Disclaimer: I do not own the video game series Halo, or any of the contents of its universe
Disclaimer: I do not own the video game series Halo, or any of the contents of its universe. I only co-own the central characters of this fic.
Part 3: Contact
"Captain, we have enemy contacts." said Ensign Brown, the sonar operator aboard the UNSC Bangor, the ship which carried what's its crew called "the Achmed Squad" due to the suicidal nature of their mission. Bangor had received the Pelican carrying the "Achmed Squad", then joined the orbital space battle that had been raging for hours. They had approached the Covenant carrier that supposedly contained this officer that ONI wanted for questioning, but then it had boogied into slipspace. Miraculously, Bangor had managed to follow it. Now they had just exited slipspace near an odd planet that wasn't on any of the UNSC charts.
"Is it the Chieftain's vessel?" asked the ship's commanding officer, Commander Isaac Hughes. Though he was only a commander, he was referred to as "Captain" due to his position in the crew, a Navy tradition dating back thousands of years.
"Affirmative, it is the target cruiser." said Ensign Brown.
"Alright. Alphin, set the crew to battle stations. Alert our guests as well. Let's get in close, I want as little distance as possible between our hangars. The ODST's will have less fire to travel through. Let's go people!"
Alarms blared through the hull of the Bangor as crewman scrambled about to their positions. Marines were also scrambling, donning and securing their armor, locking and loading their weapons, and preparing for any anti-boarding action. Standing in one of the hangars was the fabled Achmed Squad.
"Jeez, with all these marines runnin' about, you'd figure we could take a few with us." said Ryerson, his sniper rifle leaning on his shoulder as he was sitting on a crate.
"I already asked for some. Turns out their roster is short-handed enough as it is. They'd be having a hard time repelling any Covenant boarders with what they currently have, they can't spare any to go get themselves killed." replied Sergeant Cardell, his Battle Rifle on his armor's back magnets.
"Due respect sir, but that's bullshit." Ryerson replied.
"Actually, it's true. I even checked the roster myself. It'd be a frickin' miracle if they kept the Covvies contained at the boarding sites."
"Staff Sergeant?" asked the Pelican's crew chief as he poked his head out of the passenger hold's hatch. "We're ready for take-off, we're just waiting for your men."
"Alright boys, you heard the man, load up." Cardell ordered. And so the five men climbed into the passenger hold of the Pelican. Soon, the hatched closed, leaving them in the red lighted interior.
"Jeez this is creepy." said Rowen. They then felt the Pelican lift, and rush forward into the blackness of space. Even through the thick metal hull of the dropship, the men could hear the raging space battle. They felt their transport bob and weave from side to side, most likely trying to avoid fire and other craft. The four ODST's couldn't help but think of the possibility that they might be shot down or collided into before reaching the enemy hangar. Delgado did not consider this possibility. As far as he was concerned, there would be no failure of any kind. There's the possibility that failure could happen, but he wouldn't let it happen.
"Jesus Christ, they could've at least built in some portholes so we could see what the fuck is happening out there!" Ryerson said in frustration.
"We're hitting the enmy hangar in 45 seconds. Say again, 45 to dirt." said the pilot through the comms.
"Alright boys, ready up! We're goin' in." Cardell said as he undid his seat harness and stood, holding onto the rail above the seats. The others did the same. Soon, the Pelican steadied and began firing its machine guns into the hangar, clearing the Covenant located there. As the Pelican began turning around to face the way they just came in, the ODST's and Steven readied their weapons. Soon, the Pelican shuddered as it hit the ground, the doors opened, and the Achmed Squad sprang into action.
Steven felt his boots hit the metal of the hangar floor, and moved with the speed and precision of a true Spartan, only noting Cardell leaving Ryerson behind to guard the Pelican. His Assault Rifle was aimed at the door as he approached it, the others in formation behind him. As they approached the door, it opened, revealing a Grunt squad and two Jackals. The enemies were promptly shredded by automatic weapons fire. Without missing a beat, Steven continued into the hall, following the waypoint marker in his HUD. The four UNSC personnel moved through the halls to the bridge, killing all Covenant in their way without mercy or thought, acting on reflex, training, and survival instincts. Within ten minutes, they reached the bridge door…which wouldn't open.
"So…now what? We knock?" asked Rowen as he glanced about the halls, his MA5C Assault Rifle lowered at the lack of hostiles.
"We could always find another way in." suggested Merven.
"You got any ideas Del…gado?" Cardell asked, then paused when he saw the Spartan kneeling in front of the door. When he stepped away, there was a black square on the door. The square had a blinking red light.
"You might wanna step back." Steven said as he began walking away to a safe distance. Rowen and Merven exchanged glances before bolting after him. Cardell simply shook his head before jogging off after the three. The blinking light began blinking faster, and without warning, the door was evaporated as the charge detonated. All three ODST's jumped in surprise. Steven remained stock still, then moved in with his precision and skill. The ODST's followed, and the four soon eliminated every living alien in the bridge.
"He's not here." Cardell noted. Not one of the dead Brutes was a Chieftan. "What do you think Delgado?" Cardell asked, his vision now on the Spartan standing at the controls. Cardell walked forward until he was next to the Spartan. He watched as Steven placed a chip into the controls, which in turn brought up a video screen. Steven scrolled through the recent archives, and soon came to a video of the target Raisalus. The Brute had left the bridge not five minutes before the Pelican had exited the Bangor's hangar. Scrolling through several other videos, they saw the events unfold: Raisalus had entered a Phantom with his Brute Pack, and had set sail for the uncharted planet.
"So…what now?" asked Rowen. Steven turned and began walking towards the door they'd breached.
"We go after him." Delgado simply said.
"I take it you didn't get him?" asked Ryerson as the group returned, stepping over the new bodies Ryerson had slain with his SMG.
"He made tracks, and we're gonna follow 'em." Cardell said as the five loaded up into the Pelican. The ODST's strapped into their seats as Steven entered the cockpit and handed the new co-ordinates to the pilots. Within minutes, they were back in space, flying through the fight again. Eventually, they were rocking back and forth in their seats as they entered the atmosphere. Soon, things smoothed out, and they were flying to the new DZ.
"We're hitting dirt in five minutes." the pilot said over the loudspeaker. With that, the five loaded their weapons and armed their senses. Soon, they were approaching the DZ…and then everything went to hell. The five in the passenger hold were jolted as something impacted with one of the wings. The Pelican began tottering, then barrel rolling towards the ground at an increasing and alarming rate.
"AA fire, AA fire!" cried the pilot. "We've lost an engine, we're going down, repeat we're goi-"
