you see thin biggest problem i had with halo reach, is that it gave me a team of interesting and unique characters, and didn't let me get to know them at all, unlike odst where you get to know each of the people your fighting with. you know i had no idea Jorge was from reach until some one told me. when they all started dying, i didn't think it was sad i thought it was weird, like the game wanted me to feel sad but like for example when carter died i was just like "ok so he's dead now... moving on". but not in this, in this i actually did get to know these characters. i actually think i might shed a tier if Six dies at the end. which is infinitely more the what i can say for the game. you have some thing real special going on here, never give up on you writing man.

Due to my work schedule it took me several days to read this chapter in full, but now that I'm done with it I'll give my two cents while the read is still fresh in my mind.

Hot damn that was quite a fight, and it looks every bit as exhausting as the battle beneath the ice shelf a couple chapters earlier. Team Shepard is really being pushed to the brink this time around and with perhaps even higher stakes than ever. At least this time they have some cavalry at their backs, and that Jack was able to stop one of Buck's squaddies from filleting Thane over a simple misunderstanding.

Perhaps the best parts of this chapter were Shepard and Kreave's banter early on. It's one thing to write a character you've come to know for experience. It's another to make interesting dialogue for an original character made mostly from scratch and to have them out-ham each other. Rarely have I heard such epic badass boasting in fanfiction like I have when Kreave chewed the scenery, and it'll be a long, long time before I hear any of that again.

Let's just hope Wrex doesn't have to prove Shepard right about him though, one violent death for Shepard is enough thankyouverymuch.

And now Xytas has made his presence known. Hopefully the Collector Particle Beam and the Arc Projector will make a difference against those super-mega-haxxor kinetic barriers he's conjured with his implants. As it stands now, our heroes are now the meat in a Reaper sandwich unless Shepard can pull a miracle out of his ass.

The only thing that stretched credibility for me in this chapter was the idea that Grunt-or any organic being, actually-could maintain a continuous run for several kilometers to keep up with a pair of Mongooses. After all your other writing quality I'm willing to let it slide but this was probably the most you've pushed my suspension of disbelief.

Also: CARTER NOOOOOO T.T...Saw it coming though, but part of me has my fingers crossed that Emile won't die this time around and that someone will have the presence of mind to warn him about the Zealot trying to backstab him (though given the timing of that cutscene it might be hard to pull off in time, to say nothing that he'd probably be the one stuck making the Last Stand instead).

One chapter plus epilogue to go, then a break? You still have the rest of July and August, so looking forward to that speedy update. You earned the break, and it will give me time to anticipate Team Shepard's arrival in the game plot that started it all.

Excellent! In fact I've betted, that at one moment Kreave and Xytas will fight each other for the right to kill Shepard! )))

So Carter is dead... may he rest in peace.

And the destruction of generator turns into full blown battle, and my suspicion was confirmed - this generator can be rebuild...

In fact I've a question: why doesn't Normandy do some ground work? With her camouflage systems our favoured ship should be able to sneak behind Covy's ships busy burning Reach, blow their reactors as in last chapter with battlecruiser and make them crash! Amount of smoke should cover them...

I can't wait for the next chapter.

Poor Carter :(. I wonder what the plans are for Emile and Six.

Every time, I read a new update from your story, its get better and better. General Rage, its understatment to say that you have quite the talent in writing several action, dramatic, and humorous scenes all in one chapter. I can almost hear the Halo music during the fights in this update:) By the way I really liked how Shepard told Kreave off especially, that reference to Wrex. Yeah I can see Wrex punking Kreave and more hehe. Also Kasumi sky diving was epic! Plus its great to see Buck and his crew of Helljumers fighting side by side with Shepard's crew. I wonder if Tali had time would she recgonize Dutch's voice as Kal'Reeger's considering that both were voiced by Adam Baldwin in games. Just saying it would be funny if she did. All in all its pleasure to read this fic, thanks again for writing it man. As certain old Jedi say in Star Wars "Remember the Force will be with you always."

So noble is down now to Six, Kat, Emile, and possibly Jun.

So in short they're a bit short handed.

Wow, that was incredibly epic. Thank you for sharing your skill with us on this chapter - the battle scenes were amazing, the shout-outs (the ones I caught, at least) were appropriate, and everything was... well, adjetives fail me, so I'll settle for fantastic. Great job, and looking forward to the next chapter!

Looooooving it!an excellent story!

Nice to bring the ODST men into the i will miss that is the way he would most likely go out in the end. You did well in showing his carter.

Perfect! This chapter managed to combine witty dialog with climactic action and moving plot development. All while maintaining the flow of the story. I don't think I've ever seen such a well written chapter anywhere, much less a fan fic!

Of course, Carter's last thoughts have me thinking of what the Master Chief will think when he finds out he is not the only SPARTAN on-board the Normandy.

Epic and awesome as alway. This one feels so bitter-sweet in its melancholy. Still early on there is a few mistakes and grammer/spelling issues. But nothing too jarring, the missing transition points-page brakes kind of hurt it. But it is pretty awesome. And the tension and action is awesome enough that even though I have an idea of how things end, i am still on edge over what will happen and hoping as many people make it out as soon as possable.

Couple spelling issues here and there that really stood out (things like 'intot he' and what not) but easy enough to read around for the most part, just thought I'd give you a heads up for your next chapter.

Sad to see Carter go, but I do like how you let him finally take the position he always felt he should have been in. The best way he could have gone in my opinion.

Shepard is eye-balls deep in shit, but he's got most of his crew and more then a few helping hands from the UNSC to help him work it all out. Looking forward to the conclusion and epilogue!

Keep up the good work and I'll be watching for your next chapter!

SimplyWaters

Get it done, General Rage. Let's finish this.

For hope.

For freedom.

For Reach.

An amazing chapter dude: Kreav's bitching about his superiority, Kowalsky and his buds' run to the PoA, the first half of the level the Pillar of Autumn, Shepard's fight to the portal device before squiddie makes it there, Buck coming in (knew that was going to happen), the super elite's arrival and Kreav shooting at him, Tali's arrival, and Carter's sacrifice. Just loved it all :)
Hope that the next epic chapter will come soon.

...dammit. Ok, I want to like this story a lot. Its fairly well written, and I don't know all the characters, so I can't attest to characterization, but its great watching them interact.

Unfortunately, I can't stand the fact you make references to game mechanics. For one thing, I can't imagine he would be in anything but his N7 uniform armor. For any reason. It's supposedly top-of-the-line military issue (if it isn't, N7 fails).

But something just jumped out at me when I took a trip to the fridge: the Spartan-III recruits are all universally recruited from children orphaned by the Covenant War, in many cases children who's worlds burned around them. I can't imagine they will appreciate the idea of live aliens within fifty feet of themselves. Their training may also have been particularly indoctrinating against the idea, and the S-IIIs weren't exactly the most professional (not nearly as clinical as the IIs), a result of their young age and, at least in Gamma Company, ridiculously increased aggression.

So, take from that what you will. I still want to read it, but that's going to hang over my head for a while.