Chapter three
Yimep was flying low over the surface of Trinetaslu, brown sulfur vents gushing up from land that rushed past them.
"Over the next ridge is the HQ. We should be there soon.", the pilot said as he checked the dashboard. Yimep looked out the side as he saw several Wraith tanks preparing for battle. 'If they get to the base, we won't stand a chance.' he thought as he ordered the pilot to turn around and fire on the Wraiths. The ship creaked as it made a U-turn and headed straight at the tanks. One of them started to move before it was engulfed in the wave of gas and fire that shot from the Phantoms three turrets.
The Grunts, being without breathing gear, could move much faster than normal. That, and the fact that the opposition needed the heavy, cumbersome breathing machines let the Grunts win most of the minor frays. But the Elites and Brutes had gotten almost fifty Wraiths, Banshees, and Ghosts off. The Grunts managed only one Wraith, seven Banshees, and two Specters, and they couldn't use them as well as their Elite counter-parts. But what they did have was fifty-two shade turrets mounted along the walls.
Timel, one of the first to reach Omega Base, the name of the Grunt's HQ, was coordinating the defense of the ancient structure. The main wall was crumbling but the inner wall held up over the eons. Moss grew on most of the surfaces and gave them a ghostly green tint. Inside the inner wall laid several rooms three stories high. Several search teams were sent out to find lost men and supplies.
But so far the only thing they found was a door about 20 meters from the actual building. The door stood 7 meters high and had strange encryptions carved into the rock. The markings looked like a Forerunner language but no-one could figure out what it said except for the words "contains", "sacred", "damnation", and "soul-less". So they put a guard around it to make sure it wouldn't be opened and let whatever was in it out. It was hidden from the main base by a line of bushes and rocks.
The Elite forces had saved eight tanks and two dozen banshees. But they still couldn't approach the filthy heretics without being burnt into oblivion by the shade turrets mounted along the walls. They had sent several Brutes under the command of Nasafu to find a back entrance into the base. Unfortunately, that decision would be everyone's downfall.
Yimep's Phantom hovered 10 meters off the surface while Grunts flowed down from the grav-lift. Yimep viewed out over the landscape. The land was covered in an aqua-green grass, large vents splitting the ground and sending sulfur a hundred meters up. Thunder rolled around in the skies through the dirty orange clouds. He could only imagine what was going on up there on Peaceful Cooperation.
Nasafu had come within about twenty five meters of the base when he spotted a door guarded by several Grunts. After disposing of them he and three other Brutes strained to open the door. Once they heaved it open they stared in horror as their leader was covered from head to toe in Infection forms. The Brutes tried to run but they were overwhelmed.
The small green parasites came out by the thousands and swarmed over the plains in every direction. The Shade turrets opened up and wave after wave of Flood fell, but each one was replaced immediately. Timel couldn't do anything but watch the horror. The Elites and Brutes were in the same situation, holding them back with Banshees and Wraith fire. But even if they held the line back for now, both sides knew they couldn't win.
Off in the distance another army was heading for the battle field. The 2000 Sentinels and 150 Enforcers would be a help, until the Flood were gone, then they would turn their attacks on the invaders.