Hey guys :D this is my very first fanfic, so please, if you like it follow/favourite and no matter how you feel towards it, please review! I'd love to hear what you guys think :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo, 343, Xbox or any related and equally awesome industries.
The UNSC Anima Libera was a marvel of technology that had been scrapped together from what Forerunner equipment had been found, and what Covenant kit had been stolen. It wasn't as impressive as the Infinity, but it could still capture the eyes of any sailor that looked upon her. Primarily a space-to-space combat ship, she wasn't well equipped to deploy soldiers and equipment onto a battlefield, but she could blow apart the average, and even above average, Covenant vessel that crossed her with minimal force. Her deployment limitations were quite severe however. Which was where the Foreshadow came in. A massive carrier, outshined only by the Infinity, she was carrying three full strength battalions of UNSC Marines, two company's of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers from the 105th battalion, a detachment consisting of thirty two fully operational Spartan IV's, and four squadrons of Pelicans and crew. And that was just the troops. Her motor pools were full to the brim with multiple M12 FAV Warthog variations, Scorpion tanks, Mongoose's and Hornets. Tasked with keeping the carrier safe was the UNSC Falijua, a frigate with enough cannons to level mountain ranges with a single volley. The Falijua had several platoons of Marines embarked, who could be deployed at a moments notice, along with multiple squadrons of Longsword space combat fighters. The fourth ship in the strike force, the UNSC Gears of Eternity, was a destroyer, fitted out to not only be able to take down any Covenant ship, but also drop a payload of one hundred and twenty ODST's onto the battlefield. The flagship, Bladerunner, was a truly massive ship. Smaller than the Infinity by only a few hundred meters and a dozen or so decks, she was able to drop ODST's, Marines, or even up to a platoon of Spartan IV's anywhere on the battlefield almost instantaneously. Add the sheer firepower in her armourment and she was an absolutely devastating machine created to show the Covenant that humanity had been pushed around for to damn long.
The five ships of Task Force: Kilo 9 had been sent out with the primary objective of locating, securing, and dismantling any Forerunner installations they could find. The Infinity was doing an excellent job, but they simply needed more ships in more places. And thus, Kilo 9 was born. Five ships with five very different CO's, sent out to decommission Forerunner artefacts. The ships had been loaded to the brim with enough supplies and equipment to get the job done. The task force could deploy hundreds of ODST's onto a battlefield in seconds, to secure landing zones for the Pelicans to deploy the several battalions of Marines. Kilo 9 was one of the most advanced task force's ever assembled in human history, second only to the Infinity fleet. The task force had been assigned to Installation 07, a Halo ring that had been discovered recently. It was a small ring, much smaller then it's predecessor's. It still posed a threat however, so it had to be cleared.
"For god's sake, don't point it at me!"
The Gunnery Sergeant's roar could be heard throughout the armoury and into the hanger. A squad of Marines were scattered around the hanger, talking, cleaning and assembling their kit, or playing cards. A trio sat resting against a pile of large crates in the corner of the hanger, their kit arranged in front of them. One of them, a young Corporal Dominic Ellis, gave a laugh as the gunny could be heard yelling. "Jesus. The green's are already in gunny's bad books."
The Marine sitting to his left, Lance Corporal Riley West, scoffed. "Everyone's in gunny's bad books. We went through this already."
The third Marine, another Lance Corporal by the name of Jacob Brown shook his head. "It's probably because he has to deal with you every day."
West slammed his fist into a crate. "Exactly! He singles me out every sodding time. It's bull."
Ellis watched as the Private's filed out of the armoury, looking swamped by their kit. They held the MA5D rifles like they were holy objects. They stood awkwardly around the Pelican, unsure of what to really do. The gunny looked at them like they were Elites. "The hell are you all doing?" He said bluntly. "You want to stand around for an hour, that's fine by me. But I suggest you go take a seat somewhere."
The Private's all scattered around the hanger, trying to copy what the more experienced platoon members were doing. Ellis pulled his SRS 99-S5 AM sniper's rifle off the deck and double checked it was in full working condition. He was the platoon sniper, as well as the best scout in the unit. While he didn't like to brag, the gunny and CO certainly took pride in having him in the unit. A lot of the Privates often approached him for tips, because generally, the average recruit couldn't shoot for shit. He was from a farm on a backwater colony named Kholo. He had been using long rifles since he was eleven, and had been around firearms since he was born. Growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere was tough. He had learnt how to hunt, how to track, and how to live off the land. It was what made him such a good scout. He knew more about survival when he was twelve then most enlisting recruits did. He was often the first Marine on the ground, and almost always at the head of the pack. He took a lot of pride in that. He sat the rifle down gently on the deck and sorted his kit. 99-S5 mags, MRE's, a canteen, MA5D mags, bandages, water purification tablets, flares, smoke grenades, night vision goggles, a weapons cleaning kit, radio and data pad. Standard issue kit. He glanced over at the hangar dors slid open, revealing Captain Elliot. He jumped to his feet and snapped to attention. "Two-Seven Tactical, atten-tion!" He called, his voice booming through the hangar. The platoon all jumped up and snapped to attention, some holding MA5D's. The Gunnery Sergeant saluted, to which the Captain returned. "At ease men."
The platoon relaxed, and continued to stow their gear. The CO exchanged a few words with the Gunny and began to make his way around the men, checking on them. Ellis sat back and relaxed. He had learnt long ago how to pack everything away quick and sharp. His armour was locked and ready to go, with his helmet on the floor at his feet. A standard issue combat knife was strapped onto the left side of the chest plate, close to his shoulder. An M6G magnum was strapped to his thigh, a back-up weapon if shit hit the fan. MA5D and M6G mags were strapped to his legs, belt, and combat vest. Several 99-S5 mags were in various pockets of his combat vest, along with some matches, a flare and some MRE's. HE-DP fragmentation grenades and SS MK2 smoke grenades were clipped onto his belt. He was ready to deploy into just about any situation. He sat back and smiled watching the junior platoon members frantically assembling their kit. "Hey, Ellis? Why do you think they're sending us in?"
Ellis turned his head towards West. "What do you mean?"
West cocked his head. "Well, we've got Spartan IV's and ODST's at our disposal... So why us? Why just Marines?"
"Because the Spartans and ODST have other targets Lance Corporal. And because we're a cut above then the average Marine platoon."
The three Marines turned to see Captain Elliot behind them. "Sir!" Ellis said, jumping to his feet.
He made to salute, but Elliot waved it off. "Don't worry about it son. Just wanted to clarify a few things with you."
"Sir?"
"Your medic trained, am I correct?"
He nodded. "Trained sir, yes, just not officially certified as a Combat Life Saver, or Combat Medic."
"That doesn't matter. In case Matherson gets hit on the ground, I want a second medic-trained Marine with us. That'd be you son. Go find Private Markov, he should still be near the Armoury. Grab some medic gear off him and get ready to move out."
"Understood, sir!" Ellis pulled his MA5D over his shoulders, pulled his pack over the top and grabbed his helmet. He slipped it onto his head, and hefted his sniper rifle. He held it alert carry style, and moved off towards the armoury. The gear weighed a lot, and would weigh even more with the medic gear. He smiled as the Private's admired the rifle, several nodding in his direction. He saw a single Marine standing near the armoury, looking swamped in his equipment. He looked like it was his first deployment, and looked young enough to still be in high school. The Marine saw him and turned. "Corporal Ellis?"
"You know it. You've got med-gear for me?"
"Yes boss. Pressure bandages, morphine, epinephrine, bio foam and dressings."
Ellis nodded. "Sounds good," He said. He pulled his pack off his shoulders and opened it, placing it on the deck. "Gimme a hand loading this in a Private."
Markov nodded. He grabbed the equipment and began sorting it into the kit bag. Ellis glanced behind him. The rest of the platoon were loading into a Pelican. "Let's hurry this up Private."
They stuffed the rest of the gear into the pack, as Ellis pulled it back onto his shoulders, and jogged towards the Pelican. They climbed up onto the "blood tray" as it was infamously dubbed.
The pilot fired the thrusters, leaving the deck. The ramp closed, sealing the Marines in. The troop bay was flooded with red light. "Rightio boys," The Captain called, his voice booming inside the confined bay. "Standard SOP's on ground: this area is not a free fire zone, at least not until we take contact. You see movement, you call it in. Considering how many new additions we have I'll go through our chain of command. Naturally, the Gunnery Sergeant and I are at the top. In the event that we are unavailable, command falls down to Corporal's Ellis and McKinley. In the event that all NCO's are down, platoon command will fall upon Lance Corporal West."
West looked slightly startled at this. "Now... Let's go through our formation." The CO continued. "No-one leaves the Pelican until Corporal Ellis has hit the dirt and called all clear. Once we're all on the ground, fan out, I want three-sixty security of the area. Ellis will be our point man, and scout. No-one gets ahead of him. Everyone understand?"
"Yes sir!" The platoon chorused.
"Excellent. Let's get this done."