UNSC Colony Victory, 2546.
Col Baker, T. Day 1, 0400 Hours
He had gone over the latest reports throughout the course of the night. Colonel Baker blinked through weary eyes as he scanned the numerous tablets and holographic displays of data. Few other Marines were present in his headquarters, having retired to their quarters for the night. Soon however, the entire brigade would be very busy, and there would be no time for sleep.
For two months, the Covenant had battered away at Victory's defenses. The once heavily populated Inner Colony world was now scorched black on over 70% of its surface. Victory City was the only urban center still held by the UNSC. Being the only remaining means for colonists to escape, the UNSC guarded it heavily. Three ground-based super MAC cannons were hidden away within the mountain ranges surrounding the city. As long as they remained active, Covenant ships wouldn't be able to glass the city from orbit.
Currently, Marine forces had themselves positioned in and around the valley the city resided in. The Colonel's own 15th MEU was headquartered in downtown, amidst the skyscrapers and tight city streets. They had only been in theater for a month. Occasionally, Covenant Seraphs would fly over the city, exchanging fire with the UNSC's AA guns. The unit's Naval strike group had to ship down additional Scythe anti-air guns. Two weeks ago, a small Covenant strike team entered the city, disabling several of the guns before being hunted down by his Marines. Now they were waiting for the moment the Covenant would attempt to bring an end to the siege.
SgtMaj Bruner was the first to walk in, grabbing a cup of coffee and removing the cover from his shaven head. "Haven't slept at all Thomas?" he asked.
Col Baker, without turning from his work, shook his head and responded, "No. I won't have time to either," he turned and handed the SgtMaj one of the tablets, "Look. The Covenant are increasing their presence in the sector, and the Navy reported several battlecruisers entering the atmosphere."
"So they want to completely encircle us," the SgtMaj said as he analyzed the data, "They won't be able to fly any closer though. The MAC cannons can adjust fire and knock them out of the sky."
"Unless they decrease their altitude below the cannon's field of view. In that case our SAMs won't be enough."
"Right. I know they don't give a damn about casualties sir but a battlecruiser won't be able to get that low if it wants hover over the city."
"Well, I expect thousands of Covenant aircraft."
" I'll get the men to stand to. Then we'll call a leader's brief." The SgtMaj finished his coffee and marched away purposefully. A nearby Marine, manning the comm equipment, stood up and approached the Colonel.
"Sir, General Vaughn is on the line. Ready to open up."
Colonel Baker nodded without hesitation. The entire night had been spent studying and analyzing battlefield data, it was no surprise that the commander of the local 27th Marine Division would eventually come by asking for a report. A screen clicked on. For a moment there was static, the only thing visible being the letters U-N-S-C in the lower right corner of the screen. Then it re-calibrated, and the General appeared.
"Colonel have you received the data my headquarters sent you?"
"Yes sir. We're standing to and I'm ready to brief my leaders."
"Good to hear," the General said.
"Sir, have we been able to expedite the evacuation process?"
"No Colonel, unfortunately not. Civilian convoys are still coming in from outside the valley, and we hardly have the window to launch the transports. We need the Navy back in the fight. Your men will need to continue holding their ground."
Col Baker silently cursed to himself. The longer they sat still, the sooner it would be before the Covenant finally disabled their defenses. There was only so much his men could do in their situation. He needed more resources. The General had already gone over the available supply and support that would be at their disposal: artillery from a firebase southeast of the city, aerial assets flying out of the star port and various mountain bases, medevac transports, supply depots, and of course, the MAC cannons. It wasn't enough. They had a tenth of what they needed, but he knew that thousands of Marines that had gone before have had to do more with less. The Colonel nodded and spoke, "Understood sir. We'll get it done."
"I understand the need to get the civilians out Colonel. They're priority number one to me. We've got refugees overflowing their quarters and too many transports queued up to launch, the first thing I want to do when we get the chance is to get them off-world as soon as possible." The General then nodded grimly and the line terminated from his end.
SgtMaj Bruner walked in, trailed by the company commanders, staff officers, and senior NCOs of his force. Col Baker turned to them and motioned towards the digital displays and reports on the table. "Gentlemen, we have a long fight on the way..."