New Mombasa
11.1.2552 (Military Calendar)
Plaza of the Angels
Command Bunker
The Major watched as the marines fell back closer and closer toward the dig site. Beyond the retreated soldiers were hundreds of corpses of the Covenant. Every once in a while he noted a human body but it pleased him greatly for the punishment that his company had been dishing out. But yet again the precision of the Helljumpers was nothing short of miraculous. Even with the loss of so many marines the hundred and some odd got right back to fighting as soon as they reached the stockade emplacements about 200 feet from the bunker. Through the fighting marines gathered more ammo and supplies just as others helped with the reloading of rocket launchers and other heavy weapons. The major even saw two men reloading a battle rifle and a shotgun and just placing it near a Spartan so the warrior had a continuous string of ready and available weapons. With eerie precision the Spartan fired into the approaching storm, first with the battle rifle to attack the commanding elites and brutes and then to the shotgun to finish off the jackals and grunts. But even as the soldier was skilled above almost everyone fighting out there the marines stayed strong. Most if not all the squads had been dismembered by a number of casualties but most has reassembled into countless fire teams that pushed through their exertion and poured shells into the alien charges. One of the Spartans, the one that had been holding the left side entered the room. "SPARTAN-043 reporting sir, with the loss of the forward perimeter I have a new mission objective to find whatever the Covenant want, and destroy it before it falls to their hands." The major nodded and directed him to the marine foreman in charge of the excavation and the two headed out.
The major returned his eyes to the battlefield once more and saw another Spartan amongst the marines as the group fell back under the cover of a machine gunner. As soon as they reached the barrier the Spartan turned along with several marines and launched a few grenades back at the enemy lines. The explosives rocked the enemy lines taking a good amount of elites to the major's pleasure. And then he saw it. Something moving fast and deadly, a massive form leading a new squad onto the killing field. The Spartan saw it the same time as the major and the warrior dropped his rifle and reached for a blade.
Fred foresaw the attack and managed to ready himself against the brute's charge. In a split second he was positioned to dodge the creature's first attack, and then plunge his blade through it's spine but a jackal had seen the movement and decided to save the unsuspecting alien's life. A bright purple beam sliced through Fred's right shoulder pad, passed into his neck armor and grazed his skin as it traveled back out of the opposite shoulder pad. Shock overpowered his nerves and for a few second Fred didn't feel the searing pain and then it hit him.
He dropped the combat knife and knelt down placing his hand against the back of his neck and then he looked up. The brute was right on top of him raising it's might weapon so as to cut Fred's neck off. Fred kept his eyes wide open and tried to will his muscles to move his body from the blade and then a green explosion disintegrate the brutes form.
Pearce and another marine did their best to prop up the massive Spartan and carry him off and then Pearce saw the Spartan's guardian. A Banshee headed off and at first Pearce believed it had been simple friendly fire but another squadron of other Banshees was pursuing this one opening fire as they came. Pearce concentrated on getting the Spartan's form into the bunker and then suddenly he almost tripped as the Spartan regained his balance and the two marines stared in astonishment. "Master chief you ok?" the other marine asked as they saw the Spartan bend down and pick up a plasma carbine from an elite corpse.
Fred had been through a lot., basic camp under Chief Mendez, horrible and unspeakable augmentations and then a slew of Special Ops missions and now the Covenant war had shoved and punished Fred with about everything imaginable. He'd even survived a Covenant mortar round with a lucky roll and a few scratches but the searing in him now was something unimaginable. He couldn't hear the marine asking him his condition all that he felt and heard was burning agony pulsating through his being. Without his training he was sure that he would have gone into shock and simply lay their until a Covenant killed him but millions could die if he did, just that and by sheer will he pushed himself into a new fury and accessed his squad freq. "Spartans acknowledge." No Oly oly oxen free came to him this time but in a few seconds acknowledgement lights winked. "Will report?" remembering the fail safe mission he knew Will's answer before the other Spartan even finished. "I've got what they are looking for. I'm uploading imagery now." Will said as Fred reloaded a pair of SMGs. As the uplink appeared in the upper left point of his screen he averted his eyes and studied the image.
Pearce tracked a grunt and brought the alien down with two bursts. The aliens were rushing the bunker in sporadic groups but the marine knew that soon the hordes would rush in. The marines kept their wits though. They did their best to keep two steps ahead of the Covenant mowing down any approaching squads before they became a threat, but without the warthog support the banshees were weighing heavily on marines. A marine locked on with a rocket launcher and managed a great shot to bring one of the craft down but it seemed that more just kept coming and the jackal sniper's weren't letting up either. Everyone was crouched low keeping their helmets out of sight and every now and then popping up for a quick burst or blast with a rifle or shotgun. As Pearce reloaded his weapon and laid some grenades out he looked for any of the Spartans. As far as he could tell one of them was in the dig site another was still fighting in a captured banshee and the last one was continually rotating around the bunker with a steady string of destruction in his path. Those guys were something else he thought. He'd seen all of them go through gut renching fights in the hours that he'd been serving under them and now he regretted all the casual bashing that he and his squad mates had done during breaks or leave. Those freaks as he had called them before were a major factor in the most hellish setting on Earth and they didn't seem to tire at all. He never once saw one of them stop, they merely paused to reload or grab a new weapon. The ultimate killing machine in his eyes, even so the marines still had the task of trying to keep up with them and Pearce ordered the squad back into action. In seconds the marines were back in action fighting and dieing to preserve all hopes of humanity.
Twenty Warthogs and 5 Scorpion MBTs started their way through the wide city lanes of New Mombasa. As they sped through the lead jeep's gunners opened up with the massive chain guns and cleared a path through the banshee fighters. Painted the sides of each jeep was a grey and white eagle extending it's talons with a crimson sun in the background. The 4th company of the 88th Armored Division headed for their objective intent on blasting anything non human in their path. Lives were at stake and the drivers pushed their vehicles to the limits as the group turned left and soared down a boulevard.
Fred looked over the image on his screen and something dawned on him. "I've seen that before." He thought to himself and then nailed a elite with his shotgun. "Or at least something close to it, run databanks." He spoke as he reloaded the weapon. 'Already have, it's an almost direct match to the markings of the stones at Sigma as well as those markings on Reach. Im sure its what they are after, but this one is different. It has another map which Cortana assessed to be a star map of some kind but there is another set of those weird symbols on this rock. Another map I believe." Will said as Linda ran a strafing run near the command bunker slicing through a brute and a squad of jackals. Fred was glad to have her watching his back. Even with a full squadron following her Linda expertly executed attack runs that bought Fred the leisure of talking to Will for a few seconds. "What in the hell is a Covenant artifact doing buried on Earth." Fred thought and then heard a shotgun shell being loaded into a barrel. "Will what are you doing?" Fred asked as he looked at a new string of enemies headed toward the bunker."
"We got orders, do not let the Covenant get what they want. It's our mission to destroy it." "Hold your fire, think about it, if we destroy what the enemy wants yes we take away their prize but im willing to bet that even if they loose that map they can still wipe us out and run scans and eventually figure things out especially if I think that's what I think it is. Bring it topside ASAP over." He moved from cover and attacked a squad of jackals.
Will glimpsed outside the shaft and made sure their was no enemies around and then hauled himself up. He found Fred reloading a rocket launcher as the Covenant launched another raid. Two spectres raced out in front of the troop divisions and started raining plasma on the marines. Most were able to duck from the fire but a few were caught under the barrage bringing their numbers done once more. Fred saw his approach and saw a metal case latched onto Will's utility belt. "I hope you know what you're doing Master Chief." He said as he rotated positions with Fred and fired into a small gap in the barrier. With deadly accuracy Will nailed a charging brute as well as his jackal compatriot.
Fred rethought things over and still came to the same decision. Disobeying UNSC HIGHCOMM orders was top of the line treason and he knew that but he had known ever since seeing the first image of the artifact that he had a duty to Humanity and that it required finding out where the map lead them. Fred opened up a direct line to FLEETCOM and spoke. "This is SPARTAN- 104 I need transfer to Lord Hood ASAP." Over Earth the request was bounced off the remaining COMSATs and eventually arrived at the Cairo. The communications officer read the report and turned to Lord Hood. "Admiral we have a priority alpha message from SPARTAN-104 sir.
Lord Hood took his gaze away from the space battle overhead. He wouldn't say the fighting was not worth gazing upon but the ship board marines had repelled over 20 assaults by now and a group of Destroyers were maintaining position around the station and for the moment no Covenant cruisers were in the kill zone. He quickly turned to the officer. "Patch it through Lieutenant." The officer punched some buttons and then a deep voice came over the speakers on the bridge. "Sir I have located the target interest of the Covenant." Hood nodded and the replied within a moment. "You have your orders Chief, destroy the object." Hood's mind was racing with all that was happening around the battle station and then he realized something was going on and it centered on a Spartan having second thoughts. "What is it Chief and keep it quick I have enough problems up here."
Fred quickly outlined a plan of action concerning the object as yet more Covenant poured into the plaza. But sure as they were many in number the Marines boasted much more sheer will. Shell casing littered the ground everywhere as the Helljumpers let loose with machine gun emplacements and battle rifles and several captured covenant rifles and carbines. All over people shouted cries of anger and rage as well a few seedier remarks.
Pearce kicked a empty ammo crate over and fired with his battle rifle. The weapon sent 3 grunts to their graves and then the rest of the fire team appeared with shotguns and SMGs pouring ammunition into the Covenant platoon. The brute sergeant roared and raised his plasma rifle to attack but Pearce was already firing away at the warriors helmet. Two bursts popped off the helmet and then a fellow marine blew off the aliens head full with a shotgun. Satisfied with aliens death Pearce targeted a pair of grunts. The defenders had the high ground as well as surprise and the aliens knew that defeat was staring them in the face and within 3 minutes all that remained of the assault were a group of frightened grunts getting picked off by the 10 remaining company snipers. Once again the marines and 3 Spartan soldiers stood victorious against the hordes of Covenant.
The Private saw the excretion all around and fought the drive to just lay down and pass out cold from heat exhaustion and fatigue but it seemed neither his heart or his brain would allow him. Before he knew it he was shouting over the com freq. "MOVE IT LADIES we got plenty more of that coming and if you wanna make it through it you better get those barricades back in position. The marines got to work fast replacing spent weapons with fresh covenant plasma weapons as well as moving wreckage and crates back into place for a defensive barrier.
Yoriskov watched as the last of the grunts were nailed by his snipers and managed a small grin that once more humans had triumphed over the exterminating menace.
Valrune observed the human structure through a rifle scope and observed the defensive emplacements scattered about fought the urge to fire and decapitate one of the unsuspecting humans but he realized that many of their snipers may follow the rifle trail and find their mark so he merely kept observing. He aimed the scope for the east side of the complex and saw the where the plaza seemed to shimmer and tracked the camouflaged warriors as they approached their goal. "For your sake you better be successful Sangheili scum." He thought as he turned toward a battalion of his cohorts. "Kill without mercy, leave none alive!" he roared as he raised his weapon. The brutes roared in a sympathy of blood freezing screams of anger and hatred and the hundred and fifty warriors rushed forward toward the plaza entrance.