Chapter 29: Deliverance
UNSC Destroyer Valiant
"My God." Captain Rogers stared out of the bridge viewport overlooking the planet of Aeola. He had just been briefed on what has been going on down on the surface during the last several hours. "Do you think this is some sort of Covenant weapon?"
"Possible, but unlikely, sir." Rogers' second in command, Commander Rick Starr, stepped forward. "I have no doubts that the Covenant posses the technology to create lifeforms like these, but taking into account their already superior weapons technology and their arrogance, It's unlikely that the Covenant will be willing to stoop this low to destroy us."
Rogers nodded. "You think its one of ours?"
"What, sir?"
Rogers sighed, and stared at the planet again. "It's no secret that the UNSC and ONI keep multiple research stations down there, working on 'black' projects. And don't try and pretend you don't know. We've been on this ship for seven years, and you're one of the brightest and best commanders I've ever had."
"Yes sir." Starr nodded. "It's possible that one of those stations down there suffered an accident, or worse, went rogue. Unfortunately, ONI keeps no data of these facilities on the datanets, nor do they even mark them on the maps. Hell, the facilities aren't even allowed to contact anybody in the 'outside' for any reason whatsoever. For all we know, anything can be going on down there." Starr kept standing in his position, waiting for Rogers to reply, and began to fidget nervously a little.
"All right, now we need to do something about those Marines stranded down in… what was it called?"
"Robles, sir."
"Robles. Are there any reinforcements that we can spare to them?"
"No sir." Starr frowned as he started sifting through data streams. Most of our Marine units are tied up on offensives all across the continent, and whatever we've got left is protecting the high-value cities and refugees. And don't even ask about air support, because they're all tied up as well."
"Damnit!" Rogers cursed, slamming his fist down on the desk, "we can't let those Marines down there die while we sit back and twiddle our thumbs! Can't we give them any supplies or equipment that might give them an edge."
"That's about the only thing we don't have a shortage on." Starr replied. "We have plenty of weapons stocked aboard the ship, one of the 'X' weapons we never got around to testing, and of course," Starr gestured around the bridge, "We have this ship."
Robles"Unbelievable" Paccone muttered as he tore off the SATCOM headset, "instead of sending a Pelican to get us of this rock, they send us even MORE weapons. I suppose Navy goons plan on us taking this town by ourselves."
"Isn't that the Marine way?" Leo interjected.
Paccone smirked. "You're damn right it is."
"Sir," Kumi turned around from the window she was watching out of, "If they don't have any Pelicans left, how are they sending us the equipment?"
"The old fashioned way. Stuffing it all in a crate and dropping it down. It'll come down within a two kilometer radius of this station.
As if to reinforce his words, a bright flare shot through the sky, and slammed into the ground several hundred yards away from the station with a resounding BOOM as the drop pod demolished a building that had the misfortune of being in its way.
Paccone rubbed his hands together and got up, "Alright, Marines, lets do this! Carter, Mann, with me! Siler, Leeds, you stay behind with these kind folks and hold the fort."
The Marines nodded and set about to do their tasks. Leo and Mann began loading up their rifles while Kumi and Siler continued to keep a watch on the door.
Omega
Without thinking, Karla dropped her useless pistol and drew her Marine combat knife. She didn't really see the point of using it since these things were apparently impervious to bullets, but it was better than just laying down to die. She heard a scream, and say Riley get pulled down by a mob of the zombies. He was thrashing and kicking as the zombies began scratching at his eyes and skin, and began to literally tear him to pieces. Karla fought to keep herself from puking. She definitely didn't want that to happen to her.
The first zombie then lunged at her, growling and shrieking. Karla sidestepped to the left and evaded the attacker. She brought her knife around and then stabbed it into the back of the zombie's neck, severing its spine. The creature gasped and fell to the floor. Karla stared at her bloody knife and the dead body, until it suddenly hit her. Of course, that's how they can be killed…
Suddenly, the mob that attacked Riley was finished ripping him apart, and then set their sights on Karla. She began backing away, and saw that she could try and move around the mob and reach her fellow comrades. She moved back more until she could find a side passage.
As she backed up, a heavy weight landed on her back, sending her slamming into the floor. Momentarily dazed, Karla tried to get back up, only to notice that the weight was still there. She caught the horrid stench of rot, and a growling that sounded like rotten wood. Two decayed, but powerful hands grabbed her helmet and tore it off. Karla tried fighting the zombie off, but the position that she was laying in limited her movement, and from the sounds of it, she was being pinned by more than one zombie. Then, those same decayed hands grabbed the back of her head and began lifting it up. Karla bit back the urge to scream and closed her eyes. She always thought that if she were to die it battle, it would be against the Covenant, not these slimy bastards…
Suddenly, she felt a wave of unbearable heat, and the weight on her back disappeared. Karla opened her eyes to find that she was covered in blood. She stood up, and noticed that the dead weight on back was a pile of fried body parts, rather than actual living thing. Stunned and dazed from the attack, she looked up in front of her and saw a the back of a massive Elite holding a plasma sword, several feet of pure destructive energy focused into a lethal blade. It was standing between her and the mob of zombies.
"Holy?"
The Elite turned around and gave one of his genuine, predatory smiles. "These abominations of nature do not deserve to walk this world. I intend to correct that."
"Where the hell did you get that sword?"
"Maybe I'll tell you some other day," laughed Holy. He then turned towards the zombies, raised his plasma sword in the air, and roared. "Come, foul demons! Come and know death in the name of Ralamee!"
Then, in a scene reminiscent of a hero in an action movie, Holy charged the mob of oncoming zombies, plasma sword raised, screaming a Covenant battle cry.