"This is Foxtrot Nine Nine overflight Charlie Six, I have visual of Sierra teams Gold, Aqua, and Crimson. They are heavily engaged by Insurrectionist infantry and armor. How copy?" The Lieutenant "piloting" the Wombat asked, staring at the monitor in front of him.

"Command copies your last, Charlie Six. Sierra's on ground have requested air support. We need you to comfirm Insurrectionist targets marked by Sierra's on ground. Shortsword bombers are a few minutes out and are closing fast." Command stated.

"Command, wouldn't this strike be danger close for the Spartans?" The Lieutenant asked.

"Charlie Six, Sierra's on ground will be slaughtered if they do not receive any air support. We already have two Sierra's down."

"Wounded?"

"Negative. Sierra's Three Seven Seven and Four Eight Five are KIA." A chill ran down the Lieutenants spine when he heard that a SPARTAN was dead. Spartans never officially die, according to ONI. The only Spartan that was recorded as KIA was Spartan-117, who was found ten years later right before the Battle for Equis.

"Charlie Six, I am patching through Sierra Zero Five Three to you. She will give you the sitrep you likely need." Command stated. "Switch to frequency 1088."

As the Lieutenant adjusted his COM's frequency, his headset crackled to life. In the background, the Lieutenant could hear gunfire and explosions. "Sierra Zero Five Three," The Lieutenant began calmly, "this is Charlie Six. Can you hear me?"

"I hear you, Charlie Six." The Spartan replied.

"What is the current situation down there?" The Lieutenant asked.

"Charlie Six, we need immediate air support!" The Lieutenant could hear the Spartan practically scream, "we are down two Spartan's! Spartans Three Seven Seven and Four Eight Five are KIA!"

"Dammit..." the Lieutenant muttered to himself, "Sierra Zero Five Three, hold your position. Shortsword bombers are closing fast to provide you close air support. We need you to lase enemy armor immediately."

"Roger that!" Sweetie Belle shouted into her helmets radio. Zephyr ran past her, carrying the body of Emily over his shoulder. She died taking out one of the scorpion tanks, being blown away by two squads of Innie infantry. Sweetie Belles attention turned back to the battle as her energy shield flared up. An Innie was able to catch her off guard, unloading on her with his MA5. Sweetie rolled behind cover, alarms blaring in her helmet as her energy shield came close to failing. The beeping stopped and a whirring sound could be heard as her shield recharged. When they were fully charged, she rose up from her cover and held up her two SMG's, firing off two short bursts into the Innies chest.

"Tank!" Firefly shouted, as another scorpion tank rolled up towards the manor and fired, the ground shaking as its main cannon fired.

"Spartan down!" Sweetie Belle heard someone shout. She glanced over her shoulder to see Scootaloo slumped over against a partially destroyed wall, one of her forelegs missing. Sweetie pulled up her status on HUD, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing that Scootaloo was still alive. She was about to run over and aid her friend, but her radio crackled back to life.

"What are you waiting for, Sierra?! Lase those targets!" She heard Charlie Six shout. Sweetie glanced back at Scootaloo's limp form. Zephyr, who was one of the medics in the Spartan-IV program, was kneeling beside her, injecting biofoam into the little stub that used to be her right foreleg only moments ago.

"Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle shouted, "get out that laser designator and light up those tanks! The calvary is coming!"

"Yes'm!" Applebloom shouted back, placing her shotgun aside and opening up a nearby briefcase, containing the parts to Aqua Teams laser designator. As she started to assemble it, an Innie rose from his cover and opened fire on the defenseless Spartan with his DMR. Appleblooms energy shield flared up as she scrambled for cover, trying her best to avoid getting shot.

"Hold up! Ah got ya!" A familiar Southern voice shouted at Applebloom, as AJ, clad in her olive drab MJOLNLR power armor, charged forward and shot down the Innie with a single blast from her tactical shotgun.

And that's when it hit her. "Applejack...?" She barely managed to ask, looking up at her formally deceased sister in awe.

"Stop yer gawking and move!" Applejack shouted. Applebloom regained her senses and quickly assembled the laser designator. She rose up and shouldered it, aiming the laser at the group of scorpions and infantry assaulting them.

"Target confirmed. Here comes the rain, recommend you get to cover!" The Lieutenant called out. He zoomed in and started jotting down notes, taking time to study the Innie equipment and armor.

The Insurrectionist infantry seemed to be armed with MA5B's and M312 DMR's, though a few were armed with MA5C's, BR55's, and the battle rifles heavier variant, the BR55HB SR. Most of the armor the Innies were using was the long phased out M808A Main Battle Tank, though there were a few of the more modern variant of the scorpion mixed in there, the M808B Main Battle Tank, which was recently phased out by the M808C Main Battle Tank.

How the Insurrectionists got ahold of all this equipment, the Lieutenant would never know. All the evidence was likely about to be destroyed in the incoming bombing runs.

"Charlie Six, this is command, please relay to Sierra's on ground that there are three Alpha Charlie Two Two Zero Heavy's inbound to provide close fire support. They are loaded for bear and ready to rain hellfire on the enemy contacts."

"I copy." The Lieutenabnt responded, before switching to the Spartans frequency. "Sierra Zero Five Three, this is Charlie Six, three vulture gunships are inbound to provide close fire support."

"Roger that, Charlie Six! How far out is the shortswords?" The Spartan inquired.

A new voice spoke out over the radio. "This is shortsword flight lead Theta Eight, we are one minute out. Is this danger close for Sierra's on ground?"

"Correct, this is a danger close strike. We know what we are doing, pilot. I hope you have good aim." The Lieutenant swore he could hear the Spartan snigger in background.

"Don't worry about a thing, Sierra. My boys know what they are doing. Dropping our payload now." Theta Eight stated.

The Lieutenant turned his attention back to the monitor. "Confirmed, payload dropped." Charlie Six stated, upon seeing hundred of small, white blips falling towards the Insurrectionists position.

Surprise and Zephyr both looked up from the stabilized, but unconscious, form of Scootaloo to see a flight of five shortsword bombers screech overhead.

"Hey Surprise?" Zephyr asked.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"Know how in movies when bombs are falling, it sounds like they are screeching towards the Earth to the people on the ground?"

Surprise nodded as she continued to watch the shortswords, bombs falling out of their bomb bays, "Uh huh."

"We're about to test that theory!" Zephyr stated, before pulling Suprise and Scootaloo's unconscious body behind cover.

The Lieutenant watched as hundreds of very small craters formed in the ground as the bombs dug into the earth, some only a few hundred feet away from the Spartans position. Not ever a second later, the bombs detonated, crating several large large lines of fire that spread through the ranks of the Insurrectionists. As the smoke began to clear out, the Lieutenant was able to make more than a dozen charred skeletons of scorpion tanks, as well as almost a hundred charred corpses among the flames.

"Sierra, what's your status?" Charlie Six demanded.

"We have two Sierra's KIA, as well as two others that are WIA. One has been stabilized, it doesn't appear the other Sierra will make it." Sweetie Belle stated solemnly.

The Lieutenant took a moment to absorb this information. 'Two, possible three dead Spartans? This can't be true.' He thought to himself. "Roger that, Medvac enroute."

The Lieutenant switched back to his thermal, and noticed several dozen enemy infantry running towards the Spartans positions, trailed by seven M12 FAV's. The "dumb" AI on board the Wombat counted up the new enemy contacts barely a second later.

"Thirty seven contacts inbound, plus light armor support." The AI stated in the cold manner that was typical for "dumb" AI.

"Sierra Zero Five Three, you have roughly three dozen enemy infantry heading your way, reinforced by light armor." The Lieutenant said into his headset."

"I copy. Where are those vultures, Charlie Six?!" The Spartan demanded.

"They are about three mikes out. Medvac is right behind it. I have word that an Army convoy with the 233th Mechanized is being rerouted to reinforce you."

"Tell them I said welcome to the party. We are now engaging enemy forces."

"Good luck, Spartan." The Lieutenant stated.