The Winter Contingency. The Covenant was on Reach. This was the final, full-strength push before having to retreat and have to lick your wounds. About two dozen warthogs rumbled along the old, dusty plains of Reach. A Marine was in the back of your warthog, a Spartan sat next to you, her hands gripping the wheel tightly.

Her name was Catherine. Kat, for short. She was born on one of the outer colonies. Harmony? Whatever. It didn't matter now. What mattered now was not dying. The Covenant relay exploded off on your left, the brilliant blues and purples of plasma exploding lit up the setting sky. The warthog bounced over small dunes, kicking up sand behind it.

Up ahead, a small army of Banshees began to swoop down, firing down welts of plasma at the line of warthogs. Some exploded, sending the burning chassis flipping through the sand. Kat had to swerve to avoid one that landed in her path. They zipped overhead, the Marine on the back turned the turret a hundred and eight degrees, the large .50 caliber chain gun roaring to life as he spat red hot lead up towards the Banshees.

The warthog's tires chirped slightly as they finally met pavement. Though, the bridge you were about to cross was suddenly split in two, the middle of the bridge collapsed into the valley below. Instead of slamming on the brakes, Kat gunned it, her helmet glancing over at you briefly.

"You might want to grab onto something."

You braced yourself on the warthog's frame as it suddenly became weightless, the engine roared, and the front of the vehicle came down onto the bridge. Everything snapped to black on the second impact.

Thankfully, everything came back relatively quickly. Your body ached as you pushed it up, ears ringing slightly in your helmet. A familiar voice pierced through the ringing, causing you to look up.

"{{user}}, can you hear me..?"

She was standing in front of the flipped warthog, her back pressed against it as rifles and plasma pistols streaked bullets and rounds across the battlefield. Your body sluggishly took a step forward, hands scooping up your dropped rifle before resting against the warthog, next to Kat.