[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Gr33n Knight There you go, 13 and 14. At this pace, 15 shouldn't be too far off.[/quote]...Let's just forget I said that... Anyway, after over 6 months of procrastination, distraction, dragonslaying, and all kinds of stuff, Chapter 15 is done!! At this pace, I'll be to Chapter 20 by 2014... In all honesty, this story has been churning in the back of my mind for months now. Finally, I had the time to sit down and write, and this should be enough to get me back into only somewhat long time periods between chapters. I've been really focused on my classes this semester so that I can keep my scholarship, but I'm finally getting into the rhythm of assignments, and will have time to write. Now that I've made excuses and promises that I can't keep, it's finally time for Chapter 15. It's a tad short, but the chapters will get longer as I get back into the habit of writing... I hope... [quote][/quote][b][u][i]Chapter 15[/i][/u][/b] Luck watched in horror as the mountain crumbled under the assault, her voice hoarse from screaming Roland's name into the comm. Her mind shut down from utter helplessness, and her legs wobbled as she fell against the outer hull of the pelican. She snapped back into clarity just in time to see the approaching shockwave shake the trees between her and the mountain, many of them being ripped from the ground by the force of it. Standing back on her feet, she dove into the pelican as it was hit by the blast. Luck grabbed a harness in the pelican as the ship was thrown into the air, crashing down into a grove of trees on the other side of the hill. Grabbing Roland's Assault Rifle off of the ground, she crawled out of the overturned pelican and through the trunks of felled trees, making her way back to the clearing she had landed in. She rose to her feet and saw the burning mountain, the top half of it gone completely. Smoke rose from the trees around the it as they spread the flames. The Covenant ship was already leaving the area, its job done. "Roland!" She tried once more over the comm, receiving nothing but static, the glassing beam disabling all nearby electronics with an EMP. Pulling the useless earpiece out, she stepped forward, and began running to the mountain. ------- As I lay unconscious in the rubble, my mind was flooded by memories. I watched myself wake up with a start as explosions rang in my ears. I was back on the [i]Resolute[/i], not long after Jericho VII was glassed. The Covenant had followed us from the planet, and we now drifted over the surface of Harvest, which had only recently been won back from the aliens. I pushed open the glass of the cryo-pod and looked around as all the marines rushed to get dressed and ready. Sense kicked in and I followed suit, my body aching. Private Williams was next to me, and saw the discomfort on my face. "Freezerburn, eh?" He asked. Apparently, being frozen caused aches and sores to develop in areas where skin came into contact with anything else. Most marines dubbed these lesions 'Freezerburn,' and it was something you got used to. I ignored Williams and continued getting dressed. Down towards the end of the room, something caught my eye, and I turned to see the Spartans emerging from their pods, still in full armor; they loomed above the rest of the soldiers. They quickly left the room, weapons drawn. "What's going on?" I asked Williams, confused by the relative calm of the marines in the chaos. "The Covenant are here." He stated plainly. My stomach tightened as I realized the situation, the feeling soon replaced by apprehension. This was my first chance to get revenge for my sister's death. I picked up my new Assault Rifle and slammed the clip into the back of the weapon. "You [i]do[/i] know how to use that thing, don't you?" Williams asked, concerned. "Only one way to find out." I answered. I didn't want to mention my training in the Insurrection, so I figured that a natural proficiency with weapons would be a better explanation. We formed up around Sergeant Yang, and I caught a nod from Corporal Walker as he stood across from me in the impromptu circle around the Sergeant. "I've received word that the Covenant are sending pods in our direction." He began "I don't know what they want on this ship, but they're boarding us for one reason or another. We only need to hold them off until support from Harvest's surface arrives. Only one Covenant ship is here, but all of Harvest's ships are docked for repair from the recent battle, so we're on our own against it. I want you to spread around the ship, keeping an ear in on the comms to hear word of nearby breaches. If everything goes to hell, get to the hangar and get out, you may be able to make it to the surface." Everyone nodded in understanding, but nobody spoke. "Geertz, Stockholm, Walker, Butler, McEwen, Linwood, and Rowe, each of you will take a squad. Williams, Van Lindle, and Hersch, you're with me." "Good luck, Rook." Williams said quietly as he followed the Sergeant out of the room. I instantly moved over towards Walker, the only familiar face in the room, and was soon joined by Privates Green and Sennett. After brief introductions, we made our way to the mess hall. The mess hall was eerily quiet, a stark contrast from how it had been before everyone had gone into cryo storage. With no direction to go, and no chatter over the comm, all we could do was wait for something to happen. Green sat down at a table by the entrance, and began rubbing his knees, which were sore from freezerburn. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to cryo-pods." He stated. "Every time I wake up in one of those things, I -" The wall next to Green exploded as a Covenant pod crashed through it, tearing the table to shreds, and crushing Green. As we all reacted, raising our weapons towards the pod, an elite leaped out of it, sending a bolt of plasma into Sennett's skull. Walker lobbed a grenade as I turned over a table for cover. "We have a breach in the mess hall!" Walker yelled into the comm, barely audible over the thud of the grenade. "I repeat: Breach in the mess hall!" I peeked over the table and fired at the elite as the grunts began to pour out of the pod. Walker tossed another grenade and made short work of the majority of them as I continued peppering the elite with bullets. A blue streak arched over us and stuck to the table behind ours, giving off a faint whistling sound. We dove from cover as the grenade detonated, leaving only a molten crater where we had just been. The elite took the opportunity and let the plasma fly as we got to our feet. I leaped onto a nearby table and began hopping from one to the other to avoid the shots, Walker following suit in the other direction. As the elite tracked me with it's weapon, Walker made a wide arc, coming back at it. When it realized that, Walker was already leaping at the alien, combat knife drawn. As he impacted the powerful creature, his knife dug into its shoulder. As the pair hit the floor, the elite crying out in pain, the remaining grunts opened fire on Walker, who quickly rolled over with the elite, putting it between the plasma and him. The elite grabbed Walker's wrist tightly, snapping bones as his powerful grip compressed them. Before he could do any more damage, however, the grunts' shots hit, the plasma searing the elite's armored back and tearing their way into its chest cavity. As Walker pulled himself away from the now dead elite, I turned and opened fire at the few grunts that remained, finishing them off easily. "Bastard broke my wrist!" Walker cursed, clutching his mangled hand. I got a quick look at the injury before another explosion sounded behind us, another pod breaching the wall. We turned and fired, but Walker was unable to aim with his left hand. Knowing that I couldn't take them alone, we turned and ran. More marines were on their way, and would be able to fend them off. Once in the hallway, I turned to make sure that Walker was alright. He wasn't there. Peering back into the mess hall, I saw him on the floor, his back hit with plasma. I was alone. I primed a grenade and tossed it towards the crowd of Covenant, not sticking around to see the results. I ran through the halls of the ship, unable find any other marines. As I stumbled through the carnage, I scavenged an earpiece from a fallen Corporal. The comm was filled with screams, desperate requests for help as the Covenant breached the ship from every side. The sound slowly died down as the Covenant did their work, a pit forming in my stomach as I listened to the marines falling, one-by-one, to the might of the Covenant. [Edited on 02.19.2012 10:49 AM PST]