OOOOHHHH, yyeeeaaahhh, it's been a while. However I have an excuse. *ducks flying objects*
I finally got a job, so that's been eating up my time, along with school and other real life responsibilities. A lot of you know what that's like. Oh how I do yearn for the days when my life was carefree, and high school was the only thing I ever had to worry about. Ah well. This is the fight scene you have all been wanting. Took me a while b/c I'm god awful at doing these parts.
I can't believe so many people like this story so much. I never once expected this. Hope I continue to make you guys happy. I don't care for this chapter a lot, but it was a hump I had to get over.
Hope you all like it, please keep the reviews coming. I love them!
UPDATE: BAHHHH, the stupid site didn't let my scene divders go through. i tried to fix it, hopefully it works this time, cuz I have a 3,000 word paper to work on!
~88~
The electricity in the air was palpable. The clenching of gun grips and triggers was almost audible. It was as if someone had suddenly fueled a dead machine. The posture and mood radiating off the ODST's switched in an instant and one could cut the air with a knife so to speak.
The ticking time bomb that was the Hell Jumpers was about to go off. They brought their weapons up. The Alliance soldiers responded with catlike reflexes in turn, charging their guns.
"Captain Williams Sir, I'm not sure you're fully appreciating the dangerous situation in your hands right now. Choose your words more carefully." The Chief's voice took a dangerous tone."
But the arrogance of the Alliance officer knew no bounds. The Spartan's warning went right over his head.
" I choose my words how ever I feel, Master Chief. This governing body has no tolerance for espionage from rival nations."
Mal was thoroughly confused. "Rival Nations? " he whispered to the nearby Sgt. Manning.
The soldier inclined his head towards Mal. " Beats the hell outta me." he looked the Captain up and down, before adding , "You armed?"
Mal never took his eyes off the unfolding scene, but replied, " uh huh. Hip…"
Serenity's captain was slightlyalarmed when the troopers hand moved against his side, brushing the gun.
Manning grunted, "Not good enough. When the shit hit's the fan, that automatic on my back is hanging by a magnetic plate. Just yank hard enough."
"Alrighty then." He never even bothered to ask how the sergeant knew the 'shit' was going to hit the fan. Experience oozed off the NCO by the gallon. He did however eyeball the firearm out of the corner of his eye. It was impressive looking, to say the least. It was smaller than the rifle the man held in his hands, but Mal had seen it used on Reavers. The firearm was powerful.
Sgt. Bastogne stood behind the Chief and to his right, Manning, Wash and Mal back and to the left. When Mal glanced around the Sergeant's head, he got a glimpse at the others. It never hurt to know what was going on around you. The red head, Ross, stood next to the medic. He was holding what looking like a grenade, turning it over in his hand. Their visors were polarized, but their postures gave away what they were thinking. The shorter man's hand clenched in and out of a fist. There were two feds standing not far from them, and the medic seemed to have positioned himself like a shield between them, and the injured laying not far away. The sniper was no where to be seen. Mal wasn't sure if that was reassuring or worrisome.
John was finished talking to the man. There was no reasoning with him, and the answer he received told him everything. He opened the private channel to Tatsuo.
"Jam their communications, and have Corporal Cooper pull you."
"Copy that Chief."
The Fed Captain was not a complete fool however. The momentary silence aroused his suspicions, even if it was only a fraction of a second.
"Drop your weapons now and no one gets shot." He men moved simultaneously with his words.
One of them tried to move past Leth, towards the injured. Bad move.
The medic and the Spartan reacted in sync with each other.
The Chief brought his rifle up and muttered, "Not gonna happen," and squeezed the trigger. At the same time, Leth let his instinct take over; protecting those that depended on him and his care. He lashed out with his fist, putting all the force he could muster behind it.
The bullets left the barrel of the Chiefs rifle and split the air, slamming into the Captains chest.
Leth's fist connected with the man's helmet, shattering the visor and forcing him down to the ground.
The effects were similar to a floodgate failing.
The Captain fell to the ground, and the second fed near Leth and Ross fired his weapon directly into Leth's chest, point blank range.
Manning had his rifle up seconds after the Chiefs, and fired burst rounds into the Alliance officers without hesitation. However, his heart caught in his throat when he saw the Doc's situation out of the corner of his eye. The firearm was point blank….. And fired some kind of energy. The blue ring shaped blast sent the hell jumper flying back wards, tumbling feet over head, and landing on his back.
Leth's body didn't move.
"NO!" pushed it's way out of Ross's mouth in the form of an enraged scream. He drew his side arm fast as a snake strikes, and brought against the mans neck. The trigger was pulled without a second thought.
The blood sprayed out like a mist, and the fed dropped like a sack of bricks. It was then the fire fight truly escalated to a hellish level. Bullets flew, and the ODST's dove for cover.
Concentrated fire was put onto Ross. Mal watched as he slammed the grenade he'd been holding into the ground. What looked like honeycombed glass sprung up around him, stopping the bullets and energy bursts in their path. It gave the Alliance soldiers pause.
Serenity's Captain had never seen anything like it. But Mal didn't stay distracted, he grabbed Wash and forced the pilot to the ground, but not before gripping the gun off the sergeants back like he'd been offered. A solid yank released it from the magnetic plates hold, just as Manning said it would.
Manning him self stayed low, firing short burst shots, and moving backwards toward the wrecked ship. He paused next to Wash and Mal.
"Move your asses! Go! I'll cover you!"
Wash got moving, but Mal hesitated. It didn't feel right to just split, not yet. He held the gun up, aiming at the legs of the nearest fed. The bullets cut through the guys leg in a red spray. The action was oddly satisfying.
The was no blood spray when the Captain went down. John knew he was wearing a flak vest. He'd suspected it when the mans uniform appeared slightly bulged. The armor's shields fared up and gave a warning signal as Alliance bullets collided with it. The warning went into the red when the Chief took the brunt of an energy blast like the one that had slammed the medic.
"Cortana, analyze that energy signature. I wanna know what it does." He unloaded a clip into five of the oncoming soldiers and started making for the bubble shield.
The soldiers that rushed in towards Ross and the shield, started to drop without reason, small bursts of blood popping out of their necks and heads.
Captain Williams rolled over, and began scrambling to his feet. He surveyed the battled field, and yelled, "Sniper! Take cover! I want ground cover and turret support now!" The man's voice cracked, rimmed with pain.
Sgt. Bastogne kept up with the Spartan, and maneuvered towards the body of the medic. John checked his HUD for the ODST's vitals. The medic wasn't dead, merely unconscious. The injured were up and moving, going for cover on the other side of the ship, and within the rock formation. The sergeant grabbed Leth's body by the collar and started to drag him. The gun went along, caught on the wrist by the strap.
"Give me cover fire!" He yelled.
"Gladly!" Ross hissed. He wasn't playing around anymore. He hefted the rocket launcher onto his shoulder and aimed into the open ramp of the Alliance ship.
The Alliance men yelled "Rocket! Take cover!", for all the good it did them. The SPNKR round left a vapor trail behind as it collided with the hydraulic lifts for the ships ramp. The explosion sent men flying and warning lights to blare outside and inside the ship.
The outer weaponry on the ship moved and came to life, aiming at the pockets of resistance.
Manning yelled over the radio, "Raines! Take out those guns NOW!"
The supporting structure and wire sparked with the impact of the 50 cal round, and fizzled out of power completely after the second one.
"Would you like fries with that Sgt. Manning?" The sniper asked calmly over the comm system.
The Master Chief systematically took down every fed who had not run for cover behind or in the ship. When there was a slight lull in the shooting he moved back towards the rocks for better cover. He grabbed the body of the medic so Bastogne could climb up, holding the extra fire arm. The short man took no effort to lift. He was like a rag doll to the Spartan.
The rocks jutted out at odd angles, giving them good cover and firing positions. On the other side of the ship, he picked up the presence of Sgt. Manning, Serenity's Captain, and the pilot. Cpl. Coopers signal was moving toward them through the ship.
Chief Thever was set down by Dawkins and Smith. She reclined against the rocks, loading a pistol. Bassik was next to her, on one knee cradling his broken arm and holding his magnum. His helmet was depolarized, and the bags under his eyes said the pain killers had worn off.
He scanned the area again, and the computer in his suit picked up the signal of one of the ODST's nearby, at a higher elevation. The sniper was sitting somewhere at the top of the rock outcropping.
"Status report Cpl. Raines" Master Chief demanded.
"You're looking at a nest of pissed off hornets. There's another ship on it's way."
"Chief, they must have been transmitting to the others before we jammed them. There haven't been any communications since the jam, or I would have detected it." Cortana remarked.
"Then we need to take them out before they take us out."
"One thing first." Ross grunted. He depolarized his visor, and roughly yanked off Leth's helmet. He placed his fingers on the Irishman's neck. "He's got a weak pulse!" His hands scrambled for the chest plate release. The clips unlocked, the plate was flipped out, and immediately the medics chest rose sharply. His eyes shot open, and he took a sudden, rough inhale. Instantly he was coughing and hacking, chest rattling. He gasped like a fish out of water, legs kicking out and scraping the ground in the struggle to catch his breath.
"Doc! It's alright man, breathe!"
Leth tried to sit up. Ross gripped his shoulders and sat him up right.
"Feels like a truck barreled into me lungs! The fuck was that?" His voice was strained and low, struggling for substance and sound carry.
"Some kind of stun round. You took it to the solar plexus." The Chief said, slapping ammo into the battle rifle. Cortana confirmed, " It was a stunner. He had it on full blast, and point blank range. Your vitals are saying there's no broken bones, but you're going have severe contusions."
"Ow," said the medic in a strained voice. "Where's my gun?"
Bastogne handed it over, the shotgun catching light from over the rock formations. The medic pumped it once. " My bag is on the other side. I want it back."
"Are you serious?" Dawkins spat out. He opened fire over the rock.
Ross helped Leth to his feet. The short man groaned. "That thing survived Knogsin, Sung-tu, Carthia, Garnet, and Earth with me. Peoples lives have been saved because of it. And I like the color," he said flatly.
"Ha!" Bassik laughed.
~88~
John radioed Sgt. Manning. "Find out if Captain Reynolds knows how to take down those ships."
"Yes sir."
Manning looked to his left, where Reynolds and his pilot were crouched. Not far, and firing from on top of the hull were the other two.
"Either of you know how to take that thing out quick?"
Mal stood and fired, before coming back down. "Wash?"
The pilot straightened his shirt, and peeked at the Alliance ship. "You can fire at that thing all night long, and it'll take it like a hooker takes your wallet. It's an up armored patrol boat. You want thing outta commission? Gotta do it from the inside."
"Chief, we have to hit it internally. Preferably before they take off in it." Manning radioed.
Raines grunted, "That ship gets back in the air we're fucked."
Cooper popped his head up and snickered. "Then let's reach inside her, and deliver a swift kick to the bitches ovaries."
Mal fixed Sgt. Manning with a look. "You gonna go against an Alliance gun ship, full of feds, with more air support on the way?"
"Pfft, there isn't a problem in the world that can't be solved by throwing a squad of Hell Jumpers at it." The Sergeant spat matter of factly.
The comm lines flooded with chuckling.
John listened to the chatter for a moment before issuing commands. "I'm going in from the right side. Sgt. Manning come in on the left with Cooper. Bastogne, Smith and Dawkins follow after me. The remainder of you provide cover fire."
A chorus of 'copy that' sent the Chief springing to his feet , shouting "Move!" and hurtling towards the ship.
The Spartan was a green blur, moving faster than any other human was capable. Instantly gunfire erupted with a renewed vigor. The Chief raised his weapon in response, taking down each Alliance official quickly with efficient bursts to the head. Another popped up on his HUD, coming around the side of the ship. His aim changed accordingly. More scrambled on the opposite side, only to be pelted with speeding metallic death bids, courtesy of Sgt. Manning and Cpl. Cooper. An automated turret lowered from the wing. Sgt. Bastogne grunted when his rifle destroyed it.
When he was in range, Master Chief ducked and rolled to the side of the loading ramp, taking advantage of what little cover was offered. When a fed tried to scurry down to join the nearly one sided fight, the Chief knocked his legs out from under him, and dragged the guy off the ramp. A swift jerk of the neck ended it quickly, just in time for another volley of fire to erupt from inside the ship. The ammunition wasn't you're typical bullet though. Red flashes invaded the vision of the ODST's, and they realized they'd be dealing with laser weapons.
Manning wasn't about to find out the intensity or power behind those guns. He looked to the Chief after Dawkins, and Smith joined the Spartan and Bastogne on the other side of the ramp.
The Master Chief made the hand gesture for grenades, and pulled a frag from his belt. Manning followed suit, and they counted together silently, the Chief counting off with his fingers. The cooking had reached it's limit, and they lobbed the grenades inside with an underhanded pitch.
~88~
The concussion shook the ship and immediate area around it. Mal, Zoe and Jayne even felt it back at the wreck of the Tam. He turned to his first mate and asked, "Did they really just run up on that gun ship like it was a ruttin game of hop scotch?"
"Yes sir." She answered under her breath. The longer they were around these men the more cautious she grew. They were high military, just as bad if not worse than some of the Alliance they'd dealt with in the past because of River and Simon. She felt like they were swimming against a rip current again. Her soldiers instincts were in overdrive.
"Who in their right mind does that? Gonna get themselves gorram dead." Jayne muttered.
Back on the mule, Simon held his head in his hands. Why did they always run into these situations?
He was startled when Rivers small voice interrupted his thoughts through the comm.
"Simon, we're coming to get you."
"What? River no, it's dangerous here. You and Kaylee have to keep back at the ship, and wait for us."
"Not enough time. Walking court will be bigger soon. More bailiffs coming. "
"What are you talking about?"
"We need to go, all of us." She cut off the transmission.
Simon threw up his hands in frustration. "Captain!"
"What?" Mal made a face.
"Rivers bringing the ship here!"
"What!" Mal stood straight up, and promptly ducked again when a round whizzed past his head.
Zoe took aim over the edge of the wreckage they were using as cover. "Has she lost more of her mind?"
"Simon! You get on the gorram comm and tell you sister not to put one deadly little digit on those controls, you got me?"
"I can try-" a new rain of blaster fire cut him off." But she cut the transmission!"
"I don't care! My ship is not getting shot, blown up or id'd on another Jing Chai adventure! Niao Se Duh Du Gwai this is ridiculous!"
His statement was punctuated by another explosion. Power inside the fed ship flickered.
"My point exactly." Mal muttered, his hair straying into his eyes.
~88~
The double grenade attack had done some serious damage to the ship and the men that were still on board. Raw hamburger was good way to describe it.
The Chief went in first, followed by Cooper and Manning, and the rest of the ODST's. The ship wasn't much smaller than the Falcon the troopers had flown on before crashing. With the Spartan on point, they moved through the craft, taking out anyone that they came across.
Manning knew instantly they were going for the cockpit.
There was cursing and yelling from the control area. John could make out two voices arguing. He rounded the corner, and popped a bullet in each mans head without hesitation. A squeak from the corner gave away Captain Williams position, not that he could have hid from the Spartan anyway. John motioned with two fingers, and Manning and Dawkins grabbed the guy by his arms, and removed all weapons quickly.
"Cpl. Cooper, find if there's a way to make their engines over power."
"Yes sir."
The Spartan towered over the Alliance Fed, that mirrored gold plate adding a terrifying coldness to the already high intimidation factor.
"You know exactly where we're from don't you."
"I'm not telling you anything, Ta Ma Duh."
"Interesting," Cortana said. " Everyone in this little annex of humanity mixes Mandarin and English together regularly. He just called you a 'mother fucker'."
"These men are well aware of what and who the UNSC is."
The air was tingling with anxiety.
"It's the reason they were so damn hostile." Cooper added from his seat at the controls. Disbelief laced his voice. "These people are the remnants, er- decedents of the first great separation. I learned that crap in grade school. I'm looking at protocols for the event of any contact with the UNSC and any one or thing related to it." He swirled in the chair. "This has got to be a friggin joke."
"They survived a trip like that with no FTL technology?" Dawkins muttered.
"The son of bitch knew the whole time." Manning stated.
"Listen to this- standard protocol in the event that contact is re-established with any representation of the United Nations Space Command, is , in a nut shell, to contain, detain, debrief and dispose. What is wrong with these people? There's a sub article on procuring any technology and another on quarantining information from the public."
"Totalitarian."
"Cover-up."
"Controlling the public through flow of information through the media. I've already delved into their information network enough to know that most of this civilization happily wears blinders in exchange for material comfort. The rest are just ignorant." Said Cortana.
"Chief, that other ship is incoming."
"Set the auto turrets to fire on it when in range."
"Yes sir. Only on of them is operational. Raines killed the rest I think." Cooper was having one hell of a time navigating the controls on the ship. Were it a UNSC vessel, it would have taken a matter of seconds, with the help of an AI. Sifting through the English and Mandarin control labels wasn't easy, and would have been impossible if Tatsuo wasn't chirping helpful pointers in his ear.
"Move back to The River Tam. We need to evac the area. We can't win this with waves of reinforcements inbound."
"Master Chief sir, where are we supposed to go after this? I doubt this 'Alliance' is going to let us just nest in this desert until our people find and pick us up. And that could take a long time."
"Malcolm Reynolds' ship can pick us up. We'll play it by ear after that." There wasn't much else they could do, he thought grudgingly. If it was just him and Cortana, things would be simpler. He'd invaded a Covenant city and government center by himself. But having the troopers here made things different. He wasn't quite sure of their abilities yet. Being an ODST meant you were the best of the best, besides the Spartans. But that didn't mean all Hell Jumpers were made equal. There were also the wounded to consider. These men were his responsibility now.
There was also the less than scrupulous Captains reactions and opinion that created another variable.
Cpl. Cooper pounded at the controls for a few more minutes before he exclaimed a sound of success. "Found the engine controls. These people still use fuel! But I think I can route power to make it overheat. I don't know how long it would take for over taxing and combustion to occur."
"We need a jack-in point. The information I could siphon of this ship would be invaluable." Cortana grumbled aloud. Cooper turned his visor up to look at the Chief.
"These computers seem to run off interchangeable hard drives. From what I'm seeing, each commander has his own drive or drives, with personalized protocols and algorithms in place. Pass codes and everything are on it- I think."
"You think?" Dawkins sneered.
"Hey- you wanna do this? I'm going at it the best I can. All computers are structurally the same in origin and coding. Messing with different operating systems and programs of varying complexity without the help of an AI is a pain in my Somian ass." He took a breath. "Let me see if I can get the drives ejected for this ship."
"Do it."
Raines buzzed in over the comm. "What the hell are you doing in there? That ships about to be in range. Get your asses out of there or get corned by one big fucking dog. I believe we're looking at a troop carrier."
"Hurry it up Corporal." Bastogne growled.
"Power re-routed to engines…. Now. Popping drives as we speak."
Crystal like devices ejected smoothly from slots in the control panel. There were three of them, and Cooper moved to pocket them.
"What about him?" Manning asked, smacking the fed with the butt of his rifle.
John turned to face the Captain. The man made a face and spit as hard as possible in at the Spartan. John side stepped it easily, and lashed out with the speed of a cobra, using his left foot. Williams face jerked up and to the side violently with a wet snap.
John was silent and made the hand signal for them to leave. Dawkins dropped the mans arm, and gazed at the body for a moment. It wasn't because of the mans passing, or the manner of it; the sheer speed and ease of force used to end the Captains life was shocking.
Manning shrugged. He had been rather annoying anyway. At least no bullets had been wasted.
Warning signals flared up again as they moved toward the exit of the ship. A woman's voice announced that the engine was unstable in English and Chinese. The lights were barely flickering, and the externals were completely gone.
At a hustle pace, they cleared the vessel quickly. Out on the ramp, John heard the engines of the other ship close by. A sweep of the sky gave away it's location, and he hurried his men.
A steady thack thack thack started along the ground not far from them.
"Hug the ground!" Manning shouted. The soldiers dove for cover among the Alliance bodies still laying in the dirt. Master Chief rolled to side, dodging the bullets with what looked like the least amount of effort needed.
The large caliber rounds left small craters in the soil. When it seemed they had stopped, John listened to the engine sounds. He watched the ship hover out and rotate for a moment, like it was going to land. The decent was quick, and sure enough the ramp opened, and poured out more feds in cobalt armor. Two central figures remained poised at the top, un moving from the interior of the vehicle. When it had off loaded the men, the craft took off again, blowing up a dust storm in it's wake.
Bastogne was the first one up. "Light'em up!" He ordered, and opened fire on the armored men.
Manning rolled to his feet and armed his last grenade.
The feds saw it coming, and scattered as best they could. When the blast erupted, four of them were still caught pretty close to it. Three more in the back dropped, two instantly and one clutching his throat, blood pouring through his fingers.
"Good work Raines." Manning muttered.
"That ships coming around for another pass. You need to find better cover." The sniper said stoically.
John jumped to his feet, and caught sight of the turret on the back of the Warthog. He moved for it with lightning speed, and in seconds he was on the back of the hog. The turret ripped from it's support structure easily, and the Chief jumped down with a heavy thud.
Dawkins saw what the Spartan had done, and yelled for every one to move. The turret came to life slowly, but each of the rounds it fired pounded into the hull of the ship.
"It's coming back!" Manning yelled.
"We gotta take it down!" Dawkins yelled.
They aimed up, their bullets adding to the massive volley already originating from the Chief. Visible damage was building up on the one side of craft. The ship it's self turned and was coming back, and opening fire.
"Take cover!"
They were sprayed with projectile rounds. The ground was peppered, and there was no avoiding it in some parts. Sgt. Bastogne was not so lucky, and the volley connected with his body. The armor helped in some places, but rounds found their way to the soft spots at the neck and plate joints.
The ODST ceased movement, and let out a startled grunt before falling to ground completely. Dust kicked up on impact with his body. Blood pooled on the sand under him.
The second of stunned silence that followed seemed to last an eternity. The disbelief building…
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Manning slid in the sand towards him. "Eric!" The air rushed in his ears.
The Chief expended all ammo from the turret, and dumped the gun in the sand when he was done. He could see the damage done to the ship, and the fire it had received had forced the thing to turn around for the moment. The vitals of one of the Sergeants flickered, and were rapidly heading towards flat lining.
Bastogne was unable to speak in his last moments; several bullets through the throat had seen to that. He gasped, and gripped Mannings forearm as tight as he could. His chest heaved for a moment, before falling slowly, and silently for the last time. Blood pooled from his neck, around his head forming a sick kind of halo. Gently, and respectfully, he placed the mans arm over his chest plate.
Manning knelt by him at a loss for words. For several seconds, he didn't move. But the sergeant was no cherry to battle. He collected Bastogne's rifle and reached inside the mans chest plate, grasping for something. When his hand emerged, it was holding a chain that had a tag, and a data chip dangling off of it. Smith and Dawkins paused, the death of their squad leader hitting them hard.
"Keep moving people, find some cover."
Dawkins moved with a now disheartened step. He spotted the medic bag laying on the ground, and ran over to swipe it. He grunted at how heavy it actually was. They managed to make it back to the rocks and the wreck, and uncomfortable silence passing between each trooper. Ross and Leth had seen what happened, and looked away upon their return. If Raines had comment he kept it to himself, as usual, and remained vigilant on the outcroppings top.
Death was nothing new to any of them, but the war was over. They had survived the attempt to eradicate humanity, and taken part in the battles leading up to, and during the defense of Earth.
When a veteran like Bastogne died, all those who served had reason to have it hit them hard. Manning had known him for years, and the man had survived through some nasty situations.
"I'm taking that fucking ship out." Ross grunted, loading another rocket round.
"It's more armored than the last one." Dawkins commented.
"Then get me an opening!" he hissed.
~88~
Mal watched the guy go down and felt himself involuntarily cringe. Seeing one of the troops kick it, drove home that they weren't invincible. That made him wonder about what it would take to bring the Chief down.
"Mal, we need to get out of here gorram it." Jayne growled.
"As scared as I am to admit it, I concur with Jayne. This isn't any good."
"Didn't the Doc say his looney sister was bringing the ship? I say we hop on it and take, let these freaks fight it out with the feds."
Jaynes words stirred something deep. By all means, Mal was ready to jump ship and leave these people to fight their own battles. It wouldn't be the first time he'd left someone behind, though never anyone from the crew. In fact, the urge to leave was pressing within him.
But when he tried to make the command verbal, something would nag at the base of his mind, and the words would retracted before they ever left his lips. He didn't realize Zoe was talking to him till she repeated herself.
"Sir!"
"Huh? What?"
"What are your orders?"
"What do you mean what are my orders?"
"Are we helping them or not?"
YES
"Yeah…" He scratched his head, confused as to the decision he'd reached.
Zoe looked at him funny for a moment, until gun fire brought her out of it. The ship was coming in for another pass.
~88~
Ross was waiting for it to land again. The rockets were the last piece of heavy weaponry they had available. When the door opened, if it opened, they were going down.
John reloaded his gun, and watched to see what the feds were going to do. If they were ignorant enough to underestimate the capabilities of the small UNSC force, the outcome could be drastic. The silence was thick enough to cut through with a knife. John looked over the rocks. If he got more height, he'd be able to attempt to board the ship.
The path Corporal Raines used wasn't obvious, and would take an experienced climber to scale. The Chief was propelling himself upwards at an almost impossible pace, even though some of the hand holds were too small. As he reached the top, the sniper shifted to glance over his shoulder at the Spartan.
John remained at a low crouch, and surveyed the area briefly. The way the bluffs were formed provided good cover from any surveillance. The sniper went back to staring through his scope, and ignoring the Spartan. It reminded John of Linda immediately. The gun jerked to the left, and Raines spoke.
"They're coming back."
The ship swooped in close, the engines whirring loudly. The turrets pounded the terrain with sprays of deadly bullets. The troopers pressed in closer for better cover against the crag. With the UNSC team pinned down by fire, the skiff opened it's bay downs once more, spilling forth two dozen more men..
Ross wouldn't miss the chance. He flung his body upright, and shot his rocket directly into the bay. The targeting system hadn't even been utilized, but the attempt hit home.
The round collided with the side of the opening, bringing a shower of sparks and fire. The ship careened out of control, coming closer to the rocks, close enough for a jump. The Spartan pushed with all the force in his legs. The hull of the ship came rushing up to greet him. The weight of his impact left a sizable dent in the surface. Beeps and shrill alarms were going off inside, but he paid them no mind. John jumped to his feet and ran across the surface towards the cockpits canopy.
~88~
The soldiers hit the ground, and scattered instantly for cover, obviously learning from their predecessors. Now they were headed for the ODST's cover on foot, laying down enough spray to keep the troopers pinned and barely able to fire back. Raines picked them off one by one, his rifle running low on ammo. He was having to aim more carefully now. The Alliance soldiers were using their brains this time, taking the fight to a whole other level.
There was a glint of light, and his mind barely registered it in time. It was the reflection off of a type of sights. None of his body was visible, which rendered a gun useless. He paused for the briefest moment to ponder this, when the weapon emitted sparks and smoke.
RPG!
He rolled left and to his feet lighting fast. The RPG collided with the rock formation next to him. The concussion knocked him off balance, and off his feet, nearly tumbling off the top of the outcropping. Another slammed into the opposite wall. Stars dotted the snipers vertigo warped vision, and it took a moment to reorient himself. Scratch that, he needed more than a moment. Bit's of rock rained down on him and he could hear shouting beneath him.
"Kevin!"
"They're going to fire a third one!"
The words barely catalouged in his brain. It was more than one voice, amidst the gun fire and grenade explosions.
"Coroporal Raines if you are still amongst the living you will answer me NOW." It was Manning. Had to be.
He rolled on his stomach, and tried to pick himself up. He made it to his hands and knees. Forcing him self to will away the dizziness, Raines tried to make his lips move in response. The words never got a chance to leave his mouth though.
The first Alliance ship, still sitting broken in the sand not far way, erupted in a massive fireball of flames and flying debris. A wave of hot air washed over the fight, knocking men to their feet.
~88~
Mal and his crew took shelter behind the hull of the UNSC ship. Jayne yelled a string of obscenities that would make even the most crude of prostitutes blush. There had to be a better way to do this. The idea hit him quickly. The hatch to the inside bay to the ship was still open. When he had run for cover, there were several wheeled vehicles inside that might be operational.
He got moving in that direction.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Zoe inquired.
"Got a crazy, stupid, and probably suicidal idea."
"Sounds appealing!" Wash yelled.
"Jayne, use Vera and give us any cover we might need."
"Got it."
"Zoe, Im countin on you all."
"Yes Sir," She answered, with just a hint of sarcastic pep.
~88~
Leth clutched his chest, still exposed from the lifted plate, listening to the attempts to reach Raines. He gave himself a shot of adrenaline laced with slight pain killers. He didn't have the time to be incapacitated. The chest plate was slapped back in place and locked down. The medic slammed his helmet back on and took up the shotgun once again, and sat on his bag. He wasn't good for much else at the moment. Worry tickled the back of his mind, but he swatted it away. Every member of their squad was tough. They'd been through hell and it would take more than a few RPG rounds to kill them.
The ships explosion shook them all, but the third strike from the RPG snapped their attention away instantly.
"Fucking hell, Raines! Get your ass out of there!" Cooper yelled. He started to climb the rocks. "I'm going up there."
But bullets and assorted laser fire had him jumping back down. Alliance soldiers rounded the corners at them.
"Open fire troopers!"
Open fire they did. Cooper let loose an incendiary grenade, catching two of the enemy in a blaze of all consuming fire. The men screamed and dropped to the ground, rolling in pain.
Bassik took careful aim with his side arm, and even Thever fired. The attempt at flanking was cut short, and it was doubtful the Alliance would trying it again without better fire power.
"Kevin! Answer your fucking NCOIC god damn it!"
There wasn't a chance to get much more out though. Something connected with the back of Mannings helmet, hard. The force of the blow threw him off his feet. It was a blond haired man, and he attacked Dawkins next with a display of martial arts that distinctly reminded him of his sniper. Ross whipped around with his side arm, only to be disarmed and thrown to the ground.
The attacker unsheathed a long, thin sword, and poised it above Ross's neck, and Manning could have sworn he heard, "This is a good death for a warrior." Leave the man's lips.
But before that sword could fall, and deafening shotgun blast made the man flinch and roll to the side for cover.
"Fuck off." Leth grunted as loudly as he could.
Using the distraction to his advantage, Manning lunged for the guy, tackling him in another direction. Both men rolled to their feet, the Alliance soldier cat like and precise, the ODST rough, like a brawler.
The Sergeant realized his gun was on the rocks where he's been knocked down. He cracked his knuckles and motioned for the man to bring it.
The fed whipped his sword around, and Manning pulled the long, cruel looking combat knife from it's sheath on his chest.
~88~
The explosion from the ship knocked the second skiff off course even further. The Master Chief had to catch his balance and grab a piece of the hull to keep from falling. The smooth reflective surface of the canopy loomed ahead of him, and gave way to renewed vigor. He'd had enough of these people. He categorized them as no better than the separatists he'd fought before. He drove him self forward, reaching the edge of the canopy.
The crew was slightly invisible through the tinted glass, and they were busy trying to right the ship. There was no time to notice the armored giant slapping the grenades onto the transparent surface in front of them.
The frags were bundled together, and he pulled the pins, allowing them to slide down the glass. The blast created a beautiful, spider web effect, and set more sirens off. The crew panicked, and began shouting orders.
John swung his legs over the side, and used his momentum to smash the barrier inwards. The immense weight of the Spartan could not be denied, and the glass gave way in a section big enough for him to fit through. He hit the floor of the cock pit with a loud 'thud'.
The crew gaped, lost for words. John brough his rifle up, and one of the officers finally regained his wits. The orders came to late however, and the Spartan sprayed the room with bullets and deadly accuracy. A few had been close to pulling their weapons, but never got a chance.
"Nice." Cortana commented.
His trained eye's scanned the room, and found what he wanted. The hatch leading to outside was labeled in red warning messages in English and mandarin.
"Chief, go over to the controls. I need to see them to figure out how it works."
"I want this thing out of commission."
"I can tell you how to set the auto pilot so it crashes after we've jumped."
"Do it"
He moved over to the main pilots controls, and waited for the AI to instruct him. She chirped directions in his ears, along with comments about the archaic nature of the ships for having basic controls and no AI compatibility.
After a few moments of clumsy instruction, the Chief finally had the auto pilot going, aiming for the sand right next to the other wreck.
As long as no more ships showed up, all they had to do was clear the remaining Alliance soldiers and leave the area as quickly as possible.
~88~
Ross was picking himself off the ground and reaching for his side arm when he heard the scraping of boots. Moving up next to Chief Thever was another sword wielding freak. This one was older looking with a darker complexion. He was wearing full body armor, just like the last one.
"Drop the over sized steak knife, now." The gun was leveled at the man.
His voice was even and smooth, and eerily calm." If you don't lower your firearm, this woman will die, and so will you."
Bassik tried to aim at the man, but only had his arm kicked viciously, forcing him to drop the gun.
Leth was near a fury. "Way to pick on the injured you fucking coward." The Irishman stood up, painfully so.
"I have neither the time nor inclination to argue valor with you. I will do what I must to complete my goal. All of you stand within my way of that." He sword twitched.
The was a scraping on the rocks above them. The man tried to move, but only got halfway clear before the heavily armored soldier barreled down on him, feet first.
Loud grunts and shuts ended in the two men wrestling for control. They broke apart, Raines immediately taking a defensive stand, poised and controlled like a professional.
The man visibly watched the trooper for a moment, studying this before swiping with the blade. Kevin lunged into the attack, blocking the blade with his fore arm plates, and getting inside the mans defenses with an elbow to the face, and a well placed kick to the kidneys.
~88~
Manning watched the weapon intently, waiting for the wielder to strike at him with it. The man attacked, and the Sergeant blocked it with his knife, and struck out with a vicious blow to the ribs, with his knees. He grabbed at the hilt of the blade and the attackers hands, trying to disable the weapon, while stabbing with the knife wielding arm.
The knife was block though. The Alliance man brought his hand down onto of Manning's, and twisted the limb back. He kicked the ODST away from him, slashing with the blade again. The Sergeant blocked with the knife for a second time, and forced his head forward as hard as he could. The blow connected with the enemies nose, and the Manning lashed out with the combat knife again, gauging a large bloody mark in the man's upper arm.
He cried out in pain, nose gushing blood, and hurled a retaliating blow. The blade slashed open an area om Manning's side that wasn't covered by armor.
"Son of a bitch!"
The Hell Jumper shoved his way inside the mans defenses, and embedded the blade of the knife as far into the guy's upper thigh as he could force it. Reverberations from striking the bone moved up through the blade to hilt. He yanked the weapon out as quickly and roughly as he could, leaving the man screaming and disabled.
Movement to his side caught his attention, and in that split second, the fed struck out with his fist into Manning's throat.
The Sergeant saw red, and gasped for breath. The two separated, and Manning moved back towards his men.
~88~
He knocked the blade from the man's grip quickly. Disarming the guy as fast as possible was the first priority. Then the real combat started.
The man was fast, scary fast. He kept up with every jab, punch, and block Raines threw up.
In turn, frustration and concentration were plastered across the guys face in a plain-as-day expression. He blocked the round house kick the ODST threw at him, and the subsequent punch. With the both the troopers limbs caught, he kicked the black armored man in the chest and to the ground.
Raines however, was not so easy to defeat. As he felt the foot connect with his chest, he sent his free leg up, to wrap around the man knee's, and bring him down to the ground as well. He rolled out of the way of the falling body, and kicked at the mans face while still in a crouch.
The fed stood, and tried to return the favor, but Kevin rolled clear and stood. When the man attacked again, Raines used his opponents legs as steps, and propelled him self up and forward. When airborne, he hooked the feds neck with one leg, and brought the other up and under the man's arm. He then pushed his momentum forward and to the left, bringing both of them down in a tumble.
The ODST rolled out of it like a natural, standing into a defensive stance.
The fed jumped to his feet quickly, but hesitated to attack again.
Dawkins and Cooper started firing again, this time at more Alliance soldiers coming around the formation at them. They were moving over the rocks at the Hell Jumpers now. When the fed cleared the peak how ever, they were gunned down from behind.
~88~
Mal was rather proud of his good aim, especially while he was riding the four wheeler. Now that he had the fed's attention however, he had to duck as low to the machine as possible to avoid getting a bullet to the brain pan. Zoe and Jayne fired for cover.
Above him, the second ship was a crash course. He watched the green armored figure jump from the boat, and land with a slam on the ground. The Spartan didn't even seem fazed. Reynolds drifted to a stop right next to him.
"Nice work."
The Chief looked at him. Without saying a word, he climbed on the back of the mongoose.
"What in the hell?"
"Drive."
"Yes Ma'am!" Mal bit back snidely. He didn't like being ordered around by anyone.
The Chief several remaining stragglers of the Alliance attackers. Two that stood out in different armor, looked the commanders, and had possibly ordered some form of retreat. John reloaded his gun, and opened fire immediately. The feds ducked for cover, and became pinned down when the other troopers took over.
In the distance, Mal could hear familiar engines. It was the sound of home. He whipped the four wheeler towards the side of the ship wreckage that had proven safe for them so far. The balance was almost completely thrown off from the bulk of the Spartan.
The ODST's were pointing at the incoming ship.
"Tell them to hold their fire. It's Serenity!"
John nodded and passed the message onto Manning.
The mid bulk transport ship loomed into view, hovering for a landing and opening her hatch doors.
Mal brought the four wheeler to stop, but the Master Chief didn't even wait for that. He was off running as soon as they were in the vicinity.
The sounds of hydraulics and hover engines announced the arrival of Zoe, Jayne, Wash and Simon in the mule. Zoe pulled it directly into the bay.
Bassik trotted up the ramp as fast as he could, aided by Smith. Leth followed, leaning on Dawkins. Cooper kept at a crouch, scanning the area for anymore Alliance attacks. The sniper was waiting on the ramp, keeping watch. The sword wielding weirdo's had gotten away, with a quarter dozen of their men still alive.
The Chief went over to the wounded, prepared to carry Chief Thever onto the ship.
Manning and Ross were crouched next to her. The sergeants visor was depolarized, and his expression grim.
Fresh blood poured from her chest, the result of a stray bullet.
Her face was strained. "Just give me a grenade. When they come over here expecting to find something, I'll blow as many of them to hell as I can."
Ross looked at the Spartan; John nodded to him. Two frags were placed in her hands, and Ross squeezed her should before getting up to and moving.
Sgt. Manning took the tag and data chip from around her neck, and placed it in the same pocket he held Bastognes. "It was an honor ma'am."
"Same here Sergeant. You see Eddy Buck after this, tell him he still owes me for getting him off that shit detail."
"Will do."
"Now get out of here. Make sure you get the Chief back to Earth, or I'll haunt you dammit."
Manning nodded, and moved for the waiting ship, not looking back.
Master Chief, did how ever, turn once. Thever gave him a thumbs up. Ever so briefly and slightly, he returned it.
The rest of the men trotted up the ramp, a girl in grease smeared coveralls controlling the hatch, a confused look in her eyes.
She could be heard trying to ask the Captain who all these men were.
"Kaylee, close'r up! Quick like."
She followed her orders, Serenity already lifting into the air.
~88~
Ok, so hopefully my writers block is gone as well. I do hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. I value my readers a lot, and LOVE reviews. Hope to hear from you! Esp my loyal ones. You know who you are.
The songs for this chapter are: "When Worlds Collide" By Powerman 5000 and "Toxicity" By System of a Down