Post by exaldear on Dec 24, 2016 11:49:00 GMT 12
1650 HOURS NOVEMBER 3, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDER) \
SOL SYSTEM PLANET EARTH
Low Lying Space Station currently used as an ODST drop point.
Corporal George Looked down at the Destruction. Earth had fallen, everyone on board the Station knew it, and it was lowering morale. The Covenant had all but destroyed the Remainder of the fleet, and ground combat had broken out in multiple countries. He and his team had just been briefed. A drop behind current enemy lines to help Marines on the ground in Australia. ONI had a facility there and it must not fall, they had been told, not that they knew where. Another spook job, someone called it.
Now they were checking the 'pods' for the drop. George loaded his battle rifle and side arm into the weapon slots, and was now doing a pre-drop check, make sure everything was tight. No one liked to think about what would happen if the chute failed, ODSTs where tough but even that hurt when a squad mate or friend plowed feet first into the ground without slowing. George thought back to his time in boot. he had been so scared then of the drop, now the drop was the easiest part, the hard part was when the door opened and you faced hell.
The alarm blared to life. "1 minute to drop blue. 1 minute to drop"
George, did the final check, jumped in and strapped himself in. He opened the Team Freq, his CO appearing in the small monitor by his face. "Strap in a shove a cork in it" he said.
An old joke that used to make everyone laugh, now it reminded the platoon of those they had lost. The countdown appeared on the other screen 5...4...3...2...1.
The ground gave way beneath the pod and George fell. he gripped the steering yoke, 'not much use' he thought and held on for grim life. The chute deployed and his pod slowed before smashing into the ground. The door burst open and George grabbed his gear.
Pack on his back rifle in hand and side arm stowed he moved off down the street. He heard commands being ordered over the Team freq. "Covenant Forces are located two blocks south of my position, move in and take'em out" His CO's said.
George brought up a map and all his platoon showed up on it. He needed to get over one block to the east. He checked and saw an Alley way. He checked to make sure the coast was clear and then ran across the road into the confines of the alley.
He crept down the dark passage, trying to remain silent, every noise making him jump. He came out on the other side, and saw the plasma fire and bullets criss-crossing as the Marines tried to hold back the Aliens. he took aim from the shelter provided by a trash bin and opened fire on the lead Grunt. The trio of bullets hit the stocky alien in the chest rupturing the orange tunic and punching a hole in the environment suit. The grunt fell but was replaced with two more.
Grunts may be cannon fodder to the Covenant but they just kept pushing and pushing, they had been known to take positions by drowning the enemy in their own blood. George sighted another and fired. He kept at it only stopping to reload. Plasma splashed across the bin, but for now it held. More of his platoon showed up, trying to surround the aliens and box them in. Two Elites stood in the center ordering the grunts on wards and killing at will. George opened the Team Freq "Concentrate all fire on the crimson Elite, bring him down" He said.
The other ODSTs must have heard because bullets started to ping off his shields wearing them down until it popped and several rounds entered the body splashing purple blood on the ground. George immediately targeted the second Elite just as two Brutes jumped in, off the roof top of the closest building. "Frag out" Someone shouted and several grenades went soaring into the alien horde. The remaining grunts got blown apart as did one of the Brutes. The Marines came out of cover as did the ODSTs, rifles, pistols and SMGs raised.
The Elite stood facing the Brute who wielded a massive Gravity Hammer.,'That thing could tear the marines and us apart' George thought. Then the Brute rounded on the Elite brought the hammer down and crushed its skull. The Marines took this opportunity and bullets tore into the Brute, tearing it apart, it collapsed before it took two steps.
The Marines called the ODSTs in and brought them to the makeshift camp they had set up. George sat down after getting some more ammo, and thought back over the years of training and warfare with the rebels, he hoped that the fighting could stop soon, it was draining everything from everyone. If the Covenant won, that was it. No wonder everyone looked down and beaten, they almost where.
1025 HOURS FEBRUARY 23, 2519 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM REACH MILITARY COMPLEX
PLANET REACH
George stood at full Attention near the Landing pad 'It was time' he thought. Next to him Vesquez tried to reach slightly higher. He was always doing that. Trying to beat me in everything. The two of them were top of the class, and always trying to out do the other, and now was the time for them to shine. Staff Sargent Novich walked in front of them, tuning crisply to face the platoon.
"Recruits, it is time for your first decent into Hell. You have run the simulations, and you know what to do, and what to expect, but this is real life, things happen. It is time for us to see who deserves the honour of being a Helljumper. When those Pelicans touchdown, you will move into squads and board your designated transport, they will take you to the drop station where you will be instructed on what comes next. Show us what you got, and make us proud" The Staff Sargent said. He then marched away.
The sound of Pelican engines could be heard over the drills and weapons fire. It was a sound that every soldier knew and loved, it meant reinforcements, and it meant rescue. The dropships flew over the trainees and looped round to touch down on the pads. The three doors opened and the 30 strong platoon split into three groups of ten. They jogged up and took seats before the ramp closed and the belly thrusters fired up.George felt the Pelican wobble as it lifted off, then tilted up and took off for the drop station. Excitement and fear flowed through him, doing battle inside. He clamped down on those emotions, plenty of time after he had landed safely back on solid ground.
The Pelicans took twenty minutes to land inside the hangar, slowed down by a frigate leaving space dock. The Pelicans touched down the Ramps opened up and training took over. George and Vesquez led their squad out before filing into formation. A burly ODST in full armour stood in front of them. "You will move towards the armoury, grab the test armour, and then follow the instructions given to you on how to get to the drop room. From there you will be told what else you need to do" He said "Dismissed"
The trainees filed out and breaking into a jog made their way to the armoury. Their they pulled on a cu down version of the ODST armour and helmet before forming up and following instructions on their HUDs telling them where the drop room was. 5 minutes later they stood inside the cramped room, looking at the drop pods. A Female Staff Sargent came in, she had the air of authority, and looked as if she would throw you out without a chute, just because she could. "These 'pods' are already primed and have been triple checked. You will wait ten minutes then drop. Relax Trainees" She said.
As she turned and left, a couple of Trainees sat down, another group went to check the 'pods', though made sure not to touch anything. George walked over to a 'pod' with his name painted on. He remembered the checklist, and though he did not touch anything, he ran through it, making sure everything checked out.
Eight minutes to go George sat down next to the pod, thinking about how it would feel. 7 minutes two Trainees got up and ran out, the pressure getting to them. 5 Minutes to go Four more left, the platoon of 30 was down to 23. 3 minutes to go George's leg began to shake, he tried to clamp it down but could not, his palms where sweating too. 1 minute to go. Alarms sounded he jumped into action, making sure his squad was secured before doing his own straps. 30 seconds, another Trainee pulled out, crying as he left. 5 seconds the hatches sealed, four the pods moved out, three George Grabbed the Handles of the hatch, two he closed his eyes, 1, 0.
The clamp let go. and gravity seemed to switch off. The 'Pod' shook violently as it re-entered Reach's Atmosphere, George let out a string of curses wishing the pod would stop shaking. He looked out and saw the other 'pods' plummet towards the ground He then looked down and saw the planet getting closer and closer, he made out the ridge line of the Mountains in the south, then the lakes in the forests. The compounds looked like a city for ants as it came into focus, then he could make out the specific one for the ODSTs, then the Chute deployed. Georges Head whipped forward with the sudden deceleration as the pod slowed. The ground was still rushing up, it was going to be a hard landing. George could see the drop zone, and the first few pods to land. Then his hit the ground and sunk in a small bit, the hatch popped open and the harness released.
George fell out on to the grass, crawled out of the landing zone then threw up, the others who had landed where doing the same thing 'why did I eat so much at breakfast' he thought. He saw Vesquez do the same thing before passing out. 'Oh well at least I didn't...' he thought before his head went blank and he passed out as well.
0830 HOURS, AUGUST 14, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
UNSC COLONY WORLD TRIBUTE, EPSILON ERIDANUS SYSTEM
ODST BLUE GROUP DEPLOYMENT + 36 HOURS
"Move, Move, Move" George shouted.
Bullets whizzed over head and he instinctively ducked. He turned and fired a quick burst towards their pursuers trying to slow them down. "This is Blue lead, calling for immediate Evac, we are over run and can not hold the position" George said trying to reach Planetary Command.
Things had gone bad since the drop. His team had landed in the middle of heavy combat, because Intel was sketchy at best, he had lost two men before pushing the Innies back. Then they got orders to strike back at them, without proper reinforcements and Intel. The Innies pinned them down and George had ordered his men to fall back. Now they where fighting for their lives in the jumble of a small township that had been bombed recently. George pocked his head above the masonry he was using for cover. "Blue two fall back, Blue thee and five cover him" George said.
He Rose above the rubble and lay down a suppressing fire using his MA5B, Blue thee and five using SMGs. Blue two, Vesquez, rose up and ran back to join them, dodging building parts and bodies that lay there.
He dived behind cover then resting his rifle on the ruble used it to keep it steady as he returned fire. "Check your HUDs, lets not get trapped again" George said, noticing some Innies trying to sneak round them.
His COM crackled to life "... Negative pick u... Reinfoce ... Top secret ..." Came through.
"DAM, Looks like we need to hold out a little longer Blue, we are not done here" George said.
Blue thee looked at him "Your Joking right? Sir?" She said.
"Sorry Three, not this time, Planetary Command is sending Reinforcements to assist" George said.
'This sucked' George thought 'they had better send a couple of Tanks to assist' George thought.
The Sound reached them before Five saw them. Two Hornet attack platforms flew towards them. Their guns opened up lay down fire as three men dropped from them, landing hard then standing straight up and lay down Heavy fire into the Innies, who started to fall back, dying to twos and threes. "Alright ODSTs, Lets assist the reinforcements. Open Fire" George said.
He and his men rose as one and the group of Soldiers moved through the ruble killing those who poked their heads out to take pot shots at them. The Innies started to flee in ones and twos. Then all survivors ran for it. Jumping into Warthogs they had stolen. George watched as two fully loaded Hogs drove away, he turned to face the men who had come to save them. He stared open mouthed as three 7 foot tall humans stood before them. Green armour still shiny as if brand new. It looked like it was some sort of new ODST armour. His HUD flashed the Troopers ranks but no names "Petty Chief, Sir. Corporal George Harland Blue group, do we have new orders" He said.
The man looked at him, well George assumed it was a man. He cocked his head slightly, then said "No your Pelican is on its way, one click north. NavSpecWep section three is taking over this operation" The man said.
"ONI, Dam" George said. "Very well Petty Officer. Blue collect yourself then Fall Out!"
His men picked up weapons and ammo clips then started to hump their way towards their Evac. George stood facing the Men who had aided them "Sir who are you?" He asked.
The Man cocked his head to the side again "We? We are Spartan White Team" He said.
George walked in the middle of the group 'Spartans, who the hell are Spartans?' He thought.They saw the dropship as it came down to land. He and his men broke into a jog to get inside the safety of the Dropship. Once in the ramp closed before they had sat down and the Pelican took off. George removed his helmet and it dropped to the floor and rolled about. He ran his hands through his short hair. Then he felt the Pelican rise up, heading for Orbit. "Pilot, where are we going?" He asked.
"De-Briefing, sir. ONIs orders" The pilot responded.
"Great, just what we need now" Vesquez said.
George walked into the Briefing room. It was pitch black, except for the shaft of light illuminating a Podium. George walked towards it and stood at attention. A man spoke out of the Darkness "You are Corporal George Harland, Blue Team 22 Platoon 105th Division?" He asked though it sounded like a Statement.
"Yes, sir" George replied.
"You recently had contact with Three soldiers making up Spartan White Team, who assisted you in repelling Rebels on the Planet bellow"
"Yes, sir, who are.."
"Just answer the question Corporal" The man said. "The Spartan Project is a secret group and part of NavSpecWep section three, they are classified above top secret and anything you have seen you will forget, now. Tell us what happened from start to finish, giving as much detail as possible" The man said.
George walked out of the room twenty minutes later white faced and shaking. He made his way to the showers removed his armour he was still wearing and let the warm water wash off all the blood, dirt and secrets. He stayed there for ten minutes, thinking about what he heard. he then got into his fatigues and made his way to his room. He collapsed on the bed and fell asleep, tossing and turning, dreaming about what he had been told to forget.
Caution contains some bad language.
0600 HOURS, NOVEMBER 1, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM, REACH MILITARY COMPLEX
UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI IN ORBIT AROUND PLANET REACH
George sat in the briefing room. He looked round at the Marines and Naval Personal. It was Strange he thought, to have all these men and women being briefed here, and not on the ground.
They had been called back from Tribute so fast his head was still spinning. Now he sat there in his fatigues as the holoprojector turned on.
Admiral Preston Cole stood before them. George's mouth dropped open, this was unheard of. The Admiral cleared his throat before speaking. "This is Harvest, population of approximately three million. Although on the periphery of UNSC-controlled space, this world is one of our more productive and peaceful colonies." He said.
"As of military calendar February 3, at 1423 hours, the Harvest orbital platform made long range contact with this object."
A blurry outline appeared next to Admiral Cole, along with the Harvest system. "Spectroscopic analysis proved inconclusive," Close said. "The object is constructed of materials unknown to us."
"Contact with Harvest," Cole continued, "was lost shortly thereafter. The Colonial Military Administration sent the scout ship Argo to investigate. That ship arrived in-system on April Twentieth, but other than a brief transmission to confirm their Slipstream position, no further reports were made.
"In response, Fleet Command assembled a battle group to investigate. The group consisted of the Destroyer Heracles, commanded by Captain Veredi, as well as the frigates Arabia and Vostok. They entered the Harvest System on October seventh and discovered the following."
The holograph of the planet Harvest changed. The lush fields and rolling hills transformed, morphing into a cratered, barren desert. Thin grey sunlight reflected off a glassy crust. Heat wavered from the surface. Isolated regions glowing red.
"This is what was left of the colony." Cole paused to let the image sink in, and then continued. "We assume that all inhabitants are lost."
George just stared at the image of Harvest. "It can not be possible" He said.
Vesquez sat next to him. "How can we fight that?" He said total disbelief etched on his face.
All around them similar mutterings were going on. Cole let the information sink in before starting again. The assembly went silent hanging on his every word. "This is what the Heracles battle group found in orbit," Cole told them. The blurry image sharpened into focus, showing a spacecraft that looked more insect than ship.
"The unidentified vessel," Admiral Cole said, "launched an immediate attack against our forces." Blue flashes of light strobed from the ship. Red motes of light then appeared along its hull. Bolts of energy coalesced into a fiery smear against the blackness of space. The deadly flashes of light impacted on the Arabia, splashed across its hull. Its meter of armour plating instantly boiled away, and a plume of ignited atmosphere burst from the breach in the ship's hull.
"Those were pulse lasers," Admiral Cole explained, "and - if this record is to be believed - some kind of selfguided, superheated plasma weapon."
The two remaining ships returned fire launching salvos of missiles toward the craft. The lasers shot down half the missiles before they reached their target. The rest of the missiles impacted, detonating into blossoms of fire. The crowd cheered, but Cole looked grim. The fires faded quickly, the strange ship shimmered with a semitransparent silver coating, which then vanished.
"They also seem to have some sort of reflective energy shield." Cole's face became a mask "The Vostok and Arabia were lost with all hands. The Heracles jumped out of the system, but due to the damage she sustained, it took several weeks for Captain Veredi to make it back to Reach.
"These weapons and defensive systems are currently beyond our technology. Therefore . . . this craft is of nonhuman origin." Cole paused, then added, "The product of a race with technology far in advance of our own"
Blue team looked at each other, the same look of terror in each of their eyes, but the same resolve to revenge Harvest and the crews of the Vostok and Arabia.
"We have, of course, developed a number of first contact scenarios, which Captain Veridi followed. We had hoped that first contact with a new race would be peaceful. Obviously this was not the case - the alien vessel did not open fire until our task force attempted to initiate communications."
Cole paused. This speech was being given by every Admiral, to every member of the UNSC. He considered his next words carefully. "Fragments of the enemy's transmissions were intercepted," Cole continued. "A few words have been translated. We believe they call themselves 'The Covenant.' However, before opening fire, the alien ship broadcast the following message in the clear."
He gestured and an A.I. appeared. It nodded, and a moment later a voice came through the speakers. The voice was cold and sounded artificial, laden with rage and menace.
"Your destruction is the will of the gods . . . and we are their instruments."
"This is not a translation. It means they have been studying us for sometime." Cole said. "As of November 1, the UNSC will be ordered to full alert. I have started to mobilize the fleet and we will retake the Harvest System, and confront this new threat their transmission made one thing perfectly clear: They're looking for a fight."
George clenched his fists. He was angered at the killing of three million innocent lives, at the unprovoked nature, and the method. He felt angry at the hopelessness of their fight ahead.
"The Fleet will leave for Harvest at 1200 Hours. Dismissed" Cole said.
His holoimage and all others dissolved, and everyone stood and left filing out. "Alright Blue, store the rest of your things, then make for the cryo bay. We get to take a nap" George said. He tried to fill his voice with calm authority, but failed, as his voice broke. He walked out, and his platoon Sergeant came up to him. The hardened ODST looked shell shocked. "Sir, do we have orders?"
George asked.
Staff Sargent Novich seemed to snap out of his trance and looked at George "Ah, oh yes Corporal. Blue will be going down in the first Pelican, from this ship. You are to help set up a military base for our troops to land at, it is unknown if there are enemy forces on the ground, however the Polar Regions appear to be untouched. Further orders to be given once you are down there" Staff Sargent Novich said.
"Very good, sir"
"Dismissed, Marine." The Staff Sergeant said. "And stay safe"
George walked away towards the cryo bays. He had already stored his gear. He felt un-nerved. His Sergeant had always seemed like a rock, and now he was freaked out. George shook his head, 'If I start thinking like that, I may as well give up' He thought.
His team had already assembled, and stripped own. George walked in and stowed his fatigues, boots and dog tags into his cubicle. Then climbed into his Cryo tube, his name stenciled onto the front. As the gases began to seep in. He had one last thought, Lets finish them.
Briefing taken from Halo: The Fall of Reach pages 95-98.
Author Eric Nylund
0900 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
CRYO BAY OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI, EN-ROUTE TO HARVEST COLONY WORLD
Just after the Gallipoli reverted back to normal space, George's Cryo tube opened, He had had a brief dream about bullets whizzing over head and giants destroying cities, then those cities turning to glass and shattering. As the door opened to his cryo tube and his eyes opened he tried to take a breath. "Corporal, sit up" A voice called out. "Sit and take a deep breath and cough, sir"
George pushed himself into a sitting position and tried again to inhale. He leaned over the side of the tube and started coughing, he kept coughing until a long string of clearish fluid flowed from his mouth.
He took another half breath, bent over the side and coughed up the rest. Then took a big full breath. He climbed out of the tube and walked over to his locker. He opened it up and pulled out his gear, throwing on his clothes, as the crew in the Cryo bay woke up the others. Men and women who were due to go down to Harvest needed waking now. He laced up his boots before pulling his shirt over his head. Blue three stood next to him, she like everyone else waking up was naked. Cryo sleep and clothes did not mix well, every piece of covered skin blistered painfully.
Even though he had been drilled like this and seen this for years the thoughts going through his head never changed, she was beautiful. Tall, well muscled, a true warrior. He clamped down on these thoughts. Now was not the tome. Gallipoli was just about to revert and he and his team needed to be armouring up, and preparing for their trip down to Harvest.
He also had to check with the squads new members, those replacing the men who died on Tribute. As soon as his squad was dressed, and the crew had checked them over he had them jog down to the armoury. They would all be stiff and sore from all the time spent in the freezer.
They entered the armoury and immediately gravitated towards the gear they had stowed away before they were put to sleep. George put on his vest and started attaching the iconic ODST armour to it, he grabbed a bag and started to dump ammo and supplies into it. While he was doing this another four groups of Marine came in, as well as naval personal, and pilots. George looked at the groups as they entered, each one tried to avoid the ODSTs eye contact. George grabbed his pistol and a M7 smg, attaching both to his leg holsters. He also grabbed a set of grenades and took a look at the rifles.
Their where two new ones a bulky looking rifle whose tag read Dedicated Marksman rifle. Blue three walked up next to him, and smiled as she picked it up. "I was wondering when we would get these" She said. She walked back towards the squad and grabbed here helmet putting it on. George looked at the other rifle, a prototype whose tag read BR55. underneath someone had written Battle Rifle. George picked it up and shouldered it.
The Rifle felt great, he checked the details, then grabbing a few clips of ammo, stuffed them in his bag, before putting his own helmet on. "Blue four, I hear you are good with a sniper, we will need one, with little to no recon on this." George said. "Everyone else, grab your favorite, and enough ammo to last a 48 hour gun fight, we do not know when we will get more." He added.
His Squad nodded and moved swiftly. Once packed, he called them into a line. "Sorry I do not have time for your names, I will have to learn them down bellow." George said to them "However, you should all know. I am Corporal George Harland, I shall be called, Sir, Corporal, or George. Now you should have all read our briefing before Cryo, but here it is. We are being deployed to help protect the Main base as it is set up. Vice-Admiral Cole plans on punching a hole through that Alien son-of-a--censored- ship, and then deploying us. Our job is to first protect the lives of the workers, second identify and eliminate any Covenant stupid enough to show their faces, and third once those two are done, hunt down those aliens and give'em hell.
"Remember we are the best of the best, they call us in to do the jobs that the grunts can not do. WE ARE ODST, OOH RAH" George said.
"OOH RAH" His squad replied.
"Now fall out, and make way for the hangar bay. MOVE IT"
They moved in a steady jog, down the corridors heading towards the Hangar bay.
0945 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
BRIDGE OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI, EN-ROUTE TO HARVEST COLONY WORLD
Captain Anderson stood in front of the view screen and looked out at the enemy Spaceship. The fleet had arrived spread out all over the place due to the erratic nature of slipstream space. "Nav, make best speed towards our nav point" He said.
"Yes, sir" the lieutenant said.
"Push the Engines to 75 percent, we do not want to get there to fast and be sitting ducks." Anderson said.
"Alert Missile crews to stand-by and Charge the MAC's."
"Yes, sir" His lieutenant at weapons said.
Anderson looked at the lone Covenant ship, it just sat there, as if was sleeping or lying in wait. "Sir, message from Heart of Midlothian" the COMs officer said.
"Put it on screen Lieutenant"
Admiral Cole appeared "This is a message to all UNSC ships, purge all databases and triple check them and override reactor safeties, if those bastards try to board you or steal information detonate. Finally, if given the command to retreat, generate a random exit vector, away from any UNSC world. Any failure of this command will be met with life imprisonment or execution. Good luck everyone, Cole out"
Anderson turned to face his junior officers. "You heard the Admiral, proceed with those commands." He said.
The officers jumped into action and soon had everything complete. "Sir approaching nav point, we have been told to hold fire unless required"
"Bring the ship to face, alert ground crews to be ready for launch"
"Aye, sir alerting now"
Captain Anderson looked out at the view screen then turned to face the holotable. Bring all relevant data up here" He said.
"Aye sir"
The battle groups of Cole's fleet appeared as tiny graphical representations of them, as well as the lone Covenant ship and Harvest. "Show the firing solution for those ships attacking"
Red lines came from four ships all lining up with the lone spacecraft. "Show timers"
A countdown appeared above each ship firing. Anderson tapped in a few commands and the view zoomed in to show just the battle group and the single alien craft. Then the timers hit zero.
The entire bridge crew looked forward as the four streaks of light sped towards the alien ship. The first one hit and sent the ship reeling back, its shields flickered and then popped. The second, third and fourth all found their mark and punched through the hull, then the ship blossomed outwards exploding. The crew cheered as the cloud dispersed and they could see the ship had been destroyed.
"Sir, message incoming. We have orders, land our forces"
"Tell launch crews, time to retake Harvest" Anderson said.
"Aye sir."
1015 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
LAUNCH BAY OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI, EN-ROUTE TO HARVEST COLONY WORLD
"Call Came in, time to deploy" Their pilot shouted back to them, as the Pelican lifted off the ground and the back ramp closed.
George felt nervous. After years of Combat drops he preferred to enter a planet in his drop pod. Having to do it with someone else in control frightened him, or it at least made him uncomfortable.
The Pelican pushed its way out of the hangar and followed the flight lead towards Harvest. The ride towards the atmosphere was uneventful, as was the ride down, except for a few bumps, the atmosphere was this having almost boiled away as the Aliens had glassed the planet excluding the polar regions. Blue team was helping with the southern region and then scouting as far north as they could.
The pelican touched down and the ramp opened up. George and his men ran off taking up firing positions. All clears came through the COM links as they spread out checking the LZ. "LZ appears clear Commander, bring in the base" George called.
There were two carriers in orbit Spirit of Fire in the North and The way of Shadows Each with Bases designed to deploy from the ship and land on the planet. George watched as two longswords escorted the Base down. The four engines kicking up snow and melting ice as it touched down. Immediately crews that arrived by Pelican began to secure the base as well as the armoury and even a vehicle bay. Two Pelicans came in bringing warthogs with them. Each Hog was dropped off and pushed inside the bay. More pelicans began landing carrying weapon boxes and ammo, as well as fuel and more personal.
George half watched them, but kept his focus outwards constantly checking his motion detector. "Four, check in, you spotted anything?" George asked.
"No sir. All clear for now, how long until more forces show up?" Blue four responded.
"Marines should be on their way down now" George replied.
George checked the scope of his Battle rifle, they where in a flat bottomed basin, with steep walls all around them and only one path out. His men had spread out so they had eyes on all sides and Four had taken cover up on one mountain checking all others and the opening.
Georges COM crackled. but only static came through. "Blue, check COM signals" He said.
"Blue two checking in" Vesquez said.
"Blue three reporting"
"Blue four. Here sir, still all clear"
"Blue five here"
"Blue six reporting"
"Blue seven here"
"Good, anyone else get that static then?"
"Confirming static Blue lead” Vesquez said.
Georges COM crackled again "...Captain Ander...Enemy Contact...multiple....Fire M...C"
George looked worried he glanced up and saw the two dropships with the Marines coming in fast. Two teardrop shaped ships pursuing them. The lead pelican wobbled but that was all, then plasma lashed out from the pursuers. The plasma missed everyone thankfully and two longswords came in behind the fighters. Machine guns opened up as 50 caliber rounds sped towards the alien ships. That silver film that protected the big ships also protected the smaller ships George cursed as the Pelicans slowed down to land. The two alien ships overshot and the long swords really opened up then. Missiles leapt forwards and impacted with the alien ships, whose shields popped. Then the longswords ripped open the ships with a stream of 50 caliber rounds. Each fighter exploded in a blue flash as something vital was hit.
"Blue call in" He said making sure no one got kit by a stray round.
Everyone called in all clears and George breathed out a pent up breath. Then his COM crackled again "Blue team full back, Time to go hunting."
"Alright Blue you heard the man fall back, keep your eyes open, they know we are here" George said.
1035 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
BRIDGE OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI,
DEPLOYMENT + 00 HOURS: 20 MINUTES: 30 SECONDS
"This is Captain Anderson, Enemy Contact Southern Polar Region, multiple enemy vessels." Captain Anderson said.
He turned to his weapons officer "Get me a firing solution for the battle group"
"Aye sir, uploading now"
The holotable showed the solution and timers. Lieutenant send them to Hades. Fire the MAC"
The ship rumbled as the MAC spit a thunderbolt at one of the new contacts.
At the same time the enemy ship started to collect motes of red light along its lateral lines "Seal all bulk heads" Anderson said.
He watched as the first MAC round hit sending the ship it hit spinning, then a second round smashed into it. The ship lurched and fell into the Gravity well of Harvest, the damage it had taken too much. The second and third Covenant ships released their plasma it sped across the space between them. "after that salvo of plasma hits arm the archer missile pods A through D and prime the MAC again, then get me a firing solution where the Archer missiles hit just after the MAC round" Captain Anderson said "Nav prepare for emergency maneuvers send this ship port side on my mark"
"Aye sir" Both officers replied.
Anderson counted down as the Plasma approached. "In Three...two...One...Now" He said.
The ship lurched to the port side and the plasma scraped along the side. "Sir armour partially gone about 12 percent remains, plasma burning through, we have breaches in sealed sections venting now. Fires under control fire teams are finishing off the fires now."
"Sir, MAC online and charged ready when you are"
"Good. Battle group update"
"Frigates Vortex and Mild Contact Have been hit and are now venting atmosphere. No other casualties."
"We got lucky. Time to return fire, also prepare Longswords"
"Aye, sir"
"Fire"
Archer missiles launched and flew towards the three remaining ships. Point defense lasers targeted and destroyed a third of them. The the MAC round launched, the deck shuddered and the lights dimmed as the ship spewed another bolt of fire at the aliens.
"I hope this works" Anderson said.
The five MAC rounds impacted knocking two of the alien ships out of the fight for now venting atmosphere. The last ships shields flickered and died just as the archer missiles hit. Fires lit up all over the ship, but all three ships were still standing. "Dammit, how do we kill them?" Anderson said.
"Captain, can we provide assistance?"
"Who is this?" Anderson said.
"Captain Nyland" Came the reply "All ships open fire lets finish them off"
seven bolts of fire sped towards the crippled ships. Anderson watched praying that it would work.
The first round struck home punching another large hole in one of the ships then a third hole appeared, the ship exploded as something went critical. Anderson watched as Nyland's battle group mopped up the other two alien ships. "Coms send my thanks, and tell Nyland I owe him a drink once we get back"
"Aye, sir message away"
"Sir" Ops said "I have enemy ships heading towards the planet small ships sir!"
"In form Longsword pilots and ground teams. Then start searching for more ships, that can not be all. Also, can you get me damage figures for the fleet"
"Aye sir"
1100 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM, HARVEST COLONY WORLD
DELOYMENT + 00 HOURS: 45 MINUTES: 30 SECONDS
George walked up next to the Hog. Blue team was doing final checks of their weapons, then they would be off. George turned and walked over to Blue four. "Four, I need you to stay behind, stay round the base, and prepare for any attack, they know we are here. There is only room in each hog for three, and a Sniper is not what we need." George said.
He saw the young mans head drop slightly, and his shoulders drooped. He knew how he felt, but he would get over it soon enough. "Blue, 1 minute, then we roll out" he said to the rest of them.
George climbed into the passenger seat of the first hog. Blue three took the drivers seat and Blue two took the LAAG. George looked over at the second hog. Five was at the controls, Six, was the gunner, and Seven was riding passenger. "alright Blue, lets role out, head towards the Gap in the mountains, then turn North. There are a few small townships near by, and there could still be survivors" George said.
Blue three hit the gas, and the big tires spun before catching and the hog roared out of the shed before turning and heading towards the pass. "Keep an eye out, and turn on Helmet recordings, if you have not already" George said.
Both Warthogs turned to the North and sped off towards the remains. It was a somber trip, with no excitement. They got the odd glimpse of a JOTUN burning in a field, or a Covenant ship that had been brought down.
The Path ahead split off into two roads between the low lying hills. "Blue five take the right path, Three, we go left" George said.
George watched as the second Hog disappeared behind the hill, then had to hold on as the road took a nasty left. George looked round, noticing that the light snow that was covering the ground at the Base was gone, and they where now travelling along gravel roads. "Captain Anderson, how long to the township?"
"Blue lead, distance to township is 2.7 Kilometers. Take care"
The road to the township became smoother, and well worn, obviously by the JOTUN's who did the hard work on the farms. George looked up as the Hog tuned to face North again, he saw smoke rising in the distance. He looked through the scope of his battlerifle. He could only make out a few destroyed buildings. HE waited until the Hog pulled up outside, sliding a bit on the loose ground. George climbed out of the Hog and walked into the town. It had what looked like a small pub, probably so that the farmers could head into town and enjoy themselves once in a while. It also had a small police station, that had been turned into ruble. The Pub was almost burnt completely down. There were a few other buildings, by the looks of things they had been basic shops, selling foods and clothing. George and Blue three walked through the town, moving piles of wood or stone or metal, searching for anything.
They came to the Police station and found two bodies, one was protecting the other, both bodies had been burnt and the skin in places had fused, as if like glass. George made sure his recorder got a good view of what had happened here then commed Gallipoli "Blue lead to Gallipoli. We are too late. No one here survived" He said.
George began to head back to the Hog when he heard what sounded like a dog barking. The sound was loud in the near silence of the destroyed town. George raised his rifle, as the sound startled him, then began to walk in that direction. Three followed at a distance covering him.
George crept to the edge of the town and saw what appeared to be a pack of strange Bipedal dogs. George got a good look at them, they had a huge pack on their backs, and coloured tunics. The spoke to each other in a guttural barking. He contacted Gallipoli "Blue lead, we have enemy contacts, they have not spotted us yet, permission to engage?"
"Confirm, Aliens found Blue"
"Confirm, we have good footage"
"Open fire, lets hope they are easier to kill than their ships"
George sighted the first alien and squeezed the trigger. A three round burst erupted from the muzzle and tore the Little Alien apart. The other five looked round confused, raising a claw like device. George fired another three round burst, killing another of the alien creatures.
A deadly green glow built up at the end of one of the claw like devices before it was launched at George. He ducked behind a wall of a clothing store, as the plasma splashed against the other side. "Three jump across the street, flank them" George said.
He poked his head round as another three rounds splashed against the wall. He crouched and fired again, but all three shots went wide. The Aliens ducked at the sound, this gave George the time he needed to aim, he dropped a third alien, leaving three.
The Aliens began to approach George's hiding place. He prepared to run for a different hiding place, when a single shot rang out, followed by two more. George looked at the Aliens, now dead on the ground, blood pooling around them. Blue three stood up DMR still shouldered. "Time to head back to the HOG" She said.
George led the way back, being cautious, in case anyone else, or anything else heard the fighting. George climbed into the passenger seat, as Blue three jumped into the drivers seat and started the Hog up. "What happened?" Vesquez asked.
"Six Aliens, now dead" George said. His heart was pumping hard.
Three revved the Engine and spun the Hog around before accelerating away from the town. "Wait at the cross roads, for the others" George said.
The trip back was just as uneventful as the trip out. Blue Three parked the Hog close to the join in the path, and George commed Gallipoli "Any word from Blue Five, and the others?" He asked.
"Negative, They appear to still be at the Town" Came the reply.
"Tell them to fall back, There is nothing here" George said
"Wait one........ Sir, I am getting no reply from them"
"Copy Gallipoli, We will find them" George said. He then turned to face Blue three, lets go get them" He said.
The Hog fishtailed a bit as it tried to find purchase, then took off. Blue three skidded around the corner, and they were soon racing away to the other town.
It took George and his team 15 minutes to get close, but that was when they heard the gunshots, ringing out. "Vesquez, prime the LAAG, Blue three get us as close as you can" George said.
He sat just above the windscreen, rifle raised looking for those small grey dog like aliens. He saw Blue five run and take cover behind the Hog, while Blue six and seven crouched behind the wall of a shop. Blue three skidded to a halt, the Hog at a 45 degree angle, giving Both George and Vesquez, the cover required. George used the battlerifle to scope out and pick off these little guys one at a time, focusing on those trying to attack Blue six and seven. Vesquez used the LAAG with its 50 caliber rounds to keep the little guys pinned down. Blue six took an opening and he to sprinted for cover behind the Hog. Blue seven hesitated, and lost opportunity.
George watched as Vesquez ripped one of the Aliens apart, the alien seemed to splinter into tiny pieces as the 50 caliber rounds tore through its body. "Seven, you have an opening Go, go, go." George said.
He watched as The man stood up and ran, sliding behind the hog. Six got behind the LAAG and used the big machine gun to keep the Aliens at bay, while Five jumped into the drivers seat and started the Hog up. Seven used an opening to jump into the passengers seat as The tires spun and the hog took off for the base. Blue three did the same thing, and soon both Hogs were barreling along the gravel road. Six spoke up, "Sorry sir, they ambushed us in the ruins, we did not have time to call for help" He said.
"Never mind, you made it out OK" George said.
George heard a faint whine behind them, "Vesquez, you hear that too"
"Yes, sir" He replied, he turned the LAAG round, just as a vehicle came round up behind them.
It opened fire and plasma lashed out towards the two hogs. Vesquez and Blue six both opened up and the 50 caliber rounds tore into the small vehicle, as it hovered after them, one of the small aliens was driving it, and a round tore through its casing on its back. A green gas escaped and the pressure from this lifted the Alien away from the controls, its vehicle stopped and it hit the ground, writhing round clutching its throat.
Both hogs rounded the corner to the base and saw a platoon of marines standing guard behind barricades. They nodded as Blue team parked the hogs and jumped out. A Sergeant walked up to them. George was about to salute, when he realized they were on a battlefield now. He nodded then asked "What happened?"
"We got hit, would have over run us if it had not been for the man you left behind. He kept the little buggers at bay until we could mobilize properly" The Sergeant said.
"Where is he?"
"Coming now"
Blue four came up, Even with his helmet on and the visor polarized George could tell the man was grinning. "You missed all the fun, sir" He said.
"We got plenty of our on" George replied.
Blue team walked out and scanned the pile of Bodies strewn across the ground. Noting that some wore Marine green.
The Sergeant ordered his men back into position as a faint whine rose above all the other noises. The whine built into a roar as a Pelican came over the Mountain range and set down. A Colonel walked out along with a squad of more Marines. "Blue, get inside. You have new orders waiting for you on board Gallipoli" He said.
"You heard the man, Blue. Move it" George walked past the Colonel, "Sir, hows it going elsewhere?" George asked.
"Don't worry son, we will have Harvest back before Those Alien Bastards know what happened" The Colonel said.
George climbed aboard the Pelican as the ramp closed. The transport took off and George sat down, He felt tired, and knew he should not. This was after all just the beginning of this.
1115 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
BRIDGE OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI,
DEPLOYMENT + 01 HOUR: 00 MINUTES: 27 SECONDS
Captain Anderson sat back in his chair and looked round at his crew. They were still busy checking for anything out of the ordinary, and checking up on ground teams. Anderson rubbed his face, so far they had found nothing, nothing except the burnt remains of civvies who had died before the UNSC could get there.
He looked round as his COM officer sat up "Put the call through to the Bridge" Anderson said
"Right sir"
"Blue lead to Gallipoli. We are too late. No one here survived"
"Dam." Anderson said. Though he was glad it did not transmit.
A few seconds later Corporal George Harland spoke up again "Blue lead, we have enemy contacts, they have not spotted us yet, permission to engage?" He said.
"Confirm, Aliens found Blue" Anderson said, sitting up straighter
"Confirm, we have good footage"
"Open fire, lets hope they are easier to kill than their ships" Anderson said, praying they would be.
The bridge crew stopped as they listened to the sound of combat, it seemed to take forever, though in reality it could only have been a few minutes tops. The crew heard George answer a team mates question, then George switched the COM off. The crew let out a collective breath. Then the comms officer turned to face Anderson "Sir, getting a request from Admiral Cole" He said.
"Put it through then, main screen" Anderson said.
"Anderson, we have reports of Covenant forces amassing near the planet Cesus 2. The UNSC has already sent the frigates Inferno and Crusader. But they wont stand a chance against anything less the their smallest ships" Cole said. "I am ordering Battle Group Gallipoli to reinforce them, and if possible evac the population of Cesus 2. Shuttles are in bound to the planet and should get there just after you."
Anderson Replied "I still have men on the ground but will send the Destroyers Wellington and Nelson, plus the Cruiser Fortunes Raiders To assist until we can get fully underway."
"Understood son. Just get going soon" Cole said.
"Comms, get me the Commanders of those ships, priority channel alpha" Anderson said.
"On it, sir" The Lieutenant said.
Anderson sat back, until The call came he was on. Their faces appeared on one of the forward screens. "I am sending in as an advanced party to help Cesus 2. Covenant forces have been seen near by, and the Admiral Cole has asked as to lend the UNSC forces there some assistance" Anderson said. "We will be joining you as soon as our men are back on board. Anderson out"
The screen returned to the forward cameras view, and Captain Anderson watched as the 3 ships activated their Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace drives and slipped away.
"Put me through to the Captain of The Way of Shadows" Anderson said "And Lieutenant Russell. Start warming up the slipspace drives, we will need to jump as soon as Our men are back on board"
"Aye sir Lieutenant Russell said.
"Sir Captain Rourke is on" The Comms officer said.
"Captain, inform the ground commander that my men need to be evaced ASAP" Anderson said.
"I will let Colonel Rys Know right away, he is heading down now" Captain Rourke said.
As all this was going on the Comms officer was helping Blue team on their mission. Anderson hopped it was going well. "I am going to my Cabin Nav, you have Command" He said.
He stood up and walked off the bridge. He took a stroll through the hallways before reaching his cabin. He sat down in the chair there and put his head in his hands.
He was awoken 20 minutes later by Lieutenant Alicia Russell, her voice coming through the speakers in his room. "Sir, we are Moving into slipspace now." She said.
"Thanks Lieutenant. Freeze anyone who is non-essential, and bring the second crew up, you all need some sleep."
"Aye sir" She said.
Anderson got up and walked over to his bed, he lay down on top of it before falling asleep again.
1138 HOURS, NOVEMBER 8, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) /
EPSILON INDI SYSTEM
CRYO ROOM OF UNSC CRUISER GALLIPOLI,
DEPLOYMENT + 01 HOUR:23 MINUTES: 47 SECONDS
George Harland had removed his armour and clothes, and was just starting lay down in his Cryo tube. He hated these long distance Journeys, no one like being frozen, but they would be woken just before they got in-system for a hot drop. George knew it. He had prepared his team for it, but he did not like it, it meant things would end up ten times harder, because of the rush. He lay back as the Cryo door began to lower, and the cold gasses of cryo sleep began to flow. One minute later he was asleep.
This concludes Gallipolis and Blue Teams fighting in the Harvest system.
Next up Hot drop on Cesus 2
