Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Mechwarrior crossover. I'm very happy that some of you enjoyed the last chapter. I always wondered what would happen if a Spartan got his/her hands on a BattleMech, and I'm happy to see that some people like what happened. Thank you for your continued support. I deeply appreciate it. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks 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 original 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 their original composers and/or artists.
Terra
Voi Industrial Complex
February 16th, 2553
Voi was a small town that was at the edge of New Mombasa, the nearby city where the Covenant had first landed on Earth during the Battle of Earth. Before the arrival of the Star League, the Voi Industrial Complex, one of a number of factories in the area, was a relatively successful and well maintained facility, mostly since the people that owned and operated the plant were very much safety and efficiency minded people, leading to a well maintained and safe facility. Even after the Star League's arrival, the Voi Industrial Complex remained fairly profitable.
Now, as they were arriving at the facility, Chief could clearly tell that the Covenant had invaded the facility, though it was clear that their control wasn't absolute. As the 'Mech that he was driving approached the facility, Chief could hear COM chatter indicating that a detachment of SLDF Marines had been sent to part of the facility to assist Alex's efforts in driving the Covenant out of the base and destroying the AA turret nearby. So far, they were making progress, albeit slowly as they were encountering fierce resistance.
That wasn't all that was going on, though. Looking up, Chief noticed that a storm was brewing, but it was not your typical African thunderstorm. Instead, this storm was forming over the artifact, with a central eye, much like that of a hurricane, forming directly over where the Forerunner ship was at. Rain was lightly sprinkling the area, and Chief thought he saw lightning arcing in the unusual cloud formation that was over the Forerunner ship.
Apparently, Franklin had noticed as well, as he said, "That's not your typical thunderstorm. What's going on?"
"The Forerunner artifact must be generating a significant amount of energy," Alex surmised. "If what I am thinking is correct, I think the heat generated by the artifact, combined with the fact that the storm was forming earlier, is causing the storm that we are seeing. It stands to reason that, once it activates, the storm might dissipate. Either way, that is pointless conjecture. We are not here to discuss weather, we are here to kill a shit ton of Covenant stravag that have made this place home." With that, they continued on in silence.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the facility, which was located at a parking lot nearby. Apparently, when the workers had gotten word that the Covenant were invading, they had dropped everything they were doing and fled the facility, as Chief could see that the parking lot was devoid of life or activity. A single semi-truck with a tanker trailer was located in the parking lot, where it had been abandoned in the initial rush to flee the factory complex. Papers and briefcases were scattered everywhere, with the papers now soaked completely by rain water that was pooling on the ground. Concrete barriers and pilings were present, though some had been damaged by past accidents in the area. A large, industrial gate was present, with locking cylinders in the center that were firmly in place. A single green button was located inside of a yellow panel, with the button flashing periodically.
Once they entered the parking lot, Alex said, "Chief, you will have to disembark from here. The Marines are going to need Elemental support, and I have every reason to believe that there are a lot of Covenant inside of the base. Don't worry about your BattleMech; it will remotely pilot itself back to the FOB we left. As for myself and my Star, we will be heading to the lake beds that are at the edge of the caldera. Good luck."
"You too, Star Leader," Chief replied. Pressing a button, Chief heard some mechanical noises before light flooded the seat that he was sitting in. Reaching upwards, he pulled himself out of the cockpit of the Mad Cat-IVa and, activating his Jump Jets, hopped down to the ground, landing with a muted thump on the pavement, but not before grabbing his M50 Hammer and his M15 sidearm. Hearing similar thumps, Chief turned to see Bero and Thel walking over to him. Turning towards Alex's 'Mech, Chief saluted the Clan 'MechWarrior, who saluted back before taking his Star with him to the lake beds.
At about that moment, Chief heard activity coming from the tunnel that led from the facility to the rest of Tsavo Highway. Turning in that direction, he watched as several Warthog-IIa's and a pair of Badger-IV IFV's entered the parking lot, before disgorging their contents. Moments later, two, six man squads of SLDF Marines walked over to him, with a third squad composed of UNSC Marines arriving shortly after. "Good to see you, Chief," one of the Marines remarked. "We've been sent to assist you in your mission."
"Roger that," Chief replied. Keying his COM, Chief said, "Commander, we are at the factory."
"Good," Miranda Keyes said over the COM. "As before, your primary objective is to destroy the AA turret at your current location. The Star League and some of our forces are currently working on destroying the other AA turrets. Once they're down, Admiral Hood and Admiral Chernenko can enter the airspace and perform a gun run on the Forerunner ship, after which a squad of Elementals will board and take Truth hostage. Then we can force the Covenant to end this war once and for all."
"That's not all you'll have to be dealing with," Sergeant Johnson, who had arrived at the facility just a minute earlier, reported. "The SLDF Marines that I'm with are reporting that the Covenant have a much larger concentration of troops at this facility than normal. I think they guessed what we're up to."
"Then we'll have to get creative," Miranda decided. "Commander Alex, what's your SITREP?"
"A lot of Covenant stravags are in the lake beds," Alex said over the sounds of his 'Mech firing. "They have a number of AA Wraiths as well as some Ghosts and a shit ton of Wraiths and Revenants. If you can get Chief through the first section of the factory and to the first lake bed, that would be deeply appreciated."
"Roger that," Miranda replied. "Chief, move up through the factory and provide whatever assistance you can to Alex and the others. Once you've cleared out the factory and the first lake bed, move up to the second factory and lake bed, and clear those out. If the Covenant sends a Scarab to your location, let Alex and his 'MechWarriors handle it; they're trained for that kind of combat. Beyond that, your orders remain unchanged: destroy the Covenant AA cannon and all Covenant forces in the facility. If you find any civilians still inside, rescue them if you can, but don't lose sight of your objective. Commander Keyes out."
"Roger that," Chief replied. "Sierra-117 out." Closing the COM link, he said, "You heard the Commander. We have to proceed forwards."
"We've got your six covered, Chief," one of the SLDF Marines replied. "Open up that door and we'll proceed inside. Once we're in, we'll provide fire support and help you eliminate any Covenant inside."
"Good," Chief replied. Turing to Bero and Thel, Chief asked, "You two ready?"
"I am prepared," Thel replied, brandishing his energy sword. Bero, instead of speaking, simply nodded at Chief. Taking that as a yes, Chief walked over to the door controls and pressed the button, a loud CLICK emanating from the panel. Moments later, the locking lugs on the door rotated to the left and right, with the gate splitting in half to permit Chief and the others inside.
The interior of the factory was neat and organized, a far cry from the parking lot's mess of wet papers and briefcases. The interior of this part of the factory was a two level affair, with the bottom level holding a bank of computers, instrumentation, a forklift near the door, some pallets with cable on them, as well as another door with a similar button on the other side. The upper level was a similar story, with the upper level being accessible via concrete ramps and catwalks that spanned the space above. The interior was also well lit, with strong, fluorescent lights on the ceiling and in the walls.
Moving forwards, Chief proceeded up a ramp and onto one of the catwalks that curved with the wall of the factory, leading to a catwalk that spanned the area directly in front of the next industrial gate. Moving forwards, Chief found that the other side of the gate was accessible via a series of catwalks and ramps that led to the other side of the door. The other side of the door was much like the area Chief was in, with the exception of what appeared to be metal piping in the walls and metal beams that were acting as support columns. The roadway into the facility took a sharp left turn, before almost immediately taking a sharp right turn towards another door, which had a central locking lug, indicating that it retracted into the ceiling rather than the wall.
The Covenant were present here, as Chief noticed a group of Grunts that were gathered around a holographic image of the Prophet of Truth. While Chief couldn't understand what Truth was saying, he didn't care much to begin with, as Truth was probably spouting more religious nonsense. He was about to act when Bero said, "Allow me, Chief. I've got this."
Moments later, Chief watched as Bero shape-shifted, melting into his gelatinous form before flowing into the next room, his shapeless body taking on the same coloring as the floor beneath him. Flowing forwards, Bero silently regrew behind the Grunts, before growing tentacles out of his back, while morphing his arms into bladed tentacles. Before the Grunts could tell he was there, Bero's tentacles shot forwards, impaling the Grunts through gaps in their armor. Each one of the Grunts died instantly, their bodies unable to compensate for the damage that Bero had done to them. Retracting his tentacles, he morphed his bladed tentacles back into arms and hands, before walking towards the holoprojector. Chief watched as Bero looked at the device, before using a single tentacle to smash the device, causing the hologram to fade into nonexistence. Turning to Chief, he motioned quickly with a hand, just as Chief opened the door beneath him.
Taking that as their cue, the SLDF Marines moved inside, weapons at the ready as they quickly entered the area that Bero had just cleared. At the same time, the Badger-IV IFV's entered the factory, their tracks clanking slightly as they entered the room. "Opening the next gate," Chief told the others. "Get ready for a fight."
"Roger that," the IFV operators replied. Pressing the next button, Chief began proceeding to the other side, walking through an automated door that led to the other side of the door. The other side of the door led to a concrete walkway that was built next to a tunnel that continued for around 70-80 meters before turning left. Crates and forklifts were present in the tunnel, with most having been moved to the side, with crates in the middle of the tunnel. The tunnel's arched roof had more powerful lights built onto the titanium support beams, with each light brightly illuminating the tunnel.
The Covenant were present here as well, as Chief spotted some Jackals, a lot of Grunts and quite a few Brutes. A few Skirmishers were present, but Chief noticed that they were in the back, as opposed to normally being in the front of the squad. As soon as Chief entered, the Brutes reacted, shouting loudly in their harsh, barbaric language before opening fire. "I'll peel the flesh from your bones," A Brute shouted at Chief.
Instead of replying, Chief fired a shot from his M50 AGR, with the round causing moderate damage to the Brute's power armor. Rolling backwards, the Brute attempted to fire back, only to be blasted into a million steaming bits, courtesy of the A-UAC/2 mounted on the Badger-IV IFV that entered the tunnel. The IFV was about to fire at the Skirmishers when, suddenly, the Skirmishers did something that Chief didn't expect: they fired at the Brutes and Jackals ahead of them, killing a few almost immediately.
Spotting an opportunity, Chief and the others advanced forwards, firing their weapons at the Brutes, Grunts and Jackals. Bero was particularly deadly, as his shape-shifting abilities allowed him to use his entire body as a weapon. Morphing one of his arms, Bero raised it towards one of the Brutes, before powerful muscles in his newly changed appendage contracted violently, shooting bony spikes out of his arm. As the Brute's armor was destroyed, the bony spikes easily penetrated the Brute's hairy hide, killing it after a few shots.
After just a couple of seconds, the firefight had ended, with only the Skirmishers remaining. Instead of firing, as Chief had expected, the Skirmishers didn't fire a single shot at them; instead, they kept their weapons lowered. One of the Skirmishers, an older Skirmisher Champion, walked up to them, weapon lowered all the while. "Don't shoot," the Skirmisher said in a rough, but definitely male, void. "We don't want to fight you or your allies. My friends and I want to help you."
"Why," Chief asked.
"We've been chafing under the Brutes control ever since they kicked out the Sangheilians in a military role," the Skirmisher replied. "I was forced to watch as those that I loved were killed by the Brutes simply because they protested their methods of leadership. Since then, I began planning a means of defecting to your side. I want justice for what happened to those that protested the Brute's leadership methods, and I believe your faction is the only one that can do exactly that." Dropping his weapons, the Skirmisher Champion got onto his knees and said, "My life is in your hands. You can decide my fate."
Chief, Thel and Bero shared looks with each other. Apparently, not all of the Covenant liked the fact that the Brutes had, in a bloody coup d'etat, thrown the Elites out of the Covenant. Some, apparently, had realized that Halo was a weapon that was designed to kill all sapient life in the galaxy and, as a result, had realized that to begin the Great Journey was to commit mass suicide. Apparently, this Skirmisher had been planning this since the Schism began. Looking at the Skirmisher, Thel asked, "What is your name, T'Vao?"
"Lorvenk, Arbiter," the Skirmisher replied.
"Lorvenk," Thel said a moment later, "are the men with you loyal to you?"
"They have the same grievance that I do against the Brutes," Lorvenk replied. "They chose to follow me into battle."
"Then it is decided," Thel concluded. "You will help me, my friend Bero and the Master Chief in defeating the Brutes in the lake bed beyond. Once that is done, you will accompany the SLDF Marines with me and my friends, and assist us in destroying the AA Cannon that the Brutes have set up in this area. Understood?"
"Yes," Lorvenk nodded.
"Good," Thel replied. "Get up and get your weapons. We have a battle to win." With that, Lorvenk reclaimed his weapons and, speaking in his native language, told the others what they needed to do. Apparently, the loyalty his men had was rooted deeply, as the other Skirmishers immediately obeyed without hesitation. Reaching the next door, Chief pressed the button for it as well.
The door opened moments later, with the exit leading into the first lake bed that that was inside of the Industrial Complex. The lake bed was large, roughly 220 meters in length and about 250 meters wide, with concrete structures that were built into the lake bed, indicating that the Voi Industrial Complex was primarily involved in manufacturing concrete for military purposes. Looking around, Chief could see that the roadway he was on led to a concrete and metal catwalk that was large enough to house the IFV's, as well as any vehicles that they had. Ramps led down into the lake bed, with a trio of concrete bridges that arched over a pair of pipes in the center of the lake bed. On a pier that jutted out into the lake bed, Chief could see what looked like a storage shed, most likely for maintenance equipment.
The Covenant were here as well, and in much greater numbers than inside the factory. Chief could see Ghosts, Revenant's, AA Wraiths, as well as a number of normal Wraiths in the area, each one firing at the BattleMechs that were part of Alex's Star. Looking at Thel and the others, Chief said, "Everyone, get into an IFV and begin assisting the 'Mechs in any way you can. Lorvenk, get your men into one of the IFV's, they'll get slaughtered if they remain outside."
"Understood," Lorvenk replied, before turning around and barking orders to his men. All ten Skimishers, including Lorvenk, got into a third IFV that had just arrived, with the troop bay doors closing as soon as they were inside. Getting onto the first IFV, Chief motioned to the pilot what he wanted to do, with the pilot getting into the troop bay moments later. Clambering inside, Chief got into the pilot seat, while Thel and Bero entered the IFV he was in.
Once inside, Chief began to drive forwards, the quite hum of the XL Fusion Engine in the IFV increasing in pitch. As he drove forwards, he heard another burst on his COM. "Commander Keyes, what's the status of the Forerunner artifact," Admiral Hood said over the COM.
"Atmospheric activity is increasing in intensity over the artifact," Miranda replied. "It's nearing activation status. We've got a team moving to the AA gun right now."
"Sierra-117," Hood asked.
"Moving as fast as he can," Miranda replied. "I know we'll get it done." With that, the COM fell silent once more.
"More Brutes ahead," Thel said to Chief.
"Then we'd better get started," Chief replied. "Cortana, can you take over the main turret on the IFV?"
"Already done," Cortana replied. "I'm also sending targeting data to the other IFV's. We're ready for a fight." With that, Chief gunned the accelerator, driving towards the Covenant at flank speed. Spotting the IFV, the Brutes in each of the vehicles immediately opened fire, sending plasma bolts and bolus' towards Chief's vehicle.
Moving quickly, Chief began performing evasive maneuvers, while Cortana began targeting and firing on the enemy vehicles using the main cannon on the IFV. A-UAC/2 HEAP shells tore though the air, blasting apart Ghosts and Revenants that were unfortunate enough to get out of cover to fire at the IFV. Moving quickly, Chief terminated the lighter vehicles, allowing the BattleMechs to focus fire on the larger, and more dangerous, Covenant Combat Vehicles. Driving up behind an AA Wraith, Chief pumped HV-HEAP shells into the exhaust port on the enemy vehicle, blasting apart the armor and tearing into the plasma reactor on the enemy vehicle. It promptly exploded moments later, causing a brief drop in the IFV's shield strength, while scattering nanolaminate shrapnel throughout the area.
Spotting Chief's IFV, Alex drove his Mad Cat-IVb over to him. "You alright," he asked a moment later.
"We're good," Chief replied. "What about you?"
"I and my men are doing fine as well," Alex replied. "Our shield strength was getting worn down through sheer volume of fire. If you had not come along, we would have been combat testing our armor plating. Thanks to your help, though, we were able to focus on the larger Combat Vehicles. We work well as a team."
"Agreed," Chief replied. "Any intel on the area up ahead?"
"The SLDF Marines with Johnson are making progress in the warehouse," Alex replied. "Beyond that, however, most of the factory complex is still under the thumb of the Brutes. We will move up to the second lake bed, while you move through the factory complex. Good luck, Chief."
Nodding in agreement, Chief drove the IFV to the other side of the lake bed, getting out and allowing the pilot to take back control once again. Opening the door into the base, Chief quickly moved inside, dodging a stream of plasma that was sent directly at his position. The internal temperature in his armor climbed briefly, before the advanced heat sinks in his Battle Armor pumped the excess heat into the environment. Looking up onto the catwalk, Chief spotted a Brute Chieftain that was lugging around a Plasma Turret, firing on any enemy personnel that popped out of cover.
Moving quickly, Chief used his Jump Jets to boost onto the upper catwalk, where the Chieftain was located at. Boosting forwards, he smashed into the Chieftain, crushing it's internal organs while shattering it's ribs. Grabbing the Plasma Turret, Chief easily lugged the thing around, blasting the dying Chieftain, before turning the weapon against the Grunts and Jackals that were inside. The Covenant forces in front of Chief quickly fell down, their bodies torn apart by the barrage of plasma from their own weaponry. Nearby, a few Marines on an MPL Turret provided fire support, eliminating the remaining Covenant in the area.
Chief was about to move forwards into the next area when Bero said, "Wait, Chief. I just sensed another Hive Mind nearby. Let me communicate with it." Following the Sangheilian's suggestion, Chief waited just behind the door, while Bero telepathically communicated with the Drones that were hiding in the air vents above. After a moment, he said, "It's safe, Chief. We can proceed."
Opening the door, Chief watched as a swarm of Drones came down from the air vent. Instead of firing at them, however, the Drones flew over to the IFV's and landed on top of them, with not one attacking the vehicles at all. One Drone flew in front of him, it's multi-lensed eyes examining him for a moment before it flew to where the others were at. With that, they left the building, taking off before flying out of the area. "Where are they going," Chief asked.
"They're leaving to assist the Marines at the warehouse ahead," Bero replied. "They would've attacked us, but they were receptive when they learned that I was telepathic. Now that they know the truth, they have agreed to assist us." With that, the squad continued forwards, approaching the entrance into the next tunnel. After opening it up, Chief proceeded to the exit, while the IFV's drove through the factory and into the next area.
If the first lake bed had been large, then this was was massive, with a total length of an even 300 meters, while being roughly 200 meters in width. More concrete arch bridges in the lake bed spanned a pair of pipes that led into the ground, along with another, circular pumping station located just a few meters from the center of the lake bed. A series of cranes hung over the area like silent sentinels, while there appeared to be half of a ship that had been partially destroyed, with part of it dangling over the caldera's edge. Large spires of rock, and what appeared to be destroyed concrete pipping, was scattered throughout the area.
The Covenant were here as well, though they were not alone in this case. SLDF and UNSC Marines were firing missiles at what appeared to be a veritable swarm of Ghosts and Revenants, while Wraiths provided cover fire for more AA Wraiths that were in the area. A few Choppers were present as well, though all of the enemy vehicles were currently tied up with engaging Alex's Star of BattleMechs, all while dodging missiles that the Marines were hurling at them with their missile launchers.
Driving into the area, Chief and the other IFV's began to immediately open fire on the enemy Combat Vehicles in the area, sending HEAP shells flying through the air. Between the SLDF/UNSC Marines, and the BattleMechs, it was clear that the Brutes in the lake bed were completely unprepared for an assault of this magnitude. HEAP shells, missiles and laser beams tore through the air, smashing and destroying large numbers of the Brute's military force. While this was going on, Chief could see UNSC and SLDF AeroSpace Fighters duking it out with their Covenant counterparts, as a number of Brute controlled Seraphs blew into pieces, courtesy of a Firebird-IV ASF. Another group of Seraphs and a few Banshees met their end at the muzzle of a Morgenstern's A-PPC's, with each vehicle being ripped apart by the high energy blast of protons and ions.
Eventually, as the fighting wore on, Chief noticed that the Brutes were suffering more and more casualties, with their fighting ability being worn down just as quickly. Eventually, all of the Combat Vehicles that the Brutes were using were destroyed, with the Marines quickly dealing with the infantry that were running around in the area. As Chief drove towards the entrance to the warehouse, he began to feel a series of tremors in the area. "Uh oh," a UNSC Marine remarked. "That can't be good."
"It's not," an AeroSpace Fighter pilot reported over the COM. "We have a Scarab inbound, and it's pissed! Get out of there; let the BattleMechs have at it!" Heeding the pilot's warning, Chief and the others drove out of the area as quickly as they could, with only the IFV's remaining in the lake bed as they were too large to drive up onto the narrow catwalk.
Moments later, the Scarab arrived. Chief watched as the enemy 'Mech walked over the industrial complex before hopping into the lake bed, the enemy 'Mech causing the ground to shake as it did so. Spotting the BattleMechs, the Scarab opened fire with it's energy projector, sending high energy plasma at the 'Mechs. Brutes that were on the enemy 'Mech opened fire with their weapons as well.
What happened next was a clear demonstration of a BattleMech's superiority against a Covenant Scarab, especially when multiple 'Mechs were pitted against the Covenant's answer to BattleMech technology. The Mad Cat-IVb that Alex was piloting smoothly rolled to the left, dodging the plasma stream that the Scarab had fired towards him. Coming out of his roll, Alex fired his Advanced Gauss Cannons at the Scarab's front right leg, smashing the armor to pieces and causing damage to the motor. At the same time, the other 'Mechs began firing on the Covenant on the 'Mech, tearing them apart while causing extensive damage to the nanolaminate armor plating on the enemy 'Mech. Sensing the damage done, the Scarab crouched down, allowing the auto-repair systems to go to work fixing the damage done.
They would never get the chance. Moving quickly, Smith's JagerMech-IV fired 105mm HVAPFSDS shells at the rear of the Scarab, tearing off more armor plating in the process. A particularly large section of armor was ripped off in the attack, exposing what appeared to be the Scarab's Fusion Engine. The very center of the enemy 'Mech's Fusion Engine glowed a bright cyan color, making it easy for any skilled 'MechWarrior to spot. A moment later, Smith delivered the coup de grace, tearing apart the enemy 'Mech's Fusion Engine. "Get away, it's going to blow," he roared over the COM.
Moving quickly, each of the BattleMechs quickly vacated the immediate area around the Scarab, as plasma explosions began to tear apart the enemy 'Mech from the inside out. As soon as Smith's 'Mech exited the danger zone, the Scarab exploded; a powerful shockwave tore through the area, sending the partially wrecked sea ship tumbling to it's doom in the caldera below, while the cranes overhead were ripped apart, the titanium alloy unable to withstand the shockwave of the detonation. Chief felt the IFV being rocked by the shockwave, while the 'Mechs barely even stumbled as they cleared the area. Moments later, the explosion ended, with the ruined remains of the Scarab tumbling to the ground, ripped apart by the powerful detonation.
"Whew," Alex said over the COM. "That was a close one. Those Scarab Fusion Engines make a really big boom when they go off. You OK, people?"
"We're good," Chief replied, with the others saying they were fine as well. "A few Marines were jostled by the explosion, but they're good as well."
"Good to hear it," Alex replied. "We will remain here to provide overwatch in the event another Scarab comes to ruin your day. Good luck, Chief." With that, Chief got out of the IFV, running over to the door before heading inside.
Passing through a checkpoint, Chief could clearly tell that the SLDF had fully secured the Warehouse, as he spotted an MPL turret that was in a small room next to the entrance. Moving through each of the rooms, Chief could see UNSC Marines that were being treated by SLDF Corpsmen, while SLDF Marines were keeping a close eye on any enemies that might come in wherever there was an entrance. Even the vents in the floor and ceiling were being watched, as if these particular Marines had seen enough horror movies to know where an enemy or monster might emerge from.
Exiting the smaller rooms, Chief proceeded through what he knew was the warehouse. Large, metal shipping containers were neatly arranged in the massive warehouse, with smaller crates filling in space that the shipping containers hadn't been able to fill. As they neared the exit for the warehouse, Chief spotted Sergeant Johnson approaching their position. "Hey, Chief," Johnson remarked, smoking on a cigar as he spoke. "Heard you had a little fun in one of those fancy 'Mechs. You get here OK?"
"We're fine," Chief replied. "What's the status on the area up ahead."
"We've secured the buildings near the warehouse, as well as the roadways to them," Johnson replied. "The Brutes have the area around the AA Cannon locked down, but now that you're here, I'm feeling a lot better about our chances against the Brutes. Osman and 'Ravamee are currently making a push towards the AA Cannon. I'll stay here and hold down the fort while you guys clear out the hill."
"Roger that," Chief replied. With that, they proceeded towards the exit, where the majority of the SLDF and UNSC Marines were located at. Moving past them, Chief and the others reached the front lines of this particular area.
The AA Cannon that the Covenant had set up was located on a small hill roughly 200 meters away from their position, with the hill having a number of rocks and earthen ramps that led to the top of the hill. A wide, grassy pathway led to the hill, with a number of rocks and trees providing cover for anyone moving up. Here, the fighting was at it's most intense, as plasma bolts, HEAP shells and laser beams tore through the air. 'Ravamee was currently assisting some SLDF Marines in taking out a squad of Jump Pack Brutes, while Osman was tangling with a Brute Chieftain. In fact, Chief spotted multiple Chieftains in the area, all of which were intent on keeping the AA Cannon intact and operational.
Not wasting any time, Chief and the others charged forwards, firing their weapons at the Brute Chieftains while the SLDF Marines and 'Ravamee handled the infantry. Charging into his Brute Chieftain, Chief dodged the Gravity Hammer that was swung at him, grabbing a hold of the weapon before wrenching it out of the Chieftain's hands. In an ironic twist, Chief smashed the head of the Gravity Hammer onto the Chieftain's head, crushing the alien's skull, while shattering every single bone in the Brute's body.
Thel and Osman both engaged the second Brute Chieftain, with Thel plunging his energy sword into it's leg. Roaring angrily, the Chieftain lashed out with a fist, catching Thel in the face and sending him hurtling backwards. This, however, provided Osman with the window that he needed, as he cleanly decapitated the Chieftain with his Battle Claw. "Are you alright," he asked Thel as the Chieftain's lifeless corpse fell to the ground.
Getting up, Thel yanked on a dislocated mandible, a sharp CRACK echoing in the air as the appendage was put back into it's socket. "I'm fine," he replied. "Some bruises and a dislocated mandible, but I'll live."
Just then, they heard a loud shout. Turning to the right, Osman and Thel watched as Bero engaged his own Brute Chieftain. Roaring loudly, the Chieftain charged, only for Bero to smoothly move out of the way. Spinning on his feet and legs, Bero smoothly dodged the Chieftain's attacks, with the young Sangheili moving as though he was dancing rather than dodging any attacks. Leaning back, he avoided a swing from the Chieftain, with the blade on the Gravity Hammer barely missing his face. Parrying another set of blows, Bero suddenly ripped the Gravity Hammer from the Chieftain's grasp, before tossing it aside.
Moments later, Bero's chest shifted, with multiple tentacles exploding outwards from his chest, while his mandibles elongated into tentacles as well. Each one wrapped around part of the Brute Chieftain, ensnaring the alien's legs, arms and preventing it from moving. Spinning his entire body around, Bero flung the Chieftain through the air, smashing the alien against a large rock in the area. Before the Chieftain could get up, Bero walked over and, with a single hoof, smashed the alien's head into the rock. Blood, bone shards and brain matter were splattered all over the rock, with the Chieftain's lifeless body slumping to the ground. At the same time, Bero absorbed the tentacles he had grown, until he looked like his normal self moments later.
Turning around, he watched as Osman saluted him. "That was an impressive feat," the Elemental remarked. "I have never seen a shape-shifter before, and I can say that was impressive. Good work, Bero."
"Thank you," Bero replied. Looking around, he said, "We can deal with the AA cannon now. The Brutes have been defeated." Right on cue, Osman fired an ATM/2 at the AA Cannon, with the missile flying up into the interior of the AA cannon. The cannon exploded moments later, with the actual gun tumbling off of the platform it was on and into the caldera.
As soon as that happened, the SLDF and UNSC WarShips flew into view, ready to cause mayhem for the Covenant. "All WarShips, fire at will," Hood ordered, with each WarShip firing MAC's and Mass Drivers at the Forerunner ship.
Large tears were opened up on parts of the Forerunner ship, though it was clear that multiple rounds would be needed to tear it apart completely. As soon as the last slug impacted, the device in the caldera began to shift, with a loud humming sound thrumming in the air. "Get behind something," Osman shouted, taking cover behind a rock, with the others doing the same. Moments later, a powerful energy wave surged through the area, with the shockwave causing the others to stumble slightly as they took cover. Moments later, a bright flash emanated from the center of the device, with Chief being blinded temporarily.
When his helmet visor depolarized, Chief was greeted with an shocking sight. Up in the sky, where the storm had been forming, was a massive, purple-black Slipstream Space portal, which occupied the sky above the artifact. The UNSC and SLDF WarShips were briefly pushed back by the shockwave, though it was clear that the SLDF WarShips had handled the energy wave much more easily than the UNSC WarShips. "What the fuck happened," a voice shouted over the COM.
"Looks like the SLIC AI's were right," Cortana said over the COM. "That Forerunner artifact was a Slipstream Space Portal Generator. Truth's ships are using it to get to the other side, where I think the Forerunner Installation known as the 'Ark' is located at."
"That they were," Chernenko added. "Looks like we've got a lot more work ahead of us, people."
"Admiral, I am detecting another Covenant WarShip inbound," Persephone, the SLS/FCS Dallas' AI, interrupted. "I am also detecting unidentified biosigns from the ship."
"Shit," Chernenko growled. "I know what that means." A moment later, Chief watched as the WarShip in question flew overhead. It looked badly torn up, as it ship was beginning to make a crash landing in the area where they had been. As it flew overhead, Chief thought he spotted something on the hull, which caused him to frown when he clearly saw what it was. Moments later, the WarShip crash landed at the facility, missing the second lake bed and landing near the first one.
"What is it," Thel asked when he saw Chief watching the unknown WarShip crash. "More Brutes?"
All Chief's response consisted of was one word. "Worse."