Staring into his own eyes had always helped him calm himself after awaking from the nightmares. Yet another day, yet another batch of men and women that would be thrown into the meat grinder. As he peered down at the insignia on his jacket he wondered why he had earned it while so many had died along the way. After another moment of quiet reflection, he donned his dress jacket and washed the sleep from his face. Before leaving his quarters, he strapped on his belt and drop-leg holster in which he slid his M6A pistol. He stood facing the mirror to straighten up his uniform one last time before walking out into the corridor.

    [i][color=00a99d]"Officer on deck!"[/color][/i]

    As he stepped across the threshold and entered the briefing room he gave short glances at each one of the men and women in front of him. They were children, not a surprise considering their status as Spartans. They had yet to know the fear and desperation of fighting the Covenant and he could only do his best to give them the best chance of survival he could. As he reached the front of the room, he tapped the screen on the podium and brought a map up on screen.[hider=Map][img]http://i.imgur.com/JLdPZhGl.jpg[/img][/hider]
    [color=Darkolivegreen]"At ease. Take your seats and we will begin the briefing."[/color] without pausing he continued, [color=Darkolivegreen]"I am Rear Admiral Marshall of the United Nations Space Command Navy. Although I am in command of this division I will leave on the ground and deployment decisions to your Captain. Disobeying a direct order from him is the same as disobeying a direct order from me. Now, lets get on with the briefing. The enemy force for this exercise with be a squad of Marines backed up by an unknown number of Marine recruits. They will be protecting a flag on this island and your job, is to recover it. This is a test of your skills as a team, if you hold delusions that you will be able to handle this on your own, you are mistaken."[/color]

    As he spoke, he peered around the room and made eye contact as much as possible. He paced a few times but came to a stop behind the podium at the end of his speech and paused before asking [color=darkolivegreen]"Any questions?"[/color]