Chapter 18
Assault on AESIR
September 19, 2554
05:45 Hours, Earth Time
UNSC Forward Operating Base
ODST Spec Ops Unit, November Six, aka Nova Team
Personnel: Commanding Officer Trent Miles
Location: New Mombasa, Southern Kenya
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As the sun creeps up over the horizon, a mass of UNSC forces pushes forward toward the AESIR base guided with Intel from Armin given the night before. The Force includes 25 or so Warthogs, 4 Scorpions, as well as several hornets and Falcons covering in the air the rearmost position a couple of Pelicans carrying ground forces. Among them, the local UNSC forces allotted Nova team the use of a single Warhog. Armin is driving, Lt. Miles in the passenger seat, Holden in the center back seat with his turret-mounted, with Moreno and Radd in the back separated by Holden. A traditional (dumb) AI spoke over the radio for the entire force to hear.
With the intelligence provided by the Private Contractor, Armin a path of least resistance has been discovered and will soon be utilized by the Nova team. However, seeing as this operation is intended to be a distraction, the majority of our forces will withdraw after the UNSC special unit makes contact with the Enemy Carrier. Nova team will then make their way to the secret entrance along with a squad of Marines. Expect Heavy Resistance.
The vehicles bumped and jumped as they moved along the battlefield as the morning sun engulfed the land. Turrets deadlock straight ahead searching for the enemies in front of them. Sgt. Endesha in a warthog to the right of the team gives an approving nod before picking up and speaking into the radio. "This compound has been tagged by the UNSC as a priority one target. Yellow squad, you're with Nova."
"Copy that, Navigation sent to all yellow squad members."As they approach the lieutenant couldn't help but look up to the carrier above. Above it in low orbit was a UNSC Light Frigate. Suddenly four pieces of debris fall from the frigate and hurdle towards the carrier below. To the untrained eye, this looked to be nothing more than space debris that would burn up on re-entry, but an ODST could tell there was something different about them. Drop pods? No their too fast and their movements too precise. Lt. Miles had heard Sparten could re-enter a planet's atmosphere without a drop pod but he had never witnessed it himself. After all four Spartans made contact with the carrier overhead an explosion of their various impacts can be seen all the way from the ground.
"Enemies approaching!" Sgt Endesha shouted."Prepare to Engage!"
As if on cue the heretic forces defending the compound seem to materialize out of nowhere. Several banshee's firing fuel rods into the crowd of racing warthogs. The first full rod connects flipping over a nearby Warthog. Wraith plasma fire can be seen overheard approaching from the distance. The Warthogs ignite the morning sky with turret fire. Holden shots off the stabilizer of one of the banshees causing it to lose control and crash into the battlefield below. Holden lets out a yelp of excitement. As the Wraith fire begins to make contact the vehicles scatter with yellow and nova team headed toward Armin's secret entrance while Sgt. Endesha leads the main force. Eventually, the two team make their way to a narrow bridge and have to swiftly line up to cross it one by one. The first warthog makes it across smoothly but as Armin makes her way across a stray plasma cluster impacts the bridge and warthog simultaneously causing the Warthog to spin out as the bridge beneath crumbles. "Hang on to something!"
The resulting impact ejected Warrant Officer Radd from the Vehicle, he attempts to save himself from his airborne fate and grab hold of the barrel of Monero's sniper rifle. However not expecting the sudden change in weight the Sniper rifle is ripped from Monero's grasp. Tossing Radd to the other side of the bridge.
The team gets out of the warthog now able to see that the impact had ripped a tire off of their only means of transportation. "Damn, I almost didn't wreck one." Armin says under her breath. Radd signals to the team to keep advancing as he activates his cloaking device and limps away. A third warthog attempts to jump clear of the newly destroyed bridge but falls short. The fear of death is ever-present on their faces as they fall.
Lt. Miles shakes his head trying to shake the lives he just saw lost so casually out of his mind and resolves to keep moving forward. He points to the road ahead."The mission hasn't changed, we're pushing up the hill!" The whole of Nova team nods. Monero who only has his sidearm is at a loss until Holden tossed him the assault rifle he keeps on his back
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As they move to hug the cliff wall beside the road they encounter a squad of Grunts and Jackals. Looks like Armin's intel about this path being less guarded was right. They looked spooked with eyes all over the place, probably due to the Marines that made it over the bridge first barreling pass them. The lieutenant motions for each trooper to pick their target and take them out at once. When he finally gives the go-ahead each trooper takes their shots without hesitation. The three grunts and a Jackal all die within nanoseconds of each other. The heretic ground forces, now alerted to the enemy's presence, Take aim and fire. Bullets and plasma fire flying, yet one by one the grunts and jackals fell, as the trooper demonstrated their superior training and tactical maneuvers. The team advanced up the hill and just when they thought they had the situation under control they heard the impact of a fuel road. At the top of the hill a pair of Fuel rod shade turrets.
"Was it too much to ask for smoothing sailing?" Monero's voice echoes over the comms. Each time the team tried to make a move the fuel would fire pinning them back down The team was forced to take cover for what seemed like an hour. Normally, Monero could easily snipe them out of the turret but right now that wasn't an option. Suddenly Armin headed back down the hill without a word. "Where the hell are you going, Chica?" Lt. Miles looked at Armin's back as she ran then back to the turrets ahead and wondered if she had decided to abandon the mission. After all, she wasn't a soldier and her only reason for being there was for herself. What if that reason wasn't enough?
Out of nowhere, a plasma grenade flies towards the turrets landing just short of their position. Lt. Miles looked back only to see Armin with a dozen plasma grenades in hand. "To the victor goes the spoils," she smirked. When she finally reached the other troopers, she dropped the grenades for all to grab.
"Find some fireworks?" Monero grinned, "Very nice chica!"
The lieutenant looked back at her and nodded acknowledging her plan, one by one the team grab and tossed grenade after grenade each one barely missing its target until they were down to just 4 grenades left. That's when the lieutenant had a plan. He told Nova team to all throw their grenades at the same time at a single turret.
"But what about the other one," Holden yelled.
"Just do it"
At once four blue spheres into the sky each one following a similar trajectory toward one of the turrets. three narrowly missed but the fourth managed to stick it's target causing the turret to be engulfed by blazing blue plasma and explode.
"Great now we can guarantee that a single turret kills us all." Armin said rolling her eyes.
Without warning, the fuel rods stops firing the grunt inside exits and begins running for his life fearing the same fate as his partner. Nova team could only look in awe a burst from Lt. Miles's battle rifle rips the grunt apart.
"Good plan."
The troopers look back at their lieutenant and all breathe a collective sigh of relief as they begin to move.
As they approach the entrance that Armin detailed they were surprised to find the door already open with a warthog crashed nearby. No doubt the work of the Marines that made it there before them.
"Ain't this bout a bi... They went in without us?" Holden exclaimed surprised
"Moreover this entrance has already been compromised."Armin said frustrated, "I'm surprised this area isn't being flooded with alien trash right now."
Just then a pair of phantoms appeared overhead. One of them began raining fire down on the troopers while the other lowered itself to the ground to allow its ground forces to hit the scene.
"At least you don't have to be surprised anymore." Monero smirked
"Why do people always have to jinx us with bad things? Would it be too much to ask for someone to say I'm surprised there's too much beer?" Holden exclaimed.
Armin looked up to the sky looking defeated a single work word exiting her lips, "Fuck." Quickly the troopers begin returning fire while slowly making their way toward the entrance
"Everybody inside! Go go!" the lieutenant shouted slapping Holden on the shoulder and snapping him out of his violent trance. Holding backed up slowly towards the door, Lt. Miles at his 6 picking off jackals and grunts with his battle rifle to help prevent the team from being overwhelmed. Armin was the first inside and slammed the button to close the reinforced door. Nothing." Armin close this damn door!" the lieutenant snapped.
"Really! I thought I'd leave it open, maybe decorate my armor in some sick plasma burns!" She drops to a knee and begins to splice directly into the door's controls. "Guess my secret exit, is a big fat dud. They've locked me out of the system!"She slams her fist into a lid-like panel, causing the opposite side of the panel to begin to stick up revealing an access point. She connects the device on her wrist directly to the access point and starts the very slow door closing process. "Any door we need to open after this is just getting blown the fuck up."
Moreno is the first to enter after armor, he immediately ran behind the door and began to manually push it close. Lt. Miles still behind Holden turns towards the door and dashes in for cover still pieing the door as it closes he's putting bullets in the head of any heretic unlucky or dumb enough to be caught in his sites. Holden's the last to enter Charity in hand ripping the heretic forces from the largest elite to the smallest grunt. The door continued to close until only Charity's barrel protruded firing round after round.
"Shit!"Armin yelled, "They overrode my override! I can't close the door." Lt. Miles moved to Monero's position and started pushing the door close alongside him. Everyone know and dreaded the moment Charity needed to be reloaded. Everyone but Holden. The moment he felt charity was feeling a little light on bullet he recalled he barrel from the door's opening and with a single arm forced the reinforced door to close, an exhale of steam can be heard as the door's locks fall into place. The sudden movement causes both the lieutenant and Monero to fall forward.
Holden looked at them and smiled, "We taking a nap gents?" as he took the lead walking into a dimly lit narrow corridor, reloading his weapon as he moved.
Monero and Lt. Miles quickly made their way to their feet. Then quickly looked at each other then back at Holden."Teamwork makes the dream work! Aye amigos"
"Definitely," Armin smirked sarcastically.
[Play Halo 3: ODST Deference for Darkness on YouTube]
"Can't see a thing." Lt. Miles said ignoring her."Alright team, eyes on." They turned on their VISRs in unison, illuminating the area.
As the team moves, they come across an empty room filled with glowing computer monitors, and an all too familiar odor. "Emergency control room." Armin motions towards the room.
"Go easy." the lieutenant signals the team to enter. Inside was like a scene from a horror movie. Dead body after dead body each death seemingly more gruesome than the last. The people were clearly locals Some wearing labcoats others wearing the AESIR uniform Armin described, and their bodies were ripped apart by plasma weapons.
Armin makes her way to the most important-looking computer and begins to mess with it. The rest of the team provides cover. Suddenly a groan of pain from the corner of the room catches the lieutenant's attention. He had plasma burns covering his left hip, blood still escaping from the cauterized wounds. Lt. Miles was upset they used the intel he gave them to bring so much attention to Armin's secret entrance thus making their job more difficult. But quickly decided to make a more understanding tone as it was clear this Marine didn't have much time left."Where's the rest of your Squad?"
"They left me behind and went further in." He started, "I don't think they... It didn't sound good on the comms sir."
"Did you see what happened here?"
The Marine shakes his head, "They were like this before we arrived." Lt. Miles was taken aback by the implication of what this might mean.
"Alright. Stay put we'll get you out of here as quickly as we can." The lieutenant explains trying to convince both the Marine and himself. "Armin, What's the word?"
"Damn, plasma damage." she exclaimed, "best I can do is high jack a few security cameras maybe give us some idea of where the hell she is."
"Do it."
"We've got a live one over here" Holden's voice can be heard off in the distance. In his hands was someone wearing a lab coat, clearly a local. She shook and punched doing everything in her power to get away, but it was to no avail. "Damn. She's feistier than a Tigar in a bathtub." Finally, he uses both his hand to grab her arms and hold her in place. "Calm down and I'll let you go."
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Before she even had time to consider his offer The blue of a plasma sword erupts from the shadows behind him As an elite drops from the ceiling. "Hostiles!" Monero shouts without thinking. Holden takes the woman into his arms and rolls out of the reach of his sword. Two more Elites follow. Monero's outburst caused the one with his sword drawn to lunge at him. Lt. Miles tackles Monero to the ground before the blade can connect. Suddenly the room lights up in a blaze of muzzle flashes as Armin's Submachine guns tear into the Elite's shield as she approaches. Knowing that his shield wouldn't hold out for much longer the elite thrust his shoulder into her forcing her to the ground and knocking her weapon out of her hand just as the last of his shields depleted, the Elite sprinted deeper into the facility. Quickly one of the other two elites pounced on Armin looking to finish her off. Plasma knife in hand he thrust the glowing blade at her neck. She twist narrowly avoiding death, her eyes facing the blade as it impacted with the ground mere inches away.
As the elite started to pull the blade back he received a swift kick to the midsection causing him to topple over into a sitting position. Monero let off a clip into the elite's shield, As Lt. Miles slide Armin's weapon back into her grasp. The Elite scrambled narrowly avoiding death by leaping into a nearby passage. Shielded by the third elite, with the wounded Marine in hand, halting the assault of the Troopers. As Armin made her way to her feet taking aim she noticed the Elite that attempted to end her roar, just long enough to see it was the one she had threatened before.
The lieutenant's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Monero secure the civilian. Holden, Armin Clear the hole."
"Yes Sir!" Holden and Monero said in unison.
Armin reloads her submachine gun as well as pulls out her second, she smirked, "Fine by me. I did promise I'd make him look pretty."