Chapter 34: The Battle of Port Battery, Pt. 1

"Koroma, I'm messaging you a comms-packet to send to the other ships once we exit slipspace. Standing orders, repair schedules, other info. That's priority one. Tsang, Uwem, begin coordinating with the Marines, see what they need from the ground, and if the planetary garrison needs reinforcements. Have the crew at their stations but the Marines can stand to or stand down at Colonel Hayes' discretion. The Covenant won't be far behind us on this one. Bassot, once we're out, charge the MACs at half-power. We're in friendly territory but I want to be ready."

Vivian tapped the ends of her station's armrests. She was impatient to get out of slipspace. The entire fleet was about to exit and she wanted to be ready. Almost every ship needed repairs and the process needed to be orderly but quick. Everyone needed to be ready to fight as quickly as possible.

She surveyed her staff who also busied themselves with the slipspace exit preparations. Everyone was diligent but she could sense some tension in the I'm Alone's air. Nobody liked retreating and the battlegroup fought more offensive actions rather than defensive. In decisive engagements, the attacker often suffered higher casualties yet their actions decided the tempo of the battle. Defensive actions had the benefit of time and preparation but more often than not, defense could not obtain the initiative until much later in the fight. Vivian knew herself; she was much more comfortable being aggressive than sitting and waiting for the enemy. Although the I'm Alone and her accompanying ships were able to win the few defensive actions they fought, it was foreign territory as far as she was concerned.

Knowing Vice Admiral Travers and his fleet, as well as the garrisoned ships, were going to be fighting with them gave her confidence. Something the I'm Alone's crew wasn't used to was large-scale fleet actions. Almost totally independent ever since they crushed the mutiny on the Best of the Best, they were used to fighting numerically superior foes and taking long chances. Even with the odds stacked against them they were able to prevail. It was a testament to their warrior spirit, Vivian believed. But now they had the might of the UNSC Navy on their side. Numbers, larger ships, hundreds of starcraft; this was a real assembly of power. With so many ships in one area they could form a titanium ring around the planet and break the enemy's feeble attempts at a siege.

What's more, Vivian was glad that overall command was being passed to Travers. Ever since she ended the raiding operations, she felt a growing burden of command. Being the captain of a ship and the leader of a battlegroup, at her age, was something she never expected. And it was something she didn't realize she wanted so badly until she got it. But the weight of her decisions bogged her down and seeing the disappointment on her crew's faces was almost as bad as seeing them hurt. To have someone else making the big decisions instead of her. The weight was lifting from her shoulders. A brief reprieve was all she needed.

Decatur appeared at the top of his pedestal. He stamped one foot down, stood at attention, and saluted. Vivian leaned towards him. "What can you give me about Port Battery?"

"Ma'am, Port Battery is an arid planet and the only habitable one in this system. It is composed of eighty percent desert and twenty percent ocean. It was once settled as a mining center but when the Covenant destroyed nearby colonies, it was evacuated. The Covenant overtook the system but did not commit to a total glassing; only the main urban centers were destroyed and the garrison they left behind was small. As of right now, the planet is defended by the 17th Carrier Strike Group as well as the 90th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 411th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 567th Infantry BCT, 205th Bison BCT, and 104th Ranger Regiment. They have established three orbital repair stations, Anchor's XX, XI, and XVX, as well as MAC platform Freezer."

It was solid enough for Vivian. Combining Travers's fleet with the 17th CSG and her own battlegroup would make it a real fighting force. When the Covenant finally attacked, they would face incredibly stiff resistance both in orbit and on the ground. She sighed, more relieved than she already was, to be back in friendly territory.

Sosa raised her hand.

"Slipspace de-entry in five, four, three, two, one..."

The blue-gold portal petered out. All the streaming, twisting, roiling lights fella way. Suddenly, a massive hole appeared in front of the ship and the I'm Alone thrust into the blackness of space again. Vivian immediately rose to her feet, her jaw dropping and emerald eyes wide. In front of her was Port Batter, a tan, sandy world. In front of it, Covenant ships tore through the battle line of the 17th CSG. Titanium ships exploded, broke in two, or began to flee. Some Covenant ships lost their shields and were ripped apart by MAC guns. But frigates, light cruisers, and destroyers closed in on the UNSC ships that were making a stand, bombarding them with plasma lances and cannons.

Adjacent to the planet, Covenant Phantoms and starfighters swarmed around the Anchors like flies around a corpse. Yellow tracers and cannon shells laced around the stations, destroying countless Covenant fliers but more took their place. The single MAC platform turned, aimed, and fired an overcharged shot at a Covenant corvette. Its spine broken and secondary explosions breaking out across its hull, the ship eventually exploded. Large plumes of smoke drifted across the planet and some parts seemed to be on fire.

"Koroma, hook us into FLEETCOM 7!"

Immediately, the bridge was filled with various voices.

"This is Hit'em Hard, we've got three corvettes on our tail!"

"We've got another boarding party on XX where the fuck are our reinforcements?"

"We need air support on the ground at grid—"

"There is is no more fucking air!"

Vivian listened while the other UNSC ships came in. Everybody stared ahead at the battle unfolding before them.

"Is this another Covenant fleet or did the one chasing us get here before us?" Sosa asked, looking over her shoulder. All eyes fell on Vivian. She blinked and turned her attention to the tactical display on the port side of the bridge. The rest of her ships were already jumped into the system and Travers and his ships were swiftly arriving. Her brow furrowed and she bared her teeth.

"Koroma, patch me through on the battlegroup net."

"Good to go, Captain."

"All ships, this is I'm Alone: line formation, sending coordinates. Charge MACs, prep Archer Missiles. We're going in."

It was the only option she had available. Just like when they reinforced Travers's fleet, they would have to tear directly into the Covenant flank. There was no time for elegant maneuvering or long-term strategy. Too many UNSC ships were being destroyed and their crews lost. She sat back down and began plugging in coordinates. "Sosa, full speed ahead."

"Aye, Captain, full speed ahead!"
The I'm Alone lurched forward. All the frigates, the Best of the Best, and the Batavia formed the line and barreled towards the enemy ships. As she monitored the displays, she saw Travers and his ships doing the very same. Half of total force made a separate wing on to her formation's port side and the other half took up a strong position on the starboard side. Instead of assuming line formations like her ships, they formed wedges, acting as two reinforced anchors on either end of her line. She knew what Travers was going to do.

Covenant ships began performing rapid and pinpoint maneuvers to turn and meet them. Just as their bows began to point towards them, the UNSC ships were close enough to fire. Dozens up dozens of MAC rounds, wreathed in golden fire and leaving dwindling trails in their wake, shot out towards the Covenant ships. Shields bloomed blue, dissipated, and they began taking damage. Blobs and spears of purple, red, and white plasma lanced out from both sides of the Covenant ships. As the range closed, point defense weapons began opening up on one another. The I'm Alone began shuddering as the titanium battleplate began taking hits. Personnel were jarred in their seats.

"Archer missiles!" Vivian shouted as she hung on.

"How many, ma'am!?" Bassot cried.

"All of them!"

"Firing!"

Hundreds of missiles swarmed out from their pods and bombarded the Covenant ships. Fires broke out and the ships were rocked by secondary explosions. One detonated so heavily that the I'm Alone's hull trembled. Travers's two wedge formations accelerated, drawing ahead of Vivian's battle line. She slowed her ships down and poured a relentless fusilade into the Covenant ships. As she did, the two wedge formations quite literally drove into the Covenant ranks, splintering their orderly formations. Covenant ships were now forced to accelerate away from the melee if they wanted a clear field of fire. But they were boxed in by Vivian's ships. Some tried running the gauntlet but were torn apart by MAC rounds.

It was like two boxers in a grapple; both were trying to land hits on the other but they were unwilling to break the deadlock. Travers's ships split from their wedge formations and began to break out from the Covenant ranks. One Paris-class frigate was hit on both sides by plasma lances and was cut in half. Another Charon-class frigate caught fire after being bombarded by plasma and began to veer away, out of control. Moments later, it exploded. Vivian looked away. One of the UNSC carriers launched a nuke at one of the Covenant cruisers on the periphery of the battle. A moment later the ship disappeared in an enormous white explosion. When the light faded, nothing was left but a few charred hunks of scrape.

The bridge was alive with officers communicating. Damage control was constantly chiming in through the intercom, reporting which fires were extinguished, which were still burning, and repairs to the hull's integrity. Ngouabi and his staff were coordinating the interceptors which were fending off Covenant fighters diverting from the assault on the Anchors. Many Longswords flew by the bridge in pursuit of orbital Banshees and Seraph fighters. Plasma and cannon shells criss-crossed across the battlespace. Tsang was standing up, his fingers racing across his keyboard and his eyes staying glued to the screens. He rattled off updates on other ships' damage assessments, their remaining munitions, and their course trajectories. Sosa nimbly guided the I'm Alone through the fray, weaving the massive warship through fields of wreckage and past the burning hulks of knocked out ships. Koroma was handling all the communications across FLEETCOM 7, relaying orders for Vivian to their subordinate ships and providing adjustments as necessary. Voices of the other captains and commanders rang through the open channel. Delaney continued to scan the sector, picking up friendly and enemy ships that were continually jumping into the system and joining the fight.

Behind the main battle, pickets were engaging one another. These were long range duels between lighter ships on both sides. Brave crews on UNSC frigates and corvettes went toe to toe with enemy frigates and corvettes. Despite bearing the same classification, the Covenant ships were bigger and had more ferocious weaponry. Yet the UNSC ships nimbly avoided the plasma attacks and chipped away at the enemy's shields. They knew what was at stake; if the Covenant managed to break through their line they would be able to attack the rear of the UNSC ships currently engaged.

Travers led a detachment of ships to a higher elevation, used their emergency thrusters to rapidly change course, and then descended on the Covenant ships below them. MAC rounds tore through the battlefield and slammed into the hull of several enemy vessels. Fire washed over their plating and fissures appeared. The I'm Alone and her ships kept pushing at half-speed, methodically, doggedly wiping out the Covenant in front of them.

"Ma'am, we have an enemy destroyer on a collision course, starboard side!" Decatur reported.

Vivian didn't give a command. She used her commander's override and hit the switch to deploy the emergency thruster mounted on the top of the hull. The thruster exploded and the I'm Alone lurched downwards. Activating corresponding cameras, she watched the massive purple-hulled ship glided by overhead at full speed. Behind it, two corvettes and a frigate were tailing it. At first, it seemed like they were trying to escape. Then, Vivian realized several heavily damaged UNSC ships had broken contact and were limping to the Anchors for repairs. Although still under attack from boarding parties, the arrival of the main UNSC fleet had drawn away the majority of the Covenant star fighters. Granted a reprieve, the Anchor garrisons were reporting they were repelling the attackers. But the Covenant commanders realized this and were planning to destroy them. If they lost the Anchors, the fleet would lose the chance to facilitate their repairs.

Vivian got up and jogged up among her staff.

"Sosa, after them, full speed ahead!" she ordered, pointing with the flat of her hand. Sosa immediately increased speed and the I'm Alone stormed after the enemy ships. The Covenant vessels increased their own speed and began to evade. It reminded Vivian of a dogfight between two enemy aircraft. "Bassot, get the MACs up and running. How are we doing for Archer missiles?"

"Low."

"Keep the MACs running and prep one of the Shivas. Their shields are up and weak. We won't be able to destroy all of them but we can stop them."

"Aye, Captain."

"Bassot, this has to be a well placed shot. All four ships need to be mobilized. Decatur will assist."

"Yes, ma'am!" Decatur replied jovially. He winked away from the main pedestal and reappeared at the small one attached to Bassot's station. "With you, Lieutenant!"

Asking an AI to essentially take over one's duty was something no Navy officer wanted. They all knew a Smart AI like Decatur was far more advanced and could probably do the job himself. Vivian hated putting Bassot in that position but the weapons officer didn't complain or even bat an eye. Instead, he began giving orders to the AI while he armed the warhead.

"Work it out; optimal firing solution, distance, timing. You say when and I pull the trigger, got it?"

"Our window of opportunity is very narrow. One moment please." The AI flashed. Bassot blinked in confusion and Decatur smiled at him. "I just did a complete scan of your biometric data from all previous engagements and have now adjusted to your reaction times. Setting firing solution, linking marker to your neural interface. Confirm you have eyes on."

"Confirmed," Bassot said, looking up at the ships speeding away from them.

Vivian gripped the railing in front of the viewing glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. She waited for Decatur to give the order. Everyone was staring ahead, watching, waiting, anticipating the strike and hoping for its success. If the Shiva nuclear device failed to immobilize even one of the enemy ships the Anchors were in jeopardy. Without hope of resupply or repairs, the UNSC fleet would be forced to either fight to the death or flee. In either event, they would be unable to assist the ground forces trapped on the planet's surface.

Decatur raised his hand, opened his palm, and closed his eyes.

"Fire."

Bassot hit the trigger. Sosa reduced speed to keep the I'm Alone from being caught in the blast radius. The warhead disappeared from view, its orange afterburner growing smaller and smaller in the deep blackness of space. Suddenly, in the midst of the four Covenant ships assembled in a diamond formation, there was a gargantuan white explosion. Even with the tinted screen, Vivian squinted and was forced to shield her eyes. When she lowered her hands, all of the Covenant ships' shields were down and they were drifting aimlessly.

The weapons officer leaped his feet and cheered. He pointed down at Decatur.

"That's right, that's right!" he screamed.

Decatur was jubilant, wearing a huge smile that made his small blue face glow even brighter. He turned to Vivian and saluted.

"All ships immobilized, ma'am!"

"Bassot, take them out with the MAC!" Vivian swiftly ordered. Bassot returned to his seat, plotted the firing vectors, and began firing off round after round. The two experimental MAC guns, fully charged, were able to fire two rounds each. Each of the four ships was hit by a single round. The bow of the destroyer was cut off from the ship's center, firing spurting out of both halves. A dead to right hit on one of the corvette's engines saw the entire propulsion unit detonate, destroying the stern of the ship. The frigate and remaining corvette suffered heavy damage.

Sosa kept the I'm Alone speed low otherwise they would overshoot their target and be forced to turn around. Bassot charged the MAC guns impatiently. As they waited, they saw the two remaining ships attempt to regain power. Just as the frigate's engines sputtered to life, the purple-white glow appearing, disappearing, reappearing, flickering, and flashing, a MAC ran split it amidships.

"I'm Alone, this is Freezer." Vivian looked towards the Anchors and saw the MAC platform's gun turning. It fired again and another round pierced the frigate. "Sorry to steal your kills there but we couldn't resist targets of opportunity. Over."

Vivian grinned.

"Roger Freezer, that last one is yours. Over and out. Sosa, hard to starboard and turn about. Let's keep supporting Travers."

It was unnecessary. Once the I'm Alone complete her turn, the crew came face to face with the remnants of the battlefield. Half a dozen UNSC ships were destroyed but fifteen Covenant ships were destroyed, damaged beyond repair, or immobilized. Frigates were finishing off the remaining ships while the bulk of Travers's task force rejoined their reinforcements to finish off the remaining Covenant pickets.

"Captain, Vice Admiral Travers is requesting a video-link."

"Send it."

Vivian walked over to the starboard side display. All of the information regarding friendly and enemy ships dropped away before the screen turned black. Then, it transferred to a live video feed. Travers stood close to the camera, his face nearly taking up the whole screen. But Vivian could just see past him; his bridge had taken some damage. Loose wirings hung and sparked from ceiling panels. Some bulkhead paneling was also knocked away. Wounded personnel were being carried away onlitters.

The Vice Admiral clenched an unlit cigarillo between his teeth. Despite the bruising on his forehead and the blood running down his left trumble, he looked every inch the UNSC Navy officer.

"Waters, we're mopping up now but we both know more Covenant are inbound. Right now, it's important for our ships to rearm and repair. I'm sorry to say this, but my ships are a lot worse for wear than yours are. The worst of the 17th CSG and my task force will go first. Right now, I need your battlegroup in two places at once. We need to maintain the perimeter; detach all four of your frigates and your destroyer to my ships that are still in the fight."

His screen minimized and a cut-down version of the system map appeared. Yellow markers denoted ships that were still actively engaging the Covenant and standing to for a defense. Green markers showed the ships which were following trajectories towards the Anchors. Her ships were marked with blue. "I'm Alone is to assume a command and control position above the planet to support ground forces. Batavia will support you. All of your air assets are to run planetary missions and avoid orbital combat. The situation on the ground is not going well so they need everything you have. I'm turning you over to General Amsterdam, she can give you a better picture."

Travers stepped aside and the Army officer appeared. Despite the setback in the previous system, she still looked as confident and ready to fight as ever. Her hair was tied back in a combat bun and she had her helmet tucked under her arm.

"Captain Waters, I've been communicating with friendly forces on Port Battery. They're divided into three groups."

The map to the left of the video feed changed again. This time it was an overview of the desert region UNSC ground forces currently occupied. First, a larger group of yellow dots appeared. At first, it seemed like there was no coordination between these dots and they were just clots and blobs. But Vivian recognized the patterns; this was a reinforced Army base with an outer perimeter and interior lines. It was seated south of the larger ocean or sea that bore no name or designation.

Another clot of dots appeared to the south of the first one. It was smaller and had many rings, but it was very tight and dense. "This is MOB Alpha and Firebase Bravo, respectively. Alpha Base is heavily garrisoned by elements of the 411th, and 205th, and 90th. Firebase Bravo has a similar disposition of troops, including the 104th Ranger Regiment. It's also home to Freezer's power plant. Bravo has only received a few Covenant air attacks and is holding fast. Alpha has taken more ground and air attacks; they're holding but they'll need reinforcements soon. The problem is with FOB Charlie."

A third collection of yellow dots appeared far, far north of MOB Alpha appeared. Then, the red dots began appearing. A huge collection of Covenant forces occupied the space between Alpha and Charlie. North and west of FOB Charlie were more enemy forces. "Covenant forces cut the road linking Alpha and Charlie. They've surrounded it and are hitting the 567th hard. They attempted a breakout south but the lead element was destroyed and they had to retreat. A company of Rangers tried to reinforce them by air but the Covenant have established an AA net here. That entire company was wiped out. Air Force wing tried to bomb it, they got wiped out. That air net is defending the entire southern approach to FOB Charlie."

"Have any aircraft made an attempt from the north?" Vivian asked. It was a much longer route but much safer.

"Negative, they have a smaller air net there and another Air Force sortie received heavy damage. West and east approaches are a no go, too, both air nets are in such proximity that they can We can't resupply, reinforce, or evacuate FOB Charlie."

"Then I'm Alone will move in and bomb the air nets from orbit. The 89th will deploy to Alpha Base and I'll drop my full ODST complement right on Charlie." It was the only way to provide immediate reinforcements. Sending the ODSTs there would give the beleaguered defenders an edge. "After that, we can organize an evacuation of Charlie. Their position is untenable." Vivian turned around. "Solak, pass the word down to Major Holst: they're jumping."

De Vos held onto her controls as the HEV rocketed planetside. Looking through the glass, she watched the world grow bigger and closer. Below, FOB Charlie looked completely wrecked. Many of the hescos were destroyed by plasma mortars and the majority of automated turrets were out of action too. Burned out Falcons and Pelicans littered the landscape around it. Destroyed vehicles were inside the compound and many were smoking. Supply bads were destroyed and the fuel cells around them had exploded. Several larger fires were raging in the supply dumps. Blue-white plasma explosions blossomed all over the camp. As the HEV got closer, she could see the green and red tracers from multiple automatic weapons. Covenant troops had taken the western wall and were pouring through the main gate. Secondary positions arrayed around the barracks and in sandbag dugouts were barely holding them back. A gap was open in the southern wall allowing more Covenant troops to flow in like water busting through a dam. To the east, many destroyed dropships and other Army Aviation aircraft were in the surf. Some had fallen even deeper out, their tails poking out of the water.

"Change of plans, troopers," Major Holst said. "All Charlie, Delta, and Echo call signs, hold your course. All Alpha and Bravo call signs, change trajectory by one-zero degrees east on my mark. Sync?"

"Sync!" came the combined reply from the company commanders.

"Mark."

She saw a number of the HEVs change course. Their afterburners flared briefly, giving them the necessary boost. "Icebreaker Seven, adjust course, last corrections. You've got Alpha and Bravo."

"Roger Icebreaker Six."

"All call signs, brace," Holst ordered, "the rain is coming."

De Vos's pod turned slightly. Looking south, she was amazed at the vast complex of Covenant AA defenses. Reinforced and entrenched Covenant positions laced the desert landscape. Enemy guns were at the end of conduits and power lines, all pointed skyward. Everywhere, there were twinkling blue, red, pink, and purple lights. An industrial complex in the center was surrounded by freshly produced vehicles. Some convoys were heading south towards MOB Alpha while others sped towards FOB Charlie.

She tried not to be too impressed. The Covenant's ability to deploy and quickly establish bases was similar to the UNSC. Within hours, a UNSC landing force could have several bases with their own automated defense systems, production facilities, and offensive capabilities. A UNSC base's evolution over the course of the day took it from a firebase or forward operating base and turned into a major installation by nightfall. But there was something about the Covenant that was especially jaw-dropping. It was if they built entire cities around their citadels, complete with massive siege guns and factories that were the size of small Outer Colony cities. Whatever the UNSC could do, the Covenant could do it faster and with sheer numerical superiority.

A golden flash far in the sky above caught her attention. Moments later, a flaming round plummeted through the cloud barrier and smashed into the center of the Covenant base. A mushroom cloud flew skyward and a shockwave of sand went in all directions. Three more MAC rounds followed. So much of the earth was destroyed and overturned that the Covenant buildings that managed to survive were swallowed by the sand or toppled into the gigantic craters. In a matter of minutes, the entire Covenant AA network and the majority of its supporting facilities were reduced to a field of burning, twisted wreckage.

Feathering the throttle, she adjusted her course and proceeded to her new coordinates. Instead of heading for the gate, she was now heading for the south wall gap. She let her VISR polarize and flipped her channel over to the company nets. "Able Six, displace your men along the eastern flank, block the Covvies from getting in. Bravo Six, rally on the defenders and then push into the gap. We're going to plug it."

"Roger!"

"Solid copy!"

De Vos was about to issue more orders when she saw blue plasma bolts fly past her HEV. She looked down and saw arcs of plasma coming up towards the pods.

"Ground fire, brace!" Multiple pods were stuck and exploded in midair. Others were

The altimeter sounded and the chute deployed. Just as it did, there was a jarring impact and she heard something that seemed like an explosion. Her pod began turning around and around very rapidly. A warning alarm blared and a dull red light began flashing in her face. The screens on either side of the pod went out and the control panels began sparking. Clenching her teeth and bracing in her harness, she waited for the impact. "Fuck, fuck fuck," she said through her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.

There was a tremendous crash and she was thrown around in her harness. Battered and bashed, her vision tumbled, turned, rolled, and seemed to be pulled in every direction. She was certain every bone in her body would break or the HEV pod would simply crumple into a ball of metal along with her. Eventually, it came to a stop and rolled on its side.

De Vos's vision was blurry. Everything hurt, including her head. She didn't know if she had a concussion or not. As her vision began to clear, she was able to see out the viewing glass. Somehow, the pod had survived the impact and was facing the perimeter. If the pod had plenty with the door down on the ground, there would have been no escape. Through the many cracks in the glass, she could see Covenant streaming through the gap. Stalwart Elites let packs of Grunts through it, firing as they did. Many of the Grunts lobbed pulsating blue plasma grenades as they came in. Jackals provided cover for their comrades, locking their wrist-mounted shields to form a phalanx. It was a coordinated, aggressive action and even in her dazed state she couldn't help but admire the tactical acumen of this particular batch of enemies.

She heard the report of mixed gunfire and explosives. Grenades detonated among the Jackals, splitting their shield wall. Concentrated machine gun fire swept back and forth among the attackers cutting down dozens of Grunts. More came on despite the increasing UNSC resistance. An Elite Zealot, bearing an energy sword, stormed through. Noticing the HEV, and the occupant, it rushed towards De Vos.

Before she could even react, the Elite thrust the sword through the HEV. De Vos gasped and leaned back as far as she could, which wasn't much. The prongs of the energy sword stopped just shy of her chest plate. Gritting her teeth, she hit the emergency keys. The HEV depressurized and the door exploded off the rest of the pod. It took the Elite with it; roaring, it flew backwards into a growing crowd of aliens.

Withouting getting out of the pod, she drew her M7S, aimed, and began peppering the Grunts as they scrambled towards her. She snapped the weapon from target to target, killing each one with a controlled brust. When she expended the magazine, she ejected it, slid another one in, and crawled out of the pod. Rising to a crouch, she held her ground and shot as many as she could. Reloading again, she studied the motion tracker briefly. Yellow dots were lining up behind her and there was a perpendicular line of yellow dots on her right. Both Able and Baker companies were in place.

"Baker Six, Icebreaker Seven," she said over the SQUADCOM. "Push up!"

"Roger!"
Behind her, she heard the ODSTs throw up a roar cry. Running forward several meters, they stopped and laid down suppressive fire against the Covenant. The fusilade was enough to briefly stem their assault through the gap. Helljumpers lobbed fragmentation grenades at the enemy, scattering and breaking up their organized squads. But the Covenant adjusted and began advancing through other, small gaps in an attempt to exploit weaknesses in the line. Nearby Army troops joined the charge, rushing in while firing their MA37's from the waist. In some spots, they succeeded while in others it came down to hand to hand.

Soldiers tore into Jackals and Skirmishers. Stabbing, clubbing, kicking, punching, a massive melee ensued that spread into the compound. A platoon from Able Company diverted to assist them, throwing their weight into the fight. Wearing heavier and more durable armor, the ODSTs were able to absorb the blows and fight on. Plasma pistols and M6 series sidearms were fired at point blank range. Like an ancient shield wall, the soldiers and ODSTs pushed together, shooting and hitting as they went, pushing the Covenant back through the gaps.

De Vos led Baker Company and other elements from Able squeezed into the gap. Shooting as they progressed, they stepped over the droves of Covenant bodies and began reoccupying positions. Army troopers brought up their SAWs and heavier machine guns to lay down suppressive fire. The Covenant fell back briefly, regrouped, and charged again. Although the UNSC was holding, the pressure of the enemy advance and the velocity of their fire was very strong.

She tapped Able's company commander, Cane. "Hold them here, I'm going to get some extra firepower!"
Falling back from the line, she headed into the compound looking for any kind of material that could give them the edge they needed. A Scorpion would have been an excellent way to plug the gap but there weren't any available. Most of the garrison's heavy armour was tied up further south at Alpha and Bravo bases. Many of the Warthogs were destroyed too. Racing around as if she was mad, she finally came across an undamaged Warthog. Two Army troopers were busy filling the tank with jerry cans mounted on the rear.

Running up to them, she tapped the side of the vehicle. "I need this vehicle in action ASAP trooper!"

"One more can, Captain!" urged the Army trooper. De Vos nodded. The Warthog carried the standard issue M41 but she wanted more firepower. She noticed one of the troopers was a SAW gunner and the other was a grenadier. Stepping out of the vehicle shed, she watched an infantry platoon race by to help the ODSTs and other forces now defending the southern wall. She grabbed another SAW gunner and a grenadier.

"Grenadiers in front. You're driving," she said to the first one. "You two, in the back with me. I'm on the gun, you two keep your heads down. Once we're in position, mount your weapons on the rear of the cab and lay down suppressive firing. This is going to be a rolling pillbox."

"Yes, Captain!" the soldiers cried and clambered in. Attaching the M7S to the thigh holder, she climbed in the back and took hold of the gun. The driver tore out of the vehicle shed, made a hard right, and headed for the gap. UNSC forces were holding but just barely. When the driver honked the horn, they filtered out of the gap in the wire and allowed the vehicle to take their place. Rolling to a stop in the center of the gap, De Vos unleashed a torrent of automatic fire along the entire Covenant infantry line. Beneath the barrel of her gun, the two SAW gunners popped up, kept their heads low, and began adding their M739's fire to the fight. In the cab, the grenadiers reclined almost as if they were relaxing and began firing their grenade launchers. There was no need to aim; the desert in front of them was filled with Covenant infantry. Scores fell in lines, heaps, and piles. The sand was stained purple and blue with their blood.

De Vos fired for so long that her arms began to grow numb from the continuous shuddering of the M41. Knowing if she fired for much longer they would fall asleep, rendering her unable to assist, she decided to call for a replacement. A nearby ODST took her place and she dismounted. Surveying the situation, she felt confident the southern line was stabilizing. More Army troopers were joining the line and soon all the gaps were closed.

"Icebreaker Six, Icebreaker Seven," she said over the comms.

"Send your traffic, Icebreaker Seven," Holst replied. She could her gunfire and plasma bolts sizzling by in the background.

"Able and Bravo in place and holding. We blocked the Covenant along the main breach and we've got plenty of shooters along the south. Requesting further orders, over."

"Solid copy Icebreaker Seven, maintain a defensive posture. Covenant forces are massing for another attack on both the west and south perimeter."

"Solid copy on all Icebreaker Six, Icebreaker Seven out."

De Vos checked her ammunition and loaded a fresh magazine into her M7S. Before she issued any orders, she heard what sounded like thunder behind her. Looking to the north, she watched more golden-wreathed MAC rounds plummeted to the planet and struck the Covenant base. Lines of installations and larger guns disappeared in the plumes of smoke, fire, and sand. It took several minutes for the smoke and sand to dissipate. When it did, there was nothing left but craters.

Drinking in the sight, De Vos took a breath, listened to the Covenant war cry, and turned back to the south.

Words: 6,056

Pages: 14

Font: Garamond

Font Size: 12

Line Spacing: 1.5

Author's Note: I'll just say I originally planned for a more stealthy, tense introduction to ground combat but for the sake of logic and pacing, I decided to postpone that to another day. So this ended up taking a lot longer than I meant to. Ah well, such is life.

Comment Responses:

TheShadeOps: I thought so too, but the reprieve does not last in war it seems. Your observations are solid and as you've suspected, they're going to continue coming into play.

MightBeGone: No problem, and I appreciate your comments, but like I always say there's no expectation you or anyone else leaves a comment every chapter. I'm glad you liked it and don't worry there's more stuff with them coming.

TheCarlosInferno: How fitting seeing as it's Valentines Day!