Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Terminator crossover. Thank you for the feedback that I've been getting. I really appreciate it. While some people didn't like my addition of the REV-9 into the crossover, I think it was a good choice in my opinion. If you want to see the full explanation as to why I believe it's a good choice, you should see the current chapter of my other crossover in the Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech category. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in later chapters. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Terminator franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Carolo Pictures, Hemdale, Skydance Productions, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers 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.
Earth
New Mombasa
October 27th, 2552
The sound of the Pelican's engines running at full blast was practically silent in the troop bay as Chief looked out over the city of New Mombasa. Nearby, he could see the other members of his squad getting ready for the mission. Today, he was taking Parsons, William as well as Grace on this mission, since it was likely they would need demolition experts. Every one of them was getting ready for the mission, with Parsons and William checking over their gear, while Grace had completed her checks already. Once he was done, Parsons began to check her armor to make sure it was ready to go.
Knowing that he was ready, Chief looked out over the city of New Mombasa once again. New Mombasa was the name given to the part of the city that had been actively undergoing construction and growth, while Old Mombasa was the older, more densely populated section of the city. There were also the slums, which would've housed those that were unable to find employment or otherwise live normally. The city had undergone a radical transformation in the recent weeks, as SKYNET and John Connor, who were still working together in an uneasy alliance, had fortified the city to allow the UNSC troops there to have the best chance of survival against any potential Covenant attackers. Even from this height, Chief could see strategically important avenues that were choked with debris and wrecked cars, which would slow down Covenant vehicular movements, as well as buildings that had been reinforced to serve as garrisons for UNSC infantry. Already, in certain areas, he could see and even hear the sounds of UNSC infantry fighting off their Covenant counterparts.
Looking up, he spotted the Carrier that was allowing the Covenant to invade the city, it's gravity lift plainly visible in the afternoon sun. This single Covenant Carrier was the only one that had made it through Earth's defenses and onto the planet, and even then, it wasn't in good shape. Even at this distance, he could see massive rents, holes and tears in the ship's hull and superstructure. Most of this was actually due to debris that the Carrier hadn't been able to dodge, while the rest of the damage came from UNSC ships that had attacked it, as well as some of the ODP's Super MAC's. As a result, the Carrier looked as though it had gone through a sandblaster, while being tumbled in a tank that was partially filled with rocks.
As they flew along, Cortana analyzed a transmission that he had picked up from the Carrier. Moments later, Miranda Keyes, the Captain of the In Amber Clad, asked, "What is that transmission saying?"
"The message just repeats," Cortana replied. "Regret, Regret, Regret."
"Catchy," Miranda remarked. "Any idea as to what it means?"
At this moment, Johnson, who was in the cockpit of Chief's Pelican, decided to add in his own personal translation. "Dear Humanity, we regret being alien bastards, we regret coming to Earth, and we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy ass fleet!" Both pilots whooped as they heard this. Even William, who tended to be serious during a fight, cracked a smile.
That was when SKYNET chimed in. "Regret is more than a word," the Defense AI added. "Intelligence data acquired from Infiltrator units indicates that it is the name for a Hierarch, one of the religious leaders of the Covenant. He is onboard that Carrier and is calling for help."
"That's what I was thinking," William remarked. Looking at Parsons, he asked, "What are our chances of survival once we're inside, if everything goes to plan."
"Based on previous encounters, I estimate a 75% chance of survival," Parsons replied.
"Sounds about right," William agreed.
As they flew along, Chief looked down to see a number of T-47 HK Tanks moving along the ground, their treads clanking quietly as they moved along. A number of smaller HK's were moving along as well, including some that looked like motorcycles. Others resembled a Centaur, only robotic in nature. Moments later, a recon team posted on one of the buildings in the area said, "Sigma 2-1 to inbound Pelican's. Your current LZ is hot. Recommend mission abort."
"Roger recon," the Pelican pilot replied. Turning to Johnson, he said, "It's your call, Sarge."
"We're going in," Johnson decided. Turning around to face the others, he said, "Get tactical, Marines!"
As they flew along, Hood came in over the COM. "Chief, get onboard that Carrier and secure the Hierarch of Regret," he ordered. "This is the only place the Covenant were able to get to. That Hierarch is going to tell us why."
"Picking up something on the scanners," the Pilot reported. "We've got a… whoa!"
The reason why the Pelican pilot said, 'Whoa!', was simple. Stepping out of a debris cloud from a collapsing building, was a large, quadruped Covenant walker that was covered from head to toe in blue-purple, nanolaminate armor. It's 'mouth' held what appeared to be an energy projector of some kind, and it had a 'tail' that held what appeared to be a high powered plasma cannon. The armor's shape gave it an organic appearance, as though this machine had been grown, rather than manufactured in a factory. As soon as it came out into view, the same Pilot that spotted the vehicle shouted, "Covenant Scarab! Performing evasive maneuvers!" As soon as he said this, he wrenched the control column to the left, in a bid to move behind one of the abandoned buildings in the city.
The Scarab, spotting the convoy of Pelicans, opened fire with it's main energy projector, scoring a hit on one. That Pelican went down, but the others were able to react soon enough that they were able to avoid the energy projector, as well as the plasma cannon on it's back. Keying his COM, the Pelican Pilot shouted, "To all friendly units in the area, we have a Covenant Scarab! Can anyone provide assistance?!" Moments later, he jerked the control column again as the Scarab tried to hit them again.
Moments later, SKYNET came on the COM channel. "This is SKYNET," it said, "T-95 Bipedal Hunter Killer Drones are on the way." Around thirty seconds later, the Scarab was about to fire, only for a large, matte gray and black colored claw to wrap around it's left hind leg and pull… hard. The enemy Scarab was yanked back with enough force that it fell onto it's 'stomach', with other claws holding the Scarab's other legs. Moments later, a tall, bipedal machine walked into view. It's armored chassis was massive, with powerful artificial muscles allowing it to move with an unusual level of elegance and fluidity. Both it's arms ended in claws with sharp talons, and it's legs were structured like that of a bird, with each leg ending in three toed feet. Reaching out, it grabbed the energy projector on the Scarab and ripped it off, while a few others came along and began tearing apart the enemy Scarab, tearing off massive chunks of the walker's armor and chassis. Within thirty seconds, the enemy Scarab had been reduced into scrap metal.
While the Pelican's Pilot was surprised, he was nonetheless thankful that backup had arrived. "Thanks, SKYNET," he said a moment later. "You just saved our asses."
"No problem," SKYNET replied. "You need to land immediately, however. There are more Scarabs moving towards your position."
"Affirmative," the Pilot replied. "Landing now." Heading for an open courtyard, the Pelican's Pilot gently landed the vehicle, allowing the others to get out. Once the vehicle was unloaded, the squad began to move towards the exit to the plaza: a small hallway that was located just ahead of them.
"Looks like plans have changed," Grace remarked. "Orders, sir?"
"We'll keep moving towards the Carrier," Chief replied. Looking at a map of the city on his HUD, he said, "The bridge between Old Mombasa and New Mombasa is our next destination. Once we have arrived there, we will continue on towards the Carrier using any means necessary."
"Roger that," Grace nodded. "We're ready."
Moving into the hallway, Chief motioned for William to take point, while Parsons, and he would take up the middle, while Grace and Sergeant Johnson would be their rearguard in the event that Covenant personnel came around from behind them. Moving down the steps, William heard some noise, just as a Grunt entered the hallway. Jumping in fright, the Grunt tried to flee, only to end up being pumped full of plasma bolts, courtesy of William's M7/20 PDW. "No trespassing," he growled as he moved forwards. Moving forwards, they came into a courtyard that was overlooked by a structure just up ahead, with William catching a glimpse of a tree in that particular building. The courtyard had a number of planters, each one holding flowers and plants that were native to this particular region of Earth. A roadway ran to the right of his position, and there was a large metal gate in the same area as well. Even at this distance, he could see New Mombasa's primary landmark: the New Mombasa Space Elevator, which was the city's claim to fame.
The plaza, however, was choked with Covenant personnel, with the majority of the enemy contacts being Grunts and Jackals, as well as a few Skirmishers. A few Elites were present, mostly Minors, but there were a few Major's as well. Having heard the weapons fire from William's PDW, they were getting into combat positions, weapons at the ready as they moved into any available cover they could find. Using hand signals, William signaled the need for an explosive solution on some of the Covenant. Nodding in compliance, Grace moved up, before using an M319B Grenade Launcher to fire off a 40mm HE/P Grenade.
There was a loud TOONK as the grenade was launched, with the explosive munition landing in the middle of a squad of Jackals. All five Jackals were promptly vaporized by the sphere of plasma that formed and dissipated in an instant, while the rest of the Covenant dove into cover, realizing that the attack was starting now. Once Grace had fired, she backed up, with William moving to get inside of the structure. Chief and Parsons began assaulting any Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers and Elites that were still outside of the structure, weapons warbling loudly as they fired on the Covenant in the area.
Moving inside of the structure, William gunned down any Covenant personnel that got into his way. Spotting an Elite, he focused fire on the alien, breaking through it's shields and tearing through it's armor, with the alien falling over dead, it's internal organs flash-cooked. He was about to move forwards when a roar drew his attention; he only had time to duck before an Elite Minor charged into the fray, with the alien hitting William just as he ducked. Tripping over the Tech-Com Sergeant, the Elite tumbled ass over teakettle down the stairs, with a loud CRACK filling the air. Moments later, it came to at stop at the bottom, the Elite's neck bent at an unnatural angle. Getting up, William proceeded outside, where he terminated some Grunts that were attempting to set up a Plasma Turret on the balcony of the building he was on. Kicking the machine over, he went back inside, as he knew that Connor had hidden weapons inside of certain buildings; a smile came onto his face as he found a V-95H, complete with a turret mount.
While he got it set up, Chief and the others were terminating the last remaining Covenant in the area. Moving forwards, Parsons was tackled by an Elite Major that had been smarter than the others, having waited for the Terminator to move closer. Knocked to the ground, the Terminator dodged a blow to his head, before punching the Elite in the head so hard, it was flung off of him. Getting up, he stomped on it's chest before firing his MA5E, killing the Elite almost immediately. Nearby, Chief finished killing a Skirmisher with his combat knife, which flashed as he cut it's throat. The alien pressed it's hands against it's neck in a futile effort to stem the flow of blood. Moments later, it collapsed, dead, onto the ground.
Up on the balcony, William was providing overwatch for the area when he spotted movement from the hallway they had come from. Spotting inbound Covenant forces, he immediately let loose with the V-95H, sending plasma bolts fly through the air at supersonic velocities. Jackals, Skirmishers and Grunts fell to the ground, while the two Elites that had come with the enemy squad took cover. One Skirmisher, which had moved quickly, leaped up onto the balcony that William was on, before attempting to slash at him with a knife. Blocking the blow, William punched it in the head, before using it's own weapon to kill it, stabbing the T'Vao in the chest. "Fuck off," the Sergeant growled as he resumed his position, with the enemy Skirmisher falling dead to the ground. It went on like this for a few minutes, with Covenant reinforcements attempting to take the area, only for Chief and the others to terminate them swiftly.
Moments later, they watched as a Phantom came in overhead, laden with enemy personnel in order to take the courtyard back. Before it could offload troops, however, Chief watched as a series of missiles flew through the air, smashing into the Phantom and blowing chunks off of it's armor. Moments later, it exploded, with a Pelican flying into view moments later. "Nice shot," Johnson remarked as he killed a Drone. "Sergeant Johnson to Delta-950, all hostiles down. Can you pick us up?"
"Negative," came the reply. "My bird's a little big for that courtyard, Sergeant. I can see a suitable LZ in the area beyond. I'll meet you there, over."
"Rodger that," Johnson replied. "Somebody get a satchel onto the gate."
"Incoming," Parsons shouted. "There are two Hunters approaching the gate."
"Got it," Grace replied. Heading over to the door, she quickly placed down a pair of hexagonal shaped devices on the ground, which Chief recognized as Trip Mines, which were designed by SKYNET to serve as anti-infantry and light anti-vehicle munitions. Grace quickly got behind cover, just as the door was struck by a powerful blow. The door bent outwards, but it still held strong, as the padlock on the door refused to break. Two more powerful blows struck, each one failing to break the door open. Moments later, a fourth, and much more powerful blow, struck, finally smashing the padlock and forcing the gate open. Two Hunters stepped into view, ready to use their weapons with lethal effect.
They never got the chance, as they promptly stepped on the Trip Mines. There was a loud, concussive BANG as both Trip Mines immediately detonated, sending plasma and shrapnel flying upwards into the air. Both Hunters were shredded instantly, with each one falling apart as the shrapnel tore through the hive of worms that composed their bodies. Armor pieces and worms fell to the ground as the Hunter's collapsed, dead. "Nice work," Johnson remarked to Grace.
"I aim to please," the Spartan replied.
As they moved forwards, Chief heard Miranda on the COM. "Second squad, what's your status? Over."
"We're operational, barely," an ODST replied. "Our pilot didn't make it."
"Rodger that," Miranda replied.
As Chief moved up, he rounded the corner just in time to spot a Skirmisher with a Beam Rifle. Ducking back into cover, he narrowly avoided being struck by the energy beam that cut through the air he was standing at moments ago, with some of the polycrete being chopped off the building. "Covenant Sniper, 12 o'clock low," Chief shouted.
"I got it," Parsons replied, pulling out an SRS-99e that he had apparently borrowed from Linda. Leaning out of cover, the Terminator spotted the Skirmisher, which was taking cover near what appeared to be a wrecked building. There was a loud warbling BANG as the rifle discharged, causing the Skirmisher to practically explode. "Enemy sniper terminated," he reported. With that, the squad began to move up.
As they moved forwards, Miranda contacted Johnson. "Sergeant Johnson," she asked.
"Ma'am," Johnson replied.
"I need you to head up to another position in the city," Miranda replied. "We've got a squad of Marines inbound to that location. They'll need someone to help them out."
"Rodger that," Johnson replied. "I'll babysit them." Looking at Parsons, he said, "Make sure Chief gets to the objective alive and well. Understood?"
"Affirmative," Parsons replied. With that, Johnson got into the Pelican that was landing in the area and left, but not before saluting Chief and the others. Chief politely returned the salute, before continuing on with their objective.
As they moved upwards, it was clear that the Marines in the city were fighting the Covenant with everything they had, and they were doing quite well. Chief had spotted a number of reinforced buildings that the Marines were firing out of, while Covenant infantry was forced to take cover and utilize unorthodox tactics in order to gain the upper hand. As they moved through the streets, Chief and his squad provided assistance wherever they could, from taking out Covenant HVT's, to providing assistance to any civilians that hadn't been lucky enough to get out of the area before the fighting began.
Moving through a series of streets, Chief came out into a large avenue that held a small plaza, about he same size that he and the others had arrived at earlier in the city. On one side were UNSC Marines that had holed up inside of a one floor motel, while the other side was occupied by Covenant forces that were trying to get inside. Purple and blue plasma bolts flew through the air as both sides fought for supremacy, though it was clear that the Marines were quickly gaining the upper hand. Targeting the enemy Covenant, he quickly neutralized the Elite leading the attack before terminating the rest. Moving towards the Marines, he asked, "What's the SitRep?"
"We've got Covenant in the area behind us, sir," one of the Marines, a Corporal from the looks of it, replied. "We heard that you were coming along and I figured that you were heading for the Carrier hovering over the city. I've got a brace of Warthogs that you can use to get to the bridge, where you'll be able to enter New Mombasa."
"What's the status of the defense," Chief asked, referring to the planet in general.
"John Connor is nothing if not a tactical genius," the Corporal replied. "Without him, the Covenant would've taken large sections of this city a long time ago. As it is, we're steadily clearing out the Covenant, though they're fighting back with everything they've got in their arsenal." Without further ado, Chief began moving through the motel, which was dark, since the owners and tenants had long since evacuated the building. Firing on a pair of Elites coming into the building, he terminated them before heading out.
Apparently, those were the only two Elites in the area, as the rest of the Covenant had been terminated, and it was easy to see why. Looking around, Chief spotted quite a few T-850L's that were in the area, as well as a few REV-9's, all of which were disposing of Covenant that they had killed into what he recognized were Mobile Incinerators. Looking down below, he spotted a few REV-7's, a pair of Motorcycle HK's, as well as two Warthogs that were on the ground area, where a small road was located at. Moving down the steps, he quickly got into one of the Warthogs, with Grace manning the remote controlled turret, while William and Parsons got into the other one, with William taking the wheel. Gunning the throttles of their vehicles, they drove towards the location of where the Bridge used to be, which would take them towards a tunnel leading into the city itself.
It was clear, in the areas they moved through, that SKYNET's forces had been quite busy. All around, Chief could see areas that had been hammered by Terminators and UNSC Marines, with a number of Covenant corpses that were lying around. Mobile Incinerators were busy at work disposing of bodies, with some of the bodies still alive and kicking as they were tossed into fiery plasma. A number of T-47 HK's were present as well, along with the destroyed chassis' of numerous Covenant vehicles.
Driving through a small tunnel, they emerged into another open area, with a maintenance shed that was located in the area. Up ahead, there was a large tunnel that had a section blasted out of it, mostly likely by a Covenant weapon of some kind. Hearing a whistling noise, he looked up to see what he immediately recognized as Covenant Drop Pods. "Incoming," he shouted, gunning the throttle while Grace fired on the Covenant with the remote operated V-95H turret. Nearby, William and Parsons engaged as well, firing on the Drop Pods once they landed. Any Elites that got out of the Drop Pods were promptly incinerated, their bodies ripped apart and cooked by superheated hydrogen plasma. Firing on an Infantry Tower, Parsons destroyed the anti-gravity projectors at the base, causing the tower itself to fall down, before terminating the Covenant inside. Once all enemy personnel were dead, they drove into the tunnel, vehicles moving quickly as they sped inside.
As they drove along the tunnels, which were empty thanks to timely evacuations, Cortana made some interesting finds. "Chief, I just hacked into the Covenant Battle Net. They're surprised, confused, amazed to see us here. Not you and me, I mean us. Humanity on Earth. Odd, but I wonder why they would come here with such a small force."
"Probably because they didn't know we were populating the entire planet," William remarked. "Still, if they knew about Earth's location, why did they send such a small fleet?" It was a question that no one had an immediate answer to, even as they drove through the empty tunnels. Every so often, they would pass a series of checkpoints that had been set up by Connor, which were measures designed to contain any Covenant that got inside, should they breach the tunnel exterior. Fortunately, any Covenant that were inside had already been eliminated, with corpses of Elites and other species lying on the ground. Reaching the exit to the tunnel, they got out to assess the situation.
Walking by a small booth, Chief noticed a Marine that was sitting on the ground, the man taking a few gulps of air as he recovered from what appeared to be shock. Moving towards a Marine up ahead, he heard her say, "It blew right through us! Plasma rifles, Trip Mines, didn't do a thing. The only thing that did some damage was the M42A4 SSR that we had, and even then, it wasn't much." Looking ahead, Chief spotted what she was talking about: a Covenant Scarab that was moving up on ahead. Even as it moved along, he could spot what he realized was damage from such a missile launcher, as he thought he spotted plasma leaking out of a ruptured conduit.
Hearing a noise, he looked up to see a Pelican flying overhead, carrying what he recognized as a Scorpion Main Battle Tank. This one appeared to be heavily modified, as it didn't have the standard M512 90mm Cannon; instead, it had what he realized was a Railgun built into the turret itself, along with a V-95H in the turret, as well as one that was pintle mounted. Apparently, SKYNET had reverse engineered shielding technology as well, as he watched a gold-white aura of energy surround the tank, before it vanished into invisibility when it was detached from it's mount. Moments later, Sergeant Johnson stepped out of the Troop Bay and onto the ground. Spotting the two Marines, he asked, "Where's the rest of your platoon?"
"Wasted, Sarge," the second Marine, a Corporal replied.
"And we'll get wasted too," the first Marine, a Private, remarked, "if we don't get the hell out of here."
He was about to head for the Pelican when Johnson stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you wounded?"
"No, sir."
"Then listen up!" Turning towards the Scorpion, Johnson said, "When I was enlisted in the Crops, we didn't have any fancy, smancy tanks. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock for the whole platoon, and we had to share the rock! Buck up, boy! You're lucky to be here and this is why! The Chief is gonna get into this tank, roll across this bridge, and blow up any dumb, inhuman son of a bitch that gets in his way, so get your act into gear, 'cause you're going with him!" That caused the Private to stand to attention, realizing he had no choice in the matter but to obey.
"What about that Scarab," the Corporal asked.
"We've all faced them in the simulators," Johnson replied. "They're tough, but they ain't invincible, especially against T-95's! Stick with the Master Chief, he'll know what to do." Putting a Sweet Williams cigar into his mouth, he proceeded to get back inside the Pelican.
"Yes, sir," the Corporal replied.
"Thanks for the tank," Cortana said over the COM. "He never gets me anything."
As he got onboard once again, Johnson said, "Oh, I know what the ladies like." With that, the Pelican took off, heading for another part of the city.
"Apparently, ladies like armor plating," William remarked as he and Grace hopped onto a couple of the tracks. Parsons got into the pintle mounted turret, while Chief got into the cockpit, powering up the vehicle before allowing the others to get onboard. Once everyone was onboard and ready, he gunned the throttle, heading directly towards the other side of the bridge.
Compared to the older Scorpion, the new one was a very smooth ride, and a quiet one at that too. The tank seemed to glide over the road as they moved forwards, with a compressed 360° view being presented on Chief's HUD. Spotting incoming Covenant Ghosts, he fired the Railgun on the tank, aiming directly for the enemy vehicle. There was a loud KRATOOOMM as the weapon fired, sending an tungsten slug directly at the Covenant vehicle; said vehicle was promptly turned inside out, with the Ghost shattering into dozens of smaller pieces. The slug even punched through the bridge, tearing through part of the roadway before coming out the bottom of the bridge. Another Ghost was disabled, with the tank driving over it a moment later, crushing the Ghost into a veritable pancake.
As they moved forwards, Chief could see UNSC Marines that were at other parts of the bridge, having taken cover when the Scarab had come through the area. As he stopped to allow some to get onboard, he spotted a pair of Phantoms that were moving past the bridge, with a couple carrying Wraiths. Curious, he took aim with the tank's Railgun and opened fire, sending slugs flying at hypersonic velocities. He was satisfied when each slug he fired tore through a Phantom or two, blowing them apart and sending them to a watery grave down below. Soon, they were driving down the other side of the bridge, with any Ghosts and Wraiths in the way being terminated before they got close. Moments later, they reached the other side, where a series of toll booths were located, along with the entrance to another tunnel. "The Covenant's sending out a welcoming party," Cortana alerted Chief. "We've got Banshees, Ghosts and Wraiths inbound."
"Roger that," Chief replied, noting the red blips on the tank's sensors. Moments later, two Banshees appeared overhead, with a few Ghosts and two Wraiths coming out of a nearby tunnel. Targeting the Banshees, Chief quickly neutralized them before turning the Railgun onto the Wraiths, blasting them apart before they had a chance to fire. With all contacts down, he drove the Scorpion into the tunnel and down the incline, before turning right to find another checkpoint.
As he got out, a Marine came up to his position. "Sir," she said, "We've eliminated the Covenant in the area beyond this position. John Connor has a line on an enemy Scarab and has orders for you to take it out. Once that's done, he'll get you a Pelican in order to reach the Gravity Lift for the enemy Carrier."
"What's the status of the area at the Carrier," Chief asked.
"Lot's of fighting," the Marine replied. "Covenant's been trying to secure the area, but Connor isn't letting them. Expect severe amounts of resistance in the area, as well as squads of Zealots and Hunters. Connor's sending T-47's there, as well as any other HK units that SKYNET can spare."
"Understood," Chief nodded. Moving into the checkpoint, he found himself entering an underground FOB, with the entire roadway being used as sleeping quarters, infirmaries as well as a command post. It was clear that the fighting had been severe, as numerous UNSC Marines were undergoing medical treatment. A few Marines didn't make it, with their bodies being stored in bags and placed in an area designated as the morgue. Moving on, he walked through an empty pipe that led out into a large, open space that held what he knew was an elevated garden area. Walking along, he and the others got into a few Warthogs that had been sent to get them to their new objective: a hotel that had been evacuated before the fighting.
After driving through the enclosed park, they reached the hotel that was being used as a Command Post. Looking around, Chief could tell the fighting here had been bad, as he saw a number of blast craters that marred the otherwise orderly construction of the entire area. His attention was drawn away when a Marine said, "Corporal Perez, A Company. CP is this way. Follow me." Getting out, Chief and the others walked into the hotel, where a checkpoint had been set up. "The Lieutenant got hit as soon as we got here," the Marine explained.
"Who's in charge now," Cortana asked.
"Sergeant Banks, ma'am," Perez replied. "He's up top. Come on, I'll show you." Following the Marine, Chief eventually walked out onto a large, open balcony, where a Sergeant was watching the area. A spotter was nearby, as well as a small COM relay that had been set up. Chief also spotted a Scorpion that was getting set up, with the Railgun precharging to firing levels as it did so.
Spotting Chief, Banks said, "When I asked for reinforcements, I didn't think they'd send a Spartan."
"We've got trouble," the spotter reported, just as a Scarab came into view. Moving forwards, the Scarab fired on the tank, with the Scorpion taking a direct hit to it's chassis. Thankfully, the shields it was equipped with, and the armor on it's chassis, were strong enough to allow the tank to survive, which immediately retaliated by firing it's Railgun. The shot was a direct hit, with the tungsten slug punching into the Energy Projector and tearing it apart, rendering the main weapon useless. "Whoa," the spotter shouted. "That was awesome!" Moments later, the Scarab, having had it's main weapon destroyed, began to quickly move forwards, enough that the next shot from the Scorpion missed by a narrow margin.
"I don't think it's stopping," Banns shouted. "Get your head's down!" Ducking down, Chief and the others watched as the Scarab scaled the building, before moving on to the other side.
"That thing's really starting to PISS ME OFF," a Marine shouted.
"Marines," Banks added, "it's time to kill us a Scarab."
Turning to Parsons, Chief asked, "Is there any way we can intercept the Scarab?"
"Yes," Parsons replied. "There is a waterway behind this building, which has a series of maintenance catwalks. If we move now, we can reach the catwalks and leap down onto the Scarab and terminate the Covenant piloting it."
"Then that's what we do," Chief nodded. "Grace, you're with me. William, Parsons, terminate any infantry on the deck of the Scarab while we eliminate the crew controlling it. Once we do, Grace will use an explosive charge to destroy the vehicle. If we need assistance, we'll call for you." As the others nodded in agreement, they moved towards the area that Parsons had informed them about.
The water way turned out to be fairly wide, as it was situated between a series of buildings. Skyways and maintenance catwalks bridged the gap between each structure, and were high enough that the Scarab could move through, but low enough that anyone jumping onto the Scarab wouldn't injure themselves if they attempted a landing. As the squad moved through, Chief used his MA5E to blast out one of the windows, allowing them to get onto the maintenance catwalk. "On my signal, we jump onto the Scarab." As the large Covenant walker moved through, Chief did a mental countdown before shouting, "Now!"
As one, they leaped off of the catwalk and landed directly onto the Scarab, which had moved directly underneath them in that instant. Four hard CLUNKS were heard as they landed on the deck of the Scarab, with William and Parsons opening fire almost immediately on the Covenant on the deck. Grunts and Jackals fell to the ground dead, while more reinforcements came from the interior of the enemy vehicle. Both persons continued to fire until no Covenant came up from the crew compartment. "All clear, move in," William shouted, with Chief and Grace moving inside the crew compartment. Inside the crew compartment, Chief spotted a pair of Elite Ultras that were piloting the Scarab as it moved through, with a single Zealot acting as the commander. Spotting them, the Zealot roared, before pulling out an Energy Sword and charging. Spotting the incoming attack, Chief and Grace dodged, with the blade narrowly missing them. Pulling out an M45E shotgun she had as a backup, Grace fired, blasting the Elite in the chest with the weapon. The first shot shattered the Zealot's shields, while the second tore through the armor and into it's body, killing it instantly. Shooting the Ultras in the vehicle, Chief walked over and forced open a hatch he'd spotted earlier, with Grace tossing in a plasma det-pack before they both exited the cab.
The Scarab lurched and jerked as an explosion tore apart the vehicle from the inside out. Stumbling, the enemy vehicle lurched to a halt, with the vehicle barely keeping itself above the ground as Chief and the others walked towards the front. Looking ahead, he watched as the gravity lift on the Carrier faded into nonexistence. "That's right, you motherfuckers," Johnson roared as the Pelican holding him came to a hover next to the Scarab. "Run while you can!"
"Not if we can help it," Miranda replied. "Extract Chief and the others and get inside."
"Rodger that," Johnson said on the screen. Switching channels, Miranda directly contacted Admiral Hood. "Admiral, we're in position," she informed him. "Requesting permission to engage."
"Negative, Miranda," Hood replied. "Not against a ship that size. I'll have two starside heavies intercept the ship."
As soon as he said that, a Slipstream Space Portal opened in front of the Covenant Carrier. "Ma'am, Slipspace Rupture detected," a Marine reported to Miranda. "It's going to jump inside of the city."
"There's no time, sir," Miranda replied.
"Green light," Hood replied. "Green light to engage!"
As soon as he said that, Miranda waited anxiously for the Pelican holding Chief and the others to dock. "Punch it," she shouted as soon as it docked. "Get us towards that Carrier!" Moments later, the engines on the In Amber Clad roared loudly, as the frigate raced towards the enemy Carrier.
"Ma'am, without a destination…," a crewman stammered.
"We are not losing that ship," Mrianda adamantly stated. As she said this, the In Amber Clad accelerated, gunning the engines until they were hitting their red zones. Moments later, they zipped into the Slipstream Space rupture, just seconds before it closed. As soon as it did, a powerful shockwave rippled out from the source of the rupture itself, one that was powerful enough that it sent vehicles flying through the air. UNSC and SKYNET forces outside, having seen the Slipstream Space Rupture, had fled into the buildings, a wise decision as the buildings now served as a shelter from the raging storm outside. When the shockwave ended, and it was safe to come out, everyone knew one thing: the battle had been won, but the war had just entered an even more violent stage than ever before.
