The ship was on fire, speeding towards the dirt.

Cortana: We're coming in too fast!

Pilot: Damn! Airbrake failure! They blew too early! I'm losing her! Brace for impact!

Y/n: WE'RE GONNA DIIIEEEEE!!!

Chief grabs Y/n and brings him down as the ship, crashes at the edge of the canyon.

Chief groans as he stands. He sees Y/n on the ground, not knowing if he's dead or alive.

Cortana: Chief? Chief! Can you hear me?

Chief: I'm here.

Cortana: At last! Are you alright? Can you move?

Chief: I'm fine. L/n's a different story.

Cortana: His vitals are fine. He's just knocked out.

Chief takes Y/n outside and lays him down, shaking him.

Chief: L/n, wake up. Come on, trooper, wake up. We need to move!

Y/n groans as he sits up. Chief puts his hand on his back.

Chief: You okay, L/n?

Y/n: Thanks to you, sir. Yeah. T-The others?

Chief shakes his head.

Cortana: They didn't make it, trooper.

Y/n: (sighs) Damn it.

Chief helps Y/n up and they grab their weapons.

Cortana: Warning: I've detected multiple Covenant dropships on approach. I recommend moving into those hills. If we're lucky, the Covenant will believe that everyone aboard this lifeboat died in the crash.

Chief: Agreed. L/n, let's move.

Y/n: Y-Yes sir!

Chief and Y/n start running for the hills as a dropship descends into the gorge. The pair keep their heads down as they evade the ship and continue down the gorge.

Cortana: I'm reading a lifeboat beacon over the next hill. We should check to see if there are any survivors.

They then hear an explosion and gunfire.

Y/n: Sounds like survivors to me, ma'am.

The Spartan and ODST head over into a clearing and see a group of Marines fighting the Covenant around some type of structure.

After clearing them out, Sgt. Johnson and a Marine come over.

Pvt. Bisenti: Good to see you, sir. I thought we were the only ones who made it off the Pillar of Autumn.

SS. Johnson: (sigh) It's a mess, sir. We're scattered all over this valley. We called for evac, but until you showed up, I thought we were cooked.

Cortana: No worries, Sergeant. We'll stay here until-

Pvt. Mendoza: Heads up! Covenant dropship headin' in! Over here!

The group rush around the structure as a Spirit drops two Elites and several Grunts.

Chief tackles one of the Elites and shoves his pistol into it's mandibles and repeatedly fired, spraying the grass with purple blood.

The remaining Elite aimed his plasma rifle at the Spartan, only to get his head blown off by a sniper round. Chief looks back and sees Y/n holding his sniper rifle with the barrel smoking.

Y/n: (looking down) Did I hit him?

Cortana: Did he... ? No, please tell me he didn't. Trooper, did you just shoot that Elite with your eyes closed?!

Y/n: (panicking) Uhh... no, ma'am?

Cortana: How in the world did this kid get enlisted into the UNSC?

Pvt. Mendoza: Uh-oh, another bandit droppin' in behind us! They're trying to flank us!

Y/n turned to follow the marines to the other side of the structure, but the Chief stops him. He rips the sniper rifle from his hands and grabs the ODST's chestplate.

Chief: (in a serious tone) Aim THEN shoot. Got it?

Chief then shoves the rifle back into Y/n's hands.

Y/n: Y-Yes, sir!

After clearing out the rest of the Covenant, a female voice comes on the COM.

Foehammer: (COM) This is Pelican Echo 419. Anybody read me? Repeat: any UNSC personnel, respond.

Cortana: (COM) Roger, Echo 419. This is Fireteam Charlie. We read you. Is that you, Foehammer?

Foehammer: (COM) Roger, Fireteam Charlie. Good to hear from ya!

Cortana: (COM) If you're not too busy, Foehammer, we could use a lift. We have survivors to transport to the Command Shuttle.

Foehammer: (COM) I'm on my way!

Y/n kicks the body of a dead Grunt and looks up to see more lifeboats soaring down across the clearing they were in.

Y/n: Master Chief! Cortana! More lifeboats!

Chief turns and looks up, following Y/n's line of sight.

Cortana: If those lifeboats make it down, the Covenant are going to be right on top of them. (COM) Foehammer, we need you to disengage your Warthog. The Master Chief, Lieutenant L/n, and I are going to save some lives.

Foehammer: (COM) Roger, Cortana. Okay, Charlie Team, Warthog deployed.

The Warthog attached to the Pelican drops down.

Foehammer: (COM) Saddle up and give 'em hell!

Cortana: (COM) Roger, Foehammer. Stand by to evac survivors and transport them to safety.

Foehammer: (COM) That's affirmative. Echo 419 staying on station. Foehammer out.

Cortana: We're gonna need some backup. Sergeant, can you spare a few men?

SS. Johnson: Sure, Cortana. All right ladies, volunteers step up on the double! The rest of you, get to the drop ship.

Y/n hops in the passenger side of the Warthog, as a Marine takes the turret and the Chief takes the back.

Cortana: We need to find where each lifeboat has landed.

Y/n: Ma'am, you think we're gonna find the others alive? The Captain? Fireteam Raven?

Cortana: We'll bring them home, trooper. Don't worry.

Chief drives the Warthog down the valley till they come to a cave made of metal and illuminated by blue lights.

Cortana: This cave is not a natural formation. Someone built it, so it must lead somewhere.

Y/n: Am I the only one getting serious creepy vibes from this?

The Chief drives into the cave.

Cortana: I've hacked into the Covenant battlenet. They're actually broadcasting tactical data on unencrypted channels! We should show them who they're dealing with. Master Chief, I'm going to use your suit's transponder system to monitor their chatter.

After navigating the tunnels, they drive into a large opening that's separated by a large gap.

Cortana: There must be some mechanism to cross this cavern. Look for a control panel or switch. L/n, stay here and watch the Hog.

Y/n: Yes, ma'am.

As the Chief leaves, the Marine on the turret looks down at the ODST.

PFC Fitzgerald: Lieutenant, if I may ask, are you and the Chief friends?

Y/n: I, uh, don't really know. He saved my life, twice as a matter of fact. I just hope I can be what I was ordered to be: his partner.

Suddenly a light bridge activates.

The Chief comes down and they continue on towards the other side.

Cortana: New traffic on the Covenant Battlenet... a lot more crew made it off the Autumn than I had predicted - the Captain really gave them hell! If we can find Captain Keyes and other survivors, we have a chance to coordinate an effective resistance.

The Warthog approaches the rock slide crash site.

Cortana: Survivors detected. Marines are concealed in those rocks.

Marine Sharpshooter: Contact! Covenant drop ship, down there!

Chief and Y/n hop out of the Warthog and join the Marines, holding off the Covenant waves.

Foehammer: (COM) Echo 419 to Cortana, come in.

Cortana: (COM) We read you, Echo 419. We have survivors and need immediate dust-off.

Foehammer: (COM) Roger, Cortana. On my way. I've spotted additional lifeboats in your area. One near the cliff edge. And another near the head of the river. Hard to see from my altitude, but it looks like there are more survivors.

Cortana: (COM) Acknowledged. We're on our way. We need to find the other two lifeboats.

The Chief and Y/n drive out and approach the river head crash site.

Cortana: There are some Marines, hiding in the hills above the structure.

The Spartan and Trooper make their way up into the hills where the Marines are.

Marine: You're a sight for sore eyes Chief. We're in a bad way. We've got wounded here.

Cortana: I'll call in a dropship to pick them up.

Y/n: (nervously) Aw, shit. More Covenant inbound!

The Chief defends the survivors from more waves of Covenant drop ships. Y/n gets in a few shots, but the majority went to the Chief.

Foehammer: (COM) Echo 419 to Cortana, Foehammer's on station and ready for another pickup.

Cortana: (COM) Affirmative, Foehammer. We're ready for dust off, approach when ready. We're going to look for the last lifeboat, Echo 419, good luck.

Y/n: Only a few more Marines to go. Ma'am, is there anything on the Captain or my team?

Cortana: I've picked up reports that the Covenant have located and secured the Pillar of Autumn's crash site. The good news is the Captain's still alive. The bad news is that the Covenant has captured the entire surviving command crew. Let's hurry and find the final lifeboat, so we can link up with the rest of the survivors.

After more driving, they find the last lifeboat scattered with weapons and medpacks, but no bodies.

Cortana: Lifeboat detected. No sign of survivors...

PFC Fitzgerald: This lifeboat is trashed, sirs. There are weapons and supplies but... no bodies.

They crest through a hill and sees a structure on the cliff's edge.

Cortana: Maybe they took cover in that structure. Let's check it out.

The pair go into the structure, where they find up to five Marines and naval crewmen battling the Covenant. After clearing them out.

Cortana: I've called for evac.

Marine: Roger that. Marines! Assemble for evac, pronto!

Cortana: We should secure the area before the drop ship arrives.

The group mop up the last of the Covenant in the immediate area.

Cortana: (COM) That's the last of them.

Foehammer: (COM) Roger that. I'm on my way.

Cortana: New traffic on the Covenant battlenet. I've found Captain Keyes! He's being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, a ship I disabled before we abandoned the Autumn. The Truth and Reconciliation touched down on a desert plateau roughly three hundred kilometers up-spin.

Echo 419 arrives.

Cortana: There's our ride. Get aboard, and let's get out of here.

Foehammer: (COM) Welcome aboard, Master Chief and Lieutenant L/n. Ready for dust-off.

The Chief and Y/n climb on board the Pelican.

Cortana: We should move out, Lieutenant. And then we'll need your help on our rescue mission.

As Y/n sits down, Chief pats his shoulder.

Chief: Well done, Trooper.

Y/n feels heat comes to his cheeks from the compliment.

Y/n: Uh, t-t-thank you, s-sir.

The Pelican then flies off after the Truth and Reconciliation.