Chapter 26

Location: UNSC Never Forget - Briefing Room

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 0900 Hours

The briefing room was packed with tension, the air heavy with the weight of what we were about to face. The usual pre-mission banter was gone, replaced by a grim sense of urgency. The attack on the UNSC planet in the Middle Colonies had come out of nowhere, a massive Covenant strike that had overwhelmed the planet's defenses in a matter of hours. We were being deployed immediately.

Doss stood at the front of the room, his eyes scanning over each of us as he delivered the briefing. His voice was sharp, focused—no room for hesitation.

"We've received word that Covenant forces have launched a full-scale assault on the planet Veridian. They've hit multiple population centers, and the UNSC garrison stationed there has already suffered heavy losses. The situation is critical. Beta Four is being deployed as part of a rapid-response force to bolster the remaining UNSC forces and push the Covenant back. This is an emergency deployment. We leave in fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes. My heart pounded in my chest as I processed the weight of the mission. There was no time for preparation, no time to run through the usual drills. We were going in hot, right into the middle of a full-scale warzone.

Alice shifted beside me, her face set in a grim expression. I could tell she was already running through the tactical possibilities in her head, thinking of how to keep her fireteam alive while completing the mission. She was always focused, always ready, but even she looked tense.

"From the reports we've received," Doss continued, "the Covenant is targeting civilian population centers. We'll be deployed to Veridian's capital city, Ashton Ridge, where the fighting is thickest. Our mission is to secure key evacuation routes for civilians while holding off Covenant advances."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in.

"This is going to be a tough one. You'll be dealing with a mix of enemy forces—Grunts, Jackals, Elites, and possibly heavier units. The Covenant isn't holding back, and neither can we."

I glanced at Sam, who sat quietly on the other side of the room. She caught my eye, her expression steady but tense. We'd been through enough together to know what was coming. This wasn't going to be like the usual hit-and-run missions. This was full-on war, and people were going to die. We both knew that.

Doss gave us one last look, his eyes hard. "Gear up. We're wheels up in fifteen."

Location: UNSC Never Forget - Drop Bay

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 0915 Hours

The drop bay was a whirlwind of activity as Beta Four prepared to deploy. The roar of Pelican engines filled the air, and everywhere I looked, Marines and ODSTs were suiting up, their faces grim with focus. There was no time for chatter—just the quiet clink of armor, the soft hum of energy shields charging, and the muted tension of soldiers preparing for battle.

I tightened the straps on my armor, checking my rifle for what felt like the hundredth time. Alice stood next to me, running through the same motions, her movements methodical. We were both fireteam leaders now, and this mission was about more than just making it back alive. We had rookies under our command, soldiers who looked to us to guide them through the chaos.

"How's your team holding up?" Alice asked, her voice low as she adjusted the scope on her MA5C.

"They're ready," I replied, though I wasn't sure if that was entirely true. The rookies were tough, but none of them had been through something like this before. Hell, none of us had seen anything like the reports we'd been hearing from Veridian. Full-scale planetary assaults weren't something you could train for. You just had to survive.

"And you?" she asked, glancing at me.

"I'm good," I said, nodding as I finished checking my gear. "We'll get through this."

She didn't respond immediately, just gave a quick nod before turning back to her own preparations. But I could see the same flicker of doubt in her eyes that I felt in my gut. This mission wasn't like anything we'd faced before, and we both knew it.

Location: Pelican Dropship - En Route to Veridian

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 0930 Hours

The Pelican's engines roared as we soared through the atmosphere, the world outside the dropship a blur of gray clouds and distant flashes of light. Veridian was down there somewhere, its capital city engulfed in a massive battle between UNSC forces and the Covenant. The mission briefing had been clear—this was a fight for survival, and Beta Four was being dropped right into the heart of it.

I sat in silence, my rifle resting across my lap, my mind racing with everything we'd been briefed on. We were heading straight into a warzone, and the thought of civilians being caught in the crossfire made my stomach twist. There was a different kind of pressure on us this time—people were depending on us to keep them alive.

Sam was seated across from me, her medkit strapped to her side as usual. Her face was calm, but I knew her well enough to see the tension behind her eyes. We had been through a lot, but this was going to test us in ways we hadn't imagined.

"Big one this time," she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engines.

"Yeah," I replied, my grip tightening on my rifle. "This is different."

She gave me a small, reassuring smile. "We'll get through it. We always do."

I nodded, but the weight of the mission pressed down harder with every passing second. We weren't just facing the Covenant—we were fighting to save lives.

Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Drop Zone

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 1000 Hours

The Pelican touched down with a jolt, the ramp dropping open to reveal a war-torn cityscape. The sound of plasma fire and distant explosions filled the air as we disembarked, the chaos of battle crashing down around us. Buildings were crumbling, streets littered with debris and the bodies of UNSC and Covenant forces alike. The capital city of Ashton Ridge was a warzone, and we were in the middle of it.

"Move out!" Doss barked, his voice cutting through the noise as he led the charge off the dropship. "Form up, secure the area!"

Alpha and Bravo fireteams fanned out, moving quickly to establish a perimeter as we assessed the situation. The battle was raging all around us, UNSC soldiers exchanging fire with Covenant forces on nearly every street corner. Civilians were running for cover, their faces pale with fear as they tried to escape the carnage.

"Eyes up!" I called to Bravo Fireteam, my rifle raised as I scanned the area. "We need to secure the evacuation route and get these people out of here!"

We moved quickly, pushing forward through the shattered streets as the sounds of battle intensified. Plasma bolts streaked past us, the heat from the shots searing the air, but we pressed on. There was no turning back now.

"Contacts!" Alice called out from her position on the left flank, her voice sharp over the comms. "We've got Elites moving in, southeast!"

I looked in the direction she indicated and saw them—three Elites, their energy shields flaring as they advanced through the smoke, leading a squad of Grunts and Jackals.

"Take them down!" I shouted, my heart pounding as we opened fire.

The Elites roared, their plasma rifles lighting up the battlefield as they returned fire, their shields holding strong. But we had trained for this. We were ready.

Or so we thought.