Disclaimer: None of the characters from Halo, Halo 2, or the Halo books are mine.
A/N: The title (War on Reach) may not make sense to you now, but read the entire chapter. You'll get it as you go along.
Another A/N: A flashback doesn't end until you see the ---End Flashback--- sign, and if I put ---Pause Flashback---, it means that the flashback isn't done, but something has interrupted it (i.e. Covenant attack, Admiral on deck, or just random interruptions). Also, when someone is telling a story, it's a flashback, so this chapter, when Xiran tells John his story, it's in a flashback, but John is also "seeing" the flashback. You know what I mean? Email me if you don't. Sometimes flashbacks are just flashbacks, and not stories...you'll know which is which. Hopefully...
Yet Another A/N: A lot of the new Spartans are my friends in real life. Some of their personality traits (as Spartans) will inevitably reflect what they are like in real life.
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Halo 3: The Fall of the Covenant
Chapter 13
War on Reach
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"Spartans," Admiral Hood began. "I fear that the Covenant is upon us once again. We are, once again, fighting for our lives."
The Admiral paused and surveyed the room. Although he was addressing the Spartans, everyone else in the room listened with rapt attention.
"Our newfound allies, the Elites, the Grunts, and the Hunters, will assist us in the upcoming battle."
There were some murmurs around the room, although none from the Spartans. Hood let this continue for a while. Eventually, the room quieted down again.
"They have also confirmed that the other fleet is our enemy, for they have all their forces here already, clustered around Earth, ready to defend it."
One of the Spartans, Soroush-382, raised his hand.
"Yes?" said Hood.
"Are you sure they are trustworthy sir? I mean, we have been fighting them for thirty years. Doesn't it seem odd that they'd be helping us after all the bloodshed?"
"I've had my doubts," Hood admitted. "But we have first hand information about how they changed allegiances. Spartan-117 himself saw the Elites fight the Brutes, and when he was captured, the Elites helped him escape so they could kill one of the Covenant leaders."
"Yes, sir," said Spartan-382.
"Moving on. We believe that they will try an invasion like last time. It's obvious that there is something on Earth that they want, and we'll do everything we can to stop them. The Spartans and the marines will be groundside defending the MAC generators and striking their landing zones to impede their progress," said Admiral Hood. "Any questions?"
"What will the Elites, Grunts and Hunters be doing, sir?" asked another one of the Spartans, David-411.
"They will be assisting you groundside, I believe." Admiral Hood looked at the Arbiter for confirmation. The Arbiter gave a slight nod and the Admiral continued. "They will also be piloting their ships to destroy as many Covenant ships as they can."
David-411 nodded his understanding. Admiral Hood went on. "Any other questions?"
The room remained silent. "Good. You are to get ready for this upcoming mission, get everything together since the Covenant can arrive any minute now. Is that clear?"
"Sir yes sir!" chorused the Spartans.
"Good. Dismissed," said the Admiral. He walked out of the room and everyone except for the Spartans followed him.
One of the Spartans walked up to John. "Sir!" he saluted.
"At ease," said John. He glanced in his HUD and found that the young Spartan in front of him was Xiran-381.
"We're done packing everything sir! Everyone is equipped with either an assault rifle or battle rifle. Some of us will be taking sniper rifles or rocket launchers out there as well. The grenades and extra ammo are secured and each of us has some on us now, just in case we get separated once we're down there."
"Have you checked your suits for any damage or malfunctions?" asked John.
"Yes sir! Our suits are in perfect working order."
"Then why don't we sit down and talk, while we still have the chance," suggested John.
"Sir?" asked Xiran, confused. He had expected the Master Chief to find something else for him to do, like practicing hand-to-hand combat or target practicing.
They walked to a bench especially made for the Spartans and sat down. If it were a normal bench, it would've collapsed under the weight of the MJOLNIR armour, but this bench was reinforced with multiple layers of folded titanium. It could take a lot of pressure before it snaps.
"What should we talk about sir?" asked Xiran.
They were all ready to go fight the Covenant, and there was a bit of time left before they arrived, so John's curiosity got the better of him. He analyzed the situation over and over again, and made sure that there would be no harm in asking one of the new Spartans on how they escaped Reach. In fact, the extra information might help them in this upcoming mission.
"About how you escaped Reach," replied John after a long pause.
---Flashback---
It was August 29, 2552. The Spartans were graduating from the Spartan-II program. Unlike the first wave of Spartans-IIs, the second group had their MJOLNIR armour way before their graduation, so thirty-three MJOLNIR clad Spartans stood at attention. Every surviving Spartan in his squad stood at attention, listening to Admiral Whitcomb.
"I'm sorry to say that Chief Petty Officer Mendez will be leave you all to train the third wave of Spartans," Whitcomb was saying. "Chief?"
"Your training is now complete and you will all graduate to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class in the UNSC. One of the first things you will learn is that some of you will make it, some won't. It's part of a soldier's life. You will make and lose friends, but as long as you live, you will move on. With or without your friends."
He paused and surveyed the Spartans. The Spartans stood as still as statues. Then he nodded, satisfied with what he saw.
"You Spartans are the finest soldiers I've ever taught and it has been a great experience training you. Never forget what your duty is. Never forget that you are humankind's best chance of survival against the Covenant. You've studied the first wave of Spartans' operational records, you know what you have to do to live up to that. Remember what I've taught you." He paused for a second the stood at attention and saluted.
"Attention!" cried Xiran. The rest of his squad saluted.
"Good luck," said Mendez.
The Spartans put their arms down as Chief Mendez exited the chamber. Admiral Whitcomb stood up to the podium again. "Spartans. You are to rest for twelve hours. Then we'll be assigning you to various duties we have for you throughout the UNSC."
Admiral Whitcomb searched for something else to say, but failed to find it. He saluted instead.
"Attention!" Xiran cried again, and his squad saluted.
"Dismissed." Whitcomb lowered his arm.
The Spartans lowered their arms and filed out of the chamber.
"This is gonna be fun eh?" said Soroush.
"Yeah. Those Covenant bastards were having trouble with the Spartans before, but after we join, man are they gonna be screwed or what?" replied Xiran.
"Hell yeah. We'll make them wish they had never messed with us."
"Damn straight!" said Danielle-298.
"One sec," said Xiran. Then he addressed all of the Spartans on a COM channel. "Spartans. Tonight, we're going get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow, we're gonna kick some Covenant ass! Is that clear?"
Thirty-two acknowledgment lights winked on, while Soroush and a few others yelled "yeah" or "all right". When they got to the bunks, everyone took off their MJOLNIR armour, put on their nightclothes, and slipped into bed.
"Good night y'all!" said Flavius-262.
"Good night," replied the rest of the Spartans.
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The Spartans woke up to a loud siren. "Aw man! What's going on?" asked Xiran groggily.
"I don't know, we should probably check it out," replied Karen-379, already suited up.
"Alright," replied Xiran as he began putting on his MJOLNIR armour. He glanced around the room and found Kayleigh, Joseph, Flavius, and Soroush also putting on their armour. They seemed to be the most awake. Everyone else was still grumbling. After he had finished putting on his MJOLNIR armour, he glanced around again. Nearly everyone was awake now, and quite a few of them had finished putting on their armour.
"Karen. You go down to the armory and grab enough ammo and weapons for all of us. Soroush, and Joseph, go help her. Flavius, Kayleigh, and I will see what's going on."
"Yes, sir," replied Karen. She walked up to Soroush and Joseph. "Follow me. We're going to get enough ammo and guns for everyone." Joseph and Soroush followed her.
"Alright you two. Let's go."
They didn't have to travel far to find out what's going on, because as soon as they exited the door, a marine halted in front of them, almost running into them. The marine was out of breath and looked like he was on the verge of collapse.
"What's going on, soldier?" asked Xiran.
"It's the Covenant sir! We're under attack!" gasped the marine. Xiran looked in his HUD and it identified the marine as Private Alex Harris.
"When did this happen Private?"
"Less than ten minutes ago sir!" replied Private Harris. "Their ships just appeared out of slipspace and started destroying everything in sight!"
"Damn. Anything else you'd like to tell me before I go back to inform my team?" asked Xiran.
"Yes sir. I'm to bring you and your entire squad to HQ, where you'll be briefed."
"Alright. Wait here. I'll get the Spartans ready," ordered Xiran.
"Yes sir."
"Come on guys, let's go back."
"Yes sir," replied Kayleigh and Flavius. Xiran, Kayleigh, and Flavius walked back through the door, and found that all of the Spartans were already in their armour and Karen, Joseph, and Soroush were handing out assault rifles to each and every one of them. Then Joseph spotted Xiran.
"Sir! You should take one of these," said Joseph.
"Thanks man," replied Xiran. Joseph threw an assault rifle at Xiran, and then he threw three clips of ammo at Xiran as well. "Give some to these guys as well." He pointed at Kayleigh and Flavius.
"Yes sir." They were each passed an assault rifle and ammo.
"Were there any grenades available?" inquired Xiran.
"No, sir," replied Joseph.
"Damn. Oh well. We'll have to make do with what we have," replied Xiran. Then he opened a secure channel and messaged all of the Spartans. "Spartans. I have some unpleasant news."
"What is it sir?" asked Lily-331.
"Reach is under attack. I don't know how they found us, but they're here now and we have to face them."
"Damn! This is our first real mission and it's to save Reach? Wow, that sucks!" said David-411.
"What David? You scared?" challenged Alyssa-449.
"No, just a bit worried," David replied defensively.
"Okay guys. No more chitchat. We're going to HQ to be briefed. You can talk while we run," ordered Xiran. Thirty-two acknowledgement lights winked. They filed outside, where Private Harris was waiting for them. "Lead the way, soldier."
Private Alex Harris had to run to keep up with the Spartans, even though the Spartans were walking. He was well trained though, so he didn't complain at all. Once they got there, they were ushered into the briefing room, where a bunch of people was discussing what they should do about the Covenant presence in the Epsilon Eridani system.
"Every ship within range has been recalled to this position, Admiral. There's nothing more we can do!" said a nervous Captain on one of the many viewscreens. The computer revealed him as Captain Steven Ritchie, and his record showed that he had battled the Covenant several times and survived each time to tell the tale.
"Damn! The Covenant would still outgun us if we don't get any more troops! Captain, are you absolutely sure you can't recall any more ships?" asked Admiral Danforth Whitcomb.
"No sir, Admiral Freemont called every ship within range to rally with us at rally point Zulu." The Captain indicated to a space on one of the navigation screens. "That's to say every warship from the Reach system, the Jericho system, and the Tantalus systems have been called here."
"Damn. How are the MAC guns stations? Are they operational?"
"Yes, sir. They are fully operational and are destroying Covenant ships as we speak."
"Good. That'll give them something to think about."
"I'm sorry to say this sir, but the Covenant just keep on coming. For every ship we destroy, two more pops into its place. I'm sure our MAC guns can take care of them."
"Dammit, what's the condition of the fleet currently battling with the Covenant?"
"Not good, sir. We are in danger of being overrun, and...hang on, we're getting a transmission." He paused and looked to another viewscreen. His face slowly changed from a worried expression, to a "this sucks royal ass" expression.
"What is it Captain?" demanded Whitcomb.
"Want the bad news? Or the other bad news?"
"Just spit it out!"
"Well, first of all, the Covenant are launching their dropships directly at our generators. The other bad news is that we've received a distress signal from FLEETCOM. They've discovered a lone ship that has not purged its navigational databases."
"What? That's a direct violation of the Cole Protocol!"
"Yes, I know sir."
"Which ship is this? Which fool has done this?"
"It was the Circumference, sir."
"Fire on that ship now! We can not risk the navigation data falling into the hands of the Covenant!"
"We can't do that sir. The Spartans aboard the Pillar of Autumn are going to the ship to wipe the system."
"Why don't they just put a MAC round through it? It'd be a lot quicker that way, and it's a lot safer."
"Captain Keyes said the NAV data might survive if we do that, sir."
"Good point. What about the generators? I can send a few companies of marines there to defend it, but that's it. All of our soldiers are otherwise engaged."
"Good plan sir. The Spartans are also going down there to help."
"The Spartans? You mean the Spartans aboard the Pillar of Autumn?"
"Yes, sir. Three Spartans went aboard the Circumference to destroy the NAV data while the rest were to go groundside to defend the generators."
"Why didn't they let the second wave of Spartans handle it?"
"I don't think they knew about them sir."
"Damn. Good work Captain Ritchie. Get back to commanding your ship. I'll take care of Reach's ground defences."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, Captain. One more order."
"What is it, sir?"
"Give them hell."
"We will, sir," replied Captain Ritchie with a smirk. Then his face disappeared from the viewscreen.'
Admiral Whitcomb turned around to regard the Spartans. Although he didn't show any signs of noticing them since they entered the room, it was obvious that he knew that they were there.
"I suppose you caught all of that," he said lightly, as if he was on a stroll in the woods.
"Yes, sir," replied Xiran.
"Good. Then I want you to know something." He paused. "I don't care what the hell that guy just said, about the MAC guns holding up and shit, but I know for a fact that Reach is history. It doesn't matter that Reach is one of the most fortified planets we have. The Covenant are still going to smoke us."
"What are our orders, sir?"
"Your orders...are to remain on this planet and defend it to the best of your ability, but if things get bad, you are to get the hell out of here," said Whitcomb.
"But sir, we-" started Xiran, but he was cut off.
"Are you questioning orders, Spartan?"
"No, sir."
"Good." He furrowed his eyebrows, deep in though. "Oh, I almost forgot. For the past few months, we've been working on a new bomb called the NOVA. It's basically a cluster of nukes, each one with a lithium triteride casing. When we detonate them, not only do they make a big bang like a nuke's supposed to do, they also force their tritium cases together in one big superheated center. This boosts the explosive power of the nuke by a hundredfold. A few of these would kill a planet. We had planned to use them in space combat to even out the playing field, but it just passed the testing phase and we don't have enough time to send it up to the guys up there." He pointed towards the ceiling.
"Then what are we going to do with the NOVAs sir?"
"I'm glad you asked that, you are going to accompany me and Charlie Company to the NOVAs. Once we get there, we're going to arm them, then you are to destroy as many Covenant troops as you can, but once you're in danger of being overrun, you are to get the hell out of there. Even though you Spartans are all mighty and shit, I don't want you all to die, leaving Earth defenceless." He paused, and then added. "The elder Spartans are already down here, defending the generators, so we can rely on them more than you. No offence, but they do have more combat experience."
"Yes, sir. When do we leave?" asked Xiran. Admiral Whitcomb's last words hurt his pride a little, but he knew it was true. Him and his squad were pretty much green, compared to the elder Spartans, and haven't done any "real" missions yet. This would be their first.
"Right now. I've already told Charlie Company to meet us here." Admiral Whitcomb pointed at his map. "We should get moving."
"Yes, sir," replied Xiran.
Admiral Whitcomb stood up and walked out the door. The Spartans and Private Harris followed him. Whitcomb turned around and finally noticed the Private.
"Thank you son. You are party of Charlie Company, correct?"
"Yes, sir. I'm with Corporal Thompson's squad."
"Good. You can stick with us for now. Once we get there, we can get you back to your Corporal."
"Yes, sir!"
Admiral Whitcomb continued walking. He passed a building then walked towards the garage.
"Sir? I thought our objective was that way," asked Xiran, pointing to the southeast.
"Yes, but you didn't expect us to walk all the way there did you?" said an amused Admiral.
Xiran flushed, even though no one could see it. He did expect them to walk all the way there. They were Spartans and they could make it, but he forgot that Admiral Whitcomb and Private Harris wouldn't be able to keep up with them.
"No, sir," lied Xiran.
"Good. Three to a Warthog everyone. Private Harris, drive please. I'll be in the side, and we'll have a Spartan on the gun," ordered Whitcomb.
"Jen, man the turret on the Admiral's Warthog," said Xiran.
"Yes, sir!" replied Jennifer-217. She ran to the Admiral's Warthog and climbed into the turret.
"The rest of you, you heard the Admiral! Three to a Warthog and follow my lead! Except for Paul and Lisa. You two won't have a passenger," ordered Xiran. "Our destination is here." He uploaded a NAV point to the Spartans' heads up displays. "If I'm taken out, you are to continue no matter what. Protect the Admiral at all costs."
Thirty-two acknowledgement lights blinked. He checked his Spartans' biometers, and saw that everyone was in tiptop shape. Their heart rates were slightly elevated, but that was normal.
"Alex, Karen, you're with me," said Xiran as he got into a Warthog. Alex and Karen double timed it to his Hog. Karen got into the gunner and Alex into the side. "Let's go."
Xiran pressed the gas pedal with his foot and the Warthog shot forwards. Eleven Warthogs followed his and they fanned out around the Admiral, protecting him.
They drove for almost five minutes before they encountered any resistance. They went over a hill and ran into a Ghost patrol.
"Open fire!" growled Xiran over his COM. The Elites piloting Ghosts spotted them and turned to fire at them, but two of them were already downed by a hail of 12.7mm bullets fired from the Warthogs' M41 LAAG turrets. A torrent of assault rifle rounds fired from the Spartans' assault rifles cut down two more Ghosts. The last Ghost tried to get in front of them to block them. It fired at the windshield of Xiran's Warthog and melted it. Before it could do anymore damage, Xiran ran the Ghost over. The Ghost exploded, but the Elite piloting it survived the blast. It roared while its shields crackled, struggling to recharge. A burst from Karen's turret silenced it.
They continued on without a second thought. The encountered another patrol about twenty seconds later. This time it was a Grunt patrol. They weren't as difficult to handle as the Ghosts, so they were cut down in a matter of seconds. A few minutes later they encountered another group of enemies. This time it was more troublesome. There were six Hunters ready for them, their fuel rod cannons glowed an eerie green.
"Damn! Spartans, avoid getting hit at all costs! Those cannons can melt you and your shields with a single direct hit." Xiran barked over hit COM. "Private! Do not engage the Covenant. I repeat, do not engage. Get the Admiral somewhere safe. Paul, Jen, and Lisa, stay behind to protect the Admiral." Three acknowledgements winked while Private Harris shouted "Sir! Yes, sir!" over the noise.
"The rest of you...let's go kick some Covenant ass," concluded Xiran. The rest of the acknowledgement lights blinked. Some Spartans got out of their Warthogs while others stayed in.
"Let's go," muttered Xiran, more to himself than to the rest of his team. He stepped on the gas pedal and his Warthog shot forwards while Karen fired armour piercing rounds from her turret. Three shots hit one of the Hunters and he roared and swung his shield around to protect himself. Karen kept shooting, but the rounds bounced off its shields and did nothing. Then the Hunter's weapon started glowing green.
"Watch out!" cried Alex. Xiran yanked the steering wheel to the left and the plasma bolt missed them by a hair. He heat of the blast melted the taillights.
"Damn! That was close," Xiran remarked. Karen sent another stream of bullets towards the Hunter, which didn't do anything because its shield was still raised. Suddenly, the Hunter started jerking uncontrollably. It charged it gun and fired it once more before it fell it to ground twitching. A Warthog ran over its body.
"Thanks," said Xiran to the Spartans in the Warthog.
"Any time," replied Flavius, who was the driver.
Xiran turned the steering wheel and joined the fray once more. There were only two Hunters left. Three of the Warthogs drove by firing at one of them while five Spartans on foot fired at it. It howled in rage and pain as armour piercing bullets ripped through its body. Its partner stared at the Spartans in hatred. It roared and sent a plasma bolt at one of the Warthogs. The Warthog swerved and dodge the bolt. The Warthog's course was now straight at the Hunter. The gunner, Ashley-357, gripped the chaingun and fired a continuous stream of deadly projectiles at the Hunter. It raised its shield and the rounds bounced harmlessly off it.
The driver, Harry-418, drove the Warthog at top speed at it. Just when the Warthog was about to ram into the Hunter, it jumped aside with surprising agility and smashed its shield into the side of the Warthog. The Spartan in the passenger seat, Ian-392 was ejected from the Hog by the violent lurch. The gunner somehow stayed on and continued to fire at the Hunter. Two rounds caught it in the neck. It roared and fired a plasma bolt at the Warthog. There was a brilliant flash of light as the Hog exploded.
"No!" cried Xiran as he kicked the gas pedal and his Warthog shot towards the Hunter's exposed back. Other Warthogs also congregated at the Hunter's position, each firing its chaingun at it. The Hunter roared as hundreds of rounds came from all sides and ripped through its armour and flesh. It stayed standing for a second, then it collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Xiran drove to where the fragments of the destroyed Warthog were. The ground around the wreckage was charred. The main bulk of the Warthog was still on fire and there were pieces of charred metal everywhere. Harry and Ashley were nowhere to be seen.
Xiran, Karen, and Alex started digging through the wreckage, searching for some sign of the two fallen Spartans.
"Shit, this doesn't look good," said Alex. He held up part of a faceplate from the helmet of either Ashley or Harry.
"Nope, definitely not," said Karen as she pulled a dismembered arm from the flames. She sounded as if she was on the verge of tears.
They dug some more but found nothing. By then the rest of the Spartans, Admiral Whitcomb, and Private Alex Harris had arrived at the flaming Hog.
"What happened here?" demanded the Admiral.
"A Hunter got them," replied Xiran.
"Them? You mean you lost more than one soldier here?"
"Yes, sir. We lost Spartan-418 and Spartan-357."
"Damn, we can't keep going around losing good soldiers like this. Be more careful next time."
"Yes, sir." Xiran opened his team roster and marked Harry and Ashley as MIA.
"Well, we can't do anything more here. Let's go. We're almost to Charlie Company."
"Yes, sir," replied Xiran as he, Alex, and Karen climbed back into their Warthog. The rest of the party did so as well. Ian, the Spartan who was thrown out of the Warthog moments before it was destroyed, climbed into Paul and Lisa's Hog.
They sped down towards where Charlie Company was supposed to be and sure enough, they found them there after a few minutes.
The man in charge, Major Dudley King, came out to greet them.
"Admiral Whitcomb, sir!" saluted Major King.
"Major." Whitcomb nodded. "Have you set up motion sensors in this area like I asked you to?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you have men on patrol?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. The Spartans and I will be going to find the NOVAs and we're going to arm them."
"But sir! We might not lose this battle! If Reach doesn't fall, then we'll lose anyway because the NOVAs will destroy us!"
"Are you a complete idiot? Open your eyes boy! Despite what you may think and what others say, the fight upstairs isn't going too well. The Covenant are already advancing on the MAC generators as we speak, and no force we have is going to be able to stop it. Once the MAC stations fall, it's going to be all over for us."
"Yes, sir." Major King frowned.
"Your job is to slow the Covenant down long enough for us to reach the NOVAs. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Oh one more thing, Major. Do you have a Corporal Thompson under your command?"
"Yes, sir. I do."
"Good. Private Harris here was very helpful to us and he wishes to get back to his squad to kick some Covenant ass. Would you return him to his squad?"
"I will, sir."
"Good. One more thing, do you have an extra assault rifle around here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, fetch it for me."
"Yes, sir!" replied Major King as he turned around and told a lesser officer to get him the assault rifle. After a few minutes, the soldier returned with the rifle and a few spare clips of ammo. Major King snatched the ammo and rifle out of the soldier's hands and brought them to Whitcomb.
"Thank you, son." Then he turned around to address the Spartans behind him. "I think we're done here. Let's get to the NOVAs and arm them."
The Spartans saluted as one. "The gully where the NOVAs are hidden isn't too far away from here, it's only a few about five kilometres more," announced Whitcomb. "Another thing is, we're going on foot. The terrain down there is too unstable for Warthogs. Plus the enemy might be waiting for us there, and the Hogs are too loud and will give away our position." He paused. "Are you ready? Spartans?"
"Yes, sir!" chorused the Spartans.
"Good. Let's go."
"Kyle, take three people with you and scout the front for us. Watch for any Covenant movement or traps," ordered Xiran.
"Yes, sir!" replied Kyle-300. He took Jen, Ian, and David with him. They melted into their surroundings without a sound.
A few minutes later, the four scouts returned. "We have a problem, sir. Grunts and Jackals occupy the entire alley, there seems to be only one of those Elites though. He seems to be in charge of the entire army down there."
"Okay. We have the higher ground for now...let's take them out as quietly as we can," said Xiran. "Let's go see what the terrain around the alley is like."
The Spartans and Admiral Whitcomb crept through the thick grass. They met no resistance on the way and arrived without delay. Xiran surveyed the scene and found four choke points that could be used when they descend into the valley.
"Okay, here's the plan. See the four choke points?" He uploaded NAV points for the choke points into the Spartans' heads up displays. "We'll divide ourselves into five groups. One group will stay behind to protect the Admiral, just in case an attack comes from behind. The rest of us will fire from above at the Covenant. We will thin their numbers a bit before going down there to kill the rest of them. Understood?"
Acknowledgement lights blinked, confirming that the Spartans understood their orders.
"Frank, Stanley, and May, you three will be Silver Team. You three will stay here to protect the Admiral. Do not let anything happen to him. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," replied May.
"Good. May, you're Silver Leader." He paused and looked at his team before continuing. "Karen, Alex, Flavius, Morgan, Kayleigh, Kyle, and myself will be Blue Team." He opened up his team roster and marked them as Blue Team. He also marked himself as Blue Leader and the rest of his team Blue-One, Blue-Two, and so on.
"Danielle, Matt, Joseph, Sue, Jen, Paul, and Eric will be Red Team. Joseph, you'll lead Red Team."
"Yes, sir!" saluted Joseph.
"Lisa, Maria, Joanna, Florence, Dominique, Alyssa, and David." Xiran addressed them. "You guys will be Green Team. Alie, you're in charge." They nodded, to show that they understood.
"And the rest of you, Lily, Amy, Thomas, Soroush, Lindsey, Ian, and Violet. You'll be Gold Team. Soroush, you're Gold Leader."
Seven acknowledgement lights winked.
"Good. There isn't really a battle plan here. Just do what you think is the best thing to do, but make sure you kill as many of those Covenant bastards as you can. Understood?"
Acknowledgement lights blinked once again. "Good. Now let's go kick some ass."
Blue, Red, Green, and Gold teams each took a choke point. "Start firing on my mark," said Xiran. He waited three seconds, then yelled. "Mark!"
Twenty-eight assault rifles fired from the top of the canyon. Grunts and Jackals alike fell down dead or wounded. The Covenant troops looked around, confused. Grunts panicked like they always do and rampaged around the gully, crushing anyone or anything that stood in their way. Jackals tried to control them, but the majority of them got shot or trampled by scared Grunts. The Elite Commander then roared, and most of the Grunts stopped in their tracks. Some of these stubby aliens kept thrashing around and screaming.
The Elite Commander yelled something in an alien tongue, then pointed at the attackers atop the edge of the gully. Jackals and Grunts looked up at them and fired their plasma pistols and needlers at the Spartans.
"Fall back!" cried Xiran. Every Spartan fell back and avoided the plasma. The needles were a bit harder to avoid. A few Spartans were hit by the explosive pink needles, but they didn't do much damage to their shields. Except for one unlucky soul.
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"Fall back!" Ian-392 heard Xiran call out over the COM channel. He hesitated, then decided to fire off the remaining rounds in his assault rifle, which killed four Grunts. Satisfied, Ian turned around to retreat to where his teammates were, safe from the plasma. He ran as fast as he could back towards his team. Then he felt something hit his shields, followed by the rapid thumps of something else. Each impact drained his shields by a hair, leaving his shields at half full.
Good, it wasn't anything serious.
He waited for his shields to recharge when a pink light enveloped him. His shields drained in a sudden burst.
"What the fuck?" he wondered out loud.
A second explosion followed the first one, as his body was swallowed by the pink light once more. This time, without his shields to protect him, his MJOLNIR armour took the brunt of the blow. Bit of the armour flew off in many different directions.
No! I won't die like this!
That was his final thought before his body was torn apart by a third detonation.
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"Ian! No!" cried Xiran as explosive needles peppered his back, each impact draining his shields a tiny bit. Then he exploded in a flash of pink. This time, most of Spartans turned to look.
"No!" Xiran heard Gold Leader, Soroush-382, yell.
Another series of needles hit Ian's shieldless armour as he exploded again. One of the shards found the fusion pack on his back and penetrated the weakened covering around it. The single shard exploded and Ian's body disappeared amidst the blinding white nuclear light. No one was closer than ten meters to Ian when he died, which was fortunate.
No one spoke for ten seconds after Ian died. They were all too stunned to speak. Then Xiran snapped out of his trance.
"Alright boys and girls! Get back to work!" he yelled, putting his grief aside. He'll deal with it later.
He ejected his near empty magazine and slapped in a new one into his assault rifle. The rest of the Spartans did the same. Meanwhile, the plasma and needler fire seemed to lessen, although an earthquake seemed to have started.
"Spartans! Take up positions close to your chokepoints. When they come up, greet them with a welcoming gift."
The Spartans acknowledged the order. Xiran ordered Karen and Flavius to take up the right side of the slope while Morgan, Alex, and himself took the left. Kyle and Kayleigh took the centre. This way if too many of them made it up, they could catch them in a crossfire. Otherwise, Kyle and Kayleigh could take care of themselves.
The first Grunt popped its head up from the steep incline and Kyle pulled the trigger of his assault rifle. The Grunt's head exploded and its body fell down. Several squeals of pain could be heard as its dead body rolled on top of its comrades, taking them down with it.
A few seconds later, four more Grunts made it up. Kyle and Kayleigh fired two rounds each. Each shot hit home as the rounds penetrated the Grunts' breathing masks. The Grunts gagged and choked. After a few seconds, their bodies went limp. Xiran crawled to the bodies and threw them off the edge. A few muffled thumps and a high pitched squeak could be heard. Xiran smiled.
More Grunts arrived at the top where the seven Spartans waited for them and each was dispatched easily. The problem was that the Grunts were coming up at increasingly more numbers each time. Soon, the Spartans were forced to give up ground. They did it grudgingly, and inch by inch. Red, Green, and Gold teams were having similar problems.
"I have a plan. Guys, cover me!" said Xiran as he dashed towards the Grunts. The ill disciplined Grunts shrieked in terror as the seven foot tall soldier ran at them at full speed. A few plasma bolts were shot at him, but his shields protected him. Most of the Grunts scattered and ran around in circles. The rest of Blue Team, seeing the confusion, fired their rifles. Armour piercing rounds tore through the Grunts' fragile bodies as they screamed in pain
Xiran was a bit dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the Grunts to lose their nerve so quickly. His original plan was to grab a plasma grenade from one of the fallen Grunts and stick it to the middle of the group, but this works too. He picked up a few plasma grenades and stored them for future use. He then scooped up as many as he could and headed back to his group do distribute them.
"That move was a stroke of genius, sir!" Morgan-276 said.
"You think so? Well, I would've called it suicidal, but I guess genius works too," said Xiran wryly.
Morgan chuckled. The assault on their part of the gully halted temporarily as scared Grunts rampaged downhill, crushing their own ranks. The other Spartans were starting to gain ground now, while the Grunts were distracted by the sounds of their comrades screaming and yelling in the gully. After a few more minutes of chaos, the Spartans finally got back to their original positions before the Grunts attacked.
Xiran contacted Red, Green, and Gold team leaders. "Team leaders, gather as many plasma pistols and grenades as you can. We don't know how many Grunts and Jackals are down there, and we might need the extra weapons, in case we run out of ammo."
He checked his own supply of ammo. Only two clips left, plus the half spent magazine in his rifle. He policed two plasma pistols for future use. His team did the same. The ground started to rumble again, signalling that the Covenant troops are coming back for round two. At the first motion, Xiran fired a three round burst at its source. The bullets pinged and bounced off a reflective surface and hit Karen.
"Sorry," muttered Xiran over his COM.
Karen gave a subtle nod and threw a plasma grenade. The sticky properties of the grenade didn't work against the reflective surfaces of the Jackal shields so it bounced off of it. However, the grenade hit the shield at such an angle that it bounced behind the shield bearing Jackals. The Jackals didn't notice this and a few seconds later they were vaporized.
"Nice shot," said Kyle.
"Thanks," replied Karen.
Three more Jackals appeared, and the Spartans shot at exposed areas where the shields weren't covering. Two Jackals lost their feet and stumbled, which exposed their backs. A few more rounds finished them quickly.
The last Jackal overcharged his plasma pistol and fired at Xiran. His shields popped and a beeping noise filled his helmet. He pulled the trigger and two rounds came out, then it clicked, indicating that there were no more bullets left in the rifle. The two rounds missed the Jackal and hit the ground. Xiran lunged towards the Jackal and bashed its shield with the butt of his rifle. Sparks flew as the impact knocked the shield aside. Xiran lashed out with his rifle again, this time hitting the creature's head. Its neck broke as its head was bent back at an unnatural angle. Xiran policed its arm shield and threw the body back into the gully. He also took another two plasma pistols.
He discarded his assault rifle and tossed his last clip of ammo to Alex. "Here, you can make better us of this than I can."
"Thanks," said Alex.
No more Covenant troops came up. Xiran told his team to hold their positions while he went to the edge to find out what's going on. The gully was now very empty compared to when they first arrived. Only a handful of Grunts and Jackals remained. The Elite was nowhere in sight.
"Let's go down there and check this out," he told Blue, Red, Green, and Gold teams. Then he opened a private COM channel to Silver Leader. "May, any sign of the Covenant back there?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Tell your team and Admiral Whitcomb to join us up here. We're almost done here."
Xiran led his squad down the steep wall of the canyon while Red, Green, and Gold leaders did the same. The Grunts noticed the Spartans coming down at them and panicked, trampling anything that got in their way, whether it was a rock, a Jackal trying to calm them down, or each other. The Spartans fired their plasma pistols and assault rifles and slaughtered them all.
Once they arrived at the bottom of the canyon, they noticed that there was a small cave in one of the walls, with Covenant footprints leading to its interior. It was a small cave; no more than two meters tall and wide.
"Morgan and Alex. Follow me. The rest of you stay here and guard the entrance," Xiran ordered. Acknowledgement lights blinked, while Morgan and Alex walked towards him, assault rifles ready.
"Let's go," said Xiran as he turned on his flashlight. Alex and Morgan did the same. He overcharged two plasma pistols, one in each hand, for more light, and this way he was ready for an ambush.
The three Spartans walked through the cave slowly, taking in their surroundings. At the very back of the cave, there was a cluster of warheads. There was also a very angry Elite beside it. It was wearing gold armour, showing that it slaughtered many humans in its lifetime. It also held an energy sword.
It roared and shook its head, then it charged straight at Xiran. He fired off his plasma pistols, one after another, while Morgan and Alex fired their assault rifles, being careful not the hit the NOVAs. The Elite's shields flared, creating bright flashes inside the dark cave, as the assault rifle rounds hit its shields. The slower, overcharged plasma bolts made their way towards the golden Elite. At the very last second, The Elite sidestepped, causing both plasma bolts to hit the wall, turning it into glass.
It growled in anger and increased its speed. Alex and Morgan fell back, still firing their assault rifles, but Xiran stood his ground.
"What the hell are you doing? Get back!" cried Morgan.
"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," replied Xiran.
"You'd better know what you're doing," said Morgan. She was clearly worried.
"I do. Just distract the bastard and weaken his shields every once in a while," whispered Xiran. He closed the COM channel.
I hope I know what I'm doing.
He overcharged one of his plasma pistols, and patiently waited for the Elite to come towards him.
When the Elite was two meters in front of him, it kicked off the ground and lunged at him. Xiran ducked just in time as the Elite's sword passed over his head. He let go of the trigger on his plasma pistol. The overcharged bolt hit the Elite in the chest, draining it in one blow. The Elite recoiled from the plasma, blinked twice, and swung its deadly plasma sword at Xiran again. Two bursts of assault rifle rounds caught it in the side, piercing its leg and chest armour. It jerked involuntarily, causing the sword to hit the wall. The place where the sword made contact with the wall was instantly turned to glass.
"Holy shit that was close," muttered Xiran as he sprung from his position. He grabbed the Elite's sword arm with one hand and punched it in the face with his other. The Elite's grip loosened on its sword, but didn't drop it. Xiran punched it again, though this time the Elite blocked it with its other arm. It lashed out its foot and caught Xiran in the side. His shields dropped by a quarter, but the impact caused him to lose his grip on the Elite's sword arm. The Elite, sensing freedom, immediately brought down its sword on the Spartan.
Xiran rolled to one side, causing the blow to miss. Another burst of assault rifle caught the Elite in the chest, halting the recharging phase of its shields. Xiran picked up his fallen plasma pistol and fired it at its face. The last of its shields fell away as Xiran fired the plasma pistol again. The bolt caught the alien in the eye. The Elite howled in pain and dropped his sword. Xiran took this chance to put a few more plasma bolts into the alien Commander. The Elite fell to its knees and fell limp against the cave wall, dead.
"Holy shit," panted Xiran. "That was fucking close."
Alex and Morgan walked in. "That was awesome!" cried Alex.
"Yeah, thanks," replied Xiran. "I should probably contact Admiral Whitcomb eh?"
"Yeah probably," said Morgan.
Xiran nodded. Then he opened a COM channel to Whitcomb's radio. "Sir."
"What is it, Squad Leader?"
"We've secured the NOVAs."
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A/N: For those of you who don't know, every time a Spartan dies, he or she is marked MIA (missing in action) instead of KIA (killed in action) because the Spartans were supposed to be invincible. Marking a Spartan as KIA would deal a huge blow to the moral of the humans. I'm not really good at explaining this...go read Halo: The Fall of Reach if you want to get it. Thanks!
Another A/N: Wow! That was the longest chapter I've written so far! Hope you enjoyed it! Read and review please!