Summary: A Marine with the worst kind of 'Murphy's Law' in his wake, and he's recruited into a mission with the Spartans. Things of course go horribly wrong, Linda, Spartan-058 ends up with him. Is she really all Spartan like everyone believes or is there still a woman under that ice and armor.
Yes, there is an aim for a LindaXOC romance, and maybe even more.
A/N: Mild AU of Halo, no true canon time frame involved either. Borrowed a little element from Armor by John Steakly.
Disclaimer: Don't own the Halo-verse or Armor. Just wrote a little story that's all.
"Drop in 5." A voice crackled over the tactical net.
"Aw'll right boys and girls, we're hitting the LZ in 5. Weapons check now, when we hit I want good dispersal, don't want no damn friendly fire." The grizzled Gunnery Sargeant growled to his squad strapped in the Pelican dropship.
BDU's flapped in the wind of the open hold, clicks of weapons being checked echoed in the small area. The Gunny raising a curios eyebrow at the newly transfered Lance Corporal sitting at the end of the drop bay, the younger man staring out of the rear of the Pelican head nodding to some sort of personal music player.
What the hell is Mother Corp coming to when Marines bring personal equipment to the battlefield? Silently thinking to himself. He frowns at the strange set of BDU's the soldier was wearing.
Gunny Craft examines the LCpl, Not using the standard issue OD BDU's , even his damn equipment is painted a different scheme. He growls under his breath, I'm going to chew his ass out once this is over. The Gunny's face suddenly turns red as the Pelican starts it's turn to bleed off speed and start the quick descent.
"Lance Corporal Young! What the fuck do you think you're doing!"
Dark eyes turn to the Gunny, "Surviving sir." The cold voice responds, the mans neutral expression going back to screwing on a round cylinder to the muzzle of his painted BR55HB.
"No wonder you're not an ODST anymore." muttering in rage at the defiance of the man.
The whine of plasma rounds being fired at the incoming Drop ships pulls the Gunny's attention.
"We do this by the numbers Marines!." He stands up as the Pelicans rapidly descends to complete the combat drop, Marines follow suit weapons at ready.
"TOUCHDOWN!"
"GO GO GO!"
Marines rush out of the Pelican, firing at the covenant defensive position further down the beach.
Plasma fire increasing now that the Marines are exposed, blue concussions of plasma grenades decorating the landscape. Not even a minute into combat and Marines were screaming in pain as plasma burned through the armor scorching their bodies and even in some cases practically melting them into primordial goo.
Ironic that in age old tradition we Marines storm a beach. Lance Corporal Nevitz Young smirks at the thought, but even more so at explosion of blood from the head of a silver Elite that was pointing and yelling at his command group.
"Scratch another Elite, let's see how well they hold up." Nevitz runs and dives to a hold dug out by a handheld fuel rod cannon. Sighting down the slightly more powerful scope he personally attached to his rifle, he watches Grunts scurry around in fear and disarray without the recently killed Commander. Another Elite waves his arm trying to rally the troops suddenly now in command. Nevitz's rifle quietly coughs as a burst of rounds are aimed at the head of the Elite, he staggers under the tight grouping of rounds, another burst quickly follows taking down his shields.
Nice try. Nevitz ends the Elite's short lived promotion.
"Nice shot!" A Private dives into the depression with Nevtiz. He merely grunts in response and taps the trigger on his rifle learning long ago how to get a single shot out of the weapon. The remaining Covenant forces are whittled down by the gunfire from the remaining Marines.
"FOWARD!"
Nevitz charges forward footing unsteady in the soft blood stained sand. He fires a burst from his rifle into a huddle of grunts taking out a couple due to punctures to their methane breathing system. Nevtiz quickly feeds another magazine into this rifle diving back to the ground to avoid plasma fire. The heat nearly singeing his uniform.
"Frag out!" A well placed fragmentation grenade from another Marine rips the remaining Grunts and nearby Jackals to pieces.
Leftovers of three teams rush to the defensive position the Covenant were holding.
"Clear!" a multitude of other Marines repeating the clear signal quickly follow.
"Alpha Team sound off!" Nevtiz didn't recognize the voice but responded none the less.
"Lance Corporal Young."
"Private Kristoff reporting in."
"Team fall on me."
Nevitz walks over to a NAV marker that showed up in his small HUD.
"Williams give me a sitrep."
With a sigh Nevtiz looks around at his squad members, he takes off the helmet setting it on the ground and then sitting on top of it. Looks like the Gunny is gone...
"Command, Gunnery Sargeant Craft is KIA."
"Bravo team, 3 KIA, Charlie Team 2 wounded."
"Understood, Pelicans are inbound, the Covenant are glassing the Northern Hemisphere, we're pulling out."
"Roger Command, out."
Nevitz watched Corporal Williams' face blanch while on the horn with Command, not being able to hear anything due to it being a closed circuit directly to the CC.
That expression usually means one thing... He quietly waits for the oncoming set of orders and SITREP from Command.
"All teams, police up anything Covenant and the KIA, Pelicans are inbound..." Williams takes a shuddering breath, "The Covies are glassing the planet."
It didn't require his helmet to hear the curses of his fellow Marines, Nevitz could only shake his head and frown.
Not again...it always seems this is what happens.
He stands back up, picking up his helmet and shaking sand out. Nevitz looks up to the sky, the horizon turning a blood red.
"We lose another planet...how many more are going to fall?" softly asking rhetorically. Sliding the helmet back on he helps pick up anything of Covenant technology that will be sent to ONI to be examined before the Pelicans arrived.
"Lance Corporal." a tap on his shoulder turns him back around to Corporal Williams.
"Once we get back to the Comanche you have transfer orders to the Equinox." Williams reaches up to scratch his un-helmeted head his face slightly screwed up in confusion.
"Command says they are in need of experienced soldiers." He then shrugs.
"Roger that." Nevitz nods and looks at the sky hearing the roar of Pelicans on approach. A chill runs down his spine with a feeling heavy feeling in his gut at the sight of Longsword escorts.
Something is not right... Nevitz had gotten that strange feeling many times before, his eyes dart around, then a familiar sound pierces through even the drowning out of the nearby Pelicans. That dreadful nightmarish sound of a plasma mortar round from a Wraith.
"INCOMING!" Nevitz shouts hitting the ground, the sky fills with a blue glow as he hears screams then suddenly silenced by a near ear shattering explosion. A massive wave of super heated air washes over him sucking the air out of his lungs then suddenly feels as if his body is weightless.
Is this it? Is it finally over?