Bleeding Out
Disclaimer: I do not in any shape or form own Halo. It belongs to Bungie, 343 Industries, and Microsoft, nor am I associated with them in any way. This is a non-profit fan work written solely for the purpose of entertainment. This is in no way canon.
Responses to questions or statements:
-Guest: I don't know if I will add a Covenant point of view because honestly, I'm not quite sure I can do it well. But, I will think about it.
-Guest: Yup! Six essentially has the mindset of someone in the E-4 Mafia (which definitely doesn't exist, but if it did). He's a shammer who is committed to doing nothing, or anything as quickly as possible so that he can go back to doing nothing. Though he is capable of taking things seriously when the situation calls for it.
-Mythic Imagination: Don't worry. We're approaching a major change.
-Wolfiebro: Well, you're going to have to read to find out...
-Gwynx: Thank you, I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying my story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Now, onto the chapter!
Chapter 9
"First stage engine burn nominal," The Sabre's onboard computer announced as the craft containing the two super-soldiers exited the upper atmosphere. "Initiating stage separation in T-minus three, two, one... boosters released."
The twin booster rockets detached from the fighter and began falling back towards the planet. Once they were disconnected, Noble Six powered on the main engines and fired the main thrusters as he steered the experimental craft towards the refit Naval station designated as "Anchor Nine" marked with a waypoint on his HUD, with two more Sabres following in behind them as they engaged their respective engines.
As they neared the space station, a familiar voice crackled through the radio. "/ Bravo 029, this is Noble Actual, do you read me. Over. /"
"/ Copy, Actual. Send your traffic. /" Jorge replied as he familiarized himself with the systems available to him in the back seat of the Sabre.
"/ Affirmative, Noble Five, /" Colonel Holland greeted. "/ Welcome to the first phase of Operation UPPERCUT, I'll be your control from here on out. /"
Approaching the installation, the two super-solders could see a Paris-Class heavy frigate with "Savannah" painted on its side docked with the orbital base which looked to be undergoing some kind of retrofit. However, before the Spartans could dock with Anchor Nine with their own Sabre, a comms officer from the frigate popped up on the radio, his voice steady and even despite the news he was sharing.
"/ All stations this net, this is Savannah Actual. Be advised: we're picking up inbound bounds. ETA ten seconds till contact. /"
"/ Copy that. Anchor Nine to all stations: station defenses are offline. Requesting assistance until we can get them back online. We only need a few mikes. /" The comms officer requested as the patrolling Sabres readied themselves for imminent contact.
"Bandits inbound! Bearing zero-three-zero!" Jorge call out as he began spinning up the Sabre's twin M1024 30mm cannons and sidewinder air-to-air missiles as Casper turned to where he could see a flight of five Banshees coming in on approach vector.
Noble Six open fired with the twin cannons which took down several Covenant craft, causing the remain Banshees to disperse to engage their attackers. Unfortunately for them, their efforts were to be in vain as they were quickly taken down by two more Sabres, as their armor was unable to stand up to the weaponry of the prototype UNSC craft.
It didn't take long before a new wave of Covenant fighters decided to join in. This time it was a collection of Seraphs with Banshees backing them up.
"Tally one! Five o'clock high!" Jorge exclaimed as he called out their pursuer. "Missile's loose!"
Six immediately used his left thumb to press the button on the Sabre's throttle that deployed chaff before banking right. Quickly turning back around, he saw that the counter-measures had done their job as the plasma missile exploded which happens when it has loss its target. Lighting up the crosshairs on his HUD at the pursuing Seraph, he pulled the trigger on the stick which sent a burst of 30mm kinetic penetrator incendiary rounds at the enemy fight. The shields of the Covenant craft were soon depleted before it was torn into shreds by the human spacecraft.
With his current threat now destroyed, Casper turned his attention to the rest of the enemy squadron as he moved to assist the rest of the F-218D/Es, who were engaged in dogfights of their own. It went on for about three more minutes before the words that every Sabre pilot in the area was waiting to here came through on their comms.
"/ All stations: Defensive batteries are back online./"
M85 Anti-Aircraft Guns were sprang up on the outer hull of the station before they began 20x102mm high-explosive incendiary/armor piercing rounds at anything that didn't registered as friendly on their IFF trackers. The combined firepower of the Naval station's defenses along with the Sabres quickly wiped out the remaining Covenant Spacecraft, leaving behind only floating wrecks and burnt metal once the smoke had cleared.
"/ Anchor Nine to all stations; AO looks to be clear. Bravo 029, you're cleared to dock in bay 8-2G. /"
"/ Solid copy. /" Six began steering the fighter to the docking bay as he now had clearance.
"/ Bravo 029, this is Noble Actual, are you ready to go? /" Holland inquired.
"/ I'm green, Colonel. /" Jorge replied as he prepared to exit the Sabre, undoing his safety strap and powering down the consoles on his side.
"Warning, Warning: M-Spec re-entry pack has been disengaged." The onboard computer warned as the cockpit began depressurizing.
"I need your override, Casper." Noble Five informed his partner.
"Warning: M-Spec re-entry-" The monotone voice was cut off once canopy slid open, exposing the two armored figures to the cold vacuum of space.
"Cockpit depressurization complete. Canopy release lever: armed."
Jorge slowly made his way to the left side of the craft, keeping a tight grip on the side handles before he used his legs to push himself towards the nearby Pelican dropship.
"Noble Five? Please say again." Dot requested.
"Pull up surface grid, 19-22."
"Certainly. ONI SWORD Base. Bringing up live feed from HELIOs satellite 3-2A. Processing image."
"Initiate thermal enhance." He requested.
The dumb AI assigned to the Spartan-II complied as pulled up a live satellite feed in the lower right corner of his heads-up display, the picture turning into a blue tint with spots of red and yellow which highlighted heat discharges from plasma detonations. Several massive plasma explosions could be seen across the surface of Reach along with numerous smaller ones of lower yield; one of which was originating from right where SWORD Base was located.
"Noble Five, your pulse has elevated. My apologies, but there is nothing you can do for Doctor Halsey and the rest inside SWORD Base. The mathematics have determined that..." The dumb AI trailed off as she noticed his increased heartbeat, which was likely caused by duress. "...Noble Five?"
"...I know." Was all the Spartan-II said before he went dead silent. Assisting the technicians which were working on the make-shift slipspace bomb which was magnetically attacked to the back of a Pelican currently docked with the refit facility.
"/ Bravo 029, you're cleared to re-engage thrusters. /" A comms officer for Anchor Nine informed the Spartan-III.
"/ Roger that, Anchor Nine," Casper said as he began flipping switches that fired the Sabre's engines back online.
"/ Noble Six, this is Noble Actual, come in. Over. /" The gruff voice of NOBLE Team's commanding officer chimed into the radio built into Casper's GUNGNIR helmet.
"/ Reading you lima charlie , Actual. /" Casper responded. "/ Send your traffic. Over /"
"/ We've picked up a Corvette-Class Covenant vessel that's on a predicted docking track with the target. Get out makeshift bomb onboard that ship and we'll have out delivery system. /" Holland briefed. "/ Noble Five will stay with the package while you join the Sabre teams in disabling the vessel. /"
"/ Copy that. /"
"/ As she's already donated her slipspace drive to this mission, the Savannah will be joining you to provide local fire support if the Corvette proves too much for you to handle. /"
"/ Savannah here, /" The aforementioned frigate chimed in. "/ Our wings may be clipped but we got your back. /"
"/ Once the package is on board the Corvette, the Savannah will pull out to prevent being seen by the target. /" The UNSC Army Colonel informed. " / I've stuck my head for Noble on this one , Lieutenant. If this goes south... there's going to be a lot of people with more stars on their shoulders than I do who will be looking for someone to blame. /"
"/ Don't worry, Colonel. We'll get it done. Noble Six out. /" Casper replied as he flipped the switch which release the Sabre from the bay's docking clamps.
"Target spotted within range of NAV Beacon RA-15. Bearing two-eight-five from Anchor Nine's location. Setting marker now." Dot informed the Spartan-III as a waypoint appeared on the Sabre's HUD.
The trip to the waypoint was spent mostly in silence, with the occasional update from Dot or Holland. About twenty minutes later, they spotted their target which had a contingent of enemy fighters which flew in a defensive formation as they escorted the vessel.
"/ Savannah Actual here, we have a visual on the target. /"
"/ All Sabres: break formation and engage all hostiles. /"
The Sabre squadrons immediately broke off to begin engaging the Banshees and Seraphs while the rest started targeting the Corvette's engines and defense cannons. Casper on the other hand focused on the Corvette's anti-ship defenses which have already begun firing at the Paris-class frigate. It wasn't long before the vessel's defense batteries were down along with its fighter escort, along with a few of its main engines rendered the cruiser unable to escape. Furthermore, the ship was unable to engage the Savannah due to having it's main guns destroyed by Six after a few strafing runs.
"/ Dot, scan that Corvette. See if you can find a way to get inside. /" The Colonel ordered the dumb A.I.
"Yes, sir," Dot replied. "Scans suggest a structural weakness surround a platform located on top of the vessel." She answered after a couple of seconds.
"/ Copy, /" Holland acknowledged. /" Noble Six, make your way to the landing pad and head inside. The Savannah won't be able to jam the cruiser's comms forever. Find a way to take them down permanently. Once we cut off the Corvette's comms, we can start phase two of UPPERCUT. /"
"/ Roger that. Six out /"
Noble Six piloted his Sabre towards the landing pad on top of the Corvette while the rest of the Sabres began flying CAPs for any bandit they could've missed. Soon as he touched down, he climbed out of the cockpit of the craft and activated his magnetic boots which stuck to the outside hull of the vessel, preventing him from floating off in the zero g environment and allowing him to gain his footing.
Reaching the shield, he threw a flashbang down into the room below before hopping inside the Covenant ship. Taking down two Elite Rangers that were disoriented before engaging the rest of the occupants that were comprised of a few Grunts and Jackals that were dressed in their species version of an EVA suit, like the ones that the Elite Rangers wore.
It didn't take long before the room was littered with the corpses of dead Covenant troops. Not wasting any time, Casper made his way through the nearby door and made his way deeper into the alien ship.
Shortly, he came across the vessel's communications room that were guarded by an Elite Ranger with two Grunts. After dispatching the Covenant Troops, Six threw two incendiary grenades onto the main console which resulted in the terminals being reduced to burnt and melted metal.
"/ Actual, this is Six, comms are down. Moving to next objective. Over. /"
"/ Copy that, Noble Six. Good work, the Savannah is halting comms jamming and diverting all power to weapon platforms. /"
Soon as he reached the blast doors which led to the hangar, Six placed a C-10 explosive charge on the door before linking it to a clacker and stepping off to the side. Mentally counting to three, he repeatedly squeezed the trigger which triggered the blasting caps in the explosives and knocking the doors down and opening the way through.
Tossing a frag grenade with an underhand throw, he waited until he hear the signature explosion before stepping in, taking down several Grunts and Jackals before moving into cover. Just in time too as he began taking needler and plasma fire. The second there was a break in their fire, Six popped out of cover and began sending rounds of 7.62 to the nearest Elite minor, rabidly taking down his shields before finishing him off with a single bullet to the head.
A few minutes later, the room was clear as the last Elite Ranger dropped dead. Maintaining vigilance, Casper walked up the ramp leading to the controls for the hangar. After a few minutes of trying to decipher what each holographic glyph meant, he began taking his best guess as he came to the conclusion that he had no idea what any of it meant.
After a few attempts from one glyph turned off the lights and another that was apparently a PA for the hangar, he managed to find the one which opened the blast doors leading into space and replacing it with a thin blue energy field that made Six feel a bit uneasy.
Casper always had mixed feelings on the energy fields the Covenant utilized, typically the ones on their spacefaring vessels like the one before him. On one hand, it looked pretty cool and was easier to send craft into space when they needed to. On the other hand, if it went down for even a second, everything and everyone inside the room it was attached to would be sent floating into the void and if they weren't wearing an EVA suit, would pass out in seconds due to a lack of oxygen and die by asphyxiation.
As such, it was safe to say that Six never liked being in the same room with only a powered energy barrier between him and celestial space. Even if his MJONIR armor allowed him to survive the harsh conditions of the cosmos.
"/ Five, this is Six, door's open. You can head in now. /" He radioed to his teammate as he got himself back on track.
"/ Copy that, we're en route. See you in about a mike. Out here. /"
A few moments later, a Pelican dropship flew into the hangar and deployed its landing gear before touching down. Soon as the hatch opened, Jorge emerged along with four coast guardsmen who were equipped with MA37s and outfitted in M37 Pressure suits which were designed for extra-vehicular activities. One of them carrying a weapons crate filled with ammo that he tossed onto the floor.
"/ Noble Actual, this is Five, powder keg is on board. /" Jorge radioed in as he walked down the exit ramp and began taking up a security position.
"/ Roger that, you're clear to begin phase two. /" The Colonel replied, "/ Six, head to the bridge; the Corvette's refueling run with the target will have to be initiated manually. /"
"/ Wilco, sir. /" Casper answered as he grabbed a few full mags for his VK78 Commando from the dropped container.
"/ Five, stay with the package, and discourage the curious. /"
"/ My pleasure, Actual. November Five out. /" He took his hand off his radio and readied his M247H before racking the charging handle to load a round of 12.7mm into the weapon's chamber. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. We'll manage until you get back. Though, be quick will ya? I'd hate to be all by my lonesome back here."
"Just do your best to keep them away from the bird, in case if we get into a pinch and need to exfil in a hurry." Casper said as he began walking away. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He didn't even wait for a reply before he began moving through the corridors.
Six didn't encounter too much resistance as he went from room to room, taking out all Covenant personnel whether they be Grunts, Jackals, or Elites as he continued to the Corvette's bridge. Soon, he was informed that the Savannah was returning to Anchor Nine due to them having completed their part in the operation. When Casper stepped onto the bridge, he started taking fire from two Elite Majors that were already inside; prompting him to hug the nearby wall for cover as he returned fire. After a fierce gun battle, the armored super-soldier was the only one left in the room as he performed a dead check on the two Sangheili.
Approaching what looked to be the main terminal, he can a holographic display of what looked to be the Corvette he was currently on along with a projection of a Covenant super-carrier that was blinking on and off. Pressing the flashing light, the ship suddenly shuddered as it redirected its course. Looking out the viewport, he saw that the ship was now heading directly towards the super-carrier, albeit a bit slow due to the fact that the cruiser's engines were damaged during the initial attack. Still... it was moving to it's new destination.
"/ Six! We're engaged with multiple contacts! Get back here now! /" Jorge yelled through the radio.
Casper immediately bolted back through where he came from. In less than a minute, he was back in the hangar bay where Jorge and the remaining guardsmen hunkered down near the Pelican. The Covenant troops were primarily focused on Jorge as he drew their attention while the guardsmen provided him with support. Well... the remaining ones as it looked like two had died as one was slumped against a parked Wraith and the other was lying on the floor. Both of whom looked to be leaking blood and unmoving despite the ongoing firefight.
Seeing as how they didn't notice him yet, Casper snuck around to flank the Covenant troops before tossing a frag grenade at where they were taking cover. Bones, armor fragments, and blood went flying when the grenade went off.
The remaining Covenant personnel didn't last long as they were soon gunned down by the remaining humans. Six's flanking maneuver had forced them to either be vulnerable to his gunfire, or they would have to risk moving to different cover which would lead to them being exposed and gunned by Jorge and the two coasties.
After killing the last two Ultra Elites, the hangar had gone silent as the waves of Covenant ceased. With the area now clear, the Six took the opportunity to regroup with Jorge and the two remaining costal guardsmen.
"I could see you took your time, Six." Noble Five said sarcastically.
"Didn't want to ruin your fun." Casper replied with a bit of mirth. "Check on the payload. I'll check on the coasties."
Jorge gave a nod as he examined the make-shift bomb while Casper began helping the coast guardsmen prepare to head back to Reach by checking on their orbital re-entry packs, parachutes, and making sure their suit's seals were not leaking. Losing your suit's oxygen while in space was one of the worst things that could happen to someone, what was objectively worse was your jump pack being disabled as you would be left floating helplessly in the void. Thankfully, the latter wasn't an issue as they were still inside Reach's gravitational pull which would pull them back down to the planet.
" Warning: Distance is closing on this cruiser's refueling track with the Covenant Super-Carrier. ETA: seventy-six seconds to rendezvous."
"Damn it... so, it's going to be like that..." Jorge said as he gave the timer a hit in frustration, causing a few sparks, before turning his view to Casper who was now walking back to him.
"Well, I got good news and bad-."
"Let me guess," Noble Six interrupted as he began going through his pouches. " Thrusters on the Pelican are fried and the timer on the payload is busted, isn't?"
"Uh, yeah..." Jorge responded with a bit of bewilderment. "...how did you-"
"I could already tell when I was making my way over. Move aside." Casper said as he gave Jorge a light push as he made his way to the makeshift bomb. "Guess it's a good thing I brought a spare before we embarked on this Op."
"W-Where did you get an extra timer?" The Spartan-II inquired with confusion in his voice.
"Grabbed it before we took off," Noble Six answered briskly. Not even giving his teammate a glance as he threw the destroyed timer away and began installing the new one. "Look, it doesn't matter. Just give me thirty seconds and I'll have it installed."
"You sure you know what you're doing?"
"Trust me , Jorge. I know my way around explosives. In the meantime, I suggest you grab an orbital reentry pack so we can bail before this thing goes off."
Trusting his teammate, Jorge ran inside the damaged dropship and grabbed a spare orbital re-entry pack. Placing it on his back as he made his way to the nearby shield which led outside along with what remained of the bomb's escort.
"Done! I set to twenty seconds, lets get off this boat before we get caught in the blast." The only hyper-lethal of Noble Team announced as he pressed the button which started the timer before making his way back to where the Spartan-II was waiting.
The two super-soldiers leapt threw the shield and began descending towards Reach as they got caught in the planet's gravity, the Coast guardsmen right behind them as the Corvette made a beeline towards the super-carrier. After about several seconds, a bright flash of light was discharged from the Corvette which caught a good one one/third of the Covenant Super-Carrier. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished along with the middle section of the massive spaceship.
While they were free-falling to the planet below, a small smile grew on Jorge's face; not that anyone could see it due to him wearing his GRENADIER helmet. They had done it, the mission was a success. The super-carrier was destroyed and they had managed to save Reach from destruc-.
"Warning: Slip-space rupture detected."
"Warning: Slip-space rupture detected."
The triumphant grin was instantly wiped off his face as Noble Five turned his head to the far side of the planet. Where he could see what was undoubtedly ships exiting slipspace in what looked to be in the dozens.
For a brief second, he had hoped those were UNSC ships that were sent by STRATCOM to reinforce the planet, that reinforcements had arrived. Unfortunately, he was forced to accept reality as he recognized the purple paint scheme of Covenant spacecraft thanks to his helmet's built in visor function as he zoomed in. Numerous transmissions from various UNSC installations from the planet had only confirmed what he was seeing which resulted in a great feeling of despair in the Spartan-II.
As Reach's gravity continued to pull Jorge, there was only one thought going through his mind. Something he had hoped would never happen during the entire war, a likelihood that he never wanted to even consider happening.
The possibility that Reach was going to fall to the Covenant.
And cut! That's it for now. So, for those of you who read my other story who've probably been waiting for this, here it is. The survival of Jorge! Hope you guys enjoyed it and again, thanks for taking the time to check out and read my story.
Terms:
-CAP: Combat Air Patrol.
Anyway, have a good day and remember... stay frosty, gents.