A hundred-thousand soldiers deployed throughout the highland plateau of Damascus, outside Olympia. Three main attack groups, each spearheaded by UNSC armour. Main battle tanks thundered across the plains like cavalry, artillery and rocket batteries scythed across Covenant lines. Hundreds of tonnes of munitions released from bomber squadrons created mushroom clouds that could be seen from orbit.
It was a glorious combined arms charge. A textbook operation designed to abort the enemy's foothold. Surely, nothing in the Covenant arsenal could hope to dent this unrelenting tide?
Then the Scarabs appeared.
Scores of the super-heavy walkers had completely halted the UNSC blitzkrieg. They had deployed when a Covenant carrier had broken through the Navy blockade and reinforced the beachhead. ONI estimated the Covenant had in excess of three-quarters of a million personnel planet side at the commencement of the operation. But with the arrival of the carrier, that number had reached to over a million.
The 21st Armoured Division were the first to confront the walkers. The Scorpion tanks of A Company were threatening the eastern most Covenant defences of the landing site.
Captain Harris, the company commander, brought their guns to bear on the great towers forming the intricate system of anti-aircraft defences. Rhino self-propelled artillery sent high-explosive shells screaming overheard to bombard the Covenant's prefabricated defence structures
Harris's charge was interrupted by the Scarabs. Their arrival was like a herald of death for the UNSC tanks. The first walker fired a beam of bright blue plasma which swept away three Scorpions in a single swipe. Air support was swatted away with the anti-aircraft cannons mounted on its back.
In his command variant Scorpion, Harris called on for a full retreat. Aerial drones showed large concentration of Covenant infantry and armour backed up by more Scarabs super-heavies aiming to cut into the UNSC's flanks. He yelled frantically in his headset for air support.
A fuel rod blast pierced his tank and cooked off the munitions. Harris died screaming as the flames consumed him and his tank, along with half a dozen infantrymen accompanying him.
The Covenant had counter-attacked their counter-attack.
Along the road leading to the front, soldiers, tanks and vehicles clamoured back towards the cities. It was a scene of chaos. There were no military police to address the panicky retreat, and no traffic personnel to guide the multitude of vehicles clogging up the roads, for they were amongst the crowds of retreating figures.
To compound the situation, fresh formations were beginning to arrive down towards the front. The new units formed a barrier in which the retreating troops cannot pass. The battle-net demanded for order, calls for discipline and for a defence line to be reformed. Those orders went unheeded.
The majority of the fresh units were conscript formations, sent in to reinforce the lines. They were completely unprepared for the sight of the invincible UNSC army going feral.
Gripping her MA5 "ersatz" rifle tightly, sixteen year old conscript Rebecca advanced with her company. It seemed like fun and games when the call for soldiers came to Olympia. The weeks of drilling and weapon maintenance were a monotonous task, but it was something Rebecca knew was essential for a soldier. She always believed that she was tougher than other girls her age. Having to fight five elder brothers for supremacy sure did help.
The conscripts had marched on foot, trucks and APCs were left for the regular army units. They had used civilian pick-up trucks for their supplies, pitiable as they were. When the first casualties began to stem away from the frontlines, she began to have doubts. It was few at first, one or two.
The first soldier she saw was a tank crewman; his flak-overalls were stained with blood from the shrapnel wound to his side. The man staggered as if drunk, his eyes spoke of someone who had lost all cognitive functions. He reminded her of a zombie. No body went up to help him.
Not long after, the trickle became a river, then a flood. Soon vehicles began to appear.
A Rhino SP with its gun blown out by a shell malfunction were covered fully with wounded. The vehicle had been retreating from a field hospital treating legless invalids. It was a macabre exhibition. What were more unnerving were the cries for water, food or loved ones.
It was probably the sight of the squirming mass of legless men that she thought the idea to run away. Most of them had been nursing that idea. But duty and the scrutiny of their comrades had kept them in line. Not to mention the ever-present threat of summary execution from their handlers. A cadre of soldiers monitored them at all times at the rear, ready to shoot any of them at the first signs of treachery.
She came across a pile of dead soldiers, they had their hands tied behind their backs and shot against the wall. Battlefield justice.
Rebecca averted her eyes against the sight.
Nobody spoke, nobody mentioned anything. The company marched on towards their destination.
/
It was something the Spartans were all too accustomed to. It was the sound of a UNSC army in its death throes. They stood before them, amidst all the disorder, they were calm. They were trained from birth to obey orders and to uphold strict discipline. This disorganised retreat disgusted them.
"There he is, the 'hog over there with the general-staff markings." One of them acknowledged. Julie was a female, but her more feminine "assets" were hidden beneath a heavy weapons combat rig. Ammo hoppers linked directly to the cumbersome 30mm chain-gun held in her hands.
"I see it." The voice that replied was one bereft of emotions or warmth, just a growl as if it was coming out of a distorted voice box. Harald was a tall Spartan, immensely tall, equal to the size of a Spartan II.
"About time that bastard got here, was wondering if he got blasted apart by the aliens." The shortest member, a Spartan by the name of Demeter spoke.
The armoured giant came up to a warthog with the insignia of the general staff. It was fleeing ahead of everyone else; the occupants had fled at the first sign of collapse.
Harald stood in its way. It seemed as if the light vehicle would meet a head-on collision with the towering Spartan. It stopped at the very last minute, tyres screeching as the driver hit the brakes. A man in the uniform of a Major-general clambered out. His face was sallow and gaunt, its eyes shining with fury and a hint of fear.
"What the devil are you fools doing? Get out of my way. I order you!"
The Spartan stood impassive. They paid no notice of the soldiers staring at them. Harald came up to the furious general. The big Spartan grasped the man by the collars and raised him up for all to see.
"You have neglected your duty, General Lew. By your actions, you have caused your men to flee. You caused the collapse of your front and allowed the Covenant to break this army apart."
"What bullshi-". The general didn't have time to defend himself before the Spartan drew his combat knife and gutted the man. The general wheezed and coughed for a few seconds before succumbing to the release of death.
"By ONI directive 3378 under the Emergency Wartimes Act, I relieved you of your duties." He let the cooling body fall down onto the hard ground.
Julie drew out a terrified figure who was cowering inside the staff warthog. She was a woman with the pips of a staff-major. Her hands were frantically trying to pry away the Spartan's grasp, but nothing short of severing the armoured gauntlet would get away from her.
"Please, I was against the retreat! I have done nothing wrong!" The major screamed out.
Harald had stripped the dead general's uniform. He came up to the terrified major and addressed her. "Major Samantha Harinton, in absence to any present authority, you are hereby promoted to the brevet rank of major-general. High command has now declared this retreat to be stopped all at once!"
Still squirming in the grasp of the Spartan, the major nodded frantically. Willing to do anything the Spartan says as long as she could get out of their grasps. "Yes! Yes! I'll take command!"
The big Spartan nodded to Julie. She released her grip and the major collapsed onto the Martian dirt.
"Your command has not been ratified yet, in the meantime, use Lew's pass to access higher encryptions."
Harald threw the blood stained uniform at Samantha. "Try to get a new one from the stores. But I'm afraid you would be hard-pressed to find a quarter-master right now."
Samantha only stared vaguely at the blood-stained at her feet, too numbed to respond to anything. Beneath his enclosed helmet, Demeter curled his lips in distaste. The sight of a lowly being leading the Spartans did not leave a good taste in his mouth.
"Major-General, please come this way. Your command Elephant is ready for you."