Chereads / Halo: Anomaly in the Galaxy / Chapter 19 - Chapter (19) Approaching Chi Ceti IV

Chapter 19 - Chapter (19) Approaching Chi Ceti IV

{Finished Halo: Contact Harvest. And all I am going to say is...damn every Halo book is depressing. Also, I am firmly behind my man Jenkins and guess what: I HAVE PLANS FOR HIM. Let me cook!}

==================================================================

N̶o̶v̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶2̶7̶,̶ ̶2̶5̶2̶5̶

̶

̶U̶N̶S̶C̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶m̶o̶n̶w̶e̶a̶l̶t̶h̶,̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶i̶s̶-̶c̶l̶a̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶y̶ ̶F̶r̶i̶g̶a̶t̶e̶

̶

̶0̶5̶0̶0̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶r̶s̶

(3rd Pov)

It has been almost a month since the beginning of the war against the alien threat, and not much has happened.

Currently, the UNSC is gearing up forces silently, they wish to keep the public in the dark as long as possible. The possibility of a great panic arising from the information leaking out was not acceptable under any circumstances, and it would make winning the war impossible. Nonetheless, upper ranks throughout the command structure were being filled in with some of the details in preparation for what lay ahead.

As of now, O.N.I. was able to convince the retired Vice Admiral Preston Cole to come out of retirement to take command once again. Cole was a UNSC hero once upon a time until his wife, at the time, was exposed as a high-ranking leader in the insurrection. This revelation led to a major storm calling into question Cole's motives within the UNSC high command and nearly led to his own court martial and prompt execution, had it not been for the intervention of Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth. What followed was his eventual 'forced retirement' after being relegated to nothing more than a desk job on a planet with no hopes of returning to command. Then his retirement continued with his disappearance from the public eye except for the two divorces over two decades, that was until now. Now, the Vice Admiral is heading the counter-offensive for Harvest after receiving a flash-cloned liver alleviating his cirrhosis.

But the main priority of the Office of Naval Intelligence is to get the Spartans combat-ready and experienced. They would be the greatest weapon that humanity could use in their fight against the 'Covenant'. Even with their lack of numbers, they are all the best soldiers in the known galaxy.

In the past month, the Spartans have begun field operations against the Insurrection. O.N.I. for all intents and purposes wants to deal a crippling blow to the uprising that will allow them to be capable of fighting only the aliens and not have to worry about being side-swiped by renegade human forces. The minor missions they have completed aren't much but some of them include: eliminating all enemy factions on Jericho VII and shutting down a black market bazaar near Roosevelt Military Base.

As of now the Spartans along with Dr. Catherine Halsey are making their way to Damascus Testing Facility located in Chi Ceti IV. Along the trip, the Doctor took her time to personally inform the program of all reliable information obtained by Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, Lieutenant Commander Jilan Al-Cygni, and other witnesses. It took weeks for both her and Petty Officer Mendez to comb through the information to find the most corroborated details, and it even got extended once she received the report from the Heracles.

Now, aboard the Paris-class Heavy Frigate, the Commonwealth, she is reviewing the most crucial details inside a make-shift classroom for the Spartans.

======================================================================

(Alpha Pov)

It had felt like we had been in the classroom for days with all of the notes we had jotted down and sifted through. I made sure to pay close attention like all of my classmates about any detail surrounding these bastards. Catherine definitely left no stone unturned in her research of these things. It was impressive and I must admit that she completely deserved her position as head of O.N.I's research division.

She made it her mission to prepare us as adequately as she could. In order to make sure we were equipped with any fragment of knowledge that could overturn a certain defeat into an astounding victory. Sadly, due to the shortness of time, she was forced to run through the explanation, to the point that we had pulled an all-nighter in this classroom and were just now getting to a final review of the facts.

"The first detail to note is that: nearly all of the races of this 'Covenant' are far more deadly than the average human," Catherine said with a group of holographic replicas glowing in blue light behind her. The holograms were created from a mixture of photos evidence and physical descriptions given by the witnesses according to Halsey.

"The ones with a cone on their back possess a tough exoskeleton similar to the chitin that makes up an insect's exoskeletons and is armed with razor-sharp claws and teeth. The cross-between a bird and a reptile have a similar if not the exact same arsenal at their disposal. The apes not only have all of the above but supposedly weigh over a ton and are capable of tearing a human limb from limb," She gave the generalities of the enemy's tools. Slowly each hologram came forward highlighting which enemy type she was referring to in order.

"The composition of weapons tend to be plasma-based but we have noted some that are unique," This time the holograms dissolved and turned into an array of weapons, "This 'needle' gun fires pink crystals at high rates of fire and are supposed to explode once they impact, but if enough of them are concentrated they will combine into an exponentially larger explosion. Next is this… monstrosity, it fires superheated molten metal 'spikes' at a similar rate of fire, it functions similar to a regular firearm but it instead embeds its rounds into its target. Lastly, is a hammer, it has only been seen as a weapon carried by the leader of the apes. It is also the most uniform with the only notable quality that it is capable of magnifying its impact force, therefore avoid being hit at all costs,"

The hologram dissolved once again and didn't project anything else as Halsey began to speak again, "The final thing to be wary of is the shielding our enemy has," Halsey sighed rubbing her eyes. I could see the purple circles underneath her fingers, "The most… unbelievable aspect is that our enemy has kinetic shielding not only on its warships but also on certain foot soldiers and vehicles. We have yet been able to find the pattern of who and what will have the equipment, but as for now assume that all of the apes and any field leaders will be shielded. The shields can be bypassed by either sustained application of kinetic energy which will in turn deplete the shields, or by the use of an EMP," Catherine said informatively.

Catherine glanced down at her watch as she finished her words. She looked back up at us with a tired expression, "That will be all for now. We should be approaching Chi Ceti IV, so all Spartan teams be prepared for the trip down. Time is of the essence," she emphasized the last part before somewhat abruptly walking out of the room.

'That was… helpful,' I thought as I shut the notebook that I had used to write down the high points and key details. It was obvious that knowing the details about an enemy's appearance, equipment, and mentality could be paramount when we eventually engage these aliens, but it was obvious that Catherine had meticulously gone through nearly a book of information to validate the truth from fiction and then condense down the information that would be useful in combat.

'And then there's this…' I stared at a tiny notebook about the size of my hand with neat handwriting scribbled on the cover. It was something that had found its way into my possession a couple of days prior when I found it lying on my bunk. The 'John Hancock' that was covering every single page was glaringly familiar, and the information inside was even a bit more than what was given during this presentation. It contained some hypotheses to be verified and conclusions drawn by the author… who just so happened to have the initials 'C.E.H.'.

'She just wants to increase the survival rate of her greatest tool,' I told myself as I began to stand up, 'Similar to how archers poison their arrows, or how snakes apply venom to their fangs. She simply wants a sharper sword that she can use to do her bidding,' I thought to myself… and yet I wasn't satisfied with that answer.

Before I could think about it more I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Alpha let's do some grappling. I need some more practice," turning to my right I noticed that it was Daisy.

It had been a while since I talked to Daisy. We had a short conversation after Operation: Talon and that went into an almost full-blown interrogation, especially when she broached my wounded arm. That made at least two people outside my team who paid extra attention to my well-being, I guess it was nice? I didn't really feel anything, but most people would be happy, so I put on a smile to reassure her.

Daisy was now easily taller than most normal people but was easily one of the shorter Spartans. Her head barely came past my shoulder, and I didn't let her forget that fact, it seemed that I shall never lose the ability to make a short joke, and I can only thank God. Her hair was still forcibly kept within military regulation with her sun-flower yellow hair being quite short. She never stopped swearing about how she would grow it out the first chance she got, not that I blamed her. I liked short hair but a buzz cut was never my style, and so I decided that I was good for any haircuts for the foreseeable future.

I yawned lazily, "Fine, but no submissions," I accepted her request without much thought. She nodded her head keeping a straight face without emotion.

We immediately began heading towards the training room together, side-by-side. We walked with silence in the air permeating between us. I didn't look over her as I almost robotically walked to the training room like I had for what seemed like the hundredth time. I wasn't doing it on purpose per se, rather I was focused on simulating possible combat situations with aliens in my head. Thinking about the proper methods I would use to try and relieve wounds caused by deep burns due to plasma.

"So… what do you think about our new enemy?" She asked breaking the silence

"What's there to say?" I asked continuing to look forward, "They are just another target. Nothing more nothing less," I said disinterested in the topic

"Yeah.. you are right," she said somewhat dejectedly. She didn't say anything else and we returned to silence as we continued the walk and arrived at the training room.

Walking in I laid my notebook and things down in a locker that was standing against the wall. Daisy followed suit picking the locker to the left of mine. I grabbed some hand wraps and sat down on a bench near the mats and began slowly and methodically guiding the material around my wrist, palms, and around each knuckle and finger. Daisy once standing on the mat watching me with a complicated expression, she seemed like she wanted to say something but was holding her tongue. I wasn't really in the mood for conversation so I was more than happy to keep my mouth shut.

Eventually, I finished and stood up walking over to the mat. I pulled the sleeves of my jumpsuit back to just passed my elbow uncovering my forearms. I stretched my shoulders and upper body for a moment before I turned around to face Daisy. She was already in a stance, and so I decided to join her. I took a deep breath and crouched before moving my arms up in a position to intercept, keeping my hands up but relaxed. My shoulders were tensed and high while my chin was angled back and away.

"Go," I said commencing our light spar.

Daisy's first action was to attack. She reached with her hand opposite of the lead leg of her staggered stance. She firmly gripped my wrist with her hand before I moved and struck out claiming a cross wrist and dragging it across my body toward my far hip. I kept the wrist with one hand while attempting to claim a 'Russian' by cinching her elbow to my chest with my free hand. 

She reacted, immediately knowing my intentions as evidenced by her arm going limp before she quickly spun her body away freeing her hand. She used the sudden movement and close proximity behind my hand defense to hit a drop step for a double-leg takedown. I reacted immediately by getting my legs back, sprawling, and redirecting her by throwing my head into her temple.

On someone smaller, Daisy would have gotten to their legs and most likely taken them down. But not me. I was much taller than nearly any opponents she had faced before and was a fair bit better. Though I had been holding back so that she could get some good training, I wasn't just going to give it to her.

I let her stand back up, even though I had practically taken her back and could do any number of things to incapacitate or end the spar. She stood back up into her stance and began to attack again, this time I could see a fierce expression had appeared on her face, and her movement contained a fair bit of aggression. Seeing this, I also decided to go on the offensive.

I shot my arms forward with my longer reach and grabbed onto her triceps before snaking my right leg out with them in an attempt to get an inside trip. Daisy again reacted appropriately but sadly I was still faster. I switched my movement taking an extra step and letting go of her right tricep with my left arm. I kept her left tricep and stepped deep towards her back foot with my left leg and at the same time threw my hips into her, all the while I punched with my free left hand upwards.

The result was a simple arm throw over my shoulder as Daisy was catapulted with the same move I had used on John just after our augmentations. Daisy knowing that she had lost just lay there staring up at me, her gaze pointed directly at my eyes.

"Not half bad. You would have taken anyone down with the double leg, just not me," I said offering some genuine praise. I offered my hand to her and she took it standing up slowly. We took a few more rounds where she was close but not close enough for me to take her seriously.

By the time we were done, it was about 0700 hours and Daisy was sweating and panting. I grabbed some water bottles and handed her one while I drank the other. Before long she had recovered and we went back to the same silence we had in the hall.

"Alpha will you really always be stuck here?" Daisy asked suddenly looking down at the floor.

I looked over with a tired expression, "Not this again. I thought I already told you that this place, is as good as it can get for me," I reiterated

"Really?" Daisy asked this time staring at me before looking away to think for a moment.

"Yes, really," I said again wanting the conversation to be over.

"Well where do you see yourself dying then?" she asked seriously.

"...What?" I was baffled by her question. Who asks where someone else sees themself dying? 

"Supposedly, someone knows how valuable their life was and what it really meant depending on where they are when they die. I see myself dying with family surrounding me, peacefully," Daisy said with a small joyful smile, "And you?"

I took a moment to think before answering. Truthfully I had thought of where I might end up dying and none of the thoughts were half as joyful as Daisy's. I rubbed my chin with my hand before I finally came up with the version I had seen the most.

"Me? I figured I would always die on some barren wasteland of a battlefield with my boots on. I would lay with my back on the cold ground as I felt my blood drip dry and I wouldn't close my eyes as I slowly slipped away. My body would probably get picked apart by buzzards because no one would come back to reclaim my remains. Not that I blame them," I said as I recalled the scene that I had been imagining for years at this point, "I might have a person or two inform maybe a couple of others about my demise. They would probably say a few flowery words talking about 'I was a good man and better soldier' or some shit like that. I might…no, I would receive a medal for my 'heroic service' and that would be it. I would eventually fade from everyone who knew me's mind and become just another phantom. With no evidence that I ever existed, nor any real substance that I didn't," I said finishing with no change in expression. Remaining cold, calm, and truthful throughout my telling.

I heard a slight crack and quickly turned to face the door to the room. It was closed, but I could have sworn I heard it close. I thought about checking outside the door, but decided not to on second thought, I didn't care and it had been a long day.

Daisy said nothing after hearing my words and the small smile she had turned into an expression of cold hardened steel, "And you are just fine with that?" she asked

I turned back to face her, "Daisy, I don't really care anymore. I am just a soldier, the present, nor past, nor future matter anymore. I am to do what I am told and nothing more, if I needed anything whether it be a purpose, a life, or even a family, they would have issued it to me," I paused and my frown became deepened, "But it's different for you. You have something I don't: Hope. There is hope that by the end of all of this, you will be able to be something more, to overcome what you were made into. Don't lose it. It's a rare commodity that many are willing to kill for, and once it is lost, then it is impossible to regain, that is hope," I finished and leaned back into my chair waiting for a reply.

"I see," she said turning away as she stood up, "Goodbye Alpha," she said a couple of parting words and left marching out the training room doors.

'She's pissed,' I had observed Daisy's actions enough to know when she was angry. Usually, if she was just annoyed, the worst that could happen is a lot of threats and cursing, but if she was genuinely angry then it would be more of a silent rage.

"Whatever," I whispered tiredly as I slowly stood up. I took my time untying the material binding my hands and put them in the locker I had been using before retrieving my books. As I finished I stood still for a minute and just stared at my fingers and knuckles.

My gaze was fixated on the small amount of metal that was still poking through the scar tissue on my hands. I had developed a habit of rubbing those portions where I was unable to feel, and it disgusted me. It irked me to no end that I was unable to heal a wound that had been caused so long ago, or maybe there was something more to my hatred of it, not that it mattered. It was one of the reasons why I always tried to have something covering those spots, but I was subtle about it and didn't give anything away so I kept that strictly to any type of combat.

Eventually, I sighed and rubbed my hands together one last time before turning to leave and walking toward the exit. Just as I was about to open the door to leave I heard the ship's intercom beep before transmitting a message, "Sierra Zero-One-Seven (S-017) and Sierra One-One-Seven (S-117) report to the bridge immediately," I could clearly hear Halsey's voice.

I gently head but the door, "What now?" I asked no one as I moved toward the barracks to drop my stuff off before heading to the bridge.

======================================================================

(John Pov)

"Sierra Zero-One-Seven (S-017) and Sierra One-One-Seven (S-117) report to the bridge immediately," 

I set my datapad hearing the announcement from the intercom, "Alright Blue team get set we shouldn't be far from Chi Ceti now,"

Kelly got up from the floor after an impromptu practice session with Fred, "This Project: Mjolnir better be worth it," she grumbled

"Come on Kells we need to get into uniform," Fred said leading her to the bunks as I departed through the door to the bunk room.

I walked onto the bridge and was surprised to find… multiple things. The first was that Alpha somehow got here before me. He usually would hang out and be late just to piss off any 'hard asses' as he called them. He was leaning against the doorway leading to the bridge with his arms crossed watching the 'spectacle in front of us'. He turned to look at me, frowning with near-lifeless eyes narrowed. Recently, he had become much more quiet and serious, all the while maintaining his reputation as the human equivalent of a frag grenade to anyone he didn't respect.

"I am surprised you are early," I said while staring at the scene in front of us, "What's going on here,"

"I got here early only because I was bored and was closer to here than our room," He said replying before his frown deepened and a hint of annoyance appeared in his eyes, "Also 'this' is Halsey's latest attempt at a pissing contest between her and the Captain,"

He smirked as he paused before speaking again, "I got half a protein bar on the Captain," he said as he side-eyed me for a response.

I shook my head in an exacerbated manner, "Come on Alpha let's act like mature individuals," I said acting proper before leaning over and whispering while continuing to watch, "Make it a full bar and you are on,"

"Deal," he whispered before we shook hands. Afterward, he nodded in their direction, "Let's see what this shit is about,"

As we walked forward we arrived at the second thing that caught me off guard: the argument that Doctor Halsey and the Captain were having. Both were stubborn as usual and while Halsey was making good points and was easily more knowledgeable about our new enemy, it was still the Captain's ship. However, I thought it was obvious that Dr. Halsey should be listened to above all.

"- Doctor our 'ghost' is at 80 million clicks. Even if it were a ship and I do not concur that it is, then it would still be far beyond any weapon's range. Besides it has disappeared again," Wallace, the Captain said.

"Ma'am, Captain Wallace," I addressed them saluting at attention. Meanwhile Alpha 'strolled' up keeping his arms crossed before nodding at the pair. To which he earned a displeased look from the Captain.

"At ease," Halsey told me before turning back to Captain Wallace, "Captain it is my recommendation that the crew go to battle stations," The doctor said as she glanced at the hologram displayed on a terminal at the center of the of the platform we stood on. The hologram like all others was blue but the image was blurry and difficult to make out, most likely due to the fact it was out of range.

"Nonsense, at the current speed the object is traveling we have over an hour's worth of time," he said before his expression became more serious as his eyes bore into the doctor's, "Unless there is something you aren't telling me, doctor,"

Halsey sighed, "Many do not know this, but the ships from Harvest reported seeing the 'Covenant' ships disappear and then reappear much closer," she said grimly

Hearing her words my heart went cold, "An intersystem jump?" I couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. I glanced over at Alpha and it seemed that the news even shocked him, his eyes had gone wide, and instead of being in his usual lax stance his body language was fully engaged in the conversation. His crossed arms were now by his side and his head was craned forward making sure he heard every word correctly

"Precisely what we believe Spartan," she said nodding at me.

However the Captain disagreed, "Not possible," he shook his head, "Slip-stream space simply cannot be navigated that accurately,"

"You mean WE cannot navigate it that accurately. Prepare the drop ships, I will personally see to it that these Spartans reach Project: Mjolnir," Catherine said before starting to turn towards the exit.

As she took her first step we were interrupted, "Sir! We have a contact slipping off of our port side!" a crew member seated at his station around the lower platform exclaimed as a kaleidoscope of colors cascaded through the bridge's viewport.

The galaxy stood still in the bridge as we watched a massive shadow pass over the hull of the Common Wealth. Like a Leviathan devouring its prey, the ship easily covered the frigate with more than a little bit of space in reserve. Everyone's face had gone pale as they watched the ship maneuver with agility it shouldn't have been capable of away. As it passed I could see that the ship was covered in what appeared to be a purple metal shell with a smooth rounded shape that altogether lacked many corners, unlike the UNSC ships.

Immediately I was brought back to the current situation as sirens began to blare and red messages popped up on all screens in the bridge, "All hands to battle stations, this is not a drill. Reactors at 90% and correct course to 1-2-5," the Captain said as we watched the ship bank into an arc with the roof facing our port.

What followed was nothing short of a one-sided skirmish between a heavy-weight boxer and a feather weight. I watched as a line of three white lights rocketed through the empty space towards us, we managed to shake off one but two distinct crashes rocked the entire ship. The four of us on the command platform clung onto the railing to steady ourselves.

In return, the Commonwealth released a flurry of Archer missiles toward the purple monster. The guided munitions glistened like fireflies in space, just like they did back on Epsilon Eridanus. The missiles made impact and I hoped to see some type of visible damage, but all I saw was hexagonal lights flare like a blanket covering the ship's hull. We managed to pass out of its range after running a line parallel to its course but in the opposite direction, placing the enemy behind us, and us behind them.

"Energy shielding, truly a mechanical marvel," I heard the doctor say in a mesmerized voice to my left.

"Bring us about, and arm the MAC," the Captain ordered and I was anticipating what might happen. The MAC cannon was a mass driver that fired an unguided munition at the enemy at a velocity nearing the speed of light. It was the heart of every ship within the UNSC Navy.

Slowly our speed slowed to a stop and the nose of the ship began to swivel toward the ship that was now heading straight for us. I felt a low rumble throughout the ship as the gun's coils began to charge and prime for the round. It felt like the growl of a beast just awoken from its slumber.

As our pitch lined up I heard the high-pitched whine of the round being forcefully propelled at an absurd speed, easily a couple hundred kilometers a second. The tungsten slug almost disappeared and if not for my enhanced reaction time I would have blinked and missed it, but I clearly saw a yellow bullet scream through space before impacting directly into the ship's shield. I saw the shield flicker, and begin to struggle to remain intact after taking the hit.

[Author's note: So the MAC cannons are… simply put busted as fuck. According to the Fall of Reach novel, one of the MAC cannons mounted to a defense station was capable of spitting out a round at "point four-tenths" the speed of light which is disgusting. For context, the speed of light is 300,000 kilometers a second, and 'point four-tenths' is equivalent to 4% which is…. 12,000 kilometers a second... By the way, that's a conservative statement, I believe somewhere it said that the INFINITY's Super MACs fire at 14% which I don't even want to consider.]

"Ready another!" The Captain quickly ordered also seeing the shield weakening and hoping to cling to the opportunity.

'Why is it still approaching us,' I questioned as I could once again hear the weapon charging up. The enemy contact was gaining altitude relative to us, climbing with its belly directly in front of our firing solution.

Once again a MAC round was launched and this time it delivered a deadly blow. The shell ripped through the shield before carving its way through the organs of the ship and out the other side. At the same time, the mass released another wave of what appeared to be torpedoes. They impacted all along the hull releasing white light with every explosion, by the time they were finished wreaking havoc I knew the Commonwealth was as good as done for if it got into another engagement.

"We don't have much of a choice now. Reload the MAC maybe we can damage it enough for us to retreat," The Captain said with a stressed appearance.

"Negative, MAC system destroyed, sir!" a crewman announced.

The Captain's face flashed with shock upon hearing the news, and a sense of dread filled the bridge. Until I heard a sigh beside us and Alpha spoke up, "The Commonwealth carries nuclear missiles, right?" he asked as he raised his arms folding them over his chest.

The Captain sensing his plan shook his head, "Detonation at the standard range wouldn't destroy the vessel and if they are able to trigger the warhead in flight then we will be the ones being vaporized,"

"If I may, the alien's tactics have been overly cruel. They didn't have to take that second MAC blast," I said drawing attention from the group, "It is in my opinion that they will attack anything in front of them as long as it is sent by us,"

"John is right," Alpha said nodding along with what I said, "A couple of long swords would be good enough bait to allow for a nuke to slip by and detonate nearly point blank," 

The Captain after hearing us turned to Catherine, seeing if she had another opinion. She simply nodded with a grim look on her face. The Captain sighed, "Lieutenant get those birds into the dark and arm the warhead. Be sure to power us down upon detonation of the weapon," the Captain then turned to face the viewport staring at the approaching enemy ship, "And please buy us some time," he whispered so that even I could barely hear.

Minutes later I watched as three pilots rushed into the void knowing that they would not be returning. The jet engines blurred as they began to gain distance from the Commonwealth, they looked like shooting stars. The enemy ship opened fire the moment they got into range and tore through one with a plasma bolt immediately.

"Set the detonation distance to 100 meters and fire!" The Captain called out as the Nuclear missile blinked forward toward the enemy. All I saw after that was a flash of light blinding anyone who viewed through the bridge.

"Power us back on slowly," Captain Wallace ordered bringing the ship online.

"Sir, all long swords destroyed, and the enemy-," the crewman announced before abruptly pausing. I felt a pit forming in my stomach as he read off the data read out, "-Is still standing. But it has turned back,"

'Better than nothing,' it was the first good piece of news today. Though I would much rather the enemy ship be destroyed, we now at least could make it to Project: Mjolnir.

"Probably retreating to begin repairs," Doctor Halsey reasoned

The Captain stood still staring through the viewport not bothering to turn around, "Doctor we will be executing a fly-by drop off. You will take the pelicans to the surface, and I trust that you will let yourself in," he spoke with resignation before turning around with a face filled with only what I could call 'acceptance', "If the Covenant come back then we will lead them away. If that comes to pass then… you're on your own,"

"I understand Captain," Halsey said nodding with what surprisingly seemed to be respect.

"Good luck Spartans, hopefully whatever is down there can help us with our intruders," The Captain said still staring at the black maw of space.

==================================================================

Boom big ass chapter

There might be two more tomorrow. (Don't quote me I am fucking terrible with my uploads, but I do have part of a chapter already written). And a new chapter for Star Wars.

If you have any questions drop em!