Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech crossover. Thank you for your continued support of my Halo - Terminator crossover, and thank you for your support of this crossover. Tomorrow will be seeing the chapter where the Terminators get into a Covenant ship. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties of Microsoft Game Studios. 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
UNSC/SLDF Forward Operating Base
Near Tsavo Highway
February 16th, 2553
The Hermes transport continued to fly through the air towards the FOB that was nearby, with Chief and the others safely inside of the Troop Bay. Looking out of the back of the troop bay, Chief watched as the forest and jungle below the VTOL continued to fly by in a greenish-brown blur, which was briefly interrupted here and there by smoldering craters or rivers and streams that broke up the monotony of the jungle. Looking up a little more, he could see the second Hermes troop transport that was carrying the rest of the Marines to the FOB.
Hearing movement nearby, Chief turned to see Osman and 'Ravamee sitting down next to each other, with the two engaging in a quiet conversation with each other. The Sangheilian had come a long way since he had first seen 'Ravamee being claimed as a bondsman by Star Commander Alex around six months ago. Where before, he had been only slightly cooperative and somewhat hostile towards his captors, he now gladly served the UNSC and the Star League in any capacity that he could, and that was as a member of Clan Wolverine's Warrior Caste. It also probably helped that 'Ravamee knew that the Sangheilians were now an ally of the UNSC and Star League.
As he mulled this over silently, Chief felt the VTOL beginning to slow down, indicating that they were arriving at their destination. As the Hermes transport began circling the area, Chief got a good look at the exterior of the base, now that they had arrived. The FOB, funny enough, was originally a 20th century bunker that had been built during the Cold War, when the fear of nuclear warfare was reaching a fever pitch. When the Cold War ended without so much as a nuclear strike, the bunker had been converted into a tourist trap, serving as a reminder of what might have been if nuclear war had truly happened.
Now, the bunker had been completely demolished, replaced by a UNSC/SLDF base that was vastly more sophisticated and advanced than it's 20th Century counterpart could ever hope to be. On the exterior, Chief could see what he could clearly tell were AA weapons, as he spotted a few Calliope-IV SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) arrays, as well as a number of Laser based AA defenses. At various entrances were what he could tell were Anti-Vehicular weapons, such as A-UAC/20's, A-PPC's and ATM/5 turrets at any ground entrances nearby.
As the VTOL drew closer, Chief watched as part of the rocky terrain on top of the base began to move, revealing a hidden VTOL entrance that retracted to reveal a landing pad inside of a cave. The Hermes VTOL was able to fit with plenty of room to spare, with the troop transport coming to a complete landing moments later. Once the pilot deployed the loading ramp, Chief got out with the others, walking onto the landing pad as the second Hermes transport landed nearby.
Walking off the landing pad, Chief looked around to see where he was at, just as Cortana pulled up a schematic of the base for him to look at. According to the schematic, they were currently located at the VTOL Landing Pad, which was built inside of a cave that had formed over hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. While it was a large cave the Star League, after demolishing the old bunker inside, had dug out more room from the rock and dirt in the cave, allowing the place to hold up to four VTOL's at the same time.
The Ops Center, or CIC as the SLDF called it, was located at the middle/lower section of the base, and was located underneath a thick Endo Titanium reinforced, ferrocrete dome that was rated to survive a direct hit by a 150 megaton thermonuclear bomb. Landing Pad Bravo, where Chief was located at, was connected directly to the Barracks, where most of the soldiers would sleep and do the things most soldiers did when they were off duty. In addition to the roadways built into the base, the Barracks was connected to the Motor Pool via a Sewer that was accessed via a series of maintenance tunnels, with airlocks in order to prevent disease carrying insects and the smells of the Sewer from getting into the rest of the base. The Motor Pool connected directly to the CIC/Ops Center which was connected to a hangar bay at the south via a series of hallways and tunnels, as well as a small cave. The rest of the base was arranged in a multi-level manner, with an underground Vehicle/BattleMech Bay that was located directly underneath the base. Overall, the base was roughly shaped like an L that had the long end slanted somewhat to the left.
Walking onto the floor of the cave, Chief could hear rocks and dirt crunching underneath his armored boots. Looking up, he watched as an SLDF Marine approached his position, his weapon in the ready position. "Sir, Commander Keyes wants to see you, as does Captain Keyes. Please follow me." Nodding in compliance, Chief began following the Marine, with Thel, Bero, Osman and Johnson in tow.
As they followed the Marine, Chief looked around some more to see what the architecture of the base was now like. Gone were the steel beams, exposed power cables and concrete walls and ceiling, as they were now replaced by smooth, Endo Titanium reinforced ferrocrete panels and slabs that formed the roof, walls and floor of the vehicle corridor they were in. Checkpoints were present at regular intervals in the corridor, with SLDF Marines manning MPL Turrets, plasma machineguns and ATM Missile Launchers that were mounted on various pedestals behind fortifications that made extensive use of Advanced Ferro-Fibrous armor.
After a scan verified their identities to the Marines at the checkpoint, the squad was allowed to enter the base proper. Turning to the right, Chief watched as a door opened automatically for them, allowing them to begin walking down one of the hallways towards the CIC. Even here, there were fortifications, as Chief spotted what looked like hidden hatches for Sentry Turrets that were built into the floor and ceiling of the hallway. Guards were located at each door, with a few behind MPL turrets that were strategically positioned in the hallway.
Not all of the people inside of the base were Humans, though, as Chief spotted a few Sangheilians that were milling about, with a few providing guard duty to other areas of the base. From what he could tell, some of the aliens that had followed the Sangheilians in their schism were present in the base, with the majority of the aliens being the Sangheilians. There were also a number of Grunts, some Jackals and Skirmishers, as well as a few Hunters here and there. Drones were also flying around in the base as well, assisting some maintenance personnel in getting at hard-to-reach places.
Eventually, they entered the CIC of the UNSC/SLDF base, after passing through a few more checkpoints, as well as a small, but well fortified Armory. The CIC was probably one of the best designed that Chief had seen in a long time; the holo-table was located in the center of the room, with a holographic projection of Earth being displayed, with the hologram slowly rotating to the right. Holographic icons showing UNSC, Sangheilian Separatist and SLDF/Great House ships, territory and bases were displayed in green, while Covenant forces were displayed in a bright red color. Surrounding the holo-table were computer consoles that controlled various parts of the base, from security and cameras, to the most basic commodities, such as air conditioning. There were also communication computers that were currently linked to the base's C-HPG and radio transceivers, allowing for communication both at and below superluminal speeds. A number of computer monitors were in the back as well, and were currently displaying the logo of the UNSC as well as the logo of the Star League.
Personnel were present everywhere in the CIC, from Marines in full combat gear, to SLDF/UNSC officers that were currently wearing their uniforms. Sangheilians and other aliens were present as well, with most helping out with maintaining the day-to-day operations of the base. At the holo-table were Commander Miranda Keyes and Captain Jacob Keyes, along with Star Commander Alex and another SLDF officer that Chief didn't recognize. Spotting Chief, Alex looked up and said, "Well, well, looks like the Master Chief has arrived."
Looking up from her terminal, Miranda beamed when she saw Chief walking into the CIC. "Chief, good to see you here," she beamed, just as Chief saluted her.
"Sierra-117 reporting for duty," Chief replied.
"At ease, Chief," Captain Keyes replied.'
Standing to, Chief said, "What's the status of Earth's defenses?"
"Doing good, so far," Captain Keyes replied. "The Star League did an excellent job reducing the Covenant's total military assets, but a few did managed to get through to Earth. Reports are indicating that the Covenant is pushing hard to secure the area around the Forerunner artifact that New Mombasa was partially built over. SLDF and UNSC personnel are moving to neutralize the Covenant and to secure the artifact and the Forerunner ship that has currently landed at the center of what has been excavated thus far."
"What about the rest of the Covenant ships," Chief asked.
"Most of them went critical in the past eight hours," Miranda Keyes answered. "Apparently, the damage the SLDF ODN Platforms did was extensive enough that the Brutes had to abandon ship. Truth's Carrier is moderately damaged, and it appears to be holding position near the artifact's center, where the Forerunner ship is currently located at. The rest of the Brute ships that haven't gone critical are being taken care of by other SLDF/UNSC WarShips."
"What about the Imperial Admiral's fleet," Thel, who was silent until now, asked.
"It's currently on it's way," the SLDF officer in the room with them replied. "Xytan 'Jar Watrinee was able to gather a few Sangheilian fleets before entering Slipstream Space. They're currently en route to Earth and they should be arriving within two hours."
Noting Chief's lack of a response, Miranda said, "Chief, this is Colonel Patrick Stackton, our liaison to the Star League. They've loaned him to us for the duration of the war and he's agreed to help us out in our current battle plan."
"And that would be," Chief asked.
"Forcibly evicting the Covenant from their latest prize," Stackton replied in his native, British accent. "Those fat bastards had been trying to carve up and excavate more of the Forerunner artifact, and they're very keen on keeping us away from it. We're currently working on theories as to what it currently is, but for now, we're just focusing on how to get the Covenant away from it."
Chief was about to ask another question when a UNSC Marine approached their position. "Commander, we have a C-HPG call from Admiral's Hood and Chernenko."
"Patch them in," Miranda replied. Moments later, Hood and Chernenko appeared on the computer screens that were located in the CIC. "Admirals, we're ready for any orders you have," Miranda replied.
"Good to hear," Admiral Hood replied. "Is the Master Chief with you?"
"Yes, sir," Chief replied.
"What's your status Chief?"
"Green, sir."
"Good," Admiral Hood replied. "We'll need you for the next phase of this operation." Turning to Admiral Chernenko, he said, "You have the floor, Chernenko."
"Thank you, Hood," Chernenko replied. While the two were of the same rank from different realities, the two men were able to work well with each other. Clearing his throat, Chernenko said, "According to the Intelligence Command, the Covenant are highly interested in the device that is currently in the massive caldera that resulted from the collapse of the terrain above it. SLIC AI's embedded in the Covenant's BattleNet believe that the device in question is a Forerunner Slisptream Space Portal Generator of a scale that is unprecedented."
"A Slipstream Space Portal Generator," Miranda asked, surprised.
"That is correct," Chernenko replied. "We believe that the Covenant are attempting to excavate enough of the Generator so that it can fully activate and create a massive slipstream space portal that is roughly the same size as the generator itself, which we now know to be roughly fifty five kilometers in diameter, which is an incredible feat of engineering in itself. The Forerunner Dreadnought in the center of the Generator appears to have connected to the computer systems inside, though so far, there has been little, if any activity.
"That is where your orders come in. Once you have gotten consolidated, your orders are to move out along Tsavo Highway near your position and get to the industrial facility roughly 40 kilometers away, as it sits along the edge of the caldera itself. There are Covenant AA turrets that are strategically positioned around the caldera in order to ward off any attacks by our forces. You will take the industrial complex from the Covenant forces there and destroy the AA weapon at the site, while other SLDF, Great House and UNSC forces terminate the other AA weapons. Persephone has informed me that each time the AA weapon fires, it has to vent waste heat into the atmosphere via a vent on the bottom of the AA gun. Once it deploys, you are to fire an Advanced Tactical Missile into the vent, thereby destroying the weapon itself."
"Will we have fire support," Chief asked.
"Affirmative," Chernenko replied. "Admiral Hood and I have agreed to send our BattleMech divisions to the area in order to draw away any Covenant Combat Vehicles from your position, though we believe a few will remain. Star Commander Alex has agreed to have a Binary set up, with each star located in the sections of the lake bed that haven't collapsed into the caldera. You'll also have a massive AeroSpace Fighter force that will work to terminate as many Covenant ASF's as possible in order to lighten the load on your forces."
"What about the Elites," Chief asked.
"They are on their way," Chernenko replied. "By the time you arrive at the industrial complex, they'll have entered Low Earth Orbit. The Imperial Admiral has also asked that you have the Arbiter and his aide assist you in this battle, if you are willing of course."
For a moment, Chief considered his options. While he knew the Elites had been an enemy, they were now in the same boat as Humanity, and right now, he needed as much help as he could get. Nodding, he said, "Yes. They can come with me."
"Good," Chernenko replied. "As for Hood and I, we'll be in our WarShips dealing as much damage as possible to the Covenant WarShips that are remaining, if we can find them that is, since there's not many left at all. Once the AA weapons are down, the WarShips will move in and assist in the boarding and takeover of the Forerunner Dreadnought."
"What if the Generator activates," Miranda asked.
"We'll adjust as the situation develops," Hood replied. "If the SLIC is on the money, and they usually are, we'll have a minor Electromagnetic Pulse if the Slipspace Portal opens up. We think that it will lead directly to the 'Ark' that the Monitor you spoke with was talking about. What concerns me is the SLDF's means of FTL fight. I don't know if they'll be able to get to the Forerunner Installation fast enough to assist us."
"We will," Chernenko replied. "We'll be using the K-F Drive to get to the Forerunner Installation. Since the K-F Drive is faster than the Slipstream Space Drive, and recharges faster, we'll be able to get to the Forerunner Installation on the other side, if it leads there that is, faster than the rest of your forces combined. Once we're there, we'll terminate any Covenant WarShips on the other side and secure the area over the Installation. Once you've arrived, we'll land our ground forces and work to capture or kill the Prophet of Truth. Any questions?" When none presented themselves, he said, "Good. You have your orders, now you get to carry them out. Dismissed." With that, the COM link cut out, leaving the UNSC and SLDF logos on the screen.
"That was pretty direct," Miranda remarked.
"I know what you mean," Captain Keyes agreed. "Admiral Chernenko is a 'no nonsense' kind of person." Looking at the time, he said, "I'd best get back to the Pillar of Autumn II now. The ship is expected to enter position soon." Looking at Miranda, he said, "Stay safe."
"You too," Miranda replied. Even though she didn't say the word 'dad', it was clear that she meant it. Smiling at his daughter, Keyes saluted her before leaving the CIC, heading straight to the South Hanger in order to board a Pelican-IIa and leave.
Once he was out, though, something began to happen. "Commander," an SLDF technician said to her, "I'm picking up an attempt to breach our cyber security, particularly our COM system."
"Is it anything dangerous," Miranda asked.
"Negative," Cortana replied. "I've uploaded myself into the computer systems. Looks like the Covenant are attempting to intimidate us using a broadcast from the Prophet of Truth. It's mostly the same bluster and religious fanaticism when the Covenant first glassed Harvest."
"Can he get in," Miranda asked.
"No," Cortana replied. "SLDF C-HPG and tightbeam communications use an advanced form of quantum wave cryptography to encrypt their transmissions. In other words, he might as well be shouting at a brick wall."
"Hah," Johnson barked. "Cocky bastard. You'd think he'd get the point that fighting the UNSC and the Star League is a suicidal idea. Apparently, he's too fanatical to really think otherwise."
"Agreed," Miranda replied, "but that doesn't mean he's not dangerous. Continue to monitor the cyber attack and inform me of any developments." Looking at another officer, she asked, "Any activity we need to be aware of?"
"Yes," the UNSC Officer replied. "We have a large contingent of Covenant being led by Brutes incoming to our location. The Covenant know where we are, and they're determined to take this base and wipe us out. Orders?"
"Raise the alert status of the base to red," Miranda replied. "Inform all the Marines inside of the base that we have enemy personnel inbound to our location. If I had to guess as to where they will enter, they'll most likely attempt to enter the base via the South Hanger and the VTOL Landing Pads. Are the Calliope-IV turrets online and operational?"
"Yes. Turrets came online as soon as the LiDAR and RADAR sensors were tripped."
"Good. They'll thin out any resistance that comes our way, but don't get cocky. The Covenant's been using attrition tactics in an effort to break through SLDF/UNSC military forces. I want all the Sentry Turrets inside of the base brought up to full operational status, and inform our checkpoints that we have uninvited guests inbound." Turning to Chief, the Arbiter and the others, she said, "Chief, Osman, your orders are to get to the South Hangar and repel any Covenant forces attempting to enter that way. 'Ravamee, Bero and Thel, your orders are to head to the Barracks and VTOL landing pads to reinforce them in the even the Brutes break through the armored entryways. Understood?"
"Understood," Chief replied. With that, he proceeded through the door at the back of the CIC, passing through a small Armory that was finishing being fortified. Grabbing an M50 AGR, he slapped a new magazine in, racked the charging handle and moved out, but not before grabbing a sidearm and some ammunition for his weapons. Moving into a Repair Station, he stepped inside and activated the Station, allowing the robotic arms to replace the armor plating on his Nighthawk-L Battle Armor. Stepping out a couple minutes later, he allowed Osman to get refitted, while he proceeded to the South Hangar Bay.
As he moved through the hallways of the base, Chief thought he heard a faint rumbling. "That's the Calliope-IV SAM's firing," Cortana informed him via COM. "They've neutralized a good portion of the Covenant moving in towards the base, but there are some still coming in." As she said this, Chief watched as a recently deployed Sentry Turret scanned him, the beam flashing green when it detected his I/FF tag. Moving on past the Turret, Chief entered the South Hangar.
The South Hangar was a large room, roughly 120 meters long, 70 meters wide and about 70 meters high. On each side, Chief could see Ferrocrete walls that were reinforced with Endo Titanium, ensuring that only a very powerful thermonuclear bomb could cause any damage to the structure of the place. Part of the hangar was occupied by a grated landing pad, which allowed any arriving VTOL's to deposit any personnel and equipment they had. Most of the Hermes and Pelican-IIa's, however, were being stored on a ceiling mounted crane system that held each VTOL in place. The area of the hangar Chief was at held a control room, a series of stairs that led downward, as well as balconies that were fully armored with Advanced Ferro-Fibrous armor plating. Marines on each of the balconies and walkways were finishing putting the new armored barricades in place, with Gauss, Laser and Plasma turrets mounted at regular intervals.
As soon as Chief arrived, the Covenant made their entrance. A Phantom came into view, firing it's Plasma Cannon at the Marines, who merely ducked down behind cover and waited for the bombardment to end. Behind him, Chief could hear Osman arriving just in time to fire an ATM at the Phantom, blowing off the Plasma Cannon on the front of the Phantom.
As soon as the Phantom fully entered, it was as though a deadly version of the 4th of July was unleashed. Plasma bolts, laser beams and Gauss turret rounds zipped through the air as the Marines immediately opened fire, carving large gashes and holes into the Phantom. Not wanting to be destroyed, the pilot of the Phantom immediately deposited the troops before pulling the Covenant VTOL out of the Hangar. What commenced afterwards was the shortest firefight Chief had ever partaken in, as the Covenant troops didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming firepower being sent directly at them. The second and third waves ended in the same way as the first one, with the Covenant ground forces being neutralized almost immediately.
As soon as the last Covenant trooper was down, Chief heard his COM chime. "Star Commander, we have an enemy Covenant force attempting to breach the Barracks," Alex said over the COM. "I need you to take out the Covenant there as soon as possible. I am heading to your position. Over."
"Sierra-117 copies," Chief replied. "Moving to your location now." Hefting his rifle, Chief began running to the other side of the base, with Osman in tow, the ground shaking slightly as the Elemental's feet pounded against the Ferrocrete floor.
Thanks to the design of the base, the Covenant hadn't been able to get into the Motor Pool, as Chief could hear gunfire in the vehicular corridors as he moved towards the Barracks. Opening a maintenance airlock, he proceeded through it and into the Sewer. The Sewer was surprisingly clean, given that the base had only been manned by a skeleton crew until now, and the fact that it was regularly cleaned and maintained, courtesy of the Star League. As a result, Chief was able to quickly move through the base and into a utility room nearby.
As he entered the VTOL Landing Pad zone, he heard a loud, metallic THUMP that echoed throughout the cave. Looking up, Chief realized that the Covenant were attempting to breach the base via the rooftop doors to the base, only to fail as the doors were armored with a modified version of Lamellor Ferro-Carbide armor, rendering that part of the base almost completely impenetrable. Only a Covenant energy projector could get through that armor, and even then, it would ablate and protect the actual doors themselves from damage. So, without any further delay, Chief continued to move up through the base, reaching the Barracks quickly.
The Barracks of the base was shaped like a C with squared off corners, and was divided up into two levels, one directly above the other. The Covenant had, apparently, gotten inside and were trying to get through the Barracks, but it wasn't going well for them at all. Chief watched as several Sentry Turrets immediately deployed from the floor and ceiling, firing HEAP shells, laser beams and plasma bolts directly at the Covenant forces inside.
The Marines inside the base were also firing back, using the weapons they had been given by the SLDF to lethal effect. More bullets and laser beams cut through the air, severing limbs and heads as the Marines fought to keep the Covenant from getting inside. Joining the firefight, Chief began laying down fire, with Osman charging in and killing any Brutes that were in the Barracks.
Just as one Brute was about to attack, Chief and Osman watched as a long tentacle wrapped around the alien's waist and yanked it backwards, with screams coming from the Brute for a few moments before fading out entirely. Moments after the enemy forces were neutralized, Bero walked out of the corridor, absorbing the tentacle into his body before approaching Chief. "You good," Chief asked the Sangheilian Zealot.
"Yes," Bero replied, ignoring the shocked and awed looks on the Marine's faces. "The Covenant in this part of the base have been terminated. We have more Covenant attempting to enter via the Landing Pads that you just came from."
"They haven't succeeded in getting in," Chief replied. "The Landing Pad Bay doors have Ferro-Carbide armor on them. It'll take a long time for them to get inside."
"Indeed," Bero replied as more rumbling echoed through the base. "The Brutes in that area have been dealt with. I just sensed their minds fading into the void." He was about to continue when he heard something on his COM. Listening close, Bero turned to Chief and said, "Chief, new orders for you. The Covenant are retreating from the base; we've driven them back. You need to get down to the vehicle bay in order to get into a vehicle and head to the Industrial complex that Chernenko told you about."
"Understood," Chief replied. Heading out, he began making his way to the hangar bay. Along the way, Alex rendezvoused with him. "One of our WarShips came into view over our base," he told Chief. "That is why the Covenant are running scared from our base now."
"Do we have any vehicles we can use," Chief asked.
"All the Combat Vehicles have been manned already," Alex replied. "There is some good news, though, Chief. You are going to be able to get your chance to use a BattleMech now. I have a Mad Cat IVa that has been retrofitted to the Prime Configuration, the loadout you preferred during 'Mech training. Once you are onboard, you will be directly under my command for the duration. Understood?"
"Affirmative," Chief replied. During the five to six month long period before the Covenant attacked Earth, SaKhan Juliana had ordered Chief to receive training both in Battle Armor technology as well as BattleMech Training. During those six months, Chief had pushed himself to become a highly proficient 'MechWarrior, often outdoing many of the other Spartan contenders for the position. The 'Mech that he preferred the most was the Mad Cat IVa in it's Prime configuration, as the mixture of ballistic, energy and missile weapons had proven to be, in Chief's opinion, a potent combination.
A few moments later, both men reached the elevator that would take them down to the 'Mech Bay beneath the base. After uploading herself back into Chief's armor, Cortana said, "I've always wanted to get inside a BattleMech. You ready, Chief?"
"Yes," Chief replied simply as the elevator began to descend. It was time for some heavy metal.