Ramboon, Kenya
Day 1, 1100 hours
"Incoming!" came the yell from a Marine. The plasma mortar from a Wraith detonated, destroying a building and killing both Marines inside. In reply a missile roared out from a defensive position upon the town hall. The missile hit the Wraith in its cannon. The Wraith shuddered and then burst apart as the missile detonated the plasma inside.
"1st Squad just scored a Wraith." Private Adrian Jones said. The other three Marines in his fireteam exchanged high-fives. Jones instead cut down a group of Grunts with four bursts from his Battle Rifle.
"Score six!" a Marine yelled. He ducked as several rounds from a Spiker cut through the air above him.
The town was being held by twenty-three Marines. There had been forty, but the Covenant had been besieging the town for the past half hour. The Covenant still had at least sixty men left, and a Wraith. For a normal Marine platoon it would be impossible to survive the next hour. But these were no ordinary Marines. These were Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, ODSTs. The Helljumpers.
Staff Sergeant Richard Malkovich cut down a Brute with a frag grenade, then killed a Grunt with a burst from his Battle Rifle. Beside him a Marine fell after taking two Spiker shots in the face.
"We can't hold! Request permission to fall back to the town hall!" a Marine yelled into a radio. Malkovich didn't hear the reply but heard the radioman yell,
"Fall back to Rally Point Alpha!"
Malkovich cut down a Grunt then yelled,
"Follow me!"
The six Marines in what was left of the squad rose from their positions and followed Malkovich as he retreated towards the town hall to meet up with the platoon's command group.
Jiralhanae Chieftain Macaur gripped his gravity hammer tightly and watched a group of Humans retreat towards the centre of the town. He nodded to six Jiralhanae who grunted and then moved to the hit the Human positions from behind.
Malkovich swung open the door of the town hall and took cover as he reloaded. Four Marines came in behind him, the last one slamming the door shut. Two of the Marines following Malkovich had been cut down by Spikers as they ran.
"1st Squad has been overrun. I don't think they received the order to retreat." A radioman was reporting. Malkovich listened as more reports filtered in. 2nd Squad was retreating after taking heavy casualties. Like 1st Squad, 3rd had been completely overrun. 4th Squad was holding the rear of the town and had not yet been in contact.
"Malkovich." The platoon commander greeted.
"Sir. We figured we'd get over here before falling back to the rally point." Malkovich replied.
"We're moving now." The platoon commander said. "We'll go with you."
Malkovich nodded and yelled,
"Marines! Move out!"
Malkovich's force left the town hall at the same time as the Jiralhanae flanking force struck. The six Jiralhanae opened fire with Brute Shots and Spikers before the squad registered their presence. Two Marines were shredded by the hostile fire, but the other eight poured fire into the aliens. Three of the Jiralhanae were cut down, and the other three took cover and waited for the Human fire to die down. They were still waiting when three grenades detonated amongst them and detonated. Two of the Brutes were torn limb from limb and the third quickly succumbed to his wounds.
The Marines raised their heads and checked that the Brutes were dead. Then they settled back down and waited for the rest of the platoon to get past them.
Malkovich nodded to the commander of the rear detachment squad as he ran past. The sergeant replied with a nod, then aimed his rifle behind the Marines. Malkovich kept moving. It was three hundred meters to Rally Point Alpha. And he knew that if there were Brutes in the trees behind the town, there would be no stopping.