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A new video feed appeared

The vulturelike Jackals e courtyards, and filed over archways They were anized than their Grunt counterparts, and they worked in fire tea section by section But Kurt knew his Spartans wouldn't be cornered They would be the hunters

Thirty Jackalspool ofspot, and then started to cross, warily scanning the rooftops

Flagstones exploded and sent the Jackals sprawling Sniper fire took out the stunned aliens before they could get their shields in place

"The Covenant counterresponse was neutralized," the Rear Admiral continued, "and over the next three days Alpha Coe infrared asteroid-wide view changed Two-thirds of the surface had cooled to dull red

"But," the Rear Admiral said, "a massive counterforce appeared in orbit and descended to the surface"

Colonel Ackerson opened three round, trading fire fro tops--two Spartans fired shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles and stopped the air assault cold

"On day seven," the Admiral said, "additional Covenant reinforcements arrived"

The video fro and falling on a s landscape of twistedone another In the heat-blurred background, Elites took up superior positions with good cover

"By now," the Rear Adhty-nine percent of the reactors had been destroyed Sufficient cooling had occurred to permanently shut the operation down Alpha Company was cut off from their Calypso exfiltration craft"

The ing the SPARTAN-IIIs tilted sideways as the owner of the helraphic display 90 degrees to rectify the i suppressing bursts from their MA5Ks behind a crashed Banshee flier; then they broke from the cover and sprinted--a second before the flier was destroyed by an energy s at the bottom of the screen identified these Spartans as Robert, Shane, and, carried between them, Jane She had been the first candidate to juht of indoctrination

TEAMBIO appeared in anotherRobert's and Shane's blood pressure was close to the hypertensive li them like this… it felt like someone had driven aCovenant Hunters blocked the Spartans' retreat They raised their two- fuel-rod arm cannons

Robert unloaded his assault rifle at theed off their thick arh one Hunter's unarmed midsection, and then pumped two rounds into the other's vulnerable abdomen They both went down, but still moved, only momentarily incapacitated

Elite fire teams, meanwhile, popped up on either side and unleashed a volley of needles and plasht a blot of plash his SPI ared to reload and spray his MA5B on full auto at the Elite who had shot hirabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and lobbed it at the enemy fire team… and then he fell

Shane paused to look at Robert and Jane--then turned back to the Elite fire team, and shot in three-round controlled bursts

More Elites appeared, surrounding the lone Spartan

Shane's rifle clacked, empty He pulled out his M6 pistol and continued to fire

An energy motor detonated like a sh the air, and landed prone, un

"And that's all we have," Colonel Ackerson stated

Kurt continued to stare at the screen of static, his heart racing, half expecting the feed to go live again and show Shane gather up Robert and Jane, and together they'd limp off the battlefield, wounded, but alive

Seven years Kurt had trained therown to respect them Now they were dead

Their sacrifice had saved countless hu He wanted to look away from the screen, but couldn't

This was his fault He had failed the hadn't prepared them He should have rectified the flaws in their Mark-! PR suits and fixed them faster

Mendez reached over and tapped the Colonel's tablet

The display mercifully blanked and faded away

Ackerson shot the Chief a glare, but Mendez ignored him

"Recent drone recon shows the entire complex cold," the Rear Admiral said "No more ships will be built at K7-49"

"Just to clarify," Kurt whispered, and then he paused to clear his throat "There were no survivors of Operation PROMETHEUS?"

"It is regrettable" the Vice Adhtest softness now in her voice "But ould do it again if presented with a similar opportunity, Lieutenant Such a facility within teeks' journey of the UNSC outer colonies… your Spartans prevented the building of a Covenant ar less than the massacre of billions

They are heroes"

Ashes That's all Kurt felt

He glanced at Mendez There was no emotion on his face The man held his pain well

"I understand, ma'am," Kurt said

"Good," she said, all trace of pity had now evaporated from her tone "I've put you in for a proram's projected parameters You are to be co he deserved was a court-

"Noant you to focus and accelerate the training of the Beta Company Spartans,"

she said "We have a war to win"

CHAPTER NINE

1620 HOURS, AUGUST 24, 2541 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ZETA DORADUS SYSTEM, NEAR CAMP CURRAHEE, PLANET ONYX (FOUR YEARS AFTER SPARTAN-III ALPHA COMPANY OPERATION PROMETHEUS)

Bullets peppered the dirt near Toround, trying to be as flat as possible

The irony was Tea by the book Maybe that was the lesson today: going by the book doesn't alork

To snipers and patrols of drill instructors waiting to jump them They made it too easy

That should have been his first clue The DIs never s easy for them

When they'd come to the open field he'd checked the perih, and checked and rechecked DIs in their Mark-II Semi-Powered Infiltration arers in his field binoculars