Disclaimer- this is a work of fan fiction.
BattleTech\MechWarrior © TOPPS
Halo © Microsoft Game Studios
HaloTech
Chapter 3
HAFS Spatha
High Orbit, Epsilon Eridani
14 August 2552
::General Fang, begin landing your troops::
Mei grinned in her neurohelmet.
"Captain Lenova, take us in," She radioed to the ship's Captain.
The massive frigate moved from its position with the 71st, followed by the rest of the frigates. The four cruisers took up a defensive position above them as all ten ships executed a full combat burn towards the planet. Along the hull of the cruiser docking collars retracted and the docking tubes disconnected. Umbilicals retracted as the massive DropShips that housed the regimental combat team slowly drifted away from their mother ships. Mei watched on her secondary MFD a live feed from the hull of the Colossus II DropShip as the maneuvering thrusters slowly rotated the spheroid ship onto an approach vector to the planet. One by one the DropShips of the 49th detached and prepared for combat as the 49th's Aerospace Wing began deploying from their carriers for escort duty.
"Two minutes till drop," the DropShip captain reported. "We're on the glide path."
Mei brought up her tactical display to show the target areas. There were three sites that needed defending, and the current defenders didn't seem to have the firepower or the stones to hold the line. The countdown timer was running down quickly.
"4th and 5th Orbital Assault Divisions, drop on the power generators at the following coordinates." She sent the data to Colonels Sergovich and Reed. "Hold the line."
"1st Regiment, prepare for Avalanche Drop right on top of the main enemy force. 88th and 975th , secure LZ. All remaining regiments to deploy to the following sectors." Mei sent out the remaining coordinates. She flicked several switch covers open, toggling the weapons systems from standby to armed. The HUD flashed to life as the fusion engine that was the heart of the thirteen meter tall war machine revved to full power. The Atlas IIIc stepped from its cubicle towards the main hatch, followed by her command lance. Behind her eyes the message flashed that all BattleMechs were ready for deployment.
"Thirty seconds to drop."
Already the Orbital Assault Divisions of the 49th Heavy Cavalry had deployed, racing towards the surface of the planet in their Battle Armor cocoons. At 1000 meters the cocoons would break apart and jump packs will slow their descent to thirty meters, where the packs will disengage and allow the Battle Armor units to engage at will. The Mechanized Infantry of the past was replaced with the latest Spartan class medium Battle Armor and used point formations instead of the traditional squads. 1,125 Battle Armor troops per Division were making their combat drop right into a massive slugfest.
The hatch of the Colossus Mk II class DropShip slid open.
"This is General Mei Fang of the Hegemony 49th Heavy Cavalry to all UNSC defenders. We will execute an Avalanche Drop at targets Alexandra, Armory, and A-331. If it is big and green, don't shoot it." She broadcast over an open frequency. The light flashed green and one hundred tons of destruction wrapped in Ferro-Titanium stepped into the open sky. The booster pack would slow the descent of the massive BattleMech, but at thirty meters, she jettisoned the pack for a hard landing because it was important to make a good first impression on everyone present.
Planetary Defense Generator A-331
Outskirts, New Alexandra
14 August 2552
Commander Carter-259 looked up as the Falcon VTOL he was riding was buffeted by multiple reentry shockwaves.
"Commander, we have a lot of inbound traffic," The pilot radioed. "A LOT of traffic."
Carter could count thousands of reentry pods heading for the generator complex. Team Noble didn't know what to think of the new arrivals, but word from FLEETCOM said they were friendly. Millions of civilians were trapped in the cities, desperate to escape. Already word from the Armory was that there were multiple inbound ships of unknown configuration. He looked at Kat, Emil, and Jun. All were ready for combat as soon as they touched down at the objective. Other Spartan Teams were also in play, each moving to their assigned objectives.
"Seraph at four o'clock!" Shouted Emil.
Everyone swung to see the enemy fighter bearing down on them, only to explode moments later as a strange fighter rolled out of the blast. It was sleek, angular, and very deadly.
"God!" Kat shouted as the fighter seemed to fall apart, only to transform into some kind of war machine. It drifted closer to the VTOL and the cockpit de-polarized, revealing the pilot. It looked like a Spartan in the cockpit, in an olive drab armored suit and gold reflective helmet reminiscent of the EVA variant Mjolnir armor. The pilot gave the Spartans a thumbs up before the cockpit polarized and the fighter boosted towards the stratosphere.
"Is there something ONI isn't telling us Commander?" Kat asked.
"Thirty seconds to target Commander," The pilot reported. The VTOL banked sharply as several Longswords raced by. The four leapt from the VTOL near the perimeter as several Scorpions began firing. They made their way to the forward bunker and reported in. The room was lit only be an overhead light that illuminated a map board.
"What's the situation Captain?" Carter spoke.
"We've established a perimeter around the generator complex. Right now the Covenant forces on planet are in complete disarray because of the drop pods that landed."
"These Hegemony forces? Are they any good?"
"We've heard reports coming out of the Alexandra and Armory of giant robots landing and engaging the Covenant forces." The captain reported. "Strange fighters buzzing about, but if it keeps the Covenant in disarray I say more power to them."
"We encountered one of the Hegemony fighters on the way in."
"It grew legs?" The captain asked.
"Yes."
"I've seen a few of them fly over the tree line at high speed. It was like watching a pair of SparrowHawks, but only more heavily armed and armored."
A commotion outside drew everyone's attention as Carter and his team emerged from the bunker. Standing in the middle of a group of UNSC Marines were five eight foot tall armored soldiers. Their helmets were fashioned after archaic Greek helms, and their legs had a double joint similar to those of the Elites. They were olive drab in color, with a blue stripe along their left leg and torso. Multiple weapons were mounted on the armor and the leader strode forward. Carter did the same until they were both nearly eye to eye. The trooper reached up and removed his helmet, revealing a rather human face apart from an elaborate silver tattoo on the left side of her face. Her hair was cropped close to her skull, revealing several neural interfaces similar to those of the Spartans.
"I am Colonel Katya Sergovich of the 4th Hegemony Orbital Assault Division. I have orders to support your forces in repelling this attack."
Carter reached up and removed his helmet. "Commander Carter 259," He replied. "Spartan Team Noble."
"We have encountered some resistance as we landed, but the only real fight we have encountered is from the giant armored aliens and the shielded ones." Katya replied. "The others we have been able to sweep aside with no casualties."
"Hunters and Elites," Carter replied. "Those are the heavy assault troops and leaders of the Covenant forces."
In the distance, a mechanical thumping could be heard, creating impact tremors in the pools of water around them.
"Da," She said. "General Fang has landed her forces in the area you call the Armory. She is enjoying herself since it is not often we face and enemy that does not use BattleMechs on the field."
"BattleMechs?"
The impact tremors became more pronounced, and everyone turned to look at the ten meter tall robot that marched along the perimeter, followed by three others. They had massive cannons for arms, and what appeared to be a radar dish above its head. The four seemed to patrol along the perimeter.
"Ah, the aerospace defenses have arrived," Katya said. All four BattleMechs turned and began firing as a flight of Covenant Banshees made the mistake of leaving the cover of the forest. The Banshees exploded like a string of firecrackers as the combined Autocannons and pulse lasers of the 'Mechs made short work of the light armed aircraft.
"Rifleman Mk IIIs," Katya said. "They will provide enough air defense to keep these Covenants away from the generators."
"Got any more of the Rifleman to take on the Covenant ground forces?" Carter asked, impressed with the display.
"The Rifleman is more suited to air defense, but it is not the only BattleMech in the Hegemony arsenal. A scout company of light 'Mechs is already harassing the enemy forces to the north while General Fang's command company and 1st Battalion is engaging their armor and DropShips. We dropped two OADs onto the generator complex for defense while our DropShips ground to the south of us and deployed our armor and artillery."
"Sir! The Covenant is making another push to the Generators!" The Captain had a hand to his helmet. "No armor yet, just numbers."
"Shall we?" Katya put her helmet back on. Carter nodded and replaced his own helmet.
"Noble team, saddle up."
The UNSC forces had improvised a trench along the perimeter of the generator complex and as Carter surveyed the area, the Covenant were attempting a full court press. Burst of automatic weapons fire was peppered with laser, plasma, and crystal bolts. Other, similarly armored troopers from the 4th OAD leapt forward on streams of plasma, often landing in the midst of an enemy formation and unleashing their own plasma and machine gun fire. Even with the assistance of the 4th, it was not to be an easy victory.
Carter and the rest of Noble Team took cover as plasma overshot their position. He watched Katya take a hit to the torso but only stagger back as the superheated plasma scorched and melted the armor. She braced herself as two missiles erupted from her backpack and streak towards the enemy formation, followed by eight other missiles from her squadmates.
They operate in groups of five, Carter noted.
The missiles impacted both in the soft soil and among the Covenant in an airburst. Alien blood and limbs flew from the fireball as she raised her right arm. Mounted on the arm was what appeared to be a heavy AutoCannon, and she fired one round at an approaching Hunter. The heavy round impacted the Hunter's shield, the kinetic force and blast ripping it from its body. Carter raised his battle rifle and fired a three round burst into it, followed by a single round from Jun's sniper rifle. The monstrous creature staggered back and collapsed as its bond mate rushed forward, firing its fuel rod cannon. The green blast smashed into one of Katya's warrior's shattering his armor and sending the body rolling back into a fox hole of Marines.
Emil leapt over the broken cover and slid beneath the Hunter as it tried to focus on the Spartan, only to come face to face with Emil's shotgun. Three round in rapid succession to the Hunter's head caused the beast to join its brother. Katya extended her left arm and fired a stream of energy bolts downrange into a mass of Grunts, causing one of them to explode in a green flash. Over head UNSC SparrowHawks made strafing runs against Covenant Mantis tanks as a pair of olive drab and blue tanks hovered over a ridge and into attack position.
"Pull your troops back," Katya ordered.
"What?" Carter shouted.
She pointed to the tanks. "Scythe and Harvester OmniTanks…configured for anti-infantry."
Both vehicles accelerated onto the field, their front mounted weapons flashing to life as pulse lasers, mingled with anti-personnel gauss rifles, cut into the Covenant flank. Turret and side sponson weapons cut down those that evaded the first barrage. A single BattleMech landed behind the two tanks and fired on the Covenant armor. Shell casings covered the ground and the Hyper Assault Gauss Rifle of the Shadow Cat III shredded the Covenant Wraiths with precise shots. The Covenant forces recoiled at the hammer blows landed. Two more hover tanks crested the ridge and unleashed a barrage of emerald bolts into the massed enemy formation.
Carter watched a few Hegemony personnel check the dead and wounded, recovering the injured as well as the dead. The Hegemony teams left nothing behind.
The Shadow Cat III was blasted back by a focused energy beam from the mouth of a valley. The sixty ton war machine tottered as the pilot ejected, finally exploding in a massive fireball.
"Damn," Katya spat.
"Covenant Scarab!" Kat shouted, pointing. In the distance a sixty plus meter tall quadruped robot was making its way towards them from the canyon. And just over the mountains, a Covenant Destroyer was emerging from the clouds.
"When it rains it pours," Carter said grimly. "You have any additional support?" He asked Katya.
She nodded. "Damocles, Damocles, request fire mission."
"Damocles on station." The reply came over the open channels for all to hear.
"Covenant warship at the following coordinates," She read off the coordinates as they fed through her tactical display. "TAG on target."
"Target confirmed. Prepare for bombardment." High in orbit the HAFS Spatha rolled to bring her port broadsides to bear. The Covenant Destroyer managed to sneak in over the polar ice caps, but in making a run for the generators, it left itself open to attack.
She turned to Carter. "Damocles will take care of the warship, which leaves the quad to us."
The clouds above the Destroyer parted as four Neutron Pulse Lasers, two Plasma rounds, and two Medium N-Gauss round impacted the ship in the first of a thirty second barrage. The destroyer's shields shuddered, finally shattering as the additional fire from the broadsides of the Hegemony WarShip bled through its shields into the vulnerable hull, the port wing of the Covenant Destroyer exploding as it lost altitude and crashed into the ground. The flash of the blast would be seen hundreds of miles away, and the shockwave threatened to knock everyone off their feet.
Katya braced herself as the wave passed. The rest of her point did likewise and waited for a moment as the wind blew past them. The technology that allowed a warship to enter a planet's atmosphere was something they had to acquire for the Hegemony. She was sure that there were recovery teams already moving to the wreckage as well as following the boarding parties onboard the alien ship in orbit.
"I take it there is a plan for taking on the Scarab?" Carter asked.
"Da," Katya replied. "March One, this is Cossack One, we have enemy Colossus class 'Mechs in play, requesting ARES support."
"Stand by Cossack One," General Fang replied. "Request granted, clear grid for deployment."
"FALL BACK!" Katya shouted.
Moments later a streak of fire appeared in the sky. The Scarab continued its slow advance, oblivious to the approaching fireball.
Carter watched the object explode into fragments as the contents were revealed. Three massive legs impacted into the ground as the titanic war machine landed behind the Scarab. Arms deployed as the Scarab's turret mounted plasma cannon began to swivel, only to be met with a massive stream of plasma from the tripod's left arm.
"Ah, they deployed SHIVA," Katya said.
"Shiva?" Kat cocked her head, the rest of Noble team seemed to prepare for the worst.
"Colossus class BattleMech…150 tons…used for sieges," Katya replied. "Not exactly the fastest 'Mech in the HAF, but she can put the fear of god into anything that it comes across."
The tripod BattleMech lurched forward and fired into the knee joint of the Scarab, melting the delicate joint and causing the Covenant quad to go down. Plasma fire from the Scarab's pintle mounted plasma cannons pelted the Shiva, but it absorbed the fire and unleashed a third barrage into the opposite leg, destroying its knee joint. It slowly backed away and spun its torso to fire at targets in the Canyon.
"Shiva One to Cossack One, target is down, execute swarm."
"Execute Swarm confirmed Shiva One. Thanks for the assist and good hunting."
Three more BattleMechs crested the ridge and raced ahead of the lumbering giant, each one identical to the one that came before.
Low Orbit
Rosaline rolled in behind a Covenant fighter and triggered a burst from her RAC 5 followed by her pulse lasers. The Seraph tumbled out of control before exploding against the shields of a Covenant cruiser.
"Raven Two and Three pull in," She ordered. She dove her fighter beneath the broadsides of the Long March as it fired again into the side of Covenant cruiser. NPPC-Hs smashed into the alien ship, followed by plasma fire. Sporadic pulse laser fire from the Covenant ship struck and penetrated the shields of the Hegemony WarShip, but was unable to penetrate to the armored hull.
"They're heading for the McCaffery," She followed a flight of Seraphs, destroying one as she rolled beneath the Long March. Aerospace Fighters from the Long March destroyed a second Seraph as she leveled out.
"If this keeps up we'll run out of ammo before we run out of tangos," her wingman radioed.
"All Ravens, keep an eye on your ammo status." Rosaline ordered. "If anyone goes below ten percent RTB."
She fires a short burst of her Rotary AutoCannon into a Seraph, followed by her ER Medium Lasers and Medium Pulse Lasers. The 50mm shells of the AutoCannon broke down the shields of the fighter enough for the lasers to penetrate. The crimson beams of the ER Mediums carved through the weak armor of the Seraph and sent it spinning out of control, and the emerald bolts of the ER pulse lasers finished the ship off.
They were still our numbered.
And the battlespace was getting cluttered with debris.
"Victory to Raven Lead, RTB for refuel and rearm."
"Copy Victory," She pulled her fighter into a tight turn towards the flagship. "All Ravens RTB."
The fighter engagement began to break up as both sides withdrew, the Covenant forces pulling back further from Reach, but threatening the other worlds in the system. She eased her fighter into the main docking bay as bay crews worked quickly to move the incoming fighters to their respective bays. There were ten fighters to a bay, each with five launch doors. It took twenty minutes for the crews to refuel the fighters and switch out the weapons packages, leaving time for the pilots to take a quick 'lunch' break via food stores built into each pilot's flight suit. It was a soft paste, not much flavor, but with all the important vitamins and minerals to keep a person going.
::Admiral, we need to break this blockade quickly::
::Agreed, however, the enemy force outnumbers us considerably. We've detected multiple nuclear detonations in the outer system. This UNSC has apparently mined the outer system extensively with tactical nukes::
::We have the edge…::
::So far:: She could feel the Admiral's frustration. ::We have only so many resources available and a prolonged engagement can only hinder our operational capabilities::
::If I could make a suggestion::
::What do you recommend::
::Let us use Alamo IIIs and IVs against the larger cap ships. The smaller frigates and corvettes have very poor shields and can be strafed easily by our fighters::
::You realize using nuclear weapons this close to a habitable planet is a direct violation of the Ares Conventions?::
::You of all people Admiral know that no one follows the Ares Conventions anymore...not after the Jihad. Besides, who is going to rat us out here?::
::I will take it under advisement Colonel Dubois. Right now we need to push the enemy force back beyond the planetary defense line::
::Understood::
"Raven Lead to Victory Command, ready for launch," She gave the crew chief a thumbs up as he signaled completion of the refit. The fighter's tactical computer had already updated and displayed the current load out which included a single ER PPC, two wing mounted ER Large Pulse Lasers, with ER Medium Pulse Lasers slung underneath, and two aft mounted Micro Pulse Lasers. The Bravo Package ran a little hot even with the extra double heat sink slotted in next to the ER PPC, but the effectiveness of the Particle Projection Cannons and pulse lasers against Covenant shields more than validated the excessive heat buildup.
New Alexandra
General Fang braced as the laser fire from the overhead Covenant Corvette smashed into one of the buildings. Nearly all of the Covenant forces had been driven out of the city, but there was the small matter of the half dozen Covenant Corvettes that had taken up position overhead. While minimally shielded, they had proven resistance to the UNSC weapon systems, however, they were still vulnerable to Hegemony heavy weapons, as proved by the wreckage of a Covenant Corvette that crashed into the outskirts of the city, brought down by combined fire of the Command Company and 1st Battalion and elements of the 8/94th Tactical Wing under Colonel Jenkins.
::General, Covenant forces are massing near the 'Armory'::
She raised the targeting reticule until it flashed gold and fired her Phase PPC and Plasma cannon. The rest of her Command Company followed, blasting holes into the low flying Corvette until it turned away. Arrow IV missiles streaked after it, smashing the weakened hull and sending it crashing into a building.
Overhead squadrons from the 8/49th kept most of the Covenant fire focused on them. It was brave of them since most of the Covenant energy weapons were in the Sub-Cap range…effective against DropShips and WarShips, and deadly against lighter Aerospace craft.
::All units rally to the Armory. Colonel Kell, move your regiment into the city and begin securing it. Be thorough in your sweep. No stragglers or survivors among the alien forces::
::Confirmed General::
"General, with Colonel Medenov's compliments." She looked over to see a Recovery Team drive up in a Prime Mover Mk III.
"Report," She ordered.
"The Colonel has deployed his recovery vehicles to the outskirts of the city. His techs are ready to begin field repairs and recovery operations."
"Very good. Follow standard salvage procedure, but pay special attention to the alien tech." Mei sidestepped her 'Mech into the main thoroughfare and marched her 100 ton assault 'Mech towards the outskirts of the city. The rest of her company followed, breaking away from the scattered Covenant infantry while Colonel Jacqueline Kell's 6th Orbital Assault Division relieved them. Her tactical display showed the current status of the Regiment. Only a few fatalities, but damage from the alien weapons was taking a toll. While not as varied as Hegemony technology, Covenant weapons in some instances, packed quite a punch. Their heavy plasma cannons mounted on their tanks and quad 'Mechs dealt more damage but at a slower rate of fire. Even her Atlas was scarred from the battle.
"STAND CLEAR!" she shouted over the 'Mech's speaker. Quite a few of the frightened populous was tagging along, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before someone got stepped on.
"This is General Fang to any UNSC unit. Take charge of your civilians before they get hurt." She sent the transmission in the clear. "We are about to engage the enemy at the Armory."
::Colonel Iron Horse, sitrep::
::1st Battalion is sweeping towards the generator complex supporting the 4th OAD. 2nd and 3rd Battalions are moving to engage the main Covenant force to the west with the 9th/49th and 11th/49th in support. 4th Battalion is holding the Armory along with the 2nd/49th::
::Keep the pressure on. If we can break them here we can roll them back to their LZs for the Fleet to take them out::
::I'll be wearing a war bonnet by nightfall General::
HAFS Victory
Mei Yan held on as the Victory shook under fire.
"Damage Report!"
"Minor hull breach on deck six, frame 23. Har-Jel and nano-sealant deployed," Her chief engineer reported. "Damage control teams are in position and are working on the hull."
"Enemy forces redeploying towards the L-5 point," the Tactical officer reported.
"Direct fire on the retreating ships, prioritize capital ships first," Mei Yan walked around the holo-table. The UNSC fire was still heavy against the Covenant fleet, but only half of the invading fleet had survived this round of battle. At least a dozen enemy ships were drifting right at medium range, all of them with their power systems damaged or destroyed. All of them were capital ships. The smaller corvettes and frigates of the Covenant fleet simply shattered under the concentrated barrages. It took two full power shots from the Naval Pulse Lasers to weaken their shields enough for the rest of the lasers to penetrate. The Naval Particle Projection Cannons lost some of their charge penetrating the shield, but they all landed clean hits on the Covenant ships, burning right through what they called armor and scoring critical hits. The NGauss cannons were less powerful than their UNSC counterparts, but they could still cause a lot of damage if a clean hit was scored. One round from the plasma cannons was equal to half of a Covenant plasma torpedo, and the disruptor cannons had proved to be the 'game-changer', with each successive hit from a disruptor taking out the power system of a Covenant ship. The disruptor was a weapon that could hit at extreme ranges, but there was always the threat of a massed Covenant assault on their ships before they could get into range, and with the fleet in formation to support the 49th, their targets were limited to any Covenant ship that made the mistake of crossing their forward arc.
"Tactical, I want all NPLs and NGauss cannons synced for the lasers to bring down the shields and the gauss cannons to follow them in. Pass the order to all ships." Mei Yan stopped her circle. The latest casualty reports were beginning to scroll across her optics. In all, casualties are surprisingly light with only eighty one KIAs in the OADs with an additional forty seven WIAs. There were only a handful of KIAs in the BattleMech regiment, with no other serious injuries reported among the other regiments. They were in the sphere where shock, lethality, and technology overlapped, and they had stunned their opponents enough to force them to react to them, but it would not last. The enemy would adapt their tactics and technology to gain the advantage, and she did not have a ready supply of personnel to fill the void in combat losses.
::Admiral, our primary firewall has been pinged by enemy Cyberwarfare::
::Threat level::
::Minimal…but they may try to brute force the firewall::
::Spool up the IC. If they want to play then be sure to give them a very warm welcome::
In 2978 Cyberwarfare was introduced to the Hegemony in the most brutal of ways. A rogue AI. What was to be the crown jewel of the Olympus colony quickly turned into a nightmare as the Artificial Intelligence named 'Zeus' quickly went 'insane' for lack of a better word, and launched an attack against its creators on the military world of Tartarus. A full BattleMech regiment was dropped into the battle, of which only fifteen 'Mechs and their pilots survived. The battle was finally won when several computer specialists used their implants to shut the AI down in cyberspace in conjuncture with the ground forces. In the aftermath a specialized group of computer techs was formed and trained to deal with cyber threats and assigned to Hegemony Fleet groups. Typhon Teams, as they were called, were first deployed in 3005 and used standard Hegemony computer tech. In 3199, the teams used the bleeding edge of computer technology to engage in battle with the various Houses and Blakist remnant.
Captain Julia Ramus floated in the ship's Cyberspace with her team. She looked at the other eleven techs as they observed Epsilon Eridani's cyberscape.
::I want Tar Pits and Tracers on all incoming nodes:: She ordered. ::Have we identified the enemy command ship?::
::Right here:: One of the techs pointed. It was one of the alien's Battlecruiser type ships. It wasn't in the heart of the formation, but escorting one of massive alien warships that was identical to the one destroyed upon arrival of the 71st. ::We have managed to penetrate their network using a Tracer::
A line of alien code flashed in front of her eyes. ::What is the status on penetration::
::We have three mainframes crunching code:: Another of her team spoke. ::They have nothing in the way of firewalls or Intrusion Countermeasures::
::I hear a but::
::But their computer systems are extremely hard to interface with. My gut feeling is that the alien's tech is built on someone else's tech::
::Be prepared to engage if they make a push on our TACNETs:: Julia said as she watched the battlespace.
UNSC Thermopylae
Admiral Freemont held on as a Covenant pulse laser stripped the armor off the starboard secondary engine mount. The lights dimmed as the ship's MAC fired into a damaged Covenant destroyer that crossed their path. The six hundred ton round crossed the space in just over two seconds, smashing through the ship's shields and boring into the ship's reactor. The medium capital ship was thrust to port under the impact before exploding with tremendous force.
It was only one ship, but every ship the Covenant lost bought Reach more time.
"Do we have any more data on the Hegemony ships?"
"I've been maintaining a link with CASTLE and SWORD Bases. The Covenant forces have been repulsed from SWORD Base and they have operational security again."
"That's good to hear." Roland replied.
The screen changed to show the Hegemony battle line. The beam weapons used against the Covenant forces had mixed results initially, but they were slowly turning the tide against the Covenant. One of their weapons in particular proved especially devastating against the Covenant. And if they could secure it for use on UNSC ships they could easily sweep the Covenant out of UNSC space.
"The Covenant seems to be retreating to an L-5 point," Leonidas said. "They may be regrouping for another attack."
"Status of our fleet?"
"We have lost thirty percent of our effective naval combat forces. Reinforcements are enroute from Jericho and Tantalus. Covenant fleet has been reduced fifty percent. The Hegemony's ground forces have driven the Covenant from New Alexandra and the Generators for the Super MACs and are preparing to launch another counter attack. Covenant forces have begun regrouping to their previous staging areas."
"And our orbital defenses?"
"We lost six Super MAC platforms, but we have managed to cover the hole. Anchor Nine has sustained heavy damage, but it is still in operation as are the rest of the Anchor stations. Right now the Covenant are focusing on Reach and ignoring the other colonies."
"You mean they are focusing on our new friends."
Viery Territory
Four Hegemony fighters raced through the canyons at only ten meters off the deck, close enough to scrape the paint off the belly. Each fighter carried a mix of cluster and incendiary bombs for the primary staging area of the Covenant with the intent to cause as much havoc and terror as possible before elements of the 49th/1st arrived to push the Covenant off the planet. The pilots were members of the 49th's second fighter wing, tasked with the often thankless job of anti-aerospace/SAM suppression.
They were also certifiably insane.
It took a special kind of person to fly a forty ton fighter at near hypersonic speeds loaded with enough ordinance to level a small city low enough to the ground to count the blades of grass without panicking or crashing into the earth and making a big hole in the ground. It was also something each and everyone one of them lived for. They were thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies, and they were also very, very good at what they do.
The incendiaries they carried were on a delayed fuse, which gave the 35 ton Ghosts ample time to release their bombs and light off their afterburners straight up. The Covenant anti-air defenses were caught flat footed in the attack as the warheads slammed into the elegant structures, only to explode into raging infernos as the jellied napalm ignited. Plasma tracers from Covenant support platforms followed them, but it was too late. The entire Covenant staging area was now wide open for aerospace assault.
Planetary Defense Generator A-331
Commander Carter watched the events unfold with a cautious eye. He was flying through the air, held close to the armored chest of Colonel Sergovich as she and the rest of her point carried Noble Team right into the heart of the Covenant Scarab. The eight foot armored warriors of the 4th OAD each grabbed a Spartan an started running, making larger strides until the kinetic force initiated a full jumpjet burn, catapulting them nearly 100 meters forward with each step. Their jump jets were very similar to the jet pack mods used by Spartan IIIs, but it lacked some of the flight time of the UNSC version, but made up for it in staying power. It only took moments to reach the downed Scarab from their previous position.
The grunts on the Scarab panicked.
The jackals on the Scarab panicked.
The Elites…not so much.
Katya and her point dropped Carter and the other Spartans right before they landed, with Carter landing on top of a screaming grunt and whipping out his M9 pistol. The high powered magnum rounds punch holes in anyone who got in front of him. An Elite Minor appeared before him, his plasma sword ready to strike. He braced himself for the blow, but instead heard and felt the superheat air expand beside his head. The crimson-yellow bolts smashed into the Elite, shattering its shield as Carter brought his own weapon to bear. In the end, there wasn't much left. He noticed Katya's arm out of the corner of his eye with the glowing barrel sizzling with heat.
"Would you mind we didn't destroy this 'Mech?" Katya asked. "Our commander would like samples of the alien technology."
"You have engineers that can replicate this?" He asked, kicking a grunt off the ledge.
"We were escorting several transports to the 45th Explorer Wing when we ended up here." Katya replied. "One of the ships can pretty much fabricate anything the engineers can disassemble and analyze."
Carter replaced his pistol and pulled out his BR55. "Anything else in your bag of tricks?"
Katya stepped around him as another Elite appeared. This one wore the golden armor of a Zealot. She calmly reached behind her and pulled a large mace from a slot. The Zealot ignited a twin plasma swords. Katya brought the mace up and blue lightning arced across its head. It was more of a hammer shape than a ball shape, almost like Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir. The Elite charged in, its weapons a blur as it attacked. Katya held it off for a moment before bracing herself. The plasma sword burned as it penetrated her abdomen, and Carter stepped forward to shoot the Elite in the head. She jabbed forward with her weapon, the blue lightning penetrating the Elite's shield easily and creating a massive feedback discharge that literally knocked the Elite off his feet, his flesh smoking from the energy discharge of the weapon.
Carter reached around as Katya went to one knee.
"Are you alright?" He knelt down beside her, pulling the blade out. A black, tar like substance oozed out of the armor, covering the wound and forming a seal.
"I'll be fine. This isn't my first dance at the ball," She replied. "Har-Jel…Combat sealant. Our medium Battle Armor will keep the warrior alive in any environment and can withstand almost any weapon in our arsenal up to an ER PPC or a Gauss round." She rapped on her chest armor.
Kat stood uneasily. "Objective secure General," She radioed. "Request R-Teams for retrieval."
Outskirts, New Alexandria
Carter watched the Hegemony teams disassemble the massive Covenant Scarab. The fighting had moved away from the city for the most part, but there were still pockets of resistance in the city itself as well as one or two Covenant corvettes lurking nearby. The Corvette's minimal shielding didn't protect it from the Hegemony's BattleMechs, and already the burning wreck of one could be seen partially in the bay.
"Commander, we have a Falcon inbound," Kat stood from her com gear.
Carter turned to watch the Falcon slow to a hover before setting down and the last two members of Noble Team emerge. They wove between parked Warthogs as a M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle rumbled past. Overhead a mixed flight of UH-144 Falcons and AV-14 Hornets maintained a perimeter.
"Glad you could make it," Carter said.
"Sorry about the delay, we had to divert to SHIELD Base," Jorge rumbled. "The arrival of the Hegemony fleet kind of fried the Saber's avionics."
"Must have been a helluva ride," Jun spoke.
"You should have seen his original exit strategy," Six added. "Straight down without a parachute for me and a heroic death for him."
"Commander, Colonel Holland on the Com," Kat interjected.
"Put it though," Carter ordered.
"Commander, we need Noble Team to lead the Marines into New Alexandra and secure the ONI facility there. We can't allow anyone to get access to that facility."
"What kind of opposition are we looking at?"
"The Hegemony has been pushing the Covenant towards the Armory, but there is still a bit of resistance in the city. Most of the civilians have been evacuated towards the space port. The 485th Marine Division is on standby and awaiting the green light to deploy."
"Roger Colonel. We'll link up with the 485th at Sutter's Ridge."
"General Lewis is running the show, but he knows you have operational orders that will force you to divert when you get near ONI."
"What about the Hegemony? If they get involved?"
"For the most part they are killing any Covvie they find. While they might be interested, they seem to be willing to let us keep our secrets."
"Understood."
"Holland out." The com unit went dead. Carter looked to his team.
"Saddle up. We're about to get back into this war."
Hegemony Armed Forces Codex: Heavy Cavalry Regimental Combat Teams
During the 2nd Succession War, House Davion unveiled the Regimental Combat Team. Comprised of a single BattleMech Regiment, three Armor Regiments, five Infantry Regiments, one Artillery Battalion, and two Aerospace wings, the RCT revolutionized combined arms combat in the 31st century. In 3130, the HAF began a reorganization to add to the combat capabilities of the increasing Hegemony Fleet. Selecting the original Heavy Cav RCTs, they were enlarged by switching out the 'Mech Regiment with a reinforced 'Mech regiment (four battalions, one command company, and one scout company of LAMs), keeping the three armor regiments, adding an additional artillery battalion, and replacing the infantry regiments with four Orbital Assault Divisions and one heavy mechanized battle armor regiment. Two additional support regiments were added to the RCT (medical, combat engineers, and other support) centered around the BattleFortress class DropShips. In addition to the two aerospace wings, a battalion of support gunships is attached to assist in ground attack support. As of 3198, the Hegemony employs forty nine Heavy Cavalry RCTs attached to the various Hegemony Fleet Groups and at key systems in both the Hegemony and Periphery.
In combat operations, the Heavy Cav functions as a rapid reaction force, often the first to assault trouble spots in preparation for frontline Army Corps and Clan Galaxies. They are the Hammer to the HAFS Army Corps Anvil, but are capable of breaking into smaller units should the tactical situation call for it. The OADs are usually the first to land, deployed directly from orbit into trouble spots, followed by the 'Mechs, Armor, and Support Regiments. OmniMechs make up a majority of the BattleMech forces.
49th Heavy Cavalry Regimental Combat Team
49th Command
1 Company/Elite/Fanatical
CO: General Mei Fang
Aide: Major Joshua Sinclair
The 49th's command company is made up of heavy and assault OmniMechs geared for maximum carnage. General Fang has spent a year training her unit on the plains of Mars in preparation for her assignment to the 71st Assault Wing.
1st/49th BattleMech Regiment (Reinforced)
4 Battalions, 1 Company/Veteran/Fanatical
CO: Colonel John Iron Horse
The main regiment of the RCT, the 1st BattleMech Regiment is comprised of three fast attack Battalions, one heavy striker Battalion, and one LAM recon company. Colonel Iron Horse runs the regiment like a Sioux War party that just invited a US Cavalry troop to a little dance on a hilltop. The three fast Battalions use hit and run tactics to herd and enemy into the crosshairs of the heavy striker Battalion while the targets are pinpointed by the recon company's LAMs. The 1st/49th is made up exclusively of OmniMechs with the exception of the LAMs.
49th Armor
3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable
2/94th Panzer: General Robert Gordon
3/49th Fast: Colonel Leopold Storch
9/49th Panzer: Colonel Lina Cain
The 49th's Panzer regiments are equipped with heavy tanks for crushing blows while the Fast regiment is equipped mainly with light and medium hover tanks. The Fast regiment is also tasked with flank attacks and hit and run attacks in preparation for the Panzer regiment's assault.
49th Aerospace Cavalry
2 Wings/Elite/Fanatical
8/49th Tactical: Colonel Miranda Jenkins
10/49th Wild Weasel: Colonel Steve Wallace
The 8/49th is tasked with air superiority while the 49th is on campaign while the 10/49th is tasked with ground support and enemy Anti-Aero suppression.
49th Battle Armor
5 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable
4/49th OAD: Colonel Katya Sergovich
5/49th OAD: Colonel Rice Sandoval
6/49th OAD: Colonel Jacqueline Kell
7/49th OAD: Star Colonel Lynn Cobb
11/49th Mechanized Assault: Colonel Owen Legard
The 49th's Battle Armor regiments are comprised mainly of light and medium battle armor for the Orbital Assault Divisions, and heavy and assault for the Mechanized Regiment. The heavy and assault Battle Armor makes use of specialized APCs and IFVs to transport the heavy units to the battlefield.
49th Artillery Battalion
2 Battalions/Regular/Reliable
12/49th Artillery: Major Tim Turner
13/49th Artillery: Major Takashi Yamaguchi
Both Artillery battalions make use of a combination of BattleMechs and Armor for fire support missions. OmniTanks are the vehicle of choice along with specialized Fire Support 'Mechs.
49th Support
2 Regiments/Regular/Fanatic
14/49th Engineering: Colonel Fin Caspian
15/49th Support: Colonel Marko Medenov
The 14/49th is comprised of combat and field engineers while the 15/49th is comprised of recovery teams, medical support, and liaison personnel for integrating with local forces.