Hitch clicked another shell into his Shotgun, refilling what he had spent. The Brutes bristled and growled, staring him down. He slipped his Magnum out of his pocket and cocked it, before slipping it back in its holster. He whistled casually and wondered why the Brutes weren't charging at him like was usual for their kind. Then one moved. It shuffled slightly to the left. Then the one on the right moved slightly to the right. The one in the middle stayed where it was. Shit, Hitch realised. They're gonna flank me.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Private Sanders hoisted himself up onto a higher branch. He scrambled to get higher up the tree, all the while keeping an eye on the raging beast below him. The Hunter bashed its shield against the base of the tree. Then again. It began to shake with the impacts. Sanders gripped his DMR tightly as he considered his situation.
"Hello up there! Got into a spot of trouble have ya?" a voice called from below. The Hunter grunted in confusion and turned around, just in time to see the two Rockets consecutively slam into his face. A marine jogged over. "Tough bastards aren't they?" Sanders dropped onto the ground and laughed nervously. "Lance Corporal Jess Lawson, pleasure to meet ya." Corporal Lawson held out a hand, which Sanders gratefully shook. Lawson dropped her Rocket Launcher and picked up an abandoned Storm Rifle.
"Those things are new," Sanders commented as they walked back to the heat of the battle.
"Yeah, seems the Covenant has gotten a few upgrades," Lawson agreed. Sanders shot a Grunt in the arm, making it recoil, then the chest, then the chest again, making it tumble to the ground, dead. Lawson fired a few bursts at an Elite, taking down its shields, allowing for Sanders to nail it in the head a few times.
"Their armour is weird though. You think they might be rogues?" he asked.
"Or a splinter faction," Lawson suggested as she bashed a Grunt away with her weapon. Sanders tossed his empty DMR aside and snatched up a Carbine.
"BANSHEES INBOUND!" he screamed. He pulled Lawson to the ground with him as the vehicles sailed overhead, releasing bolts of explosive green plasma into the marines. One of purple vehicles exploded, followed closely by a second. The Grizzly Tank rolled out from its hiding place in the bushes, firing another two rounds at the other Banshees. An Elite kicked Sanders in the chest as he tried to get up, but Lawson smacked it over the head with her gun, then fired at it until the Storm Rifle overheated.
"Ow! Son of a bitch that's hot!" she complained, shaking her hand in pain as the gun vented its excess heat. Sanders laughed, killing three Grunts within a second of one another.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
A single bead of sweat rolled down Hitch's forehead then into his eye, and for the first time he found himself hating his ODST helmet. He blinked furiously to try and clear his vision, but couldn't wipe his eyes because of the visor. Out of the corner of his eyes he could still see the two Brutes circling around him. Soon they would attack from all fronts and he would have no way of stopping them. He charged at the Brute before him, firing his Shotgun as he went. The first one took down its shield, the second made it stagger, and the third finally made it fall. Hitch whirled around and rolled beneath the Hammer he knew was going to be swinging at him. He felt the Hammer pass overhead and finished his roll in a crouch, behind the attacking Brute. In front of him the second Brute was preparing to attack. He stood up and turned, jumping backwards. The Hammer from the first Brute buried itself in the ground, allowing Hitch to run up it. He jumped high over the Brute's head, and landed behind him again with a soft thud. The second Brute had gained too much momentum to stop, and his Hammer crushed the first Brute's face.
The dead body crashed to the ground. Hitch grinned and pumped his Shotgun. He fired at the Brute, but it batted his Shotgun aside with a backhand swing of its Hammer. Hitch jumped at it and wrapped his arms around its neck, using his momentum to swing around and cling to its back piggy-back style. He whipped out his Magnum and emptied the clip into the Brute's neck. Like freshly cut timber, the Brute fell to the dirt. Hitch dusted himself off and reloaded his Magnum. He spared his Shotgun a glance, and grimaced when he saw it was bent in half at a right angle. He was glad that he hadn't been hit by that blow. Then he felt a clammy hand close around his neck roughly. He let out a choked cry and squirmed in his attacker's grasp. He was thrown to the ground, allowing him to roll over and see his attacker. The first Brute Chieftain was apparently still alive.
"Well shit," Hitch chuckled. Then the Brute brought his Gravity Hammer down upon him.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
The ground next to Sanders exploded as yet another Plasma Grenade detonated. He pulled Lawson along behind him as he sprinted away with the other retreating marines. The Grizzly tank swivelled its main guns to face the Brute with a Plasma Launcher, but was too late. The four balls of explosive plasma were more than enough to finish off the smoking tank.
"Aaaah!" a marine screamed as he tumbled to the ground, seven pink Needles producing from his back. Another was wordlessly massacred by a single shot from a Beam Rifle.
"The Hogs! Roll out the Hogs!" another marine screeched as he zigzagged, trying to dodge the enemy fire. He was caught on the shoulder by a Plasma Pistol, sending him pivoting on one foot before he collapsed to the ground. The six battle-capable Warthogs burst out from the treeline and immediately the turreters began unloading their munitions.
"Sanders! Lawson! Take those Transport Hogs and get as many injured as you can!" a Gunnery Sergeant yelled at the two retreating marines.
"Yes sir!" they called back in unison. Lawson clambered into the driver seat of one, while Sanders hopped into the passenger seat of the third one. The three vehicles zoomed out back into the field.
"Stop here!" Sanders yelled at his driver. The Warthog screeched to a stop and Sanders hurriedly loaded the marine who had been hit by the Plasma Pistol earlier into the back.
"Do you have any medical training?" the driver screamed at him.
"No!" Sanders replied honestly.
"I do! Take the wheel!" The driver scrambled into the back with the injured soldier, so Sanders slid into the driver's seat. "Try not to shake it around too much!" A Plasma Grenade exploded nearby, making the Warthog rock on its suspension.
"Sure! Would you like me to whisk you away on a unicorn while I'm at it? It's a fucking warzone here!" Sanders slammed his heel on the acceleration, speeding off to the next injured marine he could see. "You're up!" The medic in the back hopped off and quickly carried another soldier on board.
"I got him! Go!" Sanders dutifully resumed his drive, going in circles and just generally avoiding fire until the medic gave him a sign that he was ready for the next pickup. "Private! Hunter up ahead!" Sanders yanked the wheel, making the Warthog jerk and flip sideways, flying over the Hunter and landing in a dizzying roll, finally coming to a rest on its side. "Jesus Christ Private!" A Guass Warthog exploded, sending the wreckage tumbling past them. "Private! There's some Covenant moving in on our position!" the medic warned. Sanders cursed.
He looked up at the wreckage of the Guass Warthog, only to find that just the front section had exploded. With a war cry, he sprinted for the ruined vehicle and swung up into the gunner's seat. He swivelled the turret around and blasted the first Hunter in the back. The second one turned around in the time it took for the next shot to charge up. "Hey! Over here!" the medic yelled, running around behind the Hunter, shooting it with his SOCOM. The Hunter turned clumsily, preparing to bat the medic aside, but Sanders slammed another Guass round into its back.
"Haha! Yeah! What a team!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
"Help me flip this damn thing over!" the medic yelled, pushing his shoulder against the Transport Warthog. Sanders hopped down and ran to assist him.
"Gah!" he cried as he was hit in the back by a Concussion Rifle. The medic turned slowly, and found himself faced with twenty Elites and about ten Jackals. He screwed his eyes shut and waited for the pain. There was a faint buzzing sound, then the ground before him exploded. He was thrown back by the shockwave, but when he opened his eyes the Elites and Jackals were gone. Another arcing Wraith round slammed into a bunch of Brutes that were about to maul an ODST.
"What the hell...?" the medic muttered.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
"Great shot Daniel," Thelya commented, patting the side of the Wraith he was driving. The army before them was scattering and panicking.
"The traitorous vermin will soon perish," Sangheili Ultra Kenya observed from beside them. Thelya slid herself into the turret.
"Right Daniel. Let us rescue your friends. Brothers, Sisters, ATTACK!" Daniel boosted the Wraith forwards into the crowd of fleeing Covenant, crushing many underneath the hefty vehicle. A Brute with a Fuel Rod Cannon tried to aim its weapon at them, but a shot from one of the many Sangheili Wraiths took care of that. The army of Sangheili people eradicated all of the disorganised and confused Storm Covenant swiftly and efficiently. All the while, the marines had been gathering up in one big group, pointing their weapons at the newcomers. Daniel drove the Wraith right up to them, then stopped just a metre away. Thelya hopped out of the turret and onto the ground. "It is alright humans. We are your allies," she assured them.
"Yeah? We thought the same things about these guys, seconds before they wiped out three UNSC outposts. Why should we trust you?" Lawson demanded, not lowering her Plasma Repeater.
"Because... we currently have sixteen Wraiths and hundreds of Sangheili in a cruiser in low orbit, and you haven't been wiped off the face of this planet," another voice reasoned. Lawson peered around the bulky form of the Arbiter to see a human ODST climbing out of the Wraith. He stood beside the Arbiter and smiled. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sergeant Daniel Masters, and this is my wife, Thelya Vadamee, the Arbiter." There were a few gasps and murmurs, but Daniel ignored them and stuck out his hand. Lawson shook it gingerly, not quite sure what to think anymore.
"You... married... an Elite?" she asked finally, not to mention nervously. She kept flicking her eyes over to Thelya, hoping she hadn't offended the big, strong alien.
"Yeah. Look, are we going to do this now, or are we going to get these wounded the proper care they need?" Lawson nodded, staring at her feet. Daniel turned to leave, but another marine piped up.
"Sir... are we going back to Sangheilios?" he asked. Daniel paused, then called over his shoulder.
"Yes, we are going back to Sangheilios, but as soon as we get there, we'll send for a ship to come from Earth and pick you up. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir," Lawson answered for the lot of them.
"Oh and, you might want to get used to the idea of interspecies relationships. Just a tip." As he walked away, he was joined by Thelya.
"What makes you say that?" she asked, smiling in amusement.
"By the time we get back, Kath'll be married or something."
"Oh, I do not think so. She and Lanai are too scared to admit their feelings for each other. I do not think we will see them so much as holding hands for another three years," Thelya snorted. Daniel laughed as they boarded their Wraith.