Halo: Time Warp
Chapter 4: Death and Destruction
Date: April 04, 2554 / 0741 Hours Location: UNSC Interstellar Ship Dock 182 Restroom / Earth
Blake Stanforth bent over the toilet seat once again in a series of repetitions designed to make one throw up. He had a lot to be sick over: His previous actions, and his lack of being able to locate the President's daughter. Her name was Hallie Stargaze. He had been searching all the locations he could muster up. Schools, bathrooms, her home (which was deserted), even the entire facility of the dock. He still couldn't find her. But he hadn't given up yet. He still had several hours before he had to depart. Or at least he thought.
He finished the exercise, left the restroom, and continued the search. He walked outside the main entrance of the Dock to look when he noticed how unprepared they really were. No one knew but him and the ones high in the Political System. Even the guards at the front door of the dock were just a casual as usual which he noticed as one of them greeted him.
"Hello Sir." The guard muttered, checking his ID. "Everything is fine Sir, move right on." The guard stopped mid-statement and looked at the sky, startled. The General's grip tightened on a nearby handrail as his eyes drifted to the sky. Pinkish purple seemed to cover the blurry atmosphere, which was covered with clouds. "What in god's name is that don't ya wonder" the guard blurted out. "No. I don't have to wonder what that is because I know. It's the Covenant, and they're here to annihilate us all."
* * *
He headed as fast as he could to the nearest military station, which was defending one of the Orbital MAC Guns generators, Codenamed MAC-G17. Everyone was panicking; running for the nearest starship hoping to escape the Covenant's pending slaughter. The General was in a Warthog steering down a dirt road about 2 miles long at a blistering rate. He didn't know what he would be able to do, but he knew his previous mission, to travel to the off-world colonies and to protect them against any covenant threat was scrubbed. His vessel wasn't scheduled to arrive for a few hours still and with the Covenant battle group now in the system, they were sure to steer away to avoid utter destruction.
He arrived at the security checkpoint at the edge of the generators perimeter. It was deserted. Stanforth revved his warthog's massive engine and plowed through the gate.
He arrived at the defensive line about 100 yards outside the generator. It was an underground bunker about 6 meters thick and consisting of 3 meter layers of Concrete, and Titanium A. Built into a hill that overlooked a large area and allowing several overlapping lines of fire against incoming bogies, it gave the humans and advantage that would allow them to hold their own and keep the generator. At least for a while.
On the top of the bunker, but still partially covered by the hill, were the anti-air (AA) turrets were providing anti-air enemies. 8 turrets on each side of the square generator made for 32 turrets in all.
"Sir, We are in position for the incoming Covenant forces. There was a sighting by one of our scout teams of an invasion force inbound. We estimate 3 Covenant soldiers for every person on this planet." The soldier reported.
21 Billion Covenant. How the hell were they going to stop this?
"SIR, WERE UNDER ATTACK. MASSIVE COVENANT FORCES INBOU." the transmission went dead. The scout team was lost. And now all they could do was wait.
It wasn't a long wait either before they began their first charge. The AA turrets were already busy with nearly a hundred banshees' that were flying over the swarm.
All the humans could do was watch as the forces continued to come over the horizon. They were still out of range, but they could see then and they were way too close for comfort.
Lines after line of Jackels were in the front. Their shields were linked together to form one gigantic shield covering the Covenant from any and all incoming fire. Behind them were the fuming Elites; each wearing their own colored armor, declaring their ranks among themselves. The gold elites followed by the red, blue, and silver ones followed them. Now coming over the edge of the far off sunset were the Hunters. Their huge armor- plated arms slinging at their side as if they were paper, they marched proud and tall toward their enemy. There were no grunts, however. They were not needed.
"FIRE AT WILL!" the general ordered as every man inside the bunker, including him, opened fire. Sprays of purple blood rained down from the first waves of dropping Covenant as the next wave began to run faster, feeling the rage of their fallen warriors. They kept dying as fast as they were moving, as they were upon the bunker within minutes. The AA turrets were now opening fire on the massive group of enemy's incoming. The Hunters, seeing this, stopped in one line and warmed up their fuel rods. With this, the rest of the Covenant attack group began firing at the bunker.
The Covenant were ruthless. The hunters were bombarding the soldiers in the bunker, and when they did pop up to shoot out of the bunker, the Covenant's plasma was right there to answer them. They were pinned down in their own stronghold. Now only a few of the AA turrets were online, either destroyed or dismanned by a well-placed shot by an elite or hunter.
The General was a good aim. Most of his shots were dead on. Some of the other soldiers inside the bunker weren't so good at it. A bright flash zipped by the left side of the general. As his eyesight recovered from the brief brilliant flash of light, as he smelled the aroma of burning flesh. A super-charged plasma bolt had hit the soldier to his left directly in the face. Blood boiled out of his neck as he fell to the dirt ground. If something didn't happen soon, this bunker would be much more than just this person's grave.
* * *
Kyle Greenland was in a rush. He had been given the order from his father to pack everything that meant anything to him and be ready in 10 minutes. He wasn't sure what was going on other than his dad had been called into the base and that something big was going on. He hadn't yet set an eye to the purple colored sky. His dad was a Lieutenant in the Marines. He was on leave at the time to spend his son's birthday with him. The Covenant were going to give him an early present.
"KYLE! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" His father screamed at him with force. Kyle had just turned 16, and had received a new Virtual Reality System, the XJ47, Which was top of the line at the time. He didn't want to part with it to say the least, so he stuffed that in his bag. A few other things such as cookies, paper, homework, and a fresh set of clothes rounded out his collection. Suddenly the earth began to shake under his feet as violent as a hurricane. "What the hell is going on?!" he thought as he walked to the window to see if he could see what the cause was. He found the source, in the shape of a Covenant dropship.
His dad burst into his locked room, grabbed him by the waist, bag and all, and carried him out the back of the house to a warthog that lay there in wait. Kyle looked up at the gloomy sky full of mist to the largest purple blur he had ever seen.
They jumped into the warthog and gunned it all the way to the base. Kyle's father had shown him all the ropes: How to drive a warthog, pelican, or even a dropship. He had also taught him how to fire the LAAG guns that were mounted on a warthog through one of his VR games. They arrived at the base to find it like an anthill that had been disturbed. The Covenant had shot a large blast of plasma on the concrete roof of the complex, destroying the roof and several floors. The main base was a little farther underground than they had shot, so most of the men were still alive and ready to fight.
The lieutenant told his son to wait in the warthog while he receives his orders from HQ, and then strode off into the base. Kyle wasn't in the least scared. He knew his father would win. He always had. He always came home alive in one piece. He watched all the commotion around the base as he waited. Most soldiers were boarding aircraft of some sort to fend off the invaders. MA5B Assault rifles and the standard Pistol were accompanying most of then, while several chose more devastating weapons such as the Sniper Rifles, or the Rocket Launchers.
His father returned from the briefing and said to Kyle, "We're being sent in to assist the soldiers defending one of the MAC generators. I want you to pilot us there." He finished. Kyle looked at his father's hazel eyes searching for an emotion. "What do you mean, me? Surely you can pilot it better than I can. You taught me for crying out loud!" Kyle pleaded. "I know. But I need to be assisting my soldiers while we're enroute. And I've seen you in your VR simulations. You're a far better pilot than I am." He said.
Such words coming from his father meant more than anything. "Fine. I'll do it." Kyle replied. "Oh, and one more thing," his dad said, "I want you to have this." He handed Kyle a pistol. "This thing has saved my live more times than I can remember. I want it to bring you the same amount of good fortune. It's fully loaded, so be careful." Kyle didn't really think he needed a pistol, but he accepted the gift anyway. "Alright son, lets see what you can do."
The reality of what was going on didn't sink in fully until he sat in the pilot's seat of his very own pelican. He was transporting his own father, along with 9 other soldiers, to the 17th MAC gun Generator. As he started the engine of the aircraft, he felt it shudder. His VR hadn't covered this part of a flight. However, he was confident that he would make the flight without a hitch. He took off from the base towards the generator and would arrive there in 5 minutes. On the way, the soldiers onboard were firing at enemy resistance along the way. Seas of soldiers fought inside forests, along riverbanks, inside cities, and on military ground. They were everywhere, and they didn't stop coming.
Chapter 4: Death and Destruction
Date: April 04, 2554 / 0741 Hours Location: UNSC Interstellar Ship Dock 182 Restroom / Earth
Blake Stanforth bent over the toilet seat once again in a series of repetitions designed to make one throw up. He had a lot to be sick over: His previous actions, and his lack of being able to locate the President's daughter. Her name was Hallie Stargaze. He had been searching all the locations he could muster up. Schools, bathrooms, her home (which was deserted), even the entire facility of the dock. He still couldn't find her. But he hadn't given up yet. He still had several hours before he had to depart. Or at least he thought.
He finished the exercise, left the restroom, and continued the search. He walked outside the main entrance of the Dock to look when he noticed how unprepared they really were. No one knew but him and the ones high in the Political System. Even the guards at the front door of the dock were just a casual as usual which he noticed as one of them greeted him.
"Hello Sir." The guard muttered, checking his ID. "Everything is fine Sir, move right on." The guard stopped mid-statement and looked at the sky, startled. The General's grip tightened on a nearby handrail as his eyes drifted to the sky. Pinkish purple seemed to cover the blurry atmosphere, which was covered with clouds. "What in god's name is that don't ya wonder" the guard blurted out. "No. I don't have to wonder what that is because I know. It's the Covenant, and they're here to annihilate us all."
* * *
He headed as fast as he could to the nearest military station, which was defending one of the Orbital MAC Guns generators, Codenamed MAC-G17. Everyone was panicking; running for the nearest starship hoping to escape the Covenant's pending slaughter. The General was in a Warthog steering down a dirt road about 2 miles long at a blistering rate. He didn't know what he would be able to do, but he knew his previous mission, to travel to the off-world colonies and to protect them against any covenant threat was scrubbed. His vessel wasn't scheduled to arrive for a few hours still and with the Covenant battle group now in the system, they were sure to steer away to avoid utter destruction.
He arrived at the security checkpoint at the edge of the generators perimeter. It was deserted. Stanforth revved his warthog's massive engine and plowed through the gate.
He arrived at the defensive line about 100 yards outside the generator. It was an underground bunker about 6 meters thick and consisting of 3 meter layers of Concrete, and Titanium A. Built into a hill that overlooked a large area and allowing several overlapping lines of fire against incoming bogies, it gave the humans and advantage that would allow them to hold their own and keep the generator. At least for a while.
On the top of the bunker, but still partially covered by the hill, were the anti-air (AA) turrets were providing anti-air enemies. 8 turrets on each side of the square generator made for 32 turrets in all.
"Sir, We are in position for the incoming Covenant forces. There was a sighting by one of our scout teams of an invasion force inbound. We estimate 3 Covenant soldiers for every person on this planet." The soldier reported.
21 Billion Covenant. How the hell were they going to stop this?
"SIR, WERE UNDER ATTACK. MASSIVE COVENANT FORCES INBOU." the transmission went dead. The scout team was lost. And now all they could do was wait.
It wasn't a long wait either before they began their first charge. The AA turrets were already busy with nearly a hundred banshees' that were flying over the swarm.
All the humans could do was watch as the forces continued to come over the horizon. They were still out of range, but they could see then and they were way too close for comfort.
Lines after line of Jackels were in the front. Their shields were linked together to form one gigantic shield covering the Covenant from any and all incoming fire. Behind them were the fuming Elites; each wearing their own colored armor, declaring their ranks among themselves. The gold elites followed by the red, blue, and silver ones followed them. Now coming over the edge of the far off sunset were the Hunters. Their huge armor- plated arms slinging at their side as if they were paper, they marched proud and tall toward their enemy. There were no grunts, however. They were not needed.
"FIRE AT WILL!" the general ordered as every man inside the bunker, including him, opened fire. Sprays of purple blood rained down from the first waves of dropping Covenant as the next wave began to run faster, feeling the rage of their fallen warriors. They kept dying as fast as they were moving, as they were upon the bunker within minutes. The AA turrets were now opening fire on the massive group of enemy's incoming. The Hunters, seeing this, stopped in one line and warmed up their fuel rods. With this, the rest of the Covenant attack group began firing at the bunker.
The Covenant were ruthless. The hunters were bombarding the soldiers in the bunker, and when they did pop up to shoot out of the bunker, the Covenant's plasma was right there to answer them. They were pinned down in their own stronghold. Now only a few of the AA turrets were online, either destroyed or dismanned by a well-placed shot by an elite or hunter.
The General was a good aim. Most of his shots were dead on. Some of the other soldiers inside the bunker weren't so good at it. A bright flash zipped by the left side of the general. As his eyesight recovered from the brief brilliant flash of light, as he smelled the aroma of burning flesh. A super-charged plasma bolt had hit the soldier to his left directly in the face. Blood boiled out of his neck as he fell to the dirt ground. If something didn't happen soon, this bunker would be much more than just this person's grave.
* * *
Kyle Greenland was in a rush. He had been given the order from his father to pack everything that meant anything to him and be ready in 10 minutes. He wasn't sure what was going on other than his dad had been called into the base and that something big was going on. He hadn't yet set an eye to the purple colored sky. His dad was a Lieutenant in the Marines. He was on leave at the time to spend his son's birthday with him. The Covenant were going to give him an early present.
"KYLE! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" His father screamed at him with force. Kyle had just turned 16, and had received a new Virtual Reality System, the XJ47, Which was top of the line at the time. He didn't want to part with it to say the least, so he stuffed that in his bag. A few other things such as cookies, paper, homework, and a fresh set of clothes rounded out his collection. Suddenly the earth began to shake under his feet as violent as a hurricane. "What the hell is going on?!" he thought as he walked to the window to see if he could see what the cause was. He found the source, in the shape of a Covenant dropship.
His dad burst into his locked room, grabbed him by the waist, bag and all, and carried him out the back of the house to a warthog that lay there in wait. Kyle looked up at the gloomy sky full of mist to the largest purple blur he had ever seen.
They jumped into the warthog and gunned it all the way to the base. Kyle's father had shown him all the ropes: How to drive a warthog, pelican, or even a dropship. He had also taught him how to fire the LAAG guns that were mounted on a warthog through one of his VR games. They arrived at the base to find it like an anthill that had been disturbed. The Covenant had shot a large blast of plasma on the concrete roof of the complex, destroying the roof and several floors. The main base was a little farther underground than they had shot, so most of the men were still alive and ready to fight.
The lieutenant told his son to wait in the warthog while he receives his orders from HQ, and then strode off into the base. Kyle wasn't in the least scared. He knew his father would win. He always had. He always came home alive in one piece. He watched all the commotion around the base as he waited. Most soldiers were boarding aircraft of some sort to fend off the invaders. MA5B Assault rifles and the standard Pistol were accompanying most of then, while several chose more devastating weapons such as the Sniper Rifles, or the Rocket Launchers.
His father returned from the briefing and said to Kyle, "We're being sent in to assist the soldiers defending one of the MAC generators. I want you to pilot us there." He finished. Kyle looked at his father's hazel eyes searching for an emotion. "What do you mean, me? Surely you can pilot it better than I can. You taught me for crying out loud!" Kyle pleaded. "I know. But I need to be assisting my soldiers while we're enroute. And I've seen you in your VR simulations. You're a far better pilot than I am." He said.
Such words coming from his father meant more than anything. "Fine. I'll do it." Kyle replied. "Oh, and one more thing," his dad said, "I want you to have this." He handed Kyle a pistol. "This thing has saved my live more times than I can remember. I want it to bring you the same amount of good fortune. It's fully loaded, so be careful." Kyle didn't really think he needed a pistol, but he accepted the gift anyway. "Alright son, lets see what you can do."
The reality of what was going on didn't sink in fully until he sat in the pilot's seat of his very own pelican. He was transporting his own father, along with 9 other soldiers, to the 17th MAC gun Generator. As he started the engine of the aircraft, he felt it shudder. His VR hadn't covered this part of a flight. However, he was confident that he would make the flight without a hitch. He took off from the base towards the generator and would arrive there in 5 minutes. On the way, the soldiers onboard were firing at enemy resistance along the way. Seas of soldiers fought inside forests, along riverbanks, inside cities, and on military ground. They were everywhere, and they didn't stop coming.