"We've got contact on the north side! I'm seeing close to fifty Jackals on approach."
I took in the information, categorized it, and formulated a response, "I'm sending drones to assist, keep safe and pull back if they start to overwhelm you or if you take casualties."
I let myself sit back so to speak and look at the broader firefight, it seemed to be only Jackals that were on the offensive.
The drones I had made were cheaply produced quad-rotor designs with a sub machine gun strapped to the bottom. At least most were that design, I kept a few purely to move materials and ammunition around, as well as to pick up the 'dead' drones to be recycled into new ones.
So far at least, the Jackals had been scurrying around the edges of our base and taking pot shots at anyone who stuck their head out.
They learned quickly to retreat when I sent my swarm to take them. There was something to be said about destroying an enemy through sheer volume of fire, it was... euphoric perhaps.
"This is Bravo 1-1 to Gaia." One of the squad leads, I mentally went over what was happening in the East.
It seemed as though they hadn't breach that side yet, but I could be wrong. "This is Gaia, send traffic Bravo."
"They seem to have some way to get past the mines without detonating them," He sighed. "...well, I'm that and the fact they have cloaking as well."
I froze, how many could be within our defenses already?
He continued, taking my silence as a signal to go on, "Their cloaking isn't as good as the usual spec ops types the Covenant send. It's a lot easier to see the shimmery distortion they give off."
I took a second to compose myself, "Copy that Bravo 1-1, tighten your net. I'll send it down the line, keep safe."
"You too Gaia, Bravo out."
Immediately I began sending minor patrols of drones around the base to search for any oddities.
Switching my comms over to the priority channel we had set up I spoke grimly, "Be advised ground teams we've got cloaked Jackals in the AO, check for the telltale haze and light them up if you can."
(Six POV)
The ramp of the Pelican dropped. I swung my gun up checking for the Covenant in the docking area they used as a hangar.
Ten ODST's fanned out behind me, weapons drawn and ready.
I eyed my motion tracker for a moment. Empty.
"Clear." I called both over the comms channel and out loud.
The four other squads of marines responded the same.
As one the ODST's and I moved toward the doors that were in the direction of the bridge. Motion tracker showed contacts, just beyond the door. "I need two squads of marines pushing toward the back of the corvette, one defending the pelicans, and the last ready to assist when we get contact."
Six of the ODST's split off toward the second door.
A-firms, from every squad lead. I motioned to the door. Everyone stacked up. The ODST lead prepared a frag grenade and so did the soldier opposite of him.
The lead raised three fingers, two, one.
The second man waved a hand in front of the sensor for the door.
A moment.
Everything happened at once, the entrance opened with a distinct sound, plasma poured from the opening, and the ODST's threw their grenades in.
It seemed to take the Covenant forever to realize what had happened, and by that time it was too late. The distinct sound of Jackals squawking was accompanied by the resounding blast of the grenades going off.
Silence.
I bounded around the corner shotgun at the ready.
The ODSTs rushed through with me on either side. The Covies had set up a makeshift barricade, the grenades had made it just far enough past that they landed in the midst of the defenders.
Carnage, blue and purple blood coated the walls and ground. They were almost entirely pulped by the explosion.
We vaulted past the barricade, weapons at the ready. Stopping just long enough for a soldier to put a round through the skull of a Jackal crawling away, missing a leg and half of it's face.
It seemed as though the intelligence Rachel had procured was correct, these were an independent group, or at least as independent as you could get being a facet of the Covenant.
What we had missed however was how empty the ship would be, there was the occasional Jackal that was lightly armed but no heavy resistance.
There was chatter on the radio, "This is Alpha 2-4, we need Echo to pick up one wounded, five doors down from the hangar, we're placing a beacon and continuing."
I rounded a corner firing and pumping twice in succession, unprepared they went down with a quiet thump.
I moved forward.
"Echo 1-1 copies, we're splitting off to pick him up."
I gazed down the corridor at the final door to the bridge of the corvette. The lights were red signaling it was locked.
The ODSTs regrouped behind me, instead of the ten there was nine. I turned toward the lead head tilted, "Wounded picked up?"
The lead pressed forward with two others pulling out breaching charges as they went, "Yes. There's one casualty on the teams clearing the aft though."
I nodded, expecting as much. Replacing the shotgun with the assault rifle on my back I prepared to breach.
The ODSTs backed away to either side of the door, arming grenades and flashbangs. I stood at the center of the doorway, far enough away to not be caught in the blast but close enough to sprint in as soon as the charges went off.
The lead raised his in an open palm, before closing it into a fist.
Signal.
The entrance to the bridge practically disintegrated under the force of the breaching charges going off. Grenades were pitched inside and I followed suit, helmet visor polarizes due to the flashbangs before highlighting targets through the smoke.
Sixteen silhouettes are a vibrant red.
I unloaded into the first soft target I could see. Four rounds to the cranium of a surviving Jackal close to the door, another four to take down the second closest.
The enemy returns fire ignoring the ODSTs pushing behind me in favor of the more dangerous target. I roll to cover to avoid the danger.
The ODSTs return fire, three Jackals slumping over and two others flickering a vibrant blue. Shields.
I focused fire on one, dumping the last of the magazine I had into it. It's chest cavity was obliterated. Their shields are weaker than the typical ones Elites use.
We push forward, focusing fire whenever a target get out of cover but not ever quite letting up.
Two more targets down, a Jackal bounds from cover- a plasma grenade arcs towards me. Too little time for the ODST next to me to get out of the way. I rush into him and push off the deck to get as far away as possible.
I can vaguely see the blue corona of the plasma grenade from the corner of my eye as it goes off from behind me.
Soldier safe. Shields down. Leg damaged.
By the time I get to my feet the bridge is clear and relay is planted.
An ODST slaps me on the back and gives thanks. I feel my lips quirk up slightly.
"Bravo 2-1 to Noble 6, how copy?" An out of breath voice says over comms.
I let out a breath, "This is Noble 6, send traffic Bravo."
There was a grim note to his voice, "We've got a storage room of some sort that you might want to get a look at."
Unusual. "What are they storing?"
"Slaves." He responds simply.
"Ground teams, return fire and pull back towards the entrances!" I was practically yelling over the net as my brain felt like it was on fire. "Charlie, I'm sending assistance, get your wounded out of there and blow the minefield."
The Jackals were better shots than I thought, constantly picking the drones off one by one as soon as they recognized them as a threat.
Too much was happening at once, I had to keep going, keep directing forces, sending recycling drones, sending ammo...
"Gaia- This is Alpha 1-2, squad lead's down, we're out of the fight. We're heading into base and whoever can still fight will set up." She spoke in a monotone, letting out low grunts of effort as she dragged... someone, presumably.
Fuck.
I called over all channels, "This is Gaia to ground teams, get your asses into the complex, I'll sacrifice what's left of the drones and blow the last of the minefields."
All we needed to do was hold out until the boarding teams got back and I could seal the complex...
I felt a connection establish farther away than usual.
Speak of the devil, I suppose.
I let my influence spread into the Covenant ship, deliberately holding off on taking information until I had completely 'consumed' it.
I was already weakened.
My connection opened. I could break, and it was a risk I had to take.
I felt like my mind had been split by an axe-
I was
dying, dying, dying,
dyingdyingdying-
"Gaia, this is Noble Six. We have an issue."
ehh... fhfhfh...
"This is- Fuck. Send traffic now!"
get ahold of
yourself
He was quiet for a moment, "What's happening?"
you need to be here
I responded my words coming more as static than real sound. "I wasn- I'm not meant to- God. I'm being split in two trying to run the complex and- reprogram this ship."
Pain. He said something.
"Six, I need you to solve- whatever issue your having and head-" I let out a low moan of pain over the channel. "Back. Seal the entrances. I don't know if I'm going to last."
I closed off as much as I could. Before refocusing on my tasks.
painpainpain
I was making a weapon.
it's already too late
I was going to break the reinforcements that were coming to finish us off.
failure is your only option
I let go. Finished with my final option.
I felt my psyche snap as my mind collapsed in on itself suddenly. I retreated as far into myself as possible.
(Devas POV)
He watched as she slowly took on more and more strain. She was only human he knew.
Made to protect as he was. Love was a funny thing.
Devas loved her ever so much, he had seen what she was and what she could be. All her suffering and all her joy.
She was his...
student
daughter
creator
Everything.
But seeing her like this...
Broken. Almost a shell.
When she retreated in on herself he had assumed it wouldn't come to this. He held some fragment of hope.
It broke his heart. When she came to in her inner world practically babbling and mind fractured. It would take her days to recover from this trauma.
He also knew it would hurt her far worse if she couldn't help those she wanted to protect, both physically and emotionally.
There was a solution to this, a deal he could strike to keep her safe and sane. Perhaps it would cost him later.
It would be worth it.
His reach and knowledge was far greater than he had let onto for her yet.
A smile came to his canine lips.
He reached out, the god-thing born of time and stars and suffering reaching back.
It surrounds him.
"Hello, abomination. I've come to bargain."