CHAPTER 7
0431 Hours, August 14, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Near underground entrance to Raiek Compound
The two morning suns graced the early daylight of Raiek. Its cold, wintry weather was just beginning to become remotely warm. Unlike Earth, its summer happened in mid-August Earth time. The third sun was due to appear at around 0830 Hours. Also unlike Earth, daylight came at about 0430 in the morning.
High above the planet, three Pelicans, Foehammer among them, burned through the atmosphere and approached Commander James's encampment. Standing up and dousing the fire, he looked up to the sky, watching the Pelicans come down. Next to him, the other four Spartans stood.
As Foehammer landed, James and his team approached it. They were all hidden in a nook of the compound, so as not to be spotted by the Covenant, and the dropships were cloaked from radar.
The door hissed open, and General Standon walked from the inside, immediately sighting the Spartans. "Attention," James barked. The five Spartans saluted the General in unison.
"As you were, Spartans." The General saluted as he approached. The Spartans stood at ease. "Commander, you have done your job with this one. And a fine one at that. But I have been informed by this soldier here—" The Colonel from the previous day stepped forth, "—that this mission is far too dangerous to accomplish. They have a cannon that could destroy Earth in one attack. Do you agree, Commander?" The General looked at James quizzically.
Shifting uncomfortably under his superior's gaze, James chose his words carefully. "Sir, I don't believe this mission is impossible for the Spartans. I will lead my team to victory on this."
The General frowned. "My Colonel here feels it would be easier just to blow the place away. Do you agree, Commander?"
James's face hardened under his helmet. "With all due respect, sir, my crew and I have the situation under control."
"You do, do you?"
"Of course, sir. We are to move into the compound in half-an-hour, find the Prophet and kill it, use the cannon to destroy the moon, and then spike the cannon to destroy Raiek, sir."
The General cocked his head. "I'm giving you one chance, Commander. And that is all."
James nodded. It was all he would need. He looked to his crew and nodded to them.
Out from Foehammer drove three Warthogs, standard model. Alex hopped in one and Bryce jumped in beside him. James hopped onto the mounted cannon. Since Alex was a much better driver, this was the ideal choice. Jason took the controls of the second Warthog, and Jarrett sat next to him. A Marine manned the chain-gun. In the third Warthog, three Marines took the controls.
"Salute!" James yelled out. The Spartans and Marines saluted as they sped off towards the opening.
The General turned on his heel and spoke to the Colonel as the Commander and his men went out of sight into the tunnel. "What is this new menace? And do the other Marines know of it?"
The Colonel nodded violently. "Of course, sir. They are a new race for the Covenant. They call themselves..."
The three Warthogs charged into the tunnel, headlights blaring at full intensity. Talking to the Marine driver over his comm-link, James asked him a question he had nagging at him. "What is the General so nervous about, soldier?"
The Marine answered immediately. "They have discovered a new threat to the battles, sir!"
"What threat?"
"A new species in the Covenant, sir!"
"Their name?"
Just then, the three Warthogs screeched to a halt. There were three creatures standing in their way. Clad in black, they resembled canines, standing on two legs, their thin, sinewy arms at their sides. Huge, gaping mouths dripped saliva on their faces. From their looks, they were unarmed. The Marine driver pointed at them, frightened. "Them!" he cried, shaking.
Staring into the darkness, the Spartans raised their weapons, James and the Marines aimed their chain-guns at the foes. "What are they?" Alex hissed.
The Marine nearly fainted. "They call themselves Howlers, sir! One of them took out half my team of sixty-two!"
Jarrett laughed. "I'll take them all on!" He leaped from his place, MA5B in hand, running towards them. He opened fire, and dodged to the side. He figured these were a bunch of bums looking for a fight they couldn't win. They were no match for a Spartan!
James was too confused to be angry at Jarrett's outburst. "But why do they call themselves—?"
He was interrupted by one of the creatures, almost in answer. Nodding to his comrades, the Howler opened his mouth much wider than any human could, and aimed it forward. The very air particles in front of him seemed to ripple and flow as the most earshattering screech erupted and seemed to explode into the air. The bullet rounds were ripped apart in mid-air, breaking into nearly nothing.
The sound was deafening. "Kee-ROWWWWWWWWWW!"
The sound vibrations continued to come, growing wider and wider as they left the Howler's mouth. Jarrett was taken completely off-guard as the waves smashed into him. They lifted him from the ground and tossed him backwards. He landed behind the Warthogs, thirty feet away from where he had been. He was unconscious from the impact.
James held up his hand. "Grab Jarrett and retreat!"
In response, all three Howlers unleashed their fury. "Kee- ROWWWWWWWWWW!"
Alex and the Marine's Warthogs flipped over, tossing their passengers to the ground. Alex sprawled on the floor, reaching for his gun. One Warthog landed on a Marine as it fell, crushing him. Jason was the quickest, and he placed on hand on the Warthog's edge, flipping it back over.
The third Warthog was hit much harder. However, it did not flip, but was sent backward, its wheels spinning madly. There was so much confusion neither Spartan nor Marine could make heads or tails of what was happening. The sound just started to die out at that point. Alas, the Howlers were just resting, preparing to suck in another breath while laughing uproariously.
James pulled the Warthog upright. "Retreat!" he screamed. He jumped into the driver's seat of one of the Warthogs and Alex hopped in beside him. Jason took the chain-gun. The rest of James's crew grabbed the other Warthogs, Jarrett, and the remaining Marines got in as well. As the Howlers shouted out again, James and his team raced out, followed by the lethal sound waves.
General Standon laughed to himself as the three Warthogs came racing from the tunnel. Behind him sat only one dropship. The others had left. Foehammer was gone and so was another, but the third remained. The Commander pulled up next to them, frowning under his helmet, skipping salutes.
"Somehow you knew this was going to happen!" James growled as he faced the General.
Standon noticed that the team was short one Marine, and a Spartan was unconscious. "Quite a battle you had in there, eh, Commander?"
James was furious. This General had endangered his entire crew, and not even warned him at all. He moved like lightning, hauling the Colonel up over his head, shaking him violently. "Did you know about the Howlers?!" he screamed. The Colonel sputtered words incoherently. "What did you say?" James shouted.
Jason placed a hand on James's arm and forced him to release the Marine. "Did you know about this, sir?" he asked calmly.
The General laughed aloud, his stomach hanging slightly over his belt and shaking as he did so. "Of course I did!" he said whole-heartedly. "I sent you to meet what that place is crawling with! Oh, and I learned the name of the compound. Apparently it's called Daygars."
James was beginning to lose his patience. "Look, General. I don't need help from your Marines. I can handle this situation myself."
The General's smile was gone. He pointed an accusing finger at the Commander. "Look here now! I outrank you, so anything I say goes, understood? Now, my Marines will assist you in destroying this facility whether you Spartans like it or not."
"I can take care of Raiek myself! If we needed help I would request it, but I do not. My men are trained very well in combat, and we can handle anything the Covenant can throw at us!"
The General smiled. Now he had the Commander. "They can? Do you have your entire crew with you?"
James was confused. "Of course, sir." He spat the last word.
"I heard there were six Spartans sent to Raiek." James realized his mistake. "I only see five. What happened to the sixth member of the team? I don't suppose he was killed so early, was he? Maybe you arrogant Spartans aren't so invincible after all!"
It was obvious this General greatly opposed the usage of the Spartan soldiers and possibly even the MJOLNIR armor. But without the Spartans, the war would already be over, and the humans would be dead. The MJOLNIR armor had also proved itself many times in battle. But this was one time that James was trapped. "He was killed." James closed his eyes under his helmet, hanging his head. "A Banshee landed on top of him. I could have saved him, but he wouldn't obey my orders. He just kept going...and was killed."
The General recoiled. He hadn't realized a Spartan had died. But no matter. He despised them anyway. He loathed the way they received all the attention, taking it away from his brave Marine soldiers that gave their lives every day in service. "Memories for your man. But nonetheless, I am reassigning you, Commander!"
James's eyes went wide. "What?!" he and his entire crew said in unison.
"You can't do that!" Alex shouted.
"We were assigned by a Captain, who outranks even you!" Jason said.
"It's an outrage!" Bryce commented.
"You're not authorized!" Jarrett informed the General.
Standon held up his hand for silence. When he got it, he continued. "I am authorizing myself. Master Commander James Carser, as of right now, you and your crew are reassigned to help Captain Moores with work on the planet Jarrisno. Perhaps you will be of more use there." The General nodded to his Colonel. "Let's go." He and the Colonel walked silently into their dropship. "I'm sending Foehammer to pick you up. I have some men just outside Daygars scouting Covenant activity."
Bryce shouted back at him over the roar of the igniting engines. "What are they doing, sir?"
"We have no idea! But it's up to them to find out. I sent them out with a Warthog and seven men, so it should be rather easy. The crew only consists of around eight Grunts and an Elite who is known as Farr."
Instantly, the entire team knew. They were messing with the rebels! Only Farr would be able to scout out there with a team and not be noticed. Too bad the rebels had no Howlers. But in any event, the Spartans would have to get to the Covenant Rebels before the Marines did. If they didn't, they'd all be killed!
0431 Hours, August 14, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Near underground entrance to Raiek Compound
The two morning suns graced the early daylight of Raiek. Its cold, wintry weather was just beginning to become remotely warm. Unlike Earth, its summer happened in mid-August Earth time. The third sun was due to appear at around 0830 Hours. Also unlike Earth, daylight came at about 0430 in the morning.
High above the planet, three Pelicans, Foehammer among them, burned through the atmosphere and approached Commander James's encampment. Standing up and dousing the fire, he looked up to the sky, watching the Pelicans come down. Next to him, the other four Spartans stood.
As Foehammer landed, James and his team approached it. They were all hidden in a nook of the compound, so as not to be spotted by the Covenant, and the dropships were cloaked from radar.
The door hissed open, and General Standon walked from the inside, immediately sighting the Spartans. "Attention," James barked. The five Spartans saluted the General in unison.
"As you were, Spartans." The General saluted as he approached. The Spartans stood at ease. "Commander, you have done your job with this one. And a fine one at that. But I have been informed by this soldier here—" The Colonel from the previous day stepped forth, "—that this mission is far too dangerous to accomplish. They have a cannon that could destroy Earth in one attack. Do you agree, Commander?" The General looked at James quizzically.
Shifting uncomfortably under his superior's gaze, James chose his words carefully. "Sir, I don't believe this mission is impossible for the Spartans. I will lead my team to victory on this."
The General frowned. "My Colonel here feels it would be easier just to blow the place away. Do you agree, Commander?"
James's face hardened under his helmet. "With all due respect, sir, my crew and I have the situation under control."
"You do, do you?"
"Of course, sir. We are to move into the compound in half-an-hour, find the Prophet and kill it, use the cannon to destroy the moon, and then spike the cannon to destroy Raiek, sir."
The General cocked his head. "I'm giving you one chance, Commander. And that is all."
James nodded. It was all he would need. He looked to his crew and nodded to them.
Out from Foehammer drove three Warthogs, standard model. Alex hopped in one and Bryce jumped in beside him. James hopped onto the mounted cannon. Since Alex was a much better driver, this was the ideal choice. Jason took the controls of the second Warthog, and Jarrett sat next to him. A Marine manned the chain-gun. In the third Warthog, three Marines took the controls.
"Salute!" James yelled out. The Spartans and Marines saluted as they sped off towards the opening.
The General turned on his heel and spoke to the Colonel as the Commander and his men went out of sight into the tunnel. "What is this new menace? And do the other Marines know of it?"
The Colonel nodded violently. "Of course, sir. They are a new race for the Covenant. They call themselves..."
The three Warthogs charged into the tunnel, headlights blaring at full intensity. Talking to the Marine driver over his comm-link, James asked him a question he had nagging at him. "What is the General so nervous about, soldier?"
The Marine answered immediately. "They have discovered a new threat to the battles, sir!"
"What threat?"
"A new species in the Covenant, sir!"
"Their name?"
Just then, the three Warthogs screeched to a halt. There were three creatures standing in their way. Clad in black, they resembled canines, standing on two legs, their thin, sinewy arms at their sides. Huge, gaping mouths dripped saliva on their faces. From their looks, they were unarmed. The Marine driver pointed at them, frightened. "Them!" he cried, shaking.
Staring into the darkness, the Spartans raised their weapons, James and the Marines aimed their chain-guns at the foes. "What are they?" Alex hissed.
The Marine nearly fainted. "They call themselves Howlers, sir! One of them took out half my team of sixty-two!"
Jarrett laughed. "I'll take them all on!" He leaped from his place, MA5B in hand, running towards them. He opened fire, and dodged to the side. He figured these were a bunch of bums looking for a fight they couldn't win. They were no match for a Spartan!
James was too confused to be angry at Jarrett's outburst. "But why do they call themselves—?"
He was interrupted by one of the creatures, almost in answer. Nodding to his comrades, the Howler opened his mouth much wider than any human could, and aimed it forward. The very air particles in front of him seemed to ripple and flow as the most earshattering screech erupted and seemed to explode into the air. The bullet rounds were ripped apart in mid-air, breaking into nearly nothing.
The sound was deafening. "Kee-ROWWWWWWWWWW!"
The sound vibrations continued to come, growing wider and wider as they left the Howler's mouth. Jarrett was taken completely off-guard as the waves smashed into him. They lifted him from the ground and tossed him backwards. He landed behind the Warthogs, thirty feet away from where he had been. He was unconscious from the impact.
James held up his hand. "Grab Jarrett and retreat!"
In response, all three Howlers unleashed their fury. "Kee- ROWWWWWWWWWW!"
Alex and the Marine's Warthogs flipped over, tossing their passengers to the ground. Alex sprawled on the floor, reaching for his gun. One Warthog landed on a Marine as it fell, crushing him. Jason was the quickest, and he placed on hand on the Warthog's edge, flipping it back over.
The third Warthog was hit much harder. However, it did not flip, but was sent backward, its wheels spinning madly. There was so much confusion neither Spartan nor Marine could make heads or tails of what was happening. The sound just started to die out at that point. Alas, the Howlers were just resting, preparing to suck in another breath while laughing uproariously.
James pulled the Warthog upright. "Retreat!" he screamed. He jumped into the driver's seat of one of the Warthogs and Alex hopped in beside him. Jason took the chain-gun. The rest of James's crew grabbed the other Warthogs, Jarrett, and the remaining Marines got in as well. As the Howlers shouted out again, James and his team raced out, followed by the lethal sound waves.
General Standon laughed to himself as the three Warthogs came racing from the tunnel. Behind him sat only one dropship. The others had left. Foehammer was gone and so was another, but the third remained. The Commander pulled up next to them, frowning under his helmet, skipping salutes.
"Somehow you knew this was going to happen!" James growled as he faced the General.
Standon noticed that the team was short one Marine, and a Spartan was unconscious. "Quite a battle you had in there, eh, Commander?"
James was furious. This General had endangered his entire crew, and not even warned him at all. He moved like lightning, hauling the Colonel up over his head, shaking him violently. "Did you know about the Howlers?!" he screamed. The Colonel sputtered words incoherently. "What did you say?" James shouted.
Jason placed a hand on James's arm and forced him to release the Marine. "Did you know about this, sir?" he asked calmly.
The General laughed aloud, his stomach hanging slightly over his belt and shaking as he did so. "Of course I did!" he said whole-heartedly. "I sent you to meet what that place is crawling with! Oh, and I learned the name of the compound. Apparently it's called Daygars."
James was beginning to lose his patience. "Look, General. I don't need help from your Marines. I can handle this situation myself."
The General's smile was gone. He pointed an accusing finger at the Commander. "Look here now! I outrank you, so anything I say goes, understood? Now, my Marines will assist you in destroying this facility whether you Spartans like it or not."
"I can take care of Raiek myself! If we needed help I would request it, but I do not. My men are trained very well in combat, and we can handle anything the Covenant can throw at us!"
The General smiled. Now he had the Commander. "They can? Do you have your entire crew with you?"
James was confused. "Of course, sir." He spat the last word.
"I heard there were six Spartans sent to Raiek." James realized his mistake. "I only see five. What happened to the sixth member of the team? I don't suppose he was killed so early, was he? Maybe you arrogant Spartans aren't so invincible after all!"
It was obvious this General greatly opposed the usage of the Spartan soldiers and possibly even the MJOLNIR armor. But without the Spartans, the war would already be over, and the humans would be dead. The MJOLNIR armor had also proved itself many times in battle. But this was one time that James was trapped. "He was killed." James closed his eyes under his helmet, hanging his head. "A Banshee landed on top of him. I could have saved him, but he wouldn't obey my orders. He just kept going...and was killed."
The General recoiled. He hadn't realized a Spartan had died. But no matter. He despised them anyway. He loathed the way they received all the attention, taking it away from his brave Marine soldiers that gave their lives every day in service. "Memories for your man. But nonetheless, I am reassigning you, Commander!"
James's eyes went wide. "What?!" he and his entire crew said in unison.
"You can't do that!" Alex shouted.
"We were assigned by a Captain, who outranks even you!" Jason said.
"It's an outrage!" Bryce commented.
"You're not authorized!" Jarrett informed the General.
Standon held up his hand for silence. When he got it, he continued. "I am authorizing myself. Master Commander James Carser, as of right now, you and your crew are reassigned to help Captain Moores with work on the planet Jarrisno. Perhaps you will be of more use there." The General nodded to his Colonel. "Let's go." He and the Colonel walked silently into their dropship. "I'm sending Foehammer to pick you up. I have some men just outside Daygars scouting Covenant activity."
Bryce shouted back at him over the roar of the igniting engines. "What are they doing, sir?"
"We have no idea! But it's up to them to find out. I sent them out with a Warthog and seven men, so it should be rather easy. The crew only consists of around eight Grunts and an Elite who is known as Farr."
Instantly, the entire team knew. They were messing with the rebels! Only Farr would be able to scout out there with a team and not be noticed. Too bad the rebels had no Howlers. But in any event, the Spartans would have to get to the Covenant Rebels before the Marines did. If they didn't, they'd all be killed!