Chapter 29

Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, UNSC Defensive Line

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 1200 Hours

The heat of the battle was suffocating, the sounds of gunfire and explosions constant as the Covenant threw wave after wave at us. Plasma bolts streaked through the air, slamming into the rubble around us, while the roar of Wraith mortar fire echoed from the distance. It was chaos, pure and simple. And through it all, we were holding on by a thread.

Bravo Fireteam was spread thin, keeping pressure on the Covenant forces breaking through the left flank, while Alice and Alpha Fireteam reinforced the central line. I could see the strain on everyone's faces—rookies and veterans alike. We were running out of time, running out of ammo, and the Covenant wasn't slowing down.

"Cass!" Alice called out over the comms. "We've got more Ghosts coming in on the right! I don't know how much longer we can hold this!"

I glanced at the crumbling defensive line, the ground shaking beneath the onslaught of Covenant armor. We had to hold it. There was no other option. "Do whatever it takes," I replied, my voice hoarse. "We've got to hold until the evac is clear."

The roar of a Ghost's plasma cannons pulled my attention back to the battlefield. I spotted one of the Covenant vehicles barreling toward our position, its plasma fire tearing through the UNSC soldiers trying to reinforce the line. I didn't think—I just reacted.

I sprinted across the street, dodging plasma fire as I raised my rifle and aimed for the Ghost's pilot. The first shot hit its shields, but the second found its mark, and the Elite slumped forward, dead. The Ghost veered to the side, crashing into a wall before bursting into flames.

"We're holding!" I shouted into the comms, adrenaline surging through me. "Keep pushing!"

But even as I said it, I knew we were barely hanging on. The Covenant was relentless, and the evac wasn't moving fast enough.

Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Secondary Evacuation Point

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 1215 Hours

We pulled back to the secondary evacuation point, regrouping around the makeshift barricades that the UNSC had hastily constructed. The civilians were still being shuttled to safety, but the Covenant was closing in, and we didn't have much time left.

I scanned the battlefield, my heart pounding as I tried to make sense of the chaos. Wraith tanks were advancing from the west, and more Ghosts were flanking us from the north. We were surrounded.

"Cass, we've got a problem," Sam's voice came through the comms, and I immediately felt the knot of tension in my chest tighten.

I turned, spotting her crouched behind cover with Private Silva, her medkit open as she worked on patching him up. But it wasn't Silva's injuries that concerned me. It was Sam—her face was pale, her hands shaking slightly as she applied the bandages. She looked exhausted, far more than usual.

"I'm coming to you," I said, my voice clipped as I motioned for Barnes to take over covering the left flank.

By the time I reached Sam, she was wiping sweat from her brow, her breathing labored. I knelt beside her, checking on Silva briefly before turning my full attention to her.

"Sam, what's going on?" I asked, keeping my voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

She shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut for a moment as if fighting off a wave of nausea. "It's nothing. Just a little off today. I'll be fine."

"You're not fine," I countered, my voice tense. "You were throwing up earlier. You can barely stand. This isn't just fatigue."

She didn't respond right away, just sat there, her hand resting on her stomach for a moment before she dropped it. That small gesture—the way she held her abdomen, almost unconsciously—set off alarms in my head.

"Sam…" I said softly, leaning in closer so only she could hear. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

She looked at me then, her eyes wide with uncertainty. For a moment, I thought she might say something—confess whatever was going on. But the moment passed, and she shook her head again, her voice barely above a whisper. "Now's not the time, Cass."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the sudden roar of a nearby explosion cut me off. A Wraith mortar round had slammed into the building behind us, sending debris flying through the air.

"Get down!" I shouted, throwing myself over Sam as the shockwave rocked the ground beneath us.

When the dust settled, I rolled off of her, my ears ringing from the blast. Sam pushed herself to her feet, shaky but determined. She shot me a look that said everything I needed to know—there was no time for personal concerns right now. We had to survive this first.

"Later," she muttered, her voice steady despite the chaos. "We'll talk later."

I wanted to press her, but the battlefield wasn't the place for this conversation. I gave her a short nod, filing my concerns away for now. We had a job to do.

Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Western Flank

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 1230 Hours

The battle raged on, the Covenant forces pressing us harder with each passing minute. The Wraiths had broken through the western flank, their mortars pounding the city into rubble. We were outgunned, outnumbered, and barely holding the line.

Doss's voice crackled over the comms. "We've got Pelicans inbound for the final evac, but we've got to hold this line. No retreat!"

I gritted my teeth, firing into the advancing Covenant forces as they closed the distance. Elites, Grunts, and Jackals poured through the gaps in our defenses, and every shot I took felt like a desperate attempt to buy us a few more seconds of survival.

"Hold the line!" I shouted, my voice raw as I ducked behind cover, reloading my rifle. "We've got this!"

But the truth was, I wasn't sure how much longer we could hold.

Sam was beside me again, her sidearm raised as she fired at a charging Grunt. Her face was still pale, her movements slower than usual, but she didn't falter. She never did. Even with whatever was going on inside her, she was still here, still fighting.

As the Covenant pushed closer, I felt a surge of adrenaline, the weight of everything we'd been through over the last year and a half crashing down on me. Allen. Fumble. All the rookies who had come and gone. And now this.

We couldn't lose this fight. We couldn't let these civilians down.

Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Evacuation Point

Date: February 5, 2533

Time: 1245 Hours

The Pelicans roared overhead, their thrusters kicking up dust and debris as they descended toward the evacuation point. The final group of civilians was already being loaded onto the dropships, but the Covenant wasn't backing off. They were still coming, and we were running out of time.

"Cass, we've got to hold them off until everyone's on board!" Alice called out, her voice strained as she fired at the advancing Covenant forces.

"I know!" I shouted back, my heart pounding in my chest. "We're almost there!"

The sound of plasma fire and explosions filled the air as we fought to keep the Covenant from overwhelming our position. The evac was so close, but it felt like the longest minutes of my life.

I glanced at Sam, who was holding her own, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her condition was getting worse, and she wasn't telling me the whole truth. But now wasn't the time to press her. We had to survive first.

As the last of the civilians were loaded onto the Pelicans, Doss's voice crackled through the comms. "All units, fall back to the dropships! We're pulling out!"

I motioned for Bravo Fireteam to fall back, my rifle still raised as we covered the retreat. The Covenant was still pressing forward, but we had bought enough time. We had done it.

As I sprinted toward the Pelican, I caught Sam's eye one last time before we boarded. She looked exhausted, but she gave me a small nod, a silent promise that we'd figure out whatever was going on. Later.