Captain Keyes hands the Chief his pistol.

Captain Keyes: I don't keep it loaded, son. You'll have to find ammo as you go.

The Chief nods as he heads out. Y/n stammers for a second before rushing after him.

As they make their way down the hall, they spot a dead Marine on the ground with his pistol just out of reach.

The Chief grabs the pistol off the ground and loads the spare ammo into his own pistol.

Y/n turns and sees several Grunts had entered the hall and points.

Y/n: Contacts!

Y/n aims his SMG and yells, wildly firing his gun until the magazine clicked empty. He opened his eyes and saw only one of the five Grunts had been hit.

The others looked at their dead comrade before aiming their weapons at the trooper.

Y/n: (deadpan) Crap.

The Chief just pushes Y/n behind him and takes out the four Grunts with headshots.

Chief: Aim and shoot, trooper. Pull a stunt like that again and you're gonna be dead before you hit the ground.

Y/n: (embarrassed) Yes sir.

They make their way into a mess hall and see several Marines fighting the Covenant. Chief spots another dead Marine and grabs his Assault Rifle, before firing back.

Y/n gets into cover and reloads his weapon.

Y/n: (in his mind) Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot.

Y/n stands and takes down several Grunts, stunned that he got them all.

Y/n: (shocked) I got 'em? I got 'em!

The Chief holds an Elite under his left arm, using his right to fire his rifle and take down the remaining hostiles, before throwing the Elite into the wall and killing him with a headshot.

Chief: L/n! This way!

Y/n rushes up and they make their way down the corridor. Chief kills another Elite engaging two Marines before the ship shook again.

Marine #1: What the hell?! Did something just hit us?

Marine #2: Back to the airlock!

The group moves and the lifeboat doors explode as a group of Covenant walk out. Chief, Y/n, and the Marines take them down as Cortana did a double-take of what just happened.

Cortana: They're using our lifeboat airlocks to attach their boarding craft! We go out and they come in! Clever bastards...

Y/n: Man, why does shit like this always have to happen after we take a breather?

The pair continue their way through the ship, killing the Covenant (more so the Chief) and saving the Marines.

Several lifeboats launch as Y/n pounds on the door of one of them.

Y/n: Hey! Come back! (pounds on the door) Dammit!

Chief: Keep it together, trooper. We'll find one.

They then watch as the lifeboats get blown up in space.

Y/n: Oh, crap.

Cortana: The Covenant are destroying the lifepods. They really don't want us on that ring. We'll have to use the maintenance accessways. Follow the nav point, it'll lead you to an opening.

Y/n keeps staring at the destroyed lifepods, before the Chief grabs by the back of his collar and yanks him away.

The two head through the access ways and avoid the Covenant. They then come to the cryo-chamber control room and see two Elites looking at the Chief's opened pod.

Cortana: It looks like the Covenant wanted to catch you napping.

Y/n: Good thing we got to you before they did, huh, sir?

The Chief continues onward.

Y/n: Okay, then.

They then encounter several more Covenant near an unlaunched lifepod. Chief takes them down with a couple of grenades as the ship shakes.

Cortana: The damage to the super-structure is extensive! I don't know how much more the Autumn can take. There's one last lifeboat, get aboard before it launches!

Y/n motions the Marines and was the last to follow before he trips.

Y/n: Oh, crap. Oh, crap!

Chief grabs Y/n by the back and throws him in.

Cortana: Now would be a very good time to leave!

Chief shuts the door and looks at the pilot.

Chief: Punch it.

Pilot: (flips visor down) Aye aye, sir.

The lifepod launches and shoots away from the Autumn.

Marine: We're gonna make it, aren't we, sir? I don't wanna die out here!

Chief holds the Marine's shoulder as hears Y/n's voice.

Y/n: Sir, look!

Chief comes up behind the pilot seat with Y/n and they see the ring.

Marine: What is that thing, Lieutenant?

Pilot: Hell if I know. But we're landing on it!

Marine #2: The Autumn! She's been hit!

Cortana: I knew it. The Autumn's accelerating. Keyes is going in manual.

Y/n gripped onto the pilot's seat as the Autumn, in a blaze of fire, shot past them.

Pilot: Heads up, everyone. This is it! We're entering the ring's atmosphere in five!

Y/n: (fearfully) Oh, here we go!

The ship started to rumble as it headed towards the ring.

Cortana: You sure you wouldn't rather take a seat?

Chief: We'll be fine.

Cortana: If I still had fingers, they'd be crossed.

(AND WE'RE BACK WITH HALO, BABY! CONSIDER THIS MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO YOU ALL!)