The Birth of MJOLNIR
Prologue: This is the first mission the Master Chief faced with the power of the energy shields equipped to his MJOLNIR battle armor. Due to the fact that the rest of the UNSC wasn't supposed to know about the breakthrough of the armor till further notice, it was put under classified...until know.
PART 1: Briefing
0700 Hours, September 1st,2552(Military Calender) /
UNSC Military Barracks, UNSC Military Barracks
90684-G, planet Reach
John awoke to the sound of someone's voices beside his ear. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and then looked to the direction the voice had came from. Kelly was standing there waiting for him to respond.
"What is it Kelly?"
"Admiral Whitcomb wants us in the Discussion room A.S.A.P., so you better hurry up and get dressed and get up there"
"Alright. I'll meet you there" he replied.
John hurried to get dressed and then rushed towards The D Room, only stopping to grab a cup of coffee. When he arrived at the room he saw the other Spartans lined up along the sides of the long table that stood in the center of the room. Sitting at the end of the table was the Admiral. John also noticed Dr. Hasley standing in the corner of the room with her arms crossed. He straightened up and saluted the Admiral.
"Sir you requested my presence Sir!"
"That is correct Master Chief, at ease" replied Admiral Whitcomb.
John nodded to the other Spartans and took his place at the table across from the Admiral.
The Admiral stood and cleared his throat.
"As you all know, your MJOLNIR armor has all been recently upgraded with new Energy Shield technology that will severely help us in the fight against the Covenent. But due to time restrictions we were unable to test it fully and are unsure of its full potential. Saying so we have a new mission for you that will really test its full capability, and your ability to use the newly improved armor."
Admiral Whitcomb pushed a button on the desk and a hologram of a large, blue, icy planet appeared in the center of the room.
"This is the Planet Hikoden. Until about a week ago it was just a frozen ball of ice that had no know life or activity on it, but that has indeed changed. A few days ago one of are recon droids picked up this image in the Uganda system."
The picture of the planet zoomed in to show a large building on the surface that had 3 Covenent ships docked on its huge landing pads. John starred at the image in disbelief, was this the Covenent home planet? But then, like the Admiral had read his mind, he gave him the answer.
"The planet Hikoden was explored just a few years ago when we were looking for another location to train soldiers. But due to the harsh cold temperatures that could reach -175 degrees Celsius, the planet was left and we moved on. But it seems that like the Covenent like the cold. And is what they find comfortable. Given the information at hand, we believe that the Covenent are using this area as a docking bay to refuel and repair.
After finding this establishment we sent another Recon Droid to collect more information.
The Droid did a full sweep of the planet only to find a couple elites patrolling the area.
Given the information at hand, I think that it would be a good idea to do the following.
Master Chief, I want you to assemble a team of 4 or 5 Spartans and be ready on the Main Docking bay at 1000 Hours, on the 2nd. Which is tomorrow. Your mission will be do depart for the planet Hikoden. You will exit slipspace approximately 50000 KM from the planet, and maneuver the ship behind one of its moons out of site. You then leave the ship by an oversized reinforced Pelican that will be able to enter the planets atmosphere without deteriorating. You will land it approximately 5 miles away from the base where you will depart for the base in the 2 Warthogs attached to the Pelican. Next you will hide the Warthogs close by and silently enter the complex. Once inside insert Cortana into the Covenent's network where she will download the information stored there, she will also navigate you to the main power reactor which you will detonate via Tactical Nuclear mines. Which should cause the whole station and maybe even the planet to detonate, so make sure your at a safe distance by then. After placing the mines you will return to the pelican via Warthogs, fly to the ship and detonate the mine. You will then have to abided the Cole Protocol and go to a random vector somewhere away from Earth and Reach before returning home. Also this mission will go a hell of a lot easier if you stay stealth, so keep that in mind."
The Admiral pushed a button and the hologram flickered out.
"Any questions?"
Nobody said a word.
"Well if that's the case the you are all dismissed. Good luck."
John smiled. Spartans were always lucky.
PART 2: Preparation
0950 Hours, September 2nd 2552(Military Calender)/
UNSC Armory, UNSC Military Reservation
5594-D planet Reach
John looked at his digital watch displayed inside his helmet. Still 20 minutes till departure, lots of time. He looked over his weapons that he would be taking on the mission. A MA2B assault rifle equipped with a silencer, a M6D pistol also equipped with a silencer. 4 flash bangers, and 4 frags in case it got a little hectic. Also placed infront of him were 15 clips of assault rifle ammo, and 12 clips of pistol ammo. He had also decided to bring a fiber optic cable for peeking around corners and doors. And a 12 inch long combat knife balanced for throwing. All this should help this mission go smooth.
The Chief looked over the rest of the armory, in there with him were Kelly, Linda, Will and Joshua. He had decided to go with five Spartans rather then four. That way they will have two Warthog LAAV's being operated on the way to the base, just incase they ran into any patrol Tanks. Five would also provide more fire power inside, and be able to carry more ammo.
Kelly was fitting herself with an Assault Rifle. Linda was busy fitting a Sniper Rifle with a silencer. She would be watching the exit and covering the rest of us as we extracted the building in case of any followers or problems. Will was over at the explosives area of the room fitting himself with a tactical nuclear mine that would blow up the main reactor. Joshua was sitting on a bench going over the plan and checking his Pistol as well. It seemed that everyone was about ready. John stood up and addressed the Spartans.
"Alright Spartans, we will be departing in 15 minutes, and I just wanted to go over a few things. First of all, Like the Admiral said this mission will go a lot easier if we stay stealth, so put silencer on everything that you can. Also Linda will watch the door and radio us if any problems arise, And cover us as we exit in case of any followers.
When we enter the building we will be moving in a Delta-A formation. I want Kelly to stray back and I will stay up ahead. Will and Joshua will stay in the middle and check every side corridor that we pass for Covenent. When we get to the reactor I want everyone except for Will to cover the entrances, who will be arming the mine. We will then exit the complex back to are Warthogs and leaving the planet via pelican. When we get to a safe distance we will detonate the mine, board are ship, The Silver Wing, and head home. Everyone clear?"
"Sir, Yes, Sir!" they all barked.
"Alright then everyone ready?"
Four acknowledgment light lit up on Master Chiefs HUD.
"Oh and one more thing. When we get inside, use hand signals as much as possible. Now lets move, move move!"
The Spartans got up a jogged out of the room, John stopped in the doorway and looked at the armory. He took one big breath, closed the door, and ran for the other Spartans.
The Silver Wing was only a small frigate, perfect for this type of mission. They would be able to hide it easily and would only need a small crew to operate it. Admiral Whitcomb and Captain Keyes stood waiting beside its main ramp.
John signaled for his Spartans to wait as he went to meet the Admiral.
"Sir! Spartan-117 reporting for duty! Sir!" John barked as he saluted them both.
"At ease Chief"replied Admiral Whitcomb.
John looked at Keyes. He had met him before. He was aware of Keyes's skill as a pilot and was glad that he would be accompanying them on this mission. Keyes held out his hand, which was odd for a higher ranked soldier to do, but John shook it anyway.
"Nice to see you again Chief."he said smiling.
"Captain Keyes has his crew on board ready to go, as you probably already assumed, he will be taking you to the Uganda system." stated Whitcomb. "He will keep the ship hidden while you undergo your mission. As you all know Captain Keyes is a hell of a pilot and should help keep your mission smooth."
The Chief nodded his head in acknowledgment.
"Is your team ready Chief?" asked Keyes.
"As ready as they will ever be."
"Alright then. I don't see any reason to wait any longer then. Lets go."
John signaled for the other Spartans to move and then walked up the ramp as well. When he was half way up the Admiral call his name.
"Yes Admiral?"
"Good Luck."
The Master Chief smiled and replied.
"Thanks Admiral, we'll be back for dinner".
John then turned and walked up the rest of the ramp, when he a got in a Keyes was waiting for him.
"I want you in the bridge with me for the ride Chief. I think it would be better if we could discuss what we need to do to make this operation move as smooth as possible. Do you understand?"
"Yes, just let me tell the other Spartans and I'll meet you there."
"Excellent." replied Keyes. "See you then."
And with that he turned and walked to the elevator to the bridge.
Part 3 : The Mission
1400 Hours, September 2nd, 2552(Military Calender)/
3 minutes from Uganda system, on board The Silver Wing
The Chief looked at the mission clock. 3 minutes till normal space. He went over the final preparation in his head and then radioed his Spartans.
"Everyone get ready to exit Slipspace in 2 minutes, 20 seconds. After we enter normal space, I want you to regroup in the bridge, got that?"
Four acknowledgment lights flashed inside Johns helmet.
"Alright then, Over and out."
He turned back to look out the main window. They had been in Slipspace for four and a half hours now. And he was eager to leave Space and get back to ground. Spartans didn't like space at all. The feeling of having no control made them feel uneasy. Spartans liked to have there feet on solid ground were they could actually be of use.
He looked back down at the clock. One minute till normal space, better buckle up.
John walked over to the seat beside Keyes, sat down and buckled in. It was a tight fit with the MJOLNIR armor on and the belt barely made it around. Captain
Keyes had been buckled in almost the whole ride, only getting up to stretch and get a magazine. John couldn't help but realize how calm he was.
A red light blinked and Cortana's voice came over the intercom.
"30 seconds till normal space, all hand on deck."
Everyone who has traveled in Slipspace knows that the entry/exit is a little rough. That's why in order to prevent injury handrails are placed in every major area.
"10 seconds."
The Chief grabbed on to the edge of the seat and got ready for the exit. He noticed Keyes doing the same.
"5...4...3...2...1."
The whole ship shook violently for about 10 seconds, and then silence, which was broken when Captain Keyes addressed Cortana.
"Cortana what is are current location?"
"We are currently 46374.85 Km from the planet. Main power reactor fully operational, all programs running smooth."
"Good, were far enough away that they wouldn't of seen us. Alright, Cortana shut down all the lights. I want to be running dark as we try to hide behind planet. Also put the engines to 75 percent, I wanna get there quickly."
The ship accelerated and the planet quickly came into view. Captain Keyes ordered the ship to be slowed down to prevent being spotted as he set a course for the nearby moon.
The Chief unbuckled his belt and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked outside.
The planet was big, about the same size as Reach. Except instead of being littered with forests and mountains, all there was here was large flat areas covered in ice. There were a few hilly spots spread around the equator area, but that was it.
"Looks chilly." muttered the Chief.
Just then the other Spartans entered the bridge and walked over to join him.
"So this is it?" Linda remarked as she stared at the giant frozen wasteland.
"You bet." replied the Chief.
Linda just stared at the planets icy blue surface.
The Captain broke the silence.
"Were 5 minutes away from are target location. Chief I think you and your Spartans should head for the pelican bay now. I will call you over the intercom when its time to depart."
"Roger that." he replied.
Chief saluted Keyes and waved for his Spartans to follow. He walked over to Cortana's hologram project where Cortana was waiting.
"Back into that cramped spot again, wonderful"
John snickered at her remark and shoved her data cube into his helmet. When he did he felt the same rush of cool liquid that he had felt the last time Cortana had come along for a ride.
He and the other Spartans walked into the elevator ,which barley fit them in there MJOLNIR armor. When it reached the bottom they walked down the long narrow passageway to the Pelican bay. When they arrived at the bay they went up the elevator to there Pelican. Inside a young woman sitting in the driver seat was waiting for them.
"Flight Officer, Captain Carol Rawley. Reporting for duty Sir," she said as she saluted the Chief.
"At ease." replied the Chief
"Thank you sir! And you can call me Foehammer for short."
The Chief found it usual for a lower class soldier to be telling him to use a 'nickname'. But he accepted it as a term of friendship and smiled, even though she wouldn't be able to see it through his visor.
"Very well then, 'Foehammer'. Has Keyes briefed you on the current scenario?"
"That he has Chief." she responded cheerfully.
"Good. Standby for orders regarding dust off time."
"I, I Sir."
John walked to the back of the Pelican to check on the other Spartans. They were all in there seats, rifles across there laps, heads lowered thinking about the mission ahead. The Master Chief took his spot by the Pilot and waited for the go orders from the Captain.
A crackle came over the Pelicans radio.
"Alright people we are currently hiding in the shadows of Hikoden's moon. You have the green light to leave. Since I have nothing else to say Ill just wish you good luck and let you be on your way. Keyes out."
The Chief turned and faced Foehammer.
"Lets roll."
"Roger that,"she said over the intercom. "Buckle up."
Foehammer pushed a combination of switches and buttons and the Pelican roared to life. The dashboard indicator lights flashed on and there was a few beeps from it as well. She entered another combination of buttons, took the drive stick, and raised the Pelican 10 feet into the air.
She turned a knob and the Pelican did a 180 degree turn. Then lightly pushed the drive stick forward causing the Pelican to hover to the center of the bay. With another turn of the nob we were facing out the now open bay doors. She pushed forward a lever and the drive stick, and the Pelican went shooting out of the bay.
"E.T.A. to ground, 10 minutes." stated Foehammer.
The Chief nodded in acknowledgment. He then brought up a private com link with the Spartans.
"When we hit ground I want the warthogs side by side at the back of the Pelican.
Joshua and Will get on those LAAGs as quick as possible incase anything saw use coming. That will allow the rest of us to get are gear on in safety. Then when were ready I want you to get your gear while Kelly and I cover you. When everyone is ready saddle up on the Warthogs and get ready to move. I want Will, Joshua and Kelly on one, and me and Linda on the other. When everyone's aboard I will give Foehammer the signal and she will move to standby status approximately 50 KM in the air. Do I make myself clear?"
4 lights flashed up on his display.
"Good, get ready."
"Were about to enter atmosphere, hold on tight!" Foehammer shouted over the intercom.
Just then the Pelican's main window started to glow red and the Pelican started to shake violently.
The Chief looked over and was amazed to see Foehammer having no problem at all with the heavy shacking. She was to busy trying to look at the display board for any signs of a problem. She flicked a couple switches and the Pelican slowed down, and so did the shacking.
"Exiting atmosphere in 15!"
"A little bumpy wouldn't you say?"exclaimed Cortana.
"4...3...2...1 and now!"
The Pelican accelerated due to the sudden drop of the Atmosphere's friction, which caused Chief to fall back into his seat. The Pelican glided smoothly toward ground, slowly decelerating and leveling off to a horizontal level where it came to a stop 10 feet above ground. It then dropped slowly till it was resting right at ground level.
The Chief heard the sound of the hatch door opening as Joshua and Will exited to man the Warthogs. Foehammer pressed a button on the control panel and the Pelican rocked forward as the weight of the two Warthogs left the back of the Pelican and dropped to the ground.
John unbuckled his belt and walked to the back of the aircraft where he grabbed his equipment from a compartment and walked outside. He checked his digital thermometer, -60 degrees Celsius, that was good. It wasn't cold enough to cause any problems, he just hoped it stayed that way. He walked over to the others and started strapping on his equipment.
After he was all ready to go, he took a position on one of the LAAGs and covered Joshua and Will as they got there gear on.
"No signs of Covenent yet, that's good." stated Chief. "Lets get rolling."
The Spartans all got in the Warthogs and got ready for the go signal. Chief gave Foehammer the all clear signal and she took of. He then motioned for his Spartans to go, turned around, hit the ignition, and jammed the accelerator to the floor. The Warthog lurched forward as its all terrain 44 tires gripped to the ground, and accelerated to 60Km/H.
In just a few minutes the Covenent base came over the horizon. Linda pointed to a nearby hill and told the Chief to go to it. The Chief opened a private come link with Will.
"This is where Linda's going to set up. Keep driving to the location, I'll follow up in a moment."
"Roger that, see you there." he replied and accelerated toward the base.
Linda and the Chief drove up the hill that she had pointed to earlier and stopped.
"Alright Linda you know what to do, if you see any problems radio us in immediately. Well see you soon."
Linda's acknowledgment light flashed on, she was always quite before a battle. She jumped of the back oh the 'Hog and began to set up. John knew she'd be fine and once again hit the accelerator. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any problems on the short ride to the base. Without Linda on the LAAG he was defenseless.
Will hit the breaks and the Warthog slid to a stop. They were 0.3Km away from the covenent base, any closer and they would be heard. He flicked a switch on the Warthogs dashboard that would mark a NAV point on Chiefs helmet, giving him there location.
They were just on the other side of a hill between them and the Covenent base, out of view of any patrols. He hit the ignition switch and the Warthog rumbled off.
"Alright everyone, lets get out and take a peek at what we'll be facing as of patrol."
Everyone jumped out and ducked beside the Warthog, Joshua handed Will a pair of binoculars. Will took them a crawled up the hill. When he got to the top he laid down a put the binoculars to his visor.
Below him lay a humongous building, easily twice the size of the main building on Reach.
"They sure like to build 'em big." he muttered to himself. He looked around the base of the building, no patrol. Either they didn't hear them coming or they just didn't think anyone would find this place. That was good. He did a quick scan of the roof. Still no patrol, at least getting in would be easy. He heard the rumble of an engine approaching. He turned to see the Chief pull up in his Warthog and came to a stop beside his. The Chief shut of the engine, hopped out, and came over to join him.
"What do we have in ways of security?" asked the Chief.
Will replied. "We have...well.. Nothing. No patrols, no snipers, nothing. I guess they didn't expect company."
"Alright then, I want you to move in a single file line straight for the door. Be fast and stay low. Move!"
The Spartans ran over the hill and straight for the door, just like commanded. When they arrived Kelly and Will stood on one side of the door and Joshua stood on the other. The Chief ran up to the door and knelt down. He took the fiber optic cable from out of one of his pouches and slid it in between the crack in the door. He then attached the other end into his helmet. The hallway was clear. John detached the fiber optic cable from his helmet and put it back in his pouch. He gave the Spartans the 'cover' signal, and Will and Joshua moved infront of the door.
John moved over to the control panel and stopped.
"Cortana which button do I push to activate the door?"
"Be damned if I know, that was part of this mission, to find out this kind of things. How to operate Covenent equipment."
"Damn I was afraid of that. Well here goes nothing."
John moved out his hand to push a button, and as he did he felt a urge to push the bottom left one. Since the Chief had always gone with his instincts he pushed it. The sound of gears turning came from inside the door. There was a whoosh sound and the doors flew open.
"Lucky guess?" asked Cortana.
"Yeah" replied the Chief. " Lets go with that."
The Chief gave the Spartans the signal to move into formation and walked through the door. When everyone was through, the door hissed shut. The Chief moved to the corner of the hallway and peeked around. Nothing was there so he moved up. At the end of the hallway there was another door, but this one didn't have controls, just a data uplink area.
"Put me in there" Cortana demanded.
John reached to the back of his helmet and ejected Cortanas data cube, which he slid into the data uplink immediately.
"So can you tell us were we are?" he asked her as her hologram flicked to life infront of them.
"Give me a moment to access the network."
Just then the doors swung open and a Grunt stepped out. Before it could even move Will put a bullet through the methane breathers head and it fell to the ground motionless.
Will went around the corner and checked for more.
"Were good, I'll deal with this body."
He picked up the body and dragged it around the corner. In just a few moments he returned to his position ready for any other Grunt or Jackle that decided to come through to door.
John turned his attention back to the Cortana who had just reappeared on the hologram projector.
"Alright I'll guide you through the complex, I can open the doors and tell you if Covenent is approaching. And I've shut off the security cameras so you don't have to worry about those either."
"Excellent work Cortana, I'm glad your on are side."
"I know you are. Alright go through this door and take a right, at the end of that hallway take a left and follow the hallway to the end. Ill wait for you there." she said and disappeared.
The Chief motioned for his Spartans to follow and they moved to the location Cortana had given them. Even though Cortana was watching there back, they still checked around every corner before advancing. Better be safe then sorry. They moved swift and silently until they reached the end of the hallway, which like Cortana had stated, had another hologram projector, where Cortana stood waiting.
"Alright Chief. The main reactor room is located right beside the main lounge, where mostly everyone will be. So your going to have to be extra careful when you reach there. I am marking a NAV point on your HUD display. Just follow it and go through to doors which I have unlocked. I will contact you when there are Covenent approaching."
"Roger that Cortana, well be fine. Get to downloading that material the Admiral wanted you too." the Chief replied.
"I've already begun." she said and flickered out again.
The Chief looked at the NAV point. 2 km to target, he better start moving.
John looked through to now opened doors and moved inside. He followed the NAV point and went down the right corridor were he came to a solid wall. On the left was a red door and on the right the was a door flashing white, which probably meant it was unlocked. Just as he was about to enter he heard his radio crackle as Cortana opened up a link.
"2 elites are on the other side of this hallway Chief. One 15 feet from the door and one about 20 feet from it."
John held up two fingers and the turned his hand sideways to make a 'E' sign. 3 acknowledgment lights flashed up on his display. Will and Joshua stood beside Chief and crouched down, Kelly walked over to the control panel and leaned against the wall so that she would be protected by the edge of the door. John nodded and Kelly pushed the bottom left button opening the doors.
Standing in the hallway were a red and blue Elite, just as Cortana had said there would be, who turned when they heard the door open. They both went for there radios, but before they could reach them a spray of armor piercing rounds from the Chief assault rifle knocked them off balance. Along with the precise head shots delivered by Will and Joshua's pistol's HE rounds, the elites were dead in a matter of seconds.
The Chief opened up a COM link with the Spartans.
"These elites weren't using energy shields. They must not turn them on when there not in combat. If we stay undetected the Elites won't activate there shields and this will be a lot easier. Will and Joshua hide these bodies. Kelly and I will cover you."
The two Spartans nodded, holstered there weapons and grabbed the bodies. They dragged them to a near by storage compartment a shoved them in. When they were done they got back into formation and waited for orders.
John motioned for them to follow and they continued down the hallway only stopping when Cortana told them there were two Grunts around the corner, which moved on letting the Spartans pass with ease. When they got to the door nearest the lounge the Chief stopped to slide the optic cable under the door and hook it to his helmet. He then used a COM link to transmit the view to the other Spartans, so they would see too.
On the other side of the door stood 4 Elites, 2 blue and 2 red. There were also around 20 grunts and about 15 Jackles. And if that weren't bad enough 2 hunters stood in the far end of the room. The aliens were all talking to each other in there alien tongue. John searched around the room and thought of a plan that would work with the given situation. After he had triple checked it he told the others on the COM link.
"Ok here is the plan. I want Will and Josh to lean up against the side of the door and Kelly you stand behind me. I'm going to prime a flash banger while Will opens the door. After I throw it and it goes off I want Kelly, being the fastest, to run to the other side of the room behind the Hunters and hide. Then I want Will and Joshua to throw a frag at the groups of jackles and grunts at the sides of the room, Will take right, Joshua take left. I'll take the middle were the elites are. Then I want everyone to crouch in the doorway and open fire on anything that moves, start with the Elites and work down to the Jackles and then the Grunts. By that time the Hunters will be well aware of our position and moving towards us.
That's when I want Kelly to put a HE round into the main abdomen in there back.
When there dead Kelly, help us mop up the rest and we'll move on. Do this quick otherwise they will turn on there shields and it could take a while. Got it?"
Again 3 acknowledgment lights blinked on.
"Alright on my mark. 3...2...1...Mark!"John said as he pulled the pin on the flash band grenade.
Will punched the panel and the doors flung open. John hurled the grenade into the center of the room. 2 seconds went by followed by a large bang accompanied by a blinding flash of light. When John opened his eyes he could already see Kelly on the other side. He primed a frag and hurled it simultaneously with Will and Joshua. John heard 3 loud WHUMPS followed by the screams and cries of the survivors. Before the smoke could even clear the 3 Spartans opened fired. When the smoke cleared all that stood were one red Elite, the two Hunters and a few Jackles, but not for long. Will turned and put 4 rounds into the red Elites head. As its body dropped to the ground two shots sounded from the other side of the room. The answer was 2 loud growns has the Hunters folded forward. John faced the two remaining Jackles and pulled the trigger, only to here the click of a empty magazine. Reacting quickly he threw down his weapon and pulled out his knife. He ran at the Jackles and jumped into the air, bringing the knife right down through the top of the 1st Jackles head. He then swung around a grabbed the other Jackle's head with both his hands and applied pressure, crushing its skull.
John pulled out the knife from the now blood covered Jackle and shook off the blood He returned it to his sheath and picked up his Assault Rifle. He disposed the empty clip and slammed a fresh one into the chamber, just as 4 Gold Elites came threw the door, all wielding Energy Swords.
"CONTACTS!" yelled Chief. He had encountered gold elites before and knew how strong they were. "Aim for there heads!"
The Chief primed and threw a grenade into the center of them. 2 of them dodged to the side but the others took a direct hit, draining there shields. The Chief's assault rifle finished off the rest of their shields as Will and Joshuas pistols' scored shots in there heads. John turned to face the 3rd Elite which was in the corner regaining focus from the blast. Before he could pull himself together, the Chief bent down and picked a plasma grenade of a dead Grunts body, primed it, and hurled it at its head, making direct contact. The Elite dropped its sword and screamed as the plasma grenade fused into his faceplate. He scrambelled to take it off but was out of time. The grenade detonated and his head was blown apart. The Chief spun 30 degrees to the left just in time to see the last gold Elite's Energy sword coming straight for his head.
He quickly reacted and leaned back as the sword swung an inch over his head. Even with the suits energy shields, auto temperature control and auto darkening visor, the Chief still felt the blinding searing light on his face, blinded him temporarily. As he regained vison he heard fire coming from his left and deflecting off the Elites shields in front of him. John again pulled out his knife and thrust it toward the Elite which he now saw clearly. The knife plunged into the Elites gut, making it drop its sword and buckle forward. While it was leaning forward grabbing its stomach the Chief brought the knife across its extended throat. The Elite tried to scream but all that came out was a gurgle and a mouthful of blood. Once the Elite was on the ground dead the Chief did a quick scan of the room and slammed another fresh clip into his assault rifle, ready for whoever might come through the door.
After waiting 20 seconds he motioned the team over to the rooms holopanel where Cortana flickered up.
"That little battle of yours has alerted security. You had better hurry up and set the mine. The main reactor is in the next room."
John nodded and motioned his team to follow. As he approached the door for the Reactor Room it slid open. He stepped inside and held up 2 fingers horizontally, signaling his team to set up a defensive perimeter. He then nodded to Will telling him to set up the nuke. He went over to a little crack in the center of the middle fusion core and got to work.
The Chief carefully watched his motion tracker. If any Covenent got in and shot the nuke as it was arming, then it would get pretty hot in here pretty fast.
"Alright, Sir, The nuke is armed and ready for remote activation. And in case any problems arise I've also got it set on a 40 minute timer. Here is the detonator."
The Chief nodded and took the device.
"Alright team, they now know we are here so its going to be a little more tricky. They will be using energy shields and wielding there weapons. So lets get out of here quick. Forget about the bodies lets just get out before the whole complex comes down on us. Everyone keep an open COM link with each other and Cortana so we know what's coming. Also we will now move in a Alpha-12 position. Ready team?"
Three green lights.
"Lets move then, Cortana keep us informed of the locations of Covenent Party's, and be ready for pick up when we reach the exit."
"Way ahead of you Chief" she replied.
The Chief gave the follow signal and took of threw the door. Only stopping to grab a couple plasma grenades of a dead Elites belt. They continued down the corridor and were surprised that no Covenent patrols came. But when they approached the door they could see why.
Cortana came on the COM link.
"Chief there's a large group of Covenent waiting for you in the nest room. I count around 10 Elites mostly red, 2 gold. I also count about 25 Grunts and 8 Jackles."
The Chief bent down and stuck the optic cable under the door. Cortana was right there were lots of Covenent. All wielding the best of there weapons and ready for the Spartans to come through to door.
The Chief searched for a plan, this wasn't going to be easy...or was it? John noticed that the room was only around 20 by 20 feet long. A couple plasma grenades could easily cover that radius. John turned to the other Spartans.
"Ok I'm going to throw to plasma grenades into the center of the room. After they go off I want all 3 of you to throw a frag at the remaining contacts. As soon as you throw them switch to your infrared and open fire. The room is small and the grenades should take most of them out, all that will survive the blasts are probably going to be those gold elites so concentrate your fire on them first. Now on my mark. 3...2...1...MARK!"
Cortana opened the doors and instantly the Covenent patrol open fired. John dropped to his knees and hurled two plasma grenades into the center of the room, about 10 meters apart. A loud fissh sounded as the plasma grenades exploded. The Chief stepped back as Kelly, Will and Joshua threw frags at the remaining bunches, just as planned. John primed his last frag and threw it at one of the gold Elites, and before it even reached the ground the Chief was draining it shields with his assault rifle. Suddenly a large ball of fire and dirt erupted from underneath the Elite's body, causing it to fly and hit the roof. And then dropped down and cluttered on the ground. He quickly turned his attention to the other gold Elite who was advancing on them. He depleted the rest of his current clip into the Elites shields and then, without hesitant, switched to his Pistol and delivered 7 shots directly to it's head, and it dropped dead. John jumped behind the others and quickly reloaded his guns, and noticed his shields were beeping. While he waited for them to recharge he did a scan of the room. The other Spartans had mopped up all the other Covenent and only one Gold Elite stood standing. The Chief waited for his shields to fully recharge and then charged into the room firing his rifle at the Elite. When he got close he dropped down and slammed the back of the rifle into the Elites gut. He then stood and brought the rifle down on top of the creatures battle scared face, knocking it to the ground. Before it could get up John put 3 bullets into the back of its head, and it fell silent.
John turned to face the others just as a large plasma blast blew up beside him, throwing him to the ground. His arm felt burned from the blast and his shields were beeping loudly.
He quickly got up, grunting as a jolt of pain shot through his injured arm, and looked where the blast had came from. Why hadn't he seen them? Why didn't his motion tracker or Cortana tell him? 2 hunters stood right in front of him, Fuel Rods aimed right for his head.
Shots rang out from his left. Will and Joshua were laying down cover fire with there assault rifles. The Chief took this time to run up to the hunters. John pistol whipped the one closest to the others across its side and jumped back. It turned and faced Chief, raised its giant metal shield as it prepared to strike John with a force so hard even he couldn't survive, and dropped dead just as Chief as planned. He turned to face the other Hunter who was about to lunge. John jumped down and to the side just in time as the Hunters shield clashed the ground he was standing on a second ago. Before the Hunter could get ready for another swing, John jumped behind it and shoved his pistol into its large orange tendon and pulled the trigger. The large creature let put a loud cry and fell too the ground. John did a full sweep of the room before holstering his pistol and picking up his assault rifle. The others rushed over to him as he reloaded his pistol and slammed his last clip into his assault rifle.
"How's your arm?"asked Kelly.
"Hurts like hell. But I don't think its anything serious. Even so, lets hurry up and get off this planet. Cortana which way?"
"Your almost there just through the door on your left and down the hall. I'll meet you there."
"Alright. Team lets get the heck out of here. Oh and Kelly, Nice shot."
He waved for the team to follow and they ran through the door and down the hallway to the hologram projector which they had put Cortana's data cube. As he went to pull it out Cortana appeared.
"Chief hurry! There are four Elites following us!" she stated.
John grabbed the data cube and slammed it into the back of its helmet. He felt the familiar rush of cool liquid flow into his head. He opened up a COM link with Linda.
"Linda four red Elites are on our tail. Get ready to take em out."
"Roger that." she replied.
The Chief turned and ran through the doors and started running for Linda's location. Plasma splashed over his shields as the Elites fired on him. 4 loud bangs and 4 streams flew past the Chiefs head. He turned to check the results, only one Elite stood standing. John leveled his rifle and squeezed the trigger. A spray of bullets shot from the muzzle and flew towards the target, ripping through its know unshielded body. It dropped to the ground motionless.
John opened up the COM.
"Everyone double time it back to the 'Hogs! I want to get out of here now! Linda give us cover fire!"
The Chief took off running at full speed. His arm stung like hell. 3 more shots rang out as Linda level two more Elites and a grunt. When they arrived at the Warthogs the Chief quickly jumped into the drivers seat. Kelly was already waiting for him in the LAAG.
John waited for everyone to saddle up and then floored it. The Warthog tires gripped the snowy ground and the 'Hog sprung forward.
"2 Ghosts inbound!" screamed Kelly.
John took a quick glance back. 2 Ghosts were screaming towards them. The sound of 2 LAAGs pounding rounds into the air sounded behind Chief. The Chief glanced back again just in time to see the two Ghosts deteriorate into nothing. John pushed the gas down a little farther. He radioed Foehammer.
"Foehammer get ready to pick us up! Get those Warthog clamps ready! Were gonna have to make a fast getaway!"
"Roger that Chief, on standby."
John waved the Spartans to move faster, he wanted to get off this planet now. After a couple more hills the Pelican came into view, hovering about 10 feet off the ground. Foehammer must of saw them because the Pelican lowered to the ground. The Chief drove a little closer and then slammed on the breaks. Kelly jumped out before the even stopped. John lined up the Warthog right under the first clamp. John jumped out of the 'Hog and watched as Fred lined up the second one. Once everyone was aboard the Pelican he pushed the button too drop the clamps, watched them raise the Warthogs into the air, and jumped aboard. As he watched the main hatch door close 2 hunters cam around the hill, fuel rods leveled. John spun around, ran to the main controls and slammed the button marked: Auto Turret. A loud whirl sounded from the back of the Pelican. The Chief turned just in time to see the 2 large monsters fall for the last time.
"Punch it!" yelled Chief.
Part 4: Extraction
1600 Hours, September 2nd, 2552(Military Calender)/
Planet Hikoden
The Pelican whirred as it raised into the air. John walked to his seat, sat down, and strapped himself down. The Pelican vibrated as they began to enter the planets atmosphere.
There was also a noticeable change in heat. Foehammer was punching buttons and flipping switches as she maintained control of the aircraft.
"Exiting atmosphere in 5!" she exclaimed over the COM.
The Pelican suddenly shot forward as it left the resistence of the atmosphere. John looked back on his team. They all gave him the thumbs up signal. Good, there all alright. John opened up a COM link with Keyes.
" We've left the planet and are ready for extraction Captain."
A few seconds went by before he replied.
"Roger that Chief. On Route.
John looked out the main view window at the moon that they were supposedly hiding behind. After about a minute Silver Wing emerged form the moons shadow, coasting right towards them.
"Will, you got that detonator?"
"Sure do." he replied. "Want me to blow it?"
"Not yet, were not far enough. That docking station had 3 ships docked, enough fusion reactor to blow half that planet to pieces. And those pieces could easily hit us."
The Pelican drifted closer to the ship, which now had its reaer docking bay doors open. Foehammer brought the Pelican down to docking speed and slowly flew it in. She spun it 180 degrees and began to set it down on the clamps. The bay doors slowly began to shut.
"OK Will, light the candle."
Will nodded and pressed the button. After about 10 seconds there was a low rumble accompanied by a bright flash of light. Followed by 3 more loud explosions and 3 more flashes of light that merged and produced one loud explosion. John watched as the station turned into a large fireball. Half the planet caved in and then exploded, sending debris flying flew space.
The main doors snapped shut, and that was the last John ever saw of Planet Hikoden.
Part 5: Mission Accomplished:
1100 Hours, September 3rd, 2552(Military Calender)
UNSC Debriefing room
90684-G Planet Reach.
It had take them 2 days to get home, but they were finally here. Standing in there uniforms waiting for the after mission reward ceremony to end. They all hated this part. All they wanted to do is rest and prepare for the next mission, not get pieces of metal pinned to there chest that was absolutely useless. But they didn't have a choice.
Admiral Whitcomb had already awarded the others. Will had got a Good Conduct Medal, Kelly was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, and Foehammer got a Distinguished Flying Cross. The Admiral now stood in front of Chief, who had snapped to attention instinctively.
"For leading your team with such precision in this mission and for performing with such precision, I award you the Silver Star. And for taking a heavy injury and still fighting at full potential, I award you the Purple Heart."
John reached out and took the awards from the Admiral. He then pinned them on his chest along with his other awards.
"You all did exceptionally well on this mission. And for that I award you 3 days rest. You are dismissed."
The Spartans saluted and filed out of the room. John was the last to leave. He felt good. The mission had gone off without a hitch, even when the battle got tuff. The new energy shields had worked amazingly. John had a good feeling that the war against the Covenent had just taken a turn for the better. For now the U.N.S.C. had a weapon that could lead them to victory.
A weapon called, MJOLNIR.