"What's life? I'll tell you what life is. Life is just one endless pile of crap with a few pleasant memories sprinkled in for good measure. But you know what? It's not all that bad, because no matter how deep you are in that pile of crap, it's all worth it for those few good moments, because it always gives you the hope that there will be another one at the end of the tunnel. Doesn't sound very encouraging? Well too bad, because that's life. Live with it."
-Drill Sergeant William Pickering
Chapter 4: End of the Line
December 21, 2006
Karla did not have a single moment of rest for the entire night. She just couldn't sleep. Karen had only been in the company for two weeks, yet she somehow managed to worm herself into the place Karla often reserved for her closest friends and fellow Marines.
Karla was sure of this because she had spent the last five hours trying to clean Karen's blood from her Warthog, and was still cleaning it long after the last drop was gone.
What she hated the most, however, was having to explain why Karen wasn't around to Lyn. When asked, Karla replied, trying to keep her voice steady, "Karen just decided to take a trip for a little while. She should be back real soon."
"Oh, then I guess I'll wait." Lyn smiled, "I just wanted to ask her about that big black box."
"What?" Karla was suddenly alert, all of her fatigue washed away in an instant.
Lyn's eyes drifted down to the floor, as if admitting to a crime. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but I snuck out of the car and I saw this big black box in one of the other cars. I tried to see what was inside, but I couldn't open it."
Suddenly, everything seemed to be coming together. Karla stood up and made her way to the door.
"Sorry Lyn, but I have something to do."
Karla caught Hubbard coming back from the Sensor Wagon. Before he knew it, Hubbard caught a fist in the gut and found himself sprawled all over the floor with Karla glaring down at him menacingly.
"I suppose this isn't about Christmas presents." Hubbard coughed.
"Let's make this simple." Karla bent down and grabbed Hubbard by the collar. "You're going to tell me what this mission is really about, and then I'll beat the crap out of you. Got it?"
"Isn't it supposed to be that I tell you and you don't beat me up?"
"No, then I'll fucking kill you." Karla glared murderously at Hubbard.
"Okay, okay." Hubbard sighed, as if he had expected this to happen. "Tell me what you know first, since I know you dislike repetition."
"Well, I know that the Covenant want to get onto this train very badly to the point of suicide, and I doubt it's just for a bunch of children. Also, there's the matter of a strange box in one of the storage cars that doesn't seem to be on any of the manifests, and therefore technically does not exist. Coincidence?"
"I guess I can't put anything past you." Hubbard smiled before receiving a sharp kick. "You're right. Transporting the children wasn't the only objective for this mission."
"So, what? Are you transporting another one of those infamous little 'artifacts' that I've been hearing so much about? That alien tech that the Covenant seem so keen to try and get?"
"Ha ha, funny story about that, actually." Hubbard laughed. "There isn't actually an 'artifact' on this train at all. Well, at least the Covenant doesn't think that."
Karla raised an eyebrow. "Explain. Now."
"It'd be a lot easier if your boot wasn't pressing on my throat."
Karla calmly lifted her boot and pulled Hubbard up roughly by the collar.
"Okay, I guess I'll explain." Hubbard shifted his eyes left and right. "Just don't tell anybody that I did, okay? If my boss finds out, he'll be pissed, and whenever he does people get 'disappeared'."
"I'm hurt, Hubbard. I thought you learned that you could trust me."
"Enough to let me live?"
"We'll see."
"Okay, maybe a little backstory will help. Do you remember World War II, over six centuries ago?"
Karla rolled her eyes. "As does every officer whos taken Military History 101."
"Yes, well anyways, during the preparations for D-Day, the ONI equivalent of the time period pulled off a major intelligence coup. They planted the body of a British officer in German territory. Everything about the officer looked authentic. He had a name and rank, a background, and even love letters from a fictional girlfriend. However, he also had information on the upcoming invasion, except it told the Germans all the wrong things. It made them think that the invasion would occur in a completely different area. It was instrumental in the success of D-Day."
The truth suddenly began to dawn on Karla.
"We're just decoys." Karla whispered.
"Yeah, now I see why I didn't really want to tell-"
"You bastard!"
Hubbard toppled to the ground, with a substantial number of cuts and bruises to his face.
"Is that what we are? Cannon fodder? I can understand if it's just us Marines, since that's how you ONI spooks view us all anyways, but those kids?" She delivered another swift blow to Hubbard's face. "You've hit a new low, Hubbard."
Karla had trouble keeping her rage in check, and for a brief second, thought that she was actually going to kill the ONI agent. Fortunately for Hubbard, Karla managed to find the restraint to stop beating on Hubbard.
"Well, why'd you think I chose you and your unit?" Hubbard coughed. "We've been keeping track of your combat record, Karla, and we've found out some very interesting things, such as ever since that little fiasco on Sera Gamma, every unit you've ever been with, whether organized or ad hoc, has had the success of having a fifty percent casualty rate or less. Plus, we needed a determined and experienced unit to keep the Covenant thinking there was something actually valuable on this train, and General Black would never release such a unit to an empty train, so, I had to improvise."
"Just so you could distract the majority of the attacking Covenant force and keep them chasing us rather than attacking the cities and impeding the evacuations." Karla sighed, "I don't know whether I should punch you again or shake your hand."
Engine
"Things aren't looking so good." Hubbard said as he pointed to the tactical map. He had several small bandages on his face and some of the bruises were still visible, though nobody bothered to ask any questions. "At this rate, the Covenant advance is going to catch up with us in just a few hours. We need the better part of another half day in order to reach Helios, which means…"
"A rearguard action." Karla finished the sentence. She was all too familiar with such situations.
"That's right." Hubbard nodded. "Unfortunately, since we're in open country, and with our small numbers the Covenant can easily just outflank us."
The gathered officers murmured nervously. It seemed as if their mission was destined to fail.
"Fortunately, it looks like we have our own little holiday miracle here." Hubbard continued and pointed at the map, "Right here is the Gryphon Point Bridge. It spans a ravine that's about a hundred meters deep, which means that it's beyond the capability of Covenant vehicles to hover over. What we do is that we leave a small force to hold the bridge for as long as possible, and destroy it when it looks as if it can no longer be defended. With that ravine between us and them, it should give whoever's left enough time to fall back and catch up with the train."
"How's that?" One of the officers asked. "There's no road that follows alongside the tracks at that point and the terrain up there is all mountains, so it'll be pretty treacherous."
"There are quite a few abandoned mining tunnels in the mountains here. Using them, anybody can cut straight through that mountain range and hook up with the train at the other side, which is basically where Helios is."
"I think we've got a plan then." Karla said, "Let's do it."
Gryphon Point Bridge
"Well, you can see my surprise when I've been ordered to defend this bridge against 'light Covenant elements', only to find out that translates into several thousand of them." Captain Meryn Wane grumbled.
Captain Wane was the commanding officer of a platoon of roughly fifty Marines designated to hold the town of Gyphon Point. Really, from what all Karla could see, the town's only object of strategic importance was the bridge. The town itself wasn't too much to brag about either. It was just a small, shabby mining town that had long been abandoned due to the impending invasion. Karla wasn't surprised that there was such a small Marine garrison here. In actual truth, Wane and his soldiers were only Marines in name only. They were technically only local military defense forces, not part of any official UNSC Marine unit.
"We've probably got only two hours until the leading elements of the Covenant force reach us." Karla said, "We're going to need to compare notes and get a workable defense for this bridge up and running."
Over the next two hours, Captain Wane and Karla worked feverishly to make the bridge and the town around it into a defensible position. The strongest and most strategically placed structures were turned into miniature fortresses, two 120mm howitzers were dug in on the far end of the bridge for antitank purposes, fire trenches and hastily constructed bunkers were erected to fill the gaps in the line, and heavy weapons and ammo were distributed in various caches littered around the town. Karla had roughly two platoons of one hundred Marines, co-commanded by Lieutenant Vizer, manning positions on the front lines. Wane deployed his fifty Marines on the far end of the bridge to man the howitzers and provide covering fire in the event that Karla's unit had to fall back.
On the logistical side, Gryphon Point had no shortage of vehicles the Marines could use to get out of the town. Various trucks were prepped and positioned for quick loading and escape. Karla herself had three Warthogs taken from the train.
Of course, engineers and sappers planted C7 charges all over the bridge to ensure that it would be completely destroyed. Wane was given control of the detonator.
Finally, when all the Marines could possibly do was done, Karla had one more request to make…
Two Miles Outside Gryphon Point
Mela Kazanee hated snow. Like many of the Unngoy under his command, Kazanee disliked cold climates. It made soldiers sluggish and uncomfortable, and generally slowed everything down. Fortunately, most of his force was mechanized so he didn't have to worry about slogging through the disgusting muck on foot.
"Commander, we've found something." One of his scouts reported.
"What is it?"
"It appears that the humans have left behind one of their cargo modules. We're not sure if the Relic is in there, but our scanners show a weak energy signature emanating from it."
"Hold your position." Kazanee grinned. "Wait for the rest of the unit to catch up and we will determine for ourselves."
Gryphon Point
"Are they falling for it?" Karla asked?
"Like flies to the feast." The young Marine sitting next to her replied.
Karla glanced at the Marine and checked her name. The IFF tag identified her as PVT. RICHARDS. She was one of Wane's scouts, supposedly one of his best, even though she had barely been a Marine for a year. She was acting as a liaison to help spot for the howitzers on the other side of the ravine. Karla wasn't sure what to make of her yet, but she had a feeling that Tarin Richards would make a fine Marine if she managed to live through this.
"Should we do it?" Williams asked, ready to press the electronic trigger he was holding.
"Just wait a second." Tarin whispered as she looked through her binoculars, "There's more of them gathering around it."
"Anytime now…" Williams said anxiously.
"Now!" Tarin yelled.
Williams pulled the trigger.
Two miles away, the five Archer missiles the abandoned train car was carrying exploded. The car was essentially reduced to a massive fragmentation grenade as flying shrapnel shredded Covenant and vehicle alike. Once the smoke cleared, over fifty Covenant were either dead or injured and about a dozen vehicles were out of commission.
"All guns, fire at position alpha. Fire for effect!" Tarin yelled in her radio.
There was the distant thumping as the twin 120mm howitzers began lobbing high explosive shells into the advancing Covenant. Karla could see Grunts and Elites scattering as the falling shells exploded around them.
The Covenant, now aware that they were under attack, began to press forward with all of the force they could muster. The line of Covenant vehicles began to close in, firing plasma bolts wildly.
"All units fire!" Karla yelled.
The next two hours was a flurry of activity. Covenant and human forces exchanged withering fire. By the time Covenant ground forces reached the edge of the town, they were already climbing walls of dead Covenant and burnt hulks of vehicles. The Marines managed to hold off the Covenant for nearly three hours, but the structures they were taking shelter in could only take so much punishment. It was only a matter of time before massed Wraith bombardments found their marks, annihilating the majority of the Marine positions and killing or wounding around thirty Marines.
Karla noticed the huge gaps in the line and decided to make the call.
"All units, fall back to the other side of the bridge! Wane! We need some covering fire!"
As if in response, a stream of tracer fire shot across the ravine and slammed into the advancing Covenant, forcing them back in surprise. Meanwhile, the surviving Marines began falling back across the bridge, with a few of them staying behind as a rearguard. Karla noticed that Tarin was among one them, and even though she was still a private, she was directing and guiding Marines with the air of a true and tried officer. With just seven other Marines, Tarin managed to organize a formation to held off a wave of Covenant that outnumbered her by five times. By then, the last of the Marines had fallen back, and an expertly placed howitzer round managed to buy her time to fall back.
"You know," Karla said as she ducked into Wane's fire trench, "that Tarin really knows her stuff. I can see a battlefield commission in her future."
"Well, if we all live through this, I'll see what I can do." Wane responded.
Suddenly, a Wraith plasma mortar fell and scored a direct hit on one of the howitzers, melting the gun into slag and killing all but one of the four man crew manning it.
"Shit." Wane said as he realized their antitank capability had just been halved. "I don't think we'll be able to hold for much longer. The Covenant are starting to snowball at the other end which means more massed fire."
As if to reinforce his point, more plasma mortars rained down, demolishing one of the Marine strongpoints and taking Lieutenant Vizer and fifteen Marines with it. Meanwhile, more Wraiths were making a push down the bridge with dozens of Covenant infantry flanking them. The last howitzer was destroying the lead tanks as fast as it could, but every time a Wraith was destroyed, the one behind it quickly pushed the destroyed hulk aside and continued on.
"It looks like we have no choice. Blow the bridge and fall back. I just hope we bought enough time."
Wane nodded and yelled, "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
The other Marines heard the exclamation and quickly ran to get as much distance between them and the bridge as possible. Wane gave them several seconds and them and activated the detonator.
It took several seconds, but the C7 charges did their jobs, blowing out the bridge's vital supports. The entire structure literally crumpled like paper and fell to the bottom of the ravine, taking dozens of Covenant and vehicles with it. More units at the edge attempted to stop, but the pressure of the oncoming forces behind them tragically shoved them over the edge before the entire offensive could stop itself.
However, that didn't mean the Covenant was finished. As if in retribution, every Wraith fired its plasma mortar. Karla looked up in the sky to see hundreds of energy lances arcing through the air.
"Shit, lets move! Move!"
By now, the majority of the Marines had already boarded their transports and were speeding towards the mining tunnels. Karla, Williams, and Tarin were some of the last Marines remaining. Tarin, who's designated transport had already left, had no choice but to board Karla's Warthog.
"Hope you know how to strap in on this thing." Karla said as she started the engine, "Because we are leaving and leaving fast."
Plasma fell like rain as Karla gunned the Warthog out of Gryphon Point. The air grew heavy and humid as snow began to melt and steam from the extreme temperatures. Karla tried to increase speed to avoid the rain of plasma. She turned to Williams, who was about to shout something, but it was too late.
A single plasma mortar landed right in front of the Warthog. The shock from the blast flipped the Warthog over. Karla felt herself flying through the air before hitting the ground.
"Hey, wake up, sleepyhead."
Karla's eyes snapped open. The voice was neither Williams' nor Tarin's. It actually sounded like Merl, which was impossible because she had been dead for over a year.
Karla looked around, and saw dozens of Marines around her. She recognized them all as men and women with whom she had served with, and subsequently lost. They were all there, Peterson, McKinnon, Matt, and others. Thankfully, Fisk didn't appear to among the crowd.
"What's going on?" Karla asked.
"Well, that's what we were wondering. How could the Lieutenant we all know and love end up here with us?" Sare, who was killed in a nighttime raid two months ago, said.
Karla was speechless. She never thought that she would ever see these people around her again.
"Someone up there is looking out for you." Karla turned to see Karen crouching next to her. "You're not dead. Pretty damn close, but you've still got some life in you yet."
"How are you-?"
"Hey, while you're here, we just wanted to let you know that we're all still behind you one hundred percent." Karen smiled, "Granted, I may be kind of new to the club, but you get the point. We've only got one piece of advice for you. Just follow the bells."
"What?" Karla asked, but everything seemed to become blurry, and the sounds became fainter. "Wait…"
"Oh, and don't forget to say hi to Lyn for me." Karen said before everything went black.
"Hey, Lieutenant."
Karla opened her eyes again to see Williams and Tarin looking down at her.
"Jeez, you're still alive." Williams sighed in relief.
Karla slowly got up, ignoring the sharp pain she felt inside her body. She was unsure whatever she just saw was real or just a hallucination, but she didn't want to waste time pondering about it right now.
"Yeah, and plan to keep it that way. How's our ride?"
"I think this may be her last ride."
Karla looked at her Warthog and was crestfallen. The vehicle was flipped onto its side, with black scorches all over the white paint. The damage on the Warthog looked fatal.
"Come on, help me get her upright. There may be some life in her yet." Karla said, echoing Karen's words.
Williams and Tarin looked at each other.
"Well, it beats walking." Tarin shrugged.
With Covenant plasma mortars still raining down sporadically, Williams and Tarin managed to flip the Warthog over, and to their collective surprise, it still ran. The engine slowly coughed to life. They then loaded the wounded Karla into the passenger seat, and Williams took over as the driver. In a few more minutes, the lone Warthog disappeared into the distance.
Abandoned Mining Tunnels
"Damn, this isn't good." Williams muttered. "The nav system is totally shot. There's no way we can navigate these tunnels."
"Well, that's not good." Tarin looked around the dimly lit tunnel. "If we get lost down here, we'll never find our way out, and I don't even want to think how much longer the Warthog can keep running."
"Wait…" Karla cocked her head. "I thought I heard something."
Karla strained her hearing more, and soon began to make out the sound. It sounded like the jingling of a bell. Karla thought back to Karen's last words. Could it really be that simple?
"Take the left fork down there." Karla said.
"What?" Williams glanced down the branching paths. "Are you sure?"
"Just a hunch."
December 25, 2552
UNSC Maynard
Currently in Slipspace transit
Karla woke up to find herself inside the white, sterile environment of a Navy infirmary. Slightly confused, Karla looked around to see dozens of other wounded Marines lying in bed.
"Well, it's good to see you wake."
Karla looked over to see Doctor Pennert standing beside her bed.
"You've been unconscious for the past four days." Pennert continued, filling out some forms as he talked, "Took some pretty nasty wounds as well. Some broken ribs, a ruptured kidney, internal bleeding, and some burns. All in all, a typical day for you."
"What happened to the kids?"
"Ah, I knew you'd ask that." Pennert grumbled. "Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that the hangar deck is absolutely filled with a horde of raunchy, obnoxious children."
Karla smiled, "Glad to hear it."
A few minutes later, without Pennert's knowledge, and still in a considerable amount of pain, Karla had managed to limp her way to the hangar deck, where she ran into a very familiar sight.
"I'm very impressed how you handled that little rearguard action in Gryphon Point." Hubbard smiled, "I can guarantee you that it's going to be in all the military manuals a few years down the lane."
"I'm just overflowing with joy." Karla said sarcastically. "Interesting that I see all the kids opening brand new presents."
"Yeah, a little play on my part. I don't think my boss will be too happy about me using some of those unofficial ONI funds this way, but I think the personal fulfillment is worth it. After all, it's a simple thing to find out what these kids want, especially if you have security clearances like mine."
Karla looked down into the hangar and managed to pick out Lyn, hugging a Marine who bore a striking resemblance to her.
"I wonder how many strings it would have taken to ensure that the ship we were evacuated on just happened to have Kyle Hannever on it."
"I wonder." Hubbard shrugged.
"What about Wane and his unit? What's going to happen to them?"
"I suppose they'll just be folded into existing Marine units."
"In that case, if the name Tarin Richards ever comes across your desk…"
"I'll be sure to pull the right strings." Hubbard grinned.
"Well, a Merry Christmas to you then, Ryan." Karla hobbled away. "I've got some kids to see."
"Oh yes, Karla, I almost forgot." Hubbard reached into his pocket. "You dropped this when they were carrying you to the infirmary. I just thought you'd want it back."
Hubbard handed Karla the silver bell she had always carried with her.
"Pity it doesn't work." Hubbard said.
"What, you don't hear it?"
"Hear what?"
Karla looked at the bell. She could clearly hear it jingling, even when Hubbard was still holding it. She then said, "You know what, never mind."
Hubbard shrugged and walked away.
Karla examined the bell a second. Could it really be possible…?
"Whatever." Karla muttered and placed the bell back in her pocket. She conceded that even for a skeptic, weird things could happen at this time of year.
"You can understand why I hesitated writing about that crazy experience on Tau Serra, but then again, I've had this nagging feeling that it all actually happened. Whether it did or not, I'll leave that up to you. Needless to say, even I've come to believe that this vast, empty galaxy is open to the occasional miracle."
-Karla Wellings