quick note: this is my first fic EVER so please keep that in mind when reading and reviewing it please :)
"Si Vis pacem, para bellum " "If you wish for peace, prepare for war"- Vegetius
The world was on fire, there was only heat, and pain, but that world only lasted for a few seconds, and the one that replaced it was only slightly less dismal. Captain McMillan shook his head, the sensations of pain and heat and blinding light had passed. The pain was now but a throb in his left arm, and the feeling of burning heat had receded completely, his vision was still blurry but he could now make out some shapes, many of which were moving around. One of these shapes moved closer and resolved into Private Anderson, one of the members of his Orbital Drop Shock Trooper squad. "You alright captain?" shouted the young soldier; McMillan finally had the clearness of mind to respond, "Yeah, I think I'll live." "Thought you were a goner sir, when that missile punched right through the wall you were taking cover behind. We feared the worst but it seems like the armor saved your life sir." As he spoke Anderson looked over his shoulder back at the gaping opening in the wall from which the sounds of a raging battle emanated.
Suddenly McMillan remembered what had happened, the rebels had attacked from an unexpected angle this time and as his men had repositioned themselves to fend off the attack, a rebel rocket team had appeared out of nowhere to flank them. He had been the only one close enough to do something about it and so had blindly, and now that he reflected on it perhaps stupidly, charged them. He took down one with sustained fire from his assault rifle, and stabbed his combat knife through the others neck. As he had turned to deal with the third one he found himself looking down the barrel of a rocket launcher, before the rebel soldier could fire a rocket at him he dove behind a half collapsed concrete wall, as he dove he primed and threw a frag at the unfortunate rebel. The rebel was probably blown to a bloody pulp by the grenade, but Captain Michael McMillan was in no position to find out as he had been abruptly knocked into the air by the resulting explosion that slammed through the wall.
"You want to give me a hand private?" asked McMillan as he attempted to get up "sure thing captain." Responded the trooper. As he stood up he noticed a stream of blood dripping down his arm, "Shrapnel must've punched through the ballistics under weave." Noted Anderson having noticed it too, "can you still move it?" "Yeah, yeah I can, stings like a bitch though." said McMillan as he moved his arm up and down, from the way the pain was he figured a small piece of shrapnel had simply torn through the outer part of his upper left arm and punched through the other side, an inspection of the other side of his arm confirming that theory. "Well, shall we rejoin the battle Anderson?" asked the now ready ODST captain, " Sir, yes, sir!" shouted the private. The two then proceeded to charge out of the destroyed building to join their brothers-in-arms.
The two UNSC ODST's pounded down the street that bore the signs of recent battle, fires burned in the crumpled husks of a few cars, and Rebel bodies lined the street. McMillan noted with satisfaction that there were no UNSC bodies lying with them good he thought to himself, maybe we'll get out without any casualties again, God knows our lucks been stretched to the limit lately. As he approached two other ODST's crouching behind an overturned car, one of them quipped "Still alive eh captain? Good to see Anderson found you in one piece, that would've been a bitch to clean up." McMillan grinned underneath his visor and chuckled " I'm sure it would've been lieutenant, hoping for a field promotion?" "Not quite yet sir." Responded 1st Lieutenant Luke Miller as he fired at an enemy McMillan couldn't see.
As Miller turned back to reload McMillan had one question for him "status?" "The rebels almost had us sir, luckily thanks to the distraction you caused, Benson was able to out flank them and chew them up. We pushed them further down the street and requested reinforcements; we received two squads of PDF troops to help counter the assault, unfortunately their advance was countered by the rebels and they were driven back to this position. Garcia and I rushed over here to give them some support fire, and then Anderson reported you were alive." "Where's the rest of the squad?" asked McMillan, "Benson's giving some-" before Miller could finish, the distinctive sound of a heavy machine gun firing rang out and McMillan and Miller looked over their cover just in time to see a PDF soldier make a run for a new piece of cover and get torn to pieces by a newly set up rebel gun emplacement. The heavy caliber shells ripped through the combat armor of the soldier like a blowtorch through rice paper, blasting bloody holes through his chest and spraying blood and bone fragments down the street, several of the shells clipped his arm and blew it clean off. The soldier fell to the ground and a pool of blood began to spread around his body. "Holy shit!" exclaimed Anderson, who was huddled behind a wall "well this complicates things a bit." Muttered Miller.
"Damn!" swore Anderson as the rebel gunner fired at them, "we cant do shit while that things up!". "He's right you know.", said Miller as Anderson fired blindly around the corner of the wall hoping to land a lucky shot on the gunner, though somehow managing to hit seemingly everything except the gunner. "where's Sullivan?" asked McMillan as a thought occurred to him."no idea" responded Miller " he went off to go find a better perch when we pushed the rebels down the street, he could be anywhere now." "don't worry cap." said a familiar voice over the COM system " Don't you know the lunar wolves always got a guardian angel?" "bout damn time Sullivan, it was just starting to get pleasant down here. Where're you set up?" asked McMillan, "Oh about 50 yards behind you guys, just starting to take a bead on that fucker with HMG, hang on a sec..." two seconds later the distinctive crack of a sniper rifle sounded. McMillan watched the sabot-assisted bullet drill straight through the rebel gunner's head blowing out the back of it, and leaving a pretty gruesome splatter of brains and blood on the rubble behind the bastard.
upon losing his heavy support, the rebel commander seemed to think the better of assaulting this position, and the remainder of the rebel troops began to retreat, not without the PDF soldiers taking a few potshots at them anyway. a few seconds after Benson came tearing out from a side alley his battle rifle up and ready " aw damn captain i missed it!" complained the lunar wolves largest and strongest member, "dont worry Benson," said Miller " this party wasnt really worth coming to in the first place" "any injuries?" asked McMillan apprehensively, "besides you sir? nobody else has so much as a scrape." responded Benson. "damn good news sergeant, looks like we made through another day"said a relieved McMillan "Don't worry too much cap, just another day at the office." quipped sullivan, who had just arrived completing the squad of six. "damn straight corporal!" laughed Benson as the relief force arrived. yeah just another day of death and destruction thought McMillan wonder when we'll have to punch into this "office" tomorrow. McMillan decided to let such dismal toughts pass as the lunar wolves-4th squad of the 2nd ODST battalion headed back to base victorious