Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Noble Guardians. Enjoy the 5500-word chapter. I don't own Halo, Microsoft, 343 and a few others do.
Emile executed a minor elite before Six pulled his knife from the throat of a jackal. Gadge looked around and spotted a trio of army soldiers who were busy engaging a group of jackals and grunts.
"Found them," Gadge said before he racked his shotgun and ejected a shell from the weapon, interested in what these soldiers would have done.
Six moved ahead of the other two as he hummed, holstering his shotgun, and drawing his magnum. Six readied his DMR as the two formed up behind him.
"Noble One, this is Noble Nine. We've spotted the patrol. Advise?" Gadge questioned as the three Spartans prepared for combat with their enemy.
(At the Relay)
Carter turned and put a bullet through the head of an elite while the rest of Noble minus the others and Jun all covered him. It seemed the spirits from before had dropped off their troops here
"Kat, give me an update," Carter ordered as Jorge continued to pour fire into the Covenant ranks.
"Almost done… Tell the boys to finish up and get here, they're going to get nasty if we don't." Kat ordered while firing her magnum with her off-hand.
"Noble? We need everyone here now. There's a small army trying to get into the relay. Rescue those troopers and get here… Kat? Seal the door." Carter ordered as the door started to roll shut.
"You sure they're all right?" Kat asked to which Carter nodded.
"There's a landing zone on the other side, we're meeting them there and everyone can be good." Carter heard hadn't yet it seemed to have when it came down to this.
He was a lot more to have been questioned.
There was a lot more to have questioned before now. This was a lot worse than it had recently been and yet they still had a damn mission to do, details could wait for now.
(With Six, Gadge, and Emile)
Six finished off several jackals with a few well-placed headshots before he seemed to roll backward. He looked around; such things had thrown him off.
Gadge rolled before he stabbed the last few grunts before he turned, his knife being put on his hip as the Spartan blinked, too unsure of what had been done, how to have dealt with the soldier.
"Sir?" One of the army soldiers questioned before another spirit swooped down to engage them.
"Damn it all…" Gadge muttered. "Sir? Their throwing everything and the damn kitchen sink at us. We're going to be a few minutes." Gadge stated that he seemed to have gotten it when it was all over.
He was focused before now. Such problems had caused a lot more on the mind.
It was terrifying for now. There was a lot more on the mind, the army troopers hadn't been killed… But a handful had been. Gadge wasn't stupid, those handful of soldiers would be followed by a thousand more which probably would have shattered the planet up and down. There were far more problems here than he cared to have admitted, far more.
Gadge raised his shotgun and nailed the first grunt off the dropship before a hail of plasma dropped his shields to a quarter and forced the Spartans back. The trio of army soldiers raised their MA37s and opened fire, tracer fire ripping from the muzzles of their weapons. It hadn't yet been something that he needed to have gotten a problem. He needed something that could have gotten.
It was a lot odder than he wished to have as the rest of the Spartans started to get ready. The Falcon came back into view, its canon opening fire on the Spirit, one of their bullets seeming to cut through the hull, sending the ship spiraling to the side and exploding as it slammed into the ground.
"Well, that was damn lucky…." Gadge muttered before he sighed as he looked around, too unsure of what else was going on. "Sir, we're done mopping up here. We're on the way…. What about the troopers." Gadge stated before he shook, he looked around.
The falcon slowly descended before it landed in front of them. They hadn't the time to have questioned it. The other falcon landed; the trio of army troopers boarded it as the few Spartans boarded it.
"We need you all at this base, Noble," Carter ordered them over the radio as they slowly started to board the Falcon.
Carter knew they'd be ready for almost anything when this was all said and done. It had yet to bother him that his men weren't here. They had been given an assignment and as Spartans, he had expected they resulted to have gotten such a thing as of the time being.
He raised his rifle and put a bullet in the Jackal that tried to flank him which sent it skidding to the ground, there were dozens if not a hundred covenant soldiers. Gadge had a point about there being far more of them here when it came down to the question of when it was all over.
He hadn't yet questioned what there was going on. he hadn't yet been able to have gotten where it was all said and done. There was so much work he needed to defeat. So much he could do… The problem was if they were on Reach. How far had they gotten to have infected the planet with soldiers and ships?
He was interrupted by the craft slowly descending towards the ground before it sought to have gotten ready before it fired, bullets raining down on them. They were all prepared to have gotten such a thing before now.
The ship slowly ended before now. This was a silent thing before this was all over. The Falcon sent one of the Banshees smashing into the ground before its doors opened and it spilled its cargo of soldiers onto the ground. There were a few moments of silence as he looked around, taking in the rest of the scenery and such.
The Falcon landed and glanced around. He was quiet. He was quiet as the trio flanked the covenant soldiers, beginning to cut through them like a sickle into wheat. It had only served to remind him that he had Spartans. This battle hadn't yet started to have gotten where this was a lost cause.
No, not yet… And if it did? Well, he'd not be ready for now. He was too prepared for if they attacked again.
Gadge turned and decapitated the first Elite with a single shot of his shotgun before he tilted his head and surged forwards with his weapon at the ready. It was a problem that could not have been fully completed.
Still? He surged forwards with Six and the others, forcing the dozen or so Covenant soldiers to have to deal with the fact that they had been flanked. It made him chuckle to have gotten to such a state yet be so willing to have gotten where it could have been.
"Noble, inside!" Carter said while he tilted his head and looked down at the others.
"Trying, sir. We still need to cut a path through them…." He heard as he sighed.
He wasn't sure. He wasn't at all prepared for what this would have brought before it comes down to it. He and Six gunned down a pair of elites, painting the ground with purple blood as plasma fire rained down on their shields. Gadge slammed into a truck and turned before he executed a jackal.
Carter watched as another Spirit crested the top of the wall. They were willing to throw away any number of soldiers to have killed them in battle. It was all part of a game to them. That was all they cared about for now.
The door slammed shut behind them with enough force to rattle as the 9 Spartans all swept their weapons upwards at the door, unsure what to do or say.
There was something here. Something that couldn't have been easily swept toward the surface. Carter motioned them all forwards, their weapons, and flashlights ready.
"An army of damn Covenant." Jorge hissed to which Emile shrugged.
"Yeah, and I didn't bring enough damn ammo for them all." Emile joked as they all rounded the corner.
"Nobody wants to mention the 30 of them outside?" Gadge questioned to which there was silence. "Ok, I will. The damn Covies probably have much more soldiers waiting. If they can put a small army outside here? Then they're going to be a scouting party at best." Gadge stated before he rubbed at his temples.
They knew he was entirely right which bothered them. A small army of the Covenant? That was a bother. This? This was the start of an invasion that would consume the entire damn planet at this rate, they had bigger fish to have fried, and they had to make sure the planet was ok before they did anything.
All of them looked around the room, there was no doubt so much more could have been done. They slowly slid into the next room with slow fury. There were only a few seconds of silence as they spread out, all of them ready for a fight… All of them expect a fight at the end of the day.
"Check the comm relay. Noble? Find anything of value… Kat? Get the relay back online… We're in the hornet's nest." Carter said while the others all started to carry out the orders.
All of them were prepared for the worst, yet none of them wanted anything here to be like the way they assumed it'd have been before they had arrived.
There were several corpses on the ground, something that hadn't yet bothered them. They were Spartans, corpses were part of their job. However? It bothered them to know the Covenant had spilled human blood on Reach. This was the last damn place anyone wanted them, the last damn place they should have been spotted, for now, it was at least semi understandable they weren't at all pleased to see it like this.
They had problems that seemed to have been bringing increased questions with each passing moment. It bothered him to the core
"I'm starting to think it's lucky on a few troopers were here and not the entire army," Gadge said before he peeked around a corner. "Something feels off. Why didn't they come inside? They know we're here and none of them have any reason to back off." Gadge stated as Carter frowned.
"He's asking all the right questions, sir. This entire op feels like they knew we'd come." Jorge stated before he looked down at his weapon. "I hope they get inside," Jorge added as the others seemed to have shared looks.
All of them damn well knew if the Covenant were so persistent. They could simply have a cruiser blast the place to dust and ash and leave them to die in the wreckage.
"Emile? Go watch the door, everyone else? Guns up and keep eyes on a swivel. If you see anything? Tell me." Carter ordered to which all 8 of the Spartans had their weapons up.
There were a few seconds of silence before Six noticed something on the body below him and looked at the others who had been far too thrown off by this for anyone to have noticed.
"Found something." Six said as he turned over the corpse and picked up something on his body.
"I'll take that, Six, not your domain," Kat said before there was a cough across the room.
The Spartans all turned to see a wounded army trooper they had passed when they entered. He looked wounded but alive enough as the others slowly moved to him.
"I thought the Covenant didn't leave survivors?" Gadge questioned to which he got shrugs. "I heard something in one of the side rooms. I'll go check it out for now." Gadge said to which Carter nodded.
Carter reached down and looked at the man who had been injured. It was clear someone had been here before them which led to more credence that the Covenant wanted something here. That meant the Covenant had simply allowed them to fall into a baited trap with no straightforward way out.
Carter damned the alien empire for their cunning and for only focusing on getting what they wanted. If he told Holland? He'd tell them that the Covenant had planned this all. He'd have rather it been rebels, rebels wanted to send a damn message and could be predicted, but they didn't have the technology or the numbers to pose a threat on this sort of scale.
"What happened, Corporal?" Carter questioned to which the soldier turned to him.
"They hit us bad. There were 3 of them, CO ordered us to fall back but never stood a chance. It sounded bad on comms." Carter heard as he frowned to himself.
"I'll get you a combat surgeon… Wait, three what?" Carter asked as the man held up his good arm in a stabbing motion. "Elites? Damn it… Kat, what's going on? We need some news now." Carter stated with a sigh before there was a noise.
The door opened and Jorge emerged with a civilian, a woman which tossed the Spartans off guard. There was a civilian still alive? Either the Covenant were sloppy, or they were lucky. Either damn option boded oddly for them.
Despite the Language barrier? All 9 Spartans who had been trained in different languages recognized she was speaking Hungarian and even if they did not? Their armor translators did. Gadge turned and started to walk away as they questioned her.
Then they all froze as a familiar sound entered the audio on their armor… One they damn well hated. Gadge checked his armor to make sure he wasn't tripping out on such things.
No, motion and they all turned in time to greet elites… Ones clad in zealot armor, ones whom all looked eager to murder the Spartans as if they had been waiting for a trap like they were for now.
"Open fire!" Carter yelled as the three elites charged them, Gadge went to raise his shotgun to fire before there was a blur of motion as one of the zealots leaped across the room in one damn motion.
He dodged under it and rolled before firing one shot which almost brought down the Zealot's shields by a large margin. The trio all attacked at once as the leader which seemed to have more ornate armor… Because of course, their group had to have such a thing which even he couldn't begin to fathom when it came down to it.
Still? it just gave him a few more to do when it came down to it.
He sighed as he realized more that they wanted blood and so did Noble Team.
He didn't know what it was to be, he didn't know what to have done without orders… However? He knew how to fight.
One of the Zealots tackled the smaller Spartan who was thrown off his feet and slammed into the damn wall, shaking him and his shields as the Spartan watched. The others were busy engaging the other 2 as the Zealot tried to bring its sword through him.
He reached up a hand and paused the weapon where it stood as he grabbed the elite's hand before smashing his head into the elite's which tossed it backward
"We've been engaged!" Carter yelled before the other elite opened fire at them with a plasma repeater. "Take them down, Noble!" Carter ordered as Six rolled behind the elite trying to kill Gadge and kicked out one of its legs.
"C'mon, split lip…" Gadge growled as the alien tried to stab him only for a punch from Six to stagger it.
Plasma rained from the other Zealot's weapon as the leader shoved past them, clearly realizing they had failed and been outnumbered. The other grabbed the girl only for Six to kick it back, further seemed to have questioned what the hell to do and it was clear to him. clear to a lot of people they'd need something to get them to fall in line, something… Anyway.
Had they not been willing to fight? Were they not soldiers of the UNSC? Did they not swear an oath for such problems? It had only served to have driven them increasingly insane until it all came down to it.
Down to her, down to their goals and whatever they did next. Gadge stabbed the zealot before he sighed and looked at his hand before he looked around before he tilted his head to himself.
He wanted something and something bad, it was so horrid. It's not that hard to have believed but it was clear more and more died sooner or later. He and his clan had a lot more to discuss anyway and it was clear it'd have to be different for now. They had more to do with this info anyway. They'd get through it sooner or later when it was all said and done. The worse and worse it got. It's going to end with someone dead. He stayed silent as he yawned.
He didn't know what the plan was to have questioned for now there was more and more and more and more. He wasn't going to have gotten it where it should have done for now. There wasn't enough of an effort for now, not when it came to killing this monster.
He was forwards in seconds, slamming into the next Zealot as he sighed, falling entirely silent while slamming into soldier after soldier. If anything? He wanted them to remember what he had done and would have done so for now… It was clear they had increased problems.
The zealot roared before they slowly chased after them. Perhaps it was clear their problems didn't end with the zealots, but all of them weren't going to have done much. They had other issues to have dealt with. He was too unwilling to have done something for now… Too unwilling to have gotten it where it should have been.
The zealots retreated, not simply because they had been outmatched… No. Purely because they had been too easily overcome. They'd do so for now as it was their time to shine and yet. Well, it'd have not been handled properly…. The Zealots were simply retreating because of the idea the demons were fighting dishonorably. It couldn't have at all conflicted with the fact that they had to constantly conduct themselves with some bullsh** ideal of honor.
Gadge and the others slipped into the next room which he had a lot more room to measure for now. it was clear that it seemed to be able to question what to do next before it came down to it. Gadge seemed to have questioned what his next set of orders was, for now, this was to be worse than it was before.
With a single gesture? The door behind them was closed as he and the others were spent looking at her before she questioned what to do next and looked around, questioning what to do next.
The zealots were to be easily ripped apart and it was clear they had little purpose if any than to find some sort of Covenant secrets. The goal they had in mind was more than Gadge cared to fathom.
"Take them down, Kat? I need that junction box fixed… Everyone else? Clear the covenant off the front lawn, we're going to need an LZ anyway." Carter started before he shook his head.
It was clear more or less such problems weren't going to be easy, but they'd be handled properly. Perhaps such an issue was beyond them, and it'd always be beyond it as of now, these sorts of things were to go down in ell.
"What's to come next?" Kat questioned as she shook her head. It was clear something needed to have to do next.
It was something beyond their control and understanding as to how this was to end… Perhaps it'd have been enough when push came to shove, perhaps when it all ended? This wasn't going to be easy, nor would they'd be able to end it on the same level of strength and ideas.
The covenant worried Carter on several levels. If they weren't to be able to focus on it and it was clear all these issues needed to be exterminated over and over. They were clearly in the middle of a new war to question upon their shoulders and Noble Team was being pushed into a new threshold of being pushed into the deep end of another war eventually… Yes, it'd all end sooner or later… And damn it if Gadge did not desire the sooner to be now.
He looked at Jorge who was visibly calm and yet shook with rage inside. It would be all too easy to see the Zealots die and yet he was all too eager to make them pay for what they did.
Gadge simply checked his weapon and toggled thermal as they moved inside, sweeping their weapons slowly and methodically. There was little room to maneuver which meant little room to hide and against human enemies that meant a distinct end to hostilities…. Against Zealots who had active camo and energy swords? All that ensured was they'd be sitting ducks if the enemy closed in and they weren't able to react, one stab with an energy sword was all it took.
He continued to be prepared for the worst, mentally preparing for whatever seemed to wait. It wasn't going to be a clean-cut fight and yet. Well, it was all too much of a problem to simply be decided in a slug out. Noble had been sent here for a good reason and they'd all be shut downwards.
Jorge looked at him before he sighed to himself and sighed more problems would continue as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He cracked his hands and dusted off his hands for now, interested only in what this hideous creature would do and yet it seemed to be spurred on by more and more issues, for now, seemed to need to go.
One of the Zealots seemed as if would need to strike to get going sooner or later and yet it would not bother him, all it did was make Gadge dodge, only too amused for now as of now and yet it seemed to cut and grasp at the moment, cutting deeper and deeper into the sand, more and more annoyed for now.
It slowly started to think about questions for now, interested and focused upon now, focused upon what needed to be done and how willing it was to be ended sometime soon for the rest of them.
The Zealot roared, all too eager to gut into them for it and gut them increasingly problematic. The alien was smashed to the side by Jorge who slammed into the wall.
If it wanted to kill them? It would need to be better and better than now.
"Are you going to be ok to handle the rest of the Covenant here, kid?" Jorge asked before nodding to himself and looking to the side
"First we find the other Zealot," Gadge stated before rushing forwards, interested in the other warrior.
Zealots… Even simply one more would be a terrible problem. Being well trained, well equipped, and all too interesting for now, if it didn't at all seem to end and yet? This would not be ending anytime soon on their watch.
Gadge turned the corner as more and more gunfire erupted behind Gadge as he shot one of the grunts before slamming the butt of the weapon into a single Grunt. Gadge slammed the weapon and then smacked the face into another, knocking it down and killing it.
"Are you going to be, ok?" Gadge asked while more gunfire raged across the facility.
"I don't know as of now," Jorge stated before frowning. "Going to die on a battlefield sooner or later," Jorge stated before frowning to himself.
"Not today, sir, not today at the end of the day. I'm not going to end it sometime soon… Don't see the Zealots at all… I'm not at all sure if the other one fled or not." Gadge stated before shaking his head and looking upwards before now.
It's not at all interesting for now. Gadge raised an eyebrow before looking upwards and looking upwards before now and questioning now, Gadge would only seem to be more and more amused, and interesting now and looked upwards before looking into the sky before looking upwards before now, racking Gadge's gun before now.
Still? More and more elites were coming, all Covenant soldiers eager to kill Spartans such as them and it was eager to try and end it for now before now, Gadge would continue to get it off his plate, and yet it did not at all exist, slowly starting to get off the ground.
Gadge leaned on the wall before an energy sword slammed into the wall next to him. Gadge barely turned and tried to slam the elite into the wall, interested in simply how many of the monsters managed to get in.
A handful? A few dozen? Hundreds? It'd not end anytime soon and it was simply maddening for now and would always be for now… Yes, it needed to end and would continue for now… All problems needed to end…. It'd not be over for now and yet it needed to end sometime soon before looking around as now.
It'd need to end sometime before now, questioning if there was an end to the onslaught, better than before would, they need to be… All of it seemed to be a problem, something they could only pretend to fix for now.
Gadge lifted his rifle and fired around the corner, slugs from his weapon rolling onto the floor like fallen pieces of timber from a freshly cut tree. The Spartan heard the alien war cries of another Elite. Gadge sighed and turned the corner as he rolled under the weapon of the elite, feeling it toss him across the room.
Gadge slammed and broke through a railing, his armor crumpling the metal as if it didn't exist. The Spartan turned to see the elite leap off, energy sword in hand as he rolled, the blade cutting through the platform.
Gadge saw the glint of the sword in his visor as he twisted around another strike, using the momentum to land a kick that slammed the elite into the ground with enough force to crack its shields. Gadge was able to secure his hands around its throat when a plasma bolt slammed into his armor and Gadge felt himself burn as he rolled.
The pack of grunts the elite was leading away from was not at the end of the day at the moment when it came down to it at the time. If they wanted a war so badly? He'd get to relax at the moment, there was a lot more to try at the end of the day.
There was a lot more to try and focus upon such issues at the time and there were a lot of maneuvers that could get them over at the end of the day.
"Sir? Heavy covenant troops in here… Do we know anything about why a pair of Zealots are here?" Gadge asked to which there was no real answer and he could only figure it out given certain small details at the end of the day.
It was a lot more terrifying to him than it had to continue to grow. How many people were there? A lot of things seemed to need to happen it was something that wasn't going to be easy… None of them were relaxed and all of them wanted blood.
The massive alien empire would burn the planet down around them to try and get what they wanted and it was clear nobody would be able to relax at the moment.
"No, Jorge, status? We're almost done here… Are the zealots taken care of?" Carter asked before he sighed.
"Should be, whatever isn't is clearing out… Six? You two done?" Jorge asked before Six's reply came over the radio a few seconds later.
"Yes, just finishing up…" Six stated before Gadge's voice came over the radio a few seconds later.
"Sir, should we come back? We have a lot to tell command. I doubt this will be the end of the battles even if we wipe all of the Covenant here… Something brought them here." Gadge stated before he hummed.
"Yes, come back. We're brief them and get on with it… Don't want them getting into communications and we've already set out what we need to." Carter ordered before Gadge slowly climbed upwards.
"It scares me… Knowing they're here, sir. Anywhere else and it'd anger me. Here? We know what's at stake." Gadge said before he clicked his jaw.
"He's not wrong, sir… It's not something we can just fight our way out of. This needs to end before they…." Gadge heard from Jorge.
"We're doing what we can, Noble. Now, get back here." Carter stated before signing off.
He didn't at all want to tell them that he knew Gadge was right, they'd crawl all over Reach and he knew very well what would happen when they found out Reach was important to the UNSC and everyone in the system. The second that was found out? They'd have to deal with a full invasion, one the full might of the UNSC would have no chance of stopping, and that scared him to the end.
"Kat? How likely is it they sliced into our communications?" Carter asked before he slowly looked at his second in command.
"Likely but they took this outpost offline, plasma damage. It's going to be 2 weeks at best before they can repair the damage here and that's being nice." Kat stated, pulling another panel out of the way.
"How likely is it that they're right when they tell us a Covenant ship is on Reach?" Carter asked before Kat sighed.
"We both know they don't come in small numbers. There's probably at least 3, maybe 4 ships on Reach by now." Carter heard before he slowly started to look to the side, utterly unsure at the moment.
"I need that line to command then now. We need to be out of here and back at base if that's true." Carter said before he looked down at the ground.
He didn't even want to know what happened if they were right. A full invasion? The entire planet would collapse, grind down to dust utterly horrid at the end of the day as he slowly started to dwell on problems over and over again.
Yes, it became harder and harder to breathe for the soldier as the door opened and the group was greeted by the others.
"The rest of the group ran off, probably to regroup, sir," Gadge stated before he cracked his fingers before he seemed to look down at the ground. "Orders, sir? Should we chase them down?" Gadge asked before he leveled his shotgun at the ground once more.
All it did was remind him that he still had a team to look after and soldiers to command. Carter simply held up his hand and watched as they snapped to attention like statues as if they had been like this before. They had been prepared for the worst and were unsure of what to do next… So, it would continue for now as neither knew what to plan for next nor what the others would do anytime soon.
If war came? Noble would confront them just like any other enemy and all such things would come to pass. He had to fight onwards and fight harder and faster than before, utterly baffled when it came down to it.
This was going to be harder and harder for them to try and understand as he did so. Carter had his helmet tucked under his armor, all too prepared for what to handle next. They had a lot more duties as he looked down at the ground.
"Carter? Here." Kat said before offering the radio which he took.
"Sir? We have a situation, something to talk about." Carter said before sighing to himself.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words. it will show Noble Team returning to base to meet with Colonel Holland and figure out their next move. Until then, Lighting Wolf is out!