CHAPTER 12
0640 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Rebel Hideout of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Daylight seemed to come much too fast for the Spartans. They arose slowly, trying to delay the rebels, for they were beaten from the past day's rigerous training. They were taught how to best avoid the plasma beams, sneak in the base, and destroy the cannon. They had no idea when it was to be fired, but they knew they had to hurry.
Farr rose up above them all and blasted his large voice through the cavernous hideaway. "Noitnetta Sleber!" he beamed in their native tongue. "Eht yad sah emoc!" To the Spartans, he turned and saluted. "We shall fight alongside your forces and do the best that the rebels possibly can. I am prepared to fight and die in the name of Earth! Let the Covenant fall and the humans and rebels rise!"
"Salute!" James barked. All the Spartans returned the salute.
To the crowd of rebels, Farr continued in their own tongue. "The Covenant are spread thinly on this planet, and they only barely outnumber us. Only by about one point one five to one! This is a battle we can win!"
Cheers rang out at the brave words. "The ony thing added is the Howlers, which there are few of on Raiek. They were bred on a diffent planet and some of them have come here. If we survive this, their home planet is our next target. That is where the rest of the Howlers are!"
"We should get out of here now," Bryce said. "The Covenant will be awake and in full force about now."
James agreed. "Of course, Farr, we must start. As much as I would like to train more, I feel the Spartans are as prepared as they'll ever be. However, since we're one man short, I don't know how we'll fare against the Covenant."
Just then, Alex grabbed James's shoulder. "Is the Flood on this planet?" he asked.
James sighed. "I haven't seen them so far, but that doesn't mean they're not here. Be careful," he ordered his troops, "and always carry a shotgun. Farr has supplied us with plenty of human ammo and grenades, so we should be able to handle anything left behind in Daygars after Farr causes a commotion to distract the Covenant."
Farr agreed. "Once you're in position, signal to us and we'll open fire from our hiding spot in the center field. Hopefully we'll draw out the Covenant forces, Howlers and Flood to allow you free access to their cannon."
"I assume some troops will be left behind to defend their cannon, but we shouldn't run into many problems."
Farr looked hard at them. He was concerned. "Follow this winding underground tunnel, and it will open up into a large area. The cannon will be there."
James nodded.
"Good luck," Farr said and stepped down.
The rebels cheered as the Spartans made their exit. Once they arrived outside, James looked around, trying to locate any Covenant forces outside. He saw none on the inside. Most were facing outside on the roof, gunning down any UNSC forces Standon dispatched outside. However, all of them were on full alert for the humans inside Daygars. The humans didn't dare go outside, because Standon thought they had left. If he saw them still present on Raiek, he might dismiss them from the military.
James and Alex slung ropes onto the ceiling and climbed up. They were planning on dropping into the cavern from above. Holding the Master Chief rank, Bryce McClain was left in charge of Jason and Jarrett. He ordered them into the Warthogs left by the Marines and they radioed information back to James and Alex.
"We'll drop in once you arrive in the cavern. I don't know how long you'll last, so we'll help take down aerial weaponry."
"Aye aye, Commander," Bryce said back.
0643 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Prison Blocks of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Brent looked up to the ceiling, searching for a way out. He had been carelessly tossed in after being taken by the Elites on the roof. Left to rot in his cell, Brent had been looking for a possible exit since he first got in. He remembered it well.
Two Elites had knocked him awake, and he immediately started to struggle. They had dragged him down the hall as he kicked and fought. One Elite had smacked him over the head, knocking him senseless as they had tossed him into the cell. Laughing in their strange and cruel manner, they activated the plasma prison bars that held him in.
Now, nearly a day later, he looked up to the ceiling. He could see tiny creatures with an uncountable number of legs scurrying across the ceiling. They were releasing spores down, which forced the brave Spartan to choke and gag on them. He was beginning to fade, and feel like he couldn't breath. Then, he realized those 'insects' were, in truth, the Infection forms of the Flood. But surely they couldn't be infecting him when he was safe inside his suit.
Could they?
Brent put it out of his mind, a sudden feeling of survival rising in his being. He felt as if he had to escape from the Covenant at all costs. They had taken away his weapons, but trying to remove the MJOLNIR armor had proved futile. It was fused to his body, and only he could remove it by releasing the mental "hooks" he had on the suit via his neural implants.
So now he sat, waiting for his fellow troops to pass by, for some Spartans to come to the plasma-barred window, to blast it open and rescue him. He had used his surperior strength to hammer away at the cell walls several times, but the strength of them had proved they were specifically used to hold Spartans, and contain even their might.
Weaponless, friendless, even foeless Brent was as he sat in his cell. He longed for someone to talk to, someone to help him. Then, it hit him like a thunderbolt. They hadn't taken his comm-link! Reaching up, he mustered the strength to tap on the side of his helmet, open the channel, and call to anyone willing to listen.
"Can anyone hear me?"
0646 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Roof of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Master Commander James peered into the complex. He wasn't able to see anything inside for the tinted glass. He and Alex could just barely make out a Prophet surrounded by several Elites and dozens of Grunts. They were milling about the room, minding their own business, building up the power of the cannon, readying the next load of plasma energy for its journey to Raiek's moon. The Commander could only hope that some of them would leave once Farr got his troops organized and opened fire. The Covenant would be surprised to be under attack by their own kind.
It was then that a crackling sound came on through his comm-link and a weary voice came through. "Can anyone hear me?" Instantly recognizing the voice, James spoke back into his mic, eagerly gesturing to his helmet for Alex.
"Brent Ashley, is that you?" James said back into his helmet. "Are you alive? Where are you?"
Brent barely managed to respond, his voice just a tad above a whisper. "They've got me in the prison blocks. Infection Flood are all over the place, but I don't think they can infect me through my helmet," Brent's shaky voice responded. "I'll send you a map of my position. Maybe you'll be able to locate me through a barred window."
Instantly, a three-dee map sprang up onto James's HUD, showing him where Brent was lying in his cell. The image zoomed out, and moved clear across the compound to where Alex and James were standing. James turned to his fellow Spartan. "Brent is being held quite a ways away from here. He'll be more accessable from the roof. Think you can get to him?" James asked as he fed the map to Alex's HUD.
After considering, Alex nodded. "I can do it, sir."
James gestured to the prison blocks' direction. "Then go at it, soldier!" he commanded.
Jason was driving as the Warthog tore down the underground tunnel, on its way to the cannon inside Raiek. But none of the three on-board were sure what was going to stand in their way. Their questions were answered all too soon.
From the ceiling grating, from the cracks in the floor, from the vents in the walls, hundreds of infection form Flood poured into the hall, following the Warthog. Jason accelerated, trying to leave them behind, but they leaped and latched onto the vehicle.
Their twenty-one legs flailed as they leaped, adhering to the slippery metal of a Warthog. As the vehicle sped down the tunnel, they scurried to the front. Bryce was manning the chain-gun, so he aimed down at the runts with a pistol and started to fire. He had to keep them off the military jeep long enough for them to reach the cannon. Then, it was all theirs.
However, the team of three soon came to a break in the large underground tunnel. Width and height shrunk, making entry by any vehicle impossible. Bryce called into his comm-link, asking for orders. "Commander, we're being blocked off. This means we won't be able to get into the cannon room with the Warthog and cover-fire."
"We'll have to find another way in for the Warthog," James responded. "I'm sending you a map of the base now. I've already planned a new route for you. I had a feeling this would happen." James paused, then started to speak again. "Get out of there and make your way through the new route. I will meet you there to confirm the plan once again. Alex has gone to retrieve Brent from his cell, and then he shall return on my order to my exact location."
"Aye aye, Commander," Bryce said and closed his link. The other two had heard him, so he nodded to them.
Jason spun the wheel and turned the vehicle, gunning the engine and running over the countless infection Flood beings that swarmed them. Jarrett and Bryce kept them at bay.
As the team headed to their new destination, they could only hope that the Covenant didn't know they had arrived and that Farr and his team were moving into position.
They could only hope.
Farr 'Tenglannee had massed his army behind a ridge in the middle of the field. They were stationed behind a large blockade, out of view of the Covenant patrols overhead atop the roof of Daygars military compound.
Kakay, the Grunt trying to recreate the MAC technology, stepped forward, addressing his superior. "Excelleny, are we ready to begin this fight?" he asked, armor bobbing as he shifted uncomfortably, speaking in their native tongue.
"We will be ready just as soon as the Commander of the Spartans gives us our signal. Once that time comes, we shall begin the attack on Daygars. How do you recommend we start?" Farr asked, looking at Kakay without emotion. "Lend me your military strategy."
Kakay looked taken aback that a military figure such as the General of Army would be asking a lowly Grunt such as himself a question of that magnitude. But Kakay had studied tactical strategies for several years, and he did know a lot. He opened his mouth to speak. "The best tactic would probably be for several troops to sneak back outside and start firing at the inside from their position."
Farr cocked his head, but nodded. Kakay continued.
"Once they start firing to distract some of the forces, we unleash our full fury from our current position. We'll take them off-guard and perhaps destroy some of them before they know what hit them."
'Tenganlee looked down at his temporary Grunt tactician. "Double distraction, I like it. What about the Banshees that we stole several weeks ago? We still have three of them. What do you propose we use those for, soldier?"
Kakay had another use for those as well. "Bombard the roof of Daygars with them until they are shot down. Remember, the Elites and Grunts and Hunters sent on the missions to distract and air-attack will be sent to their deaths. Recruit only those willing to seem more fair. Tell them their expected fate."
Farr had to think it over. Distraction was a powerful strategy, and air support would greatly aid them in destroying the wall-guards. Once they were down, the rebels would proceed into Daygars itself and kill the Prophets if the Spartans had not done so already. Their main focus, however, was to stay outside and distract the Covenant while the Spartans destroyed that cannon. But if no troops came, they would have to move in.
Farr spoke to his group of organized rebels. "Any volunteers for the missions I know you all heard?" he boomed, trying to keep his voice low enough, though, so the wall-guards would not overhear.
Several Elites and Hunters raised their limbs high into the air. Farr selected seven Elites and four Hunters for distraction, and three more Elites to be assigned to the Banshees. The team of eleven, assigned Distract Team, stood and made their way to the exit of the compound, being careful to stick to the walls and not draw any attention to themselves.
The Banshee Team of three saluted and made their way back into the hideout to retrieve the three flyers they would need. There was another exit just outside the base, unknown to the Covenant, that they could use to start flying.
Farr again turned to Kakay. "You have aided me greatly, tactician. Now, we must sit and wait for the groups to get into position and wait for my orders. Once the Spartans give me the signal, we shall attack!"
0640 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Rebel Hideout of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Daylight seemed to come much too fast for the Spartans. They arose slowly, trying to delay the rebels, for they were beaten from the past day's rigerous training. They were taught how to best avoid the plasma beams, sneak in the base, and destroy the cannon. They had no idea when it was to be fired, but they knew they had to hurry.
Farr rose up above them all and blasted his large voice through the cavernous hideaway. "Noitnetta Sleber!" he beamed in their native tongue. "Eht yad sah emoc!" To the Spartans, he turned and saluted. "We shall fight alongside your forces and do the best that the rebels possibly can. I am prepared to fight and die in the name of Earth! Let the Covenant fall and the humans and rebels rise!"
"Salute!" James barked. All the Spartans returned the salute.
To the crowd of rebels, Farr continued in their own tongue. "The Covenant are spread thinly on this planet, and they only barely outnumber us. Only by about one point one five to one! This is a battle we can win!"
Cheers rang out at the brave words. "The ony thing added is the Howlers, which there are few of on Raiek. They were bred on a diffent planet and some of them have come here. If we survive this, their home planet is our next target. That is where the rest of the Howlers are!"
"We should get out of here now," Bryce said. "The Covenant will be awake and in full force about now."
James agreed. "Of course, Farr, we must start. As much as I would like to train more, I feel the Spartans are as prepared as they'll ever be. However, since we're one man short, I don't know how we'll fare against the Covenant."
Just then, Alex grabbed James's shoulder. "Is the Flood on this planet?" he asked.
James sighed. "I haven't seen them so far, but that doesn't mean they're not here. Be careful," he ordered his troops, "and always carry a shotgun. Farr has supplied us with plenty of human ammo and grenades, so we should be able to handle anything left behind in Daygars after Farr causes a commotion to distract the Covenant."
Farr agreed. "Once you're in position, signal to us and we'll open fire from our hiding spot in the center field. Hopefully we'll draw out the Covenant forces, Howlers and Flood to allow you free access to their cannon."
"I assume some troops will be left behind to defend their cannon, but we shouldn't run into many problems."
Farr looked hard at them. He was concerned. "Follow this winding underground tunnel, and it will open up into a large area. The cannon will be there."
James nodded.
"Good luck," Farr said and stepped down.
The rebels cheered as the Spartans made their exit. Once they arrived outside, James looked around, trying to locate any Covenant forces outside. He saw none on the inside. Most were facing outside on the roof, gunning down any UNSC forces Standon dispatched outside. However, all of them were on full alert for the humans inside Daygars. The humans didn't dare go outside, because Standon thought they had left. If he saw them still present on Raiek, he might dismiss them from the military.
James and Alex slung ropes onto the ceiling and climbed up. They were planning on dropping into the cavern from above. Holding the Master Chief rank, Bryce McClain was left in charge of Jason and Jarrett. He ordered them into the Warthogs left by the Marines and they radioed information back to James and Alex.
"We'll drop in once you arrive in the cavern. I don't know how long you'll last, so we'll help take down aerial weaponry."
"Aye aye, Commander," Bryce said back.
0643 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Prison Blocks of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Brent looked up to the ceiling, searching for a way out. He had been carelessly tossed in after being taken by the Elites on the roof. Left to rot in his cell, Brent had been looking for a possible exit since he first got in. He remembered it well.
Two Elites had knocked him awake, and he immediately started to struggle. They had dragged him down the hall as he kicked and fought. One Elite had smacked him over the head, knocking him senseless as they had tossed him into the cell. Laughing in their strange and cruel manner, they activated the plasma prison bars that held him in.
Now, nearly a day later, he looked up to the ceiling. He could see tiny creatures with an uncountable number of legs scurrying across the ceiling. They were releasing spores down, which forced the brave Spartan to choke and gag on them. He was beginning to fade, and feel like he couldn't breath. Then, he realized those 'insects' were, in truth, the Infection forms of the Flood. But surely they couldn't be infecting him when he was safe inside his suit.
Could they?
Brent put it out of his mind, a sudden feeling of survival rising in his being. He felt as if he had to escape from the Covenant at all costs. They had taken away his weapons, but trying to remove the MJOLNIR armor had proved futile. It was fused to his body, and only he could remove it by releasing the mental "hooks" he had on the suit via his neural implants.
So now he sat, waiting for his fellow troops to pass by, for some Spartans to come to the plasma-barred window, to blast it open and rescue him. He had used his surperior strength to hammer away at the cell walls several times, but the strength of them had proved they were specifically used to hold Spartans, and contain even their might.
Weaponless, friendless, even foeless Brent was as he sat in his cell. He longed for someone to talk to, someone to help him. Then, it hit him like a thunderbolt. They hadn't taken his comm-link! Reaching up, he mustered the strength to tap on the side of his helmet, open the channel, and call to anyone willing to listen.
"Can anyone hear me?"
0646 Hours, August 15, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Roof of Daygars compound on planet Raiek
Master Commander James peered into the complex. He wasn't able to see anything inside for the tinted glass. He and Alex could just barely make out a Prophet surrounded by several Elites and dozens of Grunts. They were milling about the room, minding their own business, building up the power of the cannon, readying the next load of plasma energy for its journey to Raiek's moon. The Commander could only hope that some of them would leave once Farr got his troops organized and opened fire. The Covenant would be surprised to be under attack by their own kind.
It was then that a crackling sound came on through his comm-link and a weary voice came through. "Can anyone hear me?" Instantly recognizing the voice, James spoke back into his mic, eagerly gesturing to his helmet for Alex.
"Brent Ashley, is that you?" James said back into his helmet. "Are you alive? Where are you?"
Brent barely managed to respond, his voice just a tad above a whisper. "They've got me in the prison blocks. Infection Flood are all over the place, but I don't think they can infect me through my helmet," Brent's shaky voice responded. "I'll send you a map of my position. Maybe you'll be able to locate me through a barred window."
Instantly, a three-dee map sprang up onto James's HUD, showing him where Brent was lying in his cell. The image zoomed out, and moved clear across the compound to where Alex and James were standing. James turned to his fellow Spartan. "Brent is being held quite a ways away from here. He'll be more accessable from the roof. Think you can get to him?" James asked as he fed the map to Alex's HUD.
After considering, Alex nodded. "I can do it, sir."
James gestured to the prison blocks' direction. "Then go at it, soldier!" he commanded.
Jason was driving as the Warthog tore down the underground tunnel, on its way to the cannon inside Raiek. But none of the three on-board were sure what was going to stand in their way. Their questions were answered all too soon.
From the ceiling grating, from the cracks in the floor, from the vents in the walls, hundreds of infection form Flood poured into the hall, following the Warthog. Jason accelerated, trying to leave them behind, but they leaped and latched onto the vehicle.
Their twenty-one legs flailed as they leaped, adhering to the slippery metal of a Warthog. As the vehicle sped down the tunnel, they scurried to the front. Bryce was manning the chain-gun, so he aimed down at the runts with a pistol and started to fire. He had to keep them off the military jeep long enough for them to reach the cannon. Then, it was all theirs.
However, the team of three soon came to a break in the large underground tunnel. Width and height shrunk, making entry by any vehicle impossible. Bryce called into his comm-link, asking for orders. "Commander, we're being blocked off. This means we won't be able to get into the cannon room with the Warthog and cover-fire."
"We'll have to find another way in for the Warthog," James responded. "I'm sending you a map of the base now. I've already planned a new route for you. I had a feeling this would happen." James paused, then started to speak again. "Get out of there and make your way through the new route. I will meet you there to confirm the plan once again. Alex has gone to retrieve Brent from his cell, and then he shall return on my order to my exact location."
"Aye aye, Commander," Bryce said and closed his link. The other two had heard him, so he nodded to them.
Jason spun the wheel and turned the vehicle, gunning the engine and running over the countless infection Flood beings that swarmed them. Jarrett and Bryce kept them at bay.
As the team headed to their new destination, they could only hope that the Covenant didn't know they had arrived and that Farr and his team were moving into position.
They could only hope.
Farr 'Tenglannee had massed his army behind a ridge in the middle of the field. They were stationed behind a large blockade, out of view of the Covenant patrols overhead atop the roof of Daygars military compound.
Kakay, the Grunt trying to recreate the MAC technology, stepped forward, addressing his superior. "Excelleny, are we ready to begin this fight?" he asked, armor bobbing as he shifted uncomfortably, speaking in their native tongue.
"We will be ready just as soon as the Commander of the Spartans gives us our signal. Once that time comes, we shall begin the attack on Daygars. How do you recommend we start?" Farr asked, looking at Kakay without emotion. "Lend me your military strategy."
Kakay looked taken aback that a military figure such as the General of Army would be asking a lowly Grunt such as himself a question of that magnitude. But Kakay had studied tactical strategies for several years, and he did know a lot. He opened his mouth to speak. "The best tactic would probably be for several troops to sneak back outside and start firing at the inside from their position."
Farr cocked his head, but nodded. Kakay continued.
"Once they start firing to distract some of the forces, we unleash our full fury from our current position. We'll take them off-guard and perhaps destroy some of them before they know what hit them."
'Tenganlee looked down at his temporary Grunt tactician. "Double distraction, I like it. What about the Banshees that we stole several weeks ago? We still have three of them. What do you propose we use those for, soldier?"
Kakay had another use for those as well. "Bombard the roof of Daygars with them until they are shot down. Remember, the Elites and Grunts and Hunters sent on the missions to distract and air-attack will be sent to their deaths. Recruit only those willing to seem more fair. Tell them their expected fate."
Farr had to think it over. Distraction was a powerful strategy, and air support would greatly aid them in destroying the wall-guards. Once they were down, the rebels would proceed into Daygars itself and kill the Prophets if the Spartans had not done so already. Their main focus, however, was to stay outside and distract the Covenant while the Spartans destroyed that cannon. But if no troops came, they would have to move in.
Farr spoke to his group of organized rebels. "Any volunteers for the missions I know you all heard?" he boomed, trying to keep his voice low enough, though, so the wall-guards would not overhear.
Several Elites and Hunters raised their limbs high into the air. Farr selected seven Elites and four Hunters for distraction, and three more Elites to be assigned to the Banshees. The team of eleven, assigned Distract Team, stood and made their way to the exit of the compound, being careful to stick to the walls and not draw any attention to themselves.
The Banshee Team of three saluted and made their way back into the hideout to retrieve the three flyers they would need. There was another exit just outside the base, unknown to the Covenant, that they could use to start flying.
Farr again turned to Kakay. "You have aided me greatly, tactician. Now, we must sit and wait for the groups to get into position and wait for my orders. Once the Spartans give me the signal, we shall attack!"