Chapter 5: The Art of Defense
New Mombasa Central Highway
"You do realize the amount of disbelief I felt when you told me that the Covenant were willing to negotiate a truce." Major Mackenzie said as he jumped off his Warthog.
"Well, they're not exactly the Covenant per se, just a sort of splinter group." Karla shrugged, "Then again, I've never expected something like this to happen either."
"Does anybody else know about this?" Major Mackenzie asked.
"No sir, only me and the Elites. It's a good thing that nobody here understands Covenant."
"Good. The implications of such a thing can destroy what little morale and organization we have left. Are you absolutely sure that this is a legitimate claim?"
"Well," Karla shrugged, "they're not shooting at us, so I guess that counts for something, sir."
Mackenzie nodded and strode toward the makeshift debriefing room. The Marine guards posted outside saluted and opened the doors for the officers. Inside, Slardar and Maka sat at a table under heavy Marine guard.
"I am Major Mackenzie, ranking officer of the UNSC forces on this planet." Mackenzie announced. "I believe you had offers a truce."
Slardar nodded and spoke in his garbled language as Mako translated.
"He does. He says that you should be interested because you both have mutual interests."
Mackenzie nodded. "What are his conditions?"
Mako paused for moment as he listend to Slardar.
"He says that in return for the non-aggression pact, you must provide military aid to the Separatist Covenant forces. Namely full access to this position as well as assistance in driving the Loyalist Covenant off the planet."
"And what makes him think I'd want to help him?"
"Because if you don't, you will quickly find yourself very alone on this planet." Mako replied, "Because unlike him and his superiors, the Loyalists will show no quarter to anybody not on their side."
"Point." Mackenzie nodded and leaned forward. "So what is it that you're planning to do?"
Marine Defense Line
"Do you believe this shit?" A Marine yelled angrily. "We're actually siding with the goddamn Covvies!"
There were a lot of nods and murmurs of agreement from the Marines around him. Of course, after being at war for nearly half a century, this sudden about face and the offer of a truce from the enemy was very hard to accept. It was difficult to forget the countless people killed at the hands of the Covenant.
"Don't trust the bastards anywhere on the same planet, much less on our flanks." Another Marine grumbled.
As part of the overall plan, Mackenzie and the Separatist leadership collaborated to set up a strategy to force the remaining Loyalists off the planet. However, it required quite a lot of cooperation between the Covenant and the Marines, which would be rather difficult to achieve.
Since New Mombasa was effectively a huge bulge in the Loyalist lines, it provided a direct route to Loyalists' main base of operations. Obviously, the Loyalists were determined to push the Separatists back at any cost, and had organized a massive offensive force to counterattack. Meanwhile, only lead elements of the Separatists had managed to reach Mombasa, and even with the combined might of the Covenant and Marines, it still was barely enough to hold off the massive onslaught coming in their direction. Their only hope was to hold out until additional Separatist units could arrive to reinforce them.
This meant that the Covenant and the Marines had to work closely together. The Marines still held onto the center of the city, with two Covenant forces supporting them on the flanks. If either force backed out or broke, it would mean that the others would effectively be encircled an annihilated, which made teamwork crucial. Unfortunately, the tensions between both the Marines and the Covenant posed to be a bigger threat than the Loyalists.
"What do you mean 2nd platoon still hasn't made contact with the Covenant 4th?" Karla yelled as she stormed through the makeshift command post, "I was just fucking there! If I find out that Sergeant Perkins is just bullshitting me, tell him that I will go over there again and shove a plasma sword up his goddamn ass!"
The command staff was busy trying to coordinate the efforts to form a cohesive defensive line. Unfortunately, problems arose due to the inability for officers on both sides to communicate with each other, either through complications or on purpose.
"Damnit, we'll be lucky if we last the night." Karla muttered. "Any word on where those Brutes are coming in?"
"Uhhhh, looks like they're going straight through the middle." One of the staff replied.
"Typical." Karla sighed, "Let's get everything hunkered down and-"
"Captain! We're getting reports that the hotel CP is under attack!"
Karla whipped around. That was where Mako was being kept, as well as the Covenant ambassador and Major Mackenzie.
"Is it confirmed?"
"Yes, ma'am! Two dropships just touched down in the area. The guards there are engaging, but-"
The man didn't even get to finish his sentence before Karla was out the door.
Checkpoint Alpha
"Typical. Instead of a fairly cushy position in the middle of the line, the brass decided to put us on the flank, as always. Not only that, we've got to hunker down with the Covvies as well." Alvarado groaned.
"Ah, quit your whining." Paccone laughed, "At least they're not shooting at us. We can give them that much."
Both Paccone and Alvarado's squads, as well as twenty more Marines, were tasked with guarding a vital road leading into New Mombasa. Since the road was far into the flank, it was being jointly defended by a combined Marine/Covenant force.
"I, for one, am glad that they're with us, since it gives the 'bad' Covvies something else to shoot at." Kumi said as she polished her shotgun. "Plus we could always use the heavy firepower they've got."
What she was referring to were the various Shade anti-vehicle turrets that the Covenant had planted along the road as well as an entire squadron of Wraiths, compared to the Marines' paltry pair of Scorpions and quartet of Warthogs.
"Hey, I take offense to that." Wrall grunted, apparently annoyed, "me and my crew can take on anything the Covvies can throw at us."
"Well yeah, if your tank actually worked right." Paccone wisecracked.
Wrall responded with a wisecrack of his own, but it was drowned out by the sound of a Wraith plasma bolt landing just several meters down the road. Soldiers both human and Covenant alike dove for cover.
"Scottie!" Wrall yelled into his radio as he sprinted towards Shiela, "Fire up the engines and get Sheila ready to go!"
"You don't have to tell me twice, Captain!" Scottie's rich accent cursed.
Shiela's engines began to cough and sputter to life. The tank began to slowly pull forward in an attempt to avoid the incoming plasma fire. Wrall, without missing a beat, grabbed onto the side of the tank and clambered into the hatch.
"Nice of you to drop in, Captain." Kazi said, "We were thinking of leaving you behind."
"No we weren't!" Shion pouted.
"Nice to know somebody still cares about my well being." Wrall sighed. "Scottie, get us moving and find a decent firing position. Kazi, shoot any damn Wraith that even thinks about going the opposite direction as us."
"Roger that, Captain. Shion! Give me a standard!"
Paccone covered his ears as Shiela's cannon roared. The high speed shell shot down the hazy road and struck an oncoming enemy Wraith. The shell hit the Wraith's front armor and ricocheted, but the hit stunned the Wraith enough for friendly Wraiths to draw a bead on it and melt it to slag.
"Goddamnit, we can't let them have all the fun!" Paccone cried, "Kumi! Grab that M19! We're going tank hunting!"
"Yes sir!"
"And where the hell did Sam and Leo go?"
"Well you know Sam, she always wants an excuse to fire that giant gun of hers." Kumi shrugged.
"Typical." Paccone sighed, "Alright, lets go and kick some Covvie ass!"
Hotel Outpost
Karla growled when her Warthog pulled up to the hotel outpost. There were already signs of heavy fighting, and the Marine guard detail that was supposed to be posted outside was nowhere to be seen.
There were, however, a bunch of Jackals and a Brute trying to gain entry into the building. They were quickly cut down by a sustained burst from the Warthog's LAAG.
"This is Captain Karla Wellings to anybody in Outpost Tango. What is your condition? Please respond." Karla said through her radio.
There was no reply, only static.
"Damnit." Karla cursed, "We're going in."
Karla, Tarin, and Williams rushed into the hotel, but found nothing in the lobby except for signs of a fierce battle and dead bodies. Without any hesitation, Karla rushed down to the room that Mako and Slardar were being kept, and was dismayed to see a large group of Loyalist Covenant trying to enter.
"Grenades!" Karla yelled.
Tarin and Williams nodded and pulled out their frag grenades. The explosions scattered the Covenant attack force, who were clearly not expecting an attack from behind. The Jackals were cut down mercilessly, and the Brutes roared in rage and charged down the hall. Karla managed to sidestep one, and as it turned to try and attack again, Karla drew her plasma sword and drove it straight into the Brute's back.
Meanwhile, Williams managed to dispatch another two Brutes by sticking them with plasma grenades. Tarin managed to score headshots on two more Brutes and killed a third by shoving her knife in its throat.
"Hey! Is it all clear out there?" A voice inside the room yelled.
"It's safe to come out!" Karla yelled back.
The doors opened, and a battered Mackenzie and a squad of Marines stumbled out, followed closely by Mako and Slardar.
"The bastards came out of nowhere." One of the Marines breathed.
"Wait, quiet." Tarin said, eyes darting towards the window. "I think-"
Suddenly, the windows burst in and Drones piled into the hallway. The Marines immediately opened fire, cutting down the first few Drones. However, more began to pile through the windows, cutting down four Marines as they came.
"We have to get out of here!" Mackenzie yelled, "This sector is compromised!"
"You don't have to tell me twice, sir!" Karla breathed.
"Captain!" Williams yelled, point towards the lobby.
Karla turned to see three Brutes charging in from the lobby. She cursed and opened fire on them, but her battle rifle proved to be too weak to inflict any serious harm. She tossed the useless weapon aside and drew her sword. The Brutes, high on bloodlust, likewise charged with their huge, bladed weapons. She lunged and stabbed the first Brute in the gut and then swung it out straight into the second Brute.
Unfortunately, she lost track of the third Brute. Before she could do anything, Karla felt a sharp, hot pain in her back. The Brute had managed to get behind her and slashed her back with its giant blade. The weapon cut straight through her armor and created a huge gash across her back. Karla stumbled and fell, unable to move. She could hear the Brute snort in amusement as it placed its foot over her head, ready to crush it.
However, it never came. Karla turned her head to see Mako slam his body into the Brute, knocking it off her and into the ground. Though the Elite was still chained, he could still fight, beating his bound fists into the Brute's face until it was turned into a mashed, bloody pulp. Slardar then arrived to finish off the Brute with a quick plasma burst from his pistol.
"Come on, help me get her up!" Mackenzie yelled to the other Marines as he picked up Karla by the shoulder.
"You saved me." Karla coughed as she was helped up.
"You fight with the ferocity and vigor of any Sangheli." Mako sniffed, "It would have been a shame to see you fall in battle so easily."
"Thanks, I guess."
Checkpoint Alpha
Another advancing Wraith exploded as Paccone nailed it in the rear with a well aimed rocket.
"That's two for two!" He yelled happily.
Meanwhile, the entire line was awash in fire as the Loyalist Covenant made their offensive. Plasma, bullets, rockets, and lasers shot every which way as both sides attempted to advance.
"Where the hell is that goddamn sniper support!" Alvarado yelled as a wave of plasma fire forced him and his men down.
There was a sudden crack and the plasma fire stopped.
"You gotta learn to be patient." Paccone grinned. "She's always watching, no matter what."
Alvarado grunted and continued to fire down the street. He suddenly caught a blur of red when another Wraith suddenly exploded.
It was Nicole. She had made her way to the section of the line under the heaviest fire and decided to lend her assistance. She leapt onto the side of another Wraith, her weight making the large vehicle tip over slightly. With superhuman strength, she grabbed the tank's top hatch and ripped it off with a single arm. She tossed the now useless hatch aside and dropped a handful of grenades into the vehicle before leaping off. The Wraith continued on for several more meters before there were several dull thuds. The Wraith then stopped and began leaking smoke.
"Glad she's on our side." Kumi remarked.
"Holy shit, did you see that?" Leo exclaimed as he saw Nicole single handedly destroy a Wraith.
"Meh, I've seen better." Sam said coolly as she cut down a Brute officer.
Sam and Leo had taken a vantage point atop a transmission tower. The exposed steel beams and electrical equipment served as perfect camouflage to hide a sniper.
"We got more armor coming up the street." Leo observed another column of Wraiths trying to push up the street. "I think we have to upgrade to the real bullets."
Sam cracked a smile. "I was waiting for you to say that."
She then reached into her pack and pulled out a magazine with a red stripe painted across it. Unlike the standard bullets her rifle normally fired, the bullets in this particular magazine were armor piercing incendiary rounds. They were absolutely perfect in dealing with armored vehicles.
"You got ten shots, make them count." Leo said.
"I'm on it, don't worry." Sam squeezed the trigger.
The specialized round struck a Wraith in its side, punching through one side and out the other without any signs of slowing down. The Wraith began to list the side and smashed into another Wraith, bringing both craft down. When striking a target, the bullets were designed to release a burst of superheated gas and shrapnel, killing or incapacitating any targets inside the armored vehicle, and they obviously did their job well.
"Give me another target, Leo."
"I've got another Wraith two blocks east."
Meanwhile, Shiela was doing its best trying to hold back the oncoming tide of armored vehicles. Another burst from her cannon blasted a pair of incoming Ghosts as Separatist Shades fired in support.
"Running low on shells!" Shion yelled. "We've only got five shots left!"
"Damnit!" Wrall cursed. "Kazi, make them count!"
"You don't have to tell me twice."
Suddenly, plasma fire swept across the street, annihilating the Shades supporting Shiela. In the space of seconds, Shiela and her crew found their flanks dangerously vulnerable.
"We'd appreciate a little help here!"
"On it!" Paccone shifted his M19 and shot his last rocket down an alley, blowing two Brutes to bits. "Kumi! Get on that Shade and keep up the fire!"
Kumi nodded and ran to a nearby Shade. She pulled the dead Grunt gunner out of the seat and sat down. It was a little uncomfortable and cramped since it was adjusted for the much smaller Grunt. Kumi adjusted the seat settings and firing bursts of high yield plasma down the alleys.
Meanwhile, Nicole got the same idea. She heaved a tipped over Shade upright, hopped in, and began providing support fire of her own. Emboldened, the Elites and Grunts began to push the Brute onslaught back until there were only sporadic firefights.
"Well, that was over quick." Kumi breathed, hopping out of her Shade.
"Don't relax just yet. That was only the first wave." Paccone said grimly. "They'll be back, and in greater numbers."
"Well, lets just hope the Covvies here can get the help they promised in time." Alvarado said.
Nicole stayed silent. There was nothing for her to say.
"Hey, Leo, Sam, you'd better switch positions. It'll only be a matter of time before a Wraith draws a bead on you and turns you into ash." Paccone said as he looked up at the transmission tower they were hiding in.
"Will do, Sarge. Have anything in mind?"
"Any window with a good view of the street will do. Just make sure you aren't seen."
"Roger that."
"Right, lets get this line reformed! I want all of the heavy weapons rearmed, and grab anything that looks like it can put down a tank!"
Outpost Delta forward infirmary
Karla winced as the medic applied disinfectant and a fibrin bandage on the huge gash in her back.
"You're pretty lucky, Captain. If that blade went any deeper, it could have cut straight through your spine and paralyzed you, and with the equipment I have on hand right now, I wouldn't have been able to flash you a new one." The medic said.
"And the good news just keeps rolling in." Karla sighed.
"Hey Captain, what do we do about the Elites?" Williams pointed to Slardar and Mako.
"That should be up the Major Mackenzie."
Mackenzie said, "Slardar can return to his own forces. He's done his duty. However, this Mako is not so easy to deal with. He has no unit to return to, and his status with us is questionable at best."
"Well sir, then I'd be glad to take him off your hands." Karla said.
"Really?" Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"
"Because it seems that Mako Ralamee is just as loyal to his race as we are to ours, which means he'll be an ally." Karla shrugged. "At least for the time being."
"Granted. Though if he tries anything funny, you have full permission to use lethal force."
"Major," Karla laughed, despite the sharp pain in her back, "we're in the middle of a war here. When did I ever have to get permission for that?"