4.
Forerunner ship/ Atmospheric reentry over West African
Protectorate/ mission clock 52:53:04
John followed the
creature that waddled in front of him. The grunt continued to chatter
to himself, just rambling about how much he missed home and wished he
was back. John knew how he felt, broken arm, no serious threat
armament wise, and stuck on an unfamiliar ship ancient ship loaded
with a Covenant hierarch, his honor guard, and the Flood. Since
Cortana stayed on High Charity, things didn't feel right. There was
a void, a hole, and now that he had to put his trust in the enemy,
things just weren't going right for him.
"We here now,"
the grunt said suddenly stopping at a door in front of him.
"Me
no go in," he added, now looking at the ground ashamed, "They
call me traitor. Me be executed when you die," he said
regretting that he suggested that the demon couldn't finish what he
started.
"Thanks for the help," John said, patting the
grunt on the back as he started to the door. The ship trembled as its
center of gravity shifted, letting everyone onboard know they were
within the atmosphere.
"Here goes nothing," John said to
himself as he got ready to storm in guns ablaze.
"You still
go in?" the grunt asked, "You very crazy. Give me gun,"
He added holding his little hand out for a gun. John looked at the
grunt confused once again. The grunt seemed to stand five feet taller
as he stood staring back into the Spartan's face.
"I change
my mind," the grunt said still staring into John's visor, "You
stop before Holiness before he kills all?" he added still
staring.
"Yes," John said looking down at the grunt,
grabbing two pistols from his belt and giving them to the grunt.
"Me
still think your crazy," the grunt said overcharging his two
pistols, "Me Kasap by the way,"
"Lets go,"
John said charging his pistol and opening the door.
The Chief and
Kasap were met by three honor guard as soon as the door opened. They
both unleashed the pistols onto the brute's faces, the superheated,
overcharged plasma melting away their faces. John grabbed one of the
fallen brute plasma rifles that dropped to the floor, and then hid
behind a crate in the middle of the room as the rest of the brutes
opened fire. A phantom sat docked in the middle of the cluttered
hangar. John looked over the crate once the firing stopped and saw
his prize. The High Prophet of Truth, surrounded by several Honor
Guards, was being loaded onto the phantom. John looked over and saw
Kasap who, strangely for a grunt, was firing over the crates instead
of cowering behind it. The Honor Guard opened fire on the grunt just
as he ducked back behind the massive crate. John noticed his chance
while the brutes fired upon his little accomplice. All in one motion.
He dropped his plasma rifle, pulled a grenade from his belt, armed
it, and lobbed it onto the brute in the middle of the group. The
grenade attached to the brutes armor and then detonated, sending the
group flying in separate directions. John grabbed the plasma rifle
and started for the phantom. The loading ramp closed just as the
Chief reached the ship. The engines roared to life and John jumped
grabbing onto the underside of the phantom as it rose from the
metallic floor and exited through the open hangar doors. John watched
Kasap run from his hiding place and stare up at him as the phantom
raced away from the ancient forerunner ship that still glided through
the sky over southern Africa. Two seraph fighters came from the
opposite direction and unleashed their plasma torpedoes on the
ancient ship, which erupted into giant ball of flame. John tried to
pull himself closer to the hull of the ship, holding on for dear life
as the two seraph fighters provided escort for the phantom. The
phantom suddenly took a hard right turn. John felt his grip slip and
then the rush of air as he fell to meet the ground of the African
plain. There was a great pain through out his body and then all went
dark.
"Commander Shults, form a defensive
perimeter around the Moscow until all personnel are off the
installation," Lord Hood said as he stared at the screen in
front of him. Hundreds of red cruisers blotted the majority of the
screen, the few blue ships and platforms that remained were
overwhelmed and all hope for the MAC guns failed as the last of the
platforms were being evacuated.
"Sir, the unidentified ship
has been destroyed," an ensign said turning from his
console.
"What about the Chief? Are you picking up any
transponders?" Hood said turning and looking at the ensign in
shock, a hint of worry in his voice.
"No sir. No transponder
signals, but there was a ship that escaped before the explosion,"
the ensign replied turning back to his console as a light began to
flash.
"Sir, 36 Capital class ships have just entered normal
space within 200kilometers of the platform," the ensign said
shocked with what he was looking at, "Incoming transmission sir,
coming from the lead cruiser identifying itself as Sheltering
Innocence"
"Patch it in ensign," Lord Hood replied
wondering what the hell was going on.
