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Stage 3: Close your eyes, you'll be dead soon

New Mombasa Creator Site
12:23 October 20, 2552
New Mombasa, Kenya



      "I can't believe what I'm seeing." A marine gasped as he overlooked the massive creator that was once New Mombasa. There was little doubt in his mind that nothing could have survived, but he had his orders to search and rescue.

      "At least it beats being in space right now." Another marine added.

      "Load up the Pelican, you two; double time." The commanding officer quickly snapped.

      The old city of Mombasa had become a refugee camp as wounded civilians and marines wondered into the city. Some of the survivors were barely out of range when the Covenant carrier entered slip space in the heart of New Mombasa, but others were wounded by the covenant ground attacks around the city.

      Medical tents lined the river as Pelicans patrolled the skies over head. What was once a sprawling city of commerce and technology was now a smoldering creator with plumes of ash and dust still settling in its core. Emergency aid was sent from all over the world, but only the local branch of UNSC and Marine ground forces were allowed to assist in the cleanup. Despite the Covenant carrier leaving Earth, a large fleet of Covenant cruisers still remained just within the kill zone of the Mac Guns; the Earth forces couldn't let down their guard.

      As the Marines took to the air to begin their S and R detail, a nearby communication's officer flagged down his commanding officer.

      "Sir, I'm getting a wide burst communication for assistance. Sounds like survivors."

      "Who the hell actually survived this mess?" The commanding officer questioned. Even though they had been told to search for survivors, no one actually expected them to find any.

      "Unknown, Sir. The signal is being sent off of a chatter frequency, and it's really weak because of the left over sub-space distortion. Whoever he is, he can't receive my transmissions because the chatter net throughout this region is pretty much useless."

      "Can you send a direct transmission over the UNSC Band?"

      "No. I've tried. My equipment is fine, but those chatters really weren't designed to function without the chatter net." Even with that statement the communications officer smiled gleefully as he looked over his equipment. "But the good news is that I can track that signal."

      "Good job soldier. Pinpoint their position and signal the nearest S and R team to get there. At least someone survived this mess."

                                                 *      *      *      

      Darkness consumed the room as Rose slowly opened her eyes. It was so dark that she couldn't tell if her eyes were open or still closed. Her head felt heavy and despite all attempts to stand, she had no feeling in her body. Her first thought was that she had broker her neck, but she slowly began to feel her fingers move. Her next concern came from the numb feeling she had against her head. She gingerly raised her arm toward her face and felt a warm liquid against her skin; it was clearly her own blood. She confirmed that it was blood when she touched a scar on the top of her head. She was bleeding horribly, but the more she examined it she became aware that it was only a deep gash; hopefully there wasn't any serious head trauma. She reached out into the darkness of her immediate area and felt a wall. She needed to elevate her head, and since she was slowly regaining full control of her body, she slowly pushed herself up and leaned against it.

      "This is Lieutenant Eric Raynord, to any UNSC patrols. Do you copy?" Eric's voice was echoing throughout the darkness of the lab, and Rose tried to focus on the direction it was coming from but gave up.

      "Do you think they'll come looking for us, Sir?" A marine questioned in the dark.

      "I hope so. I'd just like to know what the hell happened out there. If it was a nuke we'd be dead from radiation by now."

      "Eric, are you ok?" Rose's voice echoed throughout the darkness.

      "She's still alive." Wesley sharply stated. Rose wondered where he was, but locating him was a futile attempt.

      "We'll deal with that later, Wesley." Eric replied.

      "Sure we will. Never mind that if we do get out of here, we're all going to hang for treason." The sarcasm in Wesley's voice stood out prominently.

      "Rose, where are you?" Eric stated into the darkness. He held up his hand and turned on his chatter. The dark blue light from the chatter's tiny keypad dotted throughout the room. "Can you see my chatter?"

      "You're directly in front of me, to the right. I'm against the wall." Eric cautiously pushed through the darkness while bumping into tables, desks, chairs and stepping on unknown objects; the small blue light of his chatter providing no visual aid. "I'm here." Rose softly whispered as she grabbed Eric's pant leg.

      Eric knelt down and grabbed Rose by the arm, and felt his way to her face. He then felt her warm blood on his hands. Without saying anything he quickly reached into his satchel and pulled out an emergency medical kit. He fumbled with it in the dark, but eventually found a compound of biofoam.

      "Where's the wound?" Eric stated softly, but Wesley was within earshot.

      "On my head, just above my hair line." Rose mumbled.

      "Is she okay?" Wesley questioned. The sound of concern was very apparent to Eric, and slightly confusing. Eric chose to ignore his question, and focused on cleaning Rose's wound.

      "This is going to hurt." Eric whispered to Rose. He unwound a bandage spool and sprayed the contents of the biofoam onto it. With the field wrap ready, he then placed his left hand on Rose's head, maneuvering around until he felt the loose skin and matted hair of her injury. Several thoughts went through his head as he found the open layer of skin, but he didn't want to think about anything other then stopping the bleeding. He parted Rose's hair as best he could in the dark and with his right hand he firmly pressed the bandage spool and biofoam mix onto her head.

      The foam quickly mixed into Rose's skin and blood and instantly stopped the bleeding. It increased the coagulation of the exposed blood, but the pain it created exploded from Rose's lips as she screamed. She reached up and gripped Eric's arm, pulling him closer to herself and moaning as the pain intensified. Eric then wrapped the bandage spool around Rose's head and cradled her in his arms. It had been awhile since he had done a field wrap, and never had he done it in the dark, but Eric felt that he had done a good enough job and that the wrap should hold until they found a way out or were rescued.

      After a few moments Rose stopped moaning and sighed as the brunt of the pain passed her by. She relaxed and rested her head against Eric's shoulder. She was relieved that he was close to her and she wasn't sitting alone in the dark, but her thoughts quickly turned to Wesley.

      "Wesley? You alright?"

      "Does it matter?" Wesley replied. His tone was crisp and Rose could tell that he was still angry. And she understood perfectly why.

      "Are you injured, Wesley?" Rose stated. She was stern with her tone and Eric chuckled to himself when he heard her. Even though Wesley wanted to kill her, she was still trying to help him. This was a little confusing to Eric, and he thought about the concern Wesley showed a few minutes ago.

      "No. My wounds are emotional." Wesley's response was filled with sorrow and for a moment Eric felt that Wesley was angry that he hadn't killed her, but something about the way he spoke made Eric feel that there was a hidden meaning behind his words.

      "I'm sorry, Wesley." Rose replied softly. The way Rose said those three words made Eric realize that there truly was more going on. Rose lowered her head, hoping that Wesley would respond, but none came. She closed her eyes and rested against Eric's shoulder. He had taken off his protective armor and was holding her closely. His grip was firm but tender, and she could hear his breathing.

      Time seemed to slip away until a loud thunder came from outside. The clatter of metal upon metal clanged throughout the room and suddenly light streamed in. The light seemed as if it came from all around them, but the light was only entering from the entrance. As all of their eyes adjusted, pain shot through their heads as they struggled to shield their eyes from the sun's blinding light.

      A shout came from the light. "Hello! Is anyone in there? Hello!"

      A marine sitting near the entrance was the first to respond. "Thank God!"

      Wesley's eyes finally adjusted but the light was still blinding and painful, but he managed to look the room over. Two of the marines that were in the room with them had already stood up and were making their way toward the door. He then saw Eric and Rose sitting only a few feet away, holding each other. Rose was looking back at him with a heavy face and the top of her head wrapped in a blood soaked field wrap. She then buried her head into Eric's chest. Wesley understood what she was feeling. In some ways he wished it too; that they could stay in the dark and be oblivious to the outside world. But reality was awaiting them just beyond the bent doors of the lab. ONI and the UNSC brass were not going to be happy to hear what had happened.

      Wesley was the first to stand up as he pushed aside a chair that had fallen at his feet. Eric watched him as he gingerly walked across the debris toward the door. Eric and Wesley exchanged quick glances, and in that brief gaze they both shared unspoken words.

      Wesley would have to report everything that happened during the battle to his ONI officials, and Eric would have to account for his actions. The two men looked away from each other and Wesley exited the building. The sunlight burned through his eyelids and he quickly tossed up his hands. It took forever for his eyes to adjust to the light and when it did all he could see was dust and hills.

      A marine grabbed Wesley by the arm and lifted him out of the partially buried remains of the lab. Everything was gone; the hallway, the elevator shaft, the building, and the city. Wesley felt a cringe in his stomach and he looked back and saw energy burns all along the exposed section of the lab exterior. Part of the lab was still underground, buried beneath bedrock and cement. The ship grade Titanium-A had saved their lives but the rest of the city was gone. Buildings had vanished and nearly two hundred feet of bedrock had been removed; only a crater remained. Wesley stood next to one of the marines that had just exited the lab and the young soldier slowly turned his shocked face toward him.

      "Sir, what happened? How could the covenant do this without using a nuke?"

      "I don't know." Wesley replied. His mouth was still open when Rose and Eric walked out of the lab, being assisted by two marine medics.

      "Lieutenant!" A marine shouted from a nearby pelican. "They need you at Mombasa camp Charley for debriefing, sir. They said that you are to bring your cargo ASAP. I'm here to give you a ride sir. Your personnel are free to tag along for the debriefing." Eric knew what 'cargo' meant. They wanted the crystal artifact.

      Eric nodded to the marine and looked to Rose. She was crying again, as she looked around the crater. She felt partially responsible for everything she saw. Eric looked to Wesley and the marines that had survived the assault with him, and contemplated the next course of action.

      "Excuse me, but what happened here?" Wesley asked a nearby medic.

      "The covenant did a slip space jump in the city. You guys were lucky. We lost everything in the city, and even a few platoons stationed around Mombasa were wiped out from the shockwave. Those Covenant bastards, they'll pay for this."

      Eric overheard the medic and so did Rose. She had stopped crying and was slowly coming to terms with what she had done. Wesley was staring at her, but not with anger or hatred; his eyes were filled with disappointment. Eric looked the group over and decided that there was no point in standing around, if they were going to face the firing squad then now was the time to do it. Eric turned toward the group and shouted over the roar of the pelican's engines.

      "Alright marines, load up. Medical units, you can patch us up when we're in the air. Everybody get on the Pelicans, double time. I want a clean up crew to come back and grab all the MJOLNIR parts that can be found."

      "Sir!" The group all replied. Eric was clearly the senior officer at the site and once they exited the lab he assumed command.

      "El-tee, what about the cargo?" Wesley asked, clearly referring to the artifact. His gaze was strong and brewed with tension. Eric felt his eyes burning into him and looked to Rose.

      "I'll deal with it. Load up!" Everyone climbed into the back of the two pelicans that had lined up around the lab facility, and the engines fired. The fully loaded pelicans did a partial vertical take off. They then nosed up and slowly rose as they gained momentum and sped away from the center of the crater. Eric stood on the ramp of the pelican and looked over the ruins that circled the area where New Mombasa once stood. He then noted that the massive Geosynchronous Tether had also been wiped out. The supply elevator to the orbital space stations had been cut, and Eric realized that refortifying the space stations would be difficult and time consuming without it.

      Other thoughts ran through his mind as he gazed over the horizon. His friends, and everyone he had worked with at the ONI facility were dead. None of the security guards had survived the battle underground, and most of the lab technicians, that weren't considered important personal, probably didn't get out of the city. So many lives had been lost. Eric was use to seeing death, he was a soldier, and the covenant had been killing off human colonists all of his life. He joined the marine core on his eighteenth birthday and never looked back to his old life. The thought of Earth being wiped from existence made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to fight this war, he wanted to help humanity survive, and if the UNSC officials didn't hang him for treason, he was going to do everything in his power to fight the covenant menace.

      The two pelicans soared toward Mombasa's base camp and landed within five minutes. The pilot's had already radioed ahead and notified the base of the survivors, and Eric wasn't surprised to see the ONI brass waiting at the landing zone. The pelican slowly lowered to the ground, sending dust in all directions, as its massive engines roared to a halt. Eric sprang from the ramp of the pelican and saluted the officers that stood before him. Wesley and the other group of marines all fell in line, and saluted as the medics assisted Rose out of the pelican. Her field wrap had been removed and a cleaner wrap had been applied.

       One of the ONI officer stepped forward and addressed the group, "At ease gentlemen. We will debrief quickly. If you will all follow me." The officer then pointed to Rose and the medics and stated; "Take Doctor Santos to the medical block, and after she's cleaned up, take her to the shelters. She's seen of enough of this war."

      "Sir, if I may speak?" Wesley quickly snapped. The officer agreed by nodding his head and Eric could only lower his eyes as his gut began to turn. "I believe it will be best if Doctor Santos accompanied us to the debriefing. It concerns the cargo." The officer looked at Rose with a stern gaze and agreed.

      The group all walked to a nearby building which was protected by troops on all sides. Stationary guns lined the roof and snipers were resting in several of the windows. Eric quickly thought that all of the security around the building was a clear mark of its importance; and during wartime it wasn't a good idea to label your command bunker so clearly. It was an obvious bombing target.

      As they approached the door of the building their hands were checked with ID scanners. Inside was a mixture of ONI officials and high ranking UNSC brass. A table was littered with maps of Kenya, neighboring waterways, and ocean charts. Various fruits and beverages also decorated the table as the group of high ranking men and women tossed around heated debates on the battle at hand.

      Wesley, Eric and their marine compliment all saluted as they walked in, but none of the brass paid them any attention. That is until one of the ONI officials questioned them.

      "Where's the box, lieutenant?" The gray haired woman questioned. Wesley and Eric recognized her as the head of the project team that studied the artifact. She led the team that came to the lab everyday and studied the crystal. "You were ordered to bring it."

      Eric stepped forward, "Ma'am, the cargo was taken by the covenant assault. We defended as best we could but…"

      "But nothing!" Another man shouted. This man was slightly younger, wore the brand of a major within the ONI ranks, and was more threatening with his tone. "If you defended it then you should all be dead. That … cargo was worth more then your measurable lives. I have no reason to be here if this is all you have for me. Good day gentlemen." The major stormed out of the room, followed by several other ONI officials. Eric felt slightly relieved that he was gone. The major matched a man that he knew by name and rumor only; Major Standish.

      "What happened down there, lieutenant?" The project head questioned. She sat at the table and gazed at Wesley out of the corner of her eyes, but kept her focus on Eric.

      "Ma'am." Eric began. He retold the battle inside the facility and how his men fought bravely. He then arrived at the part where they locked themselves inside the lab. The project head then waved her hand cutting the story short.

      "You're stalling, lieutenant." She softly stated. The other ONI officials and UNSC brass became even more eager to know the full details. "How did it end up in the covenants hands, while you and your men lived to tell this tale?"

      "I gave it to them." Rose softly stated from her seat. The room filled with rumbles of disapproval as the officials became enraged.

      "Why did you do that?" The project head questioned strongly with an astonished tone. Her voice cut through the uproar with a rage that startled everyone. Rose froze and slowly lowered her head. She had faced off against admirals and ONI officials before, but never in a situation where she knew she was wrong.

      "They would have killed us, and I didn't know what else to do." Rose pleaded.

      "Private, anything to add?" The project head asked as she turned and gazed into Wesley's eyes. Wesley was frozen in shock and could barely muster the strength to speak.

      "No ma'am." Wesley stuttered. Eric and Rose were a little surprised that Wesley didn't say anything.

      The project head was well beyond the limit of containing her anger. "Private, are you aware that her actions, as well as your own, constitute as high treason? You have no secrets from us Private! If she goes in front of the firing squad, you'll go as well! We know everything about you and Doctor Santos!" Eric cocked his head back swiftly and looked at Rose; questions flooding into his mind.

      "He had nothing to do with this, he tried to stop me!" Rose shouted.

      "Shut up, Doctor! Don't think for a moment that we are not aware of the power of female seduction. You're relationship with Private First Class Wesley Williams has been under investigation for quite some time." Eric gritted his teeth and simply listened. "You may have kept the details of your involvement with the Private a secret to some, but within our ranks we can not afford to let such acts go unnoticed."

      "If I may interrupt?" A UNSC official questioned. The older man walked to the project heads side and looked to the marines that survived with them. "Does one of you men have your Recorder Chip on hand?" The surviving marines looked to each other and one of them shock his head yes, and pulled the chip from his helmet recorder. "Could you please queue it up in that terminal?" The marine nodded and walked to the terminal. He inserted the chip into the terminal's digital reader and began to play back the data from the battle.

      "Lieutenant, explain what we're seeing?" The project head stated.

      "Ma'am, this is just before we sealed ourselves in the lab." Eric stated as the marines point of view showed a covenant assault team pushing down the hall. It quickly shifted and the marine began to race toward the lab, he turned and threw a grenade and the door to the lab closed. The quality became fuzzy and the screen once again shifted as he took off his helmet. Everything that was said was easily heard, and everyone recognized their voices. Soon the picture darkened and you could no longer see what was going on, but you could hear what everyone was saying.

      Every word was crystal clear; Wesley shouting, Eric demanding Wesley to drop the gun, and Rose disobeying Wesley's demand to close the box. There was a loud shout as Wesley screamed, then a gunshot, followed by tussling and then a loud hiss as the doors opened. Rose yelled to Eric to close the door, and Wesley shouting to the marine to stop her. The screen began to glow pink and soon the roar of the Elites was heard. The pink glow faded and the sound of the door closing filled the speakers.

      "Enough." The project head fumed as she placed her left hand to her forehead. "Turn it off. This is clearly treason. Private, there is no doubt that your threat toward Doctor Santos was true, but at the time you couldn't bring yourself to actually kill her and protect the artifact. Had you not had a relationship with her then perhaps you could have affectively stopped her. Lieutenant Raynord you should have stopped her from even trying to open the box. And Doctor Santos, you gave the covenant an artifact that could very well cost us this war, and all of our lives." The project head lowered her head and sighed. "Marines, you are dismissed. Locate the command bunker two clicks north, and find a new squad. As for the rest of you; Private First class Wesley Williams, Lieutenant Eric Raynord, and Doctor Roselyn Santos, you are all hereby found guilty of conspiring with the enemy, according to the United Nations Space Command and Office of Naval Intelligence Terms of War. According to this doctrine, the highest ranking official on the scene has the right to deal with you, without the approval of the committee, in any way they see fit." The head then turned and looked to the UNSC commanding officer. The naval officer was a Lieutenant Commander and was clearly torn about what to do.

      "This is interesting." The man stated. "I have never made such a decision as dealing with traitors, and the only possible decision is death by firing squad." Eric remained focused and didn't let the commander's words phase him, but Wesley and Rose were clearly bothered by it. The room was quiet, no one wanted to agree that the punishment fit the crime, but no one spoke against it either. "Lieutenant Eric Raynord, you were in command of defending the artifact, crystal thing. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?"

      "Sir, only that if I am to die, then let me die fighting. We need every man we can against the Covenant, and while mandate may demand that we deserve to be shot, I say let us die on the battlefield. The situation got out of hand, I understand that, but in reality sir, the covenant would have gotten their hands on that crystal no matter how hard we fought. I'm not agreeing that what the Doctor did was correct, but it happened, she wanted to live and we lost control of the situation. Allow us to fight, all of us. Put us on the front line. Sir, let us repay our error in battle." Eric spoke clearly and without fear. This was all Eric wanted; a chance to plead his case and get to fight for his home.

      Eric's words gave the Lieutenant Commander something to contemplate. Everyone was fully aware that they weren't truly traitors. They were simply victims of their emotions and one woman's desperation to live. But the punishment for treason was death, and this left the commander with a rather large decision to make.

      The commander turned to all the officers in the room, "One thing is for sure, we really should look beyond this situation as if they are traitors. I think most of us here know that the loss of that crystal isn't at all that bad, seeing that we cracked its code several weeks ago." The commander looked to the project head and she frowned angrily. "We can discuss that information in private. But none the less, an act against Earth was committed and I agree to the Lieutenants terms." A heavy sigh echoed across the room; no one wanted to see them die.

      It was the human condition to live, and if put in the situation how many wouldn't have done the same. Even the best soldiers could crack under overwhelming conditions, but a civilian with no training was bound to do whatever was necessary to survive. Despite the commander's decision, the project head had nothing to say, she simply sat in silence.

      "If there are no objections, I hereby reprimand PFC Williams and Lieutenant Raynord with full demotions." The commander addressed as he lit his pipe. He took a deep puff and exhaled the light grey smoke into the air. "First Lieutenant Eric Raynord, demoted to Sergeant, your skill and leadership will be needed out there. PFC Wesley Williams you are hereby demoted and repositioned to Marine core Private. You will serve directly under Sergeant Raynord." The commander then focused his attention to Rose and stared at her deeply. "As for you Doctor, you have no training in combat but you are fairly physically fit, as evident in your ability to out maneuver four marines. Therefore, you'll be assigned to Sergeant Raynord's squad on the front line. He can position you however he feels. Pray young lady that this past battle is all the covenant intends to do, however unlikely that is."

      "Sergeant, you are all dismissed." The project head stated abruptly. She was clearly not happy that the commander disregarded her anger. Eric saluted the brass and the ONI officials then escorted Wesley and Rose out of the room. Once the door closed behind him the officials began barking and shouting at each other over how the situation had been handled.

      Wesley walked ahead of Eric and pushed the doors open to the outside. He inhaled heavily and vomited on the sidewalk. He leaned against the building and gasped for air. He was happy to be alive, but the pressure from dealing with all the higher ups and then hearing the words 'firing squad' had torn him up inside. He was grateful that he held it in until he got outside.

      "I'd rather face the covenant any day." Wesley gasped as he cleared his throat. Eric and Rose walked out and gave Wesley a quick glance. Ross looked to Eric but he didn't share her gaze.

      "Private, take Rose to the medical block and I want both of you to get some rest." Eric commanded. "Keep an eye on her and don't let her wonder off. The brass in there let us go, but they may change their minds if they see Rose wondering around on her own."

      "Yes sir. We're going to put this all behind us, right Eric?" Eric was silent for a turn but looked back at Wesley and Rose. Rose was hanging her head and was clearly exhausted, but partially embarrassed. Her secret relationship with Wesley had been exposed, and she knew how Eric felt about her.

      "Five hours of R and R." Eric replied. "Get some grub and sleep. That's an order." Eric turned and walked away. Rose was somewhat shocked at Eric's demeanor. Where was the funny man she knew from college, and would flirt with her? Eric would always tell her that everything was going to be alright, but the military version of Eric was strict and proud. Even when they worked together she had never seen this side of him. The military had indeed changed him, and Rose was finding it difficult to find the man she once knew.

      Wesley quickly ran up to Eric and jumped in front of him; "If you're going to be my CO, then I need to know that we're going to put this behind us? Rose and I were only together for…"

      "Marine, I gave you an order." Eric cut in. "Take Rose to the medical block, now!" Eric pushed passed Wesley and headed down the street. Wesley simply watched him walk off and turned to Rose.

      "What did you say to him?" She asked. Wesley walked over to Rose and kicked a can that was lying about.

      "It's not important. Let's go." Rose and Wesley walked off toward the crowded medical block, and watched as refugees and marines cluttered together as they awaited news and information about survivors and the status of the Covenant attack.

      "You know, for a second I thought you were going to shoot me." Rose stated, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Wesley turned and looked at her.

      "For a second, I didn't think you were going to do it. And in that second, you did. That's why I didn't kill you." Wesley's words cut deep into Rose. She understood what he was saying and realized that things were different between them. "Just drop it Rose. We've got bigger things to worry about now." Wesley and Rose continued walking and vanished into the crowd of soldiers and civilians.

                                                 *      *      *      

Marine barracks
Charley Camp
16:20 October 20, 2552
Mombasa, Kenya


      Wesley was startled awake from the sirens that were echoing throughout the city. It was the all too familiar sound of the global alarm system. The covenant was coming and this time, they weren't coming with a small cluster of ships. Wesley sat up and quickly jumped from his bunk, tossing on his gear and doubled checked his weapon. He looked at Rose and she was sitting up, but her face was flushed; she was horrified.

      Male and female marines quickly ran in and out of the bunks, grabbing gear and getting dressed. The air was thick with tension as Rose nervously dressed into her uniform. She was immediately enlisted into the marine core as a warrant officer. She brushed aside her nerves and pulled the bandage off her head. Wesley watched as she tightened her belt and pulled on her body armor. He marveled at how well shaped she was and was thankful that the two of them were able to remain somewhat close friends, even after their relationship ended. The one thing that troubled him was that he could no longer enjoy her company; Rose gave a great back rub, and was wonderful at other things.

      Rose snapped her chest armor and shoulder guards in place. She had seen Eric adjust it once and quickly recalled how to do it. The marine fatigues were easier to prep because the ODST uniform she wore earlier was much more complicated.

      Wesley tossed her a helmet and the two ran out of the barracks with the rest of the platoon. They had been assigned to it earlier in the day and were now about to meet their Commanding officers.

      They fell in line and Wesley pointed out were Rose should stand. She quickly stepped in line behind Wesley as the complete platoon of forty marines gathered. Wesley turned around and looked her over making sure her gear was in check and noticed that she was trembling uncontrollably.

      "Relax, this is easy part." Wesley quickly chuckled.

      "Easy for you to say." Rose nervously returned. Wesley turned and looked toward the front. The el-tee walked out with Eric and another man close behind. The lieutenant of the platoon was Jason Morganton, and his two sergeants were Justin Rodgers and Eric Raynord.

      "Sergeant Raynord, break them in please." Rose quickly found Eric at the front of the group and her eyes never left him.

       Eric stepped in front of the platoon and began to bark orders, "Listen up and listen good! The covenant has begun their assault, and some ground forces have broken through, but the MAC guns are keeping the majority of their fleet at bay. We have our orders to report to the front, and since we're a new platoon they're sending us to lead an assault, but we've got one hell of a flight ahead. Were going north so break up into your squads and load up those Pelicans. I want prep completed and dust off in ten… you get me?"

      "Yes sir!" The platoon of 40 marines sounded off in unison. Wesley was surprised when he heard Rose give a shout and felt that she was picking up on the drills pretty quickly.

      "Stop staring at me and get to work, leathernecks!" Eric walked away and the platoon quickly began to hustle loading gear into the nearby pelicans that had already begun their preflight procedures.

      Rose continued to feel awkward at Eric's words. His tone and aggression was unlike anything she had known of him. Even during the battle underground he had seemed poised and in charge, but now he seemed even more in control and leadership seemed to come to him naturally.

      "Rose, stick with me, we've got ammo duty." Wesley stated as he began a light jog to a nearby bunker. Rose stuck close behind and didn't notice Eric watching her.

      "It's a damn shame what happened to you, Eric." Lieutenant Jason Morganton stated. "No matter what the brass may say, you're always going to be a first lieutenant in my eye."

      "I appreciate that, Jason, but let's keep to protocols. I don't want to cause any confusion amongst the men. Besides, your rank says it all. When we hit the LZ, my squad will go in first, no matter how hot. Those were the conditions past down from the brass."

      "You know that's a suicide run." Jason added. "I'll come up with a better strategy before we get there. It's a long flight." Jason turned to his other Sergeant, Justin Rodgers, and passed the young man a data pad for the inventory. "Double down on that list, Justin. We can't afford to forget anything."

      "I'm on it." Justin returned. The three watched as the platoon hustled throughout the camp. They were loading the pelicans quickly and swiftly as two Scorpion MBTs rolled around the corner and toward the 8 pelicans. The platoon was going into combat fully equipped and with as much personal and artillery as they could manage. Soon after the Scorpions were docked under the Pelicans, four LRV Warthogs sped into the clearing and prepped to be connected to the Pelicans. Two warthogs bore the three barrels of the M41 turret. The other two warthogs were loaded with GUASS cannons, and were quickly becoming a favorite amongst the marine that were lucky enough to get them. The marines had just recently begun to nickname the GUASS cannon, Spits.

      Without warning, the twilight sky began to part as a covenant cruiser sped toward the ground. The massive silver hull glistened in the sky, and if it wasn't for the fact that it was a Covenant ship, it might have been a beautiful sight. The ship was deathly silent as it soared toward them. It then leveled off and flew several hundred feet above the marine barracks, but continued to speed away from the area. A dozen Skyhawk fighters quickly darted across the camp in pursuit of the massive ship. The marines all gasped for a moment, but knew that they had to hurry. They continued to secure all their gear and equipment; filling the pelicans as best they could.

      There was no denying that the covenant had arrived on Earth, and the MAC stations were having a hard time stopping all of the ships. Other covenant cruisers and carriers were also breaking through the high orbit kill zone, as more and more of them were spotted entering the Earth's atmosphere. This was it, this was the day the inhabitants of Earth had always feared. The covenant armada had arrived.

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