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Description
She ignored the panic around her as people fled to shelters. She knew it wouldn't do any good. Instead, she watched the Covenant cruiser directly above her as its underside started to glow bright blue. Her armor would normally have cancelled out the brightness to protect her eyes, but she had disabled it. It didn't matter anymore, and she wanted to watch it unimpended. The field she stood on was soaked with blood, both the Covenant's and her allies, including the other spartans. She had watched them all die, had done her best to save them, but it had been hopeless. They had been outnumbered. She had kept fighting until all of the covenant were dead. When she ran out of ammo she had fought them hand to hand: had broken necks, crushed skulls, and had even ripped one elites insides out and watched him die while trying to put his organs back inside the gaping hole in his chest. She would not let any of them get the satisfaction of killing the last spartan on Reach, possibly the last anywhere. Her armor was pock-marked from bullets and plasma, splattered in all different colors of blood, and some of the plating had even started to fall off from all of the abuse the armor had taken. She had still been riding an adrenaline high when the belly of the cruiser had started to glow. Now it had been replaced by something else.
She felt a tug at her arm and she glanced down, reluctant to remove her eyes from the impending doom above. A small child stood there, looking up at her with scared, confused eyes. Undoubtedly his parents had been killed by the covenant. She smiled sadly behind her visor and picked him up. He shifted uncomfortably against her bloodstained armor, but wrapped his arms round her neck nonetheless. She heard him making small sniffling sounds and lightly patted his back. She turned to back to look up at the ship again, and watched as the energy started to form a ball, from which the killing beam would come. As she stared at it, she started to cry, something she could not remember ever doing. But now she did. She cried for all the people on this planet that she had fought so hard to protect, which now meant nothing. She cried for Reach, one of the last human strongholds, and the only home she had ever known. She cried for all of her fallen brothers and sisters, the only family she could ever remember having. And she cried for the child, which she still held in her arms, who cried along with her. Finally, she looked down, just as the energy under the ship started to flicker. The beam was close to launching, there wasn't much time left. With her one free arm took off her helmet, and waited for the end.

Description
She ignored the panic around her as people fled to shelters. She knew it wouldn't do any good. Instead, she watched the Covenant cruiser directly above her as its underside started to glow bright blue. Her armor would normally have cancelled out the brightness to protect her eyes, but she had disabled it. It didn't matter anymore, and she wanted to watch it unimpended. The field she stood on was soaked with blood, both the Covenant's and her allies, including the other spartans. She had watched them all die, had done her best to save them, but it had been hopeless. They had been outnumbered. She had kept fighting until all of the covenant were dead. When she ran out of ammo she had fought them hand to hand: had broken necks, crushed skulls, and had even ripped one elites insides out and watched him die while trying to put his organs back inside the gaping hole in his chest. She would not let any of them get the satisfaction of killing the last spartan on Reach, possibly the last anywhere. Her armor was pock-marked from bullets and plasma, splattered in all different colors of blood, and some of the plating had even started to fall off from all of the abuse the armor had taken. She had still been riding an adrenaline high when the belly of the cruiser had started to glow. Now it had been replaced by something else.
She felt a tug at her arm and she glanced down, reluctant to remove her eyes from the impending doom above. A small child stood there, looking up at her with scared, confused eyes. Undoubtedly his parents had been killed by the covenant. She smiled sadly behind her visor and picked him up. He shifted uncomfortably against her bloodstained armor, but wrapped his arms round her neck nonetheless. She heard him making small sniffling sounds and lightly patted his back. She turned to back to look up at the ship again, and watched as the energy started to form a ball, from which the killing beam would come. As she stared at it, she started to cry, something she could not remember ever doing. But now she did. She cried for all the people on this planet that she had fought so hard to protect, which now meant nothing. She cried for Reach, one of the last human strongholds, and the only home she had ever known. She cried for all of her fallen brothers and sisters, the only family she could ever remember having. And she cried for the child, which she still held in her arms, who cried along with her. Finally, she looked down, just as the energy under the ship started to flicker. The beam was close to launching, there wasn't much time left. With her one free arm took off her helmet, and waited for the end.