CHAPTER 25
Zaran 'Gangolee slowly pulled himself over the side of the ship and raised up to his full height, easily over seven feet tall. Farr 'Tenglannee faced his opponent, panting heavily after the long battle. He had not expected Zaran to be such a fearsome adversary, and he definitely did not expect what happened next.
Zaran raised his right arm and pressed a button on the side of his wrist. From a slit in his arm, a large plasma sword sprung out, sputtering and glowing as it did so, rippling and flowing as if it were a solid object instead of a beamed object. He laughed as he raised it over his head and said, "Let's see you defeat me now!"
However, Farr had some tricks of his own up his claw. He, too, laughed and moved his claw down to his belt and twisted the buckle. Instantly, he vanished, and the air where he stood started to shimmer and ripple. He had activated the cloaking of his type of Elite, a Spec Ops. He wore the silver armor of a Spec Ops Elite, and he still had the belt he had used when he worked with the Covenant.
"You're not so tough!" Farr laughed as his shapeless shimmer moved and Zaran whirled to try and locate him. "Starting to sweat, are you, Zaran?" Farr laughed. "Your plasma sword is of little use if you cannot see your opponent!"
Zaran chuckled low, muttering, "Oh, but I have a pretty good idea of where you are." Then, he struck behind him. Farr did not see the blow and screamed out as the blade embedded itself in the cloaking device on his belt. The belt shattered a fury of spraks and flames, blowing upon impact. Farr tumbled backwards, and Zaran hovered over him, laughing to himself. Then, the side of the ship shattered from the force of air molecules. Farr watched as the Commander started to fall towards the ground.
Farr ran for the edge of the ship and dove over it, racing to catch the Commander. What he would do once he got there he didn't know, but he could not let James die like this. The sake of Earth was in the hands of this human and his teammates, and if the landing didn't kill him, he would die at the claws of the Covenant or at the bloodlust of the Flood.
Zaran laughed aloud. "Don't want to lose your precious Commander, do you?" he asked loudly, calling over the edge of the ship. "Hahahaha!" Then, it dawned on him. He had instructed Targon to leave the Commander to his own claws. That traitor! "You cursed Howler!" he snarled, and leaped over the side of the ship. He snagged the edge where James had made his exit and swung inside.
Targon spun to face him and the other Howler came up to Zaron in greeting. The ruthless Elite killed him in a second with his plasma sword. Decapitation is a bad way to go, however quick and painless. "Traitor!" he snarled as he went into a crouch.
"What do you mean?" Targon asked, looking alarmed. "I have done as you have told me. The ship is your's, and—"
Zaron raised a plasma rifle and pulled the trigger. Targon felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Green blood, his blood, spilled onto the deck and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath from the nostril slits on his skull. "That's another thing!" Zaran growled. "If I had not come after you, you would have left me on the planet to die at the hands of the Flood!"
Targon looked perplexed. "But the Covenant have not yet left the planet!" he gasped, still clutching his guts as his nostrils flared on his head. "You would have been rescued by them!"
Zaran shot Targon again, this time higher up in the chest. The Howler fell over backwards. "Fool! You know I am no longer listening to the trash the Prophets feed us! I have gone against their ways and now I am on my own! It will not be long before I alone rule over the Covenant, without the filth of the Prophecy and their creators!"
After a knock over the head from Zaran, Targon collapsed onto the deck, defeated.
Farr hurtled towards the ground faster than he could ever imagine. He had pressed his limbs flat against his body and easily caught up with the Commander, who was still unconscious. He started to look around for a way to slow their desent and save them both.
From his place amongst the Flood, Jason looked up to watch the two falling. How unfortunate for them that he was against them both. However, if he let them die like this, how would he ever be able to continue thirsting for their blood, and eventually make the kill himself? After considering the consequences of both decisions, he reached up his arm and allowed a tentacle to shoot up towards them.
Alex was still using his assault rifle to fire upon the advancing Flood. Although he and Bryce were pushing them back, it wouldn't be long before they both ran out of ammo. Then, Bryce lowered the LAAG and sighed. "Out," he muttered. He hopped to the ground and resorted to his assault rifle, the two of them using the Warthog for cover and extra ammo (some was stashed in a side compartment) and firing alternately.
With several seconds of spraying, they each had to reload. Alex took out his last clip of ammo, and Bryce took out his third-to-last. They both started to fire at the same time, spraying the massing forces of the Flood, still futilely trying to hold them back. Alex kept on firing, and then he heard a click and looked at his ammo counter on the back of his weapon—it read: 00. Empty.
Bryce slammed a fresh clip into his gun and continued firing. Alex tossed his empty weapon back into the Warthog, disgusted. The only thing he had left was his shotgun, which barely had any ammo left in it (and was almost useless against infection Flood anyway), and his M6D pistol back in the Warthog, which was runnning low on bullets as well. "We won't be able to do this much longer. I think it's time to face the music."
While still spraying the masses with his second-to-last clip, Bryce motioned to the Warthog. "Get into the 'Hog. Once I run out of ammo, we'll have to make a break for it!" Alex hopped into the LRV and watched Bryce's counter run to 00. Then, Bryce slammed his last clip in and the counter jumped to 60. He continued to spray the Flood while he jumped up into the back part of the Warthog, and then the gun clicked. He was out of ammo.
Bryce tossed the gun away, spun around, and screamed. "Drive!" Alex's foot slammed down on the pedal, and the Warthog took off, driving away. When they got a considerable distance away, Alex jammed the handbrake, spun the wheel, and turned around in one quick motion. Then, he gunned the engine and headed right for the little buggers. He intended to mulch them all as they came.
Jason flung the Commander and Farr to the ground, looking menacingly at them both. "Thought you could survive this war! Covenant and human alike will fall to the wrath of the Flood!" He looked up to see Alex and Bryce riding right for him. Bryce was leaning off the side of the Warthog, holding a shotgun aimed right at his chest.
"Eat it, bastards!" he screamed and pulled the trigger. Jason howled aloud and fell over backwards. The infection Flood swarmed to take his place, protecting him with their life, jumping over him to shield his unguarded body from the Spartans. As the last of the infection Flood trailed from the forest, a new wave came. Carrier Flood, followed by combat forms. They were pouring from the forest with no sign of letting up. Bryce turned his shotgun, jumped from the 'Hog, and started to shoot the incoming combat forms. "We have to stop them!" he shouted as he walked.
Jason slowly stood and ripped the bullets from his body, flinging them to the ground. He moved quickly into the trees and wrapped his tentacles around the trunks of two obviously flexible trees. Slowly, he walked backwards, pulling the trees back and making his tentacles go taught. When he was back all the way, he needed more strength, so he retracted his tentacles a bit to give him more force. Then, he jumped from the ground and sailed through the air.
Bryce looked up to see Jason go flying through the air, and land neatly on the outside bulkhead of the Winter. He pointed up and yelled, "He's on the ship!"
Farr held the Commander's head in his lap as they sat in the Warthog. James then sat up slowly, looked at the fallen Banshee and moved over to it, trying to reorient himself as he walked. "I'm going back up there. The rest of you stay here and hold off the Flood. I'm going to kill Jason, Targon and, most of all, Zaran, for good." He grabbed a shotgun as he went.
"You can't fly that thing, sir!" Alex called. "Bryce busted it!"
"By the looks of it, it only took one grenade to the wing. It can still fly." When James was in and ready to fly, he was proved correct yet again. The Banshee still lifted off the ground and took off into the air towards the Winter, which was rising higher and higher into the air; she was already at fifty-five meters up. She was climbing slowly because of damaged engines, but if the core could be restarted, she'd take off much faster...
Inside the Winter, Zaran looked down at the fallen form of Targon and laughed heartily. "You're such a fool to believe the Covenant would do more than just take advantage of the Howlers. We only wanted you for assistance. My people were planning on betraying you and destroying your home world."
"What makes you think I won't tell this to my people before you can carry out your plans?" Targon asked, sitting up and wincing slightly with the movement. "I am still alive, and as long as I can still talk, your secret isn't safe any longer."
Zaran snarled and struck Targon across his skull, sending him painfully into the deckplates. "You won't talk because if so much as a peep escapes your lips, I will kill you slowly and painfully. Understand?" He roared the final word. The sound reverberated through the ship.
Targon raised a plasma pistol that he had found on the deck, but Zaran kicked it from his weak hands, aiming his own gun at Targon's head, smiling at the defeated and crippled Howler. "You're finished! Don't try and make it harder on yourself!"
A growling, almost gurlging noise from the hole Targon's officer had made caused Zaron to turn his head. Jason was headed right for him after leaping from the open hole, and he landed painfully on Zaran's chest, sending the Elite sprawling backwards. "Zaran!" he roared, "You swine! You betray the Flood and the Howlers! Who's to say you will not betray everyone you ally with?"
As Zaran sat up, he growled, "We never allied with you! Your kind are inferior to us, and you should make sure to remember it!"
Jason roared in anger. "I could slay you so quickly you wouldn't be able to blink!" The feared tentacles lashed out again, snatching Zaran from his place and slamming him against the bulkhead, obviously painfully. Jason then snatched Targon and crushed his wind pipe with another tentacle, effectively suffocating him until his eyes glazed over and he collapsed, dead almost instantly.
Zaran was slammed backwards again as he closed his eyes in silent fury. "Let me go!" he growled, still struggling against his bonds.
"I'll let you go, runt!" Jason snarled. "Right out that open hole, I'll let you go!" As Jason pulled his arm back, ready to fling the murderous Elite out the hole, a roaring Banshee appeared in the air outside the ship. It turned and faced the Flood and Covenent warriors and fired twin plasma blasters. Jason dropped the Elite and ripped open a vent shaft above him. Using two tentacles, he shot straight up and out of sight.
Zaran rolled across the floor and ducked behind a monitor. He pulled a plasma rifle from his belt and looked up over the computer. The Banshee was still there. The second it saw him, the guns fired once again, and Zaran ducked. Then, he returned fire, watching the shots bounce from the Banshee's armor. Zaran lit a plasma grenade and hurled it.
James flipped the Banshee on its side just in time for the grenade to whistle by. He fired the cannons again and watched as Zaran jumped behind another form of protection. Just then, Jason shot out from the vent and landed in front of the Banshee. A large tentacle raced for the Banshee, and James moved up just as it sliced into the body, effectively destroying the machine. The Spartan jumped away as the single ship screamed from the sky and exploded against the ground.
Then, a warning signal blared. A very short-range radar detected an impromptu Covenant outpost several miles from their location. It looked to be a docking bay for the plasma from Raiek, and it was now being used to evac the Covies from the planet as fast as they could go.
An M6D pistol went off, and Zaran fell backwards, howling in pain. The bullet had grazed him just above his left eye. Jason took his chance and vanished into the vents again. James peeked over his console and saw Zaran look up. The Spartan unhooked a frag grenade from his belt and held the clip that reloaded when the pin was pulled down with some rope binding he had with him in his belt. He then pulled the pin and rolled the grenade across the ground. It came to rest right next to a console, in front of where Zaran ducked. An effective trap.
James leaped over the console and struck Zaran with his pistol. The Elite fell backwards, but then he sprang up again and knocked James over the head. As the Spartan tried to stabilize himself, Zaran kneed him in the chest. James gasped for air and bent over to clutch his stomach, and the ruthless Elite delivered a swift kick to him, sending him sprawling to the ground, almost unconscious after such painful blows.
"You're a fool!" Zaran laughed as he watched James struggle up. Zaran shoved him back to the deckplates with his talon and laughed a second time. "Persistent, I'll admit. But a fool nonetheless. You actually think that the human forces stand a chance against the Covenant! We are the most ruthless army in the galaxy. We kill without remorse, and the UNSC are no different. The killing will continue until one side falls, Commander, and mark my words, that side is your's!"
James rolled onto his back and glared up at the Elite, who continued his speech. "I was there when we took over the human colony of Reach. I was naught but a minor Elite then, but look at me now! Leader of this band on Orean, and no one can stand in my way!" A tap on his shoulder made the Elite turn around.
"You make me sick." James's fist came faster than the Elite could see. He gasped aloud and was flung across the room. James followed him and punched him hard three times in the chest. Then, he pulled him upright, head-butted him, kneed him twice more in the chest, and punched his head twice more. "The Covenant will fall, Zaran! I was a Marine when Reach fell, not even stationed on that planet, but I know the pain and grief of the families that lost loved ones. And you gloat like it's the best thing in the universe!"
Zaran's head rolled back, his eyes fluttering. He was barely clinging to life. "The universe is a vast place, Commander," Zaran said quietly.
James growled aloud and hurled the Elite against the wall. The back of Zaran's helmet cracked and he stumbled forward. James came in again and punched him twice in the chest and once more in the head. "Don't you get it, Zaran?" he roared. "Humans will win against the Covenant because we have something to fight for! Freedom!" Zaran slumped to the ground.
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked tersely. "You can right now, Commander. It is your right. You have defeated me in battle and now it's your honor to kill me. I won't try and stop you." As Zaran spoke, he pressed a miniscule button on his wrist. A small light snapped on just above it.
"No, I won't kill you!" James hissed, crouching and pulling Zaran close. "That's not the way humans do things. But I will tell you what is going to happen to you. I'm going to take you with me; you're a valuable asset to the UNSC. We could use someone like you that knows everything the Covenant plans to do." James removed the ammo clip from his M6D and showed the last bullet in the clip to Zaran. "This bullet has your name on it."
A shaking rocked the ship. James moved to the controls and gripped the height joystick. He grabbed it and positioned it down, then locked it like that. Moving over to the console right next to it, he shut off the engines and activated the reserve boosters. The ship would land safely now.
James looked out the side of the ship to see Covenant forces on their way. "Did you call them?" he growled, whirling back to Zaran. The Elite was gone. James's head flashed around, and he saw Zaran holding a standard S2 AM Sniper's Rifle. He was aiming it out the hole down below him. In his sights was the moving Warthog, which was being pursued by the Flood. The crosshairs moved right over Farr 'Tenglannee.
Though the Commander didn't know who Zaran was targeting, it obviously wasn't the Covies. He leaped forward and knocked the gun just before it went off. The bullet still traveled and struck Farr in his left arm. He screamed aloud and toppled from the Warthog.
James grabbed the rifle and knocked Zaran over the head with it. "Killer!" he cried. "You murder without remorse! I have beaten the living tar out of you, and yet you still can't stop killing!"
Zaran laughed. "I figure if you're going to kill me, I might as well kill that traitor before I die, eh, Commander?" He laughed again and James shot him in the chest with his pistol, causing the Elite to fall back and sit on the ground, staring up at him. "You're going to kill me, Commander. I can feel it in my bones."
Then, James realized it. Zaran was trying to get killed so he wouldn't be tortured or give up any information that would be vital to the cause of the Covenant. As he was pondering this over, another figure got up behind him. He spun to see Targon standing up, his wounds on his chest from the plasma healing rapidly. His crushed throat was almost back to full size. "Forgot to mention it, Zaran," Targon laughed as Zaran looked on in horror, "I can heal very, very, quickly!"
Targon leaped at James, and landed in front of him. He opened his tooth- rimmed mouth as wide as it would go and started his howl. "Kee—" James clamped his massive hand over the Howler's mouth, dug in his fingers, and glared at him, frowning under his helmet. "Two words for you, Targon," James muttered. "Shut....up!" He flung Targon backwards roughly, and punched him once. The Howler cartwheeled his arms...and fell from the ship out the very hole his now-fallen teammate had made for James.
James spun to face Zaran, who was lying painfully on the ground. "You're next if you betray me, Zaran!" Just then, he heard the sounds of Banshees and Ghosts in the distance, followed by the unmistakable whine of the Covenant dropship engines. The Commander snatched Zaran up and growled, "Did you call them?" Zaran didn't respond. "Did you?" he hissed, shaking the Elite violently. When there was no response, James flung Zaran to the floor in disgust and moved back to the hole.
He could see them now. Three dropships, eight Ghosts, and two Banshees—it was obviously Zaran that had called them, but he didn't know if his friends on the ground would be able to stop them from boarding the ship. Then, a dropship popped right into sight in the hole. One side of it hissed open and a line of Grunts started to hop into the Winter.
The M6D pistol cracked twice, and two Grunts fell, both dead from headshots. A Grunt came in waving a needler, and James sprinted behind a console as the needles fired at him, tracking his movement. They stuck into his armor and detonated, removing his shields. "Stupid needlers," he muttered. Then, he leaned up and fired two more shots, taking down two more Grunts.
Three more Grunts dove into the ship. James shot one in its methane tank, and the force of the expelling gas sent the body spinning like a top. The Commander shot another in the leg, and the final Grunt twice in the chest. They both fell, mortally wounded or dead.
James looked to his left and saw Zaran leaping past him. He was headed for the door. "No, you don't!" James shouted. He slammed a fresh clip into the pistol and aimed for the grenade he had set earlier. When he was sure he had it lined up by following the reticule in his HUD, James pulled the trigger. The grenade went off with a whumping noise, and sent Zaran flying across the room. He slumped against the side, unconscious.
Farr 'Tenglannee didn't even see the shot coming. He screamed aloud when the bullet from the rifle hit him in the arm, and he toppled from the Warthog. Alex and Bryce didn't notice at first, but then they saw the Flood swarming over his body Alex took immediate action. Using a one-hundred-and- eighty degree spin technique he had learned in training, Alex would to turn back for Farr.
He floored the 'Hog as far as it would go to build up speed for the spin. Then, he pulled up the handbrake, released the gas, spun the wheel, and hit the gas again after releasing the brake. The Warthog turned right around, coming to rest in the opposite direction. Alex released the handbrake, jammed the gas, and Bryce leaned out the side. He took out his pistol and started shooting the Flood that were on top of Farr. When they got within a hairsbredth, Bryce snatched the Elite and hauled him aboard.
Farr was laid in the passenger's seat and fixed up with some biofoam. After that stunt, it wasn't long before the two Spartans heard the roar of Covenant vehicles coming in the distance. They barely had any weaponry left, so it would definitely be a miracle if they survived this encounter. One of the dropships headed for the Winter, and the other two started to land and deploy their cargo (Covie warriors).
"We're moving into the trees," Alex said and gunned the engine. The Warthog shot into the treeline. Alex stopped the vehicle and they all got out to wacth.
The Covenant ships unloaded their warriors and fired plasma as they left from the underside of the ships, which was of little use against the Flood. Just then, the Banshees roared overhead, and the eight Ghosts came into view. It was going to be a firefight between the Flood and Covies before they came after the Spartans.
Combat forms fired their stolen shotguns, killing the Grunts very quickly, and in large numbers they fell easily to the Flood. Infection forms swarmed over the Covenant and infected them to bring them to the Flood's side. Carrier forms wobbled into the field and detonated when they were shot or fell to release more of the infection forms.
Although it seemed like the battle was moving for the Flood, the Covies weren't done yet. Ghosts came flying into the battle and easily started killing groups of combat forms without problems. Their plasma weapons were of little use, but they could gore their adversaries on the Ghost's front end. Flood fought back bravely and rather mindlessly, but it was the Covies that pushed them back in the end, although their numbers were significantly dwindled. The Flood retreated into the forest, leaving the Covenant to search for the Spartans.
James's shotgun, which he had found in a weapons locker while the Covenant ship was spinning around to drop off more troops, went off. A Jackal that was hopping into the ship with its shield at its side screamed and fell from sight.
Four more Jackals jumped in and fired their guns, cackling madly. They all wielded plasma weaponry, and searched the room for James, who was out of sight, as if he had vanished into thin air. The Jackals moved about the bridge room, looking under computers and chairs, but not finding a single thing.
One Jackal moved over to a weapons locker and opened it. He was met by the muzzle of a shotgun right at his face. The shotgun went off and he screamed...his head was gone, blown to bits by the sheer power of the weapon. As the body fell backwards, James leaped from his hiding spot and fired again, and again. Two more Jackals fell, and the final one spun to face James. His shotgun banged again, and the final Jackal collapsed, dead. He wasn't doing too shabby for being alone with very little ammo.
However, after Grunts and Jackals always came one thing: Elites. The most ruthless, vile, evil warriors in the Covenant, serving as the shock troops, Elites were extremely deadly in combat. James didn't know how many would be deployed, or if he could destroy all of them. It was time to find out.
The clattering talons of five Elites jumping into the ship sounded like thunder as it echoed throughout the bridge. Three Elites were blue, one was red, and the last was gray. The one in gray smiled and flicked his belt, shimmered, and vanished. James raised his shotgun and fired at an Elite, who stumbled backwards as his shield flared. James fired again and then once more. The Elite's shield failed, and James shot him in the head. The Elite howled aloud and fell to the ground, dead.
The other two blues advanced. The red looked to be waiting for their comrades to attack, and the gray was nowhere to be seen. James reached for his pouched belt that hung about his waist—to find he was out of shotgun ammo. Throwing the gun down in disgust, James drew his assault rifle and aimed at the nearest blue Elite. Then, he squeezed the trigger.
Shields flashed across the body of the Elite, shimmered, and failed. The Elite roared and fell, dead. His buddy leaped at the Commander, grabbing him into a head-lock. The red Elite punched his helmet, cracking his visor in yet another place. Punches started to come from nowhere; The stealth Elite was striking. James activated a grenade and slapped it into the back of the Elite holding him.
James jumped away as the Elite roared in anger. James pulled the trigger of his assault weapon just as the blue Elite was about to rush him. The plasma grenade went off and the Elite flew into the air, dead. The red Elite's shield failed, and James ripped into him with his MA5B, not letting up on the trigger. When the Elite fell, James slammed a fresh clip into his gun and looked around the room for the Spec Ops Elite.
Then, a punch came. James grabbed hold of his attacked stomach, dropping his gun, which clattered to the deckplates. Another punch at his back, legs, knee, stomach again, helmet, neck, left side, right side, chest, and then helmet once more. James gasped and fell backwards.
The Spec Ops Elite laughed as he reappeared. The Elite reached down to pick up James's weapon, but the Spartan lunged for it, aimed up, and fired. The Elite started to activate his stealth, but the bullets ripped into the device and fried it. Then, shields failed, and the Elite fell to the hail of bullets.
James put a fresh clip into his gun and then watched the counter in his HUD and on the gun jump back to 60. Zaran was sitting up next to a console, watching as James slung the gun on his back and dumped the bodies out the hole. The ship was slowly setting itself back onto the ground. The Spartan had won the battle...for now.
In the weapons lockers, James found nearly a dozen more clips for his assault rifle and pocketed them all. Then, he took all the M6D ammo he could find, along with more frag grenades. He was completely maxed out on ammo by the time he was done.
"You are very formidable in combat," Zaran mumbled as he massaged his left eye, where James had shot him. "That I must give you credit for, Commander."
"Covenant forces inbound," Alex said, holding up his hand. "Wait before you fire. On my mark." The Ghosts started to advance towards the line of trees where the Spartans and Elite rebel hid, trying to saty out of sight. Two Banshees roared overhead, and the dropships had pulled away. Probably going back to the last remaining Covenant outpost to bring more forces.
"Mark." Alex raised his M6D and opened fire. An Elite on the Ghost watched as his shields flared. Two shots later, they died. The next shot was to the head. As the Elite fell from his hoversled, it swerved to the side and rammed into another Ghost. The two of them immediately exploded—metal from the first had torn into the fuel tank on the second—and they both clattered to the ground, reduced to piles of slag.
Bryce's pistol rang out twice, and the shields of another Elite failed. The next shot hit his head and he fell as well. This Ghost didn't hit any other Ghosts, unfortunately for the Spartans.
Farr 'Tenglannee was focusing more on the Banshees. He had scaled a tree and was watching from the highest limb. The two air vehicles screamed overhead, and Farr loosed a plasma grenade from his belt. It was the last one he had, so he had to make this throw count. They were flying side-by- side, which would make his job easier. Farr lit the grenade and hurled it upwards. The little devil attached itself onto the left side of the left ship. In four seconds, it went off. The Banshee exploded, and slammed into the one next to it because of the force of the sideways motion. They both fell from the sky and crashed into the forest.
"This is an insane fight," Bryce said as he destroyed another Ghost. "They're going to get more reinforcements and then we're done for. I'm almost out of ammo for this thing."
"There's only five Ghosts left. They can't get us as long as we stay in the line of trees. Just keep firing your pistol, soldier!" Alex's pistol cracked thrice, and another Elite fell. This one hit another sled in the process. These two took out a third, a lucky break for the humans. "See that?" Alex said quickly. "Only two left." He reloaded and took aim again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The pistol went off three times; two for shields and one head-shot. Another Elite toppled to the ground and his sled stopped almost instantly. Alex sprinted into the open and fired once more. The final Elite howled in pain and toppled off his sled. They had won...for the time being.
"Quickly!" Alex ordered. "Commandeer these sleds. We're going to find that outpost James mentioned and destroy it. I've got some ammo from the Warthog, so let's use it." They spread it evenly throughout the group. Each of them chose a Ghost and got onto it. Farr seemed a bit more skilled in using it than the Spartans, but they all seemed competant enough.
In a V-shaped formation, Alex at the lead, Farr to his right and Bryce on his left, the tiny group of Ghosts made its way into the forest in the direction the Covies had come. They wanted to destroy the outpost themselves.
Zaran 'Gangolee slowly pulled himself over the side of the ship and raised up to his full height, easily over seven feet tall. Farr 'Tenglannee faced his opponent, panting heavily after the long battle. He had not expected Zaran to be such a fearsome adversary, and he definitely did not expect what happened next.
Zaran raised his right arm and pressed a button on the side of his wrist. From a slit in his arm, a large plasma sword sprung out, sputtering and glowing as it did so, rippling and flowing as if it were a solid object instead of a beamed object. He laughed as he raised it over his head and said, "Let's see you defeat me now!"
However, Farr had some tricks of his own up his claw. He, too, laughed and moved his claw down to his belt and twisted the buckle. Instantly, he vanished, and the air where he stood started to shimmer and ripple. He had activated the cloaking of his type of Elite, a Spec Ops. He wore the silver armor of a Spec Ops Elite, and he still had the belt he had used when he worked with the Covenant.
"You're not so tough!" Farr laughed as his shapeless shimmer moved and Zaran whirled to try and locate him. "Starting to sweat, are you, Zaran?" Farr laughed. "Your plasma sword is of little use if you cannot see your opponent!"
Zaran chuckled low, muttering, "Oh, but I have a pretty good idea of where you are." Then, he struck behind him. Farr did not see the blow and screamed out as the blade embedded itself in the cloaking device on his belt. The belt shattered a fury of spraks and flames, blowing upon impact. Farr tumbled backwards, and Zaran hovered over him, laughing to himself. Then, the side of the ship shattered from the force of air molecules. Farr watched as the Commander started to fall towards the ground.
Farr ran for the edge of the ship and dove over it, racing to catch the Commander. What he would do once he got there he didn't know, but he could not let James die like this. The sake of Earth was in the hands of this human and his teammates, and if the landing didn't kill him, he would die at the claws of the Covenant or at the bloodlust of the Flood.
Zaran laughed aloud. "Don't want to lose your precious Commander, do you?" he asked loudly, calling over the edge of the ship. "Hahahaha!" Then, it dawned on him. He had instructed Targon to leave the Commander to his own claws. That traitor! "You cursed Howler!" he snarled, and leaped over the side of the ship. He snagged the edge where James had made his exit and swung inside.
Targon spun to face him and the other Howler came up to Zaron in greeting. The ruthless Elite killed him in a second with his plasma sword. Decapitation is a bad way to go, however quick and painless. "Traitor!" he snarled as he went into a crouch.
"What do you mean?" Targon asked, looking alarmed. "I have done as you have told me. The ship is your's, and—"
Zaron raised a plasma rifle and pulled the trigger. Targon felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Green blood, his blood, spilled onto the deck and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath from the nostril slits on his skull. "That's another thing!" Zaran growled. "If I had not come after you, you would have left me on the planet to die at the hands of the Flood!"
Targon looked perplexed. "But the Covenant have not yet left the planet!" he gasped, still clutching his guts as his nostrils flared on his head. "You would have been rescued by them!"
Zaran shot Targon again, this time higher up in the chest. The Howler fell over backwards. "Fool! You know I am no longer listening to the trash the Prophets feed us! I have gone against their ways and now I am on my own! It will not be long before I alone rule over the Covenant, without the filth of the Prophecy and their creators!"
After a knock over the head from Zaran, Targon collapsed onto the deck, defeated.
Farr hurtled towards the ground faster than he could ever imagine. He had pressed his limbs flat against his body and easily caught up with the Commander, who was still unconscious. He started to look around for a way to slow their desent and save them both.
From his place amongst the Flood, Jason looked up to watch the two falling. How unfortunate for them that he was against them both. However, if he let them die like this, how would he ever be able to continue thirsting for their blood, and eventually make the kill himself? After considering the consequences of both decisions, he reached up his arm and allowed a tentacle to shoot up towards them.
Alex was still using his assault rifle to fire upon the advancing Flood. Although he and Bryce were pushing them back, it wouldn't be long before they both ran out of ammo. Then, Bryce lowered the LAAG and sighed. "Out," he muttered. He hopped to the ground and resorted to his assault rifle, the two of them using the Warthog for cover and extra ammo (some was stashed in a side compartment) and firing alternately.
With several seconds of spraying, they each had to reload. Alex took out his last clip of ammo, and Bryce took out his third-to-last. They both started to fire at the same time, spraying the massing forces of the Flood, still futilely trying to hold them back. Alex kept on firing, and then he heard a click and looked at his ammo counter on the back of his weapon—it read: 00. Empty.
Bryce slammed a fresh clip into his gun and continued firing. Alex tossed his empty weapon back into the Warthog, disgusted. The only thing he had left was his shotgun, which barely had any ammo left in it (and was almost useless against infection Flood anyway), and his M6D pistol back in the Warthog, which was runnning low on bullets as well. "We won't be able to do this much longer. I think it's time to face the music."
While still spraying the masses with his second-to-last clip, Bryce motioned to the Warthog. "Get into the 'Hog. Once I run out of ammo, we'll have to make a break for it!" Alex hopped into the LRV and watched Bryce's counter run to 00. Then, Bryce slammed his last clip in and the counter jumped to 60. He continued to spray the Flood while he jumped up into the back part of the Warthog, and then the gun clicked. He was out of ammo.
Bryce tossed the gun away, spun around, and screamed. "Drive!" Alex's foot slammed down on the pedal, and the Warthog took off, driving away. When they got a considerable distance away, Alex jammed the handbrake, spun the wheel, and turned around in one quick motion. Then, he gunned the engine and headed right for the little buggers. He intended to mulch them all as they came.
Jason flung the Commander and Farr to the ground, looking menacingly at them both. "Thought you could survive this war! Covenant and human alike will fall to the wrath of the Flood!" He looked up to see Alex and Bryce riding right for him. Bryce was leaning off the side of the Warthog, holding a shotgun aimed right at his chest.
"Eat it, bastards!" he screamed and pulled the trigger. Jason howled aloud and fell over backwards. The infection Flood swarmed to take his place, protecting him with their life, jumping over him to shield his unguarded body from the Spartans. As the last of the infection Flood trailed from the forest, a new wave came. Carrier Flood, followed by combat forms. They were pouring from the forest with no sign of letting up. Bryce turned his shotgun, jumped from the 'Hog, and started to shoot the incoming combat forms. "We have to stop them!" he shouted as he walked.
Jason slowly stood and ripped the bullets from his body, flinging them to the ground. He moved quickly into the trees and wrapped his tentacles around the trunks of two obviously flexible trees. Slowly, he walked backwards, pulling the trees back and making his tentacles go taught. When he was back all the way, he needed more strength, so he retracted his tentacles a bit to give him more force. Then, he jumped from the ground and sailed through the air.
Bryce looked up to see Jason go flying through the air, and land neatly on the outside bulkhead of the Winter. He pointed up and yelled, "He's on the ship!"
Farr held the Commander's head in his lap as they sat in the Warthog. James then sat up slowly, looked at the fallen Banshee and moved over to it, trying to reorient himself as he walked. "I'm going back up there. The rest of you stay here and hold off the Flood. I'm going to kill Jason, Targon and, most of all, Zaran, for good." He grabbed a shotgun as he went.
"You can't fly that thing, sir!" Alex called. "Bryce busted it!"
"By the looks of it, it only took one grenade to the wing. It can still fly." When James was in and ready to fly, he was proved correct yet again. The Banshee still lifted off the ground and took off into the air towards the Winter, which was rising higher and higher into the air; she was already at fifty-five meters up. She was climbing slowly because of damaged engines, but if the core could be restarted, she'd take off much faster...
Inside the Winter, Zaran looked down at the fallen form of Targon and laughed heartily. "You're such a fool to believe the Covenant would do more than just take advantage of the Howlers. We only wanted you for assistance. My people were planning on betraying you and destroying your home world."
"What makes you think I won't tell this to my people before you can carry out your plans?" Targon asked, sitting up and wincing slightly with the movement. "I am still alive, and as long as I can still talk, your secret isn't safe any longer."
Zaran snarled and struck Targon across his skull, sending him painfully into the deckplates. "You won't talk because if so much as a peep escapes your lips, I will kill you slowly and painfully. Understand?" He roared the final word. The sound reverberated through the ship.
Targon raised a plasma pistol that he had found on the deck, but Zaran kicked it from his weak hands, aiming his own gun at Targon's head, smiling at the defeated and crippled Howler. "You're finished! Don't try and make it harder on yourself!"
A growling, almost gurlging noise from the hole Targon's officer had made caused Zaron to turn his head. Jason was headed right for him after leaping from the open hole, and he landed painfully on Zaran's chest, sending the Elite sprawling backwards. "Zaran!" he roared, "You swine! You betray the Flood and the Howlers! Who's to say you will not betray everyone you ally with?"
As Zaran sat up, he growled, "We never allied with you! Your kind are inferior to us, and you should make sure to remember it!"
Jason roared in anger. "I could slay you so quickly you wouldn't be able to blink!" The feared tentacles lashed out again, snatching Zaran from his place and slamming him against the bulkhead, obviously painfully. Jason then snatched Targon and crushed his wind pipe with another tentacle, effectively suffocating him until his eyes glazed over and he collapsed, dead almost instantly.
Zaran was slammed backwards again as he closed his eyes in silent fury. "Let me go!" he growled, still struggling against his bonds.
"I'll let you go, runt!" Jason snarled. "Right out that open hole, I'll let you go!" As Jason pulled his arm back, ready to fling the murderous Elite out the hole, a roaring Banshee appeared in the air outside the ship. It turned and faced the Flood and Covenent warriors and fired twin plasma blasters. Jason dropped the Elite and ripped open a vent shaft above him. Using two tentacles, he shot straight up and out of sight.
Zaran rolled across the floor and ducked behind a monitor. He pulled a plasma rifle from his belt and looked up over the computer. The Banshee was still there. The second it saw him, the guns fired once again, and Zaran ducked. Then, he returned fire, watching the shots bounce from the Banshee's armor. Zaran lit a plasma grenade and hurled it.
James flipped the Banshee on its side just in time for the grenade to whistle by. He fired the cannons again and watched as Zaran jumped behind another form of protection. Just then, Jason shot out from the vent and landed in front of the Banshee. A large tentacle raced for the Banshee, and James moved up just as it sliced into the body, effectively destroying the machine. The Spartan jumped away as the single ship screamed from the sky and exploded against the ground.
Then, a warning signal blared. A very short-range radar detected an impromptu Covenant outpost several miles from their location. It looked to be a docking bay for the plasma from Raiek, and it was now being used to evac the Covies from the planet as fast as they could go.
An M6D pistol went off, and Zaran fell backwards, howling in pain. The bullet had grazed him just above his left eye. Jason took his chance and vanished into the vents again. James peeked over his console and saw Zaran look up. The Spartan unhooked a frag grenade from his belt and held the clip that reloaded when the pin was pulled down with some rope binding he had with him in his belt. He then pulled the pin and rolled the grenade across the ground. It came to rest right next to a console, in front of where Zaran ducked. An effective trap.
James leaped over the console and struck Zaran with his pistol. The Elite fell backwards, but then he sprang up again and knocked James over the head. As the Spartan tried to stabilize himself, Zaran kneed him in the chest. James gasped for air and bent over to clutch his stomach, and the ruthless Elite delivered a swift kick to him, sending him sprawling to the ground, almost unconscious after such painful blows.
"You're a fool!" Zaran laughed as he watched James struggle up. Zaran shoved him back to the deckplates with his talon and laughed a second time. "Persistent, I'll admit. But a fool nonetheless. You actually think that the human forces stand a chance against the Covenant! We are the most ruthless army in the galaxy. We kill without remorse, and the UNSC are no different. The killing will continue until one side falls, Commander, and mark my words, that side is your's!"
James rolled onto his back and glared up at the Elite, who continued his speech. "I was there when we took over the human colony of Reach. I was naught but a minor Elite then, but look at me now! Leader of this band on Orean, and no one can stand in my way!" A tap on his shoulder made the Elite turn around.
"You make me sick." James's fist came faster than the Elite could see. He gasped aloud and was flung across the room. James followed him and punched him hard three times in the chest. Then, he pulled him upright, head-butted him, kneed him twice more in the chest, and punched his head twice more. "The Covenant will fall, Zaran! I was a Marine when Reach fell, not even stationed on that planet, but I know the pain and grief of the families that lost loved ones. And you gloat like it's the best thing in the universe!"
Zaran's head rolled back, his eyes fluttering. He was barely clinging to life. "The universe is a vast place, Commander," Zaran said quietly.
James growled aloud and hurled the Elite against the wall. The back of Zaran's helmet cracked and he stumbled forward. James came in again and punched him twice in the chest and once more in the head. "Don't you get it, Zaran?" he roared. "Humans will win against the Covenant because we have something to fight for! Freedom!" Zaran slumped to the ground.
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked tersely. "You can right now, Commander. It is your right. You have defeated me in battle and now it's your honor to kill me. I won't try and stop you." As Zaran spoke, he pressed a miniscule button on his wrist. A small light snapped on just above it.
"No, I won't kill you!" James hissed, crouching and pulling Zaran close. "That's not the way humans do things. But I will tell you what is going to happen to you. I'm going to take you with me; you're a valuable asset to the UNSC. We could use someone like you that knows everything the Covenant plans to do." James removed the ammo clip from his M6D and showed the last bullet in the clip to Zaran. "This bullet has your name on it."
A shaking rocked the ship. James moved to the controls and gripped the height joystick. He grabbed it and positioned it down, then locked it like that. Moving over to the console right next to it, he shut off the engines and activated the reserve boosters. The ship would land safely now.
James looked out the side of the ship to see Covenant forces on their way. "Did you call them?" he growled, whirling back to Zaran. The Elite was gone. James's head flashed around, and he saw Zaran holding a standard S2 AM Sniper's Rifle. He was aiming it out the hole down below him. In his sights was the moving Warthog, which was being pursued by the Flood. The crosshairs moved right over Farr 'Tenglannee.
Though the Commander didn't know who Zaran was targeting, it obviously wasn't the Covies. He leaped forward and knocked the gun just before it went off. The bullet still traveled and struck Farr in his left arm. He screamed aloud and toppled from the Warthog.
James grabbed the rifle and knocked Zaran over the head with it. "Killer!" he cried. "You murder without remorse! I have beaten the living tar out of you, and yet you still can't stop killing!"
Zaran laughed. "I figure if you're going to kill me, I might as well kill that traitor before I die, eh, Commander?" He laughed again and James shot him in the chest with his pistol, causing the Elite to fall back and sit on the ground, staring up at him. "You're going to kill me, Commander. I can feel it in my bones."
Then, James realized it. Zaran was trying to get killed so he wouldn't be tortured or give up any information that would be vital to the cause of the Covenant. As he was pondering this over, another figure got up behind him. He spun to see Targon standing up, his wounds on his chest from the plasma healing rapidly. His crushed throat was almost back to full size. "Forgot to mention it, Zaran," Targon laughed as Zaran looked on in horror, "I can heal very, very, quickly!"
Targon leaped at James, and landed in front of him. He opened his tooth- rimmed mouth as wide as it would go and started his howl. "Kee—" James clamped his massive hand over the Howler's mouth, dug in his fingers, and glared at him, frowning under his helmet. "Two words for you, Targon," James muttered. "Shut....up!" He flung Targon backwards roughly, and punched him once. The Howler cartwheeled his arms...and fell from the ship out the very hole his now-fallen teammate had made for James.
James spun to face Zaran, who was lying painfully on the ground. "You're next if you betray me, Zaran!" Just then, he heard the sounds of Banshees and Ghosts in the distance, followed by the unmistakable whine of the Covenant dropship engines. The Commander snatched Zaran up and growled, "Did you call them?" Zaran didn't respond. "Did you?" he hissed, shaking the Elite violently. When there was no response, James flung Zaran to the floor in disgust and moved back to the hole.
He could see them now. Three dropships, eight Ghosts, and two Banshees—it was obviously Zaran that had called them, but he didn't know if his friends on the ground would be able to stop them from boarding the ship. Then, a dropship popped right into sight in the hole. One side of it hissed open and a line of Grunts started to hop into the Winter.
The M6D pistol cracked twice, and two Grunts fell, both dead from headshots. A Grunt came in waving a needler, and James sprinted behind a console as the needles fired at him, tracking his movement. They stuck into his armor and detonated, removing his shields. "Stupid needlers," he muttered. Then, he leaned up and fired two more shots, taking down two more Grunts.
Three more Grunts dove into the ship. James shot one in its methane tank, and the force of the expelling gas sent the body spinning like a top. The Commander shot another in the leg, and the final Grunt twice in the chest. They both fell, mortally wounded or dead.
James looked to his left and saw Zaran leaping past him. He was headed for the door. "No, you don't!" James shouted. He slammed a fresh clip into the pistol and aimed for the grenade he had set earlier. When he was sure he had it lined up by following the reticule in his HUD, James pulled the trigger. The grenade went off with a whumping noise, and sent Zaran flying across the room. He slumped against the side, unconscious.
Farr 'Tenglannee didn't even see the shot coming. He screamed aloud when the bullet from the rifle hit him in the arm, and he toppled from the Warthog. Alex and Bryce didn't notice at first, but then they saw the Flood swarming over his body Alex took immediate action. Using a one-hundred-and- eighty degree spin technique he had learned in training, Alex would to turn back for Farr.
He floored the 'Hog as far as it would go to build up speed for the spin. Then, he pulled up the handbrake, released the gas, spun the wheel, and hit the gas again after releasing the brake. The Warthog turned right around, coming to rest in the opposite direction. Alex released the handbrake, jammed the gas, and Bryce leaned out the side. He took out his pistol and started shooting the Flood that were on top of Farr. When they got within a hairsbredth, Bryce snatched the Elite and hauled him aboard.
Farr was laid in the passenger's seat and fixed up with some biofoam. After that stunt, it wasn't long before the two Spartans heard the roar of Covenant vehicles coming in the distance. They barely had any weaponry left, so it would definitely be a miracle if they survived this encounter. One of the dropships headed for the Winter, and the other two started to land and deploy their cargo (Covie warriors).
"We're moving into the trees," Alex said and gunned the engine. The Warthog shot into the treeline. Alex stopped the vehicle and they all got out to wacth.
The Covenant ships unloaded their warriors and fired plasma as they left from the underside of the ships, which was of little use against the Flood. Just then, the Banshees roared overhead, and the eight Ghosts came into view. It was going to be a firefight between the Flood and Covies before they came after the Spartans.
Combat forms fired their stolen shotguns, killing the Grunts very quickly, and in large numbers they fell easily to the Flood. Infection forms swarmed over the Covenant and infected them to bring them to the Flood's side. Carrier forms wobbled into the field and detonated when they were shot or fell to release more of the infection forms.
Although it seemed like the battle was moving for the Flood, the Covies weren't done yet. Ghosts came flying into the battle and easily started killing groups of combat forms without problems. Their plasma weapons were of little use, but they could gore their adversaries on the Ghost's front end. Flood fought back bravely and rather mindlessly, but it was the Covies that pushed them back in the end, although their numbers were significantly dwindled. The Flood retreated into the forest, leaving the Covenant to search for the Spartans.
James's shotgun, which he had found in a weapons locker while the Covenant ship was spinning around to drop off more troops, went off. A Jackal that was hopping into the ship with its shield at its side screamed and fell from sight.
Four more Jackals jumped in and fired their guns, cackling madly. They all wielded plasma weaponry, and searched the room for James, who was out of sight, as if he had vanished into thin air. The Jackals moved about the bridge room, looking under computers and chairs, but not finding a single thing.
One Jackal moved over to a weapons locker and opened it. He was met by the muzzle of a shotgun right at his face. The shotgun went off and he screamed...his head was gone, blown to bits by the sheer power of the weapon. As the body fell backwards, James leaped from his hiding spot and fired again, and again. Two more Jackals fell, and the final one spun to face James. His shotgun banged again, and the final Jackal collapsed, dead. He wasn't doing too shabby for being alone with very little ammo.
However, after Grunts and Jackals always came one thing: Elites. The most ruthless, vile, evil warriors in the Covenant, serving as the shock troops, Elites were extremely deadly in combat. James didn't know how many would be deployed, or if he could destroy all of them. It was time to find out.
The clattering talons of five Elites jumping into the ship sounded like thunder as it echoed throughout the bridge. Three Elites were blue, one was red, and the last was gray. The one in gray smiled and flicked his belt, shimmered, and vanished. James raised his shotgun and fired at an Elite, who stumbled backwards as his shield flared. James fired again and then once more. The Elite's shield failed, and James shot him in the head. The Elite howled aloud and fell to the ground, dead.
The other two blues advanced. The red looked to be waiting for their comrades to attack, and the gray was nowhere to be seen. James reached for his pouched belt that hung about his waist—to find he was out of shotgun ammo. Throwing the gun down in disgust, James drew his assault rifle and aimed at the nearest blue Elite. Then, he squeezed the trigger.
Shields flashed across the body of the Elite, shimmered, and failed. The Elite roared and fell, dead. His buddy leaped at the Commander, grabbing him into a head-lock. The red Elite punched his helmet, cracking his visor in yet another place. Punches started to come from nowhere; The stealth Elite was striking. James activated a grenade and slapped it into the back of the Elite holding him.
James jumped away as the Elite roared in anger. James pulled the trigger of his assault weapon just as the blue Elite was about to rush him. The plasma grenade went off and the Elite flew into the air, dead. The red Elite's shield failed, and James ripped into him with his MA5B, not letting up on the trigger. When the Elite fell, James slammed a fresh clip into his gun and looked around the room for the Spec Ops Elite.
Then, a punch came. James grabbed hold of his attacked stomach, dropping his gun, which clattered to the deckplates. Another punch at his back, legs, knee, stomach again, helmet, neck, left side, right side, chest, and then helmet once more. James gasped and fell backwards.
The Spec Ops Elite laughed as he reappeared. The Elite reached down to pick up James's weapon, but the Spartan lunged for it, aimed up, and fired. The Elite started to activate his stealth, but the bullets ripped into the device and fried it. Then, shields failed, and the Elite fell to the hail of bullets.
James put a fresh clip into his gun and then watched the counter in his HUD and on the gun jump back to 60. Zaran was sitting up next to a console, watching as James slung the gun on his back and dumped the bodies out the hole. The ship was slowly setting itself back onto the ground. The Spartan had won the battle...for now.
In the weapons lockers, James found nearly a dozen more clips for his assault rifle and pocketed them all. Then, he took all the M6D ammo he could find, along with more frag grenades. He was completely maxed out on ammo by the time he was done.
"You are very formidable in combat," Zaran mumbled as he massaged his left eye, where James had shot him. "That I must give you credit for, Commander."
"Covenant forces inbound," Alex said, holding up his hand. "Wait before you fire. On my mark." The Ghosts started to advance towards the line of trees where the Spartans and Elite rebel hid, trying to saty out of sight. Two Banshees roared overhead, and the dropships had pulled away. Probably going back to the last remaining Covenant outpost to bring more forces.
"Mark." Alex raised his M6D and opened fire. An Elite on the Ghost watched as his shields flared. Two shots later, they died. The next shot was to the head. As the Elite fell from his hoversled, it swerved to the side and rammed into another Ghost. The two of them immediately exploded—metal from the first had torn into the fuel tank on the second—and they both clattered to the ground, reduced to piles of slag.
Bryce's pistol rang out twice, and the shields of another Elite failed. The next shot hit his head and he fell as well. This Ghost didn't hit any other Ghosts, unfortunately for the Spartans.
Farr 'Tenglannee was focusing more on the Banshees. He had scaled a tree and was watching from the highest limb. The two air vehicles screamed overhead, and Farr loosed a plasma grenade from his belt. It was the last one he had, so he had to make this throw count. They were flying side-by- side, which would make his job easier. Farr lit the grenade and hurled it upwards. The little devil attached itself onto the left side of the left ship. In four seconds, it went off. The Banshee exploded, and slammed into the one next to it because of the force of the sideways motion. They both fell from the sky and crashed into the forest.
"This is an insane fight," Bryce said as he destroyed another Ghost. "They're going to get more reinforcements and then we're done for. I'm almost out of ammo for this thing."
"There's only five Ghosts left. They can't get us as long as we stay in the line of trees. Just keep firing your pistol, soldier!" Alex's pistol cracked thrice, and another Elite fell. This one hit another sled in the process. These two took out a third, a lucky break for the humans. "See that?" Alex said quickly. "Only two left." He reloaded and took aim again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The pistol went off three times; two for shields and one head-shot. Another Elite toppled to the ground and his sled stopped almost instantly. Alex sprinted into the open and fired once more. The final Elite howled in pain and toppled off his sled. They had won...for the time being.
"Quickly!" Alex ordered. "Commandeer these sleds. We're going to find that outpost James mentioned and destroy it. I've got some ammo from the Warthog, so let's use it." They spread it evenly throughout the group. Each of them chose a Ghost and got onto it. Farr seemed a bit more skilled in using it than the Spartans, but they all seemed competant enough.
In a V-shaped formation, Alex at the lead, Farr to his right and Bryce on his left, the tiny group of Ghosts made its way into the forest in the direction the Covies had come. They wanted to destroy the outpost themselves.