a frag grenade in his hand. “Hey, Split lips, catch!” He pulled the pin out and tossed it at the large group and they jumped out of the way, but it was pointless, it exploded causing blue and purple blood to flash into the air, but the ones that made it out of the way were doomed, the explosion set off a change reaction of hidden explosives hidden along the wall, floor and ceiling. More body’s flew and Marcus stood up. “Fire!” He shouted and he and two other Spartans let loose rounds of Assault rifle bullets at the few survivors. Marcus let out some evil sounding laughter. “God I love my job!”
“You don’t really seem sane you know that?” Serena advised him.
“What? I like explosions.” Marcus laughed and set up more for the next squad.
The battle on the outside was still going worse, the Fleet on the other side of reach was being destroyed by the Covenant. Reynolds was running out of options. He turned to a member of the bridge crew. “Boarder report?”
“Sir, all boarders have been eliminated.”
Another crew member shouted something. “Sir the Pillar of Autumn is Jumping!”
“What?” Reynolds quickly made his way to the screen, and sure enough a ship, known as the Pillar of Autumn, was no fire, and a purplish glow was forming on it’s front, it was jumping. “This can’t be good.” He flicked on the ships speakers. “All hands, prepare for jump, Reach is lost!” He turned to the crew members. “Activate SlipSpace generator, let’s get out of here, Protocol, jump away from Earth’s location.” He turned to another crew member. “Hit it, randomize the coordinates.”
“Yes sir, initializing jump.” The ship leeped forward and the stars seemed to vanish as they entered slipspace.
“Send the Spartans to there quarters, they deserve the rest.”
A few hours later, everyone was relaxing, they had survived, to fight another day…but things were about to go extremely wrong. “Sir, leaving slipspace in five.. four…”
Reynolds sat in his seat as they re entered regular space.. but something was wrong. The space wasn’t dark in black, with stars shining, the area they were in was blue, with white clouds, it took a few seconds to dawn on them…they had re entered in a planet’s atmosphere. “Sir, report!” Reynolds said quickly standing up.
“Analysing, we are in the atmosphere of a ring shaped construct sir.”
“Were going to crash, quickly pull up!”
“Sir, we can’t, we are moving to fast, we would break the bottom of the hull and brace for impact.”
“Dam it.” He punched on the speakers. “All hands prepare for crash landing!” He shouted, but as he said it, a explosion shattered the bridge as the ship crashed head first into the ground, and everything went dark.
The bridge died, and many were wounded…Rory was now head of the operation, ..they were now stranded…on this unknown construct, in god knows where in space…all alone…or…were they?
