DISCLAIMER: I do not own Halo, Bungie does.
1831/6:31 PM (Military Calender), Unknown Date, 2547, Inner Colony Skopje, Unknown shipyard
Felix Earl held his ODST helmet in his hands, his reflection slightly visible in the blue visor. He grinned and put it on his head, the HUD immediately flickering on as he stood and turned to face his squad.
Immediately to his left was Corporal Ray Porter, holding his shotgun down and looking around at the other members of the squad.
To his right was Private Brian Zaza, looking out onto the platform for any survivors of the Covenant. His rifle was steady in his hands as he squeezed off a shot, and a squeal followed.
"Nice shot Za'," that was Lieutenant Norman Star. He was sitting idly on a crate, a cigarette in his hand. His rifle was leaning on the crate next to him, barrel pointed to the floor. His helmet was on the ground in front of him, the blue visor reflecting Felix's own feet to him.
"Thank you, sir," Zaza nodded and turned around and looked past Felix to the groups of engineers loading the equipment onto the ships. Their standing orders were to protect them until they got away to Reach, though the probability was looking less and less with every wave of Covenant.
They'd already lost Corporal Delso on the first rush, and then on the second rush a few Grunts had gotten through and they'd had to hunt them down.
"You know something, guys?" Porter asked suddenly, sitting down against the sandbags stacked behind him.
"What?" Felix was curious.
"We're not making it out of here alive," Porter stated matter-of-factly, and the fact that Porter would say that in that tone was enough to chill Felix.
"You don't know that, Corporal," Lt. Star answered, turning to face the Corporal, who was now inspecting his shotgun and loading it with more rounds.
"Sir, if I may, I'm calling bullshit on this entire op," Porter said back, looking over to where the engineers were still carting their tools to the ships. This op had been going on a while, and it looked like they were nearly done, but they just kept coming with more of their tools and items they needed for the war.
"Humor me."
"Sir, they're sending ODSTs to defend a shipyard during a planetary invasion that they know they've already lost. The Covenant are holding back on us, or we'd already be dead. We're cannon fodder, sir, just waste that will be burned by the Covenant."
"Interesting theory," Star took a puff of the cigarette and then stubbed it.
"Motion sensors detect four mobile hostiles... What the hell?" Zaza suddenly jumped back, aiming his rifle to the left of their position.
"Four contacts, sir. What the hell?" Felix said. He saw the indicators flicker out and then back, and then off again. What the hell was this?
"Earl, Zaza, check it out if you believe so strongly," the Lieutenant ordered, reaching for his MA5B and loading it. He stood and turned, looking the direction the other two were looking and then motioned with his hand.
Felix nodded to Zaza and the pair began slowly moving away from the other ODSTs, Felix's MA5B directed to the left, Zaza's to the right.
"Sir," Felix stopped dead, looking straight at where his sight had been trained at. Was that a flicker in the air?
"Go ahead Corporal."
"Looks like something here is cloaked, or I'm seeing things, sir," Felix muttered through the Com channel and continued edging forward with Zaza, who was now a couple of feet ahead of him.
"Check corners," Zaza reminded him. Felix nodded in recognition and turned the corner to the left, while the Private checked the right. Both were empty, the tools having been cleared from here already.
"Sir, we've got nothing on sensors or sight here," Felix relayed into the COM channel.
"Head on back, looks like the engineers are just finishing up here."
"Yes, sir," the pair of ODSTs replied simultaneously. They turned on their heels and quickly made their way back to the area, where they found the engineers loading their last pieces of equipment onto the ships.
Suddenly the motion sensors detected another flicker of motion, almost directly behind Felix.
"What the fuck?" he muttered.
"What the hell did they do to these things?" Zaza had his helmet off now and was looking at it, as if that would solve the motion sensing problem.
Suddenly Felix heard the sound of an energy sword turning on and dove forward. Zaza wasn't so lucky, and a bloodcurdling scream pierced all of the ODSTs' ears as an Elite uncloaked, Zaza speared on the sword facing skyward.
"Shit, shit, shit!"
"Contact, contact!"
Felix heard a flurry of voices, and then rolled over to see an Elite kneeling over him, his energy sword humming in his face. The alien's mandibles twitched, and then he raised his arm to bring the sword down onto his chest.
"Die, bastard!" Porter's voice followed his shotgun round into the side of the Elite, who was knocked sideways from the force of it, the energy sword spinning off after him.
Felix scrambled to get up, his HUD flashing that there were now multiple enemy signatures around them and among them. There was also a large group off to the left side, that was moving quickly towards them.
"Move!" the Lieutenant's voice made Felix begin moving, sprinting towards the engineer's who were now in their own flight. He was dimly aware his MA5B was left on the ground behind him, leaving him with his knife and pistol as his only weapons.
"Oh, please, NOOOOOOO!" Felix turned to see one of the Engineer's up in the grip of an Elite, an energy sword plunged through his chest.
He didn't even lift his pistol to fire, knowing the man was already dead. He turned his head in time to vault over a moving table with some last pieces of equipment on it. He grabbed the edge as he jumped and overturned it, taking cover behind it as it crashed onto its side.
"What the hell, soldier?" an angry engineer was at his side as he did so, but then realized the danger and followed his fellows.
"Come in Alpha squad, this is Lieutenant Star. If there are any survivors, respond now!"
"Sir..." Felix muttered into the comms breathlessly, clutching his pistol close to him as he peered over the cover. He could see Grunts marching into the shipyard, plasma pistols in their hands. The vulture-faced Jackals followed in small numbers, needle rifles in their hands.
"Sir!" another voice responded, followed by the sound of a shotgun blast, and then silence.
"Corporal? Corporal? Dammit, Porter, respond!"
"I think he's dead, sir," Felix grunted.
"Well, no shit, Earl. Where the hell did you go?"
"Somewhere among the engineers, sir. Looks like they've got Grunts and Jackals coming, as well."
"Christ..."
With that, Star's voice went silent, and Felix felt alone, more alone than he'd ever been before. He looked at the pistol in his hand and examined his ammunition. Two mags on backup, and the mag left in the gun itself.
"Shit," The ODST muttered to himself and peered around the table once more. A needle streaked past his helmet and stuck in the floor behind him.
"Even better," He muttered.