Authors note: Review.
Craig's POV
"Thaal what do you see?" Asked an abnormally deep intimidating voice through the COM.
"The heretics are making their way into the building as we speak brother." Another voice responded.
"Good. Keep to the shadows. Keep your distance from the Kig-Yar. Their enhanced senses may compromise you." The same voice from before warned.
An abandoned warehouse near the ocean was buzzing with activity in the middle of the night. Lylatitions were patrolling around the warehouse with blasters in hand. Snipers were at the top, watching distant buildings for the authorities. A human with 8 sangheli bodyguards and a Kig-Yar were making their way to the factory. The guards where clad in blue armor with varying weapons. The Kig-Yar held a beam rifle. Out of the sangheli 1 had a sword, 4 had plasma rifles, and 2 had a carbines. The last one was armed with an honor guard spear and had assault armor shoulders. His armor was also red with a gold trim. He was the obvious leader of the guards and likely the biggest threat.
"This is Commando squad leader, Evo Valkay. All squads confirm you are in position." The Squad leader ordered. His squad was cloaked and was keeping to the shadows.
"Star fox in position." Fox said. His team was waiting in the back of a rig. Slippy wasn't present because he knew he was a liability in ground combat and often in space combat.
"Kew Defense Force squad 1 here. We're ready when you are." They were in a van 8 blocks from the warehouse. The black van was in a pitch-black alley
"KDF squad 2 ready." They were in another van in another alley.
"KDF squad 3 is good to go." They were at the top of a building with a sniper.
"Grave team here." We were spread out in various hiding places. Muraka was in the cloaked phantom, directly above the warehouse. Ki'thrathi was at the top off a 20 story building. Nijon was hiding in a similar fashion to the commandos. I was in the rig's driver seat.
"Spartan 117 ready." He was in the shadow of the rig.
"Ki'thrathi, how many snipers?" I asked.
"5 including the insurrectionist sniper. I can kill about 3 before I'm compromised, assuming I kill the Insurrectionist sniper first." The Kig-Yar explained.
"When do we take them?" Muraka spoke with a voice full of anger and excitement.
"Patience, hunter. Your time will come." The commando squad leader returned.
"What are they saying?" One of the KDF operatives asked.
"I'm activating the beetle now." A commando said.
"It's called a bug." I corrected.
"I care little."
"Were you followed?"
"No. We're safe."
"We'll come inside. I feel nervous out here."
"I agree I have the feeling we're being watched. Brothers ready yourself for battle, just incase."
"Yes sir."
"Ik're, head to the top of the warehouse and take a sniping position."
"They're inside. We may attack when ready."
"Wait until this "Ik're" makes it to the top. These guards are very competent and top priority to eliminate first." I ordered. We waited for 5 minutes until a tanned jackal in black and gray armor arrived on the roof of the building with a beam rifle.
"Ki'thrathi, KDF sniper teams you are clear to waist the enemy snipers when ready." I said. 10 seconds after the order was given a blue beam fired and went through the enemy jackals head. A yellow beam fired right after going through the head of a Male ferret. Another blue beam went through an alarmed beagles four head. The other 2 snipers now gaining their senses tried to return fire but were downed before either could pull the trigger.
"Commence with the attack. Weapons free." Evo said coming out of cover firing a burst of his plasma rifle. His shots found a huskies stomach. His commando's along with Nijon followed suit. 2 vans came screeching out the alleys. They swerved 60ft. in front of the warehouse. When the vans stopped the windows rolled down and blaster shots came out. Nijon, the commandos, and 2 KDF teams were attacking the front entrance. That was stage one.
The back door of the warehouse opened. 4 sangheli, all armed with plasma rifle ran out the back the door, pointing their rifles in every direction. Stage 2. I popped out the front door of the rig and fired a burst into an elites head. The bullets hit home and the sangheli… fazed out?
"Shit holograms!" I yelled as a plasma bolt landed inches from my head. I took cover behind the rig as carbine shots impacted on my amor. Crafty bastards.
The chief popped out and fired a burst, making the sangheli jump from the bullets impacting on his shields and dip back behind the door.
"Star fox you're clear." The chief said gruffly. The back of the rig opened and starfox ran out firing their blasters relentlessly at the back door that held the sangheli on the other side. They ran for a parking lot for cover. The second the door opened so the sangheli could return fire, a burst from my and the chiefs assault rifles made them think twice. When Star fox began suppressing the enemy on the first and second floor the chief sprinted toward the door that was 40ft. away. He cleared it in less than 4 seconds without making a sound. Then again you couldn't here if he did make a sound or not with the massive firefight going on in the front of the building. He crept up to the back door waiting for someone to burst out the door. When no one fired he signaled for us to advance.
"Chief, wait they're going to blow up the back door! Get clear!" Krystal yelled. The chief being informed she was a telepath headed her warning and sprinted back. Just as she predicted the door and all the wall within 5 feet of the door was blown clean off with a plasma blast. Before the blast cleared, plasma bolts came wising out. A carbine shot almost took Falco's head off.
"DAMN SQUID HEADS!" He yelled in anger and surprise, jumping back behind an unfortunate someone's car.
"What was that Falco?" Nijon said through the COM with a daring tone. You could hear plasma and laser bolts being exchanged along with the occasional explosion.
"I said, "Damn pin heads." It's slang for kingpin." He lied.
"That's what I thought you said." Nijon said with an angry tone before returning his attention to the fight. The chief was firing in short controlled burst to suppress the Sangheli. When one got bold and raised up with a carbine a blue beam cut through his head. The body spinned one time before falling backward face first. Good to know Ki'thrathi is still providing cover fire.
"Hay Craig." Fox called out firing with precision at the bodyguards. He made one dive back to cover before turning to me.
"What?"
"I'll drop ones shields, then you take it out." He said charging his blaster. I didn't know they could do that. He popped back out and shot the blast into a sangheli firing his plasma rifle. The sangheli was dazed for a split second at the hit. I took advantage of that and popped out. I fired burst into the dazed elites head, killing the creature instantly.
2 down 6 to… where's the major? He's probably with the insurrectionist speaker. Outside what was once a door was a hallway. With all the crossfire the wall had taken quite some damage. I decided to make a short cut through the guards and wall. I fired a frag grenade into the wall behind the sangheli guards blowing the wall off and temporarily dazing the remaining sangheli. The chief seized the opportunity and charged the elites. The first sangheli to come out of his daze got a metal fist to the face snapping his head back so far his neck broke. The other with a sword turned and swung at the chief. The ducked from the swing, then grabbed the elites wrist. He pulled the limp forward making the elite go forward into the chief's knee. The next elite tried to help but was gunned down by laser fire, courtesy of Star fox. The elite in combat with the chief got a left hook to the face, before the chief slipped in front of him and punched him square in the throat. Breaking an elites neck was after all the best way till one in close combat if you didn't have a weapon. The last sangheli tried to punch the Spartan only for him to use his forearm to redirect the punch to the side. While that happened, the chief quickly whipped out his standard 6 inch combat knife. The sangheli seeing the chief go for his throat used his forearm the same way as the chief did to him. The chief slipped by him with unnatural speed, and jumped on the sangheli's back raising the knife above his head. He brought the knife down into the sangheli's neck, making a sickening crack. The chief jumped down while the elite fell forward, landing with a loud thump. Star fox and me had already made it up to the chief's position.
Before any of us could savor our victory a torrent of lasers made us dive for cover. At least 2 dozen armed men and women along with a very pissed of major sangheli were waiting for us. Judging by the number of explosions and shots going on in the front door, there are still a lot of men keeping Nijon, the commandos, and the 2 KDF squads from getting inside. Time for stage 3.
Muraka's POV
"Muraka. It's your time to shine." Craig said through the COM. Finally! I was beginning to think they had forgotten about me. The phantom set on autopilot opened up the hatch. I took 2 large steps and leaped off the phantom, which was right above the warehouse.
Master chief's POV
I looked up just in time to see a familiar psychotic hunter smash through the ceiling, and land between the hostiles and us. When he landed he made a small trimmer, and crater. Anyone within 20 feet of the hunter's landing space lost their balance. All accept the red and gold elite. The sangheli leapt forward, taking advantage of the hunter as he recovered from the landing. He landed on the side of the hunter and swung his spear in an ark to the left, aiming for his back. I sprang into action, entering Spartan time. I leapt and grabbed the spear before it could hit Muraka's exposed back. The hunter once he recovered let loose his fuel rod cannon in beam. The hastily made barricades such as overturned tables, crates, and desks offered little protection as 9 people where incinerated by the shot. He turned and noticed us grappling with the spear. He moved up so as to avoid getting hit, and to put more pressure on the now fearful lylatitions.
To brake the stalemate, I went from pushing to pulling the spear toward me, and falling on my back. When the elite fell forward, still holding the spear, I planted both my feet on his stomach and kicked him toward the backdoor. He rolled forward before turning around in a crouched position with the spear in his right hand. The Star fox team was going to shoot him but Krystal stopped them.
"No! It's a challenge. H has to fight this on his own." Krystal said making them lower their weapons. Craig already knowing how this goes, after fighting with and against sangheli for years, went to cover Muraka's 6.
"Demon. Many brothers have fallen to you over the years. Today however, your butchering of my people comes to an end." He said before bending over and picking up the sword of a fallen elite, and tossing it to me. "But I'll do it with honor." I caught it and ignited the sword. He entered a combat stance, and I entered mine. Without a second thought we lunged at each other.
Nijon's POV
"How many of these fuckers are there!" yelled a KDF soldier.
"Apparently not as many as you thought. They seem to be receding back into the building. Push forward brothers!" A rather enthusiastic commando named Derka stated.
A fired my twin plasma rifles into the retreating lylatitions, killing 4. The commando Arkain threw a plasma grenade through a window. It stuck to the face of a beagle, who started panicking, before exploding, killing him and an unfortunate sparrow standing next to him.
When all the outside defenders retreated, the KDF and commando squads charged forward. I decided to go and find a different way in. They could have set a trap or ambush. I ran around and went up the side of the building, noting no gunfire was being exchanged in the back of the warehouse. That could only mean the flanking force had breached the back entrance, which was why the forces in the front were retreating. I climbed up through a second story window, activating my camouflage. I crept through hearing lots of gunfire and screams echoing all over the warehouse.
When I rounded the corner I saw 10 lylatitions firing down at Muraka and Star fox. The Spartan was locked in single combat with a red and gold armored sangheli. Muraka was mowing down hostile lylatitions with his fuel rod cannon. Craig was firing his assault rifle at hostiles on the ground floor. The snipers from their position were having a hard time getting a bead on anyone from their angle, but were still doing their job. The retreating forces from outside were putting more pressure on everyone until the KDF and commando squads came up behind and caught all the defenders in crossfire. Out of all the chaos I noticed a horrifying fact. The human that was being guarded was nowhere in sight. I was shocked and worried right up until I noticed a fallen locker with eyes peering out the slit. What a strange place to hide. At least there he'll have a better chance of not getting killed in the crossfire. I ignited my energy swords and sprang on the distracted creatures.
Master chief's POV
I raised the sword over my head just in time to block vertical swing from the spear. The second the blades clashed he rose up swung low at my knees. I blocked and swung at his head. He ducked and rammed me in the chest with his shoulder and helmet, knocking me to the ground. When I was knocked to the ground he raised his spear high over his head and swung down. I blocked again by bringing the sword over my head, and kicking the spear off me, into the sangheli's face. I quickly rolled backwards onto my feet, while the sangheli was still dazed from the spear that hit him square in the face. He shook it off and charged me again. I side stepped the spear and grabbed it just below blade. I swung down with the sword only for him to grab my wrist. Again we were at a stalemate until he raised his hoof and firmly punted me through the hole in the back. I reactivated the energy sword, managing to keep it in my grasp after getting kicked. He yelled and bounded toward me with powerful legs. He leapt 8 feet in the air his spear high above his head. I rolled out the way just as the blade bit deep into the ground. Instead of getting up however, I raised both feet and kicked him in the chest. He fell flat on his but before rolling back on his hands and jumping up with the spear pointed at me. I knew if I limited myself to only the energy sword, the fight would get nowhere soon. Luckily I had plasma grenade. To use it effectively though, I would have to get in close.
"What's the matter demon? Scared of your death? I will make it quick if it is any consolation." He goaded me into charging recklessly. I purposely took the bait.
I charged at him, covering the 10 feet leap easily. I swung overhead, which to my pleasure, he blocked. I shouldered him in the stomach with my other arm. Before he could even make a noise to acknowledge the pain, my hand snatched a plasma grenade from my belt and primed it. By the time he made a grunt the chief slammed the grenade into the sangheli's stomach so hard he came 2 inches of the ground. Before the elite could fall to the ground, an armored boot kicked him 6 feet back. The grenade exploded, flinging a maimed, burned body an extra 8 feet.
A searchlight was shining down on me. I looked up to see a news helicopter. Well we'd be lying if we said we didn't expect the public to learn about the insurrectionist. When I looked toward the warehouse I saw the remaining defenders surrendering, along with the amazed stares of various lylatitions. I also noticed a 4 fingered hand attached to a white armored figure. I took the offered hand and stood back up.
"Haha. Nice work demon. A fine kill." He said looking at the burned, mangled mess that was once a sangheli. "We've apprehended the insurrectionist speaker as well as another well known, mafia leader. Our mission is complete. This war will be over soon." Nijon said patting my shoulder, before walking back to the warehouse.
"Why do I have the sinking feeling it's only beginning." I muttered to myself before following him.