Long Ass Author's note: I'm finally back from my vacation in Maui and Honolulu! Mahalo for waiting so long during my escape to paradise. I had no computer to update because if I brought my laptop, it would have to be inspected by security.
So yeah, I went scuba diving, hung out with my friends and hid in our hotel room from a tsunami. Nothing much….
Oh yeah, Fallout girl, since Dawn is Six's sister right? Is Six a boy or girl? He/she will make an appearance.
Without further ado, the next segment of November's story of survival, danger and friendship. To regain my footing on writing, this is going to be short.
This is a flashback part; don't get confused with the actual story and the moments of the past.
"Enemy torpedoes closing!"
"The starboard shields are gone!"
"Justin! We need to do something!"
All those words fell on hollow ears as Justin clutched Elena's limp body. He was oblivious to everything, the ship shuddering, Dracula shouting at him and the other Spartans tapping the buttons furiously.
"Forget the leader!" Vanessa shouted over the chaos, "We need to take out those bastards."
Justin remembered his first mission with his loved second in command; it told how much she meant to him.
7 years ago
Unknown Covenant fleet
"This is suicide." Elena muttered for the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes. She and Justin were trapped inside a derelict spirit dropship drifting under the massive Covenant Assault Carrier with the cruisers and destroyers following it like lap dogs.
Justin checked the nukes, the safeties were still on and the plan went as scheduled.
Supposedly, the Covenant would recover the downed spirit and bring it aboard the flagship. The Spartans would set up jammers, fooling the navigation systems into thinking that slipstream space was being interfered with. The nukes would jettison and drift towards the other cruisers. An easy vaporization for the fleet, although it expended the Spartans' lives, without a chance to return.
Their commander even told them that they wouldn't return, so much for survival.
"I think we are latched." Elena whispered. Sure enough, the dropship was edging closer to the carrier.
"Ready to set up false signals." Justin said, removing the fist sized devices and powering them on. He kept his fingers from activating. If the Covenant didn't dock and there was interference, the infiltration would be over.
More sounds of scraping metal and pings indicated that the scavengers were already trying to open the dropship. Justin signaled Spartan A-280 to pop a smokescreen and Spartan A-191 to set up trip wires. Acknowledgement lights winked in his HUD and they got to work.
"Wires in place." A-191 reported, holding up the grenades strapped to the wire. Elena confirmed that the traps were going to set off curious Covenant once they entered the spirit.
"Smoke deployed." A-280 chimed in, "Fifteen seconds."
"Let's make this happen." Elena told them, spirits already up.
The door opened and the smoke rushed to escape through the hole. The Spartans heard chattering grunts and two angry voices of elites trying to discipline the lowly infantry. Silhouettes appeared in the purple light. The Covenant were in the open while the four Spartans in the first squad were nearly invisible. For once, Justin thanked the dark themed alien architecture.
A-280's indicator winked green, good to open fire.
Justin raised his MA37 with a large cylindrical silencer on the barrel and fired at the closest alien. The other three followed suit. Instantly, the first elite's shields were shredded and the grunts lay at their feet before they knew what was happening. The lone survivor was reaching for his plasma rifle when Justin brought his rifle on the head. There was a popping sound of bone snapping and the elite dropped to the floor.
"They're going to find the bodies." A-280 told them in her metallic speakers. "We better go and arm the nukes."
"Got the safeties here." A-191 handed Justin small metal strips with coding from his LRP chest. The leader of first squad removed the watermelon sized bombs and typed a button.
Safety Code Required
Justin pressed ENTER
Please Enter Safety Code
Elena stood guard while A-191 set off the trip wires, decimating a curious jackal squad. Squawks pierced the air as the explosives caught the shielded warriors with their backs turned. A-280 took another canister and set off another smokescreen.
KABOOM
Safety Code Verified
HAVOK Armed
Awaiting Detonation Signal
Justin armed the four other HAVOKs before he turned to his three subordinates. "More are on the way." Elena told him, from watching her motion tracker.
"Let's slip out. Use the smoke to mask our exit." The three nodded and he slipped out from the dropship. There were more spirits docked and a shielded door that showed the blackness of space, speckled with stars and distant worlds. Seeing it so rare prompted him to stare in awe and wonder, but the mission had to be completed.
"No signals on thermal." A-191 reported. He took another step. His final one.
"Gah!," Before anyone could react, a massive cloaked elite grabbed A-191 by his hand pulling him towards it. A-191 could only stumble before the elite swiftly impaled the Spartan with its sizzling energy sword. Immediately Elena and A-280 opened fire. The elite, gloating over its fallen opponent was still basking in victory before it was cut down by a hail of bullets.
"There's more." Justin warned his teammates. They couldn't mourn A-191 now, easily falling prey to more Covenant stalking them.
"Then we better move." Elena grabbed the nukes and hefted them over her shoulders.
"Look out!" A-280 shouted, desperation laden in her voice, already thinking that her cry was in vain.
Elena saw the elite fade out right in front of Justin, still beaming at its invisibility. Luckily, Justin tackled it onto the floor first and drew his knife to stab it in its throat. It gurgled before laying still.
"Crafty bastard." Justin got off and put back his knife.
"How will we escape?" Elena asked, Justin put his hand on her to calm down. Still, through the armor, he could tell she was worried.
"We'll take one of those gunships. Now get those nukes in position."
"In position." A-280 said after she set it down in the located spot.
"Alright. Let's move." Justin climbed into the gunship and studied the controls for a second before powering it on and moving out of the fleet.
"I've never met anyone like you." Elena said to him. He smiled sweetly in return, "I hope we get assigned together."
A-280, Justin and Elena crowded around the detonator.
"Three!"
"Two!"
The Covenant gunship moved out of the EMP range.
"One!" Three thumbs pressed the detonator and fireballs appeared in the fleet.
The carrier was ripped apart instantly and the cruisers were swallowed seconds later. Justin felt Elena's hand slip into his. He turned to face her.
"Sorry." She apologized, quickly snatching her hand away as if it was on fire. Behind her visor, her face flushed.
Loud cheers erupted as the Covenant fleet was completely vaporized. The impossible was done. Four humans against fourteen Covenant heavy warships, one Spartan lost all fourteen warships destroyed.
Justin brought his senses back to the present. The cheering was from his team and Dracula. On the viewscreen were the other Covenant frigates smoking and falling to the ground.
Elena stirred, eyes fluttering open. Justin felt his heart race.
I just got back so give me a break. It's hard getting back up to speed juggling schoolwork, storytelling and other things. Expect the next chapter to be March 25-26.
Mahalo for reading and Aloha until next time!
