<strong><em>Onboard UNSC Flagship Hercules</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>Ten minutes before mission start</em></strong>[/i]<br/><br/>The Admiral looked around and sighed, more than thirty men lined the room and probably not even half of them would make it back.<br/>It was a terrible cost but, these men would save thousands with their intelligence. Admiral Bane looked to each and every one of them, memorizing their faces and the color of their armors and the designs painted onto them. He knew every man by name and he already regretted it. He mentally prayed and then looked up as the last man arrived "Alright men, here's the situation. There's a Covenant Cruiser hovering over down town New York City. We don't know what it's doing or what it's purpose is. Your mission to drop onto the Cruiser, find out it's objective and then destroy it. Your mission starts in ten minutes, grab your gear and report to the drop bay. You're dismissed and good hunting out there."<br/><br/>Gladiator stood up straight and saluted smartly "Yes sir" he said briefly before walking out of the briefing room and to a armory around the corner. The blue and gold Spartan looked over the weapons for a second Assualt Rifles, M5 Battle Rifles, MK6 Sniper Rifles, Rocket Launchers, Spartan Lasers, Plasma and Frag Grenades as well as an assortment of other weapons sat in their respective shelves just begging to be used. Gladiator grabbed a MK 6 Sniper Rifle and ten extra ammo packs and stuffed them in his belt. He slid the Sniper Rifle into place on a magnetic compartment on his back and then picked up a M5 Battle Rifle and ten extra ammo packs for that. Walking over to the grenades he smiled, he loved these things, soon enough 6 Frag grenades, 6 Plasma Grenades and 4 Brute Grenades went into his belt. Gladiator walked over to a nearby elevator and got in, pressing a button that lead to the 48th floor.<br/><br/>The elevator shot down, the familiar sensation of momentary weightlessness overcoming him. When the lift stopped, it did so with a small jerk, a moment later the doors opened and Gladiator0161 walked out into the darkened drop bay area. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving any further. The bay was in full commotion marines and ODST's running in every which way to grab last minute weapons and get to their "drop pods". The drop bay itself consisted of both walls lined with single occupant exoatmospheric insertion vehicles, the strict military types called them SOEIV's, everybody else just called them 'drop pods', a small armory and little else.<br/><br/>Having already chosen his weapons of choice, Gladiator walked over to a SOEIV, pressed the button that would open the hatch and got in.<br/>Now all there was to do was to wait for everyone to report in, the hatch to close and the mission to begin.