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

Prologue
//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 to pay attention to everything. He stood up. 7:28. It was time to move.