Chapter 1
"Brace for impact!" cried Sergeant Major Peters. As the Covenant shuttle hit the station, a red light turned green right above the airlock door. The Covenant rushed through. 2 Ranger Elites, 4 Jackals and a handful of Grunts charged, right into the onslaught of a 50. cal machine gun. Several bursts of Magnum and Battle Rifle fire finished of the survivors. The small contigent of 6 Marines, including the Sergeant Major, ran forward and claimed the Covie weapons, including a Carbine and a Plasma Rifle. After grabbing a few grenades and an old, outdated Assualt Rifle from the wall racks surrounding them, the squad advanced through the now deserted corridors of the Armory.
Washington Station had been boarded by 93 boarding pods, and was now swarming with approximately 2000 Covenant soldiers. They were here simply to find a piece of human tech which would change the war. It was an experimental MAC round which could carry a nuclear payload, making it 30x more powerful. Such technology could wipe out High Charity with a single blow. And the entire Covenant fleet if it was damaged. And thus the Covenant Elites were assigned to search the UNSC station. It was a search that would take the best part of a month.
Chapter 2
Peters was annoyed. His squad had had no friendly contacts in 2 hours, and the Covenant were getting closer to the MAC gun. Walking past, he could see London Station fighting off 2 cruisers, with only its small group of Longswords for protection. A Plasma bolt whistled past his ear, striking the hull behind him. Raising his BR, the Marine emptied his clip into an Elite, then turned on a Grunt, only to have it mown down by his soldiers. Hearing angry howls not far away, the Sergeant Major ushered his men down the corridor, into the security section. He knew that he had to make his way to UNSC Blazing Sunrise to find reinforcements and weapons. Running down the deck plating, Peters heard a horrifying screech. Turning to the viewport, he saw Dublin Station fly apart. Spurred on even more, the tough soldier, ran into the Umbilicals, entered his code and continued into the UNSC destroyer.
Chapter 3
The sight before his eyes was hideous. Several mangled bodies were draped over computer consoles, and their weapons piled in a corner. Plasma burns riddled the walls and there were traces of blue blood. Grunts. Their must have been Elites too, because many of the soldiers' heads were caved in, obviously by the strong aliens. Moving among the corpses, Peters heard a faint tapping. Rushing to the source, he yanked open the hatch to find a full squad of Marines looking up at him. " Thankyou sir!" cried the Corporal, grabbing his commanding officers helping hand. As his squad followed suit, the Corporal announced: " I am Corporal Banks, and this is the 7th Australian Regiment. Whats left of it at least.". Peters straightened up, before saying, " We will have to get to the experimental MAC round then. I was hoping there would be at least a full crew, but I can see that you were hit hard." As the now 14 strong unit ran through the empty Umbilicals, Peter explained the position of the MAC round. " Its hidden in a storage compartment between the Observation Deck and the MAC chamber. With any luck, we can get to the compartment and set up a small perimeter, using the weapons stored inside. If the worst happens, we will have to fire it at the furthest possible Covie ship, then fly back to Earth in the Pelican." Suddenly, an Elite burst round the corner, firing dual Plasma Rifles, right at the squad. Within seconds, the Elite was cut to ribbons by SMGs and Battle Rifles. Picking up the Plasma Rifles, the squad ran to the bulkhead that lead to the Storage Compartment. On the 2-meter thick door, C-0 was stamped. Peters ran to the keypad and punched in the 30-digit code, before answering the password request. Within seconds, the huge block of metal was opened, and the squad entered. As they fanned out, the lights came on and the door closed. Instantly, Peters' face lit up. " People, we got Warthogs! Yeehah!".
Chapter 4
Private Marvin Jones swung the turret towards the door. The Covenant had made good progress in the last 2 days, and he hoped that it would stop. They had begun cutting through the bulkhead roughly 2 hours after the squad had arrived in the storage compartment, just as they were getting the huge number of turrets set up. Also, much to their delight, another 8 men had reached the rally point, making the total reach 22, and were now helping man the Warthogs and fire points. A weapons case had been found in the corner, and Sniper Rifles, Shotguns and even a Rocket Launcher had been inside. Admiring the work, Marvin heard a loud clang, and turned to see a small red line appear in the metal bulkhead. The Covenant were here.
Peters swore. He had hoped for another half hour to set up an escape route, but now knew that he had no time. Raising his Sniper Rifle, he took aim at the bulkhead, aiming chest high. Suddenly, the line disappeared and an Elite kicked the door in, met by a 15mm round through the neck. Without hesitation, a squad of Grunts rushed forward, ready to die. And die they did. A hail of lead ripped the Covenant formations in two, moving down the Elites, before hitting the lower ranks. Frag grenades rolled through the gaps, throwing Grunts, Jackals and even an Elite into the walls. WIthin seconds, the forces were already down by 20%, and falling. Then came the Hunters. As their Assualt Cannons primed, one of them saw a slight glint from the shadows. As the rockets struck the Hunters, hidden Warthogs opened fire, sending 99mm rounds pounding into the armour plates, which disintergrated instantly. Then came the rest of the mounted turrets, ripping the remaining aliens into tiny pieces. A sudden shock blasted the Marines of their feet. " All troops, abandon your posts and get to the Pelican! Now!!" cried Peters. As the tables turned, the diminished Covie forces fired relentlessly. 12 of the Marines fell on the way to the dropship, and as the Sergeant Major pulled himself into the pilot's seat, a Plasma polt ripped through his leg. Screaming, he pushed the engine control into maximum, and felt the ship fall through the hatch, sending aliens of all types hurtling into space. Looking into the cargo bay, he saw 9 Marines weeping. Then he understood. Washington Station was torn in half. And the nukes were ready to blow. As he fell back in his seat, an awesome white light filled the canopy, and he felt amazing warmth.
Epilogue
The smoking wreckage of Pelican 233 had dug itself into the ground, right next a cliff. A cliff belonging to South Georgia. Sergeant Major Peters wrenched his seat belt off, and limped to the cargo doors. Already, his Marines had established radio contact with Crows Nest and, according to orders, were to be sent to Rats Nest. To train new Spartan 11s.