As we neared the dropship, I saw bodies sprawled everywhere. Most of them were the remains of Forerunner soldiers, but I spotted a helmet from a UNSC marine, too.
    “Must have had her cap knocked off before they got her,” Vale said.
    I knew what she meant. The Forerunner weapons didn’t just kill you. They obliterated you. It was like you simply evaporated into glowing energy crystals that faded into nothing faster than your last breath. They were absurdly powerful machines that the brains at ONI were still trying to figure out.
    There wasn’t anyone alive in the Pelican. Not even a remnant of them left behind.

Halo: Bad Blood Ch 1