Chapter 14
0912 August 12, 2552 Szurdok Ridge, Viery Territory, Planet Reach
As UNSC forces rumbled past their forward position pushing through to engage the retreating Covenant, Mike had the opportunity for a breather. Taking off his helmet he looked around, surveying the carnage. Bodies littered the approach to the crest of the hill along with burned-out equipment. Carrion birds were already circling, eagerly awaiting the opportunity for a meal. No matter the destruction someone, or something, always seemed to be able to profit from another's misery. The Spartan watched Kat and Natalia as he walked towards them, conscious of the fact they appeared to actually be having a conversation.
For their part the two women, who had also taken off their helmets, were going over the previous skirmish.
"Good job covering me Misriah," Kat stated somewhat grudgingly. "Thanks for that."
You're welcome," Natalia responded, then taking a risk added, "It was a tough fight."
"More than you're used to I bet?" Kat probed to see how the privileged woman would respond.
"That's for sure. We all know I'm in way over my head," Natalia confirmed, averting eye contact. Then voice dropping she added, "Does it ever get easier?"
"Naw," Kat responded, grudgingly having to admire the pluck of the woman who doggedly continued to fight despite everything, "you just learn to keep ahead of the rolling boulder so you don't get crushed." The judgmental Spartan looked at the woman from ONI with different eyes and saw someone who genuinely was trying to contribute. Maybe Mike was right after all. "You get used to it."
The conversation of the two women took a pause as each watched Mike who'd stopped and was obliviously conferring with a Marine Sergeant leading a section of troops setting up a defensive position to secure the bridge head.
In that moment Natalia took perhaps one of the greatest risks of her life. "I do, you know," she said to Kat.
"You do what?" Kat shook her head in confusion.
"I do like him, Mike," Natalia answered, "to answer your question from earlier." The woman had never made herself vulnerable like that before. Always she'd been in control, with others confessing to her. Never had she stepped out on a limb and actually declared her real feelings. The action both terrified and exhilarated her
Kat snorted then her eyes narrowed. She scratched her closely shorn hair then she nodded her head. "He'd be a good catch if you could get him."
"Thanks," Natalia said almost breathlessly at the implied endorsement.
"And if he lived long enough," the Spartan added fatalistically.
Mike walked over to the two women unaware of their conversation. Natalia's face reddened and Kat smirked knowingly causing confusion for the naïve man.
"What?" Mike asked, unsure what to say. He had a feeling it had to do with him but couldn't figure it out. The scene became suddenly awkward. Thankfully the war interceded to extricate them from the emotional entanglement.
"Six, be advised: ONI has identified 2 hostile anti-aircraft guns southwest of your location," Commander Carter cut in from his position circling above.
A bit muddled by the looks he continued to get from the two women Mike paused.
Still smirking at Natalia then shifting her gaze to a still-confused Mike Kat popped her helmet back on. "Copy, Commander," she jumped in, confirming the assignment. "New target, Six. Shut down those AA guns. Commandeer that Warthog, get us there in one piece."
Co-ordinates popped up on Mike and Kat's HUD as the Lone Wolf went over to speak to the driver of a nearby Rocket Warthog. Jumping into the driver seat he revved the engine and then allowed it to idle as Noble Two began to make her way over. Natalia was left standing by herself, not being given any orders by the commander of Noble Team.
Kat hopped up onto the back and into the gunner's position. Deftly opening up the fire control system for the twin M79 MLRS the hydraulics whined as the Multiple Launch Rocket System came to life. She paused and called back to Natalia, "Misriah, you might as well come along too," Kat said, pointing to the side seat.
Overjoyed at the invitation, Natalia sprinted over to the waiting vehicle not seeing a rock so tripping along the way and almost falling down. Cursing herself silently for being so clumsy she heard Kat chuckle over the comms.
Mike looked back at Kat at the invitation but the enigmatic Spartan said nothing to him, looking straight ahead. Natalia sat down in the passenger seat and fumbled with her assault rifle. Confused still but strangely happy to have Natalia along he sat there for a moment soaking it in.
"You waiting for Christmas, Six?" Kat chided him from behind.
Shaken from the moment, Mike threw the Hog into drive and they sped off towards the co-ordinates of the AA guns they needed to take out.
Instead of moving to the left where the UNSC troops were massing to engage the Covenant forces in an open plain the trio from Noble Team headed right towards a narrow ravine cut through the rocky expanse of the ridge. Moving as quickly as they could along the dirt trail the Warthog bounced around despite the heavy-duty shocks it had. Covering the distance to the objective quickly, the trail took them up the ridge to a plateau. Before they reached the summit the top of the Covenant AA gun became visible.
"Noble Lead, we've reached the objective," Mike reported.
"Six, AA guns should be in visual range," Commander Carter reported.
"Roger that," Mike confirmed, looking at the 2 ½ story tall gun emplacement. The battery had a circular base for a small command center housing the power unit for the weapon system then rose from the unit itself which sat on a carriage capable of rotating 360 degrees. The gun barrel consisted of two long projectiles with almost serrated teeth that looked like the mouth of a hungry barracuda opening up to consume a victim with its dangerous bolts of superheated high-velocity plasmas. As the Spartan watched a deadly three round salvo was sent hurtling up into the sky.
"2 Lima 4 to Noble One," a new voice cut in on the team's channel, "those guns are pounding us with high-velocity plasma shells!"
"Which would mean a strike by the Frigate Grafton is also out of the question," Auntie Dot the team's AI stated, confirming the call sign as that of a UNSC frigate waiting above to support the ground assault.
Mike looked to his left as the Warthog cleared the canyon walls and could see a fierce battle developing on the plain below the plateau. UNSC forces were being overwhelmed by a Covenant force. Three massive Covenant Scarabs engaged the human force of Warthogs, Scorpions and ground troops. Supporting the dead insect-shaped heavy assault platforms were multiple Ghosts, Wraiths, and Banshees. Mike thought he could pick out the distinct helmet of Emile riding shotgun on one of the Scorpions, fighting like mad to keep the swarming Covenant off the critical piece of equipment. It seemed like the rest of Noble Team was already in the fight.
Without air support the human counter attack would stall before it even got off the ground.
"Noble Six, all our birds are stuck out of range unless you can do something about those guns," Commander Carter ordered.
"Affirmative, we're on it," Mike confirmed as the Warthog cleared the trail and broke into the open on the plateau.
The Covenant forces guarding the anti-aircraft platform responded to the threat with small arms fire, the air filling with hissing plasma bolts and sizzling Needler rounds. Kat responded with a salvo of 65mm Argent V missiles from the twin MLRSs cutting a path for the charging Warthog. More Covenant troops came swarming up and over the scattered rocks of the plateau to protect the gun platform. Mike cranked the Hog on a crazy circuitous route as he continued to try to follow the trail up the rise to the high ground the gun sat on. Natalia bounced around in the passenger seat but despite teeth-jarring jolts maintained a steady rate of fire with her assault rifle.
The three members of Noble Team moved steadily clockwise towards the top while below them the battle raged and increased in intensity. Clearing a rocky abutment Mike could see an opening to the AA battery and headed towards it. Too late he spied an Elite level a plasma launcher and unleash two deadly plasma bolts towards them. He had no room to maneuver so yelled out, "Hang on, we're going for a tumble!"
The armored vehicle absorbed the first bolt stopping it dead in its tracks while the second caused the heavy vehicle to flip over wildly. Mike hung onto the wheel and Natalia grabbed the dashboard while Kat nimbly did a back flip off the end despite her bulky armor. Natalia couldn't hold on so was thrown roughly out the side of the vehicle.
The MLRS acted as a canopy and so the Warthog flipped over entirely and landed back with a bounce on its heavy duty tires.
The Elite moved in to take another shot at the stopped vehicle but Natalia scrambled to her feet and drilled the distracted Sangheili with a burst of high velocity rounds from her assault rifle. Kat by this point had jumped back into the gunner's position and had begun laying rockets across the front of the opening in a tight spread pattern.
"Six, go for the gun's control. We'll cover you," Kat called out.
Mike jumped out of the driver's seat and ran towards the opening despite surging covenant around him. Plasma rounds exploded all around the Spartan as Grunts poured out to stop him.
Distracted, Mike didn't see a golden armored Elite step out of the command center with a Needler Rifle.
"Mike, watch out!" Natalia screamed in warning.
"Six, you got a General on you!" Kat added simultaneously.
Mike turned in time to see the deadly Elite General open fire on him. Several rounds impacted draining his already depleted shield but the warning had allowed him to dodge to the side and miss the brunt of the surprise attack. He opened up with his assault rifle but the Sangheili's enhanced shielding easily turned aside the slugs harmlessly. Knowing he didn't have the firepower to punch through the attacker's armor he moved swiftly inside the Elite's cone of fire, drawing fire from the other Covenant forces. Several stray rounds impacted the General allowing Mike to press in and beat away with the butt of his assault rifle. The Sangheili roared out a warrior's challenge, moving to activate its Energy Sword. Mike dropped his assault rifle during the tussle but in one smooth motion he pulled his M6G Magnum out of its holster and in quick succession let loose six rounds of 30mm SAP-HE rounds. That was more than even the General's enhanced shielding could handle. The last two rounds punched through the dangerous Sangheili's midsection shredding vital organs.
The Elite General crumpled to the ground causing the remaining Grunts to run away in panic. Mike had a clear run to the inside of the gun platform.
A deafening salvo from the AA gun happened at the same time causing Mike's ears to ring despite the sound microprocessors in his helmet. Shaking his head to clear it he looked and saw in the center the glass-encased power core. The Lone Wolf fired a burst from his assault rifle but the rounds bounced harmlessly off the reinforced glass. A fragmentation grenade did no better and Mike wondered for a moment what to do. Then, spotting a fallen Grunt in the doorway he had an idea. Grabbing two Plasma Grenades he moved to the edge of the glass, primed them and then stuck them at the base. Both went off within a nanosecond of each other, causing the glass to turn brittle and then shatter.
The power unit's purplish-pink energy source pulsed and surged. The energy of it could be felt now that the shielding was down. Taking a fragmentation grenade Mike threw it into the opening. On explosion the power source flared and changed color. Immediately an alarm claxon went off, warning of a power overload. Realizing the chain reaction he'd set off Mike sprinted out of the command center of the AA battery just as the power core overloaded. A white flash then a booming explosion went off throwing the Spartan off his feet.
The battery went silent.
"Control, 2 Lima 4," the ship's commander called, reading from above on sensor the drop in power level of the anti-aircraft gun, "permission to commence bombing runs, heading 224.6, over."
Commander Carter, observing from nearby saw the gun battery wilt and the lights go dark. "Good work, Noble Six. UNSC air support: skies are clear," he confirmed
"Copy. 2 Lima 4, bombing run, heading 224.6, permission granted," the UNSC area air controller confirmed for all air assets in the territory.
In response three Longswords moved in tentatively seeking to support the ground assault followed by two heavy frigates, the UNSC Grafton and the UNSC Saratoga. Unsure of the second battery they held back without fully committing.
It was fortunate for the Frigates they did.
Blue plasma rounds hissed up angrily into the air as the second Covenant AA battery opened fire, taking down two Longswords. The third veered off sharply. The two Frigates pulled up as quickly as they could from their descent but not before another salvo shot up, clipping the Saratoga. Fortunately the ship's navigator had a quick hand or they wouldn't have escaped with only minor structural damage.
"Control, 2 Lima 4," the Grafton called urgently. "The areas too hot, we're pulling off and holding back on station. It's too risky for us to fly close support! Request permission to engage from orbit using MAC rounds."
"Negative 2 Lima 4," the ground controller refused the request. "Too many friendlies for a Danger Close fire mission."
The commander of 2 Lima 4 swore over the open channel, a breach of protocol, but the intensity of the situation ensured no one even thought about it.
"Noble Lead," the area commander called to Commander Carter, "we need that gun down or we'll have to pull back off the plain."
"Six, Kat, we got to get rid of that second battery! Find it and take it out!" Commander Carter ordered.
Remounting the Rocket Warthog, the trio found the going much harder than the trip to the first battery. A bridge had been destroyed so they needed the assistance of a Pelican bringing a mobile bridge. The pause allowed Covenant forces in the area to swarm the lone vehicle and its occupants. While Kat stayed in the gunner's position to fire at concentrating attackers with the MLRS Mike and Natalia bailed out and systematically eliminated any who got too close to their position on high ground. Though it seemed like hours it was a short time before the bridging equipment arrived and they were back on the road. Unfortunately for the members of Noble Team the delay had caused them to not only lose momentum but also allowed all along the trail a variety of Covenant forces to set up in an attempt to stop the charging Warthog.
Mike kept the heavy vehicle floored, bumping and juking crazily along to not allow an easy target while Kat cut a path for them with the Argent missiles peppering their front from their multiple rocket pods.
By the time they arrived at the second AA gun the Covenant had seemed to clue into the human's strategy so the defenders were bolstered by two Wraith tanks and a pair of armored Hunters. Attempting to utilize the strategy of fire-and-movement that they'd done the last time Mike circled the structure seeking to allow Kat to blast away with the rocket launcher while Natalia sought to pick off targets of opportunity with her assault rifle. Though they thinned out the force and took out one of the Wraiths the Covenant forces successfully were able to block them from approaching the command center of the anti-air battery.
Commander Carter, though having to stay off station due to the lack of security in the skies, could watch the battle unfolding through his team member's helmet cams. While he had confidence that given time the trio would punch through time was something they didn't have. The UNSC attack on the plains was not only stalled it was beginning to be pushed back by the combined firepower of Covenant air and ground assets. They needed to clear the skies and do it now. Scrolling through a list of resources the commander of Noble Team called up a reserve Quick Reaction Force and using his authority from Colonel Holland ordered them in to back up the members of Noble Team.
To Mike's pleasant surprise a Pelican swooped in despite hot ground fire to drop off a squad of troopers to assist them. The added firepower did the trick and in short order they were able to approach the entry gangway to the AA gun's power core. Having taken out the first one Mike knew how to quickly disable this one. So again using grenades to shatter the casing he then blasted the power core setting off a chain reaction that disabled the dangerous battery. With a satisfying explosion the Covenant AA gun went silent. The skies were clear.
From the control bridge of the circling Frigate in outer space a weapon's officer saw the power level drop then go cold from the remaining Covenant AA battery on her view screen. With a whoop of delight that the ship's commander let pass she informed them the gun that had kept them at bay was down.
"2 Lima 4 you're good to go, all AA guns neutralized," Mike confirmed.
"Thanks Noble Six," the Grafton declared, "couldn't have done it without you."
"Happy hunting," Mike ignored the compliment, "clear the way for the ground pounders."
The Frigates flew back in aggressively this time opening fire on the fully exposed Covenant forces in the valley. As 2 Lima 4 commenced a bombing run on the three Scarabs two of them were destroyed outright. The third tried to lumber away futilely and was disabled by fire from the forces on the ground, grinding to a halt.
Without the heavy armor support the UNSC forces were able to rally and punch through the Covenant defenders opening up the front for a continued advance. They were back in business.
Mike, Kat and Natalia watched all this unfold from their perch on the plateau above enjoying the opportunity for a breather after the intense running battle.
It was short lived.
"Well done, Six," Commander Carter cut in on the team comm from his perch overhead. Now that the skies were clear his Falcon could rejoin the ongoing operation and he could resume his role of command-and-control. "ONI needs up-close recon on those Spires, we're gonna fly you the rest of the way. Jorge has a Falcon inbound to your position. Lieutenant, highlighting the LZ now."
A navpoint appeared on Mike's HUD as the sound of the inbound Falcon signaled not only the imminence of the arrival but the urgency of the new assignment.
"Commander, I'm going to set up a forward observation post here," Kat reported to Noble Lead. With the nature of the running battle the quick-thinking Spartan saw an opportunity to be useful until a new assignment arose.
"Copy that, I'm waiting on new Intel. See what you can see, Carter out."
With a rare moment that held no sense of urgency for her Kat relaxed. "Pretty nice sight, huh?" the often volatile Spartan declared to Natalia while clapping Mike on the back as the third Scarab exploded in a massive fireball. "Bet you'd never get to see something like that back at Bravo Six," Kat stated in reference to ONI headquarters on Earth.
Taking off her helmet Natalia shook out her luxurious blond hair, the sunlight of midday seemed to cause the red streaks in it to glimmer or maybe it was the sense of exhilaration she felt. Regardless, the woman whose life had changed so much in the past few weeks spoke to Kat but looked straight into Mike's visor. "I wouldn't have missed this for the whole world."
Kat snorted and shook her head in disbelief. "You are something lady, that's for sure." Moving back towards the destroyed AA battery she turned back and added, "We might just make a soldier out of you yet!"
Natalia beamed at the compliment, unable to hide her emotions. Then she saw Mike nod his head noticeably in agreement causing her eyes to get glassy.
Mike caught the exchange, giving him pause for thought. He knew what it felt like to be an outsider seeking to break in. It was time for a change in the team's dynamics.
"Come on Noble Seven," Mike declared, patting her on the back, "let's finish this job."
Eyes welling over in open tears, Natalia didn't care who saw her response to Mike's affirmation. At least in his eyes, she was now a member of Noble Team.