THE LINE WE HOLD (VIRMIRE)

(Intro) (Soft, lonely piano notes - haunting and slow) (Faint sound of distant radio static and a steady heartbeat) [Verse 1] The jungle is screaming, the towers are high, A hero is waiting beneath a red sky. I look at the map, I look at the clock, The choice is a hammer, the choice is a rock. (Drums enter – slow, heavy beat) One stays behind so the mission can live, The greatest of gifts that a soldier can give. [Pre-Chorus] (Guitars begin to chug – Paragon emotional tension) I promised to bring every soul back to shore, But fate is a gambler in the shadow of war. Forgive me the burden, forgive me the hand, That leaves you forever in this burning sand! [Chorus] (Explosion of sound – Heavy Power Ballad energy) WE HOLD THE LINE! THROUGH THE ASHES AND STAIN! WE HOLD THE LINE! THROUGH THE SACRIFICE AND PAIN! One star will fade so the galaxy dreams, Torn at the edges, and burst at the seams! Virmire is burning, the silence is cold, But this is the story that has to be told! [Bridge] (Music drops to a low pulse – Spoken word, radio filter) "You all know the mission, and what is at stake. I have core teams and bomb teams. We will head into the mouth of hell... We will hold the line! Bit by bit! Inch by inch! HOLD THE LINE!" (Crescendo – Epic Heroic Guitar Solo) [Verse 2] (Fast paced, heavy rhythm) The Normandy's engines are roaring in vain, I’m washing the guilt with the fire and rain. An empty bunk waiting, a ghost in the hall, The price of the galaxy—one had to fall. [Chorus] (Maximum power – Full Orchestra and Choir) WE HOLD THE LINE! THROUGH THE ASHES AND STAIN! WE HOLD THE LINE! THROUGH THE SACRIFICE AND PAIN! One star will fade so the galaxy dreams, Torn at the edges, and burst at the seams! [Outro] (Music fades to a single piano note) (Soft whisper) I’m sorry... May the stars guide you home. (Sound of a distant explosion... then silence)