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Project Myrmidon- Prologue, Part 1
Date: 1 December 2009, 9:53 pm

My first story for non-video game purposes. Please comment.

March 4, 2532 10:32 A.M. Interior: UNSC Halcyon-class Cruiser, Black Widow.

Ackerson watched the recordings over and over again. He watched as the final defenses of Harvest were torn to shreds. The snow covered region was dotted with explosion craters, destroyed vehicles, and bodies of both factions.

"How did this happen?" he thought to himself.

He was alone in a COMM room. He watched several times how the battle was lost. How Jacob B. Mutter's helmet cam survived after it's user had been brutally killed. He watched as hundreds of Covenant left their tracks in the snow and went about, drunk with victory, laughing and desecrating the bodies of countless marines.
The most insulting thing he saw, the one thing that made his blood boil, was how one of the Elites, one in golden armor, picked up a living marine and tortured him. The alien threw him around. The others formed a circle around the two like kids on the playground, chanting and mocking the marine. The human attempted to fight back only to have his knees crushed in by the Elite's boot. He had something clutched in his hand. Something which he clung to with his very life. The Elite saw him trying to hide it. It walked up to him and pried it from his fingers. It was a crucifix.

"Your pathetic superstitions will not save you!" said the Elite.

He tossed the chain and pendant into a fire that burned just outside of the circle. The marine could not walk but he stayed defiant. He crawled over to the Elite and grabbed it's leg. He used all of his strength to climb up the alien's body. The other Covenant giggled and laughed at this desperate move. He was grabbed by the throat and tossed near the blaze. The marine just lay there, staring at the flames. The Elite walked up behind him and grabbed him by the back of the neck. It slowly pushed him towards the fire.

"This fate awaits the rest of your worthless race" it said.

The marine reached into the flame and pulled something out. He then grabbed the Elite's other hand and pressed the searing hot object into it's palm. The alien yelled in pain.

"SEMPER FI MOTHER FUCKER!" the marine yelled defiantly.

The Elite then snapped his neck in it's hand. Ackerson then paused and zoomed in on the small object. It was the crucifix. He then zoomed in on the Elite's hand. The symbol of one of humanities dominant religions was now permanently burned into the flesh of the Covenant warrior. Ackerson then hit play and the Elite ran from view with shame. He could not watch anymore. He stopped the recording.
Ackerson then looked at several satellite photos taken before the battle ended. He saw a battlefield covered in snow. It had dots of fire and wreckage. One thing stood out above all. The ruins of a Scarab sat at the base of a small mountain. Ackerson thought about this weapon. How it kills and terrifies thousands. He wanted a weapon like that for the UNSC. Something that would instill fear in the hearts of the Covenant. Something that would prevent situations like the one he just saw. He then scrolled around the photo observing further chaos. He looked around patiently until he saw something that gave him an idea. He looked at a destroyed Cyclops laying on it's back next to the barrel of a wrecked Scorpion Tank. He smiled.


December 25, 2543 6:12 A.M. Planet Reach.

Ackerson had called a surprise meeting one week ago.

"This better be important" I thought.

Of course it was. We were one hundred and fifty stories beneath Menachite Mountain. CASTLE Base was the last place I wanted to be on Christmas. I was gonna get hell from Leila for not being home to open presents with the kids. But ONI brass would skin me if I had refused to attend. Looking back on it, I never should've left New York. I never should've left Earth. I never should've accepted this God forsaken position. But I had no choice. My time on the front lines was over. I was with ONI now. I was a spook.
I had enlisted when I was sixteen back in 2518. My father was the only family I had and he was killed fighting Insurrectionists. I put whatever dream I had aside indefinitely to get some payback. I had gone on several ops against the rebels with an old friend of mine from boot camp. If only he could see me now. He wouldn't believe the position I had landed. Then again, John Forge wouldn't have believed most of what's been going on since he disappeared. Last I heard, he was on the Spirit of Fire and was supposedly dead when we lost that ship twelve years ago.
I walked down the hall and towards the theater. I saw only one person in front of me. Whoever it was, they entered the theatre. I followed. As I entered the lobby area, I was stopped by two marines. Two more stood up against the wall on each side of the room. All four of them were in black uniforms and carried MA5C Assault Rifles. One of the two at the door asked me for identification.

"Lieutenant Colonel Andrew DeCorzo. I'm here for Ackerson's meeting" I said.

The door slid open.

"Happy Holidays marines" I said as I walked in.

Upon entering the large room, I saw it about half full with other ONI brass. All of them old and grizzled. I was one of the few in the crowd below the age of fifty. I walked down to the first few rows and sat next to another young officer, the one whom had entered before me. I wanted to ask what this was all about, but no one would respond. Either they knew as much as I did or they were not allowed to say anything. After ten minutes of sitting, Colonel Ackerson walked on the stage and stood at the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have called you here today with good news. Perhaps it is fit that today is Christmas. For I am about to give you all the gift of the century. A way to end the Covenant genocide" he said with a large smile.

There was a pause. The others among the crowd began to whisper. The shrilled voice of an old woman echoed through the room.

"This had better be good Ackerson. I'm missing Christmas with my grandchildren."

The voice was that of Vice Admiral Margaret Parangosky. The coldest woman in the UNSC. She was somewhere in her nineties. How she was alive, and still on duty, was beyond me. What surprised me even more was that she had grandchildren. I can't imagine having her as a grandmother, or even as a mother for that matter. I pitied those children. Ackerson continued.

"Of course Vice Admiral. I assure all of you that this is worth your time."

"Let us be the judges of that" said Parangosky.

"The Covenant have been picking us off one planet at a time. Human lives are being taken on and off of the battlefield. But I have discovered a way to end this problem" said Ackerson.

The crowd again began to whisper. I stayed silent.

"We have had a breakthrough in the robotics programs and have forged the ultimate weapon. So without further ado…." he pushed a button on the podium and blue pixels began to flicker on the stage in massive formations. "I give you Project Myrmidon!"

The pixels formed a detailed image of a large robot resembling a Cyclops exoskeleton. It was the same size, but somewhat sleeker and more advanced. The crowd had escalated their whispers to louder speech. Some in anger.

"Colonel Ackerson, I don't know if you've noticed but we don't use Cyclops' on wide scale anymore" said a random officer.

"This is not a Cyclops" said Ackerson.

The hologram of the robot rotated to it's left. It then looked as if it was cut in half and revealed an interior of wires and mechanics.

"As you can see, it requires no human to pilot it."

"Then who would pilot it?" another officer asked.

"That's the best part" said Ackerson.

The hologram of the robot shrank and moved to the upper right corner of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Achilles!" said Ackerson with a large smile.

A man entered stage right. He was wearing ancient Greek armor. Blonde hair crept out from underneath the back of his dark bronze helmet. His chest plate was made of the same dark bronze. They almost looked golden. In his right hand he held a spear. A shield was strapped on his left. The crowd was silent now.

"He is the first generation of our new Warrior AI" said Ackerson. The crowd began to speak loudly.

"Colonel, we don't even have enough AI's for our ships. Are you proposing that we put an AI in each one of these robots?" asked Parangosky.

"Yes and no, Vice Admiral. What's special about Achilles is that he can be present in all of the Myrmidons at once."

The crowd fell silent.

"He is omnipresent within these mecha-warriors, controlling all of them at once" said Ackerson.

"This must've come at a great price Colonel. What have you sacrificed in this AI to give it such capability?" a random officer asked.

"Well, he is only given the capability to fight and respond to orders. He cannot learn like most AI's."

"That's insane!" said Parangosky. "You want to put a dumb AI in the field?"

"No Vice Admiral" said Ackerson. "There is a video feed inside each mecha-warrior. If there is any critical information on the enemy, we will be able to retrieve it. However, Achilles will be able to obtain tactical data on the battlefield. Say a Seraph was about to bomb the area, Achilles is able to recognize the threat and either avoid it or take it out."

"How will the AI be controlling the robots all at once?" another officer asked.

"There will be a transmitter in and with a nearby ship, base, or mobilized team. The transmission will be on a super encrypted signal that only the receivers inside the Myrmidons can pick up."

"So what happens when the transmitter is destroyed? I mean we are not doing so well in space combat, and anything on the ground can be taken out by orbital bombardment" said another officer.

"That brings me to my next point" said Ackerson. Achilles vanished into thin air and the hologram of the robot was brought back into it's full size. " The Myrmidon can be retrofitted with a wide assortment of weapons and tools. It can take out a threat before it is in real danger."

The hologram began displaying what weapons and tools would be used on the robot. Such things included .50cal machine guns and GAUSS cannons on the forearms, shoulder mounted 90 millimeter cannons, shoulder mounted rocket pods, back mounted jet boosters for space combat and boarding missions, wrist mounted tools such as welders and saws, and an extendable wrist mounted bar for destruction purposes as seen on the Cyclops.
The crowd had gone from angry and impatient to curious and interested. Ackerson had their attention. He sure as hell had mine. But one thought ran through my mind: the SPARTAN-II Project. Colonel Ackerson had always been trying to upstage Dr. Halsey and her Spartans. This new project seemed to do just that. It had incredible possibilities and even the name would upstage the Spartans. The Myrmidons in ancient history were loyal soldiers who the warrior Achilles commanded in the Trojan War.
Ackerson was about to beat Dr. Halsey. I didn't like it one bit. He had been using things like the Spartan-III Project to do this. Ackerson was about to burry Halsey and the Spartans right under ONI's nose. I couldn't hold my tongue anymore, I stood up.

"I'm sorry Colonel, but is this just another attempt to upstage Dr. Halsey and the Spartan-II Project?" I said fearlessly.

The whole room looked at me.

"Identify yourself" Ackerson barked.

"Lieutenant Colonel Andrew DeCorzo, sir"

"Ah yes. DeCorzo" said Ackerson. "I figured you of all people would bring up my little rivalry with Halsey."

"Sir?"

"I know all about your Spartan friend. Fhajad-084 right? He washed out didn't he? Now you want to make me look bad because of your buddy. Am I right?" said Ackerson

"Don't get me wrong sir. This project has incredible possibilities. I'm just pointing out the shear fact that Halsey has been beating you for funds on such projects. I do recommend that we look into this project a little deeper before mobilizing units. I say this because these mecha-warriors lack the one thing that the Spartans have: human intuition."

Everyone in the crowd looked at me. They knew I was right. Those of them who had served on the battlefield knew you couldn't rely on machines for everything. If you put too much reliance on them, when they fail you fail.

"Of course, we shall test them to the UNSC standards. The Myrmidon is very reliable. I assure you" said Ackerson.

"That is yet to be seen Colonel" I said.

I sat down.

"They are currently in the testing phase and will be operational very soon" said Ackerson. "All in favor of pushing Project Myrmidon forward?"

Half the room raised their hands. Including Parangosky. She was very skeptical about this whole thing at first but I knew she liked Halsey just as much as Ackerson. Halsey was the only person to have ever crossed her and live to tell about it. My guess is that she wanted to see her put down, regardless of how effective the Spartans were.

"Good. If testing permits it, we shall mobilize one battalion of Myrmidons within the next year. Happy Holidays everyone" said Ackerson.

Everyone stood. I left the theatre before anyone else. I had to tell Dr. Halsey about this. She may see this project as something helpful to humanity, or threatening to her. Who knew how she'd react. Either way, I could not reach her. I had no idea where she was.
I walked down the hall and towards the elevator. I should've left for home but I had to see someone else first. Since Halsey was nowhere to be found, I would go to one of her pupils. Fhajad was on planet somewhere. I had to find him.

Project Myrmidon- Part 2
Date: 4 December 2009, 11:11 pm

I exited through the heavy steel door. Right behind me was Menachite Mountain. After walking around for a few minutes, I entered one of the mountain's outlying buildings. It was a residential dormitory for the base's staff. I knew that Fhajad had stayed there in the past. I can only hope he was there now.
I walked past the front desk and straight to the elevator. After riding it to the third floor, I walked down several white halls to the room where Fhajad had stayed. In front of the door was a marine in a black uniform. I walked up to him.

"Good morning marine, is Lieutenant Commander Fhajad-084 here?" I asked.

"No sir. I've never heard of such a person" he replied.

"You sure? He's usually staying in this room" I said.

"I'm positive sir" he replied.

"Then why are you standing here guarding this door?"

"There was an incident earlier. I'm guarding the culprit until security arrives."

Just then, I heard a muffled sound from behind the door. The marine and I both looked at the door, then at each other. He stared at me, then extended an electrified baton. He swung it and missed. I grabbed his forearm and twisted it, loosening his grip. I then pried the baton from his grasp and turned it towards him. After pushing him away, I stuck him with it. He thrashed violently and collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
I cracked the door open and peaked through. Fhajad was sitting there in his wheelchair with his hands tied to the arms and a cloth around his mouth. I immediately ran over and untied him. He lightly shook uncontrollably, a symptom of his disease.

"Thank you DeCorzo" he said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, a few days ago, I was searching through ONI files and discovered Ackerson's surprise meeting. I came here to attend but, at the gate, security took me here and had my orderly taken away. They tied me down and posted that marine outside my door. I guess Ackerson didn't want me here" he said.

I quickly walked outside and dragged the marine's limp body into the room. After shutting and locking the door, I tied the marine down in a chair.

"What was the meeting about anyway? Why would Ackerson not want me there?" Fhajad asked.

"He's developing a new weapon. I've been given access to the files. I'll show you" I said as I sat down in front of the computer.

It took me a few minutes, but I logged on to my ONI page. I searched for Project Myrmidon. After locating it, I revealed it to Fhajad.

"Oh my" he said. "This could completely uproot the SPARTAN-II Project."

"I know. I made that known to the entire meeting."

The blue model of the mecha-warrior rotated on the screen. It showed all the different variations and assortments of weapons.

"It could also save humanity" said Fhajad.

"It could. But look at it. It shows many weaknesses. Ackerson would not risk this failure unless he really wanted something. My guess is he wants to put the Spartans out of business."

Fhajad looked the model over. He was confused.

"What weaknesses do you see?" he asked.

"Fhajad" I said. "You're a Spartan. You know that you can never put all your reliance on a machine. Machines break. And when they do, you're fucked."

"A lesson only a soldier could learn" he said.

A message appeared on my page. It was from Ackerson.

"What's this?" Fhajad asked.

I opened the file contained within.

"Ackerson's holding a weapons test on the Myrmidon in one month" I said. "I've been invited to attend."

"Good" said Fhajad. "Gather information on the project. If it is as reliable as Ackerson says, then let it go. Humanity could use the morale boost."

"And if it's not?" I asked.

"Then we go to Halsey. She will help us stop Ackerson."

"Right. We better get out of here. When is guy wakes up, he won't be happy" I said pointing to the unconscious marine.

"Where will we go" asked Fhajad.

"I now a place" I said. "Can you erase the security recording of me throughout the base?"

"Of course" said Fhajad.

Fhajad got to work on erasing the security recordings. Since he could not type, he spoke into a headset which made his words appear on the screen. In the earpiece of this headset was a neural uplink which could let him type classified things just by thinking. However, this took away some of his energy and made tired.

"DeCorzo, go into my duffle bag and pull out the medical kit" he said.

I went over to the bag which lay in the corner of the room where it had been carelessly tossed by the marines. As I dug through it, I discovered an M6C/SOCOM sidearm, several clothes, and computer equipment. After digging for about thirty seconds, I pulled out the med kit. I sat down in the computer chair and opened it up.

"What do we need this for?" I asked.

"Fill the syringe with Comoderick Lendecine" Fhajad replied. "Inject it into his arm."

"What will it do?" I asked.

"It will give him short term memory loss."

"Why do you have this?" I asked as I stuck the needle into the small vile and extracted the liquid.

"Just in case my orderly finds out something he shouldn't" he replied.

I tapped the needle and injected into the marine's arm. A few minutes later, Fhajad finished erasing the recordings.

"Done" he said. "I've shut the cameras down for five minutes and scheduled for the fire alarms in the all buildings on the far side of the base to go off in two. We better move."


I grabbed Fhajad's bag and slung it on my shoulder. I pushed his chair outside the door. Once we got to the building's exit, all the fire alarms in the buildings on the far end of the complex went off. Every guard ran over in the confusion. This was our chance. I pushed Fhajad's chair outside. I ran him over to a bus and hopped in the driver seat. After I hit a few switches and made a ramp appear from the door, Fhajad boarded and we were off.

Interior: Phoenix-Class Colony Ship, UNSC Tyr's Hand. One Day Later.

Thanks to some quick thinking and calling in a favor from an old friend, I managed to get Fhajad and I on a ship back to Earth. I had saved the life of Lieutenant Paul Heller during an engagement with the Covenant many years ago. He was now the Captain of one of the last Phoenix-Class ships in service to the UNSC, the Tyr's Hand. He made sure that we would get back to Earth unnoticed. I stood at his side in the bridge.

"I can't thank you enough for this captain" I said.

"It's no problem. You saved me from those Hunters" said Heller. "For that, we'll never be even."

"Just make sure your crew doesn't leak any word of our asset."

"Don't worry. My men can keep their mouths shut" he replied. "Speaking of the asset, where is he?"

"He was in the mess hall last time I saw" I said. "I'll go check up on him."

"Make sure he stays out of trouble" said the captain.

I exited the bridge and made my way to the mess hall. The whole time I wondered if Ackerson had been watching us. ONI had eyes everywhere. I still didn't even know if he suspected me. He definitely knew that Fhajad was missing and I along with him. I can only hope that he did not anticipate where I was taking him.
As I continued through the halls of the old ship, I felt as if all the crew members were watching me. I did not stand out much, but Fhajad did. It's not so often you see a man in a wheelchair with Parkinson's Disease and an ONI patch on his chest. Captain Heller assured me that his crew would not rat us out but I could not shake this feeling of paranoia.
Finally, I made it to the mess hall. Fhajad sat there in his wheelchair. His computer sat on his lap. I could see his concentration. He was using the neural uplink to work. I walked up to him.

"What's the word on Reach?" I asked. "Do they suspect anything?"

"No" he replied. "Well, not from you anyway."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. They think I escaped by myself."

I cracked a smile. So did he.

"So where is it we're going?" he asked. "You have yet to tell me."

"Yeah, about that" I said hesitantly.

He looked up at me.

"What is it?"

"Well one of two things will happen when we get there. And neither of them good."

His look changed to a confused one.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, one is that Ackerson will have found us out and get there before we do. And that's the lighter situation."

"What's the other?" he asked.

"My wife will castrate me" I said.

December 31, 2543. 12:43 P.M. Staten Island, New York. Planet Earth.

The last five days went by without incident. We kept our mouths shut and no one asked questions. Finally, we got back to Earth. Heller stayed in orbit to refuel while Fhajad and I were sent down in a Pelican. After landing, we got a ride back to my home on Staten Island. Fhajad and I got off of the bus. I stood on the sidewalk and looked up at my house.

"Uh, you may want to stay here for a few minutes" I said.

"You know there are people after me right?" said Fhajad.

"Trust me" I said. "Whatever Ackerson would do to both of us is nothing compared to what my wife's about to do to me."

"Good luck then" he said.

"Nice knowing you" I said as I walked towards the front door.

The house was an old mansion in the somewhat suburban area of the city. It was three stories tall with large windows. I walked up the stairs and cracked the door open. I stuck my head in and saw the Christmas Tree in the living room to my left.

"Honey?" I said lightly.

I slowly turned my head right. In an instant a fist drove right into my nose. I fell back on the floor. My nose dripped blood.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!" was all I heard as I blacked out.

I saw things flash before me as I drifted in my unconscious state. When I was shot three times in the gut during a firefight with Insurrectionists. Forge put me on his shoulder and jumped into the Pelican. After we were landed at a safe distance, I saw her for the first time. She got out of the cockpit and helped Forge carry me to a med station.
The next things I saw were memories of Forge and I hopping into the Pelican, narrowly escaping explosions and bullets. Then, I saw her again. She was in the cockpit flying us to safety.
I saw Forge and I sitting in a launch bay sharing a canteen when we saw her working on her ship. Forge had told me to go talk to her, and I did. I then saw my wedding. She was standing next to me in her dress and I in my uniform.
I saw my children being born. These two separate events seemed to be mashed into one as if they were occurring simultaneously. I asked my wife what to name our son. Only one name came to both of our minds. We named him after our late friend.
I was dreaming. I then felt my head throb and my nose sting. My eyes remained shut, but I was awake. Voices rang threw my head. They were familiar.

"Fhajad?" I asked as my eyes cracked.

"I'm here DeCorzo" his voice replied.

I began to lean up. I recognized my surroundings. I was on the couch in my living room. The Christmas tree was in front of me. Fhajad sat across from me.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"Three hours" he replied.

"Only one woman could do that to me" I said.

"You're damn right" said a familiar voice.

I looked to my left and saw her standing there. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She stood with her arms crossed.

"Sorry I wasn't here" I said.

"Don't worry. Your friend explained it all" she said.

I looked at Fhajad.

"You told her everything?" I asked.

"She can be very persuasive" he replied.

"Tell me about it" I said.

I got up and walked over to her.

"He needs to stay here for a while" I said. "Just until we figure this whole thing out."

"Where's he gonna stay?" she asked.

"Well, he could stay in the bunker" I replied.

"Bunker?" Fhajad asked.

I turned to him.

"Yeah. I had a bunker built beneath the house a while ago" I said.

"Really? A bunker?" he asked.

"Yeah. It even has an uplink to ONI so you could monitor them and find out what they're doing. I can get my A.I. to help you" I replied.

We walked Fhajad to the elevator. I typed in the clearance code for the basement level and it moved down. After exiting, we took him past the security doors and down a ramp into the bunker.
On all sides, between two 2 inch layers of Titanium-A, was six feet of enforced concrete. Within the bunker was a small arsenal of weapons, enough food to last five years, and computers and screens all around. There were six backup generators to power and cool all this equipment.

"Wow" said Fhajad. "This is impressive."

"Yeah. I had it built to withstand a Covenant attack" I said. "I never thought I'd be hiding from my own people down here."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not the one hiding" said Fhajad.

Leila went over and turned on the power. The main screen and several smaller screens to each side of it blinked on. They displayed the UNSC logo of the eagle holding the banner with a blue background.
On a holo-tank, next to one of the central computer modules, appeared a small light blue hologram of a person. He had hair that touched down to his shoulders and wore glasses on his somewhat large nose. He was wearing a military jacket, which would appear green if the avatar was not blue, with a peace button on his lapel.

"Hello sir" he said with an English accent.

"Hello Lennon" I replied.

Fhajad looked at me.

"That's you're A.I.?" he asked.

"Yeah. He takes care of things down here and around the house" I said. "He can help you snoop around ONI without getting caught."

"I'll do my best sir" said Lennon.

Fhajad went over to the desk next to the holo-tank. He spoke into his headset and entered ONI's files. He was surprised that he had accessed them so easily. He had completely jumped passed most of the security protocols.

"I did that" said Lennon.

Fhajad looked up at Lennon. He was impressed at the AI's efficiency.

"Not bad" he said.

Fhajad continued to enter ONI's files. With his hacking abilities along with Lennon's help, he would be able to sneak in and out of ONI's files without being noticed.
I stood next to Leila and watched as Fhajad scrolled through the restricted sections of ONI's pages.

"Well if you're OK down here then we'll just leave you alone" I said.

"Of course" said Fhajad. "I'll be fine."

"If you need anything then tell Lennon. He'll let us know" said Leila.

"Thank you" said Fhajad. "But I'm alright for now."

Leila and I went upstairs and went about our business. I needed to spend some time with the kids. I was home now and glad to be.

Project Myrmidon- Part 3
Date: 11 December 2009, 11:24 pm

Exterior: Field on Reach. One Month Later. 7:34 A.M.

Fhajad had been hiding in the basement for a solid month. We went down there every chance we got to keep him company and bring him food. Any normal person would have gone crazy by now, but he was a Spartan. He could stay in a ditch for a year if he had to.
The time for Ackerson's test had come. All the ONI personnel that were gathered a month ago were here. They all waited in their cars outside a large Titanium-A plated bunker. It was dug halfway into the ground and had a long viewport for everyone to observe the demonstration. The wind blew over the rocky terrain and into the open field, gathering dust into twisters. Ackerson walked out from the bunker towards the makeshift parking lot. Everyone emerged from their vehicles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today" he said. "I have promised you all the gift of the century. Today you get to open it. Follow me."

No one said anything. They all gathered within and spread along the viewport of the bunker. It was crowded. Ackerson stood next to a black console. It stood about three feet from the ground and had a large assortment of buttons and switches. There was a small blue plate on it. Ackerson took a Data Crystal Chip and inserted it into the console. The AI Achilles appeared on the plate.

"Everyone, this is the transmitter which I spoke of earlier" said Ackerson.

He then hit a switch on a different console. In the center of the field, a trap door opened. A platform rose from the chamber beneath with several vehicles on it such as Scorpion Tanks and Warthogs. Marines drove them to certain positions around the field and exited them. They then ran away.

"Everyone, I give you the Myrmidons" said Ackerson as he pushed a button.

Another trap door opened up. This one was right in front of the bunker. A platform rose from beneath with six behemoths on them. They stood fifteen feet off the ground and were facing the bunker. They had thin visors across their chests. All of them had a blackish green tint to their armor and different weapons variations. The personnel gathered within were dumbfounded.

"This is the future" said Ackerson.

"Colonel, what type of armor are these machines using?" asked one of the personnel.

"I'm glad you asked" Ackerson replied. "They are made of a dense Titanium-A plating with reinforced high torque joints for movement."

"Titanium-A won't last forever in a firefight" I said.

He looked at me.

"No it won't" he replied. "DeCorzo, do you carry a sidearm?"

"Yes."

"Please fire on any Myrmidon of your choosing."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Fire away."

I withdrew my sidearm and aimed at the closest robot. It had a .50 cal machine gun mounted on it's right forearm. A chain of bullets was being fed into the gun from a large cylinder container mounted on the back of the right shoulder. Just to the left of the container was a laser weapon mounted just to the right of where the head should be. On it's right shoulder was a 90 millimeter cannon with a belt of shells being fed into it from a container on the back. On it's left forearm was an extendable destruction bar.
I aimed steadily at the visor across the robot's chest. It's "eye". I pulled the trigger. In a split second, a shimmering light encased the robot and deflected the bullet.

"Shields?" I asked.

"Correct" said Ackerson. "These mecha-warriors contain shield generators like those the Covenant have on their Elites."

Everyone in the bunker was amazed. Ackerson had a huge smile across his face. How he had achieved these shields, I will never know. He then turned to the transmitter and looked at Achilles.

"Their all yours Achilles" he said. "Continue with the demonstration."

The AI nodded and dissolved into the light. The Myrmidons blinked to life. Red dots began to glow in the left corner of each of their visors. They were active.
The Myrmidons turned to the configuration of vehicles and charged. They ran at almost the same speed as a Warthog. One of them stopped and knelt down. It fired several rockets from it's shoulder-mounted pods, similar to those on the MAAT-9 Wolverine. The rockets danced around in the air and all descended on an empty Scorpion, destroying it.
The other robots still charged. One of them fired two GAUSS Cannons that were mounted on it's forearms. The one that I shot at did the same with it's gun. They all began wreaking havoc on the vehicles. They ripped them apart and blew them to bits. The one that I had fired at extended it's destruction bar and slammed it into a Warthog, nearly breaking it in half. It then turned and fired it's 90 mm cannon at an old SP42 Cobra, destroying it.
There was nothing left in the field but smoldering scrap metal and the six behemoth robots. The test was successful. All the personnel gathered within the bunker watched in awe. Ackerson had them.

"A successful test no?" he asked.

Parangosky looked at him.

"You've struck gold with this idea Colonel" she said. "You have our support."

"Excellent. I will push up the production on the new weapons. We shall see how successful they are in the field."


Exterior: Orbit of Pegasi Gama. July 3, 2545

The Covenant controlled moon of Pegasi Gama housed a special senor station that could detect any stealth vessels in the system. A UNSC Destroyer, The Blow Me Away, emerged from Slipspace and neared the small moon. It descended and easily skidded down on the surface, just two kilometers away from the station.
The Covenant were now on alert. Elites in Spec Ops armor and a mass of Grunts in vac suits neared the crash site in their Shadow transports. Once they were close enough, they got off their vehicles and examined the wrecked ship.

"Bring up a drill" said one of the Elites. "We shall breach the hull and suck them out!"

There was a loud thud coming from inside the ship. All the Covenant warriors aimed their weapons at the source of the noise. It grew louder and louder until it stopped. One Grunt slowly and cautiously walked toward the hull. It stopped just a few meters away and looked at it curiously.

"It's OK" he said.

Suddenly, the hull of the ship blew off and crushed the unsuspecting Grunt. Several blasts fired from within the ship and 90mm shells destroyed the Shadows. The troopers were shocked and disoriented. Over twenty Myrmidons emerged from the destroyer and mopped up all the alien soldiers in a matter of seconds.
One Elite ran desperately from the battle. It sprinted across the gray rocky terrain and didn't look back. He heard loud bumps and felt the ground shake. The bumps grew louder until a large four-fingered hand grabbed his legs and lifted him off the ground. The Elite looked upon the robot and just stared. He then withdrew his Plasma Pistol and fired. The robot's shields shimmered a bright gold. The grasp of the fingers grew tighter until the Elite heard his bones crack. The Myrmidon dropped the alien on the ground. The Elite looked up and saw four other robots walk up and stare at him. The Myrmidon whom had broken his legs lifted it's foot and crushed him. The twenty robots looked across the terrain and saw the sensor station. They slowly walked toward it and went into full sprints.
The station was now on full alert. A large door opened up and over fifteen Wraiths emerged. They drifted into a line in front of the station and began firing on the advancing enemy. Most of the Myrmidons dodged the raining balls of plasma, but one was not so lucky. A mortar round hit it dead on, blew out it's shields, and knocked it on it's back. The Myrmidon struggled to get up. As it lay there helpless, it tracked another ball of plasma as it flew in the air and impacted on it's visor, destroying it.
Over thirty Seraph fighters came into view and neared the advancing robots. Six of the Myrmidons stopped and recognized the threat. They all got on one knee and fired the AA missiles from the pods on their shoulders. The line of Seraphs broke and tried to shake them but to no avail. Each one was hit and fell towards the surface in a smoldering wreck.
The other Myrmidons continued to charge the line of Wraiths. Some stopped and fired their 90mm cannons. Others continued to run and fired their laser weapons. By the time they reached the line, only five tanks remained. One Myrmidon grabbed hold of one Wraith and pulled the hatch off, exposing the cockpit. It then stuck it's .50 cal inside and fired. Purple mist shrouded the area around the hatch and stained the robot's arm. By the time the Myrmidon had stopped, there was nothing left of the pilot but a blue pulp. Another Myrmidon did the same, only it stuck the destruction bar in and crushed the pilot.
After all of the Wraiths were destroyed, the Myrmidons focused on the station. They approached the blue tinted wall and located the door. Some of them had drills, saws, and welders mounted on their forearms and began cutting through the heavy door.
Within the large halls of the base, over twelve Jackals formed a phalanx with four Hunters and awaited this new threat. They all wore special vac suits. The halls in this part of the station were large enough to let vehicles move freely about. It would let the Myrmidons get to their objective, a reactor near the middle of that section.
The robots stopped drilling. One of them kicked the door down and acquired a target. They all fired on the formation of shielded aliens. All the Covenant warriors were obliterated in a matter of three seconds. Even the Hunters never stood a chance.
The Myrmidons continued through the halls and searched for their primary target. They stopped at a small door. One of them used thermal vision to identify over thirty Covenant soldiers in an oxygen rich environment, a safe room. It then grabbed the door and pulled it from the wall and blasted the air lock behind it. Every alien within was sucked out into the vacuum. They slammed on the legs of the robots as they flew down the halls towards the main door.
The thermal vision of one of the robots locked on to the strongest heat source, the reactor. They all followed this robot until they reached their target. The room was filled with light. Two cone like structures from the ground and ceiling nearly touched each other at the tips. A bright light was emitted from the center of this gap. All of the Myrmidons aimed their arms at the reactor and faced their palms toward it. Each of them fired a C12 charge from a launcher in their hands.
All of them ran through the large halls of the base and made their way to the exit, trampling any Covenant in their way. Once out, a signal was given off from one of the Myrmidons. Ten UNSC Prowlers drifted down to the rocky terrain and opened large hatches on their aft sections, exposing a storage bays modified to carry two of the mecha-warriors. One by one, they entered and the ships lifted off. As they left the surface, the base emitted a blinding light and exploded.

"That's affirmative control, Operation: TROJAN HORSE has been carried out. Casualties: 1. The way is clear for Operation: TORPEDO. Commence attack" said the pilot of one of the ships.

By knocking out the sensor station, the Myrmidons made a clear path for the Spartan-III's to destroy the Covenant refinery on Pegasi Delta. Ackerson had just conducted the first field test for his new project. Other than one casualty, it was a success. It would be more of a success than Operation: TORPEDO. Even though this mission was completed, there were only two survivors.

Interior: Covenant Supercarrier, Righteous Execution. 51-Pegasi- B System.

Field Commander Terao Klonaree walked nervously down the halls of the grand vessel. He was called to the bridge to see the Supreme Commander. He was positive of the reason. He was in charge of the sensor station on Pegasi Gama. After that disaster, his punishment was inevitable. Especially with Supreme Commander Xotenlee in charge of all operations in the system. He has built a reputation of being the most cruel of the Elites.
Klonaree stopped at the large door to the bridge. It was the largest of all of the already gigantic doors on this level. A circle in the center with three red lines pointing inward spun counterclockwise. The lines were now glowing green and a loud clank was heard. It opened. Klonaree worked up his courage and entered. Any Covenant life would gladly face the Prophets themselves before being judged by Xotenlee. The Supreme Commander sat in a gravity chair which floated high up between two sets of stairs that led to a landing where most of the command crew sat. Klonaree could not see him for it was dark, but his deep voice carried throughout the bridge.

"You have failed" he said.

Klonaree knelt in the center of the room before Xotenlee.

"Sir, there was nothing I could've done" he said.

"Explain! Before I have your head removed and your body thrown to the Kig-Yar!" yelled Xotenlee.

"Supreme Commander, a single ship appeared and crashed on the surface of the moon. We thought there were humans inside, but-"

"BUT! This happened?" said Xotenlee.

A holoscreen activated just below him and showed the Myrmidon's emergence from the destroyer. The recording was taken from a Grunt's helmet cam. It ceased after the Shadows exploded and the Grunt was shot down.

"Supreme Commander, this threat was like nothing we have ever seen. There was no way to counter it" said Klonaree.

"YOU LIE!" Xotenlee shouted. "What do you suppose this is?"

The holoscreen played a security recording from one of the base's external cameras. It magnified three hundred times it's normal view and focused on the Myrmidon being destroyed by Wraith bombardment. The only kill.

"They CAN be destroyed!" he said.

Xotenlee began descending in his command chair. When it reached the floor, his face appeared into the light. His armor was a deep purple with a similar colored cape hanging from his shoulders. His helmet had two nearly completed circles towards the back. He then got up and approached Klonaree. Klonaree looked up at him then immediately brought his eyes to the floor.

"You have failed. And you shall be punished."

"Please Supreme Commander! I beg of you! Offer me the opportunity to redeem myself" Klonaree pleaded with his gaze still locked on the floor.

"Bah! You beg for mercy like an Unggoy!" said Xotenlee. "Lift your head and look me in the eyes!"

Klonaree swallowed the ball forming in his throat. He slowly and nervously looked up at the Supreme Commander. In an instant, Xotenlee withdrew his energy sword and brought it to his throat. Klonaree shook with fear and just stared at the blade for a few moments.

"No…" said Xotenlee, "You are not worthy of my blade."

He shut down his sword and turned around.

"Such a death is too good for you" he said as he walked back to his seat.

Xotenlee sat down in his command chair. Klonaree did not move from his kneeling position. He awaited either his execution order or his very unlikely pardon.

"You shall perform a task for me" said Xotenlee. "If you complete it, then you shall be pardoned."

"Thank you Supreme Commander" said Klonaree with relief. "What will you have me do?"

"It will become clear very soon. You are dismissed."

Xotenlee pressed a button on his command chair. A large trap door opened up underneath Klonaree's feet and he fell into a large pit filled with the remains of different Covenant species. Xotenlee's chair began to rise into it's former position as the floor beneath it opened up and revealed the chamber.
Klonaree got up and looked around. All he saw was gray metal walls on all sides and the skulls of whatever had been dropped in the chamber before him. He looked up at Xotenlee.

"Sir! Please have mercy!" he cried.

"I am showing you my mercy" replied Xotenlee. "You must complete the task at hand in order to live."

A large door opened up in the pit. The room within was pitch black. Loud thumps were heard from within which caused the floor to rumble. A very large creature stepped into the light. It's skin was tan. It wore a bluish armor around it's body and hunched shoulders. It's head bore only a single, weird looking, eye and what looked like a "beard" of teeth. It's mouth was hidden behind this. On each of it's wrists were two spikes which stuck out past it's three fingered fists.

"Behold my mighty Drinol Beast!" shouted Xotenlee. "This is your task!"

The Drinol was a beast found by the Covenant some time ago. It had immense strength and was twice as tall as a Hunter. They are not very intelligent. Only those in the higher echelons of the Covenant could keep them as pets.
The Drinol let out a muffled roar and charged Klonaree. The Elite backed up against the wall. When the Drinol was close enough, he rolled under it's legs and ran for the other side. Klonaree withdrew his Plasma Pistol and charged it. He released the ball of superheated plasma and it flew towards the behemoth only to splash on it's skin. The Drinol didn't even notice. It turned around and charged Klonaree again.
Since the Drinol was slow moving, Klonaree had enough time to charge another plasma ball and fire. This one went sailing into the creature's eye. The great beast thrashed in pain for a moment. Klonaree saw this as an opportunity. He withdrew his Energy Sword and charged the beast. He loaded up for a swing, but the Drinol slammed him with the back of it's fist and sent him into the wall.
He lay on the floor in agony. He heard the slow footsteps of the beast and felt the floor shake as it neared him. He struggled to get up only to have the Drinol stomp on his legs. His mandibles spread apart and his scream was loud and painful. The Drinol then lifted him off the ground and put him up against the wall. Klonaree, in a final desperate act, took his sword and tried to slash the creature's arm. He brought the blade down hard only to have it bounce off. It left only a small sear across the beast's forearm. He stared at this slight burn and then looked up. The last thing he saw was Drinol's fist coming towards him.
The two spikes on the Drinol's wrist tore up Klonaree's face. It's fist crushed his chest. The beast then pulled it's hand from the wall and Klonaree dropped to the floor in a bloody, lifeless mess. His gold armor was covered in purple blood. Xotenlee looked on from above. He clicked his mandible in delight.

"Honor less maggot" he said. "How you became a Field Master is beyond me."

The floor beneath him began to close. Xotenlee's chair spun around and faced the command crew. They were all watching until he turned around. They all got back to their work. The main viewport showed Pegasi Delta and a fleet of Covenant vessels.

"Shipmaster!" Xotenlee called.

A gold armored Elite approached Xotenlee.

"Yes Supreme Commander?" he said.

"Have the wreckage from that abominable human creation examined" he ordered. "We must find out it's weaknesses."

"Of course Supreme Commander. Shall I notify the Holy Ones?"

"No!" Xotenlee barked. "I shall do it."

Project Myrmidon- Part 4
Date: 19 December 2009, 12:21 am

Hangar bay of Fort Camelot. Planet Reach. July 20, 2545.

I stood in the cheering crowd of ONI personnel. The nineteen Myrmidons stood deactivated around the large hangar. Ackerson stood on a catwalk with several others. He popped the top off a champagne bottle and poured himself a glass. Everyone held their glasses up in the air.

"Everyone, the Myrmidons have successfully destroyed the Covenant sensor station and gave them something to fear" Ackerson announced. "They will now think twice before glassing another planet!"

Everyone cheered. If they truly believed this one operation would make the Covenant fear us, then they shouldn't be commanding our forces. Sure, Operation: TROJAN HORSE was a success but Operation: TORPEDO was a disaster. Every Spartan-III was killed with the exception of two. Still both missions were accomplished. As much as I hated it, I admitted to myself that Project Myrmidon would be a great asset to the UNSC. Still, something was not right.

Bunker beneath the DeCorzo home. Earth. July 28, 2545. 10:32 P.M.

I walked past the security door and into the bunker. Fhajad was in his usual spot in front of the main screen. Lennon was being projected on the pedestal. He was sitting on a stool playing a guitar.

"So how was it?" Fhajad asked.

"Well Ackerson's drunk with victory and ONI's kissing his ass" I said. "He's talking about mobilizing more robots now."

"Mobilizing more units?" he asked.

"Yeah why?"

"He can't do that."

"Why?"

"Take a look at this."

Fhajad brought up a file containing the details on the Myrmidon.

"Weapons, armor, memory, tactics, etc. Notice anything unusual?"

I looked over the files again.

"Not that I can see."

"That's because you can't see it!" said Fhajad. "The one thing that's missing from the files is the cost of these weapons. I looked over the prices of all the components. Guess how much a single Myrmidon costs."

I looked at the screen for a moment, then back at Fhajad.

"Somewhere in the high billions?" I asked.

"Try a full quadrillion."

A string on Lennon's guitar snapped. He looked over at Fhajad and ran some calculations.

"A full battalion would bankrupt the UNSC!" he said.

"It's enough to bankrupt it five times" said Fhajad.

"Actually it's more than twenty times" said Lennon.

I remembered the footage of Operation: TROJAN HORSE.

"One Myrmidon was taken out by just two Wraith mortars. This weapon can't be worth it's price."

"How ONI didn't see this is beyond me" said Fhajad.

Lennon brought his hand to his forehead and his eyes widened.

"Sir, the motions sensors for the outer perimeter have gone offline" he said.

"What?"

"Showing security feed" he said.

Except for a few lights in the backyard, all we could see was darkness.

"Night vision" I ordered.

The screen turned green. Still, we saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Thermal."

It turned black and white. Fifteen armed men were lurking in the bushes.

"I'm tracking an additional ten more in the front yard" said Lennon.

"Get my family down here now!" I yelled.

"Of course."

I ran over to the left wall of the bunker. Behind a glass shield was a small arsenal of weapons and ammo. After entering a code on the adjacent keypad, the shield slid up into the wall. I grabbed an MA5C Assault Rifle off the rack and shoved a fresh clip in. I also grabbed an M7 SMG and slung it on my shoulder.
I turned around and saw Fhajad holding his M6C/SOCOM. His hands shook but if he concentrated hard enough, he could steady himself and hit even the smallest target. Leila ran down the ramp holding Lucy and John's hands. The door slammed behind them and locked.

"Their inside" said Lennon.

The security feeds from within the house played on the main screen. I looked at the men. They were in full black tactical gear and carried suppressed weapons. Some were carrying satchels.

"C-12" I whispered. "They know."

That soon became obvious. While some of them scourged the upper floors, five men went straight for the basement elevator.

"Disable it Lennon" I ordered.

"Already done" he replied. "Sir I'm detecting several plastic explo-"

"I know" I said.

One by one, the cameras turned to static. They were being destroyed. I looked at Leila, then at the kids. John was about four feet tall with short black hair. Lucy looked like her mother. She was a little taller than John and had long blonde hair. The two sat behind a computer console. Leila had grabbed a shotgun off the rack and stood next to me.

"How many?" she asked.

"Twenty five."

"Lennon, can you do anything from here?" she asked.

"This is not a starship" he said. "It's not like I can vent the air."

"Damn it Lennon" I yelled. "Reroute power from these generators to electrify the elevator doors."

"You know I don't condone violence" he said.

"LENNON!" I yelled.

"Right" he said.

"Hmm. Two made contact with the door and received a 900 volt shock. They are dead" said Lennon. "Five are currently gathered in the elevator. They're cutting the floor."

"When they're at the bottom of the shaft release the brake" I said.

"On it."

A full minute passed before we heard a soft thud. The elevator had dropped.

"Eight are dead at the bottom of the shaft" said Lennon.

"Ten down" said Leila.

"Lennon, electrify both the security doors" I said.

We waited about three minutes before Lennon gave us an update. Another four men had been given lethal shocks from the doors. These guys had to be with Ackerson. He had finally found Fhajad after two years and was about to bring me down along with him. But I was not about to let my family die because of me. We were getting out of this alive.
Lennon warned us of an imminent explosion within the next minute. Our last line of defense was gone. I looked around the bunker. John and Lucy were hiding behind a computer console in front of the main screen. Fhajad sat in his wheelchair in the aisle between the left and right consoles aiming up at the door. Leila and I were kneeling behind an overturned table aiming up the ramp. We waited.
The door blew off it's hinges and flew over our heads. I looked up the ramp. Two cylinder canisters rolled down and hit the table.

"Cover your eyes!" I yelled.

The flash bangs went off. My ears rung but I could see fine. I got up and took aim. One soldier ran in and fired. We all fired. Fhajad was concentrating his hardest to steady himself. Even though he was disabled, he held the advantage of being where the enemy wouldn't expect him. If someone ran into the bunker, they would be shot in the side by Fhajad and in the front by us. They had virtually no cover.
Two more men ran in. Again, we lit them up. I counted in my head. There were eight left. I saw another one in the door frame. This one had a riot shield. He ran towards us and was shot in the ankle by Fhajad. He staggered, but kept the shield straight. He then fired at Fhajad, hitting his arm. It would've been a fatal hit if Fhajad hadn't shot him in the eye a split second before. Fhajad dropped his sidearm and held the wound.
There was a short pause. No one had entered in ten seconds. I knew they were up to something. It turns out I was right. Four frag grenades rolled down the ramp and hit the table. Without thinking, I grabbed Leila and jumped over a console. The grenades detonated.
After the explosions, all I heard was screaming. My vision was blurry. I managed to make out a few things. The main screen turned from blue to black and showered sparks onto the floor. Fhajad was on the floor, alive but hurt. I heard several muffled bursts of gunfire and a woman scream.

"Get up!" someone shouted.

A man stood over me with a suppressed SMG aimed at my head. Slowly, I did as he ordered. Leila was being pressed up against a wall with a gun to her head. I saw the bodies of four more soldiers laying on the floor. Lennon had disappeared from the pedestal. One soldier stood on the top of the ramp, aiming at Fhajad.
I looked up at the security camera mounted in the corner of the room near the ceiling. I nodded. The lights then shut down. I drove my fist into the man's face and knocked his weapon from his hand. I then brought him to the floor and snapped his neck. Light was being emitted from gunshots all over the room. The lights flickered back on.
Fhajad had managed to roll under the table and out of the line of fire. Leila was in the same place as she was before only her guard was dead and she was sitting against the wall with a bullet in her gut.

"Leila!" I shouted.

"Shut up" said the soldier.

He had changed his attention from Fhajad to Leila. He stood at the top of the ramp and aimed at her head with his SMG.

"I'll gonna kill you all" he said. "starting with the pretty one."

I saw his grip tighten on the trigger. All I heard was a muffled shot. It didn't come from his weapon though. Leila was still alive. Blood trickled down from the side of the man's head and he fell down the ramp. John stood behind the computer console aiming Fhajad's pistol. I stared at him in disbelief. I then ran over to Leila and knelt next to her.

"Oh my God" I said.

She held her hand over the wound. Blood poured out.

"The bullet went out the other end" she said. "I'm alright."

I picked her up and walked over to Fhajad. John and Lucy had helped him back on his chair.

"They'll be more soon" he said.

"I know" I said. "We need to get out of here."

"Where will we go?" asked Fhajad.

"I don't know" I looked at Leila. "We need to find a doctor."

Fhajad's eyes widened.

"I know where we can go" he said.

High Charity. Prophet's Inner Sanctum.

Supreme Commander Xotenlee stood before the three Prophets of the Covenant- Truth, Mercy, Regret. He had just shown the footage of the attack on the sensor station and was presenting a hologram of one of the robots.

"What an abomination" said Regret.

"How did they manage to destroy the station?" Mercy angrily asked.

"They caught the defenders by surprise" said Xotenlee. "The Field Commander was too incompetent. As I just showed you, only one was destroyed."

"Indeed" said Regret. "Make sure he is executed."

"I shall se to it" replied Xotenlee.

He pressed a button on the holographic projector and shut it down.

"Supreme Commander, come forward" said Truth.

He did as Truth asked. He walked over towards the Prophet and stood before him.

"Let me see your hand" said Truth.

Xotenlee did as the Prophet asked.

"Mock me once more and I shall see that you are serving slop to the Unggoy. The other hand!"

Xotenlee hesitated but did as Truth asked. He showed him his fist then opened it revealing a cross seared into his flesh.

"What is this?" asked Truth.

"A battle scar, Holy One" he replied.

"I have seen that symbol before" said Truth. "It is the religion of the humans!"

The other two Prophets hovered over and observed the wound.

"How did this happen?" asked Mercy.

"During our first campaign against the humans" said Xotenlee.

"This is heresy!" said Regret.

"Heresy?" asked Xotenlee. "A human surprised and branded me with this shameful mark."

"Be that as it may, you still carry a traitorous mark." said Mercy.

"Noble Hierarchs, you know I am no heretic. I would never turn my back on the Great Journey."

"Allowing a human to scar you in such a way is punishable by death. That symbol is the Mark of Shame tenfold!" said Regret.

For once, Xotenlee was terrified. He had hidden that scar for so long. Having the Prophets themselves discover it was the worst luck possible. He thought of what would happen. Would he be demoted? Would he be executed? Or would they make him an Arbiter?

"My brothers, calm yourselves" said Truth. "Yes. This scar is treason. But, he is too valuable to be just cast aside."

"What would you have done to him?" asked Regret.

"He should be executed!" said Mercy.

"No" said Truth. "Supreme Commander, we have recently received word of a fleet of human ships amassing near one of our planets. Lure them away. Destroy them, and you shall be pardoned. But if you fail, then you shall be cast aside before the Great Journey."

"I shall not fail you Holy Ones" said Xotenlee. "My faith is strong and I will do your bidding without question or flaw."

Project Myrmidon- Part 5
Date: 27 December 2009, 5:50 pm

Hotel in Washington D.C. July 39, 2545. 1:45 A.M.

      Fhajad once spoke of a Spartan who had more luck than any whom he had ever seen. He said it made him much more than the other Spartans. Whoever this guy was, I felt like him. We were lucky to be alive. We were lucky to have noticed the problems with Project Myrmidon. We were lucky that the only person we could trust was on Earth at the time of the attack. Dr. Halsey said she would meet us at this hotel.
      Leila lay on the bed. I bandaged her wound to the best of my ability. Lucy sat at her side. John on the other hand, was sitting in the corner of the room. Just staring into space. I sat next him.

"You Ok buddy?" I asked.

"I killed that man" he said shamefully.

"Look at me" I said. He did as I asked. "You saved your mother's life. You saved all our lives. Don't feel bad about it. He was a bad man. And you put him in his place."

"I'm glad I did it" he said, gritting his teeth.

      I put my arm around him and hugged him.

"Vengeance is a powerful thing John. Don't let it get the best of you. Remember, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."

      I looked around the room. Fhajad was looking out the window, hiding himself with the shades. Leila lay on the bed holding her wound with one hand and holding Lucy's hand with the other. Lennon was on the screen of Fhajad's laptop. We had put him in a Data Crystal Chip before leaving the house.

"She's here!" said Fhajad.

      I got up and looked out the window. A hooded woman wearing a green jacket holding a suitcase walked up the stairs and towards the door. A white lab coat was seen creeping out from the bottom of the hoodie. I went to the door and opened it. She walked in and lowered her hood, revealing silvery hair. Her icy blue eyes pierced through her glasses. I shut the door behind her.

"DeCorzo, it's good to see you" said Halsey.

"Likewise, doctor" I replied.

      She turned to Fhajad.

"Fhajad, what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked.

"I'll explain everything. But first, we need your help" said Fhajad as he pointed to Leila.

      She went over to her and sat on the bed. She opened up her suitcase. It had a large assortment of medical equipment.

"How long ago was she hit?" asked Halsey.

"Three hours ago" I said.

      She took a panel device and slowly moved it over Leila's body. It was an X-ray.

"Hmmm. She's a strong woman" said Halsey. "The bullet left her body but it made one hell of a mess. Her liver and one of her kidneys have been grazed. They'll need to be replaced."

"Can you do that?" I asked.

"I have a flash clone organ's kit and a sterile field generator. It'll take some time, but it can be done. Is there any place for me to work?"

"Well, there's the bathroom" said Fhajad.

"Alright, bring her in" said Halsey.

      I lifted Leila off the bed and carried her to the bathroom.

"Don't worry, your mother will be fine" I said to the kids.

      Halsey opened the bathroom door. She took out a small object and activated it. The room was covered in an orange looking field.

"It's clean" said Halsey. "bring her in."

      I carried her through the orange glow and laid her on the bathroom floor.

"I'll see you when this is over" I said and kissed her on the forehead.

      She smiled. I got up and walked from the room. I saw Fhajad's laptop and grabbed it.

"Doctor, this computer contains my personal AI. He'll help you" I said as I sat it next to her.

      Lennon blinked on the screen.

"Thank you" said Halsey.

      She shut the door.

UNSC Supercarrier, Lionheart. Detention level. July 25, 2545.

      The Covenant stealth corvette had emerged from Slipspace almost right in front of the UNSC fleet. It did not try to hide but turned around and slowly attempted escape. It flew as if it's engines had been damaged. When the engineers on the Lionheart examined the ship after it's capture, they were shocked to see it in perfect working condition.
      The crew was an even bigger surprise. They almost immediately surrendered after capture. Only a few Grunts and marines were wounded during the conflict. It was strange. The Covenant never surrendered so easily before. In fact, some even took their own lives before being captured.
      The aliens were put in separate detention cells. The Grunts only gave some information about Covenant controlled space, but it was nothing unknown to the UNSC. The focus of the questioning was put on the commanding Elites. It took six men to restrain and tie down each of the alien warriors. They tortured some until their deaths, but one eventually started to talk.
      A marine put a welding torch to his combat knife and kept it there until it glowed red. He stuck in to the Elite's exposed chest. It's skin sizzled and burned as he let out a scream.

"Start talking!" the marine yelled.

"FINE!" screamed the Elite.

      It was like the alien was about to start sobbing, something that no human had ever witnessed.

"Bring me a star chart" he said.

      Several marines wheeled in a wide pane of glass. It flickered to life, showing star systems and asteroid belts. One marine released the Elite's left hand from the restraint on the wall. The Elite then pointed to a star system.

"The Salia System" he said. "It is a lightly defended colony world. The defending fleet is elsewhere."

"How long will they be gone?" asked a marine.

"They left recently for a month long leave" the alien responded.

      The marine pulled a memory chip from the console at the base of the screen and gave it to another.

"Franklin! Get this to command" he ordered.

      The marine ran through the great ship and made his way to the bridge. Supercarriers were the largest ships made by the UNSC. A monorail runs within the center of the ship which allows quick movement. This made the Franklin's journey easier. After exiting the train, running down a series of halls, and riding a few elevators, he made it to the bridge. Out of breathe, he approached Fleet Admiral Gibons and stood at attention with a firm salute. Gibons didn't even turn around to face him.

"At ease" he said without looking.

      Gibons was very young for a man in is rank. His skin was pale and he had dark brown hair which formed into small curls in the front. Rectangular glasses sat on his nose. Despite this child-like face, his voice was very deep. He showed no emotion and was often thought of as being like a robot. His tactical skill however, was incredible.

"What's the situation in the detention level?" he asked.

"One of them cracked sir" said Franklin.

      Gibons turned around. The marine handed him the memory chip. The admiral put the chip in the console at the base of the screen behind him. It lit up and showed the system which the Elite pointed out.

"What is this?" he asked.

"The alien said this colony is lightly defended" said Franklin.

"We can't trust it, but…." he thought for a moment. "ONI would want this information. Send the fastest ship we have to New Sydney. We'll get-"

"That won't be necessary Admiral" said Ackerson as he walked in.

"Colonel. I wasn't aware of your arrival. I wasn't even aware of your coming here. What can I do for you?"

"Have your fleet go to these coordinates. We're going to attack that colony" said Ackerson.

"Excuse me Colonel but I can't do that without ONI's approval."

"You don't need it Admiral. Go there. Now"

"Who the hell do you think you are? I outrank you Colonel. What makes you think you can order me around?" said Gibons.

"This" said Ackerson.

      He handed him a sheet of paper. Gibson angrily grabbed it from his hand and read it over. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"I've been replaced?!" he yelled.

"Not exactly" said Ackerson. "I've just been given temporary control of your fleet. We both still hold our ranks, but now I'm giving the orders. So you must do as I command and aid me in any way I ask."

"This is bullshit!" yelled Gibons.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But you will obey me or I'll see to it personally that you are freezing your ass off in the New Dublin Base on Pluto. Now send your fleet to that planet" said Ackerson.

      Gibons' hands formed into fists.

"If I may ask Sir, for what purpose?"

"I'm glad you asked" said Ackerson. "You know of Project Myrmidon. Well I've been planning an assault on a Covenant colony for months now. We're going to capture a VIP and milk it for information. Who knows? We might even be able to force a truce."

"They will not give up the colony that easily. We need more ships."

"We're not going to take the planet. We're just going to locate and capture one of their leaders. It's a hit and run operation."

"So you want to use my fleet as a decoy while your robots take the prize?"

"Exactly. Congratulations Admiral, you are now a part of the turning point in this war. Welcome to Operation: RAGNAROK."


Hotel room. Washington D.C. Earth. July 29, 2545. 5:56 A.M.


      The next four hours were the longest of my life. Not knowing what was going in that room was torture. The kids fell asleep on the bed. Fhajad was sitting in his wheelchair next to the bathroom door while I sat on the bed.

"That Spartan you were talking about before, is he still alive?" I asked.

"Yes. He's still around" said Fhajad. "I haven't seen him in years though."

"You said his luck made him more than the others. What did you mean?"

"This man was as strong and skilled as the rest of us. But, he was a natural at everything he attempted. He always led us out of the fire intact. He had something that you can only be born with."

"And what might that be?"

"As I said before. Luck."

"Sounds like one hell of a guy."

"Yes. I remember in one of our training missions our drill sergeant had left us for dead in the mountains. He dropped us all at different locations and said that the last one on the Pelican would be left to fend for themselves. We all met up after the drop and John made sure he was the last one on that Pelican."

"John?" I asked.

"Master Chief Petty Officer John-117" said Fhajad. "The greatest warrior to have ever lived."

      I turned around and looked at the kids. My mind was filled with wonder about them. What will they do in life? I've already filled their heads with crap about the military and defending Earth. John had just killed a man and his future was already looking like that of a marine. Lucy would probably share the same fate. I only hoped that they would make the right decisions. I only hoped that they would be as successful as that Spartan. Halsey then opened the door and looked me in the eye. I got up.

"So?" I asked.

      Her look went from serious to comforting as she smiled.

"She'll be fine."

      I hugged her. She was a little shocked at first but had accepted it.

"Thank you doctor" I said.

      I looked past her and saw Leila on the floor with a blanket over her.

"Should we move her?" I asked.

"Yes. Put her on the bed" said Halsey.

      I went in and lifted the unconscious woman off the floor. After I laid her down on the bed, I lifted both the kids and put them on the floor.

"So what happened exactly?" asked Halsey.

"Do you want to know the full story? Or just how she was shot?" I asked.

"We've got plenty of time. Start at the beginning."

      It took a full hour to explain everything that had surpassed in the previous two years. Halsey stopped us after she heard of the budget for Project Myrmidon.

"That's ridiculous!" she yelled. "How didn't ONI see that?"

"I asked myself the same thing" said Fhajad.

"The Spartan-II Program doesn't cost nearly as much" said Halsey.

      We had earlier brought Fhajad's laptop into the bedroom and sat it next to Leila. Lennon browsed through ONI files.

"What's this?" he asked. "Operation: RAGNAROK? Ackerson is attempting another mission with his toys."

"What do you mean?" asked Fhajad.

      The computer screen showed a star map and Ackerson's plan to attack the Salia System.

"He took control of the Eighteenth Fleet about four days ago" said Lennon. "He's been moving into position and preparing for an assault."

"What intel do they have on that planet?" asked Halsey.

"It doesn't say" said Lennon.

"Does Ackerson really have ONI tied around his finger like this? They're letting him do anything he wants!" I said.

"I know for a fact that the Covenant wouldn't leave a planet so lightly defended" said Fhajad. "It must be a trap."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"Maybe this will persuade you" said Lennon. "A Covenant stealth corvette emerged from Slipspace right in front of the fleet. It basically surrendered without the slightest bit of resistance. They then gave them the intel on the system."

"My God" I said. "It is a trap. Covenant would never surrender. They sure as hell wouldn't rat out their own kind. How doesn't Ackerson see this?"

"I'm sure he does. He's just too damn arrogant. He puts to much faith in his project" said Halsey.

"Well, we're fugitives now" said Fhajad. "How do we stop this?"

"Too late to stop it. How do we help them?" said Halsey.

"I know someone that can get us there, but what good will we do?" I asked.

      Halsey thought for a moment.

"I know some people that can help."

      She and Fhajad looked at each other and smiled.

Bridge of Righteous Execution. August 9, 2545.

      The command crew of the Covenant flagship went about preparing to spring the trap. Xotenlee had sent a single ship to lure the UNSC fleet away from an undefended planet and bring them to this system. He patiently awaited their arrival. The Fleet of Glorious Atrocity stayed in formation behind the planet and waited.

"Master, how do you know the humans didn't just destroy the ship we sent?" asked the Shipmaster.

"You ignorant fool. The humans can not afford to let any possible information slip away. They also cannot afford to pass up the opportunity to destroy an undefended colony. They will come expecting an easy victory but instead they will receive annihilation!"

      They have been waiting patiently for days. It would not be long before the UNSC Eighteenth Fleet arrives.

"Sir, our sensor stations are picking up movement within the Void!" said an Elite at a communications array.

"Good, they have come!" said Xotenlee.

Bridge of the Lionheart. August 9,2545.

      Ackerson had a smug look on his face for days. For the entire journey, he had bragged about Project Myrmidon and about how Operation: RAGNAROK was nearly flawless. Fleet Admiral Gibons was infuriated but he could no longer show it. He was almost certain that this would not work but Ackerson had him by the balls. He could not do a thing.
      A man appeared on the holo-tank in the bridge. He had short brown hair and was wearing a white tabard with a red cross on it. Underneath it was chain mail. A great sword hung from his belt and a bright red cape hung from his shoulders.

"Sir preparing to exit Slipspace" he said.

"Thank you Richard. Do so when ready" said Gibons. "And may God help us" he thought.

      The fleet emerged from the Slipstream and into the Salia System. The only things that were visible were a planet and it's moon.

"See Admiral, nothing to worry about" said Ackerson. "The Elite's intel was solid."

"Admiral, we're picking up several pings on a low radar grid" said Ensign Gage.

      Ackerson didn't even acknowledge the ensign's statement. Gibons went over and looked at the station.

"This will be a glorious day for humanity!" said Ackerson. "Commence with Operation: RAGNAROK."

"Look, there's a few more" said Gage to Gibons.

      As the fleet neared the planet, three more pings appeared on the radar. Then ten more, then twenty more, then a hundred more.

"Send a message to the fleet! We're getting out of here right now!" yelled Gibons.

"Like hell we are!" said Ackerson.

"Colonel, look at the radar system damn it!" said Gibons. "It's a trap!"

      Ackerson glanced at the radar for a second.

"Phantom pings Admiral" said Ackerson.

      He pointed out the main viewport without looking.

"Look there's nothing out-"

      He looked out the window and saw a massive fleet of Covenant warships. He was speechless.

"Congratulations Colonel" said Gibons. "You've just damned the lives of an entire fleet."

"No….." said Ackerson.

      The Covenant fleet neared the humans. Gibons thought for a second. He then exhaled and pulled himself together.

"Alright, standard defense formation on the double. Focus on the support ships."

"Are you insane Admiral?!" yelled Ackerson. "There's no way we can defend against that!"

"You got my men into this mess Colonel. I'm getting them out! I suggest you sit down and shut up."

"I'm in command here Admiral!" yelled Ackerson. "And I say we get out of here!"

"It's too late for that! And I'm re-taking command of my fleet. You've done one hell of a job getting us all killed! I'm going to save as many as I can!"

"I SAID NO!" yelled Ackerson.

      Gibons turned around and took a viscous swing at Ackerson. He hit him dead center in the face. Ackerson fell over like a collapsing brick wall and landed face down, out cold. His nose dripped blood on the deck. The command crew smiled. Some even began to clap and cheer. Gibons, to say the least, was relieved.

"Alright, let's get this situation under control" he said.

      The Covenant fleet came even closer to the UNSC.

"Have all ships fire MAC rounds on the carriers! Fire Archer missiles on the support ships!"

      Hundreds of MAC slugs and plasma torpedoes shot through space. They closed in on and shot right past each other. Some even made contact and exploded harmlessly between the lines of ships. Those that didn't, neared their targets. Several MAC rounds shattered the shields of the Covenant ships and left them in smoldering ruins. The Covenant fire splashed against and burned through the hulls of the UNSC ships. The battle had just begun

Project Myrmidon- Finale
Date: 2 January 2010, 8:13 pm

Bridge of the Tyr's Hand. August 1, 2545.

      I was a little nervous. I had just left my wife and children in a hotel with Dr. Halsey and was on my way to a battle that could not be won. Fhajad sat next to me in his wheelchair, shaking as usual. Captain Heller was doing me a huge favor once again. This time, he was putting his entire ship and all his men in danger. He was about to enter a battle that we were sure to loose. The only real hope we had was Halsey's "people". We had just stopped at Eridanus II and were awaiting the return of a Pelican.

"Captain, I can't thank you enough for this" I said.

"Stop saying that" he said. "I am in your debt."

"Well after this, we're even" I said.

"If you say so" he replied.

      The ship's AI appeared on the holo-table. It was a man in old Norse armor and a faded blonde beard. In his left hand is a short sword. He had no right hand.

"Captain, the transport you've sent is returning" he said.

"Thank you Tyr" said Heller.

      Fhajad looked up at me.

"You won't be disappointed" he said. "Come, let's go meet them."

      I pushed Fhajad in his chair down to the hangar. We made it there just in time to see the Pelican land. When the hatch opened, my jaw dropped. Nine soldiers walked out and came towards us. I had never seen a Spartan in it's armor before. It was incredible. They all stopped before us and looked at Fhajad.

"It's been a while Fhajad" said the one in the center. He had the numbers 117 painted in white over his green armor.

"It's good to see you John. It's good to see all of you" said Fhajad.

      I stared at the one in the center. This was the Spartan which Fhajad spoke of. This was the greatest warrior to have ever lived. Starting from the left end, Fhajad began to name them all. He could tell who they where without even looking at their faces.

"DeCorzo, this is William, Grace, James, Fredric, John, Kelly, Linda, Joshua, and Isaac."

      They all saluted.

"At ease" I said. "I'm the one who should be saluting you. It truly is an honor to meet you all."

      They all dropped their salutes.

"What's our situation?" asked John.

"Follow me" I said.

      I walked them all to a secure room. Heller told me about the ONI agents looking for us two years ago after he brought us to Earth. I was taking no chances. I led the Spartans to the armory.

"Alright, so here's the deal" I said. "Colonel Ackerson has made his own pet project."

      Fhajad brought up the files on Project Myrmidon and showed it to the Spartans.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen" said Kelly.

"What is it?" asked James.

"It's a robotic soldier that is controlled by an AI. The cost of these things is ridiculously high for a single weapon. Especially when it can be taken out by just two Wraith mortars."

"Why was it put into production if it costs that much and can be destroyed so easily?" asked Fred.

"Who knows" I said. "Only twenty have been built so far and one was destroyed on it's first op. Anyways, Ackerson has taken control of an entire fleet of UNSC ships and has led them to their doom. He thinks his new toys will win this battle."

"So what's our mission?" asked John.

"The mission is to buy the fleet some time to escape, and dare I say it, rescue Ackerson from his own stupidity. Get some rest soldiers, we'll be there in a few days."

Bridge of Tyr's Hand. August 10, 2545.

      The ship emerged from Slipspace and onto the fringes of a great battlefield. The remains of UNSC and Covenant ships made it look like an exploding scrap yard. Several ships on both sides still fought like hell. It was turning into a fight to the last man. Captain Heller tried to raise any surviving UNSC ships.

"This is Captain Paul Heller of the UNSC Tyr's Hand. Is anyone alive out there?"

      For about ten seconds all he received was static until someone responded.

"Captain you sure are a sight for sore eyes. I should ask you what you're doing out here but I really could not give a shit."

"Identify yourself" said Heller.

"This is Commander Lerreck. I'm the acting commander of the UNSC Lionheart and what's left of this fleet."

"Where's your commanding officer Lerreck?" asked Heller.

"Some Covenant bastards boarded and captured half the command crew. Admiral Gibons and Colonel Ackerson were taken prisoner to their flagship."

      John nudged Heller out of the way and spoke.

"Commander, this is Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Eight of my Spartans and I are ready for a rescue mission."

"Say again?" asked Lerreck. "Did you say Spartans?"

"Roger" said John.

"Come to the Lionheart. We'll plan this out."

Halls of the Covenant flagship Righteous Execution.

      Ackerson, Gibons, and at least five others were being escorted by several lances of Elites. Each of their hands were bound behind their backs. They were taken down the halls of the grand vessel to a large door. Slowly, it opened up. The room within was dark. The only light was from an upper landing. Supreme Commander Xotenlee sat high above the deck in his gravity chair.

"I am Supreme Commander Vaklo Xotenlee. So you're the ones who led that pathetic band of ships into my trap" he said.

      Gibons looked at Ackerson, knowing it was his fault.

"That pathetic band just vaporized nearly all of your fleet" yelled Ackerson.

"Do you think that I wouldn't have destroyed all of you if I wished?" asked Xotenlee. "This ship has sat behind my grand fleet the entire time. If it had taken part in the battle, you would all be dead."

"I believe that's called cowardice!" yelled Gibons.

      Xotenlee stared at him for a moment. He then descended in his chair and touched the ground. He then marched right up to Gibons and backhanded him across the face.
      As Xotenlee's hand flew, Ackerson noticed something on it. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was a cross. He was staring at the very Elite whom he watched torture the marine on Harvest all those years ago. Xotenlee was his motivation for Project Myrmidon. Ackerson began to laugh.
      Gibons spat out blood and looked up at Ackerson. Xotenlee walked over to him.

"What are you laughing at?!" he yelled.

"Was torturing that marine all those years ago worth that mark on your hand?" asked Ackerson.

      Xotenlee's eyes widened. He grabbed Ackerson by the throat and lifted him off the floor.

"How do you know about this?" he asked.

      Ackerson could not respond. He was being strangled. Xotenlee dropped him to the deck and kicked him in his chest.

"You know, if it wasn't for you…" said Ackerson, trying not to cough. "I wouldn't have made the ultimate weapon. And that sensor station and your precious refinery would still be up and running."

      Xotenlee kicked Ackerson and caused him to flip on his back. He then stepped on his chest and continuously put pressure on him. Gibons looked on with anger. Even though this was Ackerson's fault, he felt sorry.

Halls of the UNSC Lionheart.

      The UNSC Supercarrier had taken a beating but was still in working condition. Much of the lower decks had been greatly damaged but the ship itself remained intact. I walked with the Spartans, including Fhajad, through the halls of this magnificent vessel.
      Blood stained the deck and the walls. Body bags lay all over the place. It reminded me of a morgue. The corpses of many Covenant warriors littered the deck as well. It was not the prettiest sight in the world. Even though they were our enemy, half of me secretly gave my sympathy to the number of dead. The other half would've forced me to spit on their corpses if I hadn't contained myself. I even saw a medic performing surgery out in the open halls. After all these years watching the recordings from the safety of a base, I was back in the front lines. I was back in the suck.
      After seeing the gruesome spectacle in the halls, we made it to the bridge. Many engineers and technicians walked around fixing consoles and repairing systems. What was left of the command crew scurried around trying to direct the remains of the fleet . As soon as we walked in, someone shouted.

"Officer on deck!"

      They all looked at me and stood at attention. I was confused. I wasn't even wearing my uniform. How could they have known?

"At ease" I said. "Which one of you is Commander Lerreck?"

      A young man with a cut across his left cheek stepped forward.

"That'd be me sir" he said.

"How does everyone know I'm an officer?" I asked.

"There's a warrant out for your arrest. ONI sent pictures of you and this one around" he said as he pointed to Fhajad.

"Then why haven't we been arrested?" I asked.

"Honestly sir, we need all the help we can get. And if you're with these Spartans then there's no way anyone on board will make an attempt to do so."

"Alright then, gimme a sit rep"

"Well, a few days ago, a Covenant stealth ship-"

"I've heard that part already. Start with the battle."

"Yes sir. Yesterday we exited the Slipstream in this system. There were no ships visible but we found several pings on the radar system. In a matter of minutes, more pings showed up and a massive fleet came out from behind the planet. Ackerson tried to order a retreat but it was too late. Admiral Gibons was getting us ready for battle when Ackerson tried to take command again. Gibons laid him out on the deck. That blood stain over there is actually his!"

      He pointed to a small red stain on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"After Gibons retook control, we started exchanging fire with the Covenant. We dealt with most of the larger ships. The smaller ones are hiding in that soup. There's almost nothing left of either fleet now. We've been engaging them in a guerilla war in this scrap yard for hours."

"What about the command crew?" asked Fhajad.

"Several camouflaged Elites walked in here and started tearing up the place. They took the Admiral and Ackerson with five others. We tried to stop them but the bastards were too powerful. We tracked their evac vessel to the Covenant flagship that's been sitting in behind the fleet since the start of the battle."

"Have any rescue missions been attempted?" asked John.

"No. We don't want to risk moving anything forward in the scrap yard."

"Can't you sense any of the active ships?" I asked.

"There's too much interference with all these dead ships. Some of their systems are still active so we can't tell a dead ship from a working one."

      An explosion suddenly occurred just outside bridge. It shook the walls and rattled all the interior electronics of the consoles.

"We'll take it from here Lerreck" I said.

"Thank you sir" he said. "Orders sir?"

"I have an idea, but it's risky. Did Ackerson bring anything aboard when he arrived? Any special cargo?"

"Now that you mention it, yes he did. We weren't allowed to talk about it but some of the personnel down in the cargo bay said they saw several large robots."

"Take us there."

      Lerreck led us down to the cargo hold. Hundreds of crates were stacked up and netted. We were taken through a large maze of supplies before finding nineteen large objects with black tarps cast over them. I went up to one of them and pulled the tarp down. The Myrmidon had two AA missile pods on it's shoulder. Painted over it's visor were the words "Death has no meaning." Under the visor was a skull and crossbones.

"Get these tarps down" I yelled.

      The others went around to the remaining robots uncovered them. All of the Myrmidons were found to be fully loaded and ready for battle. Ackerson would see them in action after all. Lerreck grabbed me and took me over to a lone crate. He opened it up and revealed a black console encased in a grey foam. Next to it was a Data Crystal Chip which was glowing yellow.

"Help me with this" I said.

      We lifted the console out of the crate and set it upright. I then inserted the chip. Achilles appeared on the small plate and the Myrmidons were active. The red lights in the corners of their visors blinked on and they slowly began to move. All the personnel cautiously stepped away from them.

"Achilles, await orders" I said.

"What's the plan" John asked.

      The other Spartans gathered around and listened.

"We're going to board a frigate. Lerreck will have the other ships fire on the Covenant flagship and lower it's shields. Once they're down, we'll drop in using HEV's. The Myrmidons will use their jet boosters and follow up. Fhajad will be in a Prowler nearby with Achilles and the transmitter. Our primary objective is to save the command crew. If you can disable the flagship or even take out the fleet's commander, then do so. But our goal is those prisoners. If you can't save Ackerson, then no one would blame you."

      They all laughed. I turned to Lerreck.

"Send a message to whatever ships are left. I want any ODST volunteers."

"Right" he said as he ran away.

"Everyone else, gear up!"

      They all scattered. John stayed behind.

"I assume you'll be joining us then?" he asked.

"I've got some experience in those HEV pods. So, yeah. I'll be in the fire with the rest of you. But I want you as the team leader John."

"Understood" he said.

UNSC Frigate, Nautilus. One Hour Later.

      We all gathered in the HEV launch center and readied for drop. The timing had to be just right if we wanted to get past those shields. The ship was being escorted through the scrap yard by two Marathon-class Cruisers, the UNSC Shaolin and the UNSC El Diablo. They got the attention of the Covenant vessels hiding in the wreckage while the frigate pushed towards the flagship. As we neared the Supercarrier, it did not fire or even try to defend itself. The scrap yard was covering our approach.

"In your pods everyone!" I yelled.

      The nine Spartans and fifteen ODST's got in the HEV pods and readied for launch. We drifted over the gigantic ship, blending in with the rest of the field. Once we were over the mid section, Lerreck gave the order.

"All ships fire at will!"

      The thunder of about a hundred MAC shells burst through space. They slammed against the shields of the flagship. Each shot lowered them more and more until finally they fell.

"Launch!" I yelled.

      One by one, the pods shot from the frigate. Looking down, all I saw was the purple tint of the ship. It slowly began to move.

"Myrmidons have been launched" said Fhajad.

      I up looked and saw the nineteen robots descending on the vessel. When I looked back down, we were much closer than I had anticipated.

"Impact in three" said John.

      He was right. Within three seconds, the pods slammed through the ships hull. I was tossed violently within my pod as it burned through the thick armor of the vessel. The pod then burst through the hull and landed in a hallway. I burst from it and looked around. Covenant soldiers floated around, lifeless in the vacuum. I slowly walked through the halls and made my way to a door. Automatically, it activated. I walked through. Air and small pieces of equipment flew past me.

"Regroup on me" said John.

      A NAV point came up on my visor. The door closed behind me and the suction of space stopped. I made my way to John. On my way there, I saw a Grunt run past me. I haven't seen one of these things up close, and alive, in years and I completely forgot to shoot. It turned around and looked at me. Without thinking, I charged at it. The little alien let out a scream and raised its arms in cowardice. I speared it to the ground and started to pummel it's skull.
      I was getting my fill of beating on this helpless alien when a large hand grabbed my neck and lifted me from the ground. A red armored Elite looked me in the eye.

"Let us see how you like it!" it said.

      It raised it's arm and was about to slam my head in when blood spat out from it's helmet and painted my visor purple. It then dropped to the floor, lifeless. I pried it's dead fingers off my neck and got up. I looked it over, confused.

"Hey!" said a voice.

      I looked down the hall and saw a Spartan. She was holding a sniper rifle. I ran towards her.

"Thanks" I said. "Linda right?"

"Affirmative" she said. "Let's go! John's waiting."

      The two of us went for the rendezvous point. We had been moving for a few minutes when we heard several gunshots.

"This way!" said Linda.

      She ran down the halls. I tried to keep up but she was running like the wind. I turned a corner and saw her on one knee taking aim. Three Spartans were fighting off several Elites. A shorter Spartan was moving like lightning. Even by Spartan standards he was fast. An Elite tried to bring his arm down on him but the Spartan dodged it within a millisecond and brought his knee into the alien's chest. The Elite flew backwards onto the floor. The Spartan then took his two SMG's and lit his enemy up. The other two Spartans were doing much better. One of them was pulling off some fancy work with a combat knife. He slashed one Elite's throat then turned around and stabbed another in the chest. With his other hand, he pulled the trigger on his shotgun and made a hole in another Elite's torso. The other Spartan wasn't even using a weapon. He kicked one Elite in the chest and then round house kicked it in the face. The alien toppled over. Another Elite withdrew an Energy Sword and tired to impale this Spartan. He moved out of the way, grabbed the Elite's forearm, and snapped it over his knee. After this he grabbed the sword and drove it through the Covenant warrior's chest.

"My God!" I said in disbelief. "They're amazing!"

"That's Kelly, Fred, and Will" said Linda.

      The three Spartans looked around. They had no enemy to fight. The short one, Kelly, turned towards us and waved. Linda gave a thumbs up. The two of us ran over and joined the three.

"Have you heard from the others?" asked Linda.

"Just John" said Fred. "He's with Josh."

"What about James, Isaac, and Grace?" asked Linda.

"Nothing yet" said William.

"Any word on the ODST's or the Myrmidons?" I asked.

"No" said Kelly.

"Alright" I said. "Let's rendezvous with John. Maybe the others are with him."

      We moved towards the NAV point. The halls of the ship rumbled violently. We could hear the screams of Covenant warriors.

"We must be doing good" said Fred.

"It's the Myrmidons" I said.

"Ackerson's gonna be happy to know they're useful" said Will.

      Thankfully, the halls of this section of the ship were big enough to let the robots move. This intrigued me. For what reason would they need this? I quickly shook this thought. I tried my hardest to keep my head in the fight. After all these years watching on the sidelines, I was back and I needed to get used to that.

"Friendlies at your six!" said a random voice.

      We turned around and saw five ODST's following us.

"Who's in command of your group?" asked Fred.

"I am. Corporal Durden. Call me Raptor."

      This ODST's gear had a few designs on it. His helmet had red scales and two yellow reptilian eyes over the visor.

"Status?" I asked.

"Four are MIA. The other six, dead. They didn't even get through the ship's hull."

"I'm sorry to hear that" I said. "Follow us. Rendezvous point's this way."

      The ten of us kept going until we made it to John's position. Only he wasn't there.

"John set this as the rendezvous point didn't he?" I asked.

"Must've split" said Kelly.

"Why?" asked Raptor.

      Just then, two Hunters came lumbering down the hallway. They stopped and aimed. Their cannons glowed a bright green before two projectiles fired.

"THAT'S WHY!" said one of the ODST's.

      Linda grabbed me and brought me to the floor. Fred jumped out of the way. Will grabbed Raptor and another trooper and brought them to the deck. Kelly jumped towards the incoming projectiles and hit the floor. They went sailing over our heads and impacted on two troopers that didn't get out of the way in time. They were sent down the hall and rolled to a stop. Will grabbed an M19 SSM Rocket Launcher off of the back of one of the troopers he saved. He pulled another one off his back and onto his shoulder.
      He held the two launchers ,one on each shoulder, and fired. The first pair of rockets hit the Hunter's shields and made the aliens stumble. The second pair each hit the Hunter's in their unprotected mid section. The explosions split them in half and orange blood painted the walls and floor. Small eel like creatures squirmed around a little before dying. Raptor got up and ran for the two troopers that were hit by the explosions. They both lay face up. One of them had a design of a leprechaun on his chest plate with a shotgun in it's hands. The other had a golden halo on his helmet. I got up and walked over to him.

"I'm sorry about your men."

"That was Clover" he said as he pointed to the one with the leprechaun. "and Saint" he pointed to the other. "Good men."

      I hadn't been fighting for so long that I had forgotten what it felt like to loose a fellow soldier. I didn't' know these men but I still felt terrible. Raptor must've felt like shit. They were his troopers. As I stood next to him a figure ran across the intersecting halls. It was not Covenant.

"John!" yelled Kelly. "Where have you been?"

"No time!" he said. "Move!"

      We all fell in behind him and followed. The Spartans took the lead because they were so damn fast. John led us to another intersection in the halls. Several crates were stacked up in the center. Three Spartans along with two ODST's took aim down the hallways.

"What were we running from John?" asked Linda.

"The Myrmidons" he said.

"Say again?" I asked.

"They're attacking the Covenant but crushing anything in their way."

"Where's Cowboy and Piglet?" asked Raptor.

"They were in the way."

"Damn it!"

      Static broke over my COMM. A voice broke through. It was very weak but it sounded familiar.

"DeCorzo!" he yelled.

"Fhajad?" I asked.

"Finally a decent connection!" he yelled.

"What's the problem?"

"I've got a fix on Admiral Gibons' neural implants. He's near your position. I'm sending you the coordinates now."

"Roger. Fhajad have Achilles slow the Myrmidons down a bit. They trampled two troopers for Christ's sake!" I yelled.

"So much for Ackerson's ultimate weapon" he said. "I'm on it."

      A NAV marker appeared on my HUD.

"He's not far" said John.

"Let's hope they're still alive" said Isaac.

      We all began running towards the NAV point. As we neared it, we saw several large doors. They were big enough for a Wraith tank to fit through. I still couldn't understand why though. The Covenant had these gigantic doors and hallways as if they were mobilizing a ground assault. I thought that these doors were big, then I saw the one at the end of the hall. It was twice the size. In the center was a circle with three glowing red lines pointing inward.

"You're right on top of them!" Fhajad yelled through the static.

"How the hell are we gonna get through that?" Raptor complained.

      Just then, we heard several thumps. The ground continuously shook as the noise grew louder.

"That's how" said John.

      A Myrmidon turned a corner and ran towards the door. The destruction bar on it's arm was all we needed. We fell in behind the behemoth robot and waited. It struck the door. Then again. Then ten more times, then twenty. The door was nothing but a dented piece of metal now. We could almost see into the room. From what I could tell, it was dark. The robot hit it one last time and there was a gap large enough for us to fit through. The darkness on the other side was broken by a bright green light. A beam of energy then completely knocked the door down and the Myrmidon with it. Thankfully, the robot stopped the door from moving any further down the hall and killing us.
      The Spartans went first. They all bolted into the room and aimed in different directions. We followed and did the same. It was dark and quiet. The room had two stairwells which followed the curved walls up to a landing filled with light.

"Stand down" said a familiar voice.

      Ackerson slowly approached followed by Gibons and five others. Each of their hands were bound behind their backs.

"Colonel!" said John as he lowered his rifle. "What's going on?"

"You've walked into a trap" said Gibons.

      The landing above was suddenly filled with Elites. They aimed their weapons down at us. A gravity throne descended from a higher point in the room and hovered between the two peaks of the staircases.

"You humans are so predictable" said Xotenlee. "Did you think I did not anticipate every step you've made?"

      We all aimed our weapons at the Elites on the landing. The Covenant were one step ahead of us. I looked around the room. I noticed that we were all standing on a strange part of the deck. While the rest of it was gray, we were standing in a silver circle.

"Now that you are all here, you can die together!" said Xotenlee.

      He slammed the arm of his chair. In an instant, the circle opened up and we fell into a chamber. Remains of Covenant creatures were scattered all over. I got up and looked around. The walls were the same color as the circle, except for one part. It was very gray and was the exact size as the doors in the halls. I heard a clank and it began to move. It split in half and revealed a pitch black chamber. A grunting noise was heard from within.

"Oh great" I said.

      Several thumps shook the ground and a large beast walked out from within. It was roughly twice as tall as a Hunter and had tan skin. It wore a blue and tan piece of armor which covered it's torso, waist, and it's hunched shoulders. A strange piece of what looked to be bone was centered in it's face. Below it was no mouth, just what appeared to be a beard of pointed bones. Two spikes jutted out from each of it's forearms and reached out past it's three fingered fists. The beast let out a muffled roar and slowly charged us. This was the reason the Covenant had such large doorways in this ship.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" said Raptor.

      I heard gunshots from above. I looked around and noticed that the Spartans were not down here with us. They had jumped off of the trap door before it had opened. Whatever they were doing up there, they were doing it well.
      Raptor and his men shot at this monster. The bullets did virtually nothing to it. They just bounced off it's skin. It ran towards us. Most jumped from it's path but one ODST was not so lucky. The beast slammed him with the back of it's arm. The trooper was sent into the wall.

"Murphy!" yelled Raptor.

      I grabbed Admiral Gibons and undid his handcuffs. One by one, I unbound the hands of the other naval personnel while dodging the beast. I finished with Ackerson.
On the landing above, I heard the screams of Elites as the gunfire raged on.
      Back in the pit, the alien juggernaut grabbed another one of Raptor's men and crushed him in it's hand.

"God damn Spartans!" yelled Raptor. "Where are you now?"

      It then turned to me. I froze. The creature ran towards me and I was stuck in my place. I knew I had to move but did not have the ability to do so. As I awaited my inevitable death, someone tackled me out of the way. It hurt. The tackle was way more painful than it should have been. Then I found out why. I looked at my rescuer. It was a Spartan. The numbers 117 were painted in white on his green armor.
      John got up and looked at the creature. Just then, a loud bang was heard in the room above. A shadow appeared over the pit and a large hunk of metal landed within. Ackerson's eyes gleamed with pride as he saw his weapon stand defiantly against the unstoppable alien. The Myrmidon fired it's chain gun. The high caliber bullets bounced off as if they were nothing. The robot then switched to it's laser weapon. The device on it's shoulder glowed red and let out a powerful beam. Again, this had no effect. The laser just left a dark spot on the beast's skin. We all hugged the wall of the pit while the Myrmidon faced off against the alien. Small indents began to appear in a line to the top. It was a ladder. I didn't care why it was there, I just climbed up as fast as I could.
      Upon reaching the top, I saw Elite corpses all over the place. Fred stood with one foot on top of the alien commander, aiming at his head. Admiral Gibons climbed up next, followed by Ackerson, then the command crew, then Raptor and the last of his men. John however, did not come up. He stayed in the pit and dodged the fight between the two large combatants.
      The Myrmidon had it's hands locked with the alien's. They pushed each other back and forth across the pit. The alien broke this lock and hit the robot over and over again, leaving several cracks in it's visor. The Myrmidon extended it's destruction bar and pushed the beast away. It swung the bar, only to have it caught and pulled from it's forearm. The alien then cracked the bar over the Myrmidon's torso and left a nasty dent. After this, the robot fell over. Sparks flew from the point of impact. After all the talk of the Myrmidon being the ultimate weapon, it ended up being countered by a species which the Covenant had hidden away.

"No…" said Ackerson.

"My Drinol cannot be defeated! Your weapon is useless!" yelled Xotenlee.

"Drinol?" said Fred as he pushed the barrel of his shotgun to the Elite's head.

      The alien's attention was now focused on John. Joshua, Grace, Isaac, and James were about to jump in but John put his hand up. The four stopped in their tracks. The Drinol charged the Spartan. John rolled underneath it's legs and ran to the other side of the pit.

"Get out of there!" I yelled.

"No" said Joshua. "He's got this."

      John then jumped out of the way of another charge. The beast slammed head on into the wall. It shook it's head and turned towards him. It tried to crush him with it's fists but he dove under it's legs again. This time he stayed there.
      The Spartan was staring up at the alien's head. He noticed a hole right behind the beard of spikes, filled with teeth. It was it's mouth. John grabbed a frag grenade from his belt, primed it, jumped off from the Drinol's knee, and forced the explosive into the hole. He tumbled to the floor and looked up. The alien clutched it's throat in pain. It then released it's grip and grabbed John from the floor. As it held him, it's head exploded into a dark blue pulp.
      The Drinol fell and shook the ground with it's landing. John pushed himself from the beast's grip and climbed up the ladder.

"Fhajad was right" I said. "You are lucky. What was that thing?"

"No idea" said John.

"Whatever it was, it was a beast" said Raptor.

      Ackerson cracked a small laugh.

"Congratulations trooper, you've just given it it's designation" he said.

"What? Beast?" asked Raptor.

"Why not?" said Ackerson.

      I looked at Ackerson and took off my helmet.

"Colonel, we need to have a talk."

"What about?" he asked.

      I took my helmet and hit him across the face with it. He fell to the floor. I immediately followed up by getting on top of him and relentlessly slamming his face in. I would've beat him to death if John and Raptor hadn't pulled me off. As they restrained me, I screamed at him.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU NEARLY KILLED MY ENTIRE FAMILY!"

      He clutched his bloody face in pain. He moved one of his hands and spoke.

"It had to be done."

"BULLSHIT! I SHOULD'VE LEFT YOU TO DIE IN THAT PIT!"

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because you're the only one who can pardon me, my family, and Fhajad."

"What makes you think I'll do that?"

"Look around Colonel. You're on an enemy vessel and surrounded by Halsey's children. And if I remember correctly, they don't like you any more than I do."

      The Spartans stared at him. Ackerson got up and held a wound on his head. His face dripped with blood.

"You wouldn't dare leave me here" he said.

"Try me."

      He looked around. Each of the Spartans were staring at him. The naval personnel and what was left of the ODST's did the same.

"You've got nothing Sir" said Gibons. "I suggest you do what he tells you."

Ackerson stared at him with an angry look. Gibons cracked a smile.

"Fine" said Ackerson. "You, your family, and that crip-"

      James, Isaac, Grace, and Will all aimed at him.

"You're all pardoned!" he yelled.

"I want your word!" I shouted.

"You have it" he said.

"Good. And if you dare take it back then you'll be hearing from me."

      John and Raptor loosened their grip on me and I walked freely again. Fred was still standing over Supreme Commander Xotenlee.

"What do we do about this freak?" he asked.

"Kill him" said Gibons.

      Fred tightened his grip on the trigger of his shotgun.

"No!" said Ackerson. "I've got a better idea."

"What?" I asked. "Why not just end it all now?"

"Look at his hand" said Ackerson.

      James walked over and grabbed the Elite by the wrist and looked at the burn.

"It's a cross" he said.

"He's been living with that shame since the fall of Harvest. I saw it happen" said Ackerson.

"Then let's give him something else to be ashamed of" said John.

      He walked over to Ackerson and pulled the UNSC Emblem pin off his chest. Isaac handed him a Plasma Pistol that he picked up off the floor. Grace went over to the Elite and pulled the helmet of it's head. John overcharged the plasma weapon and put the metal emblem to it. The superheated plasma made the it glow red after a few seconds before John pulled in away. Xotenlee squirmed and tried to escape Fred's grasp. Will and James came over and held him down.

"You've earned this" said John.

      He stuck the glowing metal emblem into Xotenlee's neck. The Elite spread his mandibles and let out a loud scream. John held it there for a few seconds before pulling it away and tossing it back to Ackerson. He caught it but burned his hands as he tossed it in the air. The Spartans released Xotenlee. He clutched his neck in pain.

"Leave him here" said John as we all left the bridge.

      On our way to the evac point, we saw the remains of every Myrmidon that was dropped in. All of them were scattered in different locations around the ship. Around them were hundreds of dead alien soldiers. I don't know how, but the Covenant found a way to defeat them. Ackerson was speechless. After twenty minutes of walking, we entered a hangar to see a black UNSC Prowler. The hatch opened up and we all ran in. Fhajad was sitting next to the pilot.

"This is the UNSC Shadow Gem. We have the package and are coming home" said the pilot.

"We're receiving a transmission sir" said the communications officer.

      A voice broke through the static. It was very cold and shrilled.

"Colonel Ackerson, I know you're on that ship" said Vice Admiral Parangosky. "We'd like to speak with you about a large sum of money that has disappeared from our treasury."

      Fhajad looked at me and laughed. Ackerson had been caught. The ship flew through the field of debris and into the hangar of the Tyr's Hand. I looked down at the planet.

"We'll be back here someday. And we'll blow this rock to hell" I thought.

      We had completed our mission. Fhajad, my family, and myself were free from any charges. With the help of Halsey and her Spartans, this whole ordeal was over.

Dungeon. High Charity.

      Xotenlee's return to the holy city was not very welcoming. He was immediately taken to the Council Chamber and tried for heresy. The burn on his neck was a sign of automatic execution. He now had a new burn. Jiralhanae Chieftan Tartarus was given the honor of publicly branding him with the Mark of Shame.
      Xotenlee stood in the dark. The only light was that emitted from the corners of the platform he stood on. He had been stripped of his armor and was chained between two columns. A light appeared over his head and a trap door opened up. The platform slowly began to rise. As he neared the top, he heard the cheers of thousands of Covenant life forms. Upon reaching the peak he looked around. He was inthe center of a gigantic circular arena. Thousands of Covenant were gathered in the stands to witness his punishment.
      About one hundred meters in front of the former Supreme Commander was a special viewers box hovering over the stands. He could see the golden back pieces of the Hierarchs. Directly below them, a gate opened up. Xotenlee heard the familiar sounds of a large beast lumbering out of it's holding cell. The Drinol emerged from the darkness and looked the Elite dead in the eyes and charged at him. After the feeding of many of his subordinates to his own Beast, Xotenlee was about to feel their pain. It would be a Righteous Execution.

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