0727 Hours, October 20, 2552
New Mombassa, Africa
Blackness filled my mind as my eyes opened. The throbbing would not stop. It felt like a volcano had erupted in my head. The pain was intense but it at least meant that I was alive. A trickle of blood ran down my forehead as I lay there momentarily paralysed. All I could remember was the screaming of the engines as the pelican hit the ground. I was thrown forwards on impact and knocked unconscious. Lifting my arm up I reached for the handrail or a crevice where I could pull myself up. I found what was left of the cracked handrail and struggled onto my feet. A surge of pain flew up my left leg and I grasped the rail harder. I hoped it wasn't broken but being able to stand was a good sign. Hearing a muffled cough from behind me I shouted.
"Status"
"Sir, Ekelons down!" the answer came.
"We've lost our pilots too" another reply from inside the cockpit. Damn. The mission had only just begun and we had already lost three valuable men and over a third of our squad.
"Grab there tags and ammo" was the only thing I could think of. At least then if we survived this invasion they could be buried with the 978 billion others which had thought and died in this cascading war. I carefully stepped outside the half buried pelican onto the sandy shores of Mombassa's outskirts. Across the river lay the city of New Mombassa. The gigantic metropolis stood out bright against the rising sun and from this view looked mostly intact. Looks like the fighting had only just started there and that was our destination. Compared to where the Covenant cruiser had landed, we were on the wrong side of town. Next to the transport Private Se7en was standing there, shaken but all in one piece.
"Sarge? We better get moving" Even after his near death experience on the Cairo and survival of the crash he still held his battle rifle up high and was ready to take on the covenant once more.
"Agreed, we'll find better cover in those buildings. Anti you take point."
Isca' Aehadee stared out over the shores of New Mombassa. As the sun rose, rays of light penetrated the water as it glistened. The sand sparkled as the waves broke against the shingle. He was impressed. A sight like this he had not seen since landing on the sacred ring. Still it compared to nothing on his home world, Siltharius. Pity, should it have to burn though. The crash had led him through a building called "Hotel Zanzibar". He was not sure what the word "hotel" meant so he accessed the covenant databank for human civilisations. The pad blinked twice revealing a vague description. After reading it he laughed and thought well, no surprises here then. The elite shook his head. Over a wall he could see thick smoke rising from further down the beach where the human's aircraft fell. But to reach it his squad would have to traverse across open ground. With no cover they would be cut down if any humans survived. No, he would wait. If there were any survivors they would surely head for cover. Quickly Isca Aehadee decided that this would be a perfect place for an ambush. Ordering the jackal to locate to the third floor of a building that overlooked the beach, he sat and waited. Soon the humans would come this way and fall for his trap. He thought to himself and with a satisfying grin said "Let the hunt begin."
The helljumpers, in standard formation moved across the beach to rest behind a fallen concrete barrier. I crouched. My head was aching from the crash and for a brief second again the pain became unbearable. Signalling to Se7en he stuck his head around the corner surveying the scene. Large chunks of rubble lay sprawled on the floor which had once belonged to hotel Zanzibar. Suddenly a thin purple beam flew past his head and pierced the sand not far away. Se7en must have known where that shot had come from as he told Voodoo.
"Sniper, third floor-left." Laughing slightly, he strode from cover, raised his sniper rifle, aimed and sniggered.
"Here, let me give him my welcome to Earth gift basket." Voodoo gently squeezed the trigger sending a single SRS99C-S2 AM round into the building. A second later the jackal tumbled off the third floor hitting the ground like a rag doll. I smiled at Voodoo and patted him on the back.
"Nice shot now let's move out marines but keep it tight."
The elite was furious. The jackal's impatience had cost them the element of surprise. After seeing its corpse fall from the sky, the two grunts had decided to abandon there post and flee for there lives.
"Cowards!" shouted Isca' Aehadee as he grabbed the nearest one at the neck. The grunt squealed and attempted to break free. The elite grasped harder suffocating the creature until it showed no signs of life. Then he tossed it aside as if it were nothing. Activating his camouflage he walked towards the crash site, smoke still bellowing from the pelican. It was time that he dealt with these pests himself.
Private Se7en followed by Anti, me and Voodoo led the squad in a diamond formation through the ruins of Hotel Zanzibar. Weaving in and out of the concrete chunks we moved further into the collapsed structure. I didn't like it. This was a perfect place for an ambush but so far it looked clear. Five meters in front of Se7en stepped out the elite. Its active camo distorting the rubble behind as the light reflected off its armour. Before I had even noticed the elite had brandished his mighty plasma sword and with one swift movement lunged straight at the marine. Either he was just plain lucky or the elite had misjudged the distance we will never know but the sword sliced through the air cutting cleanly through the battle rifle missing the helljumpers armour by a hairs breath.
"Whoa!" Se7en yelled as he fell backwards more surprised than anything. The battle rifle landed just feet away neatly in two pieces were it sparked furiously. Quickly looking around for something he could use as a weapon he saw and equipped a discarded plasma pistol. He charged it quickly but the elite had vanished.
"Dam, where is he? Anybody see him"
The next thing happened so fast. From above a plasma grenade, this could only be described as a blue flare, dropped out of the sky and latched onto Voodoos helmet. Panicking but thinking quickly the helljumpers unfastened his helmet, chucking it back to its owner. The grenade exploded in mid flight and caught half of the hiding elite disabling the camo as it roared and pounced.
Isca' Aehadee knew he was outnumbered and without his camouflage he would be struck down in seconds. Knowing this he executed the first thing that came into his head. Pouncing at the first marine he held him captive and drew the sword close to its neck. The elite snarled at the marines as they raised there weapons. He was surrounded. Think…think. He tried to remember basic training, what he should do in this situation. What he didn't realise is the helljumper flanking his left was holding a charged plasma pistol. The marine in his arm squirmed "Take him guys". The elite snarled again.
"Cook the bastard" was the last words he heard before the world faded. The great journey had begun for him at last.
"Cook the bastard" I told Se7en, lifting my rifle. He discharged the super hot ball of plasma from his pistol and it swayed through the air at the elite. The plasma hit it head on dissipating its shield. Squeezing the trigger I fired three rounds into its head as it slumped to the ground releasing Anti from the grasp. Anti kneeled gasping for air and splattered with purple blood. I reached my arm out for him and he took it. Then the vox unit spurred to life.
"Second squad this is Cortana. What is your status over"
I looked around at the remains of my war torn squad. Voodoo kicked out at the dead elite more with anger than anything while Se7en helped brace Anti as he stood. I turned back to look at the wreckage of our pelican. Smoke was starting to fade away from the damage bird as the engine fire diminished. I turned my attention back to the vox.
"Were operation m'am, barely. Our pilots didn't make it"
In just after a second the reply came.
"Find a hole. Stay put. Well come to you."