((I know there isn't many people yet, but we may as well get started and hope that more join.))

The Convenant and Human's are at war, as the Prophet's weave a web of deceit that would last for twenty year's and, ultimately, be their undoing. Twenty year's before the Great Schism and destruction of Installion 00, the Convenant has begun an offensive upon Harvest. The UNSC was shocked at the sudden appearance of hostile Alien's, but was quick to intercept the oncoming threat.

A matter of faith and courage, that is who will prevail.

Harvest's Orbit. 0200 Hour's.

'Faith and Courage.'
The Arbiter stood amid the observation platform aboard 'The Divine Justice' as he contemplated this new enemy. Regret had confidence in his ability to lead the Convenant force's to victory against this new race, but many thing's clouded his mind. Why did the Hierachy not assimilate this new race, bring them into the fold . . . ? Given that their technology is limited . . . but useful. Their battle technique's were impressive and they were excellent strategist's, yet they were not admitted into the Convenant.

But he was the Arbiter, it was not his right to intrude into the Hierachy's affair's. He was to die for honour and glory, in a blaze of redemption. Of course, he knew that was simply the Prophet's way of sparing him for their own use, but he had no qualm's with such ideal's. Great thing's such as the Journey required substance in a form and the Arbiter was but one of many. To the public he was a failure, adorning a new face in an attempt at redemption. To the Prophet's he was a weapon, a tool.

A Kig-Yar (Jackal) approached him slowly, cowering as he muttered indistinguishable vowel's and word's. "Speak clearly, Kig-Yar." The Jackal froze and risked a glance at the Arbiter, clearly afraid of his master's intent. "We have intercepted a holo-recording from a Human officer, nothing much but it give's us some infor--" Ripa snarled at the creature and gestured a dismissive hand to the fumbling Alien, guiding him to the door. He tapped a console as he departed, bringing a holo-imager to life.

The Human figure spoke as recording's of battle's and event's filled the screen. "At first thing's went well, but then setback after setback . . ." The voice faded into obscurity as the Arbiter watched the dancing light's intently. He muttered a curse as he brought his strength to bear against the projector, severing it's support's instantly and sending it against a viewport. "Intriguing." He turned in time to see a fellow Sangheili approach him. "Arbiter, what is your command?" The Arbiter considered as he stared out a nearby viewport. "The Human's are tenacious . . . yet brave and . . ." He trailed off as he considered his word's. "Perhap's, but they are an enemy of the Convenant nonetheless. Such is the will of the Prophet's."

Ripa nodded as he recognised the phraise that many Elite's spoke in reply, yet they meant nothing by it. All were confused as to why the Human's were denied, but perhap's it was simply too early to calculate. "Commander, send aid down to the surface. Include a full armor battalion . . . and take a Scarab. Establish a base and create a perimeter, then move dropship's in to take various point's across the surface. We will create outpost's and stronghold's to match the enemy and possibly defeat them." The Sangheili nodded and began to leave, but halted at the doorway. "Arbiter, when do we leave?"

"Immediately, inform me of your progress at 0600 hour's." The Sangheili nodded, even though Ripa could not see it. He departed and left the Arbiter to his thought's. He moved over to the front of the observation deck and tapped a panel, bringing the comm to life. "Find Valkanar 'Crolunee, send him to me. I have need of his . . . prowess." The comm immediately silenced as it vanished back into the panel. He looked out of the viewport into the endless void of space.

San Francisco USNC Marine Base, Earth

0400 hours


Master Sergeant Kendrick Harrison watched another Pelican transpot bring in another squad of marines.

"Okay!! Group E! Form on the left! Prepare to disembark and arm!! Two minutes this time! GO!"

The Pelican's drop ramp fell, and almost immediatley, a squad of green clad marines sprinted out. They were sent here to be loaded into another ship, a much larger ship.

A USNC Battleship to be correct.

Ironsides the II was planned in San Francisco, built in San Francisco, it only made sense that it began its first combat excursion from San Francisco.

There had been numerous reports that this new Alien force, the ones who called themselves 'The Covenant,' had been reported unusually close to USNC prospects, and now they were going to handle the problem.

Kendrick stood tall above the marines as they clamored past.

One of them stopped,"Hey what's with the uniform, did they change it, or are you just a Hell Jumper?"

Kendrick chuckled, "Yeah, you guys are suddenly obsolete and out-of-issue! Haven't you seen SF before!! Now get moving!!"

The Marine snapped back to work and whispered to his friend, "He looks like Spec Ops but he shouts like a Marine..."

The two men laughed to themselves, but Kendrick did not notice, he had twenty more Pelicans to unload, and not too mention, he was going to kick ET, or the Covenant, back to his galaxy, and maybe a bit farther.

He rested his battle-rifle on his shoulder and continued shouting orders.

The Bridge, Divine Justice.

0400 hours

Ripa 'Moramee moved about the bridge at a brisk pace, ensuring all was ready for the Prophet's plan's. The bridge staff tapped command's into their respective terminal's, ensuring that the ship was ready for it's required duties. The Arbiter halted at the front-center of the bridge, looking out of a viewport to the planet below. He had recieved word from Regret himself, commanding him to glass a Town just south of the Zeta Region. The command would be carried out at 1100 hour's, giving him enough time to ensure that he was ready. More than enough time. It would only take five minute's for the ship to be ready, but the Arbiter was in no rush.

After glassing his legion's would be needed on the planet below, to ensure victory for the Prophet's. He had no qualm's with fighting alongside his race's rival's, the Brute's. In fact, at time's their race had been a very useful asset, even going so far as to turn a battle in the Convenant's favour. Recently he had been assigned a Brute Commander, who in turn had contributed a large portion of his force's to the Arbiter. A mutual respect had arisen between the two, something not common between their race's. An officer disturbed his contemplation's.

"Arbiter, enemy vessel sighted. Shall we engage?"

"Negative, I have strict order's from the Pro--"

A lone Brute laughed. "The Prophet's are fool's, let us fight a battle for tale's to be told!"

The Arbiter gestured for the Brute to move to his side, drawing a small metallic device from his belt. The creature complied, looking over as well the scenery of Harvest. "What did you say?"

"I said that the Prophet's are--" The beast screamed in primal fury as the Arbiter's blade ignited through his chest. He gestured to two idle Kig-Yar officer's. "Remove this filth from my sight." The lifeless corpse collapsed, as if on queue. The officer's moved to obey, dragging the massive form from the bridge with monumental effort. "Any other that would speak against the Prophet's, the journey, speak now! Let the Arbiter bring judgement!" The crew roared approval at his word's, a few Sangheili lingering silently in the corner.

He turned back to the viewport, brushing the Brute's blood from his shoulder plate. "Command the True Judgement to engage." The comm's officer silently obeyed, the afore mentioned ship moving to obey. A salvo of plasma missile's quickly crippled the vessel, rendering it powerless. The comm's officer awaited the Arbiter's word, his sign. "Finish it." He quickly tapped a few button's and spoke quietly to the console. A moment later the UNSC vessel exploded, bursting under the plasma ray's.

"Now, what about Valkanar 'Crolunee? I asked for him long ago!"

Kendrick had half of the required Marines loaded, it would only be more five minutes and the Ironsides would be up and ready. Everyone seemed eager.

Suddenly, a nearby news console started blaring, and some idle citizens that were walking on the docks listened.

Kendrick continued directing, but kept one ear listening as the news program continued.

"....Covenant Forces have begun engaging USNC vessels above the military's considered 'point-man' planet, Harvest. Current reports say that multiple Covenant ships have arrived, and this may only be the beginning...."

The news broadcaster paused for a moment, and another Pelican landed.

"....USNC High Command has just ordered that all USNC military personnel is to report to the nearest Base or HQ for strategic plaing and deployment. Current time is 0420 hours, time to full deployment is approximately 6 hours at most. Military advisers wish to say to the public to stay calm, the attack can and will be repelled."

Kendrick shook his head,"To hell we will..."

He knew that USNC wouldn't be able to repel the invasion in such short notice, even if the bulk of the military was already posted on Harvest. It would only be a matter of time.

Suddenly, another Pelican landed in an unauthorized zone.

Kendrick sealed his black helmet and ran over, trying to figure out what was happening.

He knocked on the Pelican's side.

"Hey in there!! Can't land her here, get in line with the rest of the unloading crews!"

Suddenly, the landing ramp opened, and several Hell Jumpers ran out.

Followed by a Spartan Super Soldier.

Kendrick smiled, seeing the situation immediatley brightened.

"Alright, get a move on...to heck with authorization.."

He ran back over to the main loading dock.

The Phantom's boarding ramp extended to ground level as a group of Sangheili and Unggoy disembarked at a swift pace. The Elite Major, Ristap 'Kilanee, came off first, moving to the side of the ramp and repeating a disembark gesture three time's. A few Kig-Yar were amongst the company, to operate as Short-distance scout's and anti-infantry support. After the retinue was safely unloaded in the hangar, the ship's ramp lurched backward's, reseting the mechanism for launch.

Ripa approached the Major in a formal posture, his hand's behind his back and his shoulder's held high. The Major dipped his head slightly as he acknowledged the Arbiter's presence, but quickly ceased after an immediate hand gesture from Ripa. As this went on a number of Phantom's repeated the procedure as they unloaded their quarry into the once-quiet hangar.

"Major, begin the briefing at 0700 hour's. Rule's of engagement are standard protocol. UNSC Military Personnel expendable." The Major saluted and moved over to a nearby doorway, tapping in some command's to the console, opening the door. He looked back only once to ensure that the landing process was clean, with no casualties. Such thing's were uncommon, unless the pilot's were Brute's of course . . . A Phantom came down upon an unwary Elite, almost crushing him. The figure was too agile however, swiftly dodging the mass as it dropped from the air. A pilot emerged moment's later, with two Elite's holding energy sword's to his back.

He cackled insanely as they pushed him away, a known sign of insanity amongst his race. The Major sighed and continued into the room, taking only a moment to seal the door behind him as he left. Ripa examined the platoon's as they moved away from the hangar, preparing themselves for the battle ahead. He sighed as he slowly counted the amount of craft that had arrived.

Valkanar deactivated his cloaking generator right beside the Arbiter. The ship he had been on had suffered some malfunctions, and the research into the cause of these malfunctions was still pending. After all, the Covenant rarely made mistakes in their ship-building. It could have been due to sabotage.

"My Arbiter, you summoned me."

It was proper to show protocol before giving an excuse in this instance.

Sam Larson loaded his small footlocker next to his bed, his meager supply of clothes fitting in there easily.
I knew I should've brought the picture of my girlfriend.... Sam thought longingly. He kept his M6G pistol with him at all times, his motto was "Ready", which came from his church function. He would be ready if an Elite burst into the room, or at least, he'd be able to put a whole in it before he died.
Stop thinking like that! You've got reason to live so you will! Sam thought. He sighed, this mission was going to be a long one....

An Elite emerged behind the Arbiter, coming into focus as the cloak dropped around him.

"My Arbiter, you summoned me." Without turning the Arbiter moved forward. "Yes I did. After the glassing process is complete you will accompany me personally to the surface."

He waved a dismissive hand, not interested in any of the 'its an honour' comment's that many'a kind spurted out at such a proposal. Such an order. He moved with purpose toward's a nearby grav lift, departing from the hangar instantly.

The final Pelican landed, and the final squad embarked on the massive ship, Ironsides.

"Okay!! Embark and load!! We've got a mission to run here!!"

He jogged onto the huge loading ramp into the ship, closing right as he got inside. A Marine walked up to him.

"Sergeant, do you know where we're goin'." The man had a thick accent, probably came from the deep South.

"Do I know where we're going? I'm just a Sergeant, my job is to follow orders and to keep you guys living, we notice you guys don't fight well when you're dead. That's as far as my knowledge goes. But I can tell you one thing, the Covenant is gonna get a nasty hit in this mission. YOU GOT THAT SOLDIER!"

The Marine smiled, saluting,"SIR YES SIR!"

He marched off, Kendricks chuckling. The Marines really liked to be enthusiastic.

They were going to need it where they're going.

The ship's massive engines began running.

The Arbiter made a wave, but Valkanar had already cloaked himself again. It was obvious the Arbiter was not in any mood to discuss things at the moment. Better to let things be.

He had only just discovered his new leader's identity hours ago aboard the cruiser from Crolun, the Realm. In truth, he did not know much of anything about the Arbiters of the ages, except that they were christened in times of great need to serve directly from the Council of High Charity.

An almost inaudible ping sounded in his aural cavity, produced by a tiny intrument designed for stealth. The Realm had arrived. But why would it be contacting him at such a time? There was a large battle about to take place.

The ping sounded again. This was not common procedure. The Arbiter had already left. It seemed that, in this instance, it was up to Valkanar to figure out what to do. Still cloaked, he followed back the way he had come to where a cruiser was landing. There was no sign of the Realm, however.

A true mystery indeed.

The Arbiter froze for an instant, as he heard slight shuffling in the air vent's. He lunged toward's a nearby panel, ripping it from the ceiling. A marine tumbled out, followed by a second. He heard numerous shout's from inside the pipe, as the Human's scattered. He ignited his energy sword through the first's back as he hit the ground, slashing the neck of the second. He reached into the vent and swiftly pulled another out, lifting him by the neck.

"How did you get onto my ship undetected?!" He slammed the quivering form against the wall, only to find him dangling limply. He let the form fall from his grasp, collapsing lifelessly onto his comrade's. Two Unggoy accompanied by a Kig-Yar and Sangheili quickly rushed onto the scene. The Sangheili moved to his side as the Unggoy struggled with one of the bodies. His four-jawed maw quickly contorted into a form of displeasure, as he dismissed the Unggoy with a start.

He flung two of the form's over his shoulder, as his comrade followed suit. The Kig-Yar reluctantly poked at the form's with his rifle and leapt with a start as one of the form's whimpered slightly. The Arbiter stopped and gestured to the body. The Sangheili nodded and threw the body to the floor, drawing his carbine as the body fell. He put a salvo of plasma into the Human's body, ensuring it was dead. He brought his tremendous strength down upon it's frail form as he stomped the broken body into the floor panel's. The Kig-Yar moved to drag it out, as it's foot caught on one of the wire's beneath the panel. Two of it's brother's aided it in the venture.

A moment later the Arbiter had returned to the hangar and moved behind Valkanar with extraordinary speed and agility. He dropped the body to the floor behind him, creating a large thump. "Valkanar, I think you know what I'd have you do about this." He turned to the other Sangheili. "Report to the bridge and scan the area for cloaked vessel's, these gnat's will be dealt with!" He saluted and moved to obey. "I believe the only way the infiltrator's may have gotten onboard is Hangar 05. It is virtually devoid of activity due to the accident there, not to mention the aft sensor's are down. Are you willing to aid me in purging this hangar or not?"

Valkanar had not realized that his cloak had deactivated. Something very bad was going on. He attempted to reengage the cloak, but to no avail. Obviously the demons were employing some anti-cloaking technology.

"Sir, my cloak is disabled. And it may be prudent to bypass the hangar altogether and leave it to another squad. I believe the source of these demons is the Realm, which is likely cloaked above the hangar. We may need to disable the cruiser first."

The Arbiter mimicked the Elite's gesture, only to find a similiar response. "Indeed. Captain! Take a squad of Unggoy and Kig-Yar and clear out that hangar! Employ whatever it take's, including the Hunter's." The nearby Brute nodded and moved to obey, as the Arbiter again shifted his focus to Valkanar.

"These 'Humans' really are something . . ." He trailed off as he quickly realized what he was saying. He felt that Valkanar was likely thinking the same thing, but did not bother to find out. "Smart thinking. We will take two phantom's then. You will take a strike force of Sangheili and penetrate the starboard hangar, you are to sweep the crew quarter's and security bay. My force will come from the port and do a similiar raid, we will meet upon the bridge." He nodded to a nearby Phantom, already a crew of Sangheili moving out of a nearby armoury.

He left no more to word's and moved onto his own Phantom, gesturing for the crew to get on board. He opened a comm-channel to the bridge and ensured he was on the right frequency. "Commander! Have you found--"

"Yes, a number of enemy ship's have been found on the Realms sensor log. After that it cut off. It seem's they have boarded."

"What is their current position?"

"They are above Hangar 05."

"As expected . . . good job Commander, continue with the preperation's for the assault. This will not take long. I expect they will attempt a counter however, so put all combat system's onto standby and the ship onto full alert. Have some Drone's probe the vent's for anymore infiltrator's . . ."

"Yes Arbiter, but what of the Demons?"

"If any are found inform me . . . immediately. They shall meet the end of my blade."

"Your will is my command. I will have our Drone's pick this ship apart until they find these infiltrator's . . . you have my word."

"I trust that on your families honour, Commander 'Zotaree"

"So be it. Good luck Arbiter."

Abruptly, Valkanar also interjected, "Arbiter." Nodding, he watched the Arbiter in his ancient armor as he boarded a Phantom.

Approaching the squad of four Sangeili, he assumed his normal demeanor. They stopped instantly. All were wearing red armor. He did not know how a group of veterans would fare, but they obviously were willing to listen to him.

"By order of the Arbiter, I require you to aid me in repressing the demons aboard the Realm." He pointed to the waiting Phantom, a white-armor clad Sangheili emerging.

"You there! Warm up the Phantom's engines and take us to the Realm."

"There are no signatures of the ship present." Valkanar barely outranked the Elite.

"It is above Hanger 05, contact the flagship if necessary."

"As you wish."

They boarded the craft, and after verification from the flagship, Valkanar was approaching the Realm. Of course, he left the piloting to the Elite Ultra.

The cruiser ahead of them was strangely eery, and the cloaking could obviously be seen once they got in close. Its weapons were apparently not yet operational. As they approached, Valkanar suggested they take the vents near the engines.

The ramp detracted, and he leapt onto the emitting ducts. The airlock would be some ways down the tunnel. The rest of the squad followed, but the Phantom left.

I suppose I was not clear enough with the Ultra.

The cloaking faded into the ship's internal structure as they walked. Equipping the beam rifle from his back, clearly not yet noticed by the squad, he explained.

"It was not expected I was to be acting as an infiltration unit in this battle. Fortunately, we are going to be in close quarters soon anyway."

After brandishing the weapon, he shot the locks to the airlock and primed a plasma grenade, wedging it into the opening.

After the air lock door was down, he stated, "Let us hope now that this ship does not leave the atmosphere." At this, he promptly got out his energy sword, dazed by the weapon yet again. He had not used the weapon in training very often, much less in such a critical situation as this one. He was also able to activate his cloak.

In this instance, it seemed, the humans were not nearly as smart as the Arbiter had claimed.

The Arbiter's ship swiftly landed in an open hangar bay, an obvious example of either stupidity or violence. The Phantom's cannon's spitted violet-blue ray's into the small gathering of marine's nearby. Unfortunately for him in this instance, it seemed, the Humans were as smart as he had claimed. A large turret fell from the ceiling and open fired upon the Phantom, it's system's more than a match for the transport's defense's.

The Arbiter struggled to the cockpit and shouted to the pilot. "Extend the boarding ramp and get out of here!" He complied swiftly and brought the ship about, pushing the engine's to full plasma warp. The Arbiter's squad leapt just before the ship exited the hangar, landing squarely upon the floor. The Arbiter ignited his blade's and leapt at the Human's, picking up the warthog and flinging it at a nearby Pelican. The ship was rebuffed and sent tumbling out of the hangar, taking a few nearby marine's with it. He roared in rage as he cut a swathe across their rank's, leaving no marine standing.

Ripa was known to be the most formidable practioner of 'Rage' in his time. It's meaning did not really leave much to the mind, as the user simply used agility and strength in a vicious combination. Without so much as a single hit to his shield's the Arbiter finished the resistance, his squad only just battle-ready. With a few simple hand gesture's he broke the squad up and gave them appropriate order's, as he moved alone to a nearby terminal.

The Human's knew of Valkanar's presence and had already prepared a trap for them. He suspected the Elite would not underestimate the Human's, but did not intend to leave it for chance. He activated a loudspeaker at Valkanar's location. "Commander, you may or may not be aware that the Human's have prepared a trap up ahead. I advise you not to underestimate them . . ." The Arbiter stopped. "It seem's they have a Spa--" The comm fell silent.

He could only pray that Valkanar heard the last word's of his message. The Spartan's, or Demon's as they were known, were not to be trifled with. He knew that just three of them were more than enough to defeat an entire platoon of Sangheili, such a menace were they. He had only encountered them once but witnessed their skill first hand. Even he was bested by one of them, but narrowly managed to drive them off. He respected them as such, knowing they were more than his equal . . . more than any Sangheili's equal.

He discarded such thought's and silently prayed for the Elite, as the Arbiter moved through a nearby doorway and engaged stealth.

A crackling burst of communcation came through a loudspeaker, and then ended. There was no understandable words, but the voice sounded like that of a Sangheili.

Cutting through to the engineering ducts, Valkanar knew this would end up somewhere in the starboard hangar. He had taken the back way in, assuming that flying straight into the hangar was suicide. Likely the Arbiter was already deep in the ship, cutting through soldiers, and had found a much quicker way in than the engines or the hangar.

Slicing open the hatch above him, he lept into the hangar, entering from the side. There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing.

And then his cloak wavered and dissipated, at the same time a demon coming into view at the opposite end. He had heard about these Spartans. He had never expected to meet one, but now he saw his error. Without their cloak, his squad was clearly visible.

The Spartan held one of his blasphemous battle rifles, wielding projectiles. As he began to fire, Valkanar's shields flared. He lept onto the nearest wall and began to climb, finally leaping onto the ceiling of the hangar and launching himself at the Spartan.

The demon was quick. As the squad opened fire, not only was he able to dodge their fire, but he also was ready for Valkanar's leap. A strong arm threw him aside.

Unfortunately for the demon, the punch had not been aimed very properly. He was thrown through the door and into the ship corridor. After getting out of his daze, he sped through the complex of the ship, hoping to gain distance from the human, and attempted to locate the security bay. His cloak was still not functioning, and he had been damaged, but perhaps he could figure out a way to disable the anti-cloak generator.

This was a bit much more than his training had prepared him for.

The ship had made the atmosphere quickly, and was now preparing for quick travel to Harvest, hopefully in time.

Kendricks didn't like the situation.

The Covenant does months of probing attacks, and then takes everyone off guard and attacks their military center on Harvest. Everything wasn't looking good.

A man in a Navy White uniform tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sergeant Kendricks, isn't it? There's a man here who would like to speak with you."

Kendricks turned, facing a Naval Admiral, and the Spartan Soldier he had seen earlier.

He snapped to attention,"Sir! It is an honor to be in your presence."

The Spartan only nodded, the Admiral chuckled,"Well, we are as honored to be speaking to you as well, Sergeant. Your previous friends have spoken of you often. Does 'Johnson' ring a bell?"

Kendricks smiled,"Heh, that it does, Sergeant Major Johnson, worked with him on my last mission, excellent soldier."

The Admiral nodded,"He put in a good word for ya. Now that we're going to engage the Covenant in one of the first major invasions of this war, we think that the Chief here, would be best to accompany you...during this battle."

Kendricks looked visibly shocked,"Sir...uhhh...thank you sir, having the Chief along with us would be a great lift to morale."

"Indeed, good to hear you're open to it...come to mission briefing on Bravo Deck in two hours. Got that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, see you then."

The Admiral returned a salute, and the two men left.

Kendricks let out a breath, that moment was absolutley amazing. The Covenant was probably engaged with Spartans at the moment, but they didn't know THIS Spartan. The Chief was indeed a whole other type of Super-Soldier.

Sam slept deeply, waiting for his shift to begin, when the warning sirens blaired suddenly. Enemy contact, enemy contact, west side! The pilot at the helm screamed over the intercom. Oh God, there has to be a hundred of them! All troops to Battle stations, I repeat, all troops to battle stations!
Sam sat up instantly, reaching for the clothes on the floor next to him, he threw on his Holster for his M6G and ran to the bridge, He saw a Spartan.
" Whoah" was all he could say.

The Arbiter sprinted past Valkanar towards the Spartan. Upon arriving he found half of the Elite's dead and the rest wavering. He dived for cover and drew his carbine, firing a salvo at the Spartan. "Arbiter, we can't hold him!" The Spartan jumped at the Elite squad, using his immense strength to throw their cover aside. He fired a few round's from his shotgun at point blank range, defeating the Sangheili with little effort. Then a miracle happened. Five phantom's burst into the hangar, throwing down the door. Sangheili and such leapt from them, focusing fire upon the lone figure.

The Arbiter moved behind him and drew his blade, trapping him. The Spartan figure used his foot to flip an energy sword hilt in the air and activated it next to the Arbiter's neck. A swift duck kept death at bay, as the two dueled across the hangar. The Spartan's immense strength and quick reflexe's were more than a match for the Arbiter. The Convenant reinforcement's stood in a circle around the pair, watching in awe as champion met champion. Those who could not see moved off to secure the ship, leaving the group alone. Finally the Spartan cornered the Arbiter, who was backed into a corner with no escape. "I will die with honour, Demon!"

Then an explosion ripped the ship in half . . . the Arbiter blacked out.

It took some time but finally Xan's phantom had landed. Xan was the first to get off before he signaled his troops to do the same. With quick hand motions he had the Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts secure the ship. He took his fellow Sangheli with him. He noticed a lone Sangheli is gray armor running away from battle. Xan knew he was a stealth elite so he let that go. Xan continued advancing forward cutting down any marine that got in the way. Xan heard the voice of one of his brothers and looked up. A demon stood in front of the... the Arbiter! Xan grew angry as other reinforcements watched the fight.

"Out of my way!" Xan barked as he pushed through the crowd.

Xan looked around for some way to get the Arbiter out of danger. However before he could think and explosion went off. The Arbiter was on the ground and the Demon was trying to catch its balance. Xan who had used his energy shield for cover took the advantage and threw himself at the Demon. Theo two toppled to the ground but not for long. The Demon kicked Xan in the midsection forcing him off. The Demon brought the sword down at Xan's throat but Xan activated the shield again. The sword bounced off and caught the Demon off guard. Xan sweep kicked the Demon and brought him to the ground. Xan looked at the ground and picked up two of the pathetic human weapons. Xan fired at the Demon forcing it into cover.

"Don't just stand there, get the Arbiter to the phantom!"

As the covenant reinforcements obeyed his command the Demon dived to the left. Xan dropped the two smgs and charged the Demon with his sword. The Demon had disappeared. Xan looked all over but there was nothing.

"Coward," Xan said under his breath.

Xan walked back to his troops.

"Sir, The Arbiter is in our phantom safe."

"Good, carry out with the rest of the mission, I'll make sure the Arbiter wakes up."

The elite squad moved out and Xan walked back into the phantom, waiting for his leader to wake up.

Hearing utter chaos erupt around him, Valkanar knew that he had to accomplish his mission quickly. After buzzing the crew quarters, in which no one was present, and finding the security room, in which he found some easy kills with his energy sword, he looked around the room for anything that looked mildly out of place.

He was, of course, just coming to the realization that he was well and truly exhausted, but still unaware that this was because he was bleeding profusely.

Finally, he stuck a plasma grenade on the consoles, made a break for it, and made his way towards the bridge, suddenly aware that he could barely see. He was going blind due to the blood loss.

Alarms racked the ship, and he stormed the bridge, only marines present. After he had sniped a few of them with his beam rifle, albeit not too efficiently, he collapsed amidst several marines who were about to deliver the killing blow.

Little did they know, of course, that he had just thrown a plasma grenade onto the self-destruct console.

With that, Valkanar drifted off to a very untimely sleep, and was vaguely aware of a bright light and a falling sensation....

Kendrick was standing near the observation port, just in time to arrive in Harvest's orbit.

"Damn." He said as he looked at the huge fleet the Covenant had assembled.

He looked behind at the other marines.

"This is gonna be fun....gear up, and get to your squads. Load the Pelicans, we're gonna have us some WAR!!"

He put on his helmet and equipped his rifle, running towards the Pelicans as everyone was.

Neerg Repivee was standing at the brigde of his flagship, Divine Rage. He was a Fleet Master, clad in golden armor and on his belt hung a piece of bent metal.

"Fleet Master," a Grunt at a computer screen said. "The Divine Rage is taking heavy casualties from the human ships."

"Send out another squadron of Seraphs," Neerg said calmly. He walked over to the Unggoy and leaned over the screen. He was just in time to see the Seraphs engage and utterly destroy the human Longsword-fighters. He walked away again.

"Fleet Master, a boarding squadron!" an Elite shouted. "It's coming towards us! We can't shoot them, they just evade!"

"Fine," Neerg answered. "They won't come far inside the ship anyway, send a squad to intercept them."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

Kendrick ran inside of one of the Pelicans, with it's engine warming up.

The green-armored Spartan was already inside with some black-armored Hell Jumpers.

Several other marines joined the boarding party.

Kendricks snapped the seal on his helmet, and it immediatley activated, little boxes of information appearing all over the HUD, providing reports for nearly everyone on the ship, the ship included.

He changed to a serious face, as he always did before a heavy engagement.

He walked towards the pilot and looked out the viewport at the Covenant ship they were heading at.

He looked at pilot, a Lieutenant,"Hey, sir, do you have any info on that ship we're approaching?"

The Lieutenant nodded, and activated an information panel on her dashboard. A holographic blue screen appeared with the requested information.

She looked at Kendricks,"This one is The Divine Rage, Flagship, Capital-class, approximately 50 gun ship, with a minimum crew of 2,000, but seeing as they are at war, they may have more. She fought numerous battles against the USNC two months ago, destroyed the USNC ships Victory and Eagle's Dawn, it didn't take any survivors. The last Captain that was identified was known only as
'Neerg,' after that, there is no more information."

Kendricks nodded,"Thank you sir..."

He stood and walked back into the main transport room. This one was going to be personal. Why? Half of his former division was aboard the Eagle's Dawn, every single one of them were reported KIA, Kendricks was on leave at the time. The guilt still dug at him.

He sat down in an empty seat and looked at his watch,"Okay everyone, 5 minutes until we dock with the Covenant ship, get your weapons loaded, this is gonna get hot."

( Sorry, I couldn't find the thread.)
Sam loaded his Shotgun, the smooth clik-clik-clik of shells going in and the chu-chik of hte pump being worked soothed him, he had killed a few grunts in the battle, he was just starting to get over it. Sam never got used to killing, never. He looked at the bandolier across his chest, he only had 20 extra rounds... Not the best, he'd get a few shots before he'd be out.
" Dang..." Sam said as he slowly got drowsier and drowsier.

Everything was cold, so cold. He could see life, death and everything in between. A vast spectrum of color's, fluttering across his field of vision. Even as his eye's flicked open, he could feel it. A Demon walked in a circle around him, his gaze centered upon the collapsed Sangheili. He rose from the ground to see the surrounding area was pitch black, yet he and the Spartan were clearly visible.

"What do you want Demon? You have ended my life, you have bested me."

The figure shook his head, another form emerging from behind him. A Sangheili came out from the shadow behind him, accompanied by a Unggoy. A white flash briefly illuminated the area, then faded. Upon his eye's re-adjusting to the light, he saw the inside of a bridge.

"Fleet Master," a Grunt at a computer screen said. "The Divine Rage is taking heavy casualties from the human ships."

"Send out another squadron of Seraphs," Neerg said calmly. He walked over to the Unggoy and leaned over the screen. He was just in time to see the Seraphs engage and utterly destroy the human Longsword-fighters. He walked away again.

"Fleet Master, a boarding squadron!" an Elite shouted. "It's coming towards us! We can't shoot them, they just evade!"


The image froze. At that moment he could feel the fleet master's image etched into his skull. Again he blinked, this time to find himself atop a cliff, overlooking a huge battle. A huge shadow fell over the Arbiter, coupled with a thud, as a Type-49 Heavy Weapon's Platform dropped from the sky. It stretched out it's support's slightly, giving it more room to move. One of the claw's came down upon him as it advanced, but it did not kill him.

Rather it went through him. The Scarab unloaded it's weapon system's upon the nearby Human line's, cutting a swathe of destruction wherever it struck. A Warthog then moved up a nearby rock, which acted as a ramp, sending it flying overhead the Scarab. As it was airbourne it unloaded it's cargo, a Spartan, upon the vehicle. Meanwhilst the turret sprayed bullet's onto the Convenant Personnel aboard the platform.

The Spartan came down upon an unwary Elite, crushing him. He ripped a Carbine from the dead Sangheili's hand's, reloading it with a new power cell as he brought into focus a new target. The plasma ripped through a nearby Kig-Yar, who had only moment's before been sniping the Marine personnel below. The Spartan dropped off the main platform, onto a side-walk below. He thrust the Carbine into a nearby Brute's armor, firing only when the barrel touched the beast's skin.

The creature's inside's and blood sputtered the deck, causing a nearby Unggoy to lose his balance and fall overboard. His form dropped onto the ice cold floor, only to be run over a moment later by a Mongoose. The Spartan shifted around the corner, ripping the reactor cover of it's hinge's. After exposing the vulnerable spot he removed an RPG from his back, slowly taking step's back as he directed the huge weapon at the reactor. Two rocket's penetrated the shield's, causing the device to flash red urgently.

The entire platform froze, it's leg's beginning to give way. It's energy beam turned inward's, plowing through it's own armor as it blasted through the Scarab. The Spartan leapt from the Scarab, landing squarely upon the ramp of a Pelican. The aircraft sped away, whizzing across the battle-field to a new location. Ripa moved to the edge of the cliff-face, watching as the Unggoy squadron's unleashed salvo's against the Marine's. A few bright flashes briefly illuminated the sky, revealing several burning pod's dropping at great speed.

They rammed into the Convenant line's, jettisoning ODST's as they hit. Two hornet's moved overhead, unleashing both bullet and rocket as it pelted the enemy line's. A Wraith moved up, it's powerful plasma mortar already unloading another shot upon an advancing Scorpion. It connected with the tank squarely, forcing it into the icy ground. A few Marine's sprinted behind the wreckage, attempting to find new cover. Meanwhilst a wave of Phantom's came in and unloaded their cargo, dropping more troop's behind the Convenant line's.

An unfortunate Banshee was hit by a stray rocket, causing it to drop with immense speed. In an extreme show of faith, the Pilot manouevered the Banshee carefully, ramming it into the enemy formation's. Upon contacted he and the Human's were incinerated, a powerful plasma array fluctuating across the surrounding terrain. A few Ghost's came up, zipping across the battle field and delivering aid to wherever it was needed.

A Convenant Capital ship suddenly emerged from slipspace above the battle-field and three voice's became distinct from there.

Ripa heard the Prophet of Regret, barking order's at the bridge crew.

"But holy one, surely you jest . . . to destroy our own kind is--" A scream of pain blocked out all other sound's.

"Glass the sector, now!" The Prophet's word's echoed in Ripa's skull as a large beam came down from the ship, ripping through the terrain and armies whole. A slight thud awoke him from these vision's, bringing into focus a Sangheili. He recognised the figure as Xan, the Supreme Commander. He slowly craned his neck skyward's, trying to stand. He slipped and fell back down, smacking his head on a nearby crate.

He attempted again, albeit with much more success. He leapt to his feet and rubbed his temple's, removing his helmet and placing it under his arm's. "Commander . . . what is the . . . situation."

"30 seconds to Covenant contact!!" Shouted the pilot.

Kendrick stuck a magazine of rounds into his battle rifle.

"Got it. Everyone gear up, boarders, prep gas grenades, we move fast, shoot accurate, and find a route to disable the ship. Hell-jumpers!! Forward!"

The 5 Hell-jumpers got in position behind at the Pelican's landing ramp.

The pilot looked back,"Contact made!! Ramps down!"

Kendrick brought his hand down as the signal.

The door snapped down and the Hell-Jumper's tossed in several smoke-grenades.

Kendrick sprinted down the ramp, coming out of the thick smoke and seeing 4-5 Elites rushing their position.

He raised his rifle and fired a shot into the first Elite's mask, cracking it in half and sending it to the ground. He swung his rifle to the right and fired twice, taking down 2 more, both head shots.

The next Elite activated his sword and creeped up behind Kendrick.

He turned around, swinging his rifle into the Elite's skull before the sword got into position.

The last Elite raised a plasma grenade.

Kendrick dropped into a crouch as he turned again, lining up his sights with the Elite's hand, and he fired. The bullet hit the grenade, activated it, and now, much of the Elite was spread across the floor.

Kendrick stood and waved his hand in a forward motion.

"Let's go!! Ground is clear, make way for the Chief."

The Green-armored Spartan ran out and quickly joined Kendrick.

He looked directly at him,"Lead the charge, Sergeant."

Kendrick smiled, "YESSIR!"

He moved forward, deeper into the Covenant vessel.

Sam ran down the hatch, unloading a round into a Elites gut. It fell over in a loud, gurgling scream. Sam followed the lead ODST, Kendricks, into the ship. The Chief walked out behind him. Sam almost envied him, he'd gone through this enough he knew what to do, and did it cooly. Sam was knew at this, he could barely hold himself together. He didn't know whether he was going to explode in a rage or mentally break down.
A Brute hopped out of the woodwork, shooting a Spiker, which missed him by a few inches. Sam unloaded two rounds into the brutes face.
I'm getting better at this... ok. He thought.

"Sir!" an Unggoy screamed with his squeaky voice. Neerg turned to him. "The
boarding squad are still breaking through! They have a Demon with them."

Neerg walked over to the console. He saw the squad run through the corridor, shooting down Covenant troops as they went. Neerg growled, and closed his eyes to keep his calm. He opened them slowly, breathing heavily.

"Send out the best Spec-Ops squad on the ship," he said slowly. "If they can't beat them, none can." He walked away again.

------

"Set up some turrets over there," the white armored Spec-ops commander said and pointed at a place down the corridor. Some black armored Grunts went to do it. They heard guns firing from the other side of a door, both human and plasma.

"Activate active camoflaque," the white elite said while activating his own. The whole squad hid close to the walls.

The door opened, showing the ODST squad walking in slowly, the Spartan towering above them all. The white elite waited, until his squad could jump at the ODST, and then leaped on a human, activating his energy sword and piercing him through the stomach. The battle was on.

Sam saw the Elite slash through another ODST, and rage built up. He lashed out with the butt of his shotgun, hearing a CRACK as it connected with the head. Sam fired at the rest of the small squad, Kendricks and the Chief following suit.
" Die you ugly alien meat bags! DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" He yelled as he shot every round into the oncoming aliens.

Valkanar slowly tried to regain consciousness. He still felt that he was falling. Looking around, he tried desperately to get up. But it was not working very well.

Everyone on the bridge was dead. As he turned, he noticed that the ship was falling apart. The Realm was breaking in half, and explosions riddling it's hull, and he had to get out of there, fast. Where was the Arbiter?

The ship had obviously just started to fall, otherwise Valkanar would be many tiny pieces lying the on the surface of the planet surrounded by burning pieces of metal.

He crawled, slowly, and then, fearing for his life, managed to struggle and pick himself upright. He leaped onto the middle section of the ship, the wind knocking him severely, and he took out a stimulant from his belt. It was designed to build up resistance to pain, given to Special Operations Elites, and it was precisely situations like these that they were needed. He slammed it into his body, still bleeding.

He was nearly on the verge of death, but he had to keep moving. He tried to go as fast as he could, the stimulant burning. However, slowly, the pain seemed to subside, and as his tortured body nearly failed to operate with the strain, he was able to nearly run. Finally, he arrived at the hangar. There wasn't much time.

"Help! Help me!" Whoever was in the hangar, he didn't really care. Briefly, he noticed a glimpse of armor, purple in hue. But that couldn't be right.

Collapsing onto the floor, he wondered if he would ever wake up again.

The Arbiter snarled and ran to the cockpit, hearing a loud buzzing overide his thought's. "What is it Pilot?"

The Sangheili clad in crimson armor rotated his chair, tapping a few button's as he turned. "The boarder's are breaking through our defense's aboard the ship! We need to go, now." The Arbiter nodded and signalled for the Elite to move aside. Ripa quickly tapped the control's to lift the Phantom into the air and diverted all weapon power to the engine's. He quickly overrided the safety protocol's, reversing the fire of the missile launcher's. The ship burst from the hangar, moving with purpose into the nearby vessel.

He rammed into the landed Pelican, sending it into a nearby wall. "Take the control's! Alert the Fleet Master to my presence, tell him that justice has come . . ." The Arbiter contorted his four jawed-maw into a vicious grin, letting off a fierce battle cry as he whirled on his heel. The Elite's leapt from their chair's, raising their rifle's skybound and roaring approval. The squad disembarked swiftly, moving into the ship's interior.

Ripa himself had moved at full speed, engaging his active camoflague only upon contact with the boarder's. He saw a Spartan with them and chose his target. He moved behind the Demon, raking the armor with his incredible strength. In some fortunate twist of fate he penetrated the armor and then shoved the Spartan through a nearby viewport. The Spartan thudded into a moving Phantom and the Arbiter suspected he had not seen the last of him.

The boarder's seemed shocked at the Arbiter's ferocity, but perhap's that was for his benefit. He drew both blade's just as the blockout panel collapsed upon the broken viewport, protecting the few men inside. "For the Prophet's!"

A few loose limb's flew across the corridor, blood spattering the wall's. Within second's most of the 'Helljumpers' had died, but the Arbiter felt something special about one of the survivor's. "Lay down your weapon's and you will be spared."

The Arbiter deactivated his blade and cast it aside, commanding the Convenant to follow suit. All of them diverted their suit's power into their shield's, just in case the Human's intended to play rough . . .

Neerg watched as the two squads battled in the hallway. The spec-ops commander got hit by many bullets, which his shield stopped before they could harm him. He sliced another human, and his squad pushed the humans back.

"Die you alien meatbags, die!" a human shouted, firing his rifle like a crazy. The rifle killed several Grunts, and one Elite. Blood now stained the beautiful, streamlined corridor. The Spartan killed many Covenant troops, making the Spec-Ops squad retreat a bit.

"Die Demon!" the Elite Commander said, throwing a plasma grenade at the Spartan, making it stick to his body. The Spartans shield was down. The commander took up a plasma rifle and fired on the spartan, until it overheated, when he leapt out, trying to lunge his sword into the Spartans chest. The Spartan grabbed the Elite's arm, and threw him in a wall. He took his enemys energy sword and thrusted it through him.

Now the Covenant squad was being pushed back, and even if the humans too had heavy casualties, the Covenants casualties were worse. Both human and Covenant bodies lay spread across the floor, and now, the Spec-Ops were almost defeated, the only thing remaining was an Elite and some Grunts. Soon the humans could continue.

"Curse the demon!" Neerg shouted. He walked towards the middle of the bridge again, kicking down a Grunt on his way. "Send out all troops to guard the bridge," he said to an Elite. The Elite nodded and ran through a door. Neerg turned to four Elite Ultras, who served as his personal bodyguards. Both a plasma rifle and a deactivated energy sword hung from each of their belts.

"We are going too," Neerg said shortly, grabbing his energy sword. "Seal the doors once we are out," he said to a Zealot Shipmaster. Neerg and his bodyguards walked out of the bridge. The door closed an sealed behind them. Once they were out they saw that the Arbiters squad had eliminated most of the ODST.

"Arbiter," Neerg said, confused. He bowed.

"The incursion is finished, Fleet Master. I removed the Demon, unfortunately he live's. I have also had some Drone's to set about activating a point-defense grid, to prevent this ever happening again. This failure will not be tolerated." He moved about the survivor's, carefully stepping over the fallen bodies as he advanced. "The glassing must commence on schedule and the fleet must be ready to invade the surface. Is that clear?"

One of the Human survivor's spat at the Arbiter, trying to kick him in the shin. The Arbiter caught the fool's boot and ended his folly, tossing him down the corridor and into a crate. "As for the survivor's . . . secure them in the brig. The assault begin's in five minute's. Fleet Master, you'd best be ready . . ." The Arbiter moved through a nearby door, waving a dismissive gesture at some confused Unggoy.

An explosion rattled the ship, and the Realm fell apart. Before the final cataclysmic end, however, Covenant began to flee the hangar. It was going to be a close call. Especially for Valkanar 'Crolunee, lying there in front of a door.

He was vaguely aware of a hand grabbing him. The hand belonged to a low-ranking Sangheili, who obviously was extremely kind-hearted to note that the Stealth Elite was still alive. Barely.

Valkanar was having a horrible time. He was only half-way unconcsious, but the stimulant wasn't nearly enough anymore. The pain was becoming unbearable. But he could not move. Instead he was being dragged. Likely onto an escaping dropship.

As his body slumped peacefully onto the floor, his ears rang sharply enough that his eyes fluttered open briefly, noticing a massive explosion. The Realm was destroyed.

Finally, he slept.

Xan followed behind the Arbiter and eliminated and marines that tried to get near him. He heard the sounds of the humans advancing forward and the sound of many of the covenant forces dying. It appeared the Fleet Master had failed the Arbiter somehow and now they were letting humans be prisoners. Xan just shook his head slightly. As the Arbiter began to walk off Xan turned to the Fleet Master.

"Don't worry brother, you will be able to show the Arbiter in battle why you were given that title."

Xan followed after the Arbiter through the door.

"Holy Arbiter, if I may speak... I noticed a particular demon in the battle. It is much better than the other demons; the humans call it Chief. If you would let me, I would very much like to eliminate this Chief myself."

"Very well commander, dismissed."

Ripa arrived from the corridor into bridge just in time to see his flagship, 'The Prophet's Blade', emerge from slipspace. The vessel was the best the Convenant had to offer and it's personnel was likely more than enough to storm the planet alone. The rest of the fleet was required for tactical deployment, as one ship could only deploy unit's so far . . .

His vessel zipped to the front of the fleet, dwarfing even the Divine Justice. The Arbiter contemplated his vision's before, wandering about what he had seen. Suddenly a large plasma source flared onto his HUD. A shockwave rocked the vessel, sending it colliding into a nearby ship. "Break to port! Break to port!!" The Brute Commander rushed to a nearby terminal, yanking the Kig-Yar operator from his seat. He tossed him aside as he slammed the keypad desperately.

"Arbiter! We have thirty two Prowler's exiting cloak just beneath us!" Primal fury nearly overcame 'Moramee, but his will remained absolute. "Engage shield's, cut the engine's to 20% power. Divert energy to the weapo--" The Brute shook his head, pointing to a nearby hologram.

"But Arbiter, if we do that the excess energy might just overload the reactor! With this ship in such a--" The Arbiter snarled at him, gesturing for silence.

"Do it." The figure nodded silently, his hand falling limp upon a large sphere amidst the control panel. The small orb illuminated the bridge, encasing his hand in a violet blanket of light. From the viewport the main batteries could be seen coming online. "Three . . . two . . . one . . ." The Arbiter brought his fist down upon a nearby console. "Engage!"

A nearby frigate moved to assist, unloading a salvo upon the Prowler formation. The ship's scattered and took evasive manouever's, losing only two ship's to the plasma blast's. The Arbiter quickly activated the command console, causing a holographic screen to encase the central viewport. He tapped a few of the holographic control's, causing the weapon's to begin firing. Three squadron's of Seraph's quickly moved to engage the Prowler's, coming upon them just as more decloaked.

"Arbiter! Astroid field, dead ahead! If we come about we leave ourselves exposed to enemy fire, what are your order's!?" The Arbiter hesitated for a moment, allowing for two more ship's to emerge from slip-space before giving his order. "Take us in, command all batteries to hold fire, divert power to the aft shield's!"

The bridge crew hesitated, but a growl from the Arbiter quickly sent them about their buisness. The ship dove into the asteroid formation, colliding with them as they plowed into the field. "Hold . . ." The Prowler's swarmed the vessel, coming at it from all side's in an attempt to strain the shield's. "Hold!!" The crew grew desperate, many sunk into their chair's and said their final prayer's, wishing fortune unto their descendant's.

"Divert all power to external shield's! Engage system overload, override all lock-out protocol's!" The crew obeyed, quickly causing the vessel to exert all it's power.

The restrainer's that held the energy field around the ship overloaded, causing the energy to fluctuate, then cause a shockwave. The ensuing explosion sent the UNSC force's in all direction's disabling or destroying most of their fleet. Those that did survive the initial wave were ripped apart in the after-shock, or crashed into an asteroid. The strain upon the reactor caused a minute power-down, to allow the ship to regenerate. The Arbiter sunk into his chair and sighed in relief, the crew staring at him in awe.

"Tell the Fleet Master to enter, now."

"You summoned me, Arbiter," Neerg said and bowed before Ripa.

He was embarrased by his failure, but as Xen had said, he would show the Arbiter how he had earned the title of fleet master.

The flash of events had taken Kendrick by surprise. He was ambushed, he knew that much, but it would seem it was just him, the Spartan, and some other Marine. The rest were dead, and now they were going to the brig.

"Not if I can help it...."

He looked back, and saw that most of the Covenant Officers had left, and he had been seperated from the other two prisoners.

He looked at the two Elites who were restraining him.

He looked to the one on his right,"So, you guys look pretty tough, do you guys work out?"

They stopped,"What do you mean, Heritic?"

"Do you guys work out? I mean with weights, make your arms big? You know?"

The second Elite shook his head,"No, we don't. Now be quiet, otherwise your words may count as heresy, as you are a heretic. It would kill us all."

Kendrick smiled,"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure that'll happen to you guys soon, I've got nothing to worry about."

"What?"

Kendrick stepped ahead of the first Elite tripping him, he then brought his elbow across the other's face.

He swung down, grabbing the tripped Elite by the neck, he then squeezed in a certain place just below the jaw, until he heard a snap.

He picked up it's sword, and jabbed it into the other Elite's face. Kendrick took a deep breath and looked around. His arms were covered in their blue blood. He smiled and picked up a plasma pistol.

"I'm out. Time to get the others."

He began walkling towards the brig.

Sam sighed, he needed a moment to rest. A plasma bolt fizzed by, Sam fired the last loaded shotgun shell at the Grunt, imploding the head.
He loaded his last 5 rounds.
" Dang! Gonna need to use this sparcely." Sam said. He looekd around, Marine Corpses littered the ground, mixed with the bodies of the Covenant. Sam picked up an Assault Rifle, grabbing a few clips from the spread out bodies. Most people would scold him, saying something about how he had no respect for the dead.
He disagreed, the dead would want him to take their ammo and go on.

A small azure light flashed on the holo-panel, alerting the Arbiter of a prisoner's escape. "No matter, let him go. If he leave's, then he give's us a huge advantage . . ." He flicked off the auto-defense's for the escapee's sector, 'accidentally' allowing him to free the other's if he so desired.

"Fleet Master, your failure is of little concern to me. We are now above the target co-ordinate's, engage glassing now. Once it is complete we will begin the ground assault . . ." His voice trailed off, as he moved quickly over to a nearby viewport. The UNSC were attempting to evacuate the city, but to little avail it would seem. The last of the Phantom's took off, clearing the Convenant force's out of the city. The glassing could now begin . . .

The Arbiter immediately clutched his forehead, becoming overcome slightly by recent event's. He shook the feeling aside and moved on, leaving the bridge to the Fleet Master. Ripa now took a grav lift, to the brig.

Neerg looked around at his crew.

"Well, engage glassing sequence," he said. He walked over to chair where the Arbiter was seated before. He sat down.

Good to be back he thought.

"Fleet Master, the glassing sequence has begun," a red armored Sangheili said. Neerg looked at him.

"Good, open up a commlink inform the Arbiter of this," he said. The Sangheili opened up a commlink to the Arbiter.

"The glassing sequence has begun, Arbiter," Neerg said. "My fleet will start firing as soon as you give the order..."

Waking, Valkanar was stunned to see his wounds were healed. Several Drones were in the room, obviously working as medical officers. But where was he? Taking notice of a nearby Sangheili, likely the one who had rescued him, he addressed the Elite.

"What ship is this?"

"The Divine Justice. The glassing sequence has just begun."

"Thank you for..."

"We trained together in Crolun. You were a great inspiration to me. What I did was simply the honorable thing to do."

They embraced, him and the blue-armored Elite.

"Tell me your name."

"Coryntar 'Crolunee."

Equipping his gray armor, he continued speaking.

"Come with me to the bridge. You will likely want to see the fruits of your labor."

"I would be honored."

They passed many Grunts on their way to the bridge. Finally, they arrived, and Valkanar approached the Arbiter. He did not speak, for he knew that the Arbiter had heard his approach.

The windows near the front revealed many Covenant warships preparing to glass the planet. This was it. The moment that they had been waiting for.

Kendrick suddenly reached a main communication port, at the same time, hearing a large rumble come from somewhere in the ship.

He began looking around in the comm port, he needed to do something to prevent the destruction of Harvest, if that's what the Covenant wanted to do.

He looked at numerous signs, exercising what little skill he had in translating Covenant words.

He spotted one,"Engine room...."

He took out a timed frag grenade and opened the message transport tube. He set the grenade for 3 minutes and tossed it down into the tube.

The he spotted another familiar sign.

He smiled, "Power supply...."

He took out a grenade and stuffed it down the tube.

3 minutes later, he heard two explosions, and the lights went out.

"What's happened?!" Neerg shouted. The bridge was slightly lit up by the viewports.

"Somebody's destroyed the power supply?" an Unggoy said hesitantly. Neerg activated his energy sword and was about to kill the Grunt, who screamed and ran away. Neerg deactivated the sword and sat down.

"You!" Neerg said and pointed at a terrified Grunt. "Go activate the reserve power." The grunt was about to run away, but he fell down as the ship had started falling towards Harvest. The crew held on to everything they could find, a few Grunts fell.

"We have been sabotaged!" a red armored elite shouted.

"To the hangar!" Neerg shouted. "I'll go after the Arbiter." The crew ran as good as they could towards the hangars, while Neerg and his bodyguards took the same path as the Arbiter.

"Where are you, Arbiter?" Neerg asked into his commlink...

As the lights went off Sam flipped a switch in his helmet, activating the night vision mode. The green vision in front of him told him nothing beyond what he remembered seeing, a few dead bodies, bullet casings, blood. Nothing more or less.Then a Grunt stepped out from behind the bulkhead, not noticing Sam. Sam smirked and smashed he little aliens head in. He looked at the end of the hall, obviously where it was heading.
Reserve power and control, interesting.Sam thought. Thing's might be dark for a while now.

Kendrick grabbed a nearby handhold as the ship rocked to Starboard hard.

It leveled out again and he chuckled, "I think I may have broken something important on this ship...."

He checked the plasma pistol and continued moving towards the Brig, he'd have to get as many men out as possible.

Sam was walking around the ship, he needed to find the rest of his group. He turned a corner and bumped into something flshy and warm.
It muttered something like a growl and a curse. Sam almost peed himself until the familiar voice of Kendricks said " Hey, watch were your going, or I'll demote you to private."
Sam backed up and smiled at him. " Sir, I never thought I'd see you again!"

Neerg was looking for the Arbiter, when he noticecd something moving in the shadows. Two humans.

He muttered an order to his bodyguards, who hid themselves. As the humans walked by they raised their activated energy swords on each side of the humans.

The energy swords lit up the corridor, and he saw that the humans were the same that the Arbiter had spared.

"So, I presume you were the ones who destroyed the power on my ship," Neerg said, not threatingly, but certainly not friendly. "Well, the Arbiter spared you two for some reason. So you can go back to the reserve power and activate it."

He pointed his energy sword on the stomach of the sergeant. The humans armor sparked when the tips of the blade hit it.

"Let's go"

Kendrick nodded to the Elite. For a Covenant Alien, his personality seemed more like that of a human's.

"Do as he says. We'll play along for a bit,"He said to to the Marine, Sam.

He then began to walk slowly in the direction the Elite pointed.