User:Brodie-001/Halo: Last of the Brave

Insertion
//JANUARY 22ND, 2579\\

//UYANA, EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM\\

//0700 HOURS\\

The Sun rose slowly over the mountains. The entire valley below became swathed in sunlight, revealing the vast jungle. Beneath the canopy, next to an ancient tree, SPARTAN-X112 surveyed his surroundings. Barely 20 minutes ago, Wulf Team had been dropped onto the planet, with orders not to move until Sunrise. As the light penetrated the canopy, Maynard turned off his helmet's night vision. He checked his weapons. A BR60 ABR, newly manufactured for UNSC Special forces. As far as he knew, only Spartans had been given it for combat use. His was customised to fit his purpose; a medium-to-long range sight, and an undermounted grenade launcher. He felt sorry for the soldiers in the refinery. He checked the time: 7:05. Time to move.

Chief Petty Officer Maynard was one of the finest Spartans in X-Ray Company, and for good reason. He activated TEAMCOM,and four green lights winked. "Team, we rendezvous two clicks to the north, I want this job done as quick as possible, understood?". Green lights flashed. Maynard began to move through the dense jungle as fast as he dared; the Legion rarely sent drones into the jungle any more, but he had to remain cautious. Eventually, he reached the small clearing that marked their RV point. He had arrived first. Looking around, Maynard knew that something was wrong. He muttered under his breath. "So that's the way it's gonna be, is it?" Taking out his rifle, Maynard slowly prowled the area,noticing a shimmer to his left, he grinned. Without warning, he spun round, reflexes faster than any normal human, and pointed the barrel of his rifle until it seemed to stop in mid air. Maynard looked down the sights. "Nice try".

The space in front of his rifle shimmered, revealing an armoured Spartan. He held his hands up in surrender. "Well, ya got me!" Maynard lowered his weapon, and helped the Spartan to his feet. He stepped back as the Spartan removed his helmet. He had not shaved for several weeks, his dark brown hair was matted, and there were bags under his eyes. A typical Headhunter. "Artyom!" Maynard shook hands with his former squadmate. "It's been a while, how's the recon going?". Artyom put his helmet on. "We've been here for a week now, and those bastards have been fortifying the place. They know something's up". Several yellow blips appeared on his radar. Wulf Team had caught up.

First came his second in command, Mateo-X234, the team's sniper. He was followed closely by his best friend, Ross-X090. Bringing up the rear were Kate-X500, and Devin-X432. They crouched into defensive positions. Maynard looked back at Artyom. "What's the plan, then? Our evac arrives at 0900 Hours". Artyom motioned with his hand, and two other cloaked Spartans came into view: Erik-X109 and Stuart-X352. Artyom lay down a small holographic device, and it activated, revealing the Refinery and the jungle around it. "There are roughly two-to-three hundred rebels in there, some are Legion members, some are just the militia". He motioned to a small ridge slightly above the complex. "Get Mat over here, he can cover the main entrance while my two cover him with Heavy ordnance" Maynard nodded. "What type?". Stuart lifted up a rocket launcher for all to see. Artyom pointed at it. "M119-B SAM Missile Launcher, it'll blow any drones to shit". Ross chuckled.

"Anyway..." Artyom continued. "These lot aren't the best with security, there's a hole in their perimeter fence, a few of us can easily get through, and they don't even patrol their Eastern gate, near the vehicle bay, very sloppy..." Maynard sighed. It was just like Artyom, SPARTAN-X043, to pay attention to everything. He stood up. 7:28. It was time to move.

Assault
The 8 Spartans moved through the jungle silently. They couldn't risk talking now. Artyom knew the area, and led them, hand signals sending the rest of the team to their ambush points. Maynard, Ross and Devin would assault them from the Northwest, using the broken fence to enter the compound. Artyom would sneak in through the Vehicle Depot and set a charge on their main AA gun while Kate liberated a vehicle for extraction, planting explosive charges on the rest. Mateo headed towards the ridge, while the camouflaged Headhunters Erik and Stuart would clear out the western barracks.

Maynard moved up, towards the fence. He saw the hole Artyom had mentioned, and turned to Ross and Devin. They both nodded. On his HUD, lights winked green. Everyone was ready.

Ross went first, getting through the fence and taking cover next to a low wall. Maynard followed, as did Devin. Maynard motioned with his hand, and Devin hefted his SPNKR Rocket Launcher, before edging around the corner of a nearby building. Ross set a breaching charge on a doorframe. Maynard moved up, covering Devin. He spoke over TEAMCOM. "Everyone, get ready for some action".

Across the compound, Erik and Stuart set charges on doors, and hefted their BR60's. Kate began busily setting charges on enemy Warthogs, choosing a nearby APC for their escape. Mateo finished cleaning his scope, and stared down the sights, waiting for a chance to fire the moment those doors opened.

7:59.

Maynard counted down."Three...two...one...GO!". In the rebel Refinery, all hell Broke loose. Devin's carefully aimed missile impacted the refinery's reactor, which exploded, setting the whole place alight. BR60 Fire echoed around the camp, accompanied by the crack of Sniper Fire on the alerted guards. Maynard and Devin raced out toward the command building in the centre of the Compound, their MJOLNIR armour shielding them from most of the enemy fire. Devin kicked open the door, revealing several Legion Commandos and the man they were looking for: General Alfred Bates. The Spartans took cover as all six commandos opened fire with their customised rifles. The team had already been briefed about the commando's favour for using Armour Piercing rounds. Their quarry ran deeper into the building, flanked by two bodyguards. "Artyom, the HVI is on the move, we need you to cut him off!"."I'll do it, give me one minute!" Artyom's voice answered, as calm as ever. He had been picked as the Headhunter commander for precisely that reason.

Devin looked at Maynard, and lifting up his hand, closed his fist. Maynard nodded. Devin threw a flashbang into the room where their assailants lurked, followed by Maynard's Frag grenade. The moment the explosion sounded, the Spartans rushed the room. Three commandos were dead. The fourth, covered in his own blood and the blood of his comrades, crawled for a radio. His left leg had been blown off. He turned over as the Spartans entered the room, pulling out an M6G pistol. He fired three shots, all of which failed against Maynard's shields. Devin shot the man in the head. Kneeling down by the body, Maynard checked the commando's equipment. It was Legion Standard issue, but with several empty syringes in the backpack. He passed them to Devin. "Dev, you keep hold of these, try and analyse what is in them, i'll get Bates." Devin nodded. "Yes sir!".

Chase
Maynard, keeping his weapon raised, ran as fast as he dared into an underground bunker after the General. he contacted his friend."Artyom, I am currently in pursuit, how close are you?!". "Not close enough, but i'm almost there!" replied the Headhunter. An explosion from above shook the walls, Maynard staggered for a few moments round a corner. Glancing to his left, he saw the General along with his two bodyguards, both of whom began firing at the Spartan. Maynard ran at them rolling as he did so. A burst from his BR60 hit one in the chest, killing him instantly. the other one pulled out a combat knife and slashed at Maynard, who evaded, and punched the man in the mouth, splattering his face with blood. The man howled and raised a shotgun, firing it at almost point-blank range. Maynard's shields were drained, and he was knocked to the floor by the force of the hit. The Commando pumped the shotgun once, and aimed it straight at Maynard's face. This was the end.

The man's bloody, grinning face froze. His eyes bulged, and he coughed up blood. He froze, unmoving, dead. Maynard's shields recharged and he stood up. Artyom uncloaked, one hand pointing his rifle at the trapped General, the other had a sharp plate protruding from his gauntlet and into the back of the Commando's neck. Maynard shook his head in disbelief. "You were cutting it a little close there weren't you?!". Artyom's Wristblade slid back into it's sheath. The man dropped. "Maybe, I do like to make an appearance". Maynard nodded, and grabbed the general. He bashed his head against a wall, knocking him out. He then checked his pulse before turning back to Artyom. "He's fine, he'll wake up in a while, we should be offplanet by then".

The two Spartans made their way towards the remains of the Compound, where Kate and Ross were loudly arguing, with Devin, Stuart and Erik watching. "They were rebels! who the fuck cares if they die?!" Not this again. Maynard began to walk towards them. "They are people Ross! People! They surrendered, and you fucking blew them up! What the hell is wrong with you?!". They both looked over as Maynard approached. They began to speak, but Maynard held his hands up, silencing them both. "Look. I know you have your morals, and your differences, but now it not a good time to discuss them" Ross shrugged, and began to walk towards Mateo, who had just arrived. Kate Stared at him. "Sir. I know this is not the time but I saw him! I have proof!" She pointed at her helmet-mounted camera. "It's all in-" The camera clattered to the ground, a smoking hole in it. "Snipers!" Devin's shout brought all of the Spartans back into combat mode. They fell back in threes: Maynard, Artyom and Kate, Ross, Devin and Mateo. Erik and Stuart had cloaked immediately and begun to fall back towards the vehicle depot. Artyom, who was carrying the General's prone body, was forced to run while Maynard fired bursts from his rifle at their attackers.

8:37

Inside the depot, Kate clambered into the drivers' seat. Devin mounted the gun, and the others hopped into the back. Ulrik rode shotgun, hefting his SAM launcher. The machine began to drive, slowly at first, due to the combined weight of the Spartans inside. It began to speed up. Seconds before the base vanished from view, Kate detonated the explosives. The depot lit up like a fireworks display. They were barely half a kilometre away from the extraction zone. They abandoned the APC, and began making their way up the rocky hill. Several MAKO drones hovered overhead, attempting to pin the Spartans down with missiles. Ulrik, Stuart and Devin unleashed a volley of missiles, destroying the Drones. At the top of the hill, Maynard fired a flare, while Ross hailed their Evac on the radio. "This is Wulf Team, we require immediate pickup from the Extraction Zone, we have the package, repeat, we have the package!".

Over the nearby jungle, a single Pelican dropship roared towards them. "This is Yankee 5-2, we see you, Spartan Team, we are on hot approach, there are a LOT of hostiles down there". The pelican hovered in low, opening it's rear doors. Devin hauled the feebly stirring General Bates in, then clambered in himself, closely followed by Ross and Kate. Mateo, out of ammo, shrugged, stood up and climbed in next. Maynard waited at the entrance. The three Headhunters moved back slowly, checking over their shoulders to make sure he was in. He understood. They had an image, a reputation to uphold and maintain: First in, and last to leave. Maynard hopped up onto the dropship. Noticing that he was aboard, the three other Spartans turned and jumped aboard. The back door closed, bathing the Spartans in the red emergency light. They rose quickly, away from the planet, away from danger.

9:00

Meeting
//JANUARY 24TH, 2579\\

//UNSC HELIOS STATION, IN ORBIT AROUND MARS\\

//1143 HOURS\\

Maynard strode down the hall towards the Commanding Officer's Quarters. He hesitated before entering, and took a deep breath. The door slid open and he walked in, Saluting the man sitting at the desk. Lieutenant Marco-025 was a living legend. He had been fighting longer than almost anyone in the UNSC today. Marco had fought in the Great War from start to finish, and at the age of 68, he had not even slowed down.

Marco regarded the younger Spartan with his one eye, then stood up. Even out of armour the LT was huge. He held out a hand, and Maynard shook it. Marco spoke first. "take a seat, Maynard. I heard you mission was a success, true?". "Yes sir" he responded. "Spartan-X500 required repairs on her helmet, but other than that, we all got out without a scratch". Marco's eyes narrowed. "What happened to her?" Maynard knew this was dangerous territory. "A sniper sir, he missed her by inches. She's fine though, it only took the camera off her helmet". Marco heaved a sigh of relief. "Allright then, down to business. We have General Bates in custody now, and he is talking like mad. Seems like you Spartans scared the shit outta him"

Maynard smiled. As grim as the LT seemed, he never stopped cracking jokes. Maynard suddenly remembered what he had come here for. Reaching into his backpack. He took out two of the needles recovered from the Compound on Uyana, and placed them delicately on the desk. Marco surveyed them carefully. "Sir, these were recovered from several Legion commandos stationed at the compound. It appears they had been taking enhancers just before combat". Marco picked one up gently, and twirled it around his fingers. "I've heard of innies taking strength enhancements before, what's so special about these?". Maynard then retrieved a datapad from his backpack, and showed it to the LT. He stared at it for a few seconds. Shock registered on his face for a moment, before he turned back to Maynard. "How did they get their hands on this stuff?"

Maynard shrugged. "I have no idea sir. This drug, classified as 009762-OO, is illegal, and highly dangerous. It enhances the aggression level of the taker to very high levels. It's a mental drug, and will eventually send the taker out of control." Marco brought up a computer screen, and began typing. Fast. Maynard leaned over and realised that Maynard was doing something very illegal, and very dangerous. He was hacking into ONI files. "Sir, I don't think that your'e all'" Marco held his hand up, silencing him. Eventually, he seemed to find what he was looking for. "Here we are...009762-OO...technically, it is illegal, but since ONI pretty much makes the law, they don't really care. It was used as part of the augmentation procedures for the third generation of SPARTAN-III's, in order to increase survival rates" Maynard was shocked. He had never known what lengths the UNSC would go to in order to train Spartans

"In addition" Marco Continued. "It was to be used in conjunction with drugs 009127-PX and 009927-DG, in order to counter the drug's negative effects. It looks like the Legion have got their hands on the stuff, without taking precautions...". Maynard stood up, and saluted the Lieutenant. "Sir, if that is the case, we need to move. We got word that the Legion was preparing to attack Rell, and if their commandos are drugged with that, we are going to have a major problem on our hands". Maynard remembered the Commando who had been punched in the face and not gone down. He had nearly died fighting them. An army...would be a problem.

As he turned to leave, Marco looked up from his computer. "I'm coming with you" he said. Maynard froze. "Why, sir?" Wulf Team is ready for Combat, as are the Headhunter teams, and the rest of the company. Marco's one green eye bored into him. "Not necessary. The rest of the company is currently deployed in another system, and there is no point in sending in Headhunters. I will accompany your team to Rell, where we shall meet up with Yankee Company".

Maynard blinked several times. Yankee? they were the second generation of SPARTAN-IV's due to finish training this year. Had it really been that long since he had 'graduated'?. "Has the company faced Insurrectionists before, sir?". Marco stood up, pushing his chair under his desk. "No, this will be their first combat mission. They have been training for 10 years, and only graduated in December last year. They are eager for action". Maynard nodded, and left the LT in his room. Inside, he was worried. Marco would be joining them in battle. He would tell the others, and they had better not screw up.

Feet First
//JANUARY 29TH, 2579\\

//UNSC ROMULUS, IN SLIPSPACE, EN-ROUTE TO RELL\\

//0900 HOURS\\

The elevator doors slid open, and light from the Hangar bay flooded in over the five Spartans. Maynard stepped out first, and gasped. On the deck below, usually wide enough to hold 12 pelican dropships, stood 1000 SPARTAN-IV Commandos. Regaining his senses, he and his team descended to the main bay.

Two Spartan-II's stood in the centre, poring over data pads. In armour, they towered over the smaller Spartans. Yankee Company stood to attention as a black-armoured Spartan turned to them. Wulf Team approached the commanders, who turned to look at them. Maynard Saluted. Marco responded, as did the Spartan in Black. Two NCO's, both SPARTAN-III's, turned and began barking orders to the company. Maynard recognised one by the Robotic prosthetic in place of his right hand: it was Warrant Officer Alex-A121, the man who had made their lives hell during their Spartan training. Maynard knew to respect him; he had lost most of his fellow trainees and squadmates in the Great War.

"Sir, Chief Petty Officer Maynard-X112 Reporting for Duty!". Marco nodded, the other Spartan removed his helmet. "Good to meet you son, I've heard quite a lot about your team from the Lieutenant here, I hope you will be a valuable asset to this mission." the Spartan held out his hand. Maynard shook it. "I am Lieutenant Commander Kane-099, and I shall be running this operation". Maynard's hand went numb. He had no idea that he was shaking hands with a Legend like Kane-099. He had almost named the team after him!. He had to speak up. "It's an honour to meet you sir, i'm looking forward to working with you." Maynard managed to get the words out, before turning back to return to his squad, who were going over the mission details.

Back in the command area, Marco chuckled, turning to his old Squadmate. "It looks like you've got a fan" he murmured. Kane glanced towards Maynard and Wulf Team, and shrugged. Kane had always been a man of few words. Marco spoke again. "Do you know when Jax will be finished with his lot?" Kane looked up from the datapad. I don't know, Marco. Believe me, I want the team back together as much as you do, I just want this war to end". Marco looked over at the Legion of Spartan-IV's in their ghostly green SPI MK-III Armour. "Remember years ago, it was just us standing between victory and destruction?" Kane nodded. "Well now maybe, we have a chance".

Maynard looked at each member of his team in turn; they all had their helmets off.

Mateo-X234, the team marksman. A true sniper, he rarely spoke. He would have been made a Headhunter if Maynard had not picked him for Wulf. Mateo was a solid soldier, and followed orders to the letter.

Ross-X090. Mateo's best friend, and Maynard's go-to guy if he needed anything done. His parents had been killed when he was only three years old on Reach, according to his file, a Spartan had saved him and taken him to a transport. His, cold, black eyes bored into his rifle, which he was cleaning.

Devin-X432. A former miner on Mars, Devin knew everything he needed to know about explosives, and used them well. Maynard had noticed some rivalry between him and Ross, but nothing serious. Devin also seemed to have an addiction to chocolate as well, which was considered unusual among Spartans.

Kate-X500. The youngest member of X Company, Kate was a former marine, like many other members, Maynard included, who had signed up for the program. Maynard knew that the LT always kept a close eye on her, but she would not have been selected for Wulf team if she didn't have the skill to match. Kate was deadly at any range.

Maynard glanced away from his team, ,and back to Y Company. If there were any innies, they were in for one hell of a surprise. A voice spoke over the intercom. "We should be exiting slipspace within 10 minutes, all crew, prepare for possible combat".

Wulf Team put their helmets on and proceeded to the launch bay, as did Kane, Marco and Y Company. The Romulus was renowned in the fleet for having the most SOEIV's in the fleet, 1378, precisely. The Ship exited Slipspace, and antered the Rell System. Maynard ran to a viewing window. Rell had already been taken.

Alarms blared around the ship as it manoeuvred into position. The Captain had been ordered to get the ship close to the planet so they could launch the drop pods. Several ships were clustered above the northern hemisphere of the planet, awaiting the Romulus.

Maynard boarded his pod, and the hatch closed behind him. The Captain's voice rang out again. "Hang on, everyone, prep for pod launches in t-minus 30 seconds"''.

Maynard sighed. A lot could happen in 30 seconds. The pod shuddered as the Romulus' main MAC cannon fired. Maynard looked around the cramped pod. He suddenly realised. "I'm in a tin box built by the lowest bidder about to be shot at a planet...".

The intercom sounded again. "Seven seconds, Spartans. Good luck, and Godspeed".

Six...

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

'One...

Maynard's pod was released, and began it's rapid descent onto Rell. Clouds streamed past. Maynard activated manual control. "Wulf Team, adjust trajectory, head for the coordinates I am marking".

On his teammates HUD, a waypoint appeared several hundred meters below them. Mateo spoke in a strained voice. "Sir, I've got eyes on enemy contacts in entrenched positions below!".

Maynard zoomed in on his helmet. Despite the shaking of the Pod, he could see Anti-Air positions being set up. "Copy that, Wulf Two, stay on target!". Their pods smashed into the ground. Moments later, their hatches sprang open, and Wulf Team sprinted towards their Waypoint-A small rock face barely 50 yards away.

Maynard met the others there, they were all unharmed. He looked over the rocks, and saw Legion soldiers setting up machine guns in their main trench. They had obviously been expecting Spartans. "Team, we need to split up. Devin, I want you and Mateo to flank to the left, and cause as much mess as you can. Kate and Ross, come with me, we're going to storm these trenches".

Fire and Sword
The three Spartans crawled through the dirt towards the trenches dug on the hill above them. Maynard's motion tracker read 4 hostiles. He looked across to Ross, who unbuckled a grenade from his bandolier. "Incendiary Grenade, it'll burn them out..." Maynard could have sworn that Ross was grinning under his polarised visor. "Do it".

He knew without looking that Kate was glaring at him, but this was War. If they didn't clear out these trenches, Y Company wouldn't stand a chance. Ross lobbed the grenade over the crest of the hill, where it detonated. Screams sounded from the trenches as the three Spartans leaped into them, firing their rifles as they did. The surviving rebels ran from the Spartans in disarray. Maynard ran after them, firing as he did so. Eventually he came to a small, hastily constructed staircase. Looking around, he ascended and found himself at the top of the hill, facing the barrels of four Warthog LRV's.

Time seemed to slow down. Maynard stared into the barrels, and their gunners; faces hidden behind face masks and helmets. The barrels began to spin up, moving millimetre by millimetre. The Spartan blinked once, and the gunners jerked, and fell from their seats, into the dirt below. Maynard turned his head to the right, to the collection of bunkers and bases along the entrenched hills of Legion resistance. In the distance, a bunker exploded. All around him, rebels were dropping like flies, plumes of blood flying through the air. Shapes moved swiftly, kicking up the dirt. In the valley to his right, fires raged and gunfire rang out as the Legion engaged an unseen foe. Men shot wildly at things they could not see, others brandished knives and machetes, others fell to their knees and begged.

All were killed by the army that faced them. An army of Ghosts.

Ross and Kate caught up with Maynard, ans they too paused to see the Legion troops being massacred in the valley. A shimmer waved in the air, then disappeared as a Spartan uncloaked. Several others around him did the same. As he turned to Maynard, the Spartan gave orders to his squad. "Travis, Reginald, secure the perimeter. Juan, see if you can find anything useful around here". He saluted Maynard. "Lysander-Y050 reporting for duty, sir!"

Lysander's helmet depolarised. He was barely seventeen by the looks of him. "Spartan, get your team into position, we'll use this point as a forward observation post" Lysander snapped to attention before running off. Along the ridge, the rest of the SPARTAN-IV's had taken up positions, and were awaiting orders. Maynard looked into the dense forest in the valley below. All was quiet. The shooting had stopped. Something was wrong.

"COUNTER ATTACK!" Ross and Kate immediately dived to the sandbags and began firing as hundreds more appeared, shooting wildly at the dug-in Spartans. Maynard had a bad feeling, it made no sense to rush an entrenched enemy like this, unless it was a feint. A roar sounded above the lush forests as 8 shortsword bombers, painted with Legion markings, flew over. 3 were shot down by a barrage of missile fire, but the others flew over the ridge. they dropped incendiary bombs first, followed by explosives. Below, tanks and infantry continued to move up. "Ross, take out those soldiers, Kate, I want you in those trenches!" Maynard then contacted the others. "Devin, Mat, we've got a situation here: tanks and a mass of infantry moving up, we need them taken out!". After a few seconds, Mateo's calm voice responded. "On our way sir, don't worry, we won't miss the party".

Maynard opened fire on the Legion infantry, hitting several men. They would stumble, then keep running until bullets shredded them and they dropped. They had all taken 009762-OO. This would be a problem. "Ross, we need another incendiary over here!" The blue-armoured Spartan nodded, and unhooked another from his belt. As he hefted it up to throw it, the grenade detonated, sending the Spartan flying back into a wall. Kate ran to him as Devin clambered into their trench, followed closely by Mateo. Ross' visor had been cracked, and the left side of his face had been burned by the incendiary. His armour was scorched. It took several moments for his shields to recharge.

Mateo also ran to the injured Spartan's side as Devin hefted his missile launcher and fired it, destroying an incoming tank. Maynard glanced to his right. Lysander's squad were still alive, firing on the incoming rebels. He activated TEAMCOM. "Lysander, we have wounded, we need covering fire until evac arrives!". He saw the team leader look over to where Ross sat wounded. After a few seconds, he replied. "Copy that Wulf One, we'll give you all the time we can"

The enemy forces were in the trenches now. Although they were still no match for the better armed and equipped Spartans, the drugged rebels fought on, not giving in. Kate sent up a flare as two Y-Company members from Lysander's team joined them, driving off the rebels that had made it past Mateo's sniper fire. Maynard was impressed by their tenacity. Their names flickered up on his HUD: Reginald-Y068, and Juan-Y581. Kate stood alongside them, easily visible in her red armour through the dust and mud.

Demons
After what seemed to be an eternity of fighting, two pelicans swooped in from behind the Spartans, touching down not far from their position. Maynard was crouched next to Lysander, firing over the rim of the trench. The rebels unrelenting attack had cost them dearly, hundreds of corpses lay along the hillside and the valley, along with the burnt-out shells of several tanks. The planet's twin suns had already begun to set. As Maynard reloaded, a grenade soared over the top, landing barely an inch away from him. Before he had time to react, Lysander grabbed it, and dived away as it detonated in his hand. Maynard reached over to help the young Spartan, but a shadow appeared over him. He turned around, slowly, to face a black armoured giant. Kane-099 looked down at Maynard. "There was nothing you could do Spartan, i'll handle him". In one fluid motion, he scooped up Lysander and span around, sprinting back to the dropship. Ross was also being carried in. Maynard stood up, only to have someone put a hand on his shoulder.

It was the LT, Marco-025. He strode calmly towards the edge of the hill, then looked back at Maynard. "It's time to leave, turns out that HIGHCOM changed their mind about the Spartan deployment" All along the hills, Pelican dropships were being loaded with Spartans. Some of them were being dragged on. Maynard followed his commander, along with the rest of the two teams onto the Pelican. As it lifted off, two longsword bombers flew overhead. They swooped over the valley, and spiralled upwards. Seconds later, four orbital MAC rounds hit, obliterating most of the forest.

Maynard removed his helmet and sat down with his head in his hands. The pelican doors shut, bathing the Spartans in the red emergency light.

Aftermath
Maynard stood on the observation deck of the Romulus and watched the steel coffins float away into the emptiness of space. Thirty nine Spartans dead. Dozens more were in the med bay. This was only their first mission. Kane-099 had said nothing as they travelled back towards the ship, and when the arrived, had gone to check on his soldiers.

Devin approached him, and cleared his throat. Maynard turned round. "Sir, Ross will be OK, Mat's with him in the med bay. He's got some pretty heavy burns, and his armour is scorched to shit". Maynard nodded. It was good that Ross was still alive. Despite his unorthodox tactics and excessive violence, he was a good squadmate. Devin continued. "The LT wants you as well, sir. We're gonna jump back to Earth where the rest of the company is. I think something big is about to come up". Maynard turned away from Devin, and back to the viewing window. "Thanks Dev, that will be all".

The Brown-Armoured Spartan exited the room. After a few moments, Maynard walked to the elevator and descended to the medical bay. It was packed with various doctors, medics and technicians running from bed to bed. On the nearest one, a Spartan pushed the various people aside and made for the door. "I'm fine, i'm fine!" he protested. A newly-fitted robotic prosthetic arm gleamed. It was Lysander. Catching sight of Maynard, he walked over and tried to salute. His robotic arm shot up violently past his head. He lowered it slowly. "Sorry sir, i'm still getting used to it, I was luckier than most though" Maynard smiled. The young Spartan had guts. He tried looking past the chaos, but gave up. "Lysander, have you seen one of my team? Blue armour, bad attitude?" Lysander pointed with his good arm to a bed in the corner. "I've gotta find my squad, good luck sir, it's been an honour fighting alongside you".

Lysander walked out as Maynard made his way past the crowd. on his left and right, several dozen injured Spartans lay, some in critical conditions. At the farthest bed lay Ross, Mateo sitting near him. Ross' armour lay on a nearby table, scorched and dented. His helmet's visor was cracked. A bandage covered the left side of his face and much of his upper torso. He looked over as Maynard approached. "Hey boss, sorry you had to see me like this, damn cheap-ass 'nades..." Mateo smiled. "Well Ross, it's got you a few weeks of R&R, it ain't that bad". Ross chuckled. "Damn, Mat, it hurts when I laugh" he turned to Maynard. "I'm afraid i'll be out of action for a week or two sir, sorry"

Maynard shrugged. If anyone needed a break, it was Ross. "That's fine, your armour will need repairs anyway" A voice came through his helmet's COM channel. "Spartan X112, please proceed to the hangar bay" Maynard knew the LT needed him, and sighed. "I've got to go, the LT wants me". The other two nodded and Maynard exited via the elevator.

Home Sweet Home
//FEBRUARY 4TH, 2579\\

//SPARTAN-IV HQ, SPECIAL WARFARE CENTRE, SONGAM, KOREA\\

//1304 HOURS\\

Two UH-144 Falcon's flew in over the high perimeter wall, past the targeting sensors of the AA guns. They touched down on one of the facilities landing pads, and Wulf Team dismounted. Maynard led the other three to the main elevator, that would take them to the centre of the complex. No one spoke on the ride down.

Eventually, the elevator doors opened, and the Spartans were greeted by several others playing cards at a nearby table. Maynard coughed loudly, and the others all stood up quickly, one knocking over his chair. "At ease, guys, i'm looking for Jason, do you know where he is?" One of the others, Gerald-X347, spoke first. "he's in the training room with the rest of Ochre, you're armoured up too Maynard, maybe you'd like to join them?" Maynard had always liked Gerald. They had been put together in training, along with the man that he had come here to see.

"I think I will, Gerald" Maynard replied. He turned back to the others. "you guys can make yourselves at home for now, I won't be long" Kate and Devin headed for the Cafeteria area, while Mateo joined Gerald, Isabelle-X021 and Nathaniel-X476 in their card game. Maynard knew his way around. They had gone through a year of training here. It was hell, but the UNSC desperately needed some Spartans to quell the 'innies'. Now it was a full-blown war.

Maynard entered the viewing Gallery, where he encountered several more SPARTAN-IV's: Francis-X421, Faisal-X166,  Loraine-X390 and Duncan-X022. They were viewing the battle below in the vast training Hall, where Ochre Team currently fought against computer-controlled 'Sentry' robots firing TTR rounds. Looking at the dozens of burnt-out bot shells, the Spartans had the upper hand.

A flashbang grenade detonated inside, momentarily scrambling the bot's sensors. Ochre Team struck, taking out several more before diving for cover. The remaining robots formed a Phalanx, covering every angle, and slowly began to move forward on their wheels. As they did so, a Spartan jumped out of cover, running. All 12 bots opened fire, several shots hitting the Spartan and knocking him to the ground.

As this happened, however, the other three, taking advantage of the opportunity, opened fire, hitting several more. Maynard watched this, arms folded, as a Silver-Armoured Spartan leapt, his combat knife out, and stabbed at the exposed wires of one bot. he ripped the wires off another one. His team quickly finished off the rest. The four Spartans stood up, and exited the training room, where where they were met by clapping from their brethren.

Maynard approached the Squad leader, Max-X489. Max was one of the top 3 Spartans in X Company, alongside Maynard and Artyom-X043. He was currently the field commander of the entire company. He took off his helmet, and approached Maynard. It had been 3 years since the had seen eachother. To Maynard's surprise, the usually stoic Spartan smiled and shook his hand. "I was wondering if i'd see you again, Maynard. So, what is it you need?"

Maynard didn't expect Max to be so friendly after all this time. "Max, I got word that your squad is here for a month 'til the fleet gets back from Eridanus, so I need a favour: I need Jason for a few weeks" Max's smile disappeared, and he spoke in a more businesslike tone. "What's up? Something wrong with Wulf?" Maynard shrugged. "Ross got himself wounded and is stuck in a hospital for a few weeks, so I need Jason to fill his place for a week or two while we go on a mission".

Max nodded, and cocked his head quizzically. "So, how did Wulf Team's resident killing machine get himself hurt? did someone nuke him, or did that just piss him off?" Maynard smiled. Max was difficult to read, at the least. "well, you probably know that Yankee just got out of training, so we get packed with them and sent to Rell, y'know, that farming place in the Outer Colonies" Max nodded again. "Well, we get packed in eggshells and shot down right on top of an innie army. So, we fought our way up and after fighting on a ridge for a while, Ross tried to toss an incendiary, and the damn thing detonated in his hand!"

"Ouch" Max replied. Maynard continued. "In the end, those idiots at HIGHCOM thought it would be better if they pulled us out and MAC blasted the place. Thirty-Nine Spartans were killed". Max's hand clenched into a fist. "Typical. We lose good men and women, and they change their minds when they feel like it!" He put his helmet back on. "Oh, you can take Jason, i'm gonna get some rest. See ya around, May..." He beckoned his team over, and pointed towards the door with his left hand. He looked at Jason-X250, and nodded towards Maynard, who was waiting in the corner. He left without another word, but the waiting Spartans knew what he meant: ''"Private conversation. Everyone out. Jason, Maynard wants to see you"

Maynard waited for the doors to slide shut behind the last Spartan before Speaking to Jason. He was an average-sized Spartan with a friendly face, but his skills qualified him as one of the best. Maynard knew from personal experience that Jason was one of the toughest, bravest fighters he knew. The only reason he wasn't in Wulf Team was that he had declined the offer, preferring to fight on the frontline. Maynard respected his decision. Jason spoke first. "So, I know what's going on. Where are we going, and what are we gonna blow up?"

Discovery
//FEBRUARY 7TH, 2579\\

//DHARMA RIDGE, PEGASI DELTA\\

//0500 HOURS\\

The factory was close. Maynard lay overlooking the site from their elevated position on the ridge. Mateo was next to him, scouting with his sniper rifle. Behind them, Jason-X250 and Kate-X500 were busy poring over tactical readouts while Devin-X432 sat on a rock, cradling his customised Jackhammer missile launcher. It had an extra barrel, and several markings representing kills scratched on the side.

Mateo looked up. "Maynard, i'm not too sure about this one. They've got that perimeter sealed in tight, i'm not sure even the Headhunters could get through without raising the alarm". He glanced at Jason. "And anyway" he whispered. "I'm not sure that his armour is exactly the most subtle, this would be a better job for Yankee" Maynard sighed. Mateo was right. He was always right.

Mateo looked down the scope of his rifle for a few seconds longer. "Oh" he said matter-of-factly "And we've got those to worry about". He passed Maynard the gun so he could get a better look. Far away, beyond the concrete human buildings, sat four purple structures, glowing slightly. "Covenant" he growled.

He turned to the others. "Jason, get on the radio, we've got a situation". Jason typed in commands on his TACPAD. a red light shone. "Nothing" he replied. "We're in a dead zone". Devin shook his head, Kate close the holographic map and stared at Jason. Seconds later, the entire team looked to Maynard. He put on his helmet. "We've got 4 hours 'til our Black Cats run out of juice, and we need to be gone before then" The team readied their weapons. "Let's move Wulf, we've got a lot of work to do"

Maynard and Kate, moving as quickly as they dared, climbed down from the ridge, and began moving across the sand, towards the Factory. To the east, Jason and Devin were moving to attack from the other side. Eventually, they came to a high perimeter wall. Maynard could see no way around. "Devin, Jason, is there any way in on your end?" Jason replied after a few seconds. "Nothing, the only way in is covered with floodlights and Heavy MG's, we'd be shredded if we tried"

Maynard nodded to himself. After Uyana, the Legion would be stepping up their security. "Okay then, we're gonna have to go loud" He contacted Mateo, who was back at the ridge. "Mat, as soon as the shooting starts, kill as many innies as you can". Kate took out a remote detonation charge-a small, circular device that packed a heavy punch. She stuck it to the wall. Maynard checked the detonator. A second green light appeared, indicating that a second one had been placed. "Prepare for entry" Kate ran back behind a rock. Maynard joined her. "Three, Two, One, GO!"

The charge blew a sizeable hole in the wall, and the Spartans climbed through. This place wasn't heavily guarded. A few security guards fired on Maynard, his shields deflecting their rounds. He span round and shot both men in the head. A dozen men and women in white coats, led by several commandos, ran toward a landing pad, where a small freighter sat. "Oh no you don't..." Maynard thought. He fired the undermounted grenade from his BR60, which hit the metal stairwell leading to the pad, destroying it.

This was too easy. Most of the commandos were dead, and the scientists had surrendered. Devin pushed each one to the ground in the main courtyard, while Jason and Kate set up more charges in the factory cooling towers. With their drug production facilities destroyed, Legion power would decrease. If they were lucky, they could end the war this year. If only they could find Maxon...

Maynard went over to Devin, who was keeping a close eye on the scientists. Most of them sat quietly, terrified of the Spartans. "Dev, is this everyone" Devin nodded. "I think they were preparing for this, sir. If you hadn't stopped them, I would've had to use this" He hefted his 3-barrelled missile launcher. "Anyway, we need to get command and-" Two scientists keeled over, burned through their skulls. More plasma came at them, from various angles. "Hit the deck!" Maynard roared. Devin threw himself to the floor, aimed his missile launcher, and fired all tubes.

The rockets exploded, and several corpses flew up into the air, landing with a thud. Maynard rolled over to them as Jason and Kate arrived. Jason ran over to him. "Crap, is that what I think it is?" The creature was scaly, yet strangely avian in appearance. Maynard looked up, and shouldered his rifle. "Jackals". As if the Spartan's word had called them, a dozen more ran through the alleyways around the factory buildings, activating shield gauntlets and forming a phalanx. As Maynard and Jason opened fire, the Jackals unleashed a swarm of plasma bursts. Two hit Maynard in the chest, causing his shields to flash. As one, the team began to fall back, pressed by the plasma fire. Several of the aliens fell to Mateo's sniper fire from the ridge, but more took their place. Jason, still firing his BR60, glanced at him. "May, we're in deep shit, any ideas?"

Purge
Wulf Team fell back behind what had once been the perimeter wall. The line of Aliens slowly edged closer. Maynard cursed under his breath. They hadn't trained for this. Kate, who was taking cover next to him, tapped Maynard on the shoulder. He looked round and saw her waving a detonator in her hand. "Permission to blow up some alien ass sir?" He nodded, and the factory exploded.

Blocks of concrete and flaming machinery rained down inside the facility, where the Jackals remained. They scattered under the rain of fire, explosions blowing some apart. The Spartans shot those that remained, before storming back into the area. One Jackal attempter to crawl away. Kate kicked it over, stood on it's neck, and shot it in the head. "Strange" Maynard thought to himself. "She tries to spare human prisoners, but she's as bad as Ross when it comes to aliens".

As Maynard and the others ensured that the Jackals were dead, Jason attempted to contact the prowler that would be waiting for them on the edge of the system. He smacked the radio. "Still nothing, the Legion factory wasn't blocking our transmissions, it must be those" He pointed to an alien structure, a pylon-shaped piece of machinery, supported by three legs. This had to be the source of the 'dark zone'. "Devin, set some charges on that thing, Command needs to know about this. Several meters away, Kate was sifting through the rubble of a destroyed building. She waved him over. no comms. Something was up. Maynard moved over, and kate nodded at what had been a steel trapdoor, it's metal blackened and twisted by the explosion. From underneath, quiet noises could be heard. She took out a small det charge and slapped it onto the door.

The Spartans stood back, letting it detonate before they stormed down the steps into the dark basement. Activating his helmet's night vision, Maynard moved slowly, keeping an eye on his motion tracker. He opened the door into another room. Jackpot. A whole row of terminals were lined up against the wall, no doubt full of valuable data. Maynard edged towards the nearest terminal, his eyes on the prize. Suddenly, a blur appeared on his motion tracker, and the screens exploded. The two Spartans were thrown back into the wall, their shields flashing. Maynard sprang up first, and ran out after the unseen attacker. He felt a bad pain in the back of his head. Crap. His armour had taken most of the impact but he was pretty sure that he had a concussion, a cracked skull at the very worst. The tunnel ended and led out to another landing pad, where a single ship was docked. Maynard ran up the stairs, and opened fire on the retreating figures. Several dropped, but others, Commandos by the looks of them, ran at Maynard.

Maynard was able to get a few shots off, hitting one Commando in the head, killing him instantly, and another in the gut, before the four of them cannoned into him, knocking him down. Maynard rolled over, unsheathing his combat knife as he did so. He plunged it into the neck of the first commando, and punched the second in the face. He staggered back. A shiver ran down Maynard's spine. The man should have been in no position to move, let alone fight back. As he changed his stance, ready to fight them off, a second explosion hit just behind the Commandos, killing them and throwing Maynard on his back once more. His helmet rolled off. As he tried to reach for it, he felt a pain in his neck. Maynard's whole body went numb. He couldn't move. "well" He thought. "This can't be good".

Perspective
Maynard struggled to move with all his might, but all he could do was look around. A shadow loomed over him. He looked up, and saw a tall man, wearing typical commando armour over an ornate uniform. He must be a Legion commander, come to oversee the facility. His face seemed blurred, Maynard could not make it out. The man knelt beside him, reached down, and took something from the Spartan. He held it up for him to see. It was a tiny dart, barely an inch long. The man stowed the dart in a pocket. He observed the Spartan attempting to move for a few more moments before he spoke. "it's a paralysing dart, Spartan, don't even bother trying to resist, it will wear off in a little while anyway" he leaned closer to Maynard, his face coming into focus "But by that time, you will be dead!" Maynard felt as if his whole body had turned to ice. He knew this man. He was on the news vids, mission dossiers. He was top of the 'Most Wanted' list. It was Roger Maxon, the founder and Commander of the Legion.

Maxon stood up, looking at Maynard with utter contempt. "So, you must be part of the famous 'Wulf Team' my agents have informed me of. You've been a bother for quite some time" Maynard studied the man who had become a symbol of hatred for the UNSC. According to the files he had read, Maxon had fought as an ODST, commanding an elite Special Ops unit, known as Whiskey-04. In 2571, 8 years ago, Maxon had taken control of several ships, eventually building up an army against the UNSC. Initially, it was thought that these attacks were simply random insurrectionists, until in 2572, Maxon had contacted the UNSC personally, declaring war. In the following months, several UNSC colonies fell and rebellion rose up in many others. Maxon was always at the centre of this; a ghost, untrackable, untraceable. It must have been coincidence that he had even been on the planet at the time.

Maxon took a deep breath, as though he was about to say a well-rehearsed speech. "You, Spartan, are a tool of greedy oppressors, you kill for them without thought or mercy, you do nothing but bow down before tyrants in the guise of leaders" he kept staring at Maynard, his grey eyes boring into him. Maynard could do nothing but listen. Maxon continued. "I pity you, Spartan, because you are unable to see the truth about these men. The United Nations Space Command ruled humanity, whether we like it or not, and it is my desire to be free!" His gaze had not moved from Maynard, who stared back into his eyes, seeing a fire burning in them. "this guy is nuts..." he thought. Others came to him "what if he is telling the truth?" "are you really a tool?"

Maynard closed his eyes, and the thoughts stopped.

Maxon sighed wearily. "Very well then, I suppose there is no saving you" He unholstered a pistol, and cocked it. "I'm sorry, Spartan, it is a great shame that I have to do-" Maxon dived aside as a silver blur rushed at him. Jason tried to grapple with him, to render him unconscious, but the older man dodged. There was a flash of light and Jason fell back, his armour smoking. Maxon stood, holding an elite energy sword, panting. He began to walk towards Maynard when an explosion sounded nearby. He turned and ran to his ship, which began to take off. Kate ran up, her armour slightly blackened from the missile. Maynard felt feeling returning to his body as he watched Maxon's ship rise, and fly off. Kate was crouched by Jason, who was moaning weakly.

Mateo's voice came in over the radio. "Guys, me and Devin took out that alien pylon, comms are back online!" Maynard slowly got to his feet, still feeling stiff from the paralysing dart, and walked over to where Jason lay. The sword had slashed a diagonal line through his chest plate and skin, leaving a freshly cauterised wound. Jason looked at it. "well, that's gonna leave a mark", He struggled to his feet, Maynard supported him. Kate holstered her pistol. "May, we need to get to our Black Cats soon, I don't like this rock. She tried supporting Jason, but he pushed away from both of them, and walked unaided to the security gate. "Anyway" Kate continued "who was that anyway? some Legion Higher-Up?" Maynard shook his head. "No" he picked up his helmet from the floor and put it on. "It was fucking Roger Maxon" Kate froze as Maynard kept on walking. He looked back. "Come on, let's get out of here"

They met with Mateo and Devin near the front gate, and set out towards the location where their Black Cat-class Subprowlers had been inserted. Eventually they came in sight of their single vehicle. As they walked towards it, Maynard noticed something gleaming near some rocks. He walked over, and picked it up. It was a Helmet. Maynard brushed the dirt from it until it became recognisable. It was a Mark I SPI helmet. He stared at it for a few seconds before the realisation hit him of where they were. The Pegasi Delta. A bad place for a Spartan to be. Maynard placed the helmet down carefully, respectfully, then joined the rest of Wulf Team on the Black Cat.

On the trip back to the prowler, the UNSC Grid Iron, Maynard reflected over what Maxon had said, before coming to a conclusion. "I'm no tool, I'm a Spartan" he said aloud. The others looked at him, and at eachother. Mateo spoke first. "Sorry sir, but what are you saying?" Maynard laughed and patted Mateo on the shoulder. "I'll tell you guys about it when we get back, don't worry, I haven't gone crazy". In his mind, Maynard knew what he needed to do. "I'm gonna find Maxon, even if it takes me years. That bastard is going to pay".

Cloak and Dagger
//JULY 8TH, 2583\\

//SARGON, EDEN V\\

///1304 HOURS\\\

It was another hot day on Eden V. The planet, colonised barely a few years after the end of the Great War, was a popular tourist location and holiday destination. Maynard hated the heat. He strode along a busy, crowded street, Kate and Mateo in his wake, past busy shops and market stalls. It felt strange to be out of their armour, but three suited-up Spartans would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention here. Ducking into a side alley, Maynard activated his comm device. "This is Wulf One to Wulf Actual, we are nearing the rendezvous point, over"

On the other side of the city, in what appeared to be a large cargo truck, sat Warrant Officer Alex-A121, along with Ross-X090, who was cleaning his rifle, and Devin-X432, who was observing a monitor that linked to a UNSC drone in low orbit, which gave them footage of the others progress. "This is Wulf Actual, proceed to the RV point, we will be standing by if anything goes wrong". Maynard responded "copy that Wulf Actual, Wolf One out". The three Spartans in the truck were fully suited up, minus their helmets, for combat. Ross put his BR60 down, and leaned over Devin's shoulder to examine the footage. Three white dots, indicating the rest of Wulf Team, moved along the street toward the rendezvous point in a three-storey building. "I still don't get why we don't get to back them up" Ross grumbled.

Alex ignored him. Devin sighed, then spoke. "Well Ross, I'm best at operating the drone, the WO here needs to be at a place where he can provide tactical support and info, and you've got a big-ass scar covering half your face, and if that doesn't scream 'UNSC' then the fact that you like to shoot first will!" Ross shrugged, and began making modifications to his BR60, adding a scope and attaching an under-barrel shotgun. He glanced up and noticed Devin staring a him. "Well Dev" he slammed a clip into the rifle. "you've gotta be prepared".

The building was in sight. Maynard kept walking, not looking around until he reached the door. He rang the bell, and the door opened. The three Spartans stepped inside. The sounds of the market outside were muffled. The room was dark, with a solitary table and several chairs. A voice came from the intercom. "Sit" It was strange, probably put through a synthesiser. Maynard sat at the table, as did the others. "ONI always has to make things difficult" Mateo grumbled. A slightly different voice sounded through the intercom. "Hope, Remember". Maynard recalled the code he had been made to remember before the mission. "Juliet Oscar Hotel November" he paused for a second. "Romeo Echo Alpha Charlie Hotel". Several moments passed before a door on the other side of the room slid open.

The three Spartans stepped through into another, better lit room. Six men and two women sat in various seats, going over logistical data or working at terminals. "Spooks" thought Maynard. The door to a side room opened and two men exited. The first was strongly built, in his early forties by the looks of him. He was wearing an Officer's uniform; a single gold leaf gleamed: A Lieutenant Commander. The other man was taller, slightly broader and muscled. His hair was light brown, with flecks of grey. He was wearing combat pants and a vest. On his right arm, six names were tattooed: AMY, JACOB, NEF, FENN, RESK, WULF. Above the names there was a tattooed skull. This man was a Spartan.

"Codename: MATADOR?" Maynard inquired. The Spartan stepped forward and shook his hand. "That's me" he glanced at his colleague. "I'm not a big fan of these codenames really, so you can call me Jax. Jax-007". Maynard nodded, and shook hands with the Lieutenant Commander. "I'm Harper, no first names here, i'm afraid". Harper walked past Maynard and over to where the other ONI members sat. He picked up a datapad, and started to make notes. "Don't mind Harper" Jax said. "He may be ONI, but he's allright in my books". Jax gestured to several unoccupied seats. Maynard and Kate sat while Mateo stood. Jax looked at him inquiringly until he spoke. "Sir, I have to report back to our OC so we can confirm we have made contact" Jax nodded, and Mateo exited.

Jax gave Maynard and Kate a datapad each. "These contain information about the Legion's dealings with former Covenant Species, more specifically the Kig-Yar, or Jackals, which you encountered several years ago, and the Jiralhanae, also known as Brutes". Details of the Alien races scrolled onto the screen, along with satellite footage of Roger Maxon meeting with several. Maynard's eyes narrowed. Jax reached over a table and picked up another datapad. "We recently found out that several high ranking Legion members have arrived on Eden V. Generals. in fact. We've identified three of them, and we need your team to help us pinpoint their location before they get ours".

Maynard frowned. "What do you mean, 'before they get ours', sir?" Jax sighed, and glanced out of the window before pulling the shutters down. "What I mean, is that this place ain't exactly UNSC friendly. The tourists, fine, but if the military tries to poke it's nose in, the people here get aggressive" He stared at the names etched into his right arm. "Out here, we haven't got any friends". Maynard's communicator buzzed. He answered it, and Mateo's voice came through. He sounded worried. "Sir, I just saw a couple of 'hogs' filled with militia heading your way, I'm gonna head back to base and suit up" This wasn't good. "Copy that Wulf Two, we'll be on the lookout" he turned to Jax. "Sir. we've got innies heading our way!"

The operatives in the room looked at him, then began packing up their equipment. Harper checked the security camera. Outside, two warthogs had pulled up, and a dozen armed men, all in olive military fatigues, were milling around. Jax stood up, and ran towards a locker near the door. He opened it, revealing an arsenal of weaponry. He began handing out weapons, taking a shotgun and an Assault rifle for himself. Three of the men, whom Maynard had previously thought to have been ONI 'Spooks' were suiting up in black combat armour. They were ODST's. The ONI personnel were putting on bulletproof vests and loading their SMG's. Jax turned to Maynard and Kate. "you have anything?" he asked. Maynard pulled out a single pistol: an M6C/SOCOM. Kate pulled out two pistols. a handful of grenades and a combat knife, which she had hidden in her boots. "What?" she said when the other Spartans stared at her hidden arsenal. Jax passed two Assault rifles to them, before turning to the ODST's. "Sergeant Willard! we need to get these agents out of here!" The ODST saluted. "Got it sir! Colby, Michaels, get-" The rear wall exploded, sending those nearest to it flying across the room. Maynard ducked and took cover behind an overturned table. Jax dived into cover next to him. "Well Maynard, this is where the fun begins!"

Mean Streets
When the smoke cleared, Maynard leaped over the table to check for survivors. Three of the ONI agents were definitely dead, they had been right next to the wall when it exploded. Sergeant Willard pulled himself to his feet, as hid private Michaels. Colby lay face down. Willard pushed him on his back, revealing that a large chunk of shrapnel had gone right through his visor. The sergeant crossed Colby;s arms, one still gripping a SMG, and stood up. "Anyone else alive?!" he shouted. Several groans replied from the rubble.

Maynard ran over and started pulling people out. The Lieutenant Commander came first; his head was bleeding and he looked shaken but he brushed off their concerns. Only two male agents had survived the blast. The first, Rion, was in a bad way. One of his legs was broken and he was bleeding profusely from the abdomen. The other, Mudan, seemed shaken, but otherwise in fighting condition. There were shouts from outside and the sound of marching boots. Several rebels ran to the breached wall and began firing. Maynard let off a burst from his AR, and with combined fire from Kate, Jax and the ODST's, several went down in a hail of bullets.

Willard kicked open a side door. "Sirs, we need to leave, now!" The team ran through the door, and up a flight of metal steps to a balcony. there, he stopped, and turned to Harper. "Where now sir?" he asked. Harper turned to SPARTAN-007. "Jax, you've got the most experience, lead the way". The Spartan took immediate charge of the situation. "Maynard you and Kate can lead the way, I'll be right behind you. Sir, you and Mudan can carry Rion, while Willard and Michaels cover our rear" he paused for a second, letting them take it in. "Allright, lets move!"

They moved through several buildings, clearing out apartments and stairwells as they went. after almost a quarter of an hour's running, they stopped to take a break. Maynard could hear gunfire and shouting in the streets below. It seemed odd, that in less than an hour, this busy, peaceful city had been turned into a hornet's nest. Jax was shouting into his radio. "This is Codename: MATADOR, we have been compromised, I am declaring Code Omega Three!" Maynard felt a chill go down his spine. Omega Three was not a good order for a Spartan to hear: Retreat, get the hell out. He glanced at the older Spartan, who was listening to the response from HIGHCOM. Sid he know something about the rebels here that Maynard didn't?

Maynard attempted to contact Mateo, who responded immediately. "Sir, i'm suited up, we heard the retreat order, we're under fire though" In the background, Maynard could hear the burst of a BR60. "We've come under attack, but the WO is gonna try and power through in the truck. You better get here soon in you want to get suited up, Wulf Two out". Maynard deactivated the communicator, and turned to Jax. "Sir, the rest of my team is suited up, they've got mine and Kate's suits as well. If we can get to them, we can blow our way out and make it to the evac point!" The shouting was getting louder downstairs, there were footsteps on the staircase leading up the Apartment block. Jax slammed a fresh clip into his Assault Rifle, and nodded to Willard, who edged toward the stairs, Michaels at his back, and began firing at the incoming rebels. Jax helped Harper up. Rion's wounds were holding together with biofoam for now, but he would need medical attention soon. Mudan and Kate were lifting him up when Jax waved his hand, and they froze. "You hear that?" he whispered. Outside the window, a single Hornet VTOL aircraft. The two side passengers held Missile Launchers. "Oh Shi-" began Maynard. They fired.

Above
Jax pulled Maynard aside as the machine guns began firing. Kate dived to the floor as well. Sergeant Willard threw Harper to the floor before throwing himself down. Michaels tried to follow his superior, half a second too late. He was peppered with rounds and thrown backwards. Jax opened fire at the Hornet, his bullets pinging off the armoured cockpit. The vehicle gained altitude, momentarily dissapearing. Maynard pushed himself to his feet. Kate got up, swearing to herself. Jax ran over to Mudan and Rion, while Willard went to check on Michaels. Harper got to his feet, shooting Willard a look, and dusted his uniform off.

Mudan had been hit in the head, and Rion shot through the chest. Michaels was still breathing as Willard injected him with a canister of Biofoam. He removed his helmet, and looked up at Willard. "Sorry Sarge, too slow" Willard nodded, and began to pull Michaels to his feet. He groaned in pain. "Listen sir, you know I ain't getting out of here" he muttered. Willard sighed knowingly. "You sure?" Maynard stared at Willard. How could a man accept the death of a squadmate so easily? Were the battles on some of the outer colonies really that bad? Willard took off his backpack, and opened it for Michaels. There were several explosive charges in there. Michaels, still struggling to walk, took them out and examined them before planting several on the stairwell leading out of the apartment block. At the bottom, six floors below, there were shouts and heavy footsteps. It looked like reinforcements had arrived for the militia. Willard passed Michaels a Magnum pistol to replace his Assault rifle, which had been cut in half by the Hornet's machine guns.

"We should go" Willard said. There was no tone in his voice. It became apparent that he had seen this sort of thing many times before. Jax slapped him on the back "Come on Spartan, we need to sprint this if we are gonna get evac in time!" The five survivors began to run again up the stairs, until they reached the rooftop. Harper was out of breath. "where now?" he wheezed. "we're trapped!" Jax grinned at him. "I think I have an idea" He led them to the side of the building. They looked over, seeing a single ladder descending to street level. Willard whistled. Harper stared at it, dumbfounded. Kate looked straight at Jax. "No way sir, to risky" Jax frowned. "Well, it looks like my master plan is scrapped, any suggestions?" He was met with four blank faces. From below, there was an explosion that rocked the building. Willard made a cross sign over his chest. "Well" Jax continued. "There goes Plan B" The sound of an engine came into hearing, and the Hornet rose again, directly in front of the group.

Maynard and the others ducked as it flew over them. It turned to face them, hovering over the roof. Before any of the group could fire, the two side passengers had already raised their missile launchers. Suddenly, plumes of blood spurted from them, and they fell. Blood also filled the cockpit, and the hornet descended to the ground as the pilot slumped forward. Maynard lowered his rifle, slowly. No one moved for several seconds. Finally, Harper said what everyone else was thinking: "What the hell just happened?!"

Jax walked towards the cockpit of the hornet, and examined it. A sniper round had gone right through the glass, hitting the pilot in the head. Jax opened the cockpit and pulled the pilot's corpse out. "I only know of two people who could make that shot, and in either case, we're in luck". Maynard tried to raise Mateo and the others on the radio. "Wulf Two this is Wulf One, are you in a sniping position, over?" The reply came after several seconds. "Negative Chief, we're trying to drive our way out of the city, make it to open ground for pickup. Where are you?". It wasn't Mateo. In any case, the mysterious Sniper had saved their lives. "We're acquiring transport, we should be out of the city before the army arrives, out". Jax climbed into the cockpit, and activated the Hornet. "Plan C seems to be going fine, get in!"

Kate and Maynard got in on one side of the Hornet, Willard and Harper on the other. They rose and flew over Sargon. Looking down, Maynard could see fires coming from the building they were in. On the streets, several Warthogs, Chainguns now attached, patrolled the streets. War was coming to Eden V. Rather than take the Hornet east, towards the city perimeter and the Evac Zone, Jax was bringing them towards a tall skyscraper to the north. They flew over the roof, and Maynard looked down to see a black-armoured Spartan, obviously an S-II, standing there, waving a sniper rifle. "Kane?" Maynard guessed. Jax chuckled from inside the cockpit. "Nah, Kane doesn't have the dramatic flair that this gal does. They landed, and Jax got out. He walked up to the Black-Armoured Spartan, and shook hands. "Need a lift?" he asked. The other Spartan nodded, and climbed on to their side of the Hornet. It tipped slightly. The Spartan turned to Maynard as they flew through Sargon, going slightly lower as they went. "SPARTAN Elena-071, Sigma Beta Team".

Breakout
"What?" thought Maynard. This woman was definitely a SPARTAN-II, there was no doubting that, but he was certain that there had only been 9 members of Sigma, and the only female had been killed back in 2550. "What was Sigma Beta?" He had to find out. As the hornet sped towards the city perimeter, the sun began to set. Elena was looking through her sniper scope. "Over there!" she shouted. "About three miles down the main road, head for the smoke" Without his helmet he could not see as far, but he could make out a thin tendril of smoke coming from a small patch of land in the distance.

Several other Hornets were heading towards where Mateo and the others were. They would need some help. "Jax, I think this bird is going down" Elena shouted. Smoke began to plume from the back of the Hornet, causing it to gradually descend. Jax steered it towards a nearby roof. "y'know, Elena, we might be out of this place if we hadn't picked up your fat ass!" Elena turned towards the cockpit, probably glaring beneath her helmet. "Okay then Jax" she said matter-of-factly. "Who saved your unarmoured butts from getting blown up?" The Hornet touched down on a roof, and the six of them dismounted. Harper was a little shaky. The ONI agent was probably unused to all this. "Where now?" Maynard asked. Jax glanced at Elena. "Well, Commander, do you wanna take charge?" he asked. Elena shook her head. "Lead the way mister red" she held out her arms, and Jax began walking ahead.

Willard slapped Harper on the back in a friendly way, and began walking. He hadn't said a word since Michaels had been killed. Maynard walked after Jax. "Why did she call you mister red?" he inquired" Jax grinned. This man never seemed to stop smiling. "my armour colour. I had it bright red about 25, 26 years ago. Bad idea. Gets you shot, it's Maroon now" Eventually, they came to a landing pad. Dead end. Jax tried using his communicator, but only got Static. Through his earpiece, Maynard could hear the battle outside the city. It sounded like the Spartans were holding their ground. Kate looked over at Maynard. "Don't worry Chief, it'll take more than a few hundred innies to take out the WO and the others". Maynard nodded. Willard was staring into the sky, while Harper sat in the shade. He seemed to be thinking deeply. "Sir" Willard said finally. Jax turned to him "I think the guys upstairs actually listened for once"

High above, coming out of orbit, were several UNSC Ships. A frigate loomed over the city, and was immediately met with a barrage of Warthog AA fire. Pelicans began deploying from the hangars. Jax activated his communicator again. "This is Codename: MATADOR, I have a priority one package that needs immediate evac from Sargon. Please respond, over." Everyone but Harper, who was staring at his hands, watched the ships coming in closer to land on Eden V. A response finally came down the radio. "copy that MATADOR, pelican dropship inbound. Maynard contacted the rest of the team. "This is Wulf One, you guys still breathing?" Alex responded. "Shit, innies are pressing but they haven't taken the truck yet. Mat and Dev are covering us and Ross is firing his grenade launcher at them. By the way, Maynard, we've got two very expensive, very heavy suits of armour lying around, do us a favour and pick them up, will ya!" The transmission went dead. Kate tossed a flare as a single Pelican broke off from the attack and flew towards them.

It turned as it came towards them, the rear hatch opening. Jax began walking towards it as it landed at the pad. As Maynard was about to enter, something flew past him. It was Harper's Officer Jacket. Maynard spun around as he heard a click. Harper stood, stock still. In one hand, he held a SMG. The other held a detonator. His chest was wired with explosives. Jax stared at him in disbelief. How long, Alphonse?" Harper smiled. "First names now Jax? Sixteen years, four months and thirty-seven days. And i'm ready" By the quantity of explosives, he could take out the pad, the pelican and everyone on it. None of the Spartans moved. Even with their enhanced speed, Harper could easily press the detonator before they touched him or raised their weapons. Sergeant Willard, however, didn't. He charged Harper, dropping his rifle as he did.

Harper's SMG flared as rounds tore into Willard. He didn't even stumble. Harper dropped the weapon and his hand flew for his combat knife. Too late. Willard cannoned into him as Harper screamed. "FOR MAXON!" The two men tumbled off the pad. Seconds later, the two were consumed in a massive explosion. tendrils of fire leapt up around the pad, which began to fall. "Get in the ship, now!" Maynard dived into the Pelican as it began to rise, as did the other Spartans. As they began to fly off, the landing pad broke off, falling down into the now besieged city. Maynard contacted the rest of the team. "Guys, we've escaped Sargon, what's your status, shall we come to you?" Devin responded this time. "No need boss, they scattered when the cavalry arrived. We've got your armour on a Pelican, we'll meet up on the UNSC Bengal, out". Maynard took off the communicator, and stowed it away. He stood up, and walked to the front of the Pelican. He looked through the front window, and saw the Bengal. It was a Carrier, a huge testament to the might of the UNSC. "Get us there, Pilot" he said. The pilot nodded, and Maynard sat back down in the troop bay. Elena removed her CQB helmet, revealing her shoulder length raven black hair. She looked at Jax, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Jax, he died saving us, and that's what matters" Jax nodded. "Yeah, they all do in the end".

Rivalry
//JULY 9th, 2583\\

//UNSC BENGAL, ABOVE EDEN V\\

//0700 HOURS\\

Eden V was under siege. Wulf Team, along with Jax-007 and Elena-071, had made it to the ship. Maynard and Kate walked through the corridor to the ship's cafeteria. The others were in engineering, having their armour removed, while Jax had to file a report to his fellow colleagues at Operation: SCALPEL. The Cafeteria was packed, mainly with ODST's that had not been ordered to jump. Most of Battlegroup Fanfare's Marines were deployed groundside, fighting the Legion army that had been scattered. As usual, the Rebels had concealed their forces and were providing the UNSC with a lot of trouble, hit-and-run tactics mainly, although there were several reports of open battles.

As the two Spartans walked past the tables, one of the ODST's slapped Kate's behind. Quicker that Maynard could see, she span round, twisted the man's hand and slammed his head into the table. His buddies looked shocked. "I think you have something to say" Kate said darkly. Maynard stepped back a little. "That idiot better apologise" he thought. "because if he doesn't, this is gonna get messy". The ODST grunted, but couldn't move. "Fuck you!" he spat. Four of his friends sprang up. One of them swung for Kate, who ducked, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back before shoving him into his friend.

Several more ODST's got up from their seats. Kate stepped back, and cracked her knuckles menacingly. The man got up. His nose was bleeding. "you fucking freaks!" he shouted. Maynard and Kate were outnumbered by a dozen at least, most of the ODST's were ignoring this spectacle and getting on with their meal. The injured ODST reached down and pulled a combat knife out of his boot, and turned to his comrades. "Come on, lets show these bastards how real men fight!" The man lunged forward, and was down before Maynard or Kate even had time to react. There was a blur, and the two men nearest to him fell. The others backed away, and sat down quickly.

A lone man stood over the two prone ODST's looking down on them for a second before turning back to the Spartans. He addressed Kate first. "Sorry about that, Spartan, it's a pity some of my men can't have brains as well as brawn". Kate nodded. "It's fine sir, I think he's learned his lesson". The man was curled up on the floor clutching his groin. "Brigadier Richard Mack Junior, 11th ODST" Maynard and Kate simultaneously saluted. Mack turned to the ODST's on the floor. " Bradley, you and these two jokers here" he growled, gesturing to the other prone men. "will not only be jumping first, but you can scrub the latrines for a week!" Bradley mumbled an affirmative, struggled to his feet and staggered off, followed by the other two. Mack spoke aloud to the rest of the assembled ODST's. "You boys and gals will be jumping in half an hour, we've got a crapload of Legion forces and our boys need some backup. Get to it!"

The ODST's in the cafeteria scrambled from their seats and marched out of the room, some still holding food. Within half a minute, the two Spartans and Mack were the only people remaining in the room. Mack sighed, before turning to Maynard. "Sorry, but Jax wants to talk to you about something. Spartan business" Mack did not seem like any other officer he had met. He looked much older than anyone else, but seemed to be tougher than any young ODST. "Or Spartan, probably" he thought. Mack began to head towards the serving area with Kate as Maynard turned to exit. "It ain't easy, Spartan" he called. Maynard turned his head to see the Brigadier General. He seemed smaller for a brief moment. "at least we knew that we could fight aliens without a damn..." Mack turned and strode off. Maynard exited the room, and began heading for the lift. Maynard knew that like Marco, Kane, Jax and many others, Mack was from a different era. He had spent his prime years fighting the Covenant in the Great War, and now, was unused to killing his own species. It was almost sad, really, all those years of war, and after a victory, to be stabbed in the back and have to fight ones own people. The lift arrived. Maynard stepped in, and let the doors slam shut.

Remembrance
Maynard pressed the buzzer outside the SPARTAN-II's Office. The light flashed green, and he stepped inside. Jax sat at a desk, typing at a quick pace on his terminal. He looked up, and gestured to a seat. Maynard sat, and after a few seconds Jax closed down the screen. The office was quite dark. Jax took out a small box of Sweet William Cigars, and offered one to Maynard, who declined. "I didn't know Spartans were allowed to smoke, sir" he said. Jax lit his, and inhaled, for a second, before lowering it. "I don't" he replied, putting the cigar in an ash tray for a moment. "I only do this occasionally, once a year, if that". The office was quite dark, only lit by a few lamps. Jax took out something from the drawer of the desk. "Today is the 31st anniversary of my best friend's death".

Jax turned the object round. It was a Holo-Still, dated September 17th, 2550. The picture was of 9 Spartans, crowding into shot in their bulky MJOLNIR Armour. "Your old team?" Maynard asked. Jax took it back. "Yeah, those were the days, let me point everyone out". He began gesturing to the Spartans in the picture from left to right. "There's Jacob in green on the left, Amy in green and purple, Kane next to her, he really hasn't changed much. Then we have me, god knows why I had orange armour" Jax glanced up at Maynard, who was still studying the picture. "in the middle is Fenn, the boss, great man..., Marco of course still wearing that drab crap, and Nef, surly bastard, next to him. On the far right are Wulf and Resk. Resk is the one who died today, all those years ago"

Jax put the picture back into the drawer, handling it as if it were about to fall apart. He stubbed the remains of the cigar in the ash tray. "Resk used to smoke a lot. After he was killed, I kinda picked up his habit, as a memorial of sorts". Maynard nodded, but was confused. Was this all his superior officer had called him for? "Sir, what is happening with the battle down there? don't they need Spartans in the fight?" Jax sighed. "Yeah, we do. Zulu Company went operational a few months back, and they've been making a difference. We all are in some way" He suddenly seemed to become more businesslike and formal. "About the last mission" he turned on his console, and brought up some files. "I'll be honest, I was surprised about Harper, I knew the man ever since I finished training Zulu, and he had shown no inkling of Innie thoughts" Jax began typing again. "I'm also putting Willard in for the Colonial Cross, he scarified himself to save us, I think it is the least his family deserves"

Maynard had to agree. Although he had only known him for a few hours, Willard was one of the bravest men he'd ever seen. He would have made a good Spartan. Jax continued. "Also, there is information that we never had a chance to exchange back in Sargon. There are three Legion Generals on this planet at the moment, and as far as we can tell, they are planning something big" Maynard saw three files pop up on Jax's screen of the three, along with pictures and names. "General Amenwae, General Jarvis and General Marus" Jax read out. "from our reports, we can see that Amenwae is in charge" Maynard leant forward. "So, when do we take them out?" he inquired.

Jax closed down the files. "Well, we aren't one hundred percent sure yet, but I believe that in-" A loud beeping noise from his console cut him off. He sighed, and opened it. It was a video transmission from the ODST's in the field. Maynard craned his neck round to see what was going on. Explosions and gunfire sounded all around as an ODST shouted into the screen. The signal was breaking up. "Being overrun...many...pinned...backup" The ODST speaking turned and began to fire before he was hit in the head. He slumped over as another ran into view. "They're unstoppable! we need backup before we-" The signal broke off as something big entered view. Maynard looked at Jax. "Get suited up Spartan, we're pulling our boys out".

Recovery
//JULY 9TH, 2583\\

//ONAI PLAINS, EDEN V\\

//0849 HOURS\\

The gunship roared over the corn fields towards the objective. Inside, Wulf Team readied their weapons. Maynard waited for orders. Commander Elena-071 would be in charge of this Op. Maynard put on his helmet, and his HUD flashed up. It felt good to be back in armour again, he had felt naked without it back in Sargon. Ross looked around in the confines of the Viper Gunship's crew bay. Several now-widespread BR60 rifles were attached to gun racks, along with two Missile Launchers and a single Portable Minigun.

Ross nodded in approval. "This is a damn fine piece of machinery ma'am" he announced. Elena looked up from cleaning her sniper rifle. "This is one of 12 prototypes ONI wants tested, we might have to replace the Pelican with them one day". Maynard shifted uncomfortably. The crew bay was standing room only unless there was a medical emergency, although it was quite spacious, even with the six Spartans. "Nah" he said. "Pelicans are comfier in my opinion". Ross snorted. Elena shrugged. Kate and Devin were looking at the weapons, both of them eyeing up the Minigun.

"ETA 30 seconds people, get ready!". The pilot's voice snapped the Spartans into battle mode. Wulf Team grabbed handholds as Elena flicked a switch. The two side doors opened, letting sunlight flood in. Below them, on the dirt roads, Maynard could see several Scorpions and Warthogs rumbling onwards towards their destination. Leaning out of the gunship, he could see where they were headed. A single UNSC Cruiser had crash landed in the fields, and it's remains were being fortified and fought over as both armies clashed. The distress beacon was getting stronger as they neared the frigate. Over 200 ODST's had been dropped in earlier to augment the Marine Company there, but the Legion seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

As the dropship neared the crashed ship, it was met with bursts of AA fire. The pilot calmly flipped a switch and several flares were launched. "The beacon's close, i'm gonna try and drop you off as close as I can!" the pilot shouted. Two missiles shot from the front of the gunship, blowing a sizeable hole in a part of the cruiser. Maynard ducked back inside as the pilot steered them through the hole, only to drop sharply, hovering just above the ground. Wulf Team hopped off. Elena turned to the pilot. "Standby, we may need immediate pickup". The pilot gave a thumbs up, and the gunship raised a few feet as Elena jumped off and began leading the team towards the sounds of gunfire.

The six Spartans ran forwards, directed by Elena's hand signals. Kate took up the left flank, Ross, the right. Devin, carrying the minigun, took up the rear behind Elena with Maynard and Mateo. The gunfire was getting louder. The Spartans ran past corpses, some Legion, some ODST's. Elena sprinted faster, the others in her wake, until they came out into a wide open area. Three ODST's stood back to back in the centre, several more were scattered round amongst the dead and wounded. Elena held up her hand. "Stop".

Catching sight of the Spartans, one of the ODST's ran towards them, screaming. "They're coming" they're coming!". A shape detached itself from the ceiling, falling and crushing the unfortunate soldier. Elena raised her rifle as it turned to look for her. It was roughly 3 meters tall, dwarfing the SPARTAN-II. It had a rectangular head, with a single glowing eye. A long, sharp blade protruded from it's right gauntlet. A large minigun was attached to it's back along with some form of jump pack. On it's armoured torso, two white letters shone: I4. "What are you?..." Elena muttered. The thing seemed to hear her. It cocked it's head. "Immortal-4" it responded. The voice sounded vaguely synthesised, but human. A second blade slithered from it's right gauntlet. "Die, Spartan". Elena leapt to the side as it lunged for her, both blades to the front.

Devin's minigun span up and unleashed a barrage of fire at the 'Immortal' several rounds struck it, and it activated it's jump pack, flying into the darkness above, still pursued by fire from Devin, Maynard, Kate and Mateo. Elena gestured to the surviving ODST's. "Get them out of here, now!". Maynard ran over and helped one of the stricken soldiers up. It was Bradley, the ODST they had almost fought on the Bengal. He discarded his helmet as he got up. His eyes were wide, full of fear. What had these new enemies done?

The Immortal had begun firing back at the Spartans. Devin discarded the minigun, and took out his missile launcher. The Immortal activated it's jump pack and flew toward's Devin, who fired, hitting it squarely in the chestplate, sending it crashing into the ground. Before it could get up, Elena jumped on it, firing at point black range with her Sniper rifle. "Back!" Ross shouted. Elena backflipped off the crippled Immortal as Ross fired his grenade launcher. It detonated, blowing off it's right arm and singeing it's black armour. It was dead. Elena edged towards it and prodded it with her toe. It tried to swipe at her with it's remaining arm, but missed. Mateo shot it thrice in the head. It shuddered for a second, then was still.

There were only five surviving ODST's. They sat in a huddle by Maynard. Kate looked at Bradley. The arrogant Helljumper had been reduced to a whimpering shell of a man in barely an hour. Elena crouched by the corpse, and began pulling armour plates off. Her helmet depolarised. She wrenched off the helmet. There wasn't much of a head left to speak of, but there had definitely been a human in there. "Legion combat suits?" Devin suggested. Elena studied the armour, concern in her bright eyes. "Yeah, something like that, although these guys look like they've been grafted in here. If we can just-" Elena stopped, and held her hand up. Wulf Team crouched and raised their weapons. "Commander?". Ross seemed to like their new CO. She tapped two fingers against the side of her helmet. Listen. Maynard strained his ears. In the distance, there was a faint clanking sound. He glanced at Bradley. He was shaking.

Suddenly, the wall of wreckage at the far corner of the area exploded. Pieces of metal flew everywhere. Over a dozen lights shone in the gloom. Devin reloaded his missile launcher, not taking his eyes off the lights. Suddenly, two more Immortals burst through, firing at the Spartans. Elena rolled out of the way, and activated her communicator. "Backup, now!". The Gunship burst through a nearby wall, it's searchlights trained on the advancing Immortals. The twin chainguns of the gunship span up, unleashing a barrage of fire at the enemy cyborgs. Two were caught mid air and fell to the ground. "Fall back!" Elena roared. The Spartans began to retreat, covering the ODST's who scrambled into the troop bay. The gunship fired four 'Hellstrike' missiles, scattering the Immortals.

The craft rose, and blew it's way out of the crashed cruiser. Maynard and the others hung on tightly as the gunship accelerated up, past the bursts of enemy AA fire and and over the corn fields. Without warning, the gunship swung round to face the downed ship. "Hey, what gives?!" complained Ross. "I nearly fell out!". The pilot pointed towards the battleground. "Watch" he said. The Spartans craned out of the open side doors. Explosions rippled throughout the downed cruiser as is collapsed. Maynard removed his helmet. "You think we took them all out?" he asked. Elena shook her head, and sat cross legged on the floor of the troop bay. "Get us out of here" she muttered. The side doors slid shut, and the Viper gunship flew back towards the Bengal.

SYSTEM REEBOOT: IMMORTAL 1.

BIO SCAN INITIATED...

'''COMPLETE. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: MODERATE.'''

SCANNING FOR ADDITIONAL UNITS...

I2, I4, I5, I7, I8, I9, I12, I14, I15, I16, I17, I19 AND I20 KIA

I3, I6 AND I10 HAVE SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE

I11,I13 AND I18 ARE STILL ACTIVE, MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE

'''IMMORTAL 1 SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE. ARMOUR FULLY OPERATIONAL'''

''Immortal 1. That was his new name now. He had a name before, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. He had been given purpose, and he would carry out his commands faithfully. Why? Thoughts and memories flooded back. They hurt. Before, things had seemed so clear. He was to eliminate UNSC hostiles, and engage SPARTAN soldiers with utmost caution. They had killed I4, and made the rest of the pack converge. They had failed. Immortal 1 sat up. His armour was dented and a large chunk of metal was embedded in his lower abdomen. He pulled it out. Pain. Odd. Reaching out, he felt the consciousnesses of his six surviving packmates. They had not changed. He had. What was his name? It dogged him, just out of his reach. A transmission from home came. Master Amenwae's voice filled his helmet. "All Immortals, return to base. You have failed your mission".''

''Failure. That hurt too. What was his name? Immortal 1 was nothing more than a designation. He would return home with his brothers. Act normal. They could not suspect him. Would they? Would he be punished? They had killed many soldiers before the Spartans arrived. What was his name? He trudged slowly from body to body, setting a timer for suit detonation on each one. His wounded brothers were stirring. He had been freed somehow. By the Spartans? They were the reason he had been created. His purpose was to destroy them. It all seemed unclear now. What was his name? He would discover it. He would play along, follow the commands of Master Amenwae. He had a new purpose now. He would find himself.''

Mud
//OCTOBER 18TH, 2583\\

//UNSC TRENCHLINE, 1 MILE FROM THE TOWN OF FRION\\

//2250 HOURS\\

Three months. Three months they had been on Eden, and things were getting worse by the day. After one month, Zulu Company had arrived along with Battlegroup Nomad, and despite the many victories, the Legion were refusing to budge. Several Spartans had even been killed by the Legion's new secret weapon- The 'Immortals'. Thankfully, there were many more Spartans than there were Immortals, but morale seemed low now that these 'Spartan Killers' had been set loose.

Maynard sat in Trench-01C, the frontline against Legion forces not far away. Z Company were still clearing out a city on another continent, so they were on their own for the moment. Ross was sleeping while Mateo watched the no-man's land through his scope. Devin and Kate were playing cards. This was hell for any Spartan, to have the enemy in reach with no way to get at him.

Ross jerked awake and rose his rifle. "Whoosat?!" he grunted groggily. "Mateo patted him on the head. "Aww, did you have a bad dream?" he said playfully. Ross grunted in frustration. "It was about Reach, if you must know". Mateo froze. "I'm sorry Ross, I was just joking" Mateo said solemnly, before sitting cross-legged in the mud, his rifle across his legs.

Ross waved him off, and stood up as high as he could without popping over the trench top. "Nah, it's fine man, you weren't to know". This seemed to be as friendly as Ross ever got. If that had been Devin, Maynard thought, it might have ended up in a fight. A buzzing noise came through his helmet. The rest of Wulf Team seemed to straighten up. Mission time.

A deep male voice came through. "Wulf Team, this is Trident One. You are to rendezvous with Wulf Actual and Charlie platoon in Trench-01F, over and out". It was Colonel Hicks, or "That Sneaky Bastard" as Mack had called him. Maynard sat up, and slung his BR60 over his shoulder. "You hear that?" he asked. The other Spartans nodded, and gathered their weapons. Kate pumped her shotgun. "Let's roll".

Trench-01F was a true hellhole. 01C had been sleepy in comparison. Marines clustered against the walls, shouting, shooting, swearing or crying. Mortars roared overhead. Wulf team moved carefully until they found the familiar armour of a Spartan, Wulf Actual, Warrant Officer Alex-A121. He beckoned Maynard over. "About time you got here, we've got a bunch of the fuckers holed up on a ridge shelling us!" Maynard nodded, ignoring his former trainer's colourful language. "What did they want us for sir?" he asked. Several more mortars thumped behind the trench.

Alex fired a grenade over the top before turning back to him. "Bastard Hicks is getting us with Charlie Platoon and some others to take Frion tonight". A mortar struck just short of the trench, showering them with dirt and making Alex duck. He made an obscene gesture with his robotic hand. "The moment those shortswords hit, we're crawling through the mud while half of the 27th charge this area. The other half is waiting back on Pelicans, they'll join if we can break through the first lines".

Alex moved into a large dugout, where a platoon of ODST's were sheltered. It was lit by a single flickering lamp, and every so often some dirt would fall onto the table in the middle. The leader, a large man with several red stripes on his black armour, stood up and shook Maynard's hand. "Gunnery Sergeant Jan Carlos, 11th ODST". Alex reloaded his rifle. "Are you lad's ready?, we're running across the moment we hear a kaboom." The ODST's cheered, and piled out of the dugout with the Spartans.

Ross spoke over TEAMCOM. "Sir, we can trust these 'hellies' after all the crap that has happened? It's just that I don't wanna get kneecapped and have my face stomped on by a couple of 'em as they run home crying". Maynard sighed. "Ross, they'll be fine, everyone get a weapons check before we go over". The Spartans checked their guns. Mateo began inserting bullets into his Sniper Rifle by hand. The mortar fire had begun to hit a different area of the trench. It was quiet. The ODST's were getting pumped with adrenaline. Some, mainly the older ones, sat and waited in boredom. Alex, who was crouched by the rim of the trench, turned back. "Listen up boys and girls, shortswords are incoming. We've got Alpha, Bravo, Delta and Echo Platoons waiting for the go as well. We're going to run like hell, storm their trench before they can regroup, and when we've all linked up, we storm through their lines and take Frion. Easy."

In the distance, Maynard could hear the whining of Shortsword bombers. They flew overhead, and after several seconds, the enemy trench and mortar positions burst into flames. Alex turned to them one last time. "This is it! VISR on, let's roll!". Maynard activated his VISR, and leaped over the trench after Alex. Wulf Team and Charlie Platoon followed.

Mayhem
"Ohshitohshitohshitohshit". The chances were that everyone in Wulf Team and Charlie Platoon was thinking the same thing as they ran across the muddy no-man's land towards the Legion trenches. Without their VISR technology, they would have been blind in the dark. The enemy forces seemed to be recovering from the airstrike, and as they got closer, the machine gun fire started up again. Three ODST's fell face down into the mud as everyone else threw themselves to the floor. Maynard fired a grenade, only to have it go wide of the gunner's position.

Next to him, Mateo struggled to aim his SR99 rifle. He raised it to head height, and fired one shot. The machine gun stopped for a few seconds, allowing them to cover valuable ground, before it began firing again. Another ODST was his while making a run for the trench. Carlos called over. "Sir, we're getting torn to shreds out here, does anyone have any ideas?" Nobody spoke, instead listening to the Legion Machine gun firing over their heads.

Mateo raised his sniper again to kill the machine gunner, but was met with a clicking noise. "Shit, it's jammed" he muttered, and threw it to their right. The gunner opened fire at the movement, and slightly ahead of them Alex sprang up, ran the last few meters and dived into the trench before it could get a bead on him. There were gunshots, cries and explosions from inside. After a few more seconds, the Machine gun was silenced. Permanently.

"Move!" came Alex's voice over TEAMCOM. "We've got at least a full platoon of commandos here, sneaky fuckers were waiting for us!". Maynard heaved himself out of the mud with some difficulty, and pulled himself to his feet. Charlie Platoon were already in the trench and engaging the commandos. As Maynard neared the trench, a voice came through his helmet. "Uh, guys, i'm stuck". It was Devin. Ross chuckled with laughter and Kate stared at him, probably glaring under her visor. "Copy that Dev, we're coming. Kate, Ross, get in the trench and help Charlie, Mat, let's get the big guy up".

They followed Devin's transponder to his location. He was face down in the mud. The two Spartans heaved hm up to his feet. His brown armour was covered in mud. "Shit, I can't see" he grumbled and attempted to wipe some of the mud off. The three of them ran back and jumped into the trench, following the trail of corpses. Every now and then they would come across a dead ODST. After a few more minutes, they came to a large crater, where the nine surviving ODST's and the other Spartans waited. Alex greeted them. "The commandos tried to make a run for it, but Delta Platoon cut them off. We lost Echo though, mortars got 'em". Maynard was never sure whether or not he liked Alex or not. On one hand, he was an experienced soldier who got the job done, but on the other he was a foul-mouthed arrogant, violent man.

A salvo of missiles passed overhead, and to the north west, a green flare lit up. "That's our signal!" Alex shouted. The SPARTAN-III led the force over the edge of the crater and towards the town of Frion. Maynard took cover behind a high wall as machine gun fire broke out from the main street. Alex edged his head around the corner, before ducking back as bullets hit the wall. "Well people, we've got some rest, so we're just gonna sit on our arses for a couple of minutes 'til the mortars hit". Alex sat with his back to the wall, and let a deep breath out. His visor depolarised, revealing his scarred face.

Maynard checked his weapon. They had gone through a lot of mud, and jamming would be a problem. His BR60 was fine, but he had to toss his M6G pistol. Several other mud-jammed weapons were tossed onto a pile. Wulf Team and Charlie Platoon rested, a brief respite in the middle of hell. Devin shared a chocolate bar with Kate while Mateo showed Ross and some ODST's a downloaded vid on his TACPAD. Normally Maynard would have to reprimand him for that, but now, he thought, was definitely not the best time. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos sharpened his combat knife, whistling cheerily. It seemed quite surreal, the twelve of them sitting there, taking a break in the middle of a battle, where mortars and gunfire raged all around them.

A voice crackled through their helmet radios, snapping them back into battle mode. "This is Sergeant Moss, Delta Platoon, we've taken out enemy mortar positions but we need backup, the Legion have brought in the big guns". Through the radio came the sounds of shouting and gunfire. "Immortals! Echo Platoon, Spartans, get here ASAP!". Alex sat up, and beckoned for the others to follow him. He tossed a flashbang grenade and rushed round the corner after it went off, casually picking off Legion soldiers that had been advancing. He gestured for Maynard and Mateo to take the left side. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos and two ODST's followed them.

Maynard kicked in the door of a building and moved inside. He took out three soldiers upstairs while Mateo checked the basement with Carlos and his men. "Chief, we have a situation, in the basement". Maynard made his way downstairs. Carlos nodded to the basement door. The Spartan headed inside to find Mateo crouched by a dozen terrified civilians. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you!". The people didn't seem to understand him. Mateo got up, and shrugged. "Que te jodan, asesino!" shouted one of the men. Mateo sighed. "See what I mean?". He strode off upstairs. There were at least three families here. Several frightened children stared at him through terrified eyes.

Maynard removed his helmet. "Está bien, yo no voy a hacerte daño". The people huddled there looked shocked upon seeing his face, as though they could not believe there was a human under there. Maynard continued as Sergeant Carlos joined him "Escúchame, vamos a mantener a salvo de cualquier daño". Carlos sat on the floor by him. "what didya tell them sir?" he asked. Maynard put his helmet back on. "I told them we would keep them safe here. Carlos nodded and the other two ODST's plodded down the stairs. "Lane, Wicker, stay here and watch these civvies!". The Helljumpers must have been slightly disappointed, but it didn't show. With twin salutes and mutterings of "Yes Gunny", they began setting up small lights and a thermal heater. It had begun to snow outside. "Let's get out of here, the others will be waiting for us". Maynard, Mateo, and Carlos left the house and entered the rubble-strewn main street.

Carlos took point as they trudged through the street. Gunfire raged in the distance. Alex's voice came over the comms. "Chief, get your ass moving to the intersection about half a mile down the road, we've got Legion commandos entrenched and they're pinning us down!". "What about Delta?" Maynard responded. In the distance, a large explosion sounded. "Shit, we've got two Immortals over here. Listen Maynard, Delta is gone, we lost all contact a few minutes ago. Get over here now!". The comms flicked off. Maynard sighed. Let's move. As Carlos began to head down the snowy street, there was a strange clicking noise. Maynard had just begun to look down as Mateo pulled him back. Carlos disappeared as a blinding flash of light enveloped him. Maynard could feel himself flying for a brief moment, then blackness.

Madness
Maynard's eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry and he hurt everywhere. He sat up. His helmet was gone. His weapons, even his knife, were missing. There was no sign of Mateo or Carlos. Snowflakes drifted lazily to the ground. Something wasn't right. Maynard couldn't hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions that seemed so rampant only seconds ago; there was only the chilling whisper of the wind. He pulled himself to his feet, and began to walk down the empty street.

He trod carefully, keeping a lookout for any more landmines. Mateo must have taken the Sergeant to safety. But why didn't he come back for you?". A sliver of doubt crept into his mind. From alleyways and side streets the Spartan could hear whispering noises. "It's just the wind" He reassured himself. All human beings have some irrational fear of the dark to an extent. It was just his mind thinking the worst. He heard a crunching in the snow behind him, and nearly shit himself. Maynard span round.

He was met my nothing but shadow. This was not the dark of night, which his augmented eyes could easily see in, but what he could see, or more specifically he couldn't see, was pure and utter darkness, that seemed to take form, towering over him. As Maynard began to back away, a tendril of shadow lashed out at him. He sidestepped and tried to grab it, only for it to dissipate in his grip. The darkness lunged forward, and the Spartan leapt back, striking out at it as it closed in on him. Maynard's armoured fists punched holes in the shadow, but it kept coming, knocking him to the ground. The shadow began to envelop him, overwhelming, all powerful. Maynard felt everything draining out of him, all his courage, his hope. Everything. Just when he felt himself giving up, there was a light, a great blinding light, ,pulling him up, out of the pit of despair. He- "CHIEF!"

Monstrosity
Maynard's eyes snapped open again, greeted by the Sight of Mateo crouched in front of him. Gunfire whizzed over their heads and explosions shook the street. He picked up his helmet, which was slightly dented but otherwise fine, and put it on. Almost immediately, SPARTAN-A121's voice filled his ears. "About bloody time Chief! The 27th have made it into town, but the Legion brought in roughly a dozen Immortal bastards". Maynard could hear Alex shouting at the others in his team. "Kate, flank left with Ross. Devin, I want covering fire along with the two of you!". By the sounds of things, the Legion had launched a counterattack on Frion. "Maynard, once the Marines get there, Push forward and meet us in the Town Square, flank the Immortals!". The Warrant Officer ceased communication.

Maynard's entire body ached, as though he had been his with a sledgehammer, but he managed to level his BR60 and open fire on a few rebels. Mateo tossed a grenade, killing two more. He turned to Maynard. "Chief, we'd better move". From the street behind them, a Scorpion tank trundled round the corner, with a dozen Marines around and riding on it. The two Spartans approached, raising their weapons into the air. The Marines cheered, and helped them onto the lead tank. Six others followed. "Whatever the Legion has waiting for us at the Square, they're gonna be in for a big surprise".

After several minutes of travelling through the war-torn town, the tank column trundling through the snow, they reached the square. Four Immortals stood several meters apart, a hail of bullets keeping Alex's team pinned down. A fifth Immortal lay face down in the snow, blackened and smoking. The lead Scorpion opened fire on the cyborgs. One was struck by the tungsten shell in the chest, killing it instantly. The other three activated their jump packs, shooting high above the UNSC soldiers, and unleashed a volley of missiles.

Maynard leapt of the tank and dived to the ground as the missiles impacted on the lead tanks, destroying them. His shields flared, and began to recharge. Several marines lay sprawled over the ground, dead or wounded. Several feet away, Mateo was crouched, firing his sniper rifle at the Immortals as they descended. His well-aimed bullets hitting one in it's jump pack, causing it to explode and fling the Immortal to the floor. As it attempted to get up, fully armoured SPARTAN landed on it's back, stepped on it's neck and unloaded a full Assault rifle clip into it's face.

Alex-A121 jumped off the cyborg's corpse, reloaded, and with three Spartans at his back, charged the remaining two Immortals. Devin Fired a missile at the nearest one. It missed, and the Immortal sped towards him, it's giant blades swinging. Kate grabbed Devin and pulled him back; the Immortal's scything blades cut his missile launcher in half. Ross jumped on the Immortal's back, and wrenched off the machine gun it had attached to it's shoulder. Devin and Kate leapt onto it as well, in an attempt to disarm it. No Immortal had been captured alive so far.

On the other side of the Plaza, Alex, Maynard and Mateo were fighting with the other remaining Immortal. This one was slightly older; battle scars and markings adorned it's armour. There were signs or numerous repairs. On it's left arm, there were six red stripes. Spartan Kills. Maynard felt anger rising in him. Mateo had dropped his rifle, and was levelling his M6C at the Immortal. It's number shone on it's chest: I1. "So, you're the boss, are you?" Alex spoke menacingly. He drew his combat Knife. "Let's dance".

I1 Regarded Alex for a moment, glancing at Maynard and Mateo, and activated it's jump pack, flying off over the nearby rooftops. Maynard fired a few shots, but to no avail. It was gone. "Fuck!" Alex shouted, and sheathed his knife. Nearby, Kate shouted and pulled Devin and Ross off the Immortal, flinging them to the ground as it's armour detonated, draining their shields. After a few seconds, they stood up and rejoined the rest of Wulf Team. "Where's Carlos?" Ross asked. Maynard turned to Mateo. With all the fighting, he had not had the time to ask about the ODST Sergeant.

"Poor bastard stepped on a landmine. Got blown to pieces. Knocked the Boss down and nearly killed me." He took his hand off of his stomach, revealing a biofoamed wound. "You didn't tell me." Maynard said flatly. Mateo shrugged. I could still fight, sir." He sat on some rubble. Ross joined him. Alex shot up a green flare, indicating that they had taken the town. UNSC Marines poured into the square as several Pelican dropships flew overhead. After a few minutes, a single Viper Gunship dropped in, and the Spartans clambered aboard. Frion was taken.

''Unexpected. Amenwae had ordered the retreat as soon as reports of Spartans had come in. I24, I33, I34 and I38 had been killed. He-I1, sat near a rock face, several miles away from the town. He had watched four of his 'brothers', blind servants, be slain by the Spartans. He had killed several during the fighting over the last few months. They had been younger, and seemed to be fighting too hard. He had killed an entire squad, and had taken several more injuries in the process. Amenwae had given him the rank of 'Major'. The word felt like nothing to him. It was not a true name, only a hollow title. It commanded respect, yes, but it was not enough.''

''He had not revealed his new mind to his packmates, not yet at least. He would convince those who had been alongside him longest, free their minds. These Spartans, whom he had faced, not once but twice, were older, they slaughtered the younger Immortals with no mercy, no feeling behind those opaque visors. He felt a strange feeling; a chill. Fear? He had not felt it for some time. The one who had spoken to him-the leader from the looks of it-would have fought him with only a knife. He would have died fighting the Spartan, had he not withdrawn. A buzzing came from his helmet. General Amenwae's voice came through, ordering his return to base. He bleeped an affirmative green light to the General, and stood up. The first sun had begun to rise in the east. He would discover a name, something of his past. The lack of knowing gnawed at him, like a hunger, an addiction. Soon.''

Ice
//DECEMBER 1ST, 2583\\

//TENDI MOUNTAINS, NORTHERN HEMISPHERE\\

//0230 HOURS\\

"Damn, it's cold". Six Viper Gunships soared above the snowy plains and rocks towards their objective. The battle was nearly over. Z Company had led a massive push into Legion territory, decimating their forces and driving them back to their last few strongholds within the Tendri Mountains. Ross sat on the edge of the gunship, his helmet off, looking around at the mountains. Several miles away, on the other side of the mountains, UNSC forces were engaging the Legion army assembled there. With reinforcements coming down from the rest of the planet, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

Maynard checked his weapons: A BR60 with a silencer, a scope, and a bayonet. The latter was not usually used, but as they would be fighting in close quarters, it may be needed. The pilot turned to the soldiers. "Five minutes people, get ready". Ross put his helmet on and stood up, grabbing one of the handholds as he checked his weapons. Wulf Team would be split into two parts for this operation. Maynard, Ross and Alpha One would enter the facility through a roof section and clear the place out, room-by room. Alpha Two would secure the landing pad to stop any High Value Targets (HVT's) from escaping.

Eventually, lights began to appear through the dense fog. The Vipers broke off into three groups of two, circling round the large building. "See anything?" Commander Elena-071's voice came through the comms. She would be going in alone, straight for the command centre while the two Vipers in her group, mainly containing Snipers, including Mateo-X234, would stay back to provide support. The remaining two gunships contained Bravo Platoon, along with Kate-X500 and Devin-X432. They would hit the large barracks area, and would very likely encounter heavy resistance.

The Immortal complex had to be shut down, and the three masterminds behind the project, Generals Amenwae, Jarvis and Marus, were to be captured or killed if necessary. Snow rained down on the base, probably causing havoc with their sensors. The UNSC Special forces team were lucky not to have been detected yet. Maynard's gunship flew over the roof, and stopped. Ropes descended from compartments, Spiralling down to the floor. Maynard gave it an experimental tug. They had been designed to carry Spartans in full MJOLNIR armour, but he wasn't taking any chances. He signalled Alpha One to fast rope first, stepping aside as the eight ODST's rappelled down onto the icy roof of the Complex. When they had all landed, the Spartan took hold of the rope. He looked out, his visor zooming to get a better look through the snowstorm. He could see Alpha Two roping down not far away. on his HUD, green lights winked from Elena, Kate, Devin, and Mateo, whose Viper had taken up a vantage point. Maynard took a deep breath, looking across as Ross grabbed his rope, and left the Gunship, slithering down the rope to the facility.

Action
''He had done it! After months of searching, the answer to his freedom had been found. A small chip, implanted into the back of his skull, inhibited free will, made him the drone that the several dozen of his brothers were. Six of his original pack lay around him, unconscious. He had struck quickly, hitting them one by one in the right spot, disabling the device. Soon, he and his brothers would be free of this place, this war. They would make their own decisions, their own choices. They would leave this war, and he would have his name. He checked the security camera feed; thee snowstorm was scrambling their sensors. There was a flurry of snow blurring everything, but several distinct shapes could be made out on the roof. Within his thick armour casing, Immortal 1 smiled. Perhaps he would face competition in getting to Amenwae.''

All was quiet in corridor 21-A. Several guards strolled lazily past. Being assigned to Immortal Base was a boring job, but it paid slightly better than being a frontline trooper. The 4-man patrol turned a corner, leaving 21-A in complete darkness. Several seconds later, a circular patch of roof fell away. Snowflakes drifted in as armoured figures dropped through one by one. Maynard checked his motion tracker. "Three hostiles". He motioned to Ross, who moved slowly forward, peeked round the corner, and raised his rifle. Alpha One moved up behind him as four muffled shots rang out. Ross edged round, motioning the others to do the same. Maynard and the ODST's followed him to the bodies of the three guards. As they came closer, Ross crouched down to check. One was still breathing. The Spartan shot him in the head. As the dead guard rolled over, a small device rolled out of his hand, blinking red. "Oh shit..." Ross muttered.

A piercing wail cut through the silence as red lights lit up and klaxons blared. Ross reloaded his rifle as six more rebels came speeding round the corner, only to be met with a hail of gunfire. Four fell, and the others dived into cover as more joined them. The two Spartans and Alpha One fell back and took cover. Ross took out his grenade launcher and fired once at a nearby door. It blew open. "Chief, get through there, we'll hold the line here!". Maynard nodded and dived through. Two ODST's followed him. The Squad Sergeant, Yamada, came through as well, dragging an injured soldier. Maynard tossed him a can of biofoam. "Yamada, stay here with your squad". The ODST looked him for a few seconds, his depolarised visor showing a confused face. "Your squad needs you here" Maynard continued. The soldier shrugged sullenly and turned to rejoin the fighting. Maynard knew this was probably for the best, remembering Sergeants Willard and Carlos, who had both met explosive ends.

Maynard led the two ODST's following him down a long maintenance corridor. His TACMAP showed that the command centre would be two floors above them; not too far. He could hear gunfire rattling throughout the complex, and a few explosions. He activated TEAMCOM, connecting himself with the five other Spartans around the facility. His HUD marked Elena as the closest, right down the end of the hall. Her pulse was increasing sharply. Maynard sprinted the last 100 yards and burst through the door to find Elena fighting two Immortals at once. A third lay dead on the floor, a smoking hole punched though it's chest. Maynard fired his BR60 at the nearest one. The bullets pinged off, and it turned slowly to face the new threat, it's dual blades extending. Maynard kept firing as it rushed towards him, rolling away at the last moment. The two ODST's that had accompanied Maynard stepped through the door, saw the Immortals, and stepped back. The door slammed shut. Maynard ducked under it's scything blades, delivering a flurry of punches to the chestplate of 'I35'. It seemed to only get more pissed off. Nearby, Elena had torn it's blade off and was cutting the Immortal to ribbons. It staggered back, attempting to spin up it's chaingun. Elena sliced it's head off. Maynard dodged the blades of I35 again and stabbed with his bayonet. The Immortal kicked him away and began walking towards him, his rifle still stuck in it's chest. Maynard pulled out his combat knife as it stomped towards him.

As it raised it's blades, it froze, and toppled over. The blade of it's comrade in the back of it's helmet. Elena helped him up. "I had them, you know" she said. Maynard sheathed his knife, and pulled his rifle out of the corpse. "Well, I helped out, didn't I?" Elena shrugged. "Lets get Amenwae, I'm tired of this damn planet". She strode off. The side door opened, and the two ODST's stepped out sheepishly. Maynard sighed, reloaded his rifle and followed the older Spartan, the ODST's right behind him.

Confrontation
"We're almost there!" Elena called. She was sprinting down the hallway towards their objective faster than Maynard and the ODST's could keep up. Eventually, she reached a site door, and stopped, taking out a small circular device. Maynard caught up, and waited a few seconds to catch his breath. The fighting was further away, and the snowstorm outside was getting worse. Elena placed the device on the door, and motioned for him to move out of the way. He took up a position on the other side of the door while the ODST's crouched further back, raising their Assault Rifles.

The charge detonated, and the door crumpled inwards. A swift kick from Elena sent it flying as the two Spartans entered the room. Several bodies lay scattered around, some groaning feebly. Maynard began checking them; they needed a positive ID on Amenwae. He turned one man over. It was General Jarvis, one of Amenwae's subordinates. He had been shot through the head. "Commander, Jarvis was already dead". The Black-Armoured Spartan nodded, stowed her rifle, and pulled out her pistol. She then began shooting the still-alive Legion members, one by one, until they were all dead. Glancing at Maynard as the reloaded and put her pistol away, she sighed. "Orders are orders, Maynard. ONI said to kill anyone who wasn't Amenwae, and even then, he's wanted alive or dead".

Mateo's voice blared through the COM. "Chief, the storm's getting worse. We're gonna land and link up with Devin and Kate, they're having some trouble with Immortals". "Copy that Wulf Two" Maynard Replied. His motion tracker detected unfamiliar movement less than 15 meters away. He raised his BR, slowly edging towards another door. Leck and Tiller, the two ODST's, moved in behind him, ready to fire. He kicked the door open and ran through, only to see a flash of movement as someone darted out of the room. On the floor lay several more bodies, including that of another Legion Commander, General Marus. "You two, stay here". The Troopers shrugged; they didn't seem to want to talk much.

Maynard charged after the retreating figure. "What the hell are you doing?!" Elena's voice came angrily through the COM. Maynard replied. "Commander, I'm pursuing Amenwae, we can't let him escape this time". Maynard's visor zoomed in on the man before he turned a corner. He was very fat, very scared, and very much in love with his distinctive peaked Officer's cap. It was Amenwae, no doubt. Maynard made sure his weapons were loaded. Amenwae hadn't survived this long by being careless, like General Bates, or too trusting, like the recently deceased Jarvis and Marus.

The sound of gunfire was getting closer. Several red and yellow blips appeared on the Spartan's motion sensor. He raised his rifle as an Immortal backed round the corner, firing it's minigun. Maynard edged forwards; it had not seen him yet. The Immortal's single glowing blue eye glanced at him. Maynard leapt, jumping over it's blades, drawing his own knife as he did so. He landed on the Immortal's back, and plunged his knife into it's neck. The monster shook violently, trying to throw him off. Maynard took out an incendiary grenade and plunged it into the gap behind it's neck armour, and leapt off, rolling as he hit the floor. The grenade went off, cooking the Immortal. It let out an inhuman howl as it dropped to the floor.

Three yellow dots approached Maynard from the hallway. Devin, Mateo, and Kate emerged from the darkness. Mateo reloaded his sniper rifle and approached him. All three of them bore dents and blast marks on their armour, and Maynard spotted biofoam seeping through one of Devin's gauntlets. "Chief, we've cleared up most of the enemy security, but we've got a dozen Immortals in the cargo bay. Bravo Platoon is trying to pin them down, Alpha Two is taking fire from Commandos, and we've heard nothing from Ross and Alpha One. We Should-" A shout from the COM cut him off. "This is Wulf Five, we've got a problem here: at least three platoons, if not more. I'm losing men and ammo is low. I'm gonna need another Spartan over here!"

Mateo looked at Maynard for a brief second. He nodded, and the green armoured Spartan sprinted off into the darkness of the corridor. Wulf Three and Wulf Four stood ready. Maynard felt a strange sense of joy. "Let's finish this".

Switch
"This is Wulf One, we are currently in pursuit of the General. Wulf Actual, prepare the extraction team".

Maynard, Kate and Devin sprinted along the upper level of the main cargo bay. Below them, the ODST's of Bravo Platoon were engaged in a heavy firefight with what was likely the only surviving Immortals, nine of them, all standing before a large door, defending it with their lives. At the sight of the Spartans, two of them broke off, activating their jump packs. Maynard fired three quick bursts from his BR, hitting one in the chest as it dropped towards him.

Devin was forced to roll sideways, dropping his missile launcher as the second Immortal slammed into the floor. Kate hit it with a blast from her shotgun, causing it to stagger slightly. Devin dived for his weapon, but the armoured beast stamped on it, breaking the missile launcher clean in two. Sighing, the brown-armoured Spartan drew his Assault rifle and peppered the Immortal with bullets. It extended it's wristblades and lunged forward. Kate jumped back, Devin was knocked back, his shields taking what would have been a fatal blow.

Maynard's Immortal opened up with it's minigun, forcing the Spartan to leap off the catwalk onto the bay floor below. The monster jumped down after him, eager to destroy it's prey. Maynard ran, diving into cover before it could get a lock on him. He fired a burst from his rifle at the approaching Immortal, ducked, and waited for the fire. It never came. Maynard glanced over the crates he was hiding behind. "This can't be happening".

The Immortal that had been attacking him had turned, and was firing at it's fellows. Six more Immortals had joined the fray, but were attacking eachother. One crashed down from the upper balcony, peppered with bullets. Kate and Devin emerged, and paused to watch the carnage below. The newcomers sliced and shot through the other Immortals, several falling on both sides. Maynard edged round the side of the room, towards the now-open door. He slipped through, the others joining him shortly afterwards.

"Bravo, fall back and link up with Alpha, we'll handle this". The three Spartans ran across the room, catching sight of a sign directing them to the VIP Landing Pad. Gunfire echoed through the hallway as they neared their objective. Maynard ensured that his rife was fully loaded; they had no idea what to expect beyond this point. He nodded at Kate, who took point, Devin covering the right side.

The Nameless
Devin, Maynard and Kate stepped out into the control room of the facility. Corpses of soldiers, scientists and technicians lay strewn around the floor. Consoles and computer screens were smashed, and a stream of snowflakes were fluttering in through the open skylight.

"No, please, I'll give you whatever you want!"

"What is my NAME!?"'

"What?"

''"My name, General. What is it?!"

The three Spartans edged around a data stack to see General Amenwae, slowly crawling backwards, away from what appeared to have been an Immortal. Most of it's armour plating was stripped off, and it's helmet was discarded on the floor. A man's head could be seen, various cybernetics going into it's neural interface. The Immortal turned to face them.

"Spartans."

Devin raised his Assault Rifle, but Maynard waved him off. The Immortal's face was very pale, shaved almost bald. His eyes glowed a bright, luminous blue. Amenwae, whimpering, tried to crawl away, but was picked up by his leg and dangled upside-down. He shrieked in terror as he pissed himself. The Immortal ignored it, as a long blade extended from it's remaining gauntlet.

"My name, Amenwae. Tell me it or I gut you right here"

Maynard edged closer. "Listen, put the General down, and we can discuss-" The Base shook violently. "What the hell was that?!" He shouted, pointing his rifle at Amenwae, who had been dropped to the floor. Despite the dark stain on his trousers and his wounded shoulder, Amenwae grinned.

"A missile launch. I ordered it ten minutes ago. There should be two more coming soon, you pigs!" Amenwae spat at the Spartan. The Immortal moved faster than Maynard could have ever expected, lifring the General up slamming him against the large windows with enough force to break them. Amenwae looked down it the blade embedded in his chest.

"Fuck you" he spluttered. "Fuck UNSC. Fuck Maxon, Fuck you, I1. You're all going to die, not even you Spa-"

A second blade had lodged itself in his chest. With a clicking noise, they were detached from the Immortal's gauntlets. Amenwae spat blood and died. The Immortal, I1, sat down on the floor and bowed his head. "Kate, watch him. Devin, search the area for anything of value". The others nodded. Maynard turned around and activated his COM. "Wulf Actual, this is Wulf One, Amenwae is KIA, but we have another problem, do you copy?"

It was a few seconds before the Warrant Officer responded. "Maynard, i'm en-route in a Viper. We've forced the Legion troops to surrender in their last holdouts. Zulu Company is on their way to the UNSC Bengal. The UNSC Grievous and the rest of Battlegroup Fanfare are coming down for support, Battlegroup Nomad has arrived with reinforcements"

Maynard had to warn them against the threat of the missiles. "Copy that sir, there has been a missile launch from the base, can you confirm?"

"Hold on...Yes, we've got a lock. One missile heading for...oh no..." If something was worrying Alex, then it would be a major problem. Half a minute passed before he spoke again. "It was a nuclear missile. We've just lost Medris City. Evacuation orders are being sent out to the others, Sargon in particular. Stop the other missiles, Maynard, and get Wulf Team outta there"

Alex's voice carried no emotion, and sounded slightly hoarse. "Copy that Wulf Actual, we're moving now, out". Maynard deactivated the COM, and checked his rifle. He walked over to I1, who was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, and looked up to find the Spartan's bayonet an inch away from his neck. "Do it" he whispered. There was a slight electronic ring to his voice, similar to that of an AI. Maynard wavered for a few seconds before bringing the gun back, holstering it behind his back. I1 stared at him, the shining blue eyes seeming to penetrate his visor and look directly into the Spartan's dark ones.

"Why aren't you attacking us"

"Well, you'd kill me, for starters" I1 replied. "Also, I don't see why I should. I'm not like the others, as you can obviously see." Kate, who had been watching them, spoke up. "How are you different from the others? Something knock a screw loose?". I1 cocked his head for a moment before answering. "Something like that, yes. If you don't mind, I think I should go now" He stood up and turned to exit, only to have two guns pointed at him. Maynard set his BR60 to burst fire and aimed at his head. "Sorry, but we can't just let you leave". He clicked the safety off, and took aim.

"Wait a second, Chief!" Kate had lowered her shotgun. "This....man... has just killed one of the biggest threats to the UNSC, and we're going to kill him? With all due respect, I think this is one for the higher-ups to deal with, not us".

Cutoff
Kate was right. If he surrendered, he could be a valuable asset to the UNSC in their war against the Legion. He holstered his rifle. The Cyborg stared at him for a few seconds more. "That would be...acceptable. I suppose that I1 shall suffice for-" BLAM. I1 staggered back. BLAM. BLAM. BLAM. He fell to the floor with a thud, three smoking holes in his body, and one between his eyes.

The Spartans drew their weapons immediately, training them on the direction of the shots: An upper walkway. Commander Elena-071 jumped down, landing with a clunk on the floor. A sniper rifle was holstered behind her back. "Commander-" Maynard began, but she silenced him with a wave of her hand. The SPARTAN-II strode over to the prone corpse of I1, and crouched. She closed his eyes. "That's the end of this horrific project" she whispered, and stood up to face the younger Spartans.

Maynard didn't say a word. Devin approached them from a side room, casting a quick glance at the Immortal's prone body. He produced a small data chip, and held it out to Elena. "I've downloaded the files off of the Legion's Computer Systems Ma'am, it's got all the data on the project here, as well as other troop movements". Elena took the chip, and stored it in an armour compartment. "Thank you, soldier". Devin saluted.

"Chief, take your team through the eastern side of the facility, towards the missile silos. The rest of your team, along with the ODST squads, are on the way there now". Elena never seemed to speak, exactly, she just seemed to quote facts. She put two fingers to the side of her helmet. "Bravo-3, this is Sierra Zero-Seven-One requesting pickup. Bravo-1, Bravo-2, link up with Wulf 2 and 5 and assist them. Out"

She turned to Maynard. "You'd better get moving, we don't have long." Elena pointed her gauntlet to the ceiling, and a zipcable shot upwards into the darkness. The SPARTAN-II Shot up.

Kate pumped her Shotgun. "Let's get those missile doors closed Chief".

Closure
"This is Sierra X-Ray-Two-Three-Four, We have nearly three dozen Commandos here, we could do with a hand here!"

Maynard, Devin and Kate raced towards the source of the gunfire. Various screens around the base displayed five launch countdowns. There was only 40 seconds left on one. Devin booted down the door to the launch control room, and they were faced with a pitched battle; Mateo and several ODST's were pinned down behind an overturned table. On the other side of the room, Ross was cutting a bloody swathe through a squad of Commandos with his BR60, gunfire ricocheting off his shields.

Maynard dropped to one knee and took aim, firing three bursts. The first two dropping commandos instantly, the third crippling another. Devin and Kate vaulted over a railing, both decimating the enemy soldiers as Mateo and the ODST's began to advance. The surviving Commandos fell back towards the main control booth, firing erratically. Maynard switched his rifle to full-auto, spraying them with bullets. As the last one fell, Ross kicked the door down.

As the Spartans approached the main computer, the base rumbled once more as another missile launched. "Aw, fuck" muttered Ross. The seven surviving ODST's and Wulf Team spread out amongst the terminals and computers. On a large screen in the centre of the room a display tracked the nuclear missile's progress and it's destination: Sargon, population: 3 million.

Alex's voice crackled over the radio. "We've just set down on the main pad, what the hell just happened?!" Through the snowstorm outside, it was unlikely that he knew what was going on. Maynard activated his COM. "Sir, we have another missile launch, we're doing our best to halt the others"

"Where is the missile headed?"

"Sargon."

"Open the door"

At the far end of the control room was a large door, intended for a quick escape route. It was at least a foot in thickness. Maynard motioned to Mateo, who ran to the controls. After pressing several buttons, it began to open. Slowly.

There was a thud from the other side. The metal bent slightly. After half a minute, the slow-opening door was wide enough for the SPARTAN-III to step through. Like Maynard, his armour was steel and red in colour. Massaging his left hand, he strode towards where Maynard stood tapping at the main console. A red cross flickered up. ACCESS DENIED. Alex regarded it for a moment before taking a small device out of an armour compartment and placing it in a slot in it's side. After a few seconds, the screen filled with green.

Alex clapped his hands. "Right then! We've got about four minutes to get the hell out of here before this mountain is toast. Stay if you like, but I'd rather not be atomised" He jogged several meters before breaking out in a run, sprinting towards the landing pad. The surviving ODST's of Alpha and Bravo Platoons ran too, closely followed by Devin, Kate and Mateo. Ross turned just before he left. "Hey Chief, you coming, or are we gonna have to make arrangement's for Mat's promotion?"

Maynard descended from the control booth, taking a glance at the central screen. The countdown timers were still active. What had Alex done? Then, he realised. On each readout, four words shone bright red. WARNING, MISSILE DOORS CLOSED. "Oh crap". Maynard and Ross ran as fast as they could from the control room, towards the landing pad where the Viper Gunships were taking off. The Spartans crammed into one as the bay doors closed. The Gunship, along with two others, sped off as fast as it could, away from the Facility.

After several minutes of silence, Alex stood up and made his way to the cockpit. "We clear?" he asked. The pilot nodded, and the Gunship slowed and turned, as did it's wingmates. The side doors opened. Maynard checked the time. It was 6:26am, local time. The sun rose slowly from behind the Tendi Mountains. They sat there, unmoving. 6:31, it rose again. An entire mountainside collapsed as the combined power of the nuclear missiles detonated, unable to launch from their silos. The bay doors on the Viper closed as the gunship turned away from what was left of the mountains, and the complex. "Admiral, are you ready?" Alex said over the COM. The others turned towards him. An elderly male voice came though.

"Copy that, Wulf Actual. Everyone is off-ship. Less that one minute until impact. I'm ready".

"Are you sure there's no other way sir?"

"Only way to ensure success. For the greater good, right?"

"There are 3 million people in Sargon City, Admiral".

"I understand. This is Admiral Joseph Harris, signing off. Do me a favour and win this war for us".

The Destroyer, UNSC Grievous soared above Eden V. The ship was almost completely devoid of life, save for one man. On the main viewscreen, the missile came into view as it began it's arc back down into orbit. The ship flew after at it at full speed. Without an AI, it was up to a lone helmsman to pilot the ship. As the Grievous closed in on it, a timer ticked down until impact. Admiral Harris lit a Sweet William Cigar. He hadn't allowed his bridge crew to smoke while at their stations, including himself. Not that it mattered now. His life in exchange for 3 Million others, and victory against the Legion after a 5 month siege. Sounds good.

The Gunships set down by the cornfields, and the soldiers poured out. UNSC forces had set up a staging post here. Zulu Company had also been pulled back here and were awaiting pickup from the UNSC Bengal. Alex removed his helmet, and let it drop in the dirt. An explosion blossomed in the sky, momentarily shining brighter than the planet's suns. He Saluted, picked up his helmet and began to walk back to the camp. "We're done here" he muttered.

One by one, the assembled ODST's and Spartans ripped their eyes away from the sky and turned away. As Maynard set off towards the camp, he looked back. Devin had sat in the dirt, helmet off, and was watching the debris from the Grievous falling to the planet. Maynard strode over to him, removing his helmet. "You okay?" he asked. Devin picked up his EVA helmet, looking at his reflection. He rubbed his shaved head for a second, before replacing the helmet. "Just wondering, sir, about what we'll end up doing when we win this war". This wasn't like the usually stoic and quiet Devin.

"We'll retire, probably, or get cushy higher-up jobs, I'm guessing". Devin snorted. "If you say so Chief, just wondering. Wouldn't like to be used and tossed away. Had it happen to me before" This was interesting. "What are you talking about?" Maynard asked. Devin just kept on walking, towards the camp. "Forget I said anything, Chief. Let's go get some food"

Downtime
//DECEMBER 3RD, 2583\

'''//UNSC BENGAL. SLIPSPACE EN-ROUTE TO SOL\\'''

//1300 HOURS (NEAREST ESTIMATE)\\

"She was just too damn fast". Maynard ducked under another kick and rolled to the side. He was resisting the urge to draw his combat knife. Not that it would have made much of a difference. Elena would probably just snap it in half anyway. After 5 months of almost constant battle, what better way to relax than with sparring? After a few thrown punches and an attempted grapple, Maynard was once again sent sprawling across the hangar floor. Most of the Bengal's crew seemed to have turned up, along with most of Zulu Company. Apparently there were some heavy bets against him.

Ross and Mateo were sparring with several members of Z Company at once, while Devin sat on the sidelines and watched with a group of ODST's. Kate had gone to the armoury to fix a glitch in her MJOLNIR helmet's HUD. Maynard pulled himself to his feet, and barely had enough time to dodge as a ton of black armour flew at him. He managed to get behind her, and was about to enter a chokehold when Elena backflipped, soaring out of his reach and landing behind him. As Maynard span to face her, a fist connected with the side of his helmet, and for what seemed to be the hundredth time today, he skidded across the metal floor. He held his hands up in the air as he unsteadily got to his feet.

The assembled crowd cheered as Maynard began to walk towards the elevator. Elena caught up with him. "Sorry about that, Chief, it was a dirty trick". Maynard shrugged it off. "I lost fair and square, ma'am. We were both trying our best". The older Spartan snorted. "You, maybe. Not me. I could've broken your neck or spine any number of times during that fight". "Great" he thought. "It's one thing to get smashed to the floor by a 72 year old woman, but it's another if she wasn't even trying".

The elevator doors opened, and four people stepped out: Lieutenant Jax-007, Brigadier General Richard Mack Junior, Warrant Officer Alex-A121 and Petty Officer First Class Kate-X500. Mack stepped forward and shook Maynard's hand. "Hell of a job you did down there son, hell of a job". Mack's left arm was set in a cast. Even with his helmet on, he still seemed to see the Spartan eyeing it. "Yeah, it's a joke, right? Got this yesterday. Legion AA shot down my Pelican, me and the LT here had to walk to base!" He patted Jax on an armoured shoulder. "Anyway, I'm meant to brief my men, I'll see you another time". Maynard saluted as Mack strode over to the assembled ODST's, many of them discussing credit wins or losses from the fight. In no time he was barking orders at them.

Jax chuckled. He seemed to find everything funny. Maynard hadn't seen him in armour before. It was a dark red colour, with white stripes on the shoulders. Jax removed the gold-visored helmet. He looked tired, despite the grin on his face. "The News is going crazy over this. Three high-ranking Legion Generals dead and a Major planet taken. Not only that, but the data your team recovered has given us the coordinates to several other bases. You should be proud of your accomplishment". Maynard shrugged. "I'm just doing my duty sir". That was it, no more, no less, though he did feel some small amount of pride. Who else could have got the job done?

Jax patted him on the head, and moved towards Elena. He tapped the side of his helmet, and they started talking in a private COM channel. About secret stuff. ONI stuff, Maynard guessed. He stepped into the elevator. Kate had gone over to Devin and the others, leaving only him and Alex inside. He pressed the button for the living quarters. The elevator slowly began to ascend. Alex kept his helmet on, but Maynard could tell he was staring at him. After a few seconds, Alex spoke.

"I can't really give you any more praise, the LT did that job for me." His robotic arm reached up, and he removed something from the back of his helmet, and produced a tiny chip. "Take it" he said. Maynard took the chip and inserted it into his own helmet. Letters flashed up on the inside of his HUD. PASSWORD REQUIRED. "It's Eridanus" Alex said. Maynard repeated the phrase, and a tiny green light flashed up. A dozen tiny files popped up. They were all labelled and dated. The first read out: Mamore, 2537. There were many others below it. "It's my helmet recordings, right from the start. I've kept that chip all these years. It's yours." The lift came to a halt, and Alex stepped out. Before the doors closed, he turned round to Maynard.

"Oh, and good luck with the news crews when you get back to Earth, you're well known now. The Legend of Wulf Team has been born."

"Maynard removed his own helmet. "Legends are never born, true or not. They are created." He wasn't sure where those words had come from, but they seemed right. Alex nodded and walked off as the doors closed again.

Epilogue
//DECEMBER 5TH, 2583\\

//UNKNOWN LOCATION\\

//0532 HOURS\\

"What the hell do you mean, wiped out?!"

The soldier trembled slightly as Maxon stood up, towering over him. "The UNSC s...sir. They attacked the facility. Amenwae, Jarvis and Marus are dead"

Roger Maxon looked around at his assembled Generals and Commanders. They were good, most of them, but they lacked the certain genius that Amenwae and his cohorts had in order to create the Immortal Project. "What about the data on our super soldiers? Did Amenwae send that?" The messenger looked down. "He was attacked before he could transmit it". Maxon sat in his chair. "I see." No one said a word. He cast his eyes around the room once more. "Run" he whispered, as he drew the two Magnum pistols he kept hidden under his table.

The messenger was shot in the head before he turned to his commanders, the quicker-witted of whom had began to run already. By the time he had to reload, a dozen corpses lay scattered about the floor. His three sons, Samuel, Joseph, and Arthur, all competent soldiers, stood behind him. They hadn't said a single word this whole time. He looked back at them, and nodded. Almost immediately, they began clearing away the bodies. Roger poured himself some whiskey from a flask. Once they had finished, his sons exited the room, leaving him alone.

"It's not easy, is it?"

Maxon jumped out of his chair, pulling out his pistols as he did so. There was a blur of movement and the guns were turned upward towards his head. A man, much taller than he was, stood before him. He was completely bald, save for his small goatee beard. His eyes were red.

"Who are you?!" he managed to say. The man released his grip on the guns and took a step back. He was dressed plainly, in black combat fatigues. "Are you a Spartan?" The stranger's left eye twitched at the mention of the word. "No", he said, his voice deep and resounding, "But I can help you". He produced a datapad, and handed it to Maxon. It was a list, of troop movements, of targets, of people, of potential allies. "A gift to you, Supreme Commander Maxon". He saluted, and Maxon holstered the guns. "You may call me Magnus. It's time to take the fight back to those fascists".

Roger Maxon grinned. Perhaps this war was not over for him yet.

---

THE END