; In accordance with Operation Long Arm, the dedicated Coalition involvement in the recent conflicts across all of Terra, Coalition personnel numbering in the hundreds of thousands had been dispatched to the withdrawn planet. Accompanied, and guarded, by the SBS Desgrala which maintained orbit around the Terran Moon and was serving as Task Force Spear's central Command in the immediate system, the two million strong Coalition Task Force had arrived planet-side in a rather small force recently, however. With nearly four Marine regiments ground-side outside the city and nearly an entire Marine battalion reaching the limits of the city, there were several advanced companies of Marines on a foray into the city, as well.

; For an amount of time, the Coalition Marines -- specifically those of the 308th and 386th Marine Regiments -- had done their best to maneuver to consolidate a majority of the Tech Con and Aschen properties across the area around Wing City. However, those signals displayed from the Scatterran forces ground-side would be distinctly Coalition, and would make no effort in hiding that fact. Following the audible churn of an engine outside of the bar, shouting could be heard in the street outside as the first Arbiter Mark IV tanks rolling down the street. Skirted on either side would be the platoons of Marines escorting them on their tract through the city.

; The Arbiter continued to roll by, the sleek barrels of the dual cannon rigged into the mainframe of the turret would traverse lightly up and down while the treads churned the asphalt beneath it. Moving alongside, the Marines boasted MR-18 and CAR-49 rifles, their heavy calibers bringing a definite boost of lethality to the Arbiter trundling down the street. It wasn't until the split second after the words of the Aschen would be received that the Coalition Marines would spring into action. With a coarse order from a command figure the twenty man team of Marines split into the alleyways and up the street, the pace and tension becoming outwardly heightened outside of the bar. The tank continued to roll on, however. The response would be similar throughout the entirety of all the Coalition forces both planet-side and in orbit. Silence.

; The deafening crack of the Arbiter's 180 millimeter cannons sent shudders through the bar, one window even being shattered due to its proximity and scattering a thick sheet of broken glass throughout the floor of the bar. Following the explosion of an SUV blocking the way, gunfire began to erupt around the bar as the Marines began to squeeze of round after round toward dark clothed figures carrying weapons. Most would be hacked down by the bulky 10 and 12.7 millimeter slugs delivered by the Marines; effectively, efficiently, and toned to elite lethality the Marines would stalk their way up the street.

; Overhead the howl of engines could be heard, a defiant shriek over the growl of gunfire and combat. Excelling in urban combat, the Marines possessed a distinctive advantage of firepower and situational awareness. Garbed in their complete combat gear they appeared more armored golemns than human, their weaponry spreading death and harrowing agony in bursts of rapid fire and prolonged rattle. With the first casualties dropping, be it from the shrapnel of exploded ordnance or the boiling heat of energy weapons, the Marines continued to push forward. Followed by the Marines, the Arbiter continued to roll forward, unleashing the 30 millimeter in-line cannon on a group of dark figures and annihilating them in a mushy spray of red gore and ruined limb. An instant later, the 40 millimeter launcher atop the turret of the Arbiter barked and created an explosion that buffeted the patio of the bar.

; With the firefight quickly growing across the city, the sky would become a myriad of flowering explosions and detonations as missile met machine in the skies above Wing City. With the most recent addition of the Aschen, at the moment unknown, forces overhead, those few Marine groups that had been graced with the heavier weapons -- such as the 'SkyKiller' Mobile Orbital Attack Cannons (MOAC) would begin to target and fire on the atmospheric threats, including those dropships bringing the unwanted reinforcements.

; As fury began to rain from the skies, the intensity of the MOAC fire would increase tenfold, the deadly shells posing quite possibly the ultimate threat to any of the ships in atmosphere -- that was, of course, minus the involvement of the nearly 80 Coalition ships in orbit around the Terran moon. With their operative capabilities somewhat hampered, the Marines, still a very potent fighting force, would trade in their clunky vehicles and cumbersome armor for the sleeker and far deadlier hit-and-run tactics against the few groups of Aschen whom had made landfall.

; As fury began to rain from the skies, the intensity of the MOAC fire would increase tenfold, the deadly shells posing quite possibly the ultimate threat to any of the ships in atmosphere -- that was, of course, minus the involvement of the nearly 80 Coalition ships in orbit around the Terran moon. With their operative capabilities somewhat hampered, the Marines, still a very potent fighting force, would trade in their clunky vehicles and cumbersome armor for the sleeker and far deadlier hit and run tactics throughout the city. While the MOAC cannon-fire took it's damage on the blissfully ignorant Aschen ships, and the first Reverence would fall to the dirt of the planet, torn apart by the concentrated 26.6 inch fire spat out by the cannons situated in well concealed locations across the city and it's outskirts. Overhead, the Aschen attempts in the sky would be meet with the bared teeth of M2492 'Annihilator' Attack Craft; the airjets capable of rapid flight, often attacking the defenseless Aschen armor. Several Annihilator

; Several Annihilators utilizing the newest addition to the Coalition armory; the 'Streaker' Anti-Armor Kinetic Package, which was nothing more than an electromagnetic rail that fired a sleek conductive sabot at near-light speeds. Resulting in an often instant collision and deadly results.*

; The fighting increasing in both intensity and collateral damage, the Coalition Marines had began to quickly consolidate themselves in strong points throughout the city. Keeping those deadly Reverence's at bay by using a combination of civilian protection and strategically placed MOAC shells. A majority of the MOAC's remained, due to that beautiful thing called 'Mobility'. With another prolonged and concentrated burst, the MOAC crews could easily down another one or two of the Reverence class -- the tenacity and capability of the Coalition forces could be openly displayed to all those, even the advanced ARMARX forces weaving their way through the countryside, meeting the rear echelons of the 308th and 345th Marine Regiments. Meanwhile, inside the city, the four Marine Regiments that had been cut off following the beginning of the conflict had consolidated; being given breathing space by the firefight overhead between the Annihilator crews and their Aschen counterparts.

; The rear echelons of the Marine Regiments, bogged down with the ARMARX forces to the rear, and pushing forward into the city to support the severed Marine regiments still holding were becoming stretched to near breaking point as they collided with the first Aschen forces that had gained control of a considerable portion of the city. All around, the MOAC's would slink back into the center formations of the Coalition line around the city. With the firefights across the city growing in new intensity, the first drop-pods of the 607th and 608th Drop Battalion. The drop pods would shriek from the sky, blasting through the airborne debris and smoke left by the fallen Aschen ships that lay across the surface in ruined husks. More often than not most of the ODI would land in relatively silent areas; following the first drop pods would come the forward elements of MSC-45 'Archer-Eagle' flights, the sleek craft far deadlier than their M2492 counterparts. Any Aschen, or ARMARX aircraft in the area would soon become prime targets for t

prime targets for the Coalition birds.*

; The roar of engines punctured the air as the Marine armored detachment approached the bar, scattering any Halo forces that had produced themselves from the nooks and crannies of the city to fight the Aschen presence the Coalition forces took little fire as they rounded the corner. Boasting far greater firepower than most forces in the entire city, the three SHV-77 MBT's rolling over several cars as the Claymore IFV's sprang to action. Stepping from the lead Claymore, a Marine Colonel had long since barking orders before he looked across the desolated expanse.
"Who in the fuck is in charge here?"

; The Marine Colonel spat to the floor, his bulky figure towering over his Aschen counterpart as the Colonel jumped down the Aschies throat as soon as possible. As the eighty-strong armored detachment flooded through the street to secure the location, the Colonel was one of the few Marines actually speaking.
"What part of Red Zone do you stupid amateurs not understand? You've got half an hour to pack this shit out of here and move on, Aschen."

; The Colonel spat another thin line from his mouth. Off to the left, several Marines dragged the corpse of a Halo mercenary from the wreckage of a sedan and deposited the vanquished foe alongside a line of others they had produced on the sidewalk. Two other Marines stood guard, their MR-18 rifles slung across their chests as the soldiers prepared a round of cigarettes to be smoked. With a Claymore trundling down the street toward the other then intersection, the Colonel pointed to the four Marines following up behind the Claymore.
"You stupid fucks -- " He began, obviously meaning the remainder of Aschen forces, including the Tech Con mercenaries.
"Follow those stupid fucks -- understand?" With that, the Colonel had finished his escapade against the Aschen and turned on his heel, leaving the Aschen to their device -- yet intently suggesting they not return.
"Get this clusterfucker under control, Seventy-Seventh!"

; To the right, a fireteam of Marines breached and cleared a house. One Marine drawing his boot and crashing the door down quickly as his comrades flooded past him into the building. With the Colonel passing by, still obviously fuming from the Aschen intervention.
"Whoever the fuck those trigger-jockeys think they are -- " The Colonel cursed bitterly as he passed by an unnamed Lieutenant.
"We should be piling 'em up alongside the Halos, sir. Line 'em up and drop 'em."

; For the past several hours, anyone daring to glance into the streets of Wing City or the skies above would see the increase in Coalition activity -- finally culminating in the roar of jet engines overhead and the sight of the snarling hulls of Annihilator Gunships zooming through the skies overhead.

With a loud groan, the Claymore IFV rolled through the street, flanked on either side by bulwarked Marines wielding automatics and varieties of heavy equipment. The Claymore steam-rolled over a parked sedan, flattening a stop sign in its path before coming to a halt outside the bar; the two Marine squads flanking the vehicle disembarked from the streets and flooded through the alleyways before the bulky door at the back of the Claymore dropped to the ground.
"Feet on the ground Marines, go, go, go!" The shouting orders heard from the innards of the Claymore warned those nearby to stand back as the squad flooded from the rear of the Claymore.

; The UCON Colonel stepped down from the insides of the Claymore, the IFV's dual cannons sweeping from side to side in a slow arc before a group of Marines surrounded the front end of the bar. Their weapons held slack against their chests, one of the Marines flicked two fingers toward the visage of the building while holding a small holographic display in one hand.
"This is the place, Colonel." The Marine responded with a coarse shout, before the Colonel began to take the steps in quick strides, several other Marines following him closely. Entering the bar, the Scatterran would enter boastfully, easily drawing attention to both himself and the four Marines behind him.

; The Colonel spat harshly as his eyes fell upon a group of three armored combatants.
"That wasn't no Cov-nent battery that brought your ass down, boy." The Colonel harped in his condensed drawl, speaking obviously to the jet-black adorned one of the group.
"Now -- you mind tellin' me how you get past a Coalition planet screen with an Aschen fleet overhead?"

; The Colonel shot a glance toward a bulwarked soldier aiming a rifle in the direction of the UCON Marines, which were met with sever scowls and several harsh words from the Marines. As the soldiers spoke, the Colonel couldn't help but reveal the typical Scatterran prejudice.
"We ain't standin' down fer' shit -- now mind explainin' where the right hell all of you came from. Because your gear sure ain't Coalition Standard."