The aftermath of the battle for the Covenant stronghold left a heavy silence in its wake. Jamie stood at the entrance, watching as the surviving UNSC forces began to secure the area. Covenant wreckage was strewn across the landscape, and the smoldering remains of Wraiths and Ghosts littered the ground. It had been a costly fight, but they had succeeded in halting the Covenant's attempt to establish a fortified position on Arcadia.
Jamie's attention turned to the far horizon, where the towering spires of Arcadian cities could still be seen, far beyond the battlefield. The Covenant's next move would undoubtedly target the civilian population once again. Every moment counted.
"Spartan, we're getting fresh intel from the Spirit of Fire," Merrick called out, walking over with his rifle slung across his back. His armor was scorched from the battle, but his face bore a tired smile. "Looks like we've given them more than a black eye. Covenant forces across the region are in full retreat."
Jamie glanced at his HUD as Cortana chimed in, confirming Merrick's statement. "I'm detecting scattered Covenant movement, but nothing coordinated. We've disrupted their chain of command here, but it's temporary. They'll regroup once they bring in reinforcements from orbit."
"Then we hit them before they can recover," Jamie replied, thinking ahead to their next move. "Spirit of Fire—what's the situation up there?"
Cortana's holographic form materialized, displaying a tactical overlay of the Covenant fleet still hovering in low orbit over Arcadia. "Captain Cutter reports they've managed to thin out the Covenant ships, but there are still several carriers maintaining the blockade. Any attempt to evacuate civilians or send reinforcements from other UNSC fleets will be met with heavy resistance."
Merrick frowned. "We can't sit around waiting for them to tighten the noose. What's the plan, Spartan?"
Jamie stared at the tactical display, his mind racing through the possibilities. They had to break the blockade. Even if Arcadia's ground forces could hold the line for now, they were outgunned without reinforcements. The Spirit of Fire had done well so far, but against multiple Covenant carriers, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
"We have to take out those carriers," Jamie said firmly. "Without their fleet, the Covenant won't be able to maintain the blockade. That'll give us an opening to bring in more support and keep Arcadia from falling."
"How do we do that?" Merrick asked, crossing his arms. "We don't exactly have a lot of firepower left."
Cortana interrupted, her expression showing the faintest hint of a smile. "Actually, I might have a solution to that. Spirit of Fire has been developing an experimental weapon—something designed to take out larger targets. It's risky, but it could tip the scales in our favor."
Jamie raised an eyebrow. "What kind of weapon?"
"It's called the 'Shiva'—a prototype nuclear device designed for ship-to-ship combat," Cortana explained. "It's small, but powerful enough to take out a Covenant carrier with a single hit. Captain Cutter has authorized its deployment, but the problem is delivery. The Spirit of Fire can't launch it directly due to the Covenant's air defenses. We'll need to deliver it from the ground."
"Are you suggesting we sneak a nuke onto one of their carriers?" Merrick asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Cortana said with a nod. "The Covenant have set up a forward supply station on the far side of Arcadia. From there, they're sending out dropships to resupply their ships in orbit. If we can infiltrate one of those dropships and get it to dock with a carrier, we can plant the Shiva and take the whole thing out."
Jamie's mind immediately went into overdrive. It was a high-risk, high-reward operation. Infiltrating a Covenant supply station, hijacking a dropship, and sneaking aboard a carrier was dangerous enough. But planting a nuclear device inside the heart of the enemy's fleet? That was the kind of mission that only Spartans could pull off.
"I'll do it," Jamie said without hesitation. "What's the timeline?"
Cortana's hologram flickered as she pulled up a map of the Covenant supply station. "We need to move fast. The next supply drop is scheduled in a few hours. We'll use that window to infiltrate the station, hijack the dropship, and make our move."
Merrick looked at Jamie, his face a mixture of respect and concern. "You're going to do this solo, aren't you?"
Jamie nodded. "A small team has a better chance of staying under the radar. I'll need you and the Marines here to hold the stronghold and keep the Covenant off our backs."
Merrick clenched his jaw, clearly not thrilled about being left behind. But he understood the importance of the mission. "Alright. Just make sure you get back in one piece, Spartan."
Jamie offered him a brief nod of acknowledgment before turning to Anders, who had been silently listening from her Warthog. "Anders, I'll need you to coordinate with Spirit of Fire and get the Shiva ready for transport. Make sure everything's set by the time we reach the supply station."
Anders gave a curt nod, her expression serious. "I'll make sure it's ready. Just be careful up there. We can't afford to lose you."
With the plan set, Jamie and a small squad of specially-selected Marines prepared for the mission. Time was running short, and every second brought them closer to the Covenant's next counterattack. As they loaded up into a Falcon transport, Jamie felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. It was a familiar sensation—the knowledge that one wrong move could spell disaster for the entire mission. But Spartans were built for this kind of pressure.
The Falcon lifted off, its engines roaring as it sped across the Arcadian landscape toward the Covenant supply station. Jamie's helmet HUD displayed constant updates from Cortana, who was monitoring enemy activity and tracking their approach.
As the Falcon neared the supply station, Jamie could see the massive Covenant structure in the distance. It was a sprawling facility, with plasma turrets and patrols guarding every entrance. Covenant dropships were lined up along the docking bays, preparing to transport supplies up to the fleet.
"We're coming in low," the Falcon pilot said, his voice steady despite the intensity of the mission. "ETA two minutes. We'll drop you on the ridge outside the station."
Jamie glanced at the Marines with him. They were hardened veterans, but even they knew the gravity of what they were about to attempt. "Stay sharp and follow my lead. Once we're in, we stick to the shadows. We can't let the Covenant know we're here until it's too late."
The Marines nodded, their faces grim but focused. The Falcon dipped lower, skimming the treetops as it approached the ridge. The landscape was rocky, with dense patches of forest providing some cover from Covenant patrols. As they neared the drop zone, the pilot slowed the Falcon and hovered just above the ground.
"Go, go, go!" Jamie ordered as he and the Marines jumped out of the transport and dropped into cover.
The Falcon quickly peeled away, heading back to base to avoid detection. Jamie and his team crouched low, moving through the trees toward the supply station. The Covenant facility loomed ahead, bathed in the eerie glow of alien lights.
"Cortana, what's the layout?" Jamie whispered as they reached the edge of the ridge.
Cortana's voice was calm and clear in his helmet. "The station is heavily guarded, but there's a service entrance on the eastern side. It's used for maintenance drones and smaller cargo shipments. We can bypass most of the heavy defenses if we enter there."
Jamie scanned the area with his enhanced vision, spotting a group of Jackal snipers positioned on the nearby towers. They were a threat, but nothing he and his team couldn't handle. "We'll take out the sentries and move in quietly. No unnecessary risks."
The Marines nodded, and Jamie led the way. His movements were precise and deliberate, a lifetime of Spartan training coming to the fore. He raised his silenced DMR, picking off the Jackals with surgical precision. One by one, the snipers dropped without a sound, their bodies slumping over the edge of the towers.
"Clear," Jamie whispered, signaling for the Marines to follow.
They moved swiftly, reaching the service entrance without incident. The door was locked with a simple energy field, but Cortana quickly bypassed the security protocols, and the entrance slid open with a soft hiss.
Inside, the station was alive with Covenant activity. Grunts and Elites moved between loading bays, preparing supplies for transport. Jamie's HUD mapped out a route through the facility, avoiding the bulk of the Covenant forces. They couldn't risk detection until they were aboard the dropship.
"Stay close," Jamie whispered as they moved deeper into the station, sticking to the shadows.
The next phase of the mission was about to begin, and failure wasn't an option.