Chapter V
—Greater Trials, Greater Errors—
0427 Hours, October 5, 2550 (Military Calendar) \
Covenant Platform, 16 Cygni star system,
Operation: RAIDER.
Nihkou'te 'Vanamdee motioned casually before his fellow Sangheili that stood in the background. A Fuel Rod Gun hung loosely in his powerful hands, while an inactive energy sword hilt connected to his slender waist. A legion of Covenant corpse lay stewed about the control room, all slain by a pair of demons. Nihkou'te's pacing came to an end as he took a couple of steps forward. The Spartans clutched their weapons. Nihkou'te saw this, nearly trembling inside from excitement. He knew it would come to this—a face-off between himself and the Spartans.
It was obvious from the beginning. The Field Marshall was surrounded by incompetence, and it was obviously too much to ask to defeat the Spartans. It didn't matter, though; not anymore. If these foes were going to suffer an agonizing defeat, then it would be at his hands. Nihkou'te had witnessed the strength of these Spartans, their ability to slaughter hordes of Covenant soldiers, their ability to single handily turn the tide of firefights, and also their ability to survive and fight to the very end. So, yes, this was going to be a challenge, but Nihkou'te was prepared.
A band of Sangheili Majors and Ultras—six in total—were eager to follow their leader into battle against the enemy. These were the best available, and the only ones left. The station's populations numbered in the thousands, but the bulk of them were laborers, specialists. The remaining were troops, mostly Unggoy and Kig-Yar. Sangheili numbered only a few hundred, maybe one fifty to two hundred. Nihkou'te felt foolish. If he had known the humans would have been cunning enough to actually bypass the multitude of destroyers and battlecruisers, he would've stocked the station to the gills with skilled troops.
From their standpoint, the Spartans of Saber Team weren't the least excited to face the station's commander. The commanders usually let the lesser ranked Elites do the fighting while they sit back at watch the bloodshed. This station must've held great significance to the Covenant, then downloading intelligence from the station's mainframe was of the upmost importance. With that in mind, Jace dropped a NAV marker on the central console, alerting it as top priority.
Alex winked her acknowledgment light green.
It would be challenging to combat the Elites and try to steal privileged Covenant intel at the same time. But anything was possible, and this situation was no different. A diversion, though, was needed; but with both enemies pointing their weapons at one another, any sudden movements would trigger the fight.
Unexpectedly, however, the Field Marshall spoke. "Your destruction is imamate, for you have cursed this station with your presence. Your deaths shall be swift."
The Spartans didn't reply. Speaking with an Elite was pointless. They never compromised, they were never intimidated, and they absolutely never surrendered. So Jace ignored words of the Field Marshall and opened a private channel with Alex.
"We break for the console. Whoever reaches it first initiates the download."
"And the Elite commander?" Saber-Two inquired.
"He's mine," the Lieutenant confirmed. "We go on my signal."
Alex rolled her eyes. "May I ask what exactly the signal is this time?"
Jace subtly fired a round from the Particle beam gun, striking an Elite Major in the thigh. The Elite's shields died as it growled in surprise. Immediately the Field Marshall unleashed his Elites on the Spartans, commencing the confrontation. Jace and Alex sped away from one another, each one having a clear vantage point of the central console. Unfavorably, however, the Field Marshall centered his scope on the Lieutenant, instantly categorizing him as his first target. While three Elites accompanied the Field Marshall, the others departed to engage the second Spartan.
An Elite Major delicately advanced on Saber-Two, keeping its movements swift and elegant to avoid being hit. Alex leaned out from cover, pumping a dozen plasma rounds from the plasma repeater into the Major's mid-section and chest. Its shields sparkled and died. The Major doubled-back, but Alex kept it in her sights. Despite taking a few hits from the nearby Elite Ultra's plasma rifle, she continued her assault upon the Major, eventually downing it.
'That's one,' she subtracted.
Saber-Two allowed the plasma repeater to cool before concentrating on the silver-armored Ultra. For a split-second, she glanced over at her comrade. Even though the Field Marshall had him pinned down, the Lieutenant still managed to snipe the Major he caught off guard before. But in the split-second, though, the Ultra took advantage. It leaped over the weapons capsule Saber-Two took cover behind, swatting the plasma repeater from her hand. The Ultra got off three point-blank rounds before Alex swept the legs from underneath the Elite. For added strength, the remaining Major charged to assist his superior in defeating the Spartan.
Alex saw the red-armored Elite coming, its energy sword drawn. With all her strength she could muster, the Spartan head butted the Ultra that began to dominate her. As the Major came rushing forward, Alex shoved the Ultra back, just as the Major brought down its sword. The Ultra spat out a mouthful of purple blood onto Alex as the energy sword went through its back and chest. Stunned, the Major stood motionless, watching as his superior fell over. A moment washed over the Elite, devastated that it had inadvertently killed its fellow species. That moment was all that Saber-Two needed to dispatch the frozen Elite by ramming its own energy sword through his lower jaws. The Petty Officer pulled the active sword from the Elite's mangled face and sprinted for the central console.
The two remaining Elites, excluding the Field Marshall, marked the Spartan, instantly leaving their commander to fight. While the Field Marshall reloaded its weapon behind cover, Jace sent to accurate plasma streaks in the backs of the Elite pair, depleting their shields. The Ultra turned around, but suffered a brutal headshot. As the Major turned to flee to replenish its shields, Alex drained the rest of the plasma repeaters battery life to execute the Elite. At that moment, Nihkou'te suddenly recognized his comrades had fallen, so that he was alone.
'Honor had not coated their deaths,' the Field Marshall roared to himself.
Nihkou'te, though, was puzzled to see the second Spartan rush toward the central console, appearing to insert a miniscule device into the drive. The Field Marshall's eyes widened—the Spartan was going steal delicate research. 'Vanamdee aimed his Fuel Rod Gun, firing multiple rounds at the Spartan. Alex felt the heat of the plasma as it barreled toward her. She dove right, just as the plasma struck the console, destroying it. The explosion washed against Saber-Two, causing her armor to fail. Her skin felt as if a flame was held inches away from it. She stumbled upright, dazed and in excruciating pain.
The Field Marshall threw away his empty Fuel Rod Gun, exchanging it for his energy sword. Jace rolled out from behind cover, pulling the trigger to the particle beam gun—empty. He dropped the weapon, drawing his sidearm and emptied the entire clip into the Elite commander. The rounds barely scratched the Elite's powerful shields. Nihkou'te directed his undivided attention onto Jace, gripping the hilt in his hand.
"Alex," the Lieutenant alerted. "Find an alternate console and start the download. I'll keep this Elite occupied."
"Negative," Saber-Two responded. "Our odds increase if we fight together."
"Screw odds!" Jace barked. "Focus on the mission, Spartan!"
With that Saber-One deadened his COMs as he charged the Field Marshall. Nihkou'te swung the energy sword, just as the Spartan dove underneath it. Jace pushed his body into the Elite's mid-section, forcing it to the floor. Nihkou'te bashed his forearm across Jace's back, then forced his knee into his armored gut. The Lieutenant let out an outcry of pain as the Field Marshall threw him away. Nihkou'te sprinted toward the fallen Spartan, rearing back his arm to finish the weakling. As the sword came down, Jace rolled over onto his feet, swung around behind the Elite, and twisted the sword from its grasp.
The active sword flipped from Nikhou'te's hands, landing upright as its tip melted into the floor. 'Vanamdee threw his elbow into Jace's jaw, trying to force the Spartan off his back. The Spartan hung on, squeezing his powerful arms around the Field Marshall's chest. To rid the pest, the Elite commander went dead weight, allowing the weight of the Spartan to pull the both of them down. Before they hit the floor, Nihkou'te increased his velocity, slamming his full weight atop the Spartan. Jace grimaced upon impact, feeling as if his chest had collapsed. He spat out a mouthful of blood into his helmet as the Elite rolled off of him. Nihkou'te scanned the control room, searching for the second Spartan.
Jace forced himself to lift his weighty head, pinpointing Alex's location. She was crouching low, inserting the flash drive into one of the few remaining data processors. But the Lieutenant knew that if he saw Saber-Two, which meant the Field Marshall did also. To the Spartan's dismay, he was right. The Elite emitted a low growl, trembling with disdain. It raced for the upright energy sword, pulled it out of the floor, then began approaching the lone Spartan in an astute motion. Jace pushed his battered body upright, staggered over to an Elite Ultra's body, and took its energy sword.
Saber-Two sighed in annoyance as the console continued to reject the flash drive. There must've been added security, for the flash drive was supposed to embed a virus to weakened the Covenant's software interference. The download couldn't begin until all security systems were disabled. Despite the challenge, the Spartan resumed her work, preparing to implant a stronger virus to kill the defenses. The Petty Officer, though, froze instantly as her eyes focused onto the single enemy echo on her motion sensor.
Alex eased her right down from the console, clutching her combat knife. When a bulky shadow overshadowed her form, the Spartan whipped around, but the Field Marshall was ready. With one swipe from the energy sword, the combat knife's blade was reduced to a one inch stub. To improvise, Alex flung the hilt of the combat knife into the Elite's head, buying her just seconds for a counter-attack. She seized the brief pause in the Field Marshall's flinch, planting her boot in the center of the alien's chest. Nihkou'te stumbled back, his shields holding strong.
The Spartan charged for another attack. 'Vanamdee spun around the closed fist of the human soldier, swung the ionized blade, and scarred the Spartan's back armor. Alex circled around, her fists at chest height.
'A fighter?' Nihkou'te pondered. 'This would be interesting.'
The Field Marshall struck first, ignoring the ghostly silhouette behind him. Saber-Two ducked underneath the swinging energy sword, landing a clean punch to the alien's neck. Its shields shimmered but absorbed the hit. Nihkou'te thrashed wildly at the female Spartan, trying desperately to land just one hit—that's all he needed. The Spartan, however, eluded every strike and retaliated with well-placed jabs in the process. 'Vanamdee's shields had drained to the halfway point. He tried to fallback to refresh his shields, but the Spartan wouldn't have it. Alex kept up the assault, battling the Elite with nothing but her hands and feet.
It was then that the Lieutenant acted. He sprinted speedily from the shadows, stabbing the Field Marshall through its right armored bicep. Nihkou'te cried out in agony as he dropped the sword. Jace spun around the Elite's initial violent reflex, then forced the sword through its abdomen. Nihkou'te roared, spitting speckles of blood onto Alex's armor. He dropped to his knees, gargled blood, then fell over. Drawing his last breath, the once feared Field Marshall mustered up enough strength to finger a few dull-colored keys across his armored forearms.
"You…," Nihkou'te took another strained breath. "…will perish, for your journey had ended."
Jace bent down to the Elite, ripping the sword from its back. "We'll take our chances," the Lieutenant said, plunging the sword through the Field Marshall's cranium.
The Spartan stood up from the dead Elite, watching Alex access the chest-height console. "What's the percentage on the download?" he asked Alex.
Saber Two viewed the flicking screen, reading the alien text as it scrolled about. There, a red collection of symbols flashed forth, followed by what seemed to be a list of data that vanished like sand.
"They've locked down the system. They're purging everything!" Alex exclaimed, just the radiation in the surrounding area skyrocketed.
"Radiation!" Saber-Two shouted to Jace. "Fifteen thousand roentgens…, no, twenty!"
The Lieutenant unhooked the Tac-Nuke from his waist, preparing to arm it. By the time his finger grazed the rubber-like keys, plasma torpedoes blasted against the station. The Spartans were knocked off their feet, just as another torpedo hit. Jace looked skyward, watching a portion of the ceiling boil away, buckle, then collapse. The whole control room began to decompress as a clean breach had been inflicted. Saber Team grappled onto the stationary consoles as the lifeless bodies of the Elites were sucked out into space.
Jace tucked the Tac-Nuke underneath his right arm, bearing a policed plasma rifle in his free hand. "Magnetize your boots!" Saber-One instructed.
Alex did just so. Though slowed by the magnetic grip, the Spartans hastily exited the control room, still held hostage by the decompression. Reinforcements that were on their way to assist the late Field Marshall spiraled toward them. The Spartans crouched as low as they possibly could as Grunts, Elites and Jackals tumbled overhead. When the zone had become clear, Saber Team kept advancing, racing to find a neutral area free from the decompression. Another salvo of plasma torpedoes hit, nearly shaking the Spartans off their feet. They held onto the sealed doorway edges, forcing their full weight down to avoid being detached from the floor.
The Spartans hurried through the confines of the corridors, sidestepping airborne materials. It wasn't until super-soldiers passed through an automated door that the decompression had fled from them. They removed the magnetization from their boots, resting a moment. Their thigh muscles ached from fighting the magnetized cling and sprinting at the same time. Alex took a breath, ignoring the exhaustion that enveloped her.
"They're destroying their own station," she exhaled. "They'll resort to using plasma bombardment soon."
"Then we focus on an escape strategy," Jace concluded. "ONI will have to do without Covenant intel for now."
"Escape vehicles are too many decks below. We'll never reach them in time," Alex highlighted.
"I know," Jace scowled, his mind scrambling to think of something logical.
No, there was no logical exit off this station. There was, however, an illogical way. "We might just be able to make it, at least before they glass this place," the Lieutenant supposed.
"I'm listening," Saber-Two complied, keeping her pace alongside Jace.
"We detonate the Tac-Nuke, using its shockwave to slingshot us directly into the Covenant Carrier above the station."
Alex shot a glare at her superior, not surprised in the least that he thought of such a dangerous and suicidal idea; but using the nuke to blast them into an enemy vessel was a new twist.
"Permission to speak freely, Lieutenant?"
Jace released a silent cackle. "Whenever have you asked for permission?"
Alex rolled her eyes, trying to keep herself balanced as the station shook around them like an ever-present earthquake.
"Detonating a nuclear ordinance while within the yield greatly increases our risks. It's also no guarantee that that Covenant Carrier will drop its shields around its hangar regions, meaning that we'll bounce right off. Not to mention that if we successfully infiltrate their hangar, we'll have a multitude of Covenant troops to contend with, in addition to subduing a suitable vehicle. Even for you, Lieutenant, that's—"
"Brilliant," Jace interrupted.
"I was going to say asinine," Alex concluded.
"I've considered the risks, Petty Officer, and yes, it is worth the risk," Jace replied.
"Forgive me, Lieutenant, but you're either very lucky or very stupid," Alex grumbled.
Saber-One laughed, this time loud enough for Alex to hear through her COM. "Luck occurs when hard meets opportunity. This is our opportunity."
Saber-Two sighed grievously. "If we error by the smallest integer, we'll be catapulted into that ship's hull; and at the speeds we'll be traveling…, well, you get where I'm going."
The Lieutenant didn't respond to the Petty Officer's final statement. The Spartans weaved and dodged around the falling debris that collapsed, eventually reaching one of the many spacious decks. A multitude of Covenant troops were racing to the escape pods decks below, but they wouldn't have time. The deck was perfect from Jace's standpoint. It included a pair of large observation windows, which had already been weakened by the assault. Streams of cracks covered the glass, forcing the deck's occupants to flee elsewhere before they gave way. Oblivious to the aliens, the Spartans trekked to one of the windows, standing at its bottom right corner.
Saber Team stole a quick look outside, witnessing the Covenant destroyers hammer the station with constant plasma torpedoes. The immense Assault Carrier remained overhead, its plasma bombardment overshadowing the station. As long as that carrier held off on using its primary weapon, the Spartans had a chance. Another salvo of plasma torpedoes were unleashed, followed by streaks of pulse lasers. In one collective group, the plasma impacted the station, sending a great shutter down its very frame. The weathered observation windows couldn't sustain anymore punishment, so it gave way.
Fragments of alien glass were sucked into the vacuum, including the stragglers that wasted too much time living the deck. The Spartans magnetized their boots again and hung onto the window's frame. Elites, Hunter pairs, Grunts, Engineers, Jackals, and every piece of loose material that was inside the deck was catapulted outside where suffocation quickly pursued. When the entire deck had decompressed, the Spartans gingerly floated outside the confines of the station. Cautiously, they climbing upwards, pushing off the extended segments of metal to gain higher altitudes. Explosions expanded around them, causing great risk of knocking them off course; but the Spartans held on.
All of sudden, however, the assault on the station came to a halt. The destroyers began retreating to great distances, while some entered into Slipspace and vanished. The Spartans didn't like it, and they were about to find out why. Overhead, the Covenant Assault Carrier began to warm its plasma bombardment weapon, preparing to vaporize the entire station. Jace acted quickly, he armed the Tac-Nuke for remote detonation, briefly took his off the station, and threw the nuke as hard as he could in a downward motion. For added momentum, Alex kicked it with both her feet. The Tac-Nuke descended rapidly, resembling a punted football. When the nuke had left the Spartan's sight, Jace took the detonator in his hand. He faced Alex, nodded once, then clicked it.
The Fury Tactical Nuclear Weapon exploded in a brilliant display of white-orange light. Saber Team released themselves from the station, floating directly over visible shockwave. They watched as the nuke's blast ate away the base of the station, eating it away bit by bit. Sapphire flames expanded, engulfing each deck. The Spartans interlocked their arms, just as the shockwave hit. Like a pair of cannon balls, the Spartans were hurdled heavenward, traveling over 170 KPH.
By the time they'd cleared the station's capital, the Assault Carrier unleashed its weapon. A curtain of destructive plasma smothered the station below, boiling it away as if it had never been. An additional shockwave occurred, increasing the Spartan's ascension. The ship's hull was just two thousands yards away now, but it felt like an eternity. At that moment, the Spartans pulled away from one another, flipped their bodies, then magnetized their boots. Jace hit the hull first, but bounced of it. Alex grabbed his forearm, slowing her velocity.
She collided with the ship, digging her boots into the hull. The boots held strong against the ship's sleek hull as Alex the blood rushing to her head. Jace then climbed up her body, having a loose grip on the hull. From their viewpoint, the station had been reduced to nothing more than red-hot fragments. Sightseeing would have to wait, though. The Headhunter pair effortlessly motioned across the hull, inching their way toward the open hangar bay. Seraph Fighters came and went as they retrieved and rescued fellow Covenant that had fled the station in escape pods.
But when the Spartans reached the hangar's opening, an awful sight made their hearts sink—the Assault Carrier began entering Slipspace.
The Headhunters hurried inside the hangar, keeping a low profile as the artificial gravity forced them to the floor. But it was too late, for by the time the Spartans reached a Seraph Fighter, the violet-colored, whip-like strains from the transparent field hardened, preventing any type of departure. It was then that the Covenant Assault Carrier entered into Slipspace, vanishing from the 16 Cygni star system.