Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Eternity of War. Enjoy the 1000-word chapter. I don't own halo, Microsoft and 343 do.
Ryder stood at the command deck as he watched the holotable. He watched the Pelicans slowly fly over the terrain.
Ryder heard from Conall that they had detected UNSC transmissions… He put the XO in charge of mapping out the planet while he focused on search and rescue.
"Sir, got something… SKT-9 Bumblebee…" One of the crew said while Ryder watched one of the 2 Pelicans hover over the landing site.
The Marines marched down the ramp as the Pelican turned and kicked in its engines. The squad spread out which made Ryder wonder if the Pillar of Autumn was destroyed.
Ryder could draw his own conclusions, but still? He was busy trying to make the ship set up as he looked around things.
Still? He'd make sure that things were fine before deploying the full might of Eternity.
"Any survivors?" Ryder questioned and watched the feed from their helmets.
He and the rest of the crew watched as the fireteam found the crew… Dead, killed on impact.
It made Ryder's stomach churn to see so many dead from bad piloting. He would have honestly hoped they were alive… Or even just killed in combat. At least then they would have gone down fighting.
"Sir, I'm picking up FOF tags in the Valley ahead." The pilot stated which made him blink.
"Send Delta 13 in and prep an evac for those marines." Ryder ordered and rubbed at his chin.
Part of Ryder wondered if the Covenant had shot down the Pillar of Autumn… Then decided to use the ship as bait for Eternity, it would explain why they hadn't simply attacked Eternity in orbit.
The battle of Harvest showed him just how unwilling the Covenant were to walk away from something… Even if they were outmatched in combat.
"Why are there bodies everywhere if everyone is dead?" One of the marines asked as they looked around.
Ryder could see the bodies of Covenant soldiers and 2 Banshees which were smoldering wreckage.
Someone had come through here like a wrecking ball. Ryder hummed as Delta 13 circled over the hill.
"Sir?" The pilot stated as the helmet feed was fed to Eternity. "We found something." The pilot added as the holotable loaded the information.
Ryder saw a group of marines engaging groups of Covenant infantry. They were using a temple as a sort of makeshift outpost.
Ryder was about to issue orders to his men before something else caught his eye.
A flash of forest green armor. Armor that belonged to only one type of soldier.
The tinted helmet of a spartan II swung into view. Ryder watched the super soldier aimed his MA5B at the Covenant soldiers.
"Lieutenant Hura?" Ryder questioned the communication officer. "Get us their communications. Conall? I want another 3 Pelicans sent out for search and rescue… Anyone on the ground is our responsibility." Ryder ordered as he moved towards the bridge window.
Ryder knew the Marines wouldn't be able to survive on their own with the Covenant. Ryder wouldn't allow them to die.
"On it." Ryder heard from the rest of the bridge crew. "We should be well enough to move soon. Engineering said ETA 5 minutes." Ryder heard from Lieutenant Gabe, head of engineering on the bridge.
"Then move us into range to support our forces soon." Ryder ordered and sighed.
The captain was hopeful that Autumn hadn't been destroyed. Even if Eternity was more powerful than the Halcyon-class light cruiser. But he knew for a fact that they couldn't deal with the loss of a warship like that.
Still? If Eternity was the only UNSC warship on the ring? That meant a lot of things. An Infinity-class Supercarrier could sustain a full campaign on its own. But if the cruiser was down for the count? That meant that Eternity now was the sole source of air support, fire support, reinforcements and logistics and a staging area.
"Charlie 4 and Delta 9 have been deployed." One of the crew stated. "Picking up 3 other transponder signals." The crew pointed out.
Ryder cursed and decided to focus on retrieving the scattered UNSC troops. When they were picked up? Then Ryder could focus on the rest of the war.
"How long till we can get Eternity moving to support our ground units?" Ryder asked and tapped on the holotable.
The sooner Eternity could support the stranded marines? The sooner he'd find hope. Ryan needed to know the UNSC lived… Even a warship as mighty as Eternity couldn't carry the entire UNSC on its battered spine.
"One minute." Ryan heard and hummed. "And we've managed to tap into their broadband." Ryan heard from Hura.
"Pipe it to the bridge." Ryder ordered and waited a full minute. "This is Captain Ryder of the UNSC Supercarrier Eternity. If anyone can hear this message? Evac will be sent and we will be arriving on sight to provide support." Ryder stated over the communication system.
He was about to question when the engines would be fully activated and they'd be able to get the ship moving… But that answer was given by the floor under him shifting.
Ryder hummed and looked back at the holotable as new data continued to stream in. Shields were still busy waking up, but Ryder would settle for the ship simply being in the water.
"Hmm…" Ryder muttered as he looked at the new data. There was going to be a hell of a ground battle.
Ryder focused on wiping out the Covenant forces in the area so they could bring their forces back.
Author Notes
Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that next chapter will be 900 words or so. Next chapter will be in 2-7 months or so and will show Eternity arriving at Alpha Base. It will also show Ryder finding out what happened to the Pillar of Autumn and such. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!