I'm sorry to say it but this is going to represent war. And war is not
sunshine daises; it's grotesque and horrific. This chapter is going to
show the personal and graphic nature of conflict, not what you get on Fox
News or CNN at eleven, more like 'We Were Soldiers' or 'Black Hawk Down'
for Sci-Fi. You have been warned.
Chapter 10: How to wage war, Coalition Style
Outside Route 68, Near Albirght West Virginia, 2346 Hours, December 15th
He laid there in deep snow. The branches and cover that were wrapped around his position augmented the thick cover of his Ghillie suit. The mixture of white and gray strips of cloth blending in perfectly with the drifts and shadows in the near perfect darkness.
Clutched in his gloved hands was a pair of Macro-binoculars. Their powerful magnification and thermal vision modes easily picking out the encroaching enemy vehicles as they rode down the highway, the brilliant thermal plumes of engine exhaust lighting the multi spectrum viewers with ease.
The silent observer raised one hand ever so slightly and signaled the other ten that sat in a deep weapons pit. A few slight nods were exchanged.
The observer remained at his position observing the approaching attackers. The smooth deadly lines of the attackers tanks and APC's resembled some sort of strange fish with sleek lines and weapons.
He silent figure dredged up the briefing information that he had been given this morning. These were Tau Forces, Hammerhead Gunships and Devilfish troop transports.
The visions in the Macro-Binoculars cycled quickly as the observer shifted his views from the lead elements of troop transports and down the long convoy, past the oddly predatory looking marching forces designated as being the 'Kroot' and to the large flying humanoid craft. 'Crisis Battlesuits' they'd been designated.
The hidden observer re-directed his attention towards the front of the column as it moved. A pair of Hammerhead Gunships moved down the wide highway abreast of each other. A group of figures moved in front of them as an infantry screen.
The Tau knew their business, they even had aerial scouts running ahead of the convoy, and unfortunately they'd missed the troops hidden in the hills amongst thick snow and woodlands of West Virginia. This column was going to get hit hard from all sides.
The Rodian observer was sheathed in his thermal reflective bodysuit, keeping his heat in and the cold out, deadening any Tau thermal sensors. The ghillie suit he and the other pathfinders wore hid them from visual scans. The Tau wouldn't know what hit them.
This team was a crack group of New Republic Special Forces Pathfinders and Wilderness combat troops. They knew how to survive in this environment, and fight this kind of war. They were supposed to trip up the enemy advances before they could move against the main defensive lines being set up to defend the city New York.
The Rodian gestured and the soldiers readied their weapons. He consulted his chrono. They were coordinating this attack perfectly with other units arrayed along this route.
With the drop of his hand the Special Forces squad opened fire.
A pair of medium repeaters tore loose in long sheets of crimson fire, easily giving away their position, but they wouldn't be around long enough for that to matter. The energy bolts stitched across the lines of marching infantry and cut them down easily. The unit sniper let loose a pair of shots and killed the two commanders of the lead Hammerhead Gunships. The Tau slumped back into their turrets with a smear of blood, they hadn't known what hit them.
Nor would their crews; off to the left of the Rodian two Finbat Anti- Walker Concussion missile launchers began to send out their deadly rounds. These weapons were designed to take down an AT-AT with ease, they would have no trouble dealing with the Tau vehicles. Two of the rounds struck home and sent the crews to hell in an explosion of flame.
The Rodian signaled and the squad halted their fire in an instant then withdrew from their position quickly, disappearing into the deep woods and darkness like the ghosts they were. A pair of Apex Incisor missiles rocketed into the air as the final calling card of the New Republic soldiers, swatting a pair of Tau Battlesuits from the sky in flames.
From down the long snaking convoy the Rodian and his comrades could hear the sounds of weapons fire and explosions as dozens of different Special Forces teams tore into the convoy and vanished without a trace.
A crack from the left of the running troopers dropped the Rodian in his tracks. The rest of the team dropped, that was hostile fire. The squad was on their bellies, scrambling for cover in the near darkness and beginning snowstorm.
The Rodian knew that if they didn't deal with this immediately they were going to get pinned and killed. More gunfire rang out and small projectiles flew through the air. The Rodian gazed out over a snow covered fallen tree, his large black eyes scanning the darkness.
Movement.
The Rodian brought his Firelance blaster rifle to bear and triggered off a burst of fire at the moving target. It let out a warble of pain and leveled its weapon at the Rodian's hiding palace. Several shots rang out and the soldier ducked behind cover, splinters pelting the top of his blast helmet.
More blaster fire rang out in the darkness, red pulses of fire illuminating the position with eerie shadow. More warbling screams rang out, and from beyond after the fire died down thrashing bodies could be heard. The Rodian stuck his head back over the fallen tree and looked out once more. He saw a shadowy figure charging towards him, it's weapon raised to strike with some kind of blade affixed to the ends.
The Rodian snapped his weapon up and fired on full auto, the volume of energy caught the Kroot in the chest and lifted him up into the air, finally flinging him five feet backwards.
The Rodian spared another glance for attackers, and then gestured for them to move.
The squad continued their retreat, disappearing without another problem.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 0025 Hours, Decmeber 16Th
The Human looked at the displays before him. His shaved head glistened in the harsh overhead lighting that seemed standard in almost every military in the known universe. His haggard face boasting an expression of displeasure, his features marred by deep scars and blaster wounds from his long service in the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic. A black goatee peppered with gray shielded the edges of his frown from view.
His six foot frame was hunched over, the armored jumpsuit he wore speckled with the white-black-gray-brown of urban camouflage, it rested snug to his frame. His blast helmet rested on the map table before him. At his hip rested an intricately decorated and designed Vibro-Katana and an Imperial Munitions Heavy Blaster pistol...remants from his days back before he deserted the Empire for the Rebellion.
Of course, now he had Stormtroopers under his command once more...
Sector General Vallin Himelstoos Complin, Supreme Commander of all Coalition forces on Earth, late of the New Republic.
His gaze dropped down to the mixture of hardcopy maps, digital display screens and holograms that represented the massive mixture of military forces he commanded; Everything from UNSC marines and infantry to Human Alliance shock troops; Full scale armies and divisions, down to miniscule Special Forces strike teams.
His cold blue eyes gazed at the map and considered his position. He turned to the immense wall screen displays that dominated the far wall of the large amphitheater like room filled with descending levels of consoles and tables packed with a wild assortment of communications gear and technicians from a slew of different races, cultures, and galaxies.
He looked at the massive map on the center screen, displaying the continents of the world with extreme accuracy. He looked at the screens on either side of the center one and regarded the space forces in orbit, and in the system. They were all green now, all friendly...even the imperial ships...
Complin never thought he would see the day...
His eyes drifted back to the center monitor and looked at the map before him. He did not like what he saw.
The Covenant vessels had made three significant landings on planet. These were the only ones of matter since the other much smaller landings had been annihilated before they had consolidated their positions.
The largest was in the Central area of North America. The largest body of Covenant forces boasting an estimated three million soldiers had been landed in Southern Ohio. This force seemed to be directed at taking New York, the home of the United Nations and the 'Capital' of the UNSC. The Covenant had done their homework and knew how to fight a war. Their forces intended to take out the UNSC leadership on the planet.
But they hadn't chosen their avenues of attack well. The Appilacian mountan range wasn't exactly imposing...but armor had a difficult time pushing through it. Defenses were being put into place and getting ready to put up a stiff resistance before the advancing Covenant troops.
The second major assault was in Colorado, the Covenant forces were trying to take down the NORAD command complex. Even though there was only a scant million troops it was the smallest thrust. It wasn't much, but it was enough. If they could take down NORAD, the UNSC defenses would crumble.
The third assault was in South America. It was somewhere along the borders of Brazil and Peru. It was a large force headed into the Andes Mountains. But it didn't appear to be a major military effort...it seemed as though they were searching for something, and Complin wasn't going to commit forces to halt one million Covenant Soldiers intent on traipsing through an immense rainforest looking for sith knows what.
He was more intent on stopping the Covenant troops that wanted to take out his Command HQ and the UNSC Capital.
"Commander." One of the Human Alliance Generals said to him.
"Yes general?" Complin said turning away from the massive map to the large Saurian warrior that stood on a level below him.
Even though the alien was standing a foot below him, the creature was two feet taller than him. Complin looked up at the fellow officer.
"Yes, our forces have finished setting up defensive positions in a line between Denver and Colorado Springs. Recon is reporting the majority of the Covenant forces pushing towards the NORAD complex from their landing areas at Limon." The Saurian General reported.
"Thank you General, what troops do you have in position?" Complin asked regarding the smaller holographic representations of the map. He saw infantry and armor images, along with some that were unfamiliar to him.
"We've placed ten regular infantry Divisions along the lines, 30,000 troopers. Along with five Sentient Machine assault units and two Saurian Shock divisions in place for the counter attack." The general explained.
"Counter attack?"
"Yes General."
"Very good." Complin said with a nod and looked at the symbols on the maps before him he regarded them with apprehension. He knew little of what these forces were capable. Unlike Supreme Commander Thor, he couldn't rely on raw technical data and statistics, flesh and blood weren't set, sentient beings didn't react like machines... well the Sentient Machine AI assault troops did, but their commanders didn't. There was always the unknown in ground combat.
"The first Covenant units will be reaching the line within the hour."
"What are they made up of?"
"We believe it to be mostly 'Race' forces and a large amount of Tau troops. The Covenant seems to be allowing these forces to lead the assaults against this complex and against the Capital. Most of the regular Covenant forces are aiming towards the Andes Mountains for some reason."
"There's nothing of value there so let them be for the moment." Complin said.
"Yes sir."
"well, the Special Forces units are blunting the Covenant thrusts towards New York, so now we have to concern ourselves with the pitched battles that will occur for this mountain." Complin said looking at the slow moving blips on the massive screen before him. The Red and the Green were pushing ever closer to each other. Amazing how the lives of beings could be turned into such impersonal holograms on the screens of their commanders...
Coalition Defensive lines, Outskirts of Colorado Springs, 0109 Hours December 16th
Captain Kelly Alligni marched along the defensive lines in the thickly falling snow, the massive form of her combat battlesuit enlarging her small body to one that rivaled the pure size of a Saurian. The armor's optical camoflage was turned on, warping the dull black armor into a rough representation of the environment around her. Snowflakes hissed as they were vaporized on the projected energy shield the armor had. Occasionaly she looked out at the featureless plains before the trench lines and aimed her Antimatter rifle around.
The bulky weapon used the same principles as a railgun to hurl a small bullet containing antimatter against its target. The weapons were relatively new to the lines, but they'd seen heavy action during the Belicose IV revolts. The defects ironed out through the heavy use. The main problem had been that the weapons were too powerful. The bullets had been nearly fully filled with Antimatter, causing an explosion large enough to destroy a city. Some over enthusiastic weapons designer had wanted to make them lethal.
Now the loads had been turned down to a few atoms of Antimatter, enough to be worth a pound of high explosive. The weapon had received the nickname the AMR. Perfect for combat. Under the barrel of the weapon was a rocket propelled grenade launcher. On Alligni's back rested the veneral Fusion rifle, the mainstay of the Human Alliance Army for over three hundred years of protracted conflict. Nothing could replace the reliable, resilient and lethal weapon in the hearts of so many Human Alliance soldiers.
Captain Alligni walked up and down the lines that her company held. Past the entrenched tripod Laser cannons and tripod screamers – weapons that used coherent sound instead of bullets or energy – and by the magazine fed Savant missile launchers. Their position was impenetrable no matter what the enemy threw at them. She knew her soldiers were ready for anything that the enemy could produce in their arsenals.
These men and women were veterans. They'd served in the invasions of Tranis II and IV, some of the bloodiest offensives in the last war. Along with their service in the slaughter that was the defense of Willing Prime. Kept in fighting trim with anti partisan and revolt suppression on Belicose IV and Garnor II.
They were some of the best after the Saurian Shock troops.
Captain Alligni tossed her head like a Kuttle fly brushing away a pest. The thick armor around her head retracted like dry sand rolling off a flat surface, the living metal and nanomchines removed the impervious Adumantium layer quickly. The Captain gazed out at the world before her with mostly bare eyes. A holo projector set around the neck of her armor projected a heads up display before her.
She shifted her eyes and the displays disappeared, giving her an unobstructed image of the battlefield before her. Her eyes easily picked out the approaching enemy forces as they rode towards her troops.
She could make out the angular shapes of Lizard tanks and APC's along with the figures of infantry. Alligni nodded and tossed her head again, the featureless Adumantium armor rolled back up around her head, once more encasing her in the near total protection it provided.
"All troops wait for my command." Alligni provided. There was no chance that they would start firing before she gave the order to do so. The hypo injectors mounted within the armor were providing a near constant flow of Shaker and Tempo into their bodies, the drugs coursing through their veins heightening the infantry's reactions and combat abilities. Give the commands and they'd butcher the elderly. They'd walk through minefields and charge down plasma fire.
They stood in their entrenchments, silent and deadly as the enemy pressed forward across the snowy plains.
Across the clear, flat pain, it was rather easy for sound to travel. Even from a half a mile away the sounds of hiss's that represented the majority of the Lizard language echoed through the darkness. The APCs ground to a stop and troops filed out of them and in front of the Tanks. The advance started again; leap froging forward under the cover of the Tanks and APC's.
Until they reached the primary defensive line...
The line of Lizards running forward abreast of each other across the field suddenly fell to pieces. Not their line...they did. Their limbs sprouted deep cuts and gashes then were dismembered by some unknown force. Even body armor and weapons were chopped apart. The lucky ones died quickly. The rest writhed in pain as they slowly bled out from their amputated limbs.
The trailing elements stopped in their tracks and looked around, panicked. They didn't know what had happened and they were unnerved. One of the squads advanced towards the line of fallen scouts. It's clawed hand reaching forwards towards a strand of blood that hung suspended in air. It ran a claw along the blood and recoiled it wildy as it's finger was cut and then loped off.
Concentra Monowire. It was a line of molecules strung together in a long wire. Extremely strong and easily deployed, Concentra Monowire was the standard perimiter defensive measure, it was cheap...but with an edge that could cut through duralloy plate armor. The Lizards had simply run through the nearly invisible defensive line and were chopped apart without any resistance.
The Lizards began to fall back, but they were only two thousand yards away from the Human Alliance line, well within the range of their weapons.
The tripod gattling lasers opened fire with a steady stream of red fire. The lines of crimson energy made steady sweeping arcs of fire, lighting up the darkness and cutting into the retreating Lizard troops. They fell in mists of blood as the laser fire connected. Then the Tripod screamers opened fire. Their beams of coherent sound invisible in the battlefield, but their effects clear as daylight. As they swept across the field snow was boiled away as though under intense head. Earth seemed to dance and kick up, then vaporize into a fine powder. Flesh ran from bones like water, and skeletons shattered under the waves of sonic energy.
Lizards dropped in droves, their plasma weapons returning fire in some light semblance of order. The APC machine cannon and tank cannon returned fire with more effect. Explosions and plasma stitched across the Human Alliance lines.
The advantages of the Human Alliance troops meant that their infantry units could withstand a tremendous beating. Energy shielding, reactive metal and nanomachines meant that they could shurug off massive amounts of damage without having to worry about even superficial damage.
But they weren't invincible. They could only take so much fire. A charge of Plasma from the re-tooled main gun of a Lizard Landcruiser was enough to rip away the protective shielding and armor of a ground trooper. And their redesigned assault weapons firing plasma rounds could wear down the protection that the troops boasted rather quickly.
Nor were these troopers rookies they could fight, and they could work together. They kept up a steady advance, even in the face of tremendous losses. But they didn't waver, they didn't break...they just kept attacking. That was something that the Human Alliance troops could respect. But when the massive forms of Brutes lumbered into view, along with the Elites, Grunts and Jackals...the Human Alliance knew what was going on.
The Covenant was shielding their better troops with the Lizards and the Yevetha. The Brutes let loose a thick barrage of fuel rod fire, along with the fire from the Lizard forces they managed to get into the trench system and engage the Human Alliance troops one on one.
The battle was getting desperate. The Human Alliance troops had better technology, and they were veterans, but the Covenant forces were getting in close enough to negate those advantages with numbers. The tide of the battle was slowly beginning to favor the Covenant...
It was only a matter of time before the Human Alliance survivors had to retreat.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 0239 Hours, Decmeber 16Th
Sector General Complin was not pleased. The much-vaunted Human Alliance ground troops were being pushed back from their defensive lines. Complin was a hard officer; he did not expect his forces to fail. Especially considering the prime defensive positions that had been erected and the superior technology that they had available.
"You assured me that your forces could repel anything thrown against them." Complin snarled at the imposing form of the Saurian General. The massive warrior actually recoiled at the venom in the smaller human's voice.
"This was unforeseen Sector General." The Saurian managed.
"You are very correct General." Complin said.
"The Covenant troops overwhelmed our forces. There were simply too many...the Covenant commanders seemed more than willing to toss away Lizards, and Yevetha to smash our defenses."
"Yes General...that has become painfully clear. Your troops routed." Complin said with deadly calm.
"Fighting retreat Sector General." The Saurian corrected.
"Do you dare correct me General?" Complin growled. The Saurian cringed.
"No, sir."
"Good, then you are dismissed. Rally your troops and shift them north. I want them to rally at Boulder and prepare for a counterattack." Complin said.
"Yes, sir...but that will leave this base unprotected." The Saurian said.
Complin ignored him.
"Order the Fifth 'Stumguwher' Stormtrooper Legion into positions along this axis of advance." Complin ordered. He was swallowing his pride when he ordered Stormtroopers into his lines. But he didn't have much choice in the matter. It would take time to reorganize his forces in a successful defense of Cheyenne Mountain, and if NORAD fell than precious time would be lost as command was transferred.
But a part of Complin harkened back to his days with the Empire, before he'd defected. Back when he'd commanded Stormtroopers regularly. He knew what they were capable of, he knew perfectly well that they were some of the best troops he could expect on the western front, even if the Human Alliance troops managed to rally and put up some feeble defense.
Complin didn't give a frell that the Imperials weren't expected allies either. They'd been on the other side of his blaster for far to long. Maybe this god awful Civil War and the lingering animosities could finally be put to rest after this battle.
"Yes sir, uh...the commander of the Legion wishes to speak with you." The Colonel said. He looked at the comm headset as though any kind of contact would poison him. Clearly he wanted to pass this bomb off to someone of higher rank, and Complin was in overall command. The tough Cardian took the headset and put it on.
"This is Sector General Vallin Complin, Supreme commander of the Coalition ground troops at Earth. Whom am I speaking to?" Complin asked in his normal voice of command.
"It's the traitor himself." The voice on the other end said in mocking tones.
"Whom am I speaking to?" Complin asked again sounding much more angry than he had.
"Calm down traitor. This is General Verner von Kliest, I'm in charge of this Legion." The voice responded.
"Stop calling me traitor and state your business." Complin snarled.
"Where do you want us to deploy Commander? I'm not keen on making my boys and girls clean up your mistakes Rebel. I've got a reinforced Stormtrooper Legion here, and they're all veterans. We'll throw off anything that gets thrown against us." Kliest said with a jab masked as the 'rebel' comment.
"Along a line just behind the city of Colorado Springs. The Covenant troops are making a push right over the Human Alliance forces there. They're aiming right for Cheyenne Mountain." Complin said.
"Affirmative Commander. We'll stop them cold and save your ass." Kliest responded confidently.
"Correct commander. Hold them and make sure they don't push any further forward then they are now. If you can't, then I won't be around to have you shot." Complin said with a growl.
"Alright rebel. We'll haul your nerf out of the fire. Never thought any of my boys and girls would be getting rebel medals though." Kliest said.
"Good luck General." Complin said sincerely.
"You too Sector General." Kliest responded, sounding just as sincere as Complin had.
Outskirts of Cumberland Maryland, 19TH Colonial Marine Heavy Armored Division, 0634 Hours, December 16TH
General Harrison Igorivich sat head and shoulders out of the top of his M40 Ridgeway Heavy tank. His eyes gazed out over the rolling terrain of this area of Maryland. The covering of snow on the ground and the tanks helped the deadly monsters hide from the Tau and Covenant air patrols. They were getting a whole lot thicker in the past hours. That massive ambush that the New Republic Special forces had wrought upon the main Tau advance column had made them wise up.
A lot more patrols and air cover was making any more ambushes lay on the far side of suicidal. Nobody was dumb enough to make a move against them now...
Except for his troops.
That's what he'd been ordered to do, attack the Covenant ground probe aimed at Washington and destroy the forward elements. It would be mechanized warfare and it would be bloody. As it always was.
Igorivich lifted his frame outside the tank and looked further out, then around at the forces under his command. They had been hastily painted white for the snowy weather, and were swathed in Camo netting. They couldn't afford to be detected now, they were letting the Covenant forces move into their area of operations before hitting them.
He looked down at the hardcopy map and went over the plan once more.
Massive enveloping armored assault that would decimate the lead units of the Tau, and Special Forces attacks along with airstrikes and artillery to delay the arrival of the Covenant secondary and third echelon units. It was all they could do. The Colonial Marines were outnumbered like they always were.
Igorivich looked down at his watch and then out at the direction of advance...in...five, four, three, two....
Bammmm....
A filght of UD-4 Dropships flew low overhead, accompanied by a flight of New Republic V-Wing airspeeders. The aircraft flited by overhead so fast that they barely registered in Igorivich's mind before they were gone. That was their air support, the first wave of the attack.
He looked at his watch, 0635, mission start.
He nodded and slid back into his tank. The sounds of engines revving up and readying themselves for combat was sweet music to the General's ears. He sealed his top hatch and regarded his display screens.
All his units were readying and moving forward. They were arrayed in a rough semi-circle. All were on this side of the river that ran through Cumberland. If needed, the defenders could withdrawal under air cover and artillery across the bridges and blow them, then put up a hellish bit of street fighting to delay the Covenant forces.
The massive armored units trundled forward down roads and through farmer's fields. The locals weren't raising hell about their crops or property being torn up by tanks...no, they'd run very far when they knew the Covenant were coming.
"This is unit 34-2A, we have engaged the enemy. Hull down on their flank... Damn, these Tau bastards don't know what's hitting them!" The comm crackled.
Igorivich regarded his display screen and noted time until they'd engaged their own parts of the Tau and Covenant advance. It was going to be in scant moments.
"Slow...I want hull down positions on this ridge." Igorivich ordered his own smaller element he personally commanded. With a few affirmatives the tanks trundled up to the top of the ridge, their turrets the only part of their machines visible.
Igorivich regarded the Tau spearhead. Their strangely shaped tanks floated across the landscape effortlessly. The looked very lethal as well, the large cannon that each boasted looked to be more than the 115mm gun on the Ridgeway.
"Fire at will." The General said.
A ripple of fire erupted from the hidden tanks. 115mm shells arched through the air and found their marks very easily. The heavy, depleted uranium sabot rounds impacted the Tau tanks and ricocheted off the alien armor.
"Shit! HEMSH Rounds now!" Igorivich ordered hastily. The sabot rounds relied on kinetic force and being denser than the material they were hitting to penetrate. But whatever those Tau tanks were made of was denser than Depleted Uranium.
The HEMSH rounds were based on a completely different principle. High Explosive Mash Head rounds...they were basically a lump of plastic explosives on a shell. The round would hit, but delay for a moment, allowing the high explosives to spread out, then they would detonate, sending a lethal shockwave through the armor.
Another ripple of fire sounded out from the Colonial Marine armor. These shells hit and detonated in brilliant explosions and fireballs. A few of the hovering tanks sputtered and jerked in their maneuvers, then ran aground.
A light cheer sounded across the comm lines.
But was soon killed by the response of the Tau tanks. Their large guns targeted in on the Colonial Marines then fired. Their weapons weren't like the Human cannon. No, they were rail guns, capable of accelerating a shell to immense velocities. The air burned in the wake of these shells.
Five tanks were destroyed in a heartbeat by the fullisade. Their turrets simply ripped open by the raw force applied to them with such deadly accuracy.
"REVERSE!" Igorivich hollered and the driver wasted no time in oblidging. He slammed the gear of the tank into reverse and it kicked hard, attempting to place as much distance from the Tau Hammerhead Gunships as possible. They were marines, and they were brave, but they weren't stupid enough to try and stand up to that. The other surviving tanks reversed as fast as they could, rolling back over the slit trenches that the ground pounding marines had dug during the night.
General Igorivich knew full well that he couldn't take on the Tau armor one on one. They were far beyond the Colonial Marines in technology. But they weren't invincible, that was clear enough. If you played out every advantage you could, you could beat them.
And Igorivich knew how to play out every advantage he could.
The retreating Ridgeway tanks were joined by M22A3 Jackson Medium tanks and M34A2 Longstreet light tanks in the defensive line, behind the entrenched infantry.
"Load up the special rounds." Igorivich ordered. The human Alliance had been kind enough to provide his forces with limited stocks of a new type of ammunition, a synthetic Diamond-ultra dense AP round. They said that it could punch through the front armor of a Hammerhead tank.
They were about to find out.
As the first Tau tank nosed over the top of the ridge it exposed it's belly to the waiting muzzles of the Colonial Marine tanks. They fired at the vulnerable targets with glee.
More than one Tau tank crew was sent to the beyond in that volley. The Marines added to the mayhem with their own small arms fire and anti- tank weapons. They were giving the Tau hell to come over this ridge.
One Mile West of Cumberland Maryland, Scout Trooper detachment 93-P 'Cerberus Group', 0645 Hours, December 16th
Stormtrooper Colonel 9352-24-A sat atop his Aerotech speederbike and watched the Tau battle lines rolling forwards along the highway before him. The forces weren't pure Tau troops at this point. Unlike the spearhead units that the Colonial Marines were engaging, this was made up of Tau and their Covenant masters.
The Scout Trooper Colonel looked out without any kind of emotion. He had emotion once, back when he had a name...now he just served the Empire, and he did so with gusto. He stood up on his speeder bike, his white armor keeping him and the other troops he commanded concealed from the prying Covenant eyes.
The Camoflage cloak he wore flapped in the wind...it was one of the stranger things that the Colonel had done. He served the Empire without regard for his personal safety, but he wore the silly cloak to inspire his men. It was strange, but the Colonel fancied himself one of the ancient cavalry commanders from the times before the Republic. Back in the days when masses of men rode beasts into combat, that's what the Colonel had mirrored his unit on...
They carried Force pikes, vibro swords and light carbines in their arsenals. He'd trained them to move fast and light...and hit hard, very hard. He raised his hand after consulting his chrono. And let it drop to signal the advance.
Their job was to hit the Covenant forces and stall their advance in this part of the line. They were supposed to do what they could to delay the enemy so the Colonial Marines could chew up the spearhead of the force.
He didn't intend to follow those orders.
He intended to kill every enemy soldier he could find, as per Grand Admiral Anjek's orders.
As one every Aerotech speeder bikes' engine revved and charged into life. The mass of Scout troopers swept downs the gradual slope from the tree line like ancient barbarians descending upon a hapless caravan.
Blaster cannons and carbines sent down a lethal barrage of withering fire into the unsuspecting Covenant forces. The dropped as the deadly energy slammed into the ranks of marching troops.
In a small frenzy of activity several of the Covenant Wraith tanks turned and started lobbing plasma against the encroaching stormtroopers as they rode forward. The blue orbs arched high in the air, but were far to slow to effectively target the Imperial Scout Troopers.
A handful of the Covenant speeder bike equivalents broke off and headed up the slope towards the Scout Troopers, their plasma cannons blazing away into the Imperials. The two opposing forces closed the distance between each other with terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye the distance evaporated and they slammed into each other.
It was sheer chaos. Ghosts rammed into speeder bikes and exploded in orange flame. The Imperial troops used their force pikes like lances, they had practiced long and hard with these weapons, and although short could be lethal in their gloved hands. The weapons found their marks as they passed, the vibroblade tips of the weapons impaling the skulls of the Elite pilots and wrenching free in one smooth motion as they passed.
The Covenant clearly came out on the bad end of that small engagement, but the Imperials hadn't been unscathed. For all their flaws, the Ghosts could boast protection for their pilots. The speeder bikes couldn't. Any plasma that found its mark would destroy the delicate machines along with their pilots.
The Imperial forces swept down upon the convoy unhindered. They flew through the volleys of plasma fire, more Scout Troopers falling in the attack, but the remaining riders killing the infantry as their lines broke.
The bikes and their riders flew through the convoy. In addition to their normal load out, the biker pilots boasted shaped charges. These were tossed liberally upon the vehicles they passed, detonating and damaging the war machines with ridiculous ease. The bikers swooped out of the Covenant convoy and then circled back around, laying into the defenders with another run of high-speed death.
The Colonel surveyed the handy work of his men with pride. They knew how to slaughter the enemy, and their tactics were good...if a little bloody for both sides.
But he had succeeded in his mission; the Covenant advance would be tied up for some time with this mess.
"To the trees." The Colonel ordered, and his unit disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared.
Leaving dead Covenant soldiers and burning vehicles in their wake.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 1125 Hours, Decmeber 18Th
Complin was at least receiving good news. The Imperial Stormtrooper Legion that had replaced the ineffective Human Alliance ground forces had held and smashed a pair of Lizard thrusts towards the mountain. Along with that the Tau/Covenant offensive pushing towards Washington and then New York was gone. Their Spearhead units had been destroyed by the Colonial Marines, and the majority of their organization was gone after air strikes and raids by the Imperial and New Republic troops.
But fighting had been heavy, very heavy. The Colonial Marines had lost an entire Division, it had been rendered Combat Ineffective by the tremendous volume of combat it had faced in a few short hours, but thankfully the Covenant advance wasn't in danger of picking up any time soon.
The Human Alliance had suffered tremendous losses. Whatever the reason was, the Lizards and Yevetha forces arrayed against them had simply rolled over them. The lizards were using better tactics and larger numbers to deal with the superior technology they'd faced. They'd outnumbered the Human Alliance forces and buried them in bodies, but they'd moved forward. Only the heroic efforts of the Fifth Stormtrooper Legion had halted the advance.
So far the Covenant forces had stalled. Complin was quite pleased.
He was ready to go on the offensive. He was moving the freshest troops he had against the Covenant forces. Imperial Stormtroopers, and Imperial Army troopers. Complin felt like he was at the academy again.
He turned back to the map on the far side of the command center. It displayed the three Covenant elements...but Complin still harbored a nagging doubt about what they were doing down in Brazil.
They'd reached the Andes, and had stopped...as though they had found something there of value for them. He couldn't ignore it. He had to investigate...the Covenant hadn't made a habit of invading a planet unless they had reason to want it intact.
"Colonel." Complin said addressing his aide.
"Yes sir?"
"I want a special forces unit to recon that Covenant force group down in Brazil."
"Who should go sir?"
"The Spartans and the X-Com people plus any Jedi that Skywalker saw fit to allow us to use. They'll be the most likely to survive that recon." Complin said.
"Which ones sir?"
Complin remained silent.
And...Chappie. Stay tuned for the next chapter in the story...
And before people start flaming me; the Master Chief and the Spartans, the X-Com troopers and the Jedi will show up in the final chapter...and they will find out exactly what the Forerunners are doing in the Universe and why the are doing.
Oh yes...and I know I took some liberties with the Scout Troopers and their Cavalry man attitude there...but I wanted to make the Stormtroopers less than the white cannon fodder of the movies and more like they're supposed to be.
The next chapter is.... Chapter 11: Counter attack...Reach...
Chapter 10: How to wage war, Coalition Style
Outside Route 68, Near Albirght West Virginia, 2346 Hours, December 15th
He laid there in deep snow. The branches and cover that were wrapped around his position augmented the thick cover of his Ghillie suit. The mixture of white and gray strips of cloth blending in perfectly with the drifts and shadows in the near perfect darkness.
Clutched in his gloved hands was a pair of Macro-binoculars. Their powerful magnification and thermal vision modes easily picking out the encroaching enemy vehicles as they rode down the highway, the brilliant thermal plumes of engine exhaust lighting the multi spectrum viewers with ease.
The silent observer raised one hand ever so slightly and signaled the other ten that sat in a deep weapons pit. A few slight nods were exchanged.
The observer remained at his position observing the approaching attackers. The smooth deadly lines of the attackers tanks and APC's resembled some sort of strange fish with sleek lines and weapons.
He silent figure dredged up the briefing information that he had been given this morning. These were Tau Forces, Hammerhead Gunships and Devilfish troop transports.
The visions in the Macro-Binoculars cycled quickly as the observer shifted his views from the lead elements of troop transports and down the long convoy, past the oddly predatory looking marching forces designated as being the 'Kroot' and to the large flying humanoid craft. 'Crisis Battlesuits' they'd been designated.
The hidden observer re-directed his attention towards the front of the column as it moved. A pair of Hammerhead Gunships moved down the wide highway abreast of each other. A group of figures moved in front of them as an infantry screen.
The Tau knew their business, they even had aerial scouts running ahead of the convoy, and unfortunately they'd missed the troops hidden in the hills amongst thick snow and woodlands of West Virginia. This column was going to get hit hard from all sides.
The Rodian observer was sheathed in his thermal reflective bodysuit, keeping his heat in and the cold out, deadening any Tau thermal sensors. The ghillie suit he and the other pathfinders wore hid them from visual scans. The Tau wouldn't know what hit them.
This team was a crack group of New Republic Special Forces Pathfinders and Wilderness combat troops. They knew how to survive in this environment, and fight this kind of war. They were supposed to trip up the enemy advances before they could move against the main defensive lines being set up to defend the city New York.
The Rodian gestured and the soldiers readied their weapons. He consulted his chrono. They were coordinating this attack perfectly with other units arrayed along this route.
With the drop of his hand the Special Forces squad opened fire.
A pair of medium repeaters tore loose in long sheets of crimson fire, easily giving away their position, but they wouldn't be around long enough for that to matter. The energy bolts stitched across the lines of marching infantry and cut them down easily. The unit sniper let loose a pair of shots and killed the two commanders of the lead Hammerhead Gunships. The Tau slumped back into their turrets with a smear of blood, they hadn't known what hit them.
Nor would their crews; off to the left of the Rodian two Finbat Anti- Walker Concussion missile launchers began to send out their deadly rounds. These weapons were designed to take down an AT-AT with ease, they would have no trouble dealing with the Tau vehicles. Two of the rounds struck home and sent the crews to hell in an explosion of flame.
The Rodian signaled and the squad halted their fire in an instant then withdrew from their position quickly, disappearing into the deep woods and darkness like the ghosts they were. A pair of Apex Incisor missiles rocketed into the air as the final calling card of the New Republic soldiers, swatting a pair of Tau Battlesuits from the sky in flames.
From down the long snaking convoy the Rodian and his comrades could hear the sounds of weapons fire and explosions as dozens of different Special Forces teams tore into the convoy and vanished without a trace.
A crack from the left of the running troopers dropped the Rodian in his tracks. The rest of the team dropped, that was hostile fire. The squad was on their bellies, scrambling for cover in the near darkness and beginning snowstorm.
The Rodian knew that if they didn't deal with this immediately they were going to get pinned and killed. More gunfire rang out and small projectiles flew through the air. The Rodian gazed out over a snow covered fallen tree, his large black eyes scanning the darkness.
Movement.
The Rodian brought his Firelance blaster rifle to bear and triggered off a burst of fire at the moving target. It let out a warble of pain and leveled its weapon at the Rodian's hiding palace. Several shots rang out and the soldier ducked behind cover, splinters pelting the top of his blast helmet.
More blaster fire rang out in the darkness, red pulses of fire illuminating the position with eerie shadow. More warbling screams rang out, and from beyond after the fire died down thrashing bodies could be heard. The Rodian stuck his head back over the fallen tree and looked out once more. He saw a shadowy figure charging towards him, it's weapon raised to strike with some kind of blade affixed to the ends.
The Rodian snapped his weapon up and fired on full auto, the volume of energy caught the Kroot in the chest and lifted him up into the air, finally flinging him five feet backwards.
The Rodian spared another glance for attackers, and then gestured for them to move.
The squad continued their retreat, disappearing without another problem.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 0025 Hours, Decmeber 16Th
The Human looked at the displays before him. His shaved head glistened in the harsh overhead lighting that seemed standard in almost every military in the known universe. His haggard face boasting an expression of displeasure, his features marred by deep scars and blaster wounds from his long service in the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic. A black goatee peppered with gray shielded the edges of his frown from view.
His six foot frame was hunched over, the armored jumpsuit he wore speckled with the white-black-gray-brown of urban camouflage, it rested snug to his frame. His blast helmet rested on the map table before him. At his hip rested an intricately decorated and designed Vibro-Katana and an Imperial Munitions Heavy Blaster pistol...remants from his days back before he deserted the Empire for the Rebellion.
Of course, now he had Stormtroopers under his command once more...
Sector General Vallin Himelstoos Complin, Supreme Commander of all Coalition forces on Earth, late of the New Republic.
His gaze dropped down to the mixture of hardcopy maps, digital display screens and holograms that represented the massive mixture of military forces he commanded; Everything from UNSC marines and infantry to Human Alliance shock troops; Full scale armies and divisions, down to miniscule Special Forces strike teams.
His cold blue eyes gazed at the map and considered his position. He turned to the immense wall screen displays that dominated the far wall of the large amphitheater like room filled with descending levels of consoles and tables packed with a wild assortment of communications gear and technicians from a slew of different races, cultures, and galaxies.
He looked at the massive map on the center screen, displaying the continents of the world with extreme accuracy. He looked at the screens on either side of the center one and regarded the space forces in orbit, and in the system. They were all green now, all friendly...even the imperial ships...
Complin never thought he would see the day...
His eyes drifted back to the center monitor and looked at the map before him. He did not like what he saw.
The Covenant vessels had made three significant landings on planet. These were the only ones of matter since the other much smaller landings had been annihilated before they had consolidated their positions.
The largest was in the Central area of North America. The largest body of Covenant forces boasting an estimated three million soldiers had been landed in Southern Ohio. This force seemed to be directed at taking New York, the home of the United Nations and the 'Capital' of the UNSC. The Covenant had done their homework and knew how to fight a war. Their forces intended to take out the UNSC leadership on the planet.
But they hadn't chosen their avenues of attack well. The Appilacian mountan range wasn't exactly imposing...but armor had a difficult time pushing through it. Defenses were being put into place and getting ready to put up a stiff resistance before the advancing Covenant troops.
The second major assault was in Colorado, the Covenant forces were trying to take down the NORAD command complex. Even though there was only a scant million troops it was the smallest thrust. It wasn't much, but it was enough. If they could take down NORAD, the UNSC defenses would crumble.
The third assault was in South America. It was somewhere along the borders of Brazil and Peru. It was a large force headed into the Andes Mountains. But it didn't appear to be a major military effort...it seemed as though they were searching for something, and Complin wasn't going to commit forces to halt one million Covenant Soldiers intent on traipsing through an immense rainforest looking for sith knows what.
He was more intent on stopping the Covenant troops that wanted to take out his Command HQ and the UNSC Capital.
"Commander." One of the Human Alliance Generals said to him.
"Yes general?" Complin said turning away from the massive map to the large Saurian warrior that stood on a level below him.
Even though the alien was standing a foot below him, the creature was two feet taller than him. Complin looked up at the fellow officer.
"Yes, our forces have finished setting up defensive positions in a line between Denver and Colorado Springs. Recon is reporting the majority of the Covenant forces pushing towards the NORAD complex from their landing areas at Limon." The Saurian General reported.
"Thank you General, what troops do you have in position?" Complin asked regarding the smaller holographic representations of the map. He saw infantry and armor images, along with some that were unfamiliar to him.
"We've placed ten regular infantry Divisions along the lines, 30,000 troopers. Along with five Sentient Machine assault units and two Saurian Shock divisions in place for the counter attack." The general explained.
"Counter attack?"
"Yes General."
"Very good." Complin said with a nod and looked at the symbols on the maps before him he regarded them with apprehension. He knew little of what these forces were capable. Unlike Supreme Commander Thor, he couldn't rely on raw technical data and statistics, flesh and blood weren't set, sentient beings didn't react like machines... well the Sentient Machine AI assault troops did, but their commanders didn't. There was always the unknown in ground combat.
"The first Covenant units will be reaching the line within the hour."
"What are they made up of?"
"We believe it to be mostly 'Race' forces and a large amount of Tau troops. The Covenant seems to be allowing these forces to lead the assaults against this complex and against the Capital. Most of the regular Covenant forces are aiming towards the Andes Mountains for some reason."
"There's nothing of value there so let them be for the moment." Complin said.
"Yes sir."
"well, the Special Forces units are blunting the Covenant thrusts towards New York, so now we have to concern ourselves with the pitched battles that will occur for this mountain." Complin said looking at the slow moving blips on the massive screen before him. The Red and the Green were pushing ever closer to each other. Amazing how the lives of beings could be turned into such impersonal holograms on the screens of their commanders...
Coalition Defensive lines, Outskirts of Colorado Springs, 0109 Hours December 16th
Captain Kelly Alligni marched along the defensive lines in the thickly falling snow, the massive form of her combat battlesuit enlarging her small body to one that rivaled the pure size of a Saurian. The armor's optical camoflage was turned on, warping the dull black armor into a rough representation of the environment around her. Snowflakes hissed as they were vaporized on the projected energy shield the armor had. Occasionaly she looked out at the featureless plains before the trench lines and aimed her Antimatter rifle around.
The bulky weapon used the same principles as a railgun to hurl a small bullet containing antimatter against its target. The weapons were relatively new to the lines, but they'd seen heavy action during the Belicose IV revolts. The defects ironed out through the heavy use. The main problem had been that the weapons were too powerful. The bullets had been nearly fully filled with Antimatter, causing an explosion large enough to destroy a city. Some over enthusiastic weapons designer had wanted to make them lethal.
Now the loads had been turned down to a few atoms of Antimatter, enough to be worth a pound of high explosive. The weapon had received the nickname the AMR. Perfect for combat. Under the barrel of the weapon was a rocket propelled grenade launcher. On Alligni's back rested the veneral Fusion rifle, the mainstay of the Human Alliance Army for over three hundred years of protracted conflict. Nothing could replace the reliable, resilient and lethal weapon in the hearts of so many Human Alliance soldiers.
Captain Alligni walked up and down the lines that her company held. Past the entrenched tripod Laser cannons and tripod screamers – weapons that used coherent sound instead of bullets or energy – and by the magazine fed Savant missile launchers. Their position was impenetrable no matter what the enemy threw at them. She knew her soldiers were ready for anything that the enemy could produce in their arsenals.
These men and women were veterans. They'd served in the invasions of Tranis II and IV, some of the bloodiest offensives in the last war. Along with their service in the slaughter that was the defense of Willing Prime. Kept in fighting trim with anti partisan and revolt suppression on Belicose IV and Garnor II.
They were some of the best after the Saurian Shock troops.
Captain Alligni tossed her head like a Kuttle fly brushing away a pest. The thick armor around her head retracted like dry sand rolling off a flat surface, the living metal and nanomchines removed the impervious Adumantium layer quickly. The Captain gazed out at the world before her with mostly bare eyes. A holo projector set around the neck of her armor projected a heads up display before her.
She shifted her eyes and the displays disappeared, giving her an unobstructed image of the battlefield before her. Her eyes easily picked out the approaching enemy forces as they rode towards her troops.
She could make out the angular shapes of Lizard tanks and APC's along with the figures of infantry. Alligni nodded and tossed her head again, the featureless Adumantium armor rolled back up around her head, once more encasing her in the near total protection it provided.
"All troops wait for my command." Alligni provided. There was no chance that they would start firing before she gave the order to do so. The hypo injectors mounted within the armor were providing a near constant flow of Shaker and Tempo into their bodies, the drugs coursing through their veins heightening the infantry's reactions and combat abilities. Give the commands and they'd butcher the elderly. They'd walk through minefields and charge down plasma fire.
They stood in their entrenchments, silent and deadly as the enemy pressed forward across the snowy plains.
Across the clear, flat pain, it was rather easy for sound to travel. Even from a half a mile away the sounds of hiss's that represented the majority of the Lizard language echoed through the darkness. The APCs ground to a stop and troops filed out of them and in front of the Tanks. The advance started again; leap froging forward under the cover of the Tanks and APC's.
Until they reached the primary defensive line...
The line of Lizards running forward abreast of each other across the field suddenly fell to pieces. Not their line...they did. Their limbs sprouted deep cuts and gashes then were dismembered by some unknown force. Even body armor and weapons were chopped apart. The lucky ones died quickly. The rest writhed in pain as they slowly bled out from their amputated limbs.
The trailing elements stopped in their tracks and looked around, panicked. They didn't know what had happened and they were unnerved. One of the squads advanced towards the line of fallen scouts. It's clawed hand reaching forwards towards a strand of blood that hung suspended in air. It ran a claw along the blood and recoiled it wildy as it's finger was cut and then loped off.
Concentra Monowire. It was a line of molecules strung together in a long wire. Extremely strong and easily deployed, Concentra Monowire was the standard perimiter defensive measure, it was cheap...but with an edge that could cut through duralloy plate armor. The Lizards had simply run through the nearly invisible defensive line and were chopped apart without any resistance.
The Lizards began to fall back, but they were only two thousand yards away from the Human Alliance line, well within the range of their weapons.
The tripod gattling lasers opened fire with a steady stream of red fire. The lines of crimson energy made steady sweeping arcs of fire, lighting up the darkness and cutting into the retreating Lizard troops. They fell in mists of blood as the laser fire connected. Then the Tripod screamers opened fire. Their beams of coherent sound invisible in the battlefield, but their effects clear as daylight. As they swept across the field snow was boiled away as though under intense head. Earth seemed to dance and kick up, then vaporize into a fine powder. Flesh ran from bones like water, and skeletons shattered under the waves of sonic energy.
Lizards dropped in droves, their plasma weapons returning fire in some light semblance of order. The APC machine cannon and tank cannon returned fire with more effect. Explosions and plasma stitched across the Human Alliance lines.
The advantages of the Human Alliance troops meant that their infantry units could withstand a tremendous beating. Energy shielding, reactive metal and nanomachines meant that they could shurug off massive amounts of damage without having to worry about even superficial damage.
But they weren't invincible. They could only take so much fire. A charge of Plasma from the re-tooled main gun of a Lizard Landcruiser was enough to rip away the protective shielding and armor of a ground trooper. And their redesigned assault weapons firing plasma rounds could wear down the protection that the troops boasted rather quickly.
Nor were these troopers rookies they could fight, and they could work together. They kept up a steady advance, even in the face of tremendous losses. But they didn't waver, they didn't break...they just kept attacking. That was something that the Human Alliance troops could respect. But when the massive forms of Brutes lumbered into view, along with the Elites, Grunts and Jackals...the Human Alliance knew what was going on.
The Covenant was shielding their better troops with the Lizards and the Yevetha. The Brutes let loose a thick barrage of fuel rod fire, along with the fire from the Lizard forces they managed to get into the trench system and engage the Human Alliance troops one on one.
The battle was getting desperate. The Human Alliance troops had better technology, and they were veterans, but the Covenant forces were getting in close enough to negate those advantages with numbers. The tide of the battle was slowly beginning to favor the Covenant...
It was only a matter of time before the Human Alliance survivors had to retreat.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 0239 Hours, Decmeber 16Th
Sector General Complin was not pleased. The much-vaunted Human Alliance ground troops were being pushed back from their defensive lines. Complin was a hard officer; he did not expect his forces to fail. Especially considering the prime defensive positions that had been erected and the superior technology that they had available.
"You assured me that your forces could repel anything thrown against them." Complin snarled at the imposing form of the Saurian General. The massive warrior actually recoiled at the venom in the smaller human's voice.
"This was unforeseen Sector General." The Saurian managed.
"You are very correct General." Complin said.
"The Covenant troops overwhelmed our forces. There were simply too many...the Covenant commanders seemed more than willing to toss away Lizards, and Yevetha to smash our defenses."
"Yes General...that has become painfully clear. Your troops routed." Complin said with deadly calm.
"Fighting retreat Sector General." The Saurian corrected.
"Do you dare correct me General?" Complin growled. The Saurian cringed.
"No, sir."
"Good, then you are dismissed. Rally your troops and shift them north. I want them to rally at Boulder and prepare for a counterattack." Complin said.
"Yes, sir...but that will leave this base unprotected." The Saurian said.
Complin ignored him.
"Order the Fifth 'Stumguwher' Stormtrooper Legion into positions along this axis of advance." Complin ordered. He was swallowing his pride when he ordered Stormtroopers into his lines. But he didn't have much choice in the matter. It would take time to reorganize his forces in a successful defense of Cheyenne Mountain, and if NORAD fell than precious time would be lost as command was transferred.
But a part of Complin harkened back to his days with the Empire, before he'd defected. Back when he'd commanded Stormtroopers regularly. He knew what they were capable of, he knew perfectly well that they were some of the best troops he could expect on the western front, even if the Human Alliance troops managed to rally and put up some feeble defense.
Complin didn't give a frell that the Imperials weren't expected allies either. They'd been on the other side of his blaster for far to long. Maybe this god awful Civil War and the lingering animosities could finally be put to rest after this battle.
"Yes sir, uh...the commander of the Legion wishes to speak with you." The Colonel said. He looked at the comm headset as though any kind of contact would poison him. Clearly he wanted to pass this bomb off to someone of higher rank, and Complin was in overall command. The tough Cardian took the headset and put it on.
"This is Sector General Vallin Complin, Supreme commander of the Coalition ground troops at Earth. Whom am I speaking to?" Complin asked in his normal voice of command.
"It's the traitor himself." The voice on the other end said in mocking tones.
"Whom am I speaking to?" Complin asked again sounding much more angry than he had.
"Calm down traitor. This is General Verner von Kliest, I'm in charge of this Legion." The voice responded.
"Stop calling me traitor and state your business." Complin snarled.
"Where do you want us to deploy Commander? I'm not keen on making my boys and girls clean up your mistakes Rebel. I've got a reinforced Stormtrooper Legion here, and they're all veterans. We'll throw off anything that gets thrown against us." Kliest said with a jab masked as the 'rebel' comment.
"Along a line just behind the city of Colorado Springs. The Covenant troops are making a push right over the Human Alliance forces there. They're aiming right for Cheyenne Mountain." Complin said.
"Affirmative Commander. We'll stop them cold and save your ass." Kliest responded confidently.
"Correct commander. Hold them and make sure they don't push any further forward then they are now. If you can't, then I won't be around to have you shot." Complin said with a growl.
"Alright rebel. We'll haul your nerf out of the fire. Never thought any of my boys and girls would be getting rebel medals though." Kliest said.
"Good luck General." Complin said sincerely.
"You too Sector General." Kliest responded, sounding just as sincere as Complin had.
Outskirts of Cumberland Maryland, 19TH Colonial Marine Heavy Armored Division, 0634 Hours, December 16TH
General Harrison Igorivich sat head and shoulders out of the top of his M40 Ridgeway Heavy tank. His eyes gazed out over the rolling terrain of this area of Maryland. The covering of snow on the ground and the tanks helped the deadly monsters hide from the Tau and Covenant air patrols. They were getting a whole lot thicker in the past hours. That massive ambush that the New Republic Special forces had wrought upon the main Tau advance column had made them wise up.
A lot more patrols and air cover was making any more ambushes lay on the far side of suicidal. Nobody was dumb enough to make a move against them now...
Except for his troops.
That's what he'd been ordered to do, attack the Covenant ground probe aimed at Washington and destroy the forward elements. It would be mechanized warfare and it would be bloody. As it always was.
Igorivich lifted his frame outside the tank and looked further out, then around at the forces under his command. They had been hastily painted white for the snowy weather, and were swathed in Camo netting. They couldn't afford to be detected now, they were letting the Covenant forces move into their area of operations before hitting them.
He looked down at the hardcopy map and went over the plan once more.
Massive enveloping armored assault that would decimate the lead units of the Tau, and Special Forces attacks along with airstrikes and artillery to delay the arrival of the Covenant secondary and third echelon units. It was all they could do. The Colonial Marines were outnumbered like they always were.
Igorivich looked down at his watch and then out at the direction of advance...in...five, four, three, two....
Bammmm....
A filght of UD-4 Dropships flew low overhead, accompanied by a flight of New Republic V-Wing airspeeders. The aircraft flited by overhead so fast that they barely registered in Igorivich's mind before they were gone. That was their air support, the first wave of the attack.
He looked at his watch, 0635, mission start.
He nodded and slid back into his tank. The sounds of engines revving up and readying themselves for combat was sweet music to the General's ears. He sealed his top hatch and regarded his display screens.
All his units were readying and moving forward. They were arrayed in a rough semi-circle. All were on this side of the river that ran through Cumberland. If needed, the defenders could withdrawal under air cover and artillery across the bridges and blow them, then put up a hellish bit of street fighting to delay the Covenant forces.
The massive armored units trundled forward down roads and through farmer's fields. The locals weren't raising hell about their crops or property being torn up by tanks...no, they'd run very far when they knew the Covenant were coming.
"This is unit 34-2A, we have engaged the enemy. Hull down on their flank... Damn, these Tau bastards don't know what's hitting them!" The comm crackled.
Igorivich regarded his display screen and noted time until they'd engaged their own parts of the Tau and Covenant advance. It was going to be in scant moments.
"Slow...I want hull down positions on this ridge." Igorivich ordered his own smaller element he personally commanded. With a few affirmatives the tanks trundled up to the top of the ridge, their turrets the only part of their machines visible.
Igorivich regarded the Tau spearhead. Their strangely shaped tanks floated across the landscape effortlessly. The looked very lethal as well, the large cannon that each boasted looked to be more than the 115mm gun on the Ridgeway.
"Fire at will." The General said.
A ripple of fire erupted from the hidden tanks. 115mm shells arched through the air and found their marks very easily. The heavy, depleted uranium sabot rounds impacted the Tau tanks and ricocheted off the alien armor.
"Shit! HEMSH Rounds now!" Igorivich ordered hastily. The sabot rounds relied on kinetic force and being denser than the material they were hitting to penetrate. But whatever those Tau tanks were made of was denser than Depleted Uranium.
The HEMSH rounds were based on a completely different principle. High Explosive Mash Head rounds...they were basically a lump of plastic explosives on a shell. The round would hit, but delay for a moment, allowing the high explosives to spread out, then they would detonate, sending a lethal shockwave through the armor.
Another ripple of fire sounded out from the Colonial Marine armor. These shells hit and detonated in brilliant explosions and fireballs. A few of the hovering tanks sputtered and jerked in their maneuvers, then ran aground.
A light cheer sounded across the comm lines.
But was soon killed by the response of the Tau tanks. Their large guns targeted in on the Colonial Marines then fired. Their weapons weren't like the Human cannon. No, they were rail guns, capable of accelerating a shell to immense velocities. The air burned in the wake of these shells.
Five tanks were destroyed in a heartbeat by the fullisade. Their turrets simply ripped open by the raw force applied to them with such deadly accuracy.
"REVERSE!" Igorivich hollered and the driver wasted no time in oblidging. He slammed the gear of the tank into reverse and it kicked hard, attempting to place as much distance from the Tau Hammerhead Gunships as possible. They were marines, and they were brave, but they weren't stupid enough to try and stand up to that. The other surviving tanks reversed as fast as they could, rolling back over the slit trenches that the ground pounding marines had dug during the night.
General Igorivich knew full well that he couldn't take on the Tau armor one on one. They were far beyond the Colonial Marines in technology. But they weren't invincible, that was clear enough. If you played out every advantage you could, you could beat them.
And Igorivich knew how to play out every advantage he could.
The retreating Ridgeway tanks were joined by M22A3 Jackson Medium tanks and M34A2 Longstreet light tanks in the defensive line, behind the entrenched infantry.
"Load up the special rounds." Igorivich ordered. The human Alliance had been kind enough to provide his forces with limited stocks of a new type of ammunition, a synthetic Diamond-ultra dense AP round. They said that it could punch through the front armor of a Hammerhead tank.
They were about to find out.
As the first Tau tank nosed over the top of the ridge it exposed it's belly to the waiting muzzles of the Colonial Marine tanks. They fired at the vulnerable targets with glee.
More than one Tau tank crew was sent to the beyond in that volley. The Marines added to the mayhem with their own small arms fire and anti- tank weapons. They were giving the Tau hell to come over this ridge.
One Mile West of Cumberland Maryland, Scout Trooper detachment 93-P 'Cerberus Group', 0645 Hours, December 16th
Stormtrooper Colonel 9352-24-A sat atop his Aerotech speederbike and watched the Tau battle lines rolling forwards along the highway before him. The forces weren't pure Tau troops at this point. Unlike the spearhead units that the Colonial Marines were engaging, this was made up of Tau and their Covenant masters.
The Scout Trooper Colonel looked out without any kind of emotion. He had emotion once, back when he had a name...now he just served the Empire, and he did so with gusto. He stood up on his speeder bike, his white armor keeping him and the other troops he commanded concealed from the prying Covenant eyes.
The Camoflage cloak he wore flapped in the wind...it was one of the stranger things that the Colonel had done. He served the Empire without regard for his personal safety, but he wore the silly cloak to inspire his men. It was strange, but the Colonel fancied himself one of the ancient cavalry commanders from the times before the Republic. Back in the days when masses of men rode beasts into combat, that's what the Colonel had mirrored his unit on...
They carried Force pikes, vibro swords and light carbines in their arsenals. He'd trained them to move fast and light...and hit hard, very hard. He raised his hand after consulting his chrono. And let it drop to signal the advance.
Their job was to hit the Covenant forces and stall their advance in this part of the line. They were supposed to do what they could to delay the enemy so the Colonial Marines could chew up the spearhead of the force.
He didn't intend to follow those orders.
He intended to kill every enemy soldier he could find, as per Grand Admiral Anjek's orders.
As one every Aerotech speeder bikes' engine revved and charged into life. The mass of Scout troopers swept downs the gradual slope from the tree line like ancient barbarians descending upon a hapless caravan.
Blaster cannons and carbines sent down a lethal barrage of withering fire into the unsuspecting Covenant forces. The dropped as the deadly energy slammed into the ranks of marching troops.
In a small frenzy of activity several of the Covenant Wraith tanks turned and started lobbing plasma against the encroaching stormtroopers as they rode forward. The blue orbs arched high in the air, but were far to slow to effectively target the Imperial Scout Troopers.
A handful of the Covenant speeder bike equivalents broke off and headed up the slope towards the Scout Troopers, their plasma cannons blazing away into the Imperials. The two opposing forces closed the distance between each other with terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye the distance evaporated and they slammed into each other.
It was sheer chaos. Ghosts rammed into speeder bikes and exploded in orange flame. The Imperial troops used their force pikes like lances, they had practiced long and hard with these weapons, and although short could be lethal in their gloved hands. The weapons found their marks as they passed, the vibroblade tips of the weapons impaling the skulls of the Elite pilots and wrenching free in one smooth motion as they passed.
The Covenant clearly came out on the bad end of that small engagement, but the Imperials hadn't been unscathed. For all their flaws, the Ghosts could boast protection for their pilots. The speeder bikes couldn't. Any plasma that found its mark would destroy the delicate machines along with their pilots.
The Imperial forces swept down upon the convoy unhindered. They flew through the volleys of plasma fire, more Scout Troopers falling in the attack, but the remaining riders killing the infantry as their lines broke.
The bikes and their riders flew through the convoy. In addition to their normal load out, the biker pilots boasted shaped charges. These were tossed liberally upon the vehicles they passed, detonating and damaging the war machines with ridiculous ease. The bikers swooped out of the Covenant convoy and then circled back around, laying into the defenders with another run of high-speed death.
The Colonel surveyed the handy work of his men with pride. They knew how to slaughter the enemy, and their tactics were good...if a little bloody for both sides.
But he had succeeded in his mission; the Covenant advance would be tied up for some time with this mess.
"To the trees." The Colonel ordered, and his unit disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared.
Leaving dead Covenant soldiers and burning vehicles in their wake.
NORAD Coalition Defensive Command center for Earth 1125 Hours, Decmeber 18Th
Complin was at least receiving good news. The Imperial Stormtrooper Legion that had replaced the ineffective Human Alliance ground forces had held and smashed a pair of Lizard thrusts towards the mountain. Along with that the Tau/Covenant offensive pushing towards Washington and then New York was gone. Their Spearhead units had been destroyed by the Colonial Marines, and the majority of their organization was gone after air strikes and raids by the Imperial and New Republic troops.
But fighting had been heavy, very heavy. The Colonial Marines had lost an entire Division, it had been rendered Combat Ineffective by the tremendous volume of combat it had faced in a few short hours, but thankfully the Covenant advance wasn't in danger of picking up any time soon.
The Human Alliance had suffered tremendous losses. Whatever the reason was, the Lizards and Yevetha forces arrayed against them had simply rolled over them. The lizards were using better tactics and larger numbers to deal with the superior technology they'd faced. They'd outnumbered the Human Alliance forces and buried them in bodies, but they'd moved forward. Only the heroic efforts of the Fifth Stormtrooper Legion had halted the advance.
So far the Covenant forces had stalled. Complin was quite pleased.
He was ready to go on the offensive. He was moving the freshest troops he had against the Covenant forces. Imperial Stormtroopers, and Imperial Army troopers. Complin felt like he was at the academy again.
He turned back to the map on the far side of the command center. It displayed the three Covenant elements...but Complin still harbored a nagging doubt about what they were doing down in Brazil.
They'd reached the Andes, and had stopped...as though they had found something there of value for them. He couldn't ignore it. He had to investigate...the Covenant hadn't made a habit of invading a planet unless they had reason to want it intact.
"Colonel." Complin said addressing his aide.
"Yes sir?"
"I want a special forces unit to recon that Covenant force group down in Brazil."
"Who should go sir?"
"The Spartans and the X-Com people plus any Jedi that Skywalker saw fit to allow us to use. They'll be the most likely to survive that recon." Complin said.
"Which ones sir?"
Complin remained silent.
And...Chappie. Stay tuned for the next chapter in the story...
And before people start flaming me; the Master Chief and the Spartans, the X-Com troopers and the Jedi will show up in the final chapter...and they will find out exactly what the Forerunners are doing in the Universe and why the are doing.
Oh yes...and I know I took some liberties with the Scout Troopers and their Cavalry man attitude there...but I wanted to make the Stormtroopers less than the white cannon fodder of the movies and more like they're supposed to be.
The next chapter is.... Chapter 11: Counter attack...Reach...