Halo:Feet First

2100 hours July 23 2552 (Military Calendar)

/Epsilon Eridani System. Planet Reach

UNSC Training Facility Barracks seven kilometers

East of Manassas.

"LIghts should've been out hours ago! Bunk up now, you're all runnin the crucible tomorrow. Just because you're runnin it doesn't mean you graduate. UNSC rules still apply, lights out!" the sergeant screamed.

"Yes sir!" was sounded in unison like it had been drilled into them for months.

The sergeant waltzed out of the room flicking off the lights. No noise arose from the cadets. Sergeant Nomen made his way to his bunk just upstairs. He too had celebrated a little this night. It's not often you see your twenty-fifth set of recruits into the crucible and out to fight the covenant. A fight he knew too much about. He looked at his prosthetic hand. It looked real and felt real,but he knew otherwise. Sixteen years ago now, he had lost it in a battle on some outer colony called Archer IV. He remembered it like it was happening again and again. He felt the pain of a plasma bolt sever it from his wrist; the wound was instantly cartirized by the heat. A field medic drug him to cover and did what he could. It was such a clean hit that there was no need for any biofoam,but the medic did dose him with polypsuedomorphine. When he was returned to orbit the med-bay fitted him with the proper prosthetic and surgically attached it. Still,to this day his fingers do not always respond accordingly. Since then, the sergeant has trained himself to use his left hand in combat, should the need arise.

He shook himself out of the bad memory and stripped to his pajamas, a white tee shirt and white boxers. Out of a twenty year habit, the man folded his fatigues and laid them on his trunk at the foot of his bunk. As he laid down,he oddly felt himself want to sprawl out on his twin mattress. Caught off guard by this sudden civilian feeling, he couldn't help but to do it. 'Who knows when I'll get to splurge again,' he thought. With that,he fell into dreams and nightmares.

0400 hours July 24 2552 (Military Calendar)

/Epsilon Eridani System, Planet Reach

UNSC Marine Crucible Starting Point thirteen

Kilometers outside of Manassas.

"Listen up! As you already know, during the Crucible there are many obstacles both physical and mental. They are to test your ability to work as a team and do not worry,you will be judged as a unit, as a platoon. If your platoon commanders get you through with minimal casualties then you do not fail. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir drill instructor sir!" the cadets cried up in a chorus of excitement.

"On my mark! One...two...Mark!" Sergeant Nomen yelled.

Two hundred and fourty-six men and women set off marching south. If any were still children,when they returned they wouldn't be.

This crucible, much like the crucible of the twenty first century and twenty second century marines had several warrior stations. These warrior stations held obstacles related to the Covenant and others related to Innie combat. Scarab takedown and anti armor tactics will be tested as well as swift ground forces sweeps. If the UNSC has encountered it,it'll be there.

The sergeant would not accompany them for this. He hoped that all of them would succeed,but he saw promise in one marine in particular. One who he would request a transfer to the ODST training immediately after the crucible. Private Harold Locklear,just like his older brother Jason Locklear, would make a promising helljumper.