Halo: Reconciliation

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"This is Foxtrot Twelve. We have retaken the Capitol."
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:Synopsis
Reconciliation is a literary work written by Rozh. It is speculated that it will be written in novella format and will delve into many of the lesser known engagements that fell under the umbrella of Operation ENCLAVE, an event more commonly known as the . There will be a number of distinct, intertwining story lines, although the primary one will follow an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper as his unit defends North America against invasion by a daunting alien invasion force.
:Participating Factions
The is the primary governing governing body of the human race. Prior to the , its military arm was waging "Operation TREBUCHET", an interstellar campaign aiming to quell a number of uprisings by unruly colonials. As the strongest force in the Human Sphere, however, many reluctantly came to support the UNSC Defense Force in its war against the Covenant, if only for reasons of self-preservation. To date, twenty-three billion civilians and military personnel have lost their lives since the first skirmish took place on in 2524, and throughout this twenty-eight-year time period, countless colonies have fallen victim to capture or, more commonly, orbital bombardment by Covenant naval forces.
The is a union of more than half a dozen unique alien species. Of these, the wise and cunning are largely in control over the others; the are more or less hostile, tribal ape-folk with an unquenchable thirst for war. The worker cast comprises the insectoid , the reptilian , and the sheepish . The are small worms that often unite to form colonies that can tackle much more complex tasks, and the artificial act as special technicians and engineers. The Empire is much more advanced than humanity, and a major reason behind this is the scavenging of ancient technology. The , a body of three High Prophets (Truth, Regret, and Mercy), rules over its subjects with a blinding pall and an iron fist, labeling all enemies as traitors to the Covenant. This includes the Unclean Beings.
:Dramatis Personae
Codename JAGUAR — ; Corporal
Ellen Strobel — DC Police Department; Master Patrol Officer
==Prologue==
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The clearing field of dust was interrupted by a lance of Covenant infantry. “We got two Brutes, five Grunts! Standard formation!” the squad’s point-man, Private Daley, radioed.
“Okay, you know the drill. Aim for the Brute Major first, then we worry about the sidki-“ said Hillstrand before he was cut off by incoming fire from the alien infantrymen. His battle rifle coughed out two bursts of armor-piercing ammunition as he and other members of his squad took to cover.
Private First Class Megan Teller lobbed a grenade from behind John’s position. It bounced near a pair of the enemy Grunts. One picked it up and attempted to throw it back, but it was too late; the small explosive went off and tore it and its nearest comrade into fragments of pungent flesh and debris.
Concurrently, the female Army trooper’s MA37 rifle jammed, and before she could return to cover, a bolt of fluorescent plasma contacted her head, vaporizing her cap, face, and skull.
The remaining Army operator propped his light machine gun on a street barricade and discharged a stream of fire at the commanding Brute. A handful of rounds impacted along its midsection and right leg. A knee wound left it partially incapacitated, but the Major Domo did its best to shrug off the noticeable limp. Private Formoso took note of the injury. “I got the bruised tango,” he said as he aimed and fired his sniper rifle from near point-blank range at the injured creature. The high-velocity shot violently punctured its chest cavity. It wasn’t quite dead, but the shock rendered the creature unconsciousness.
With little hesitation, the Jiralhanae Minor stepped forward and ordered the remaining two Unggoy to charge the UNSC soldiers, though the team’s weapons brought them down with ease. The remaining Brute threw his empty spike rifle at one of the armed civilians. Its long, bayonet-like blades easily tore through his sweater and punctured his chest cavity, spurting blood in all directions as his limp body toppled down a half dozen steps.
With a bold growl, the alien lobbed a meter-long spike grenade with great force in the trooper’s direction. The Corporal was quick to dodge, but Megan was caught off guard. The hurling projectile stuck right through her visor and into the bone above her right eye. The shocking force sent her in a backwards tumble, and moments later, a blast left the members of her team spattered with bits of her remains. Hillstrand wiped his visor clean and rolled behind cover, inserting a fresh magazine into his weapon. Daley’s hoarse voice rang from his helmet comm, “I got your cover, Corporal! Get ‘er down.”
Hillstrand replied with a nod toward the Private, and he rose slightly above the concrete debris as the covering fire provided a momentary distraction. Battle rifle shouldered, he roughly leveled the sights and pulled the trigger three times, sending a volley of nine rounds at the armorless alien. The first trio neatly hit the behemoth’s upper torso, the second missed to the right, and the third penetrated its neck. The pain forced him into a state of rage, and he charged the troopers, but a second, much larger salvo of small arms fire sent it to the ground, gurgling up large amounts of blood from its neck and mouth before succumbing to its wounds.
The status of the group, which was now three members weaker, worried Hillstrand as he strode towards the fallen Jiralhanae, which he shot two more times with his pistol for good measure. His stranded fireteam, which was now somewhere in the city’s 04 Quadrant, was now only paired with the two surviving male civilians. The Army rifle team was all but annihilated by Covenant infantry. If they encountered any armed vehicles or more than a few Brutes or Elites, he knew the situation most likely wouldn’t turn out in their favor.