Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover redux.
Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.
I apologize for taking so long to finish up this chapter. I was kinda stuck on how I should go about the ending for some time, and I was working on my Halo/Star Wars crossover on top of that. Fortunately, I've finished this chapter up and I will soon begin writing the next one. Thank you for your support and patience.
In addition, I have a special treat for everyone reading this chapter. If you've played MechAssault before, you should recognize the music title I placed above the date listed in this chapter. As a fellow MechAssault fan, I always enjoyed that music and I hope you do as well.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of 343 Industries, Microsoft Studios, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, WizKids, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music belongs to its original composers and/or artists.
De Wolfe - Downshift
SLS Hammerfall
Harvest
March 1st, 2526
While 'Moramee was issuing his orders, the region of space that was closer to the planet was becoming hotly contested. Onboard his Hellcat II, Richard Wright and the rest of Delta Squadron was mopping up the last of the hostile ASF picket that had been sent to molest the Prinz Mugen. Firing the ER Medium Pulse Lasers on his ASF, he quickly blasted apart the last enemy ASF, scattering its remains into the vacuum of space. "Delta Lead to the Prinz Mugen, you should be good to go."
"Copy that, Delta Lead," came the Captain's reply. "Our point defense systems were being overloaded when you arrived. Thanks for the help. Continue swatting more of the bandits out of the sky for us while you're at it."
"Affirmative. Heading out now." Using the motion sensor gloves, Richard quickly turned his ASF back towards the battle, accelerating as fast as he could. Spotting one of his squadmates flying off, he shouted, "Delta-4, where are you going? Stay in formation!"
"I need help!" came Delta-4's panicked reply. "I've got a bandit on my six!" True enough, one of the Covenant ASFs was closely pursuing him, weapons firing away as the pilot desperately pulled all kinds of maneuvers to escape. "This is Delta-4 to any available ASFs! I need help shaking this bandit off my ass!"
"Hold on, I'm coming!" Richard shouted. "Delta Squadron, continue hammering the other bandits! I'm going to help Delta-4!" Closing the COM-link, he threw the throttle to maximum and pointed the nose directly at Delta-4.
The entire ASF shook as the engines roared, pushing the Hellcat II at speeds that would've made a fighter jet from ancient Terra turn green with envy. RCS thrusters flared as Richard maneuvered around the increasingly debris choked battlefield, with some bouncing harmlessly off the armor on his fighter. Eventually, he managed to get to where Delta-4 was at.
The moment he saw the fighter, he knew that things weren't looking good. Much of the armor on the rear of Delta-4's fighter, a Corsair, had been ablated away, with the internal structure now taking damage itself. Craters and cuts that glowed an angry orange color pockmarked the entire hull of the Corsair, while parts of the bubble canopy had charred and blackened pieces. Behind the ASF, the Covenant bandit continued to fire at Delta-4, with some plasma bolus' smacking into the armor periodically.
After quickly checking over the armor integrity of his ASF, Richard fired on the bandit with the twin ER Large Pulse Lasers, causing the energy shields to flare. That got the hostile pilot's attention, as the bandit quickly turned around and began firing at him. As he fired at the bandit, Richard spotted a flare of light coming from Delta-4's engines. "Delta-4! EJECT!" he roared.
It was too little, too late. There was a bright flash of light as the fighter's engines, unable to continue holding up to the stresses of spaceflight, tore themselves apart. The fuel onboard the Corsair promptly exploded, blasting the ASF apart into thousands of small pieces. The pilot was instantly killed, with the man's mangled corpse floating away to become just another piece of debris in space.
For a brief instant, Richard saw red as he watched Delta-4's dead body drift away. Turning his attention back to the Covenant bandit, he snarled as he used his hands to activate every weapons system onboard the Hellcat II. All of the weapons on the ASF fired immediately, smashing into the Covenant bandit's shields with the force of a tornado. In a single second, the shields flared, then popped, with the weapons cutting large gashes and holes into the bandit. Before long, the bandit exploded, with large sections of the hostile vehicle being scattered into the void.
That's for Delta-4, you son of a bitch, Richard roared internally. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out, his body slumping slightly as he did so. Turning his fighter around, he said, "Delta Squadron, head back to the Moscow for repairs and rearming."
"Roger Delta Leader," came the reply.
Just as Richard guided his ASF back to the Moscow, a COM burst came in. "This is Admiral Janos of the Moscow. We have detected Covenant bandits heading for the DropShips that we have launched. To all available ASFs, form up on the DropShips and prevent the Covenant bandits from reaching them. That is all."
Richard swore under his breath. "Delta Squadron, rearm and repair," he ordered. Switching frequencies, he said, "Delta Leader to all ASF Squadrons. Did any of you guys get that?"
"This is Epsilon Leader, we got that," came a reply from Epsilon Squadron's leader. "We're moving to engage the Covenant bandits immediately. Charlie, Gamma and Rho Squadrons, move to assist ASAP."
. . .
Onboard one of the numerous DropShips burning towards the surface of the planet, another part of the SLDF's operation to reclaim Harvest was getting underway. Walking along one of the catwalks, Major Gerald kept a hand firmly on the railing as the 'ship shook and shuddered like it was having its own earthquake. Around the entire 'Mech Bay, dozens of MechWarriors were doing the same as they proceeded towards their 'Mechs.
Before long, he had reached his 'Mech, a personally modified MAD-2R that he had specially built to his own specifications. He was about to step in when a hand patted him on the shoulder. Turning to his right, he saw another MechWarrior. That man's helmet was already on, hiding most of his facial features, though his green eyes shone through the visor. "You OK?" he asked Gerald.
Gerald nodded. "I'm fine, Ivan. I'm just wondering what the Covenant is going to bring to the table in terms of Combat Vehicles and the like. Given the tech they have, they must have BattleMechs of their own. Plus, whenever we do a combat drop, we're always rolling the dice."
"My thoughts exactly," Ivan said. "We don't know what the Covenant's going to bring to the table, but I do know one thing for certain." Leaning in, he said, "We'll make those Covenant bastards pay for what they did to Harvest and everyone on it. Mark my words, that's exactly what's going to happen."
"Same here," Gerald agreed. "Let's get into our 'Mechs and teach those Covenant bastards why you don't fuck with the UNSC or SLDF. See you groundside, Ivan."
"You too, Lance Leader," Ivan finished. Both men went their separate ways, with Gerald stepping towards his Marauder. Clambering onto his 'Mech, he removed the metal panel over the keypad and quickly punched in the access code. Two beeps sounded off, with Gerald opening the hatch and dropping inside.
Once the hatch was closed and sealed, he advanced towards the seat he would sit in for the next few hours. Sitting down, he quickly connected the feed tubes for his cooling suit to the hoses that would feed the coolant that would prevent him from suffering heat stroke when the 'Mech was running hot. Putting his neurohelmet on, he drew a length of cable from the reel built into the seat, before connecting it to his helmet. Once that was done, he flipped a switch. The DICs automated voice, known affectionately by MechWarriors as 'Bitchin' Betty,' sounded off in his ears. "Neurohelmet Activation Detected," it said. "Please Present Authorization Code."
"November Three-Niner-Five," Gerald replied. At the same time, he began thinking about the family he had on Soell III. This was a necessary part of the process of turning on the 'Mech, as modern neurohelmets scanned for specific levels of activity in areas of the brain. As such, MechWarriors often set up the security system to where specific memories could trigger the security system, with the intent of preventing any thieves from being able to steal the 'Mech by fooling the DIC.
Right on cue, Gerald heard the DIC say, "Identification Confirmed. 'Mech Ready For Activation." Nodding slightly, Gerald looked at the bank of switches and screens before him. The controls for the Marauder were designed to where most of the important switches were directly in front of the seat, with a pair of smaller panels to the left and right. The left panel, once a series of buttons and a small screen, was now a solitary touchscreen, with the right panel being similar. The center one had a pair of touchscreens, though there were several switches, as well as a lever. Under those switches was a small protrusion that looked like a key.
That wasn't all, though. Behind Gerald was a small alcove that had the neurohelmet cable hookup, also known as the NCCI, the air supply and recirculation system that provided the pilot with breathable air, a personal gear storage unit, as well as a tool web that held a 'Mech field repair kit. The alcove also had a toilet built into it, which allowed the 'Mech to dispose of the pilot's solid waste, while filtering the liquid waste into water that could be used as fuel for the Fusion Engine.
He was in the middle of the pre-power up checklist when he felt the DropShip rumble slightly. Keying his COM unit, he said, "Bravo Leader to DropShip. What's going on up there?"
"We're being fired upon is what's going on!" was the reply. "Looks like the Covenant's engaging us with their ASFs! We've got our own fighting to keep them off us, but we're still taking a few hits here and there! Hang on in there!"
"Copy that," Gerald replied. Closing the COM-link, he quickly continued to go through the pre-power up checklist. Once all of the procedures had been completed, he put the checklist away, before waiting for the signal to power up his 'Mech. His feet danced an arpeggio on the floor of the cockpit from nervous stress.
It was around five minutes into the wait that he felt another rumble, though this was one very familiar to him. Checking a video-link feed, he found that the DropShip was now beginning to enter Harvest's atmosphere. Orange-red plasma enveloped the Hammerfall as it brute forced it's way into Harvest's atmosphere. Before long, he could see only the intense plasma field around the DropShip. The intense plasma also scrambled the DropShip's sensors, though it did the same for the Covenant's sensors, with the hostile fire quickly tapering off as the DropShip seemed to vanish.
The rumbling quickly grew in intensity, and it wasn't long before Gerald could feel the entire DropShip shaking as it punched it's way through the atmosphere and towards the ground. Small items inside of his 'Mech shook around, with a few falling to the ground with a clatter and a clang. Can't pick them up yet, he said to himself as he continued to wait out the intense shaking.
Eventually, the intense shaking he was feeling dropped off, allowing him to unbuckle from his seat. Striding over to his personal storage compartment, he quickly picked up anything that had fallen to the round and threw it inside, before sealing the lid shut. Satisfied that he wouldn't have any distractions, he quickly walked back over and reattached the coolant lines before buckling himself in firmly once more.
He was about to become bored again when the intercom crackled. "Attention, Attention. Approaching Landing Zone. ETA: One Minute." There was another interval of silence, then the entire DropShip shook with a muted THUMP as it landed on solid ground. "Attention. Prepare For BattleMech Departure. Warning: 'Mech Bay Doors Opening. Stand Clear."
Hearing that, Gerald knew that it was time to power up the 'Mech. Flicking a trio of switches, he twisted the key-fob that was on the control panel before him. A pair of clicking sounds sounded off, before a muted electrical hum echoed inside of the cockpit. "Reactor: Online." the DIC informed him.
Continuing the power-up sequence, Gerald flicked more switches, causing the touchscreens to activate. "Sensors: Online,"the DIC reported. Within seconds, the touchscreens began displaying the various weapon readouts, while the HUD of his neurohelmet activated, displaying the crosshairs, minimap and other vital functions. A 2D layout of the 'Mech appeared in the lower left corner of his HUD, which would indicate if his 'Mech was taking damage and where during combat.
Flicking a pair of switches, he heard the DIC report, "Master Arm Activated. Weapon Systems: Online." The 'Mech shuddered as the DIC began running the entire 'Mech through its own systems checklist, with myomers contracting and relaxing. A moment later, Gerald heard the DIC report, "All Functioning Systems: Nominal. Cleared For Combat Operations."
As soon as he heard that, Gerald knew that he was ready for ground combat, though he knew that might not be true for the rest of his Company. Keying his COM, he said, "Bravo Lance, report in."
"Bravo-2 here, all systems nominal," came a reply.
"Bravo-3, ready for war."
"Bravo-4 here, all systems online and ready for combat."
"Good," Gerald said. Switching COM frequencies, he said, "Charlie, Delta and Epsilon Lances, report in."
"Charlie Lead here. All 'Mechs online and ready," Charlie Lead reported.
"Delta Lead here. Systems green and 'Mechs are ready," came Delta Lead's response.
"Epsilon lead here. Everyone's ready to go," Delta Lead finished.
"Copy that. Once we're out of the DropShip, we'll form up and head out towards our objective." Switching COM frequencies, he said, "Bravo Company Lead to Hammerfall. Mission objectives and status?"
"Your objectives are to secure the ruins of the city of Utgard," came the reply from Lieutenant Colonel Edward Haines, the CO of the battalion they were part of. "Command is going to be establishing an FOB there as part of the effort to reclaim the planet from the Covenant. Your Lance and the others in the battalion will be engaging Covenant ground forces that have already landed. Two regiments consisting of mechanized infantry and combat vehicles will be providing support for the two BattleMech Battalions assaulting that portion of the city, of which your Lance, as well as Alpha and Charlie Lances, are members of. Do whatever is necessary to drive the Covenant out of Utgard and secure the region."
"Copy that," Gerald replied. "We're Oscar Mike." Closing the COM-link, he said, "Bravo Lance, form up on me." With that, he began moving his Marauder out of the 'Mech Bay. Following the flashing lights built into the deck of the 'Mech Bay, he quickly made his way out of the DropShip and out onto the surface of Harvest.
If there was a word that could describe Harvest, it was wasteland. Gone were the forest green trees and grass, and gone was the bright blue sky. The grass and trees had been burned away, leaving glassed stumps that were still rooted into the glassed earth. The predawn light was the color of burnt orange, though Gerald had hopes that it might improve somewhat. Gale force winds churned whatever dirt and dust was on the ground, creating clouds of steam and dust that obscured his vision. At the moment, he couldn't see very far, courtesy of said dust clouds.
This must have been a nice place once, he said to himself. Now, the planet was an unrelievedly depressing place. It wasn't necessarily frightening, though the inability to see very far was disconcerting. In all that dust shrouded land, there was not a single cool color. Not a blue, nor a green; just a steady seepage of yellows, sad orange, tired browns and grays, nothing that might cool the mind and ease one's thoughts. The ground was the color of ship excreta, and the atmosphere reminded Gerald of a failed science experiment. It was hard to imagine that this planet was one something of a tropical paradise once. Either way, he knew this planet would never be able to support life on its own again, not unless mankind put the effort in to restore the planet to its former glory.
His thoughts were interrupted when Bravo-2 spoke up. "Bravo Lead, you OK?"
"What?" he asked.
"You OK, sir?"
He frowned. The depressing vista that he was seeing had clouded over his thoughts briefly. "Sorry. Too much thinking. I'm all right."
"Good," Bravo-2 sighed. "Orders?"
Gerald checked his sensor suite and HUD. Turning his 'Mech to the right, he quickly spotted the nav-point that would lead them to Utgard. "Form up on me," he ordered. "We're heading towards Utgard. Once we arrive, the Combat Vehicles will move up with us, while the infantry clears out any Covenant forces in the city. Bravo Company, form up on my lead. Once we reach the city, we'll split up, 100 meter spread."
"Copy that," the others replied. Getting into formation, the rest of the Marauders in his lance, began following his own Marauder towards the nav point.
As they followed him, Gerald heard his COM chime. "Lieutenant Gerald here. Identify."
"Charlie Lead here," came the reply. "You guys OK so far?"
"Yeah," Gerald said. "Why?"
"The dust storm's so thick that we're using you for a distance-and-line-fix. That way, we don't get lost in all this dust."
"Solid copy," Gerald reported. "What's your Lance makeup?"
"Four Shadow Hawks."
Good for both attacks and scouting, Gerald noted. That'll be useful. "Copy that," he said out loud. "I'll get in touch with the Colonel and find out where he's at." Switching COM frequencies, he said, "Colonel Haines, do you read me? Over."
"I read you," Haines replied, his voice muffled slightly by static. "Dust cloud's interfering with your signal, but I can still hear you clearly. What's your SitRep?"
"We're en route to Utgard as per your orders sir," Gerald reported. "Heavy dust, and sensors are starting to suffer from interference, but it's not bad. Once we're at Utgard, we'll report in and begin hunting for any Covenant forces in the area."
"Roger that," Haines replied. "I'll report the sensor interference to our DropShip and the flagship we detached from. Be advised, the Covenant might try to use that to sneak up on you and the others. Keep an eye on your sensors and report any anomalies immediately."
"Copy that," Gerald said. "Bravo Company out." Once the COM link was closed, he issued those orders to his Company of 'Mechs, while keeping a close watch on his sensors.
Before long, they had reached the outskirts of Utgard. Here, the dust storm died down, allowing them to see the devastated city for the first time. Even in their condition, the skyscrapers and buildings of Utgard remained tall and proud, though the majority of them had been warped and melted by intense heat. The smaller buildings that had survived had been reduced to ruins, allowing for long sightlines that could be used to engage enemy forces.
"Mother..." Bravo-2 whispered under his breath. "The entire city's been turned into a nuclear wasteland."
"Damn," Charlie Lead whistled. "The only time I saw devastation as bad as this was at the Battle of Lockdale. Entire cities were reduced to rubble."
"Stay focused," Gerald ordered the two. "If I was a Covenant officer, I'd use the urban ruins to hide my forces and stage ambushes." Keying his COM, he said, "Lieutenant Gerald to Hammerfall. Do you read me?"
"We copy," the CO of the Hammerfall, Captain Cassandra replied. "What do you need?"
"We need a UAV flyover of the area that we're about to enter. My gut tells me that the Covenant might attempt to set up ambushes in the city, where our 'Mechs will be less useful."
"Copy that," Cassandra replied. "Launching UAV. ETA: 3 Mikes."
"Copy that," Gerald said…
At the DropShip, a small port opened up on the skin of the DropShip's outer layers of armor. Moments later, a small UAV was ejected into the air, with the drone quickly flying towards Gerald's location. Onboard the DropShip, Cassandra watched as the UAV flew overhead, before the operator began a series of multispectral scans. "Captain, I've got something," the drone operator reported.
"What do you have?" she asked.
"I've got thermal blooms in the ruins. My guess is that the Brilliant Bier landed ground troops here as a temporary occupation force. Long range scans indicate that enemy DropShips are landing on the other side of the city, likely from the fleet battle being waged overhead. If I had to guess, ma'am, I'd say that Gerald's gut instincts are right: the Covenant are planning an ambush."
"I see," Cassandra noted. With that in mind, she traveled back to the holo-table and keyed the COM…
At the outskirts of Utgard, Gerald was about to check his 'Mech senors when the COM crackled to life. "Lieutenant Gerald here," he said.
"Lieutenant, we've got some news," Cassandra said. "According to UAV scans, we've got thermal blooms in the area you're about to enter. My guess is that the Covenant are setting up an ambush."
Damnit. That complicates things, Gerald thought. It was then that he recalled something unique about Fortress-class DropShips: each one had a single Long Tom Artillery Piece as part of their arsenal. This, combined with the gun's elevated position and power, meant that a Fortress-class DropShip could easily secure its own landing zone. As the Hammerfall was equipped with the upgraded Long Tom II Artillery Piece, it could strike an enemy target at considerable range with devastating effect. Keying his COM, he said, "Captain, can you perform an artillery strike at the location in question?"
"Affirmative," Cassandra reported. "Call out the target area's grid location."
"Roger," Gerald reported. Checking his sensor readouts, he said, "Our position is Charlie 3-5-8. Target grid is Delta 1-4-2. Requesting artillery bombardment of the enemy position."
There was a pause as Cassandra reported the target location to the gunners. "Roger that," she reported. "Long Tom II firing."
At the DropShip, the single Long Tom II Artillery Piece that was installed quickly rotated towards the city, while the Fire Control computer quickly calculated the required trajectory needed to hit the target. Once the computer had lined up the projected impact zone with the UAV feed, it quickly loaded clip of shells into the feeding system. Once this had been completed, it fired.
There was a loud KRA-THOOM as the Long Tom II fired, sending a 250mm large HE shell directly towards the target location. Before long, it had fired four more shells in rapid succession, all of which were clustered around the initial shell. Looking towards the sky, Gerald watched as five streaks of light zipped upwards, before coming down on the outskirts of the city.
The resulting fireworks show was nothing short of impressive. Gerald could hear the loud KABOOMs of each shell as they detonated on impact with the ground. Massive explosions tore through the buildings that were targeted, sending each one crashing to the ground. Debris was hurled into the air, while some of the few standing buildings that had survived the glassing collapsed, causing large clouds of dust to rise into the air. "Good effect on target," Gerald replied after checking the video feed. "We're moving in now."
"Copy that," Cassandra replied. With the artillery barrage completed, the 'Mechs began to move in.
. . .
Just a mile away, a Heavy Tracked APC was making its way across the glassed terrain and towards the same city that Bravo Company was beginning to enter. Inside of the APC, Lieutenant Harold Greaves was being jostled around as the APC drove over the rough terrain. Nearby, dozens of other soldiers, a platoon's worth, to be precise, were also being bumped and jostled around.
The one thing that had Harold's attention was the fact that everyone was deathly silent. In fact, the only sounds he could hear were the humming of the APCs Fusion Engine, the muffled sounds of the tracks crushing rocks and clods of glassed dirt and the sound of everyone's breathing. He could see soldiers doing small little things to keep themselves busy, while others just nervously looked around.
Might be a good time to try and break the tension, he thought. Looking at the man closest to him, he asked, "Private Jones, how's your mother doing?"
"Fine," Jones said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"
"The way I hear it, it was a photograph of your mother that started this war," Harold teased.
"Really?" Jones asked. "The way I hear it, your mother's so ugly that one member of the Covenant shot at it."
Harold laughed at the jibe. Before one could say 'knife' everyone else was chuckling and laughing as well. The tension in the entire room seemed to slacken with the silence being broken. "Well," he said, "when this mission's over, I'll be the first to drink to that. Anyways, Gordon's about to do his speech."
"What speech?" Jones asked.
Instead of getting a verbal reply, he got a visual one as Sergeannt Gordon, the Platoon's senior NCO, stood up and said, "Listen up, everyone! We're about to enter combat with an alien force that wants us all dead. Now you might be wondering, 'Why do they want us dead, Sarge? Why can't we be friends?' Well, I'll tell you why: because those alien sumbitches believe that we've insulted their 'gods' and now they want us dead.
"Now I don't care what some alien sonovabitch thinks about us! What I do care about is that we leave them lying dead with a pool of their own blood to lie in! We'll singe their asses with our laser weapons and we'll make 'em wish that they didn't have the misfortune to encounter the Star League Defense Force! We taught that bastard Stefan Amaris a lesson when we liberated Terra and killed his ass! We'll do the same with the Covenant! Am I right, gentlemen?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!" The others in the Heavy APC shouted.
"Damn straight I am!" Gordon shouted. "Now lock your helmet seals down and load your rifles! We're about to step out into one helluva arena to fight in, and I mean it! We Lead The Way!"
"We Lead The Way!" the others shouted, reciting the motto of the 46th Mechanized Infantry Division.
As the counter reply finished, the Heavy Tracked APC came to a halt, before the doors on the sides and rear of the vehicle opened up. "GO, GO, GO!" Gordon shouted, with everyone quickly piling out of the vehicle as fast as they could. Grabbing his own Mauser II, Harold quickly followed then out and into the ruined urban landscape of Utgard.
Ruined was just the tip of the iceberg. Everywhere he looked, Harold could see buildings that had either collapsed, or were just barely standing. Some of the tougher ones were mostly intact, though there was not a sign of life. "Stay close to the APCs!" he shouted. "Use them for cover until we can get to a building that's in good shape!" Gordon quickly relayed the orders over the TEAMCOM, with the platoon quickly hugging the Heavy APC. Once everyone was close by, the APC began to slowly move up, it's sole Mydron D-rf Ultra AC/2 scanning the area methodically.
This decision to remain next to the Heavy APC promptly proved to be a life saver. Just as they were about to round the corner, a bolus of blue-white plasma cut through the air, barely missing the APC by a few inches. Ducking into cover, Harold allowed the others to get into cover, before peering over cover to see what was going on.
At that moment, the entire street they were about to enter exploded with action. Multiple aliens sprang out of cover, from the small and squat creatures that intel had identified as 'Grunts' to the tall, lithe aliens that were called 'Elites.' All of them fired an array of weapons at them, with some spitting out bolus' of plasma, while others fired needle like projectiles that embedded themselves into concrete or metal. "OPEN FIRE!" Gordon and Harold shouted.
At that command, the SLDF troopers immediately opened up with their own brand of firepower. Red laser beams and high velocity projectiles cut through the air, tearing into the aliens on the other side with extreme prejudice. A Grunt's head exploded as a pulse laser beam tore through it, flash-boiling the water and spinal fluid in it's skull, while another laser beam severed the arm of a Skirmisher, causing it to scream before a bullet punched through its skull.
The Elites, on the other hand, quickly ducked into cover, though one wasn't able to move quickly enough. A laser beam punched through its energy shields and tore through its armor, cutting an ugly gash into the alien's flank. Snarling, the Elite threw itself into cover, before firing at them with its plasma weapon. Popping out of cover, Harold fired a few pulses at the Elite, forcing it into cover.
Even the APC got to have a say in the matter. Turning onto the street, the APC fired its Ultra AC/2 several times, with the bright muzzle flash lighting up the street. HEAP shells flew through the air, blasting apart the cover the Elites were using, before tearing them into bloody ribbons and chunks of flesh and shredded armor. The coaxial MGs quickly tore up the remaining hostiles.
Harold was about to get up and issue the order to keep moving when he heard a shout of "MEDIC!" Turning around, he spotted an SLDF Trooper that was lying on the ground. The man was clutching at a gap in his armor, with that gap being occupied by a pair of magenta-pink crystals that had embedded themselves into his right thigh. The man's face was a mask of pain, though it was clear that he was making every effort not to attract more enemy attention.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Fucking bastards shot me in the leg!" the trooper in question grunted out. "It was one of those feathery bastards. Slipped behind us and performed a sneak attack. I got 'im, though!" He pointed at a Skirmisher that was lying on the ground, its chest perforated by a large, ugly wound.
"Good work," Harold said. "We'll get you back up to fighting shape in no time." Looking at the medic, he asked, "Can we get him to the DropShip?"
"It'll take time, but yeah," the Corpsman said. "We'll have to get him inside of one of the Med APCs around here, where the combat surgeons can get to work on him. Right now, though, all we can do is stuff him inside our APC and continue with the mission."
"Understood," Harold said. "Get this man to the APC and make sure it doesn't get hit too hard. The rest of you, with me!" Everyone quickly began moving out, while the medic helped the injured solider get inside of the APC before getting to work stabilizing him.
Soldiers scrambled over piles of rubble and debris, each one watching the ruins of the city with a close eye. One peered out from around cover, only for a shot to impact his helmet. The magenta colored crystal that hit ricocheted off his helmet, leaving a small dent in the material. The man was knocked onto his ass, with plasma bolts landing around him as he scrambled back into cover.
Harold, reaching the firefight, peered out of cover to see where the enemy was. Up ahead in the ruins of a four story building were several members of the Covenant that were firing at them. All of them were being led by a pair of Sangheili, with one having blue armor, while the other had maroon-red colored armor. Using his Mauser II, Harold fired at the maroon armored alien, forcing it into cover as its shields flared. "KEEP FIRING!" he shouted over the sound of gunfire. "DON'T STOP!"
Both sides continued to trade fire with each other. Popping out of cover, Harold fired, only to feel something hard smack into his chest. The blow knocked him onto his back and into cover, whereupon he saw a charred and blackened crater on his armor plating. He could feel some heat coming through, but it was clear that the armor had saved his life. Scrambling onto his knees, he leaned out and continued to fire at the Covenant forces.
Others were not as lucky as Harold was. An SLDF Trooper screamed as his right arm was ripped off by another magenta colored crystal. "HELP ME!" he screamed in agony. "I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!"
"HOLD STILL!" the Corpsman that rushed over to him shouted. "I NEED TO -" He was interrupted when another shot tore through the wounded man's head, silencing him instantly. "DAMNIT!" the Corpsman shouted in rage. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! CAN'T YOU GIVE A MAN A CHANCE?!"
"GET DOWN!" Harold shouted, tossing the Corpsman into cover. "Don't let the enemy get to your head!" Thoroughly chastised, the Corpsman nodded, before firing with his Laser Pistol at the Covenant
. . .
On the other side of the, Borek 'Hotumee ducked his head down for the umpteenth time as a laser beam whipped past his head, blasting a crater into the floor above and behind him. Leaning out of cover, he fired his Plasma Repeater, sending blue-white bolts of plasma flying towards the Humans that were shooting at him. Those humans ducked, before firing more bullets and laser beams at him and the others.
It had been a fine day until the Human fleet had shown up, with more than enough ship to take on the Heaven's Brilliant Bier and destroy it. When the battle overhead had happened, he'd received orders from the Shipmistress to dig in and fight the Humans with everything that he had. Much of that time had been spent preparing, with some relief coming when he heard that a new Arbiter had not only been anointed, but that reinforcements had been sent to assist them.
That relief, though, had vanished now that they were in a fight with the Humans that had landed on the surface. Of all the weapons to be used against them, he had not expected the Humans to be equipped with advanced laser based weapon systems. They're powerful too, he thought. One shot was enough to cut my shields strength in half.
Hearing some shouting, he looked up to see an Unggoy Major firing at the Humans, the Plasma Pistol in its hand belching out bolts of plasma. In response, a blue laser beam shot through the air, impacted the Unggoy directly in the head. The Unggoy's head promptly exploded like a miniature Plasma Grenade, with bits of blood, gore and bone flying everywhere, while the body simply slumped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Snarling, Borek leaned out of cover and kept firing his Plasma Repeater.
"MAJOR, GET DOWN!" a voice shouted. Before he could respond, Borek felt someone pull on the back of his neck armor hard. As soon as he was in cover, a laser beam appeared where his head had been, the heat so intense that Borek could feel it through his armor.
Turning around, he found that it was R'tas 'Vadumee, the Minor in the group, that had rescued him. "Thank you, Minor," he said. "Were it not for your quick action, I would have died. A glorious death, but a death nonetheless."
"Thank you, Major," R'tas said. "I do not want you to die today."
"Good. Let us show these heretics how true believers of the faith fight!" Both Elites popped out of cover, firing their weapons at the heretical Humans. For a while, things seemed to be going well, then everything fell apart.
Borek was just about to lean out of cover when he heard a loud, mechanical clanking sound. Peering out of cover, he watched as a Human vehicle began to move towards them, its main gun turning towards them. Almost immediately, he remembered the BattleNet message from that one squad before they went silent. "MOVE!" he roared. Immediately, everyone that was in cover began running for the next piece of cover behind them.
It was a maneuver that saved their lives. There was a loud series of percussive banging noises, with the cover they were previously behind literally exploding as high velocity shells tore through the blocks and columns of polycrete. Stumbling, Borek nearly fell down before catching himself and moving on. "Get the Fuel Rods up here now!" he snarled loudly.
Four Unggoy armed with Fuel Rod Launchers complied, each one setting up before firing in rapid succession towards the Human vehicle. The vehicle rocked around, though Borek noted the lack of actual damage that was being dealt. The vehicle did, however, pull back, with the Humans temporarily retreating. He was about to get up and issue orders when he heard a ragged cry. "Borek! … help!"
Whirling around, Borek saw a sight that filled him with rage born of worry. Just behind him, R'tas was pinned underneath a piece of debris, but it wasn't just that fact alone that made Borek worried and mad at the same time. Sparks of energy were dancing across R'tas armor, indicating that his shields had failed. In addition, the young Sangheili was holding the mandibles on the left side of his face. Blood weeped through his fingers.
Running over, Borek knelt by R'tas side and asked, "What happened, R'tas?! I need to know if I can do anything to help you!"
"M-my body," R'tas groaned. "I think my legs and hips are broken. My face… it hurts… it hurts…" At Borek's tugging, he removed his hands from his mandibles.
The sight that greeted him was ugly. From the looks of it, R'tas had lost half of both mandibles on the side of his face, with the cauterized areas indicating that it was a laser beam that had done the damage. In addition, a check of R'tas suit indicated that, just as R'tas had guessed, both of his legs had been broken, and his right hip had been shattered. Those injuries were life threatening, and if not treated, R'tas was likely going to die, something that Borek would not accept.
"Get the Revenant over here now!" Borek shouted. "We have a wounded warrior that needs help!" Looking at R'tas, he softly said, "You will be fine, R'tas. I will see to it that you heal from your wounds and survive."
"But the dishonor -" R'tas protested.
"It is not dishonor if you are to be healed of such dangerous injuries sustained in battle," Borek said, both admonishing and reassuring R'tas. "Only a foolish warrior allows terrible injuries like these to go unhealed." Looking up and seeing the Revenant coming over, he threw the debris pinning R'tas to the ground off the injured Sangheili. "Now, I'm going to lift you and place you inside the vehicle. My orders are for you to receive healing for your injuries. Understand?" R'tas nodded, with Borek lifting him moments later.
A cry of agony erupted out of R'tas mouth, while tears began to stream down his eyes. The parts of him not crippled from injury spasmed in agony as he roared. Placing him in one of the passenger seats for the Revenant, Borek caressed R'tas face and said. "You will be all right, R'tas. Go now. Allow the healers to do what they can for you." R'tas nodded, just as the Revenant turned and flew towards a waiting Phantom.
Once he saw the Phantom leaving, Borek turned around, allowing that rage he had felt earlier to suffuse his entire being. "Warriors, rally to me!" he roared. "We will punish these filthy humans! For the Hierarchs!" Emboldened by his cry, the other members of the Covenant that were with him rushed forwards, snarling and barking angrily.
As he said this, his BattleNet receiver crackled. Keying it, he heard a voice say, "The Arbiter has called for a retreat. Repeat, we are retreating. The battle has been lost."
A pang of rage erupted in Borek's heart. Closing the BattleNet channel, he told the others, "The Arbiter has called for a retreat, but there will be none for us. Push on! We will fight to the last one!"
. . .
On the other side of the fight, Harold watched as the aliens returned, though it now seemed that they were madder than ever. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted. "EVERYONE, BUNKER DOWN AND FIRE!" Hearing his command, the other soldiers quickly bunkered down, before firing at the aliens with their Mauser IIs. Blue laser beams cut through the air, killing some of the aliens charging at them. It was then that Harold noticed that the maroon armored alien was missing. Where'd he go, he wondered.
He got his answer when he heard a loud snarl from nearby. Whirling towards his right, he watched as the maroon armored alien charged at him, firing its weapon before tossing a blue glowing ball towards him. Rolling to the left, Harold avoided the projectile, eyes widening when he heard a whine that increased in pitch rapidly. "GRENADE!" he shouted before throwing himself behind cover. Just as he did, there was a massive KABOOM, with an explosion of plasma and superheated air tearing apart the ground where he was at.
The alien, though, had planned for this, as it charged at Harold, brandishing what appeared to be a sword that was split into two, single edged blades and made of pure plasma. Realizing what was coming towards him, Harold quickly fired his Mauser II and heard the alien's energy shields snap. Before he could react, though, the rifle was batted out of his hands, with a hand wrapping and squeezing around his throat as he was lifted into the air. As he was lifted, the alien tried to stab him with the blade, or rather tried to.
In a last-ditch effort, Harold swung his body to the right, with the blade narrowly missing his torso and lower chest. His left arm, though, took the full brunt of the attack, with the limb falling to the ground. An explosion of white-hot agony erupted where the stump of his left arm used to be, with Harold giving a choked cry. Before the alien could try again, he quickdrew the Laser Pistol in his sidearm holster and fired, blasting the alien directly in the face. It fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, while Harold fell to the ground like a lead weight. He howled as he hit the ground on his stump.
Almost immediately, the Corpsman was at his side. "Fuck!" he shouted. "I've gotta put a tourniquet on!"
"DO IT!" Harold screamed, with the Corpsman quickly complying. Wrapping the tourniquet around the stump, the Corpsman tightened it hard, causing Harold to nearly scream in agony again. Once that was done, the Corpsman lifted him up and, carrying him bridal style, deposited him inside of the APC.
"Looks like you got fucked up like me," the other wounded soldier in the APC remarked. Looking at the man, Harold could see that the man's leg was intact, though the wound had bled through the bandages.
"Yeah," Harold said, "Fucked up indeed."
. . .
Up in orbit, Admiral Janos watched as yet another Covenant ship was blasted into dozens of pieces, with the ship being torn in half by a nuclear missile. Outside, large pieces of debris floated nearby, with shattered ships and corpses floating in the vacuum of space. Nearby, the officers and crew in the CIC were working feverishly to keep up with what was going on in the battle, while other personnel quickly added in reports.
"Armor ablation for the bow is 95%" the Damage Control Officer shouted. "We'll lose the ship if we don't act soon!"
"We need to retreat!" another office shouted. "We can't hold out much longer!"
"Sir! Look!" the Navigation Officer shouted. Following the man's finger, Janos could see the Covenant ships, only they were now turning away. "They're retreating! We've won!"
"Zhukov?" Janos asked.
"Affirmative, sir," Zhukov said. "Scans indicate that their slipspace drives are activating. We've driven them into a retreat."
"Copy that. Admiral Cole, are you seeing this?"
"I am," Cole replied. "Looks like we've outlasted the enemy. They're retreating to wherever they came from. I'm also reading numerous Covenant ships escaping from Harvest to the ships in question. Should we pursue?"
"No," Janos said. "Let them go. We've won the battle today. No need to spill more blood." Keying the fleetwide COM, he said. "Admiral Janos to SLDF 7th Fleet, we've won the battle! Harvest is ours once more!" A cheer arose on the COM as the crews of the surviving ships cheered.
Janos smiled grimly. They had indeed won the battle, but at a great cost. Several corvettes had been lost, and around a handful of the Avatar-class WarShips had been destroyed. None of the Texas-class BattleCruisers had been lost, though all of them had suffered near-total armor ablation, with the Prinz Mugen and Perth reporting hull breaches on sections of the ship. We won indeed, but the war is far from over, he said quietly.
(Author's Q&A)
RoyalTwinFangs: Thank you.
Believer218: So it begins.
Lord Halcyon: That we do. Thank you.
SulliMike23: Yep. The battle won't be one-sided, as you will see.
Krieger Techpriest: Excellent words and an excellent question. Nicely done.
Guest #1: Thank you
Guest #2: I'm happy that you are, and I hope I haven't disappointed.
PoofyOhio: I understand. Either way, thank you for your feedback.
edboy4926: Thank you. You're free to ask any questions about this story if you want.
Just a Crazy-Man: Yep.
Silverwingzz: I understand your concerns and complaints, but you have to remember what's happened in the previous chapters. The Star League is working with the UNSC and Guilty Spark to advance their technology. In addition, the technology the Star League has gives them greater survivability against the Covenant. In addition, unlike the UNSC, they put research into energy weapons, which Covenant energy shielding is vulnerable to. As for things being unrealistic, I've got two beta-readers that are basically going to tell me if any chapters I write make things too easy for the Star League, so don't you worry. It's going to get a lot tougher for the Star League and UNSC.
Danny79: Yep, and this battle will be an especially hard kick to the head for them.
Chronus1326: Thank you.
Alpha 12: I have. Don't worry. They'll be showing up in later chapters.
felipindelrio: Possibly. Those are interesting ideas.
bigbossHayden98: Oh, definitely. I've always wondered what would happen if a Covenant Locus got squished into the ground cartoon style.