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Shar sat back in the falcon, watching as the cliff sides passed them. She had to admit that Reach was a beautiful planet.

"Listen up, Noble Team." Shar's attention snapped to Carter in front of her as he briefed the team. "We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrad. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online." Shar noted that he was staring across the way at the other falcon.

"Just get me under the hood, Commander." There was no doubt in Kat's mind that she could get it done with ease. It was evident in her calm tone and speech. Shar couldn't help but smile slightly. If there was anyone that could manipulate tech with ease it was Kat.

"Sir, why would Rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" Jorge's question was a good one. Sure Innies might not like the UNSC, but keeping Reach in contact with the rest of the fleet kept them safe from worrying about the Covenant. It wasn't very logical.

"You get a chance, maybe you can ask them, Jorge." Carter's answer wasn't really an answer. It didn't give any concrete understanding or ease the question for Shar's mind now that it was there.

"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ." Kat fiddled with a datapad in her hand.

Carter turned to look in her direction. "Back up Channels?"

"Searching." There was a pause before Kat continued. "Nada. Can't say what's jamming us." Her arms went a bit limp, helpless to do much of anything about it.

"You heard her." Carter's voice was hard and cold, ready for a fight. "Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip."

"I'm lonely already." Shar smirked at Emile's words. The EVA-helmeted Spartan definitely had a way with timing.

The falcons eased in above the relay station. "Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance." Carter warned the pilot.

"Yes, sir." There was something in the pilot's voice that made Shar sure he was glad he wasn't going to be forced to get too close. Might be still green, fresh out of boot for all she knew.

"There's the communications outpost." Jorge's words brought Shar's attention to the sky where she saw the large outline of the satellite dish that indicated their destination.

"Reading a distress beacon," Kat alerted them. Shar looked down toward what appeared to be a warthog on fire where a nav marker appeared, indicating she was 72 meters away from the beacon.

"Could be the missing troopers. Let's check it out." Carter didn't sound like he believed even his own words. The falcons angled and slowly started to descend. "Put us down on the bluffs."

The falcons did as they were ordered and they moved to the top of the bluffs where there was enough room for both to land.

Carter turned toward the sniper Spartan. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky."

"Sir." Jun's tone made it obvious he was often in the skies above rather than on the ground with the team. Shar couldn't imagine being like that. She loved to kill her enemies on the ground, get up close and personal and make sure every single one suffered.

The falcons landed and Carter stood, jumping out of the falcon. "Let's go, Six." Shar got up and exited the falcon, landing beside the Commander. "All right, Noble Team, spread out, watch the approach." Carter motioned the falcons to move off and the team to head down the bluffs. Kat did one quick check over her arm and the team was off.

Shar moved off, running straight through the gardens that covered the area around her. She didn't know exactly what they were growing but they looked like red tinted lettuce to her. She spotted Emile as he quickly climbed a large rock, taking part as lookout. Shar stopped long enough to let Carter and Kat take the lead ahead of her. She forgot, she had forgotten—she had a team, she couldn't run off on her own.

"Structure Point 3-4, looks clear from this angle." Emile leapt down from the large rock, easily landing on his feet.

"Distress beacon is coming from just south of her, Commander. We're close." Kat took the lead ahead of Carter as they ran down the hillsides. Shar cut down along the ledges that had been made so more gardens could be cultivated. She reached the location of the beacon and swept the area, finding nothing.

Emile landed on the ground near the burning warthog, moving over to a broken-up pile of wood as Kat and Carter arrived. Kat stood behind him, watching as he grabbed something from the debris. "Found the beacon." Emile picked up the brightly-colored item and tossed it over his shoulder.

Kat easily caught it, examining the beacon. Carter glanced over to her, tearing his gaze from the burning warthog. "Make out any ID?"

Kat looked it over for any markings, "Negative, but it's military." She dropped the beacon to the ground.

"So where are the troopers?" It took a moment for Shar to recognize the voice of Jorge. She had thought he'd be on the ground with them but she'd almost forgotten he was part of the team at all at this point.

"Why are we not seeing explosive residue?" Leave it up to Kat to find a question that Shar wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to. There was a burning warthog, and she didn't want to think of what else besides explosives could cause it to catch fire.

"Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?" Shar took a fraction of a second to realize that Carter was talking to Jun. She really needed to get used to this.

"Hmm." Jun paused for a moment, likely checking some sort of equipment. "Negative, sir."

It was not the answer that Shar wanted to hear. Then Emile spoke what she was sure they were all thinking. "Plasma, maybe."

"Can't be. Not on Reach." Shar didn't want to admit it, but she hoped Jorge was right. The idea of the Covenant here, it was unsettling.

"There's a lot of blood on the ground." Emile was staring at the concrete, studying the red splatters.

"All right, Noble, looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on." Carter's words were all that Shar needed. She took off in the only direction that seemed to lead anywhere.

"Smoke at the next structure, Boss." Kat's words were followed by some sort of bird screeching close to Shar.

"Circle west and check it out. Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence." Shar had to admit that Carter was right. Luckily, she had plenty of skill in not telegraphing where she was.

Two ostrich-like birds ran out of the brush. Shar punched each one of them, figuring better safe than sorry. Emile ran past her and glanced back. She could swear he was smirking at her. Shar fell into line behind them as they moved toward the structure. The path wound around the back of the structure, to a large drop off. Shar put the realization of how long a fall it was to the back of her mind. She moved past Emile and up a set of stairs.

"Noble Six, move into the house. Go in quiet. Right behind you." Shar moved into the building, checking through the darkness but finding not even a hint of movement. She stopped and waited for Carter and Kat to move ahead of her before they all made their way out of the broken front of the building.

"Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat-sigs in the structure ahead." Jun's warning came just as Jorge moved toward them from where his falcon had dropped him and a door slid open.

A man moved out of the house, hands up and dressed in civilian clothing. He said something in a language that Shar didn't recognize. She only knew it was the native tongue of the area.

"Move! On your knees, now!" Emile kept his shotgun steady on them as the man flinched back.

The man said something quickly in the native language and Jorge seemed to relax a little. "They're not rebels, they're farmers. Look at them."

Shar stayed in her position in front of the broken doorway while Kat watched the main gate and Carter turned to watch the bridge, which led away. "Ask him what they're doing here." Carter didn't sound as convinced as Jorge that they were not rebels.

Jorge relayed the message. Shar hadn't known he could speak the language. The farmer replied and Jorge translated. "Hiding, sir. Neighbors were attacked last night." Shar wondered what they'd been attacked by. "He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise." The man choked out one last thing. To Shar, even not understanding the words, she could tell the man was heartbroken. "He says something in the fields…killed his son."

"Something?" Carter sound unsettled by the wording. It caught Shar's attention as well.

"Commander, be advised. I'm reading heat signatures in the structure directly east from our position. Over." Jun's voice sounded a bit hurried.

"Copy that." Carter turned to Jorge. "Get them back inside."

Jorge shouted something to the farmers in the native tongue and they all moved back into the building. Kat and Carter took off toward the building, Shar once more falling into line behind them. "Noble team, double time it." Carter started to sprint forward.

Shar activated the override that Kat had built into all of their suits and took off after Noble One and Two. They reached the structure in a few seconds and Carter moved inside. Shar and Kat stood in the doorway, looking at the scene before them.

"Damn…" Shar had to agree with Carter as she took in the scene before them. There were four dead civilians up against what looked to be palettes of bags of mulch. What really caught her eye was a pair of troopers. One sat on the ground, dead, and leaning against some sort of container. The other was hanging on the wall on a set of hooks that were usually used for tools.

"Fill me in, Commander, what are you seeing? Over." It was obvious that Jun was frustrated he couldn't see inside of the building.

Carter's posture became slumped and his voice echoed a hint of regret that he couldn't save them. "We've got military casualties, two of the missing troopers." He knelt down before the bodies, examining the scene closer. "Looks like they were interrogated… It's messy." That was one word for it for sure.

Carter checked the hallway ahead and Shar moved in. She found one more civilian slumped over against some railing at the end of a ramp. She wondered what had killed all of them. She moved further in and something echoed as it hit the roof.

"Movement. Watch your motion trackers." Carter's words brought Shar's attention to her tracker. It showed a single contact, above them.

Shar moved out into the courtyard and looked up just in time to see a sleek small figure leap skillfully through the sky. "What the hell was that?" Shar echoed Emile's question in her mind. She didn't recognize the glimpse, but she was sure it wasn't human.

"Jun, you see anything?" Carter's voice was quiet, trying not to give away their position.

There was a pause before Jun replied. "Negative. Thermal's clean." Shar didn't care if the thermals were clean, she knew that she saw something. Carter and Shar moved into the building and Shar moved ahead. "Boss, I see movement, outside your structure!" Shar turned and spotted it, a skirmisher, needle rifle in hand on the room outside.

"Noble Two, move up to the west. We're about to be flanked," Carter ordered.

Shar fired and a single round from her pistol tore through the alien's head, dropping it. Jorge let out a sound of surprise and Emile cursed. Jorge shouted the one word that was burning now in Shar's mind. "Covenant."

Memories of all her previous engagements with the alien juggernaut flashed through her mind; finding out her father had died, and her mother's death. It lit the flame inside her that could only be extinguished by the blood of her enemies. "Contact, contact! Spartans, assist!" Carter's voice pulled her out of her memories. Shar broke the window as Carter took a step back to get a better view of the situation. "They're heading into the basement. Move down to the lower levels!"

Shar didn't need to be told twice. She moved through a doorway with Kat on her heels. She only stopped long enough to grab a couple grenades before moving down the stairs. She lobbed a grenade and it killed two of the skirmishers. Shar hung back and fired at the skirmishers as Kat and Carter made their way down the stairs. She hit one of the skirmishers with a headshot before moving after the Commander.

"Banshees! Heads up, Charlie One!" The pilot sounded surprised, but oddly calm as he moved into aerial combat with the alien enemy.

Shar moved to stand beside Carter and Kat, shooting into the grunts that were milling around the area, shooting wildly. She shot a couple before just running forward and slamming her fist or gun into whatever got close enough. She killed two grunts and a skirmisher before turning to find a single skirmisher trying to run off. She aimed and fired, putting a shot through the vulture-like head. She then turned to face the final grunt, moving forward and cracking its skull open with the butt of her gun.

"Noble Leader, enemy dropships inbound!" Jun warned. Great, more Covies to slaughter.

"Falcon moving to assist." The pilot didn't sound stressed and there seemed to be nothing in the sky. She felt a bit more comfortable now knowing that their rides could handle themselves.

Shar moved toward where the ships were landing and spotted a pair of grunts. Two fast shots and both of them were down. The team moved down toward the bridge. Shar hung back a bit and took aim as the grunts started to move toward them. She took down one of them and the second jumped up onto a concrete barrier right before Kat. The Lieutenant Commander fired and the alien dropped.

The team advanced and Shar moved up along the east, firing at whatever got in her way. She spotted a pair of skirmishers and, knowing they would be a bigger issue, concentrated on one of them. She fired and shots hit the alien in the side and shoulder. Shar tossed a grenade and it bounced a bit before going off, taking out the alien. Shar swapped out her magazine and moved back. She moved around the area to make her way up the west side of the enemy's ranks. She fired at a group of grunts and soon only a single skirmisher was left. She raced forward and slammed her elbow into the alien's neck, killing it.

"Stand down, Noble, stand down. Contacts neutralized." Carter's words were all that Shar needed to snap herself back to where she was. She hadn't even thought about the fact that there were other Spartans around when she'd attacked.

"Contacts? It's the damn Covenant." Jorge sounded particularly upset about the development.

"Cheer up, big man: this whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone." Shar had to admit she liked the way that Emile thought. That was the bright side. That and that they'd get to kill more Covenant.

"Kat, we've got to warn Holland. I need you at that relay outpost now." The Commander's words were forceful, leaving no chance for argument, which Shar was fairly certain he often got from the Beta company Spartan.

"Boss, I'm showing more activity to the east!" Shar scanned the area, turning east at Jun's warning.

"Copy that, Jun, we're on it. Six, you've got point." Shar grinned at Carter's command. She'd get to be first into the fight. Shar raced forward across a shallow river and spotted a group of grunts. She fired, each shot taking down an enemy.

"Might not be all of them, stay sharp." Shar followed the Spartan II and his words were quickly made true as a trio of ultra-ranked elites appeared, running toward them.

Shar tossed a plasma grenade and got lucky, sticking it to the heel of one of the elites. It exploded and Shar fired a single shot, killing the seven-foot-tall alien. The remaining two fired on Emile and Kat. One smacked its plasma rifle against Emile's skull, stunning him. It tried to kick at him but the Spartan ducked down.

Shar used it as her chance to move up to the distracted second elite and hit it, taking down its energy shield. She followed it up quickly by slamming her second fist into its chest, feeling bone break as it fell to the ground. Shar turned her attention to the last elite. Together, she, Kat, and Emile took it down with combined fire.

A falcon landed and Jun's voice crackled over the radio. "Commander, I'm seeing more hostile activity to the northeast."

"Emile, you're with Kat. Six and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost. Get to work, Noble." At the orders Shar fell into line behind Carter.

Shar, Jorge, and Carter made their way to an abandoned work vehicle. Jorge climbed onto the back, setting his turret up so he could swing it around and fire at enemies, while Carter moved into the passenger seat. Shar hit the accelerator and they bounced off along the road. They moved through a pack of moa before Carter announced that there were contacts ahead. Shar didn't stop, splattering one of the skirmishers ahead of them against the hood of the car.

She sped the car on, passing a second pair of skirmishers, only stopping when they reached a building and Jun announced that he was picking up heat signatures. Shar jumped out of the vehicle and moved toward the structure. She spotted a trio of grunts. Three shots and they were down. A skirmisher appeared to her right and she fired once, killing it but revealing a minor elite behind it at the top of some stairs. She tossed a grenade and the blue ball landed near the top of the stairs. It went off and she moved forward. It took three shots from her pistol and some fire from Shar's right from either Carter or Jorge, she wasn't sure which, before it fell. Shar then moved across the area to the grunts that were running for their lives. She killed each one of them.

Carter announced that they were clear and the trio moved back to their transport. They took off down the road and once more Shar slammed the car into one of a pair of skirmishers. They passed a group of grunts before finding another pair of skirmishers and splattering one more.

"Noble Leader, I'm picking up a distress signal," Jun warned.

A voice filled Shar's ear, an unfamiliar and slightly frightened voice. "Mayday! Three Charlie Six, does anyone read? We are attacked by Covenant forces. The Covenant is on Reach. I repeat: The Covenant is on Reach!"

Shar spotted a Covenant troop transport and gunned it toward where it seemed to be landing. "The troopers?" Shar wanted to reach back and smack Jorge at that moment. Who else did it sound like it was?

"Let's move, Six. We've got to find the source of that distress call." There was a determination in Carter's words that Shar had to admit she liked. Maybe he was remembering those interrogated troopers, determined to protect these ones.

"No disrespect, but don't we have better things to do than round up strays?" Shar couldn't really believe the words that Jun had said. Since when were other troopers strays?

"We don't leave people behind. You see those troopers, you let me know." Just as Carter finished his words the car moved over a hill and a group of soldiers became visible. "Noble Three, we've located the trooper squad. Request immediate evac. My coordinates."

"Solid copy, Commander. Recalling Falcon Charlie 2. Hold that evac position."

Shar moved out of the vehicle and slunk back into the building the troopers were using as their rally point. She took aim and fired at the Covenant that were firing toward the troopers. She was deliberate with her shots, being sure to make each one count. She ran out of pistol ammunition and grabbed a DMR from the ground, her favorite weapon. She killed off the last of the grunts.

"Noble Leader, be advised: I have visual on inbound Covenant dropships."

"Evac transport, keep your distance! Six, hold this position. Clear an LZ." Carter didn't have to tell Shar twice. She moved back into the structure a bit for cover.

"Spartans? Corporal Travis, Three Charlie, sir. It's the Covenant." The trooper sounded shaken, whether by the Covenant or seeing a Spartan, Shar wasn't sure.

"We know Corporal. Let's get you out of here." Carter was calm and the words seemed to ease away the fears of some of the soldiers.

A soldier shouted about an incoming dropship which was soon followed by Jun warning them as well. Shar moved out of cover and opened fire with her assault rifle. She took out several grunts before moving back as a second dropship appeared and she took cover while its turret blasted the ground. Shar. She cleared the west side of the field first, taking out the officer elite before turning to focus on the ultra elite. Shar exhausted an entire clip of ammunition into the alien before its shield finally fell and her fist connected with the side of its skull, breaking bone. She checked the area and found it clear.

"Transport, LZ is clear. Move in for evac." Carter moved away from the structure and out into the open.

"Affirmative. Transport inbound." The two falcons appeared and the Spartan piled up into one of them.

Carter radioed Kat. "Noble Two, sit-rep."

There was a moment's pause before Kat replied. "We're at the relay outpost. Door's locked. Mechanism's been flash-fused." She sounded frustrated.

"Can you beat it?" Shar was surprised by Carter's question. When was there ever a bit of technology that Kat couldn't beat?

"I'll dial up my torch, cut a way through. Going to take some time." Now her annoyance was obvious, though Shar guessed it was partially due to the questioning of her abilities.

"Okay." The word was a bit quiet out of the Commander. He must have known she was insulted. "We're en route to your location." Shar faced forward, but glanced at the two men across from her. It was more amusing for her as Jorge was obviously so much taller than Carter, even sitting down. Was there really that much of a difference between the first and second generation of Spartans?

Shar caught a red dot on her motion tracker and turned toward it, searching for an enemy, but finding nothing. She spotted their target ahead. "We're approaching the com outpost." The pilot sounded slightly nervous once more.

"Drop us in the courtyard," Carter ordered.

"LZ's a little hot, sir." The pilot was definitely scared.

"Put her down, pilot. Six, break's over." Carter shifted in his seat and the falcon finally landed. The Spartans piled out and moved down the ramp. Shar opened fire, clearing out the area before moving to where Kat was crouched. Carter stood behind her with Emile to his right.

"How we doing, Kat?" Carter seemed impatient. This wasn't the best place to have to defend.

"Taking a little longer then I hoped, Commander. I've cut about halfway through the door." Kat was calm and cool, as Shar should have expected. She was elbow deep in tech, the woman's loved hobby.

Emile shouted that there were more contacts. "Hold them off until Kat can hack the controls." A dropship appeared and there was only a moment of hesitation from Carter before he followed Emile out into the courtyard to meet the enemy. Jorge fired into the sky as the ship dropped down. A group of grunts with an elite minor were dropped down from one side. Shar took aim and easily took down the grunts. With some extra fire from Jorge they made quick work of the elite as well. She took care of the remaining two grunts that were making their way down the ramp toward her location.

Shar moved back and grabbed a bit of extra ammunition from a rack of DMRs on the wall before moving back to the doorway where she spotted a second dropship. It dropped jackals and she opened fire, having a bit of trouble before falling into the rhythm of shooting the foot and then the head as they shouted in pain, giving the opening. She'd taken out most of the grunts when another elite minor appeared.

Shar opened fire on the alien. "Kat?" Carter questioned.

"Just about…there! We're in!" The triumph was clear in her voice.

"Everybody inside! Go, go, go!" Carter moved through the doorway followed by Jorge and Emile. Shar moved to the door and took out the elite minor before the large metal closed. She heard the bolts slide into place as the door locked behind them. Shar clicked on her night vision and moved to the other doorway in the room. It opened and Shar moved in. She checked the area, making a few turns and finding a body on the ground.

"Noble Six, search that body." It was an order, and something felt odd about it having come from Kat. Shar didn't argue or fight it, she moved to the body.

Shar stood beside the body, looking up as Carter spoke. "Where's the rest of your unit?" There was a living trooper.

"We got split. I don't think they…It sounded bad on the comms." Shar bit her lip. It was always hard knowing that your fellow soldiers were likely dead.

Shar knelt down and started to search the body. "All right, Corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon." It surprised Shar just a bit how calm and soothing that Carter could be at times. It was likely that the trooper wouldn't make it, but she was sure at that moment he believed he would.

Shar moved the body and something fell out of its jacket. "Damn." Shar looked up at Kat's back. "Plasma damage."

Shar reached down and grabbed the data module. She held it up to the Lieutenant Commander. "Found something." Knowing Kat, the new find out be enough to take her mind off the damage.

"I'll take that, Six." Kat snatched the module from Shar's hand. "Not your domain."

"I've got a live one over here." The announcement caused them all to turn toward Jorge. He was pulling a young woman out of the shadows. "Come on, out you come." The woman banged her fist against Jorge's chest plate and shouted something in the native language. "It's all right, we're not going to hurt you." Shar had to admit it didn't look that way. A walking tank pulling her forcefully out of the shadows.

"Jorge." Carter's tone was warning.

"I've got her." Jorge set down his machine gun and grabbed the woman by the arms. "Keep still and I'll release you." The woman said something quietly which Shar didn't understand.

Jorge stiffened and an elite dropped from above. An energy sword flared to life and it swung. Jorge ducked, pulling the woman down with him. The elite then turned to the rest of Noble Team while two more elites appeared.

"What's your status, over?" Emile sounded panicked, though Shar guessed it was more because he was missing the fight.

"We've been engaged!" Carter opened fire as the elite charged them. It swung at Kat but Carter moved, pulling her down and protecting her. Shar opened fire on the elite, hoping to get its attention. It charged toward her, knocking Shar to the ground.

"Bad guy coming out!" Carter warned.

One of the lower-class elites appeared over Shar and grabbed her, pulling back its bladed arm to strike. She held it off, fist slamming into the side of its head. The elite roared, spreading its mandibles. Carter's foot stuck the elite's side and it rolled off of Shar. The alien scooted back as its shield flared. The alien turned and ran. Carter kicked an assault rifle across the floor and Shar grabbed it. It only had seven shots left but the elite didn't need to know that. She aimed it at the pair of elites who were using the trooper as a human shield.

"That tango blew past me. Permission to pursue?" Emile was obviously itching to go after it.

"Negative Four, stay on the entrance. Two, handle her." Kat nodded and moved back to the woman. "Five and Six, clear the hole." Shar reloaded her weapon and moved forward, Jorge behind her. She turned to watch as the Spartan II shut the door on them. She wanted to make a joke about how it was old times, but she wasn't allowed to talk about those times. Damn black ink.

Shar grabbed a DMR from the wall and watched as Jorge tossed a flare. A zealot appeared and Shar concentrated fire on it. Before she could break through it slipped behind some boxes for cover. Jorge moved forward, concentrating on the smaller aliens. The elite moved out of cover and Shar fired, one shot to finish it's shield and a second through the head to kill it. She then focused fully on the smaller aliens with Jorge. Shar tossed a grenade, taking out two of the jackals, easily taking out the last one and the remaining grunts.

They cleared the next area just as easily, making their way down the hallway and killing the four grunts that were standing around. She moved down a ramp, Jorge behind her. "There's more. Flush 'em out, I've got you covered." Oddly, she didn't feel very covered at the moment, despite Jorge's words.

Shar took aim and, as the grunts moved out of the doorway, took each out with a headshot. She looked down into the gap between the two areas and smiled as she spotted an old friend. Shar jumped down and quickly dropped her assault rifle in favor of the shotgun that was on the ground beside a fallen soldier. She turned and made her way up the stairs, toward her target. An elite raced toward her, sword in hand. She waited and then moved forward, firing once and taking down the elite's shield. It roared in anger and she fired a second time, sending the corpse flying back. Shar spotted a few fallen civilians in the room before moving in.

"Kat needs you to reset a junction. Do it and get back up here." Shar spotted what Carter was referring to and quickly reset it.

~Later~

Kat unscrewed the access panel and forcefully pulled it from its place. "How long?" Carter was leaning to the side, trying to look inside.

Kat reached into the wires and pulled out several parts of it. "Question of my life. If the question is when will this station be back online," she looked back at Carter. "Two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."

Carter leaned in closer. "Two minutes is too long."

"Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland." Kat knew that he didn't really understand what she was doing, using simple terms to make it a bit more understandable. She glanced back at the Commander who was hovering over her shoulder. "You're in my light, Commander." Her tone was slightly scolding.

Carter took a step back turning to Jorge. "Find out what she knows." The order was short and sharp. Shar smiled to herself. Someone didn't like being scolded.

Jorge moved over to the girl and knelt down. His hand touched her shoulder and she shrugged it off. Emile chuckled to himself. "What's your name? Do you live around here?" Shar watched Jorge as he questioned the woman. It was odd, he was more tank then most of them but seemed more gentle most of the time. He had proven to be very friendly back when she'd last worked with him. Jorge removed his helmet, something Shar found very odd. To show your face to a civilian was never anything that Shar could approve of. Other military, maybe, but not civilian.

Jorge said something in the native tongue and the only thing that Shar understood was the Spartan II's name. Shar only half listened to the conversation. She'd never been big on small talk. The only thing she really got from it was that the woman was the daughter of the dead man.

Emile turned to Six. "Big man forgets what he is sometimes." Shar had to agree with him. A Spartan was a Spartan, and Jorge was acting more like a regular soldier then a Spartan at the moment.

Jorge moved up beside Emile and feinted as though he were about to strike him. "She just lost her father." Jorge's words were ice in the air. He turned to Carter relaxed. "She needs a full psychiatric workup."

"She's not the only one," Emile snapped.

Jorge turned to argue back but Carter stopped them. "Lock it down, both of you! Get her on her feet…the body stays here."

"Thank you, sir." Jorge turned and passed Emile, shooting him a glare. Shar got the feeling this wasn't a fight that was new to them. Jorge moved over to the woman and helped her to her feet.

"Signal. It's patchy, but it's there." Kat stood up and Noble Team started to leave. Jun took the lead with Jorge and the woman behind him, Emile following close behind the pair.

"I'll take it." Carter reached up, removing his helmet.

Kat shifted her weight onto her right leg, leaning a bit toward Carter. "Best not touch anything. You wouldn't want to ground this place." Shar glanced back at them. Leave it to Kat to get in one more jab about how she was better at something then her Commander. She always did have a bit of a problem with authority.

Carter watched them leave before he moved to the terminal. "I'm barely getting you. What's your situation?" The voice of the Colonel filtered through the radio. Even as she walked away Shar could hear them.

"Colonel, this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach. Acknowledge?" Carter's voice enforced how serious the situation was.

"Come Again, Noble One? Did you say Covenant?" The officer sounded surprised.

"Affirmative. It's the WINTER CONTINGENCY."

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