EDEN- CORTEXIA SATELLITE FACILITY
APRIL 29TH 2558 09:45AM
ODST: Samuel Cross

I knew something was up with the rest of the squad, I just never could've thought that James was more scared than me. He said that he had over heard a conversation between Captain Jinx and our squad leader KC. At first I didn't believe him but now I see what he meant, we didn't come here to make cookies and coffee for the scientists. No, we came here to save them.
Apparently they're working on some highly important top secret bullshit again. But hell, I definitely do not mind, it means I get to put more bullets in another one of those god forsaken covenant assholes heads. They deserve to pay for the fall of reach, I remember that like it was yesterday. But I'm just happy big brother didn't go in.

Vexis took off quickly without us even knowing. He got a foot overwatch on the path towards the building but James, George and I decided to keep moving. I'm obviously the fastest in the team. George is our operator, he's our demo expert. We need him to blow stuff up just in case and then James, well he's assault with me. But where I'm quick and quiet he has to make an entrance every single time, I can only hope he won't make one this time.

We kept moving forward with Vexis who gave us an all clear. Just as we were passing through a small canyon pathway towards the facility there was a massive explosion behind us. We looked up, it was a UNSC battle cruiser which had taken a heavy shot to the side by a covenant corvette. Our ship started going down towards the hillside and it was going in fast. James ran past me with an "ahh SHIT! KC!!" and yelled for us to follow him towards the crash. I quickly stopped him though.
"James! I'm the leader here and our orders are to move forward with the mission, this is war this is what happens!"
James looked at me as though I was insane and even though he had a visor covering his face I could tell he was tearing up. Not because of sorrow but out of anger. He tightened his fists and turned around towards the facility. "Fine alpha dog what are we going to do, huh!? Just sit here and chit chat like we're kids or are we going to take the fight to them!?"
Vexis stood up and spoke softly, "if any of you want to do something, now would be the time." I looked up towards Vexis and back to James before I sternly said, "we continue the mission. This is war not boot camp, if someone dies we have to keep going we can't stay here and mourn. Besides we don't know if they're even alive from the drop." James sighed and took one last look towards the ship. So did I. It was the S'S ZERO MICHIGAN.
My brothers best friend is a spartan upon that exact ship. I let out a heavy exhale, tightened my grip on my gun and continued to lead the team towards the building. Vexis stayed on the hill covering us with sniper fire and also telling us what was going on inside. He tested his communication radio and it came to be we had coms but close radius only. Vexis checked through his scope and then whispered softly, "we got three hostiles at the front door and about twenty two cold bodies in the lobby. Could be ours or theirs, looks like one of the three are easy picking, they seem wounded. About ten grunts and eleven jackals on the top floor. I'll keep you updated and covered as you go Sam."
It felt good knowing I had a team and even better yet that I was leading them. But my calm? feelings didn't last long before I started stressing about them. I took my two SMGs, tightened my grip on them and ran. James shortly followed suit, George picked his shotgun out of his holster on his back and we all charged the front door. As we took cover two loud bangs came from the beach hill and soon after two bullets came flying past us and into the door, hitting the elites right between the eyes. We busted the door and were surprised to find that only a few of the bodies were human and the rest were elite. But they looked different from the normal ones, different types of armor. Most looked like the wounded one. It was to injured to even stand on his feet. As I walked closer to him he spoke to me with a slight choke in his voice, "human, please end my suffering and let me die a honorable death, not a slow one. This much I ask of you."
I looked into his eyes and even though he was a creature from another planet I saw his emotion, his pain, his agony. I saw it all. I looked at George then back to the elite. What I did next had to be done so I asked him, "fine, then I will, elite what is your name if you have that and who did this to you?"
He looked into my eyes and replied softly, "my name is Arangoth and our own brothers did this, they call themselves the heritage."
That peaked my curiosity. Elites killing elites. I always thought that they just kill humans not each other. I stood up and requested George's shotgun. I looked at the elite, aimed down the sights and said, "well my dear Arangoth, you will die an honourable death by my hand. May your soul rest in peace if a monster like you may have such a thing." Without another thought I squeezed the trigger and his blood painted the wall behind him.
I heard Vexis over the com's but there was interference, I could barely make out what he said but it sounded something like, "the sound startled the jacks,
I suggest you dig in and prep for a fight they're coming down."
I turned around tossed the shotgun back to George. I jumped over a crate and took cover behind it reading my guns, "James, George get behind cover we got company!" James got next to me and spoke with irritation scratching his throat, "so you tell us to take cover only after you do. You're so fucking selfish sometimes."
I shook my head and watched George get behind a pillar and within a few seconds I could hear the footsteps of the jackals. The next thing I knew I heard the shots from the hill again and they flew into four of them sending splashes of blood spurting out and staining the floor a bright red I heard Vexis speak again, "GUNN its all about you and the others, I need to reload and that takes time so buy me some!" I replied with a simple, "Roger," and popped up starting to shoot. James shortly followed then the ear blowing rounds from George's shotguns came in from their flank. I could hear him scream and it sounded like he enjoyed it, "hell yeah! Eat my lead you covenant bustards!" Bastards?
James just kept silent, I bet he was smirking like crazy because he's finally in a fight. After a short firefight we continued on towards the stairs.