Chapter 1 : Prologue

Flashback

It was 3 days after the end of the war between the humans , the locust and the lambent. The war was finally for good ; now the people of Sera tasted a every lasting peace for the first time. But things will never be the same. The war took away everything from the COG ; love ones , friends , families and homes. Scars , physical and emotional so raw already stain the planet. Now the people of Sera had another chance to rebuild Sera and another chance to start over slowly.

After years of never lasting fighting , from the chaos , despair and loss is finally over. Humanity now have a tomorrow expect for those who didn't make to see the moment.

Azura the last strong hold of the COG was home to Gears and refugees who flee the war. Every civilian, gear soldier or standard who have faith in the COG was relocated to Azura by the orders of Colonel Hoffman The gears continued to be weary from the war but the COG wasn't aware of another threat from outer space beyond their imagination.

Now the COG and the human race slowly developed plans to reclaim Sera from the war they lost.

Current time : 9 : 00pm

Current Location : Azura

It was a silent night at the island of Azura. A crowd Hoffman tapped on the microphone to addressed the crowd of gears and civilians gathered infront of Pinnacle Tower.

Delta squad including Anya Stroud and Marcus stood beside Hoffman as he made his speech to the crowd.

" My fellow gears ." addressed Hoffman " Today we remember the fallen from every war we fought. Gears who died fighting side by side with each other. We been through hell together and I look at each of you to see the marks of this long and terrible war."

Hoffman took another breath and continued " We lost love ones , homes and families but on this day we will take back Sera the home we have lost. We will build a better world for our children in the future. Our Children's children shouldn't carry these marks of war and despair . We will tell them who we are and what we fight for."

Outside the Pinnacle tower, a tiny purple streak of light through the dark skies of Sera but the humans of Sera will face the threat from space soon enough. The beginning of an end.

" Gears , we did not blow down. We do not give in. We fought till the end." Hoffman said in his speech.

The tiny purple light slowly turned away within the distance.

" Every war we fought and everything we lost ; everything we fought for already made us lost our humanity , our innocents and we start to rebuild and reclaim the world we had lost. This time all of us will show an example to our children so they could live in freedom and peace."

"We thanks those who gave their lives to end the war and we will never forget them. For a tomorrow we move forward." ended Hoffman in his speech as he turned to large wooden memorial plague in front of the building and the words are carefully craved. The island remained silent as the inhabitants of Azura stared at the plague.

For every soul lost on Emergency day.

To the Gears who gave their lives to protect humanity

Never forget their sacrifice never in Vain.

For Humanity

At the same time Marcus left and Anya excused herself to find Marcus.

Marcus was another example of a man affected by war ; he took the burden of allow the stress, hardship and the blunt of the damage of the war, Pain and hurt was what he saw. Done things he wasn't proud of. Watching his friends die so they could finish the war for him.

Marcus was sitting on the beach watching the waves ignoring the cool breezes in the air. Anya came to joined him as she sat silently.

" I may not be fine but I felt like I did things I am not proud." sighed Marcus " Well Bernie didn't take it well after Dom die. She still upset about Dom even Hoffman."

" What the hell are we going to do ? New Tomorrow ? No kidding what is left then. I thought I am done fighting for good" continued Marcus

Anya nodded " After all these years of fighting. You are not alone We still have each other Marcus. Dom , your father and everyone they are with you to the end." as she wrapped her arms.

" I am with you remember that Marcus." said Anya " Everything we accomplish because we have each other till the end. Remember your dad , Dom and Carlos, they are with you in this moment."

" I know Anya." said Marcus "I wouldn't push you away but you are not going to stop me from doing it. I love you till the end."

" I love you too. For Dom." said Anya

" For Dom." said the couple as they rose from the sand and heading towards a crowd who gathered together with candles glowing in honor of the fallen from the locust war. The gear soldiers and refugees mourned together as the candle light lighting up the island. They mourned together in their grief for those who lost love ones , families and friends from the war they forced to endure.

" I will be the first to say a prayer to Dom and my father." said Marcus to Anya

" Then I will say another prayer to my mother." added Anya before Marcus and Anya share a kiss.

Now the lambent and the locust are gone and now Sera has to heal from it's wounds of war. Next thing they had to do was restore Sera to it's former glory. After the COG won the war but not for Sera but something else it coming for Sera.

Three weeks later

In the orbit, hundreds of blue wormholes lighted up the dark space revealing purple warships resemble like a hybrid of whales ,sharks , fishes and bugs. They call themselves the Covenant. The Covenant were still at war with United Nations Space Command after the glassing of Harvest and other planets.

The Covenant mysterious discovered planet Reach home to the birthplace of UNSC super soldiers Spartans and an armada was on their way to Reach. Somehow the Covenant had no idea they found the wrong planet.

A white super carrier accurate forward towards the surface of Sera followed by destroyers, cruisers, battleships, frigate , corvettes and Super carriers.

Escort frigates and corvettes hove over the planet's surface readying their plasma-artillery cannons and heavy beam projectors to fire at the ready.

CAS assault super cruiser Shadow of Intend

" This is odd. The coordinates for the humans main critical source for the producing warships and the war effort against us is correct but leading us to unknown territory isolate from the humans. I was expecting a battle from the humans." said Sangheii named Thel Vadamee as he glaze at the planet from the bridge through a screen.

" Indent, but why would the humans leave their planet unguarded." quested another elite under the name of Rtas Vadum commander of the Covenant Special Operation unit.

The Artiber frowned with confusion and turned to an elite working on the monitors. " Are the coordinates for Planet Reach is correct. The information we collected during our previous engagement with the humans." barked Thel " Is the information correct or not ? "

" The coordinates were correct sir. There was a interference involving a glitch in the system before, but the coordinates are still correct " report the elite who acted as the ship navigator.

" Good then , no need for minor reports. Send a short report to the engineers for minor maintenance on the servers." ordered the Elite commander.

" The great journeys will prevail." stated Thel as the entire bridge roared with pride.

"For the Covenant ! " roared Thel and Rtas

" For the Covenant !" roared the unggoy and sangheii crew in the bridge before returning to their post.

Rtas active the panel to the holotable and Rtas was about to make address the entire fleet.

" Attention all ships, prepare for combat , all troops remain on battle stations. Process landed the troops. Dropships first then the carriers." ordered Thel to the entire Covenant armada.

" Once your forces finished landing and establish a base of operations. The enemy forces on Reach will taste our might." said Rtas. " I will deployed the Special Operations units behind enemies to gather information and then we attack swiftly. We will burn them to the last man."

Thel smiled with confidence that the humans will going to be crushed under the iron boot of the Covenant war machine but he was unaware he lead the armada to the wrong planet after his fleet mistaken Sera for Reach.

" The humans face the wrath of the Covenant." said Thel turning away from Rtas facing the screen of the planet.

In the wide hanger of the super cruiser, most of the troops were ready to be deploy on Sera. The Covenant soldiers from unggoy , Yanme, Kig yar , mgalekgolo, Sangheili to Jiralhanae lined up in formations and marching towards their assignment development bays with all weapons at the ready

Covenant officers barking orders to the marching troops. The huragoks and Yanme engineers triple check all assault vehicles armed and ready before taking off.

Airborne Phantom and Spirit dropships containing troops, tanks and assault vehicles took off from the hanger and speed down the planet escorted by gunboats and banshees fighters along with other Covenant warships. The Invasion of Sera was the beginning but an end for the humans.

The people have Sera had no idea another enemy with such firepower was coming from outer space and soon Sera will face judgment of the Covenant.

0400 hours : August 30 2552 ( Military Calendar ) Current Location: Epsilon Eridani System Edge. Planet Reach. UNSC Pillar of Autumn

Captain Keyes frowned as he crossed his hands patiently waiting for the covenant fleet to arrival. He and his ship arrived at Reach to participate in the defense of Planet Reach home to the largest strategic headquarter of the UNSC after the covenant find the location of Reach. The Master Chief stood beside the captain looking inactive. They waited hours for the covenant fleet to show up but they didn't came.

Reach was surrounded by UNSC destroyers , Cruisers and carriers along with orbital Super MAC guns ready for a fight

" I thought the Covenant would be here." said Captain Keyes with disappointment in his tone." We were told to regroup at the Epsilon System , I am not sure if the orders are too critical or not."

" We have our orders sir. Doesn't matter we like or not " said the Master Chief " The Covenant never miss the battles ; they probably are coming late Captain Keyes."

" You are right Master Chief. At least we have some time to get ready." said Keyes before offering his cup of coffee.

" Coffee Master Chief ? " asked Keyes.

" No thanks." said the Master Chief

The Master Chief and Captain Keyes became silent then the two stared at the forward screen to see if the Covenant was coming for not. The UNSC had no idea the Covenant had located the wrong planet Sera.

" Captain I think I would need a cup of coffee." said the Chief .

0420 hours; Sera Current Location: Azura, Serano Ocean

The meanwhile everything at Azura was going so well as the COG quickly pick up the pieces from starch. Bodies and debris from the battle of Azura was removed in order make more room for the refugees. Azura was wide enough to fit thousands.

Life on Azura was going so well ; priorities from food and water were taken care of. People have a place to live and work on multiple roles without a care in the world.

Marcus without his armor walked out of the hotel passing crowds of gears and civilians to the mess hall. The lunch hall was filled with gears , civilians, refugees and stranded dinning. Marcus was hoping he could find his squad waiting for him during breakfast.

Suddenly he saw another crowd of people rushing outside chatting with excitement.

" What the hells going on ? "asked Marcus to himself as he rushed out of the mess hall to the scene. People were gathering on the beaching pointing to a distance and Gears with weapons at the ready.

Marcus positioned himself on a balcony to see the ocean's view but the difference is the skies were darken was away from the island. It was snapping some kind of blue or purple lighting and thunder within the distance away from Azura.

" What the hell is going on ? " asked Hoffman as they watch the storm from a distance.

" I don't know must be a storm or something else." said Marcus

" Whatever the hell that is on the other side. I got a bad feeling about this." said Hoffman before raising the his binocular took take a look.

Hoffman frowned deeply as he saw in the binocular something unfamiliar. A purple warship hovering in mid air that looks like some kind of exotic insect combined with the body of a whale watching the island.

Suddenly it hit him and Hoffman realized Sera now has a extraterrestrial problem.