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just as the massive gun on the back of the vehicle opened fire. Two Grunts were gut down before the energy blast struck it. Spartan glanced at Khan before turning his attention on the attackers.
    “All units. Friendlies are out of the area. It’s time to reclaim this sector. Begin Phase Two; sweep and clear!”
    Khan blasted one of the towers. The remaining Grunts fanned out, hunting down fighters wherever they found them. With the prisoners secure, it became a bloodbath as the Maverick armoured marines blasted a swathe through the area. Grunts ran amok, scattering the enemy in panic. Many more were destroyed in combat, but not before securing a total and complete victory.
    In less than twenty minutes, the IAB had pacified the area so thoroughly, the Marine Corps armoured column had nothing to do but take away the wounded enemy prisoners, and to establish a small outpost. Spartan, Khan, and both Sergeant Tyler and Lieutenant Armstrong approached. They moved slowly, and Spartan could see the left leg of the Lieutenant’s armour was badly mangled and being dragged behind.
    “Interesting fight,” said Sergeant Tyler.
    Spartan and Khan looked at him, and the vast number of dents and marks on his armour. Even a thermal blast hole had burnt right through the suit’s wrist and out the other side. It was the damage on the Lieutenant’s leg that got most of the attention.
    “Next time, maybe don’t let them hit you,” suggested Khan.
    Spartan laughed.
    “Yeah, you’re one to talk, old friend. Still, we did the job, but what was the cost?”
    Khan nodded and looked to the right where newly arrived Marine units were using large exoskeleton Combat Engineering Suits to move the remains of the shattered Grunts. They were from the so-called Solar Warriors, and none looked overly excited to be there. The Grunts looked sad, as they lay broken and smashed throughout the compound. Some had just lost a limb or weapon; others were riddled with bullets or blown up.
    “Yeah, thirty-five Grunts knocked out or damaged.”
    Khan cleared his throat.
    “And not one life lost, right?”
    They looked at each other and at the other Mavericks already moving into their clamps on the first of the dropships. Spartan hadn’t even needed to speak with the other squads as they’d each done their job. The plan had been well made, and each unit had moved where expected and done what was required.
    “That’s right,” agreed Spartan, “Nothing but broken metal, and no blood lost.”
    Khan shook his head and lifted his right arm.
    “Well, that’s not entirely true.”
    Beneath it was a number of deep impact marks, as well as a large chunk of a broken harpoon. Blood trickled from out of the suit and down the metal lance. If it were anybody else, Spartan might have worried. But Khan just laughed it off. There were few creatures they had ever met that could withstand the damage a Jötnar could.
    A great cloud of dust obscured them as dropship ‘Fury’ came in for a quick landing. The side hatches opened up, and Spartan lifted his arm to point.
    “Okay, people, our job is done. It’s time to go back to the ship.”
    They clambered inside until just Spartan remained. He looked back at the dust, smoke, and fires of the battle. As he waited there, he could see the battle for the city a decade earlier, the mighty Biomech war machines crashing against the long lines of defences; marines and aliens alike fighting to defend the world from machines, monsters, and waves upon wave of foot soldiers. He closed his eyes, turned away, and clambered inside the dropship.

CHAPTER TWO
     

    The end of the Great Biomech War was an unusual time in the history of the Alliance. At this period, it would see the most diverse range of weapons and ships being used as it was forced to utilise assets of all its constituent colonies. The Helions predilection to the use of missiles was in stark contrast to the confrontational approach used by the Allied Byotai warships. The