Authors Notes: Besides the fact that I suck at writing fights against The Flood, I'm really proud of this story :D I hope you enjoy it ^_^
Allies
Lieutenant Jordan Havoc stared impassively as he looked out on the artificial blistering wind and dense snowstorm of the Halo. Installation 02 to be exact. He and the marines he lead had gotten stranded here long ago. At least six months they had spent on the icy ring world. But not anymore. Today would be their last day here.
Ever since his team had landed here, they had been using an old structure left by the Forerunners, the builders of the ring world. They had fared fairly well surviving on the ring, and were only forced to engage in combat with the Covenant or the Flood on a few occasions. And after at least six months of survival, they finally made contact with other UNSC soldiers. A cruiser would be on its way today to pick them up that very day.
There was just one problem.
"How close are they?" Jordan asked as a private walked into the room.
"We spotted some Ghosts scouting about a kilometer away from here. One the other scouts said they're bringing quite the force here. They must not want us leaving."
"How long do we have?"
"ETA is about sixty minutes from now."
Jordan nodded. "Tell everyone there's a meeting. I'll meet you all I the conference room in ten minutes."
"Sir, yes sir!" The marine replied with a salute before turning to leave.
The conference room was still and all eyes were on Lieutenant Havoc. Many of the marines looked nervous. They had good reason to.
"Alright, soldiers. This is our last stand on this Halo, and by golly we're gonna put on a show that'll go down in history!" Jordan started, trying to raise the morale a bit. It seemed to work to a degree. Then he got totally serious. "Alright, we know that the invasion force is mostly comprised of foot soldiers. From what I've been told, they're being lead by Banshee's followed by Jackal and Grunt infantry. Behind them they have Elites and Brutes both on foot and in Choppers and Ghosts. Lastly, they have Jackal snipers and Wraith tanks.
"We, on the other hand, aren't quite as well equipped. We have maybe fifty marines, five warthogs, a single Scorpion tank, and a few turrets mounted on top of the base. The only area in which we aren't lacking at all is weaponry, so we're going to have to use that to our advantage.
"I think we'll tackle the first wave with rocket jockeys to take out the aircrafts, and infantry to take out the Grunts and Jackals. On the second wave, we hit them with everything we've got, save for the warthogs and rockets. While all this is going on, to take out the Wraiths we'll drive soldiers with rockets in 'Hogs behind the enemy lines. And while they're back there, they should identify the location of and kill as many snipers as they can. Any questions?" The room remained still. "Then let's get ready to show the Covies a battle they won't soon forget!"
The marines cheered and let out a loud "Sir, yes, sir!" in unison and then left to prepare.
When the hour passed, they were ready for the invaders. Just as they had expected, the first wave consisted of Banshees, Grunts, and Jackals. The six Banshees they sent barely made it over the hill that separated their base from the frozen plains beyond before bursting into flame as the rockets hit. .
The infantry went out almost as quickly. Jordan gave the okay to use the rockets on the infantry as well, so in a shower of rockets, assault rifle showers, and battle rifle bursts, the first wave fell without a single human casualty, and only two injuries. The battle field was snowy graveyard of the triangular methane tank wearing Grunts, the bird-like Jackals, and the purple metal of the Covenant aircraft. A beautiful sight to any UNSC soldier.
But it was far from time to celebrate, as the second wave was bound to be much tougher than the first. Once Jordan was sure the Warthogs were all ready to go, he went to check on the snipers.
"Remember everyone; your primary targets are the lead Elites. As we all know: Cut off the head of the snake, and the body dies with it."
"How do we identify a leader? They all look exactly the same!" A marine pointed out. Fellow snipers scoffed at his inexperience.
"The ones in white or black armor are usually the ones in charge. If you see one in your sights, make them priority one. Also, whenever you get a clear shot of an Elite or Brute operating a vehicle, take them down, too. Good luck everybody. I'm going to be at the front lines. Radio me if you need me."
It wasn't long before Jordan was with the rest of the marines that would make up the infantry. There was a wide variety of weapons in the group, including several that were captured by the Covenant. He felt confident they could do this. He knew they could win.
But when the second wave made it onto the hill, his jaw dropped. The new army was much larger than he could have imagined. He quickly snapped out of his slight shock, grabbed his battle rifle, and let loose. After the first round of exchanging fire, the humans seemed to be on top, but as the Covenant drew nearer, he knew his marines would have to go beyond the stand and shoot strategy.
Jordan winced as he heard a scream of pain as one of the plasma mortars fired by a Wraith tank found a mark. He turned to see one of his soldiers was severely injured, but not dead. He turned to a female marine that was just in the middle of taking out a Ghost with a captured Brute Shot. She was Sergeant Maria Walker; the marine Jordan probably wanted to survive more than any other. Their mission on Halo was supposed to be a one week scouting mission, and it was also supposed to be Sergeant Walker's last mission before going home. Instead, she got stranded on this ring world and spent the last six months fighting for her life. He had wanted an excuse to get her off the battlefield, and was glad that he found one.
"Walker, get Private Jones some medical attention. You're the best medic we have here." Jordan ordered.
Maria seemed a little reluctant, but she nodded and went to retrieve her fallen comrade.
"This is UNSC Hannibal to ground team. Come in, ground team!" A voice called into Jordan's radio. Jordan felt slight relief flowing through him. Their ride was here.
"This is Lieutenant Jordan Havoc. Does your ship have Pelicans?"
"Yes, sir. We've already got one under way to your location and-" The marine's sentence was cut off by a loud curse. "The Covenant has an Anti-air gun on our location. It already took out a Pelican!"
"Doesn't your ship have a MAC gun? Can you take it out?"
"Negative, sir. Our MAC cannon is offline. It's going to have to be done on the ground."
"Is there any other way you can assist us?"
"Well, we have about twenty ODSTs on board."
"If you think they can make it, send 'em down here A.S.A.P."
"Roger that, sir. Good luck. We'll start sending down Pelicans as soon as the gun is out of commission."
"Thank you," Jordan said, and then cursed under his breath after ending communication. This wouldn't be easy.
True to their word, UNSC Hannibal had twenty ODST drop pods deployed within thirty seconds. Due to the AA gun as well as the general dangers of freefalling from space into the atmosphere of a planet, only fifteen made it to the ground in one piece.
The ODSTs all landed within a few yards from each other and stepped out of their pods in unison. Rather than wear the standard marine green, the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers wore black ballistic armor and a helmet that covered their whole head and had a visor over their eyes. The one who appeared to be the leader approached Jordan.
Jordan had never actually seen one before, and was glad that you could actually see the face of an ODST through their visor, unlike that of a Spartan, making them a lot less scary and intimidating to be around. Although to be totally honest, Jordan would have much preferred to have fifteen Spartans with him right now, but he knew they couldn't expend someone as important as the Master Chief to save a small cluster of marines.
"I'm glad you could help. I hear it takes a special kind of crazy to be an ODST, and that's what I'm gonna need on this mission." Jordan said to the leader.
The ODST smirked. "Then it's good that crazy is something we love to deliver."
Jordan nodded. "So, have you all been briefed on the mission?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The ODSTs informed him, saluting.
"Then let's move out!" Jordan commanded.
With help from the crew of UNSC Hannibal, the Anti-air gun was pretty easy to locate. It was only a few yards away from the ruins of one of the two Wraiths that had been destroyed, but it was obscured by a large grouping of boulders. Guarding the large rock formation were about half a dozen Jackal snipers.
The ODSTs wasted little time in expertly disposing of the snipers. Jordan tried to lend a hand, but they didn't need it. These guys were definitely better than normal marines. Jordan and the group of Shock Troopers entered the labyrinth of boulders and found their way through with relative ease. There were varying Covenant soldiers along the way, but the soldiers had no trouble taking them out.
After exiting the formation, the found themselves in a small, snowy clearing with the AA gun in the middle. It was guarded mostly by Grunts with Needlers and Fuel Rod Cannons – the Covenant equivalent of a rocket launcher. There were about three Elite and Brute guards, but the thirty grunts were definitely the larger threat, oddly enough.
"Got a plan?" One of the ODSTs asked.
Jordan smirked and picked up a firebomb grenade from a fallen Brute. "Does anyone know if methane is flammable?"
Within about four minutes, the Elites and Brutes were killed, and eighteen Grunts remained. The Grunts were no threat, however, as they were now tied up and disarmed. The soldiers got to work, quickly using their combat knives to cut open the Grunts methane tanks. As soon as they were done, they lobbed a firebomb grenade into the group of Covenant.
They didn't quite expect the result.
A combination of the methane, the fire, the plasma grenades on the floor, the Fuel Rod Cannons' explosive plasma, the Needlers' explosive needles, and the AA gun itself all resulted in a massive, rainbow colored explosion. About ten ODSTs were too close to the explosion and were killed instantly. Jordan was far way enough to survive, but not far away enough to be affected. He was hurled into a nearby cavern and rolled down a slope about fifty feet long.
Once Lieutenant Havoc hit the ground, he was less than happy to see that the entrance had caved in. The mission was complete, but he was trapped. Worse yet: He was now unarmed and his radio was damaged.
Jordan used the flashlight he carried with him to take a look around the cave. One of the first things he noticed was a dead marine. Long dead based on the amount of rotting flesh. Curious as to whom it was, and if they had any weapons, Jordan approached his fallen comrade and searched him for a dog tag.
He was a bit more than surprised when the body shrieked and jumped up in an attempt to attack him. Jordan gasped and stumbled backwards, away from the Flood combat form. The former marine prepared to lunge again, but a burning sword made of plasma incinerated the Flood.
Jordan's savior was an Elite clad in black armor and armed with an energy sword. However, Jordan didn't quite get to thank the alien, because it walked toward him slowly and silently. It was too dark to tell, but he was quite clear that the Elite had intent to kill in his eyes. Rather than take his chance to find out, Jordan kicked the Elite's wrist with as much force as he good. His foot hurt like heck, but the sword was knocked out of his hand.
"You fool!" The Elite growled. "I have no quarrel with you at the time being. The parasite is a common enemy among us, is it not?"
Jordan nodded. "Of course. The Flood is the largest threat in almost any situation."
"Then you will be displeased to learn that his cave does indeed have an exit. And I have reason to believe it is but a short distance from the battle field where our armies are doing battle."
"No…" Jordan said quietly. "So you're proposing we work together, then? It's not often I hear Covenant propose anything other than killing us humans."
The Elite nodded. "I am not like most Covenant, then. What is it your kind says? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'? Well, that is exactly right when it comes to the parasite. So, vermin, what do you say?"
Jordan rolled his eyes. "I'd say it's rude to call your ally 'vermin', is it not, lizard-lips?"
The Elite grunted and turned to walk away. Jordan followed after him. "So, do you got a name?"
"Of course I do. I am Fortis Viree. And I suppose your kind possess names as well?"
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, we do. I'm Lieutenant Jordan Havoc."
"What a peculiar name."
"I could say the same, Fortress," Jordan commented.
"It's ForTIS," The Elite growled.
"So, ForTIS," Jordan began, a mocking down in his voice. "You said there's an exit. Do you actually know where it is?"
"Not quite. But if we follow the parasite, I am sure they will lead us to it."
Jordan nodded. It made sense. The two continued for a bit in silence, walking through the labyrinth that was the cave. They followed a few of the small infection forms that they saw, and were lucky to not be noticed.
However, they couldn't go unnoticed forever. As they followed the infection forms around a corner, a Brute – or what used to be a Brute – attacked them. Jordan was unable to defend himself, and merely put his arms up in defense. Fortis lent him a hand by severing the Flood's head, killing it.
"Thanks," Jordan muttered.
"You should have mentioned that you lacked a weapon," The Elite told him, reaching onto his back to grab a shotgun that Jordan hadn't noticed until now. "I took it from one of the parasites." He offered it to Jordan, who accepted it.
The pair resumed exploring the cave, occasionally running into a group of Flood who they made quick work of. The first real threat came about twenty minutes into their journey.
"I hear growling in that next chamber," Jordan said, putting an arm out to stop the Elite. The two of them peered around the corner to see a room filled with five Flood Juggernauts and several combat forms. There were a lot of infection forms, but they didn't see those as a threat.
Fortis got his energy sword ready and prepared to rush into battle when Jordan stopped him.
"What?" Fortis growled.
"Are you crazy?!" Jordan asked. "You'll get yourself killed!"
"The prophets have promised us that transcending the physical during battle makes us guaranteed to see Paradise after we die. It is why we are so willing to fight. It is the highest honor. Why is it you humans fight?"
"Well, I can't speak for all of us, as everyone is different, but I don't fight for spiritual reasons. I fight because I think it is right. Because I am more than willing to put my life on the line to protect my fellow man. It only seems right that I should do all I can to save humanity from extinction."
"That is most giving." Fortis commented, a thoughtful look on his face. "So, how would you say we should deal this room if not by charging at them?"
"I'll start the party with two firebomb grenades, and then we can tackle the rest together. But be sure to be careful. I don't think we're going to make it out of this place if either one of us dies."
Fortis was silent, and Jordan took that as acceptance. Turning the corner, the Lieutenant lobbed two grenades into the next room, setting two of the Juggernauts on fire. They died quickly. "Go!"
Jordan and Fortis charged in together. One of the Juggernauts tried to bring a rotting arm down on Jordan immediately, but he brought his shotgun level to the beasts face, pulling the trigger and killing it instantly.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jordan saw the flash of energy shields flaring. Fortis had been knocked into a wall by one of the Juggernauts, and was now being swarmed by various other Flood. He ran to Fortis, kicking the Flood aside and killing a few combat forms with his shotgun. He helped the Elite up, and then picked up the energy sword that he had left in his opponent's body.
"Thank you," Fortis said, taking his weapon back.
Jordan just nodded and turned to the final Juggernaut. The monstrosity charged towards him, and he took it out with the same ease as he had the first one. The remainder of the reanimated corpses were no problem for the Elite and the marine to handle. Once they were done, they continued to press forward.
"The cave is growing slightly brighter. We must be getting close," Fortis commented as they exited the chamber.
"Look out!" Jordan exclaimed. Fortis seemed to have not noticed an ex-marine lunging towards him. Jordan quickly blew the creatures head off.
They were about to keep walking when Jordan saw a dog tag on the corpse. He knelt down next to the disgusting being, trying not to throw up. When he looked at the name on the dog tag, he failed at not throwing up in horror.
"Sergeant Maria Walker," The tag read. A tear rolled down Jordan's cheek, and he wrapped the dog tag around his wrist like a bracelet.
"The Flood made it to the battlefield," Jordan said, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.
Fortis noticed the sorrow in Jordan's words and expression. "Was this human your mate?" He asked calmly.
Jordan shook his head. "Just a friend."
Fortis nodded in understanding, but Jordan wasn't quite sure he really understood the concept of friendship. He knew that Grunts could express friendship, but he had never seen Elites express the same kid of friendship that humans did.
The two continued to press forward, not saying anything for several minutes. But both to take his mind off of Sergeant Walker, and to quell his curiosity, he had to ask something.
"Do Elites have genders?" He asked. "I mean, you guys seem to know of 'mates' and stuff, but I've never came across an Elite who seemed too different from any other."
Fortis gave Lieutenant Havoc a curious look. "Of course we do. We just only allow our males to enter battle."
The two of them continued to talk about each other's culture for awhile. They were both disturbed by the lack of Flood inside the cavern, and feared the worst. They needed something else to think of. The two answered questions as accurately as they could and tried not to be annoyed at the absolute arrogance they held about each other's species. And in not too much time at all, they had found it, the exit.
Jordan almost wished they hadn't. Both armies were pathetically small. Unless the Flood counted as an army, that is. When Fortis exited the cave he grunted and stepped on the neck of a marine who was being invaded by the penetrater of an infection form. Jordan wanted to protest, but knew that the alien had done the right thing.
"Things are grim," Fortis commented.
Jordan looked up at the sky. "Maybe not."
Descending from the sky was a fleet of Hornets and Pelicans. Together, with the help of the Covenant and human ground forces, they decimated the floor in probably fifteen minutes.
After the Flood was gone, Jordan was appalled by the Covenant. Immediately they opened fire on the human aircrafts.
"No!" Fortis barked. "We are done here. The parasite has lessened our numbers. Let us not loose more."
After more arguments that Jordan didn't care for, the Covenant turned and began to retreat. The seventeen remaining humans began climbing aboard Pelicans. Before Jordan left, he turned to Fortis.
"It was nice working with you," Jordan said, outstretching a hand.
Fortis stared at his hand, confused.
"You're supposed to shake it," Jordan told him, laughing a bit. "It's a human thing."
The Elite nodded and did as instructed. "Perhaps not all ver…perhaps not all humans are so bad."
"And you're not so bad for an Eli…for a Sangheli," Jordan replied, using the species' proper name. "I wish there were more like you." He looked back to see that the Pelicans were waiting on him. "Well, if we meet again, try not to a put an Energy Sword through my chest, okay?"
Fortis gave Jordan a quizzical look. "But how will I pick you out? All humans look the same."
Jordan burst into a fit of laughter The Sangheli continued to give Jordan the odd look. "You humans are curious creatures."
"I could say the same about your kind." He said before adding "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, human," The Elite replied, and the two went their separate ways.
As the Pelican made its ascent to space, Jordan looked down at the Halo ring with a sense of failure. He could hardly consider their last stand a success. Sure they survived and got off of the ring. But at what cost? All that was left of his fifty man squad was enough marines to fit a Pelican and a half.
He looked down at the dog tag on his wrist and cried.