Chapter XII
—Nova Team—
1525 Hours, December 3, 2550 (Military Calendar) \
Epsilon Eridani star system, Babd Catha Ice Shelf, ONI
Sword Base, Farragut Station, planet Reach.
The crackle of live ammunition filled the air, stitching the concrete guarders with holes. Marines armed with assault rifles motioned through the improvised battle grounds, unloading entire clips into the moving targets. They were quick, real quick. By the time Marines had lined down their sights, they had repositioned and attacked.
It was a losing battle, but the Marines kept fighting. Machine gunners were positioned high on platforms, spraying the battle grounds with suppressing fire as the Marines advanced. One of the machine gunners caught sight of one of the targets. He turned the weapon in the target's general direction, aimed, and prepared to fire.
Before he could even pull the trigger, a rubber round struck his forearm, instantly numbing it. The Marine yelped, just before another rubber slug pounded him square in his left knee. His leg buckled, and the Marine went down. Lukas bared a devious smirk, watching the Marine squirm in agony. He moved left, fiercely staring through the telescopic sight. With a quick jerk of his index finger, another Marine gunner went down.
Meanwhile, Jace hurdled over one of the guarders and slid to the ground as an explosive projectile screamed over his head. The Lieutenant's heart nearly skipped a beat. Lt. Commander Nolan must've been losing it. Jace had experienced difficult training during the SPARTAN-III Program, but this was different. The rounds were live, the threats were real, and dying was actually possible. It was rigorous, explicitly dangerous, but necessary.
With that, the Lieutenant snatched a grenade from his waist, hit the charge, and slung it into the Marine squads. The soldiers scrambled, but the frag grenade had detonated. Hundreds of small, rubber spheres exploded in all directions. Marines in close proximity were struck by the stinging balls, leaving them temporarily stunned and immobilized.
Jace took advantage. He shouldered his DMR, pumping rubber rounds into the sensitive mid-section of the soldiers. They collapsed onto their sides, screaming from bruised and fractured ribs. An enlarged red blip appeared onto the Spartan's motion sensors, followed by the unmistakable raspy engine of a Warthog. Jace gazed across the Farragut Station, watching a 'Hog powerslide down a snowy slope and proceeded toward the wooden communication structures.
The Lieutenant keyed his TEAMCOM. "Nova-Three, time to go loud!"
Alex stood up from her concealed position atop the tallest of the wooden structures. She went to the edge, taking a knee on the water logged wood as she adjusted the rocket launcher on her right shoulder. The Warthog barreled for Jace's position as fellow Marines had a path for it to advance. Alex synced her movements with the 'Hog, watching the cycle of light flash red through the launcher's scope.
"Going loud!" the Chief Petty Officer announced.
A projectile that resembled a rocket with teeth-like protrusions on its front coughed from the launcher, angling itself to strike the vehicle. The driver of the Warthog spotted the rocket and tried to swerve to evade it. The maneuver failed. Like a parasite, the rocket latched onto the hood of the vehicle, sending an EM pulse through its circuitry.
The Warthog's functions ceased and its engine died. Settled high above the station in the snow, Lukas immobilized the gunner and driver before they could even flee. The passenger escaped from harm as he sprinted up the wooden stairs toward the smaller structure.
Lukas shook his head with an acute laugh. "Target coming your way, Nova-Two."
"Copy," Jeremiah complied, melting into the shadows.
The Marine successfully made it inside the station, breathing heavily. His lungs burned from the cold air he'd inhaled rapidly; but he remained calm. He reloaded his MA5B and regained his composure. All of his fellow Marines were either unconscious or squirming in agonizing pain. He was alone against four Spartans, a feeling he could now share with Covenant Grunts. Unfortunately, however, the Marine wasn't alone.
An altitudinous figure rose up from the shadows, gently tapping the soldier's shoulder. The Marine slowly turned around and glanced into a reflective faceplate.
"Nothing personal," Jeremiah expressed as he bashed the end of his DMR into soldier's gut.
The Warrant Officer stepped over the downed Marine, exited the station, and hurried down the stairs that creaked underneath his weight. He regrouped with Jace and Alex near the edge Farragut Station, while Lukas jogged toward them.
The Lieutenant signaled his TACMAP, displaying their current position. "Our objective is to the south—Airview Base."
Jeremiah huffed. "Nolan's probably got an army waiting for us."
"Nothing we can't handle," Jace commented, dropping a NAV point.
Lukas lazily gaited around Alex, occasionally glancing over his shoulder for any lucid Marines.
"The objective remains to same, Spartans—get to Airview and ring the bell. We do that, then this training op's over," Jace continued.
"Feels like old memories, doesn't it?" Alex added, recalling the rigorous training Lieutenant Commander Ambrose put them through.
"True," Lukas muttered, reloading his rifle. "But we ain't kids no more."
The Lieutenant motioned away from his team, gazing at the snowy trail that led to Airview base. "Then let's get busy, Nova."
Airview Base was a fortress: platoons of Marines blanketed the fields, while a trio of Warthogs and a single Scorpion Tank were stationed for added support. Nolan had raised the stakes. But it wouldn't matter, for the Covenant had been more daunting. The Marines weren't Elites, the 'Hogs weren't Ghosts, and the Scorpion wasn't a Wraith. It would be a change of pace, sure; but they weren't the Covenant, they were human. The Spartans regressed from the hillside, calculating their next move.
For starters, that Scorpion had to go. Jace turned to Alex, gesturing toward the rocket launcher. "How many more EM pulse rounds we got?"
"Just one," Nova-Three replied unenthusiastically.
"Then you and Lukas go high," the Lieutenant instructed, facing Nova-Four now. "Snipe any well-armed targets—rocket carriers, snipers, gunners. Here…"
Jace gave Alex his DMR and clips, swapping it for her MA37.
"Same goes for you. You're our eyes, so keep us posted. Go!"
Lukas instantly spotted an ideal vantage point, showed it to Alex, and they began to move. When they left Jace and Jeremiah's sight, the Warrant Officer turned to the Lieutenant. "And where are we during all this?"
"We're groundside," answered Nova-One. "We'll handle the lesser troops, and switch to EMD rounds."
Nova-Three and –Four made their up to high ground, settling themselves in a position that overlooked the entire Base. The Marines hadn't seen them. Lukas crouched low in the slippery ground, keeping his body hidden from sight. He ejected the rubber rounds from his clip, exchanging them for EMD (Electro Muscular Disruption) rounds. These were powerful enough to down Reach's native creature known as the Gúta.
The Chief motioned by his side, staring at the Scorpion Tank and the Marines that were sitting upon it. With only one EM pulse rocket, that tank was most likely the desired target.
"In position," Jace reported. "Scorpion's the mark. You're clear to engage."
"Copy, Nova-One," the Chief complied, raising the rocket launcher.
The female Headhunter stood upright, lining up her sights with the tank. Unaware, the Marines remained vigilant. They, however, were blind to the attack that was coming. Alex aimed for the tank's open cockpit, a severe mistake made by the soldiers. She squeezed the trigger. A cloud of exhaust engulfed her form as the rocket whined toward the Scorpion. The Marines scrambled at the sight of the incoming ordinance, jumping down into the small bodies of water that dotted the base.
It was a perfect strike. The rocket impacted inside the tank's cockpit, frying its sensitive network and rendering it useless. Lukas got busy, marking his pre-sighted targets. A pair of Marine snipers was concealed inside the building housing the bell, so they went first. He struck the first sniper's chest, sending the electrical current surging through the soldier's body.
Lukas watched the Marine collapse to the metallic flooring, his body shaking from strong involuntary muscle contractions. Before the second sniper could flee to cover, Nova-Four hit the retreating soldier in his calf muscle.
"Snipers are down," Lukas reported to Alex.
"Then let's clean 'em up," Nova-Three spoke, swapping rubber rounds for EMD rounds.
She began firing at every available target, downing each one with one precise shot. The Warthogs began to mobilize, but the moment the gunners manned the machine guns, Lukas denied them.
Elsewhere, Jeremiah forward kicked an unfortunate Marine, sending him flying four meters through the air and into the icy waters. He advanced around the secondary building in the base, crouching low in the burnt-red vegetation that grew beside it. A trio of soldiers made their way toward him, preparing to use the structure as a vantage point.
The Warrant Officer ambushed them. He fired a single EMD round into one of the three Marines' thigh, inverted his DMR, and whipped it across the second soldier's face. By the time the third Marine raised his rifle to fire, Jeremiah had already closed the gap and finished him. Suddenly, the AA turret stationed between the two structures pivoted around to Jeremiah and fired.
Nova-Two darted behind the small structure as high-caliber rounds poked softball-sized holes in the dirt. Jace sprinted toward his position and slid in beside him.
"Having fun?" the Lieutenant commented.
Jeremiah shot a dark glare at him, assuming he hadn't noticed the AA turret. "Are you?"
"Always," Jace replied with an inward sense of satisfaction. "There's a data console atop that structure. We can use it to shut down that turret."
Jeremiah leaned out, glancing at building's rooftop. He glared at the squads of Marines, the turret, then back at Jace. "Between the Marines and the turret, how do you expect we reach it?"
"Between the Marines and the turret," Jace mimicked, "we're Spartans, and that turret can't fire at both of us at the same time."
The Warrant Officer got the point. He sighed inwardly. The Lieutenant was going to take some getting used to. While one of them made their way to the console to deactivate the turret, the other would unfortunately take the brunt of the turret and Marine fire. Either way, it wasn't going to be a cake walk. But from Jeremiah's standpoint, he preferred being ballistics than plasma. The only question that remained was which of them would make a run for the AA Turret's console.
Jace, however, had already made up his mind. He drew his M6D, loading an EMD clip into the slot.
"Get a stun grenade ready, a flashbang," the Lieutenant told Nova-Two.
Jeremiah retrieved the capsule from his gear as Jace took one of his own.
"You see those rocks up there?" the Lieutenant uttered, pointing east from the building they took refuge behind.
The Warrant Officer flashed his acknowledgment light green.
"Head straight for them once these flashbangs go off. Take out as many targets as you can. You ready?" Jeremiah laughed under his breath. "That better be rhetoric, Lieutenant."
Jace smirked behind his faceplate and thumbed the charge on the flashbang.
Nova-Two spun out from behind the structure, tossing his primed grenade at the Marines. Jace came around from the otherside, throwing his in the soldier's escape zone. The first stun grenade went off, blinding the Marines that watched it dropped. Jeremiah sprinted for the rocks, firing two rubbers rounds into the turret's rounded frame. The AA Turret rotated rapidly and discharged its shells at the running SPARTAN-III.
The Warrant Officer saw another flash in his peripheral vision—the second flashbang had went off. He kept running for the rocks. They were close. The Headhunter nearly lost his footing as a shell detonated a meter behind him. Well-aimed ballistic rounds sparked against his armor, scrapping scars across it.
Jeremiah leaped forward, somersaulting behind the rocks. He crawled toward the opposite side of the boulder, flattened his body, and peered through the scope of his DMR. The Spartan funneled a couple of Marines in his sights, downing them with EMD rounds. Their bodies convulsed as they hit the cold ground, just as the Headhunter caught a glimmer of Jace across the field.
The Lieutenant was running flat out, clocking out at 56 KPH—an equivalent to 35 MPH. With fluency, the Spartan leveled his sidearm and shot a pair of Marines in their chests. A soldier suddenly spun out from behind the structure's rear vehicle port, draining the entire clip in his assault rifle. In a blur, Jace dodged the brunt of the assault, only taking just taking a bullet or two to his arm. He ran up to the Marine, slammed his head against the metal wall, and continued under the vehicle port.
The Headhunter slowed his pace, reducing his sprint to a crawl. He reached the open entranceway, holding his sidearm tight. Gingerly, he made his way up the staircase, keeping low to avoid being detected on the enemy's motion sensors. When he reached the top, the level was vacant. The only contacts inside were two stunned Marine snipers that had yet to recuperate from Lukas' attack. He hugged the walls tightly as he inched over to the secondary staircase that led to the roof.
With the coast seemingly clear, Jace motioned out into the open. At that moment, a trio of dull red blips appeared on his motion sensors. The Spartan withdrew into the shadows, careful not to step into the rays of sunlight that shined in. There, a squad of ODSTs—five total—stormed inside the structure. Jace got low.
The leader of the squad stepped forward, holding up his fist. "I just saw one of them come in here. Spread out and find 'em. Exercise extreme caution, people. Switch to your armor-piercing EMDs. Nolan wants these Spartans downed. They don't ring that bell. Understand?"
"Oo-rah!" the ODSTs sounded.
As the Helljumpers began to spread out, the Lieutenant analyzed his targets one-by-one. It was obvious the ODSTs were the last line of defense. From a Marine's standpoint, the ODSTs were the best of the best. But it didn't how good they were; they were still targets. When one of the five Marines ventured too close to where the Spartan was hiding, it marked the end. Jace reached out from the shadows, grabbed the solider by the neck, and drove his armored knee into his gut.
The Helljumper cried out in agony, as if his abdomen had been ripped open. Jace violently threw the Marine to the floor and went for the second Marine. Aware of his presence, the remaining ODSTs were alert. They turned toward the Spartan and began firing. The Lieutenant drew his assault rifle, pelting the Marines with orbs of hard rubber. When the rifle clicked, he slung it across a soldier's helmet, shattering the visor.
He spun around swiftly, slamming his boot into the side of the third ODST's knee, breaking it. Jace took the injured soldier by the arm, hoisted him in front of him, and plowed through the last two Marines to the floor. The leader of the squad drew his sidearm to fire, but the Headhunter kicked it out of his hand. He whipped out his sidearm, firing a round in each of the Helljumpers.
The Lieutenant's COM crackled open, voicing a frustrated Jeremiah. "You can deactivate that turret now! I can't hold this flank much longer."
Jace took a quick glance outside, witnessing the turret fire gradually chipping away at the rock Nova-Two was behind. With that, the Spartan moved. He rapidly exited the structure's interior, went up the secondary staircase, and made it to the roof. A dull, square-like console was positioned at the rim of the roof's raised edges. Jace studied it for a moment, then tapped the deactivation key. The turret instantly ceased fire.
"Turret down, Nova," the Lieutenant reported. "Finish off the stragglers."
A trio of acknowledgement lights pulsed across his HUD. The Spartans of Nova Team removed themselves from stealth and engaged the Marines head on. In just a moment's time, the ground of Airview Base was smothered with the twitching bodies of UNSC Marines. The Spartans gathered around the fringes of the pond near the outskirts of the base, taking a moment to formulate a new strategy.
Alex took a knee, staring off at the expansive airfield in the distance. "So where's this bell Nolan wants us to ring? It wasn't at Farragut and it's not here. If we head south, we'll be going in circles."
"Maybe he wants us to," Jeremiah stated. "Maybe he's got something waiting for us … another challenge."
Jace couldn't help but agree. "If I know Nolan, then that's exactly what he's got planned. Let's round up those 'Hogs, Nova. We're gonna need 'em."
The Headhunters went to fetch the Warthogs, two Spartans in each one. Jeremiah took the wheel, while Alex manned the machine gun. Adjacent, Lukas opted to drive, leaving Jace to the gunner's position. At that, the Spartans wheeled out of Airview Base, heading south back to Sword Base where they'd begun the training op. They kept the vehicles side by side, doubling their effectiveness if a surprise attack were to occur. The Spartans sped through the territory, reaching the fork where it led either to Farragut Station or back to Airview Base.
There, just outside the entrance to Sword Base, was the bell. It was freshly mounted into the ground on a pole about six meters high. But there was no defensive unit to protect. It was clearly out in the open, and the Spartans didn't like it. The former members of Saber Team knew Nolan was not one for an easy completion. This was not going to end well.
Lukas placed the vehicle in neutral and turned around to view Nova-One. "It's your call, Lieutenant."
Jace weighed the team's options and their individual skillsets. Whatever Nolan was about to throw at them, they, as a unit, could handle it.
"We go for it."
Lukas switched gears and plowed the gas. The Warthogs churned up grass and dirt behind their rear tires and sped toward the bell. No sooner than the vehicles began gunning for the improvised flagpole, a drone-operated UH-144 Falcon ascended over the mountains that surrounded Sword Base's entrance. It set its sights upon the Warthog pair and began its assault without delay. Its chin-mounted machine gun had been replaced by a grenade launcher, giving it added potency.
Jace cursed inwardly. Nolan didn't disappoint.
The Falcon began dotting the ground with explosive shells, aiming directly for the Warthogs. Lukas and Jeremiah veered in opposite directions, hoping to deter it. It failed. A pair of side-mounted grenade launchers hung from the Falcon's open starboard and portsides, operated by an onboard computer. The system analyzed the Warthogs as threats and opted to eliminate them. Explosions blossomed around the Spartans, growing closer and closer after every shot. Jace and Alex began unloading onto the Falcon, blanketing it with machine gun fire. The drone's evasive protocols activated, and the Falcon's twin rotor blades individually tilted, causing the helicopter-like vehicle to avoid the bulk of the rounds.
As the Falcon maneuvered behind one of the Warthogs, it fired. Jace patrolled the shell's trajectory, and it was a perfectly fired shot. The Lieutenant's eyes enlarged and his heart pounded in his ears.
"Head's up!" he shouted to Lukas as he dove in the passenger's seat.
The shell detonated underneath the Warthog's rear, flipping it over. Jace and Lukas held onto the vehicle's frame as it tumbled front over end three times before sliding to a stop. Flames flickered from the Warthog's rear. Despite his condition, Jace had to find Lukas and find cover from the Falcon. He glanced over to his left, seeing that Nova-Four had begun to stir. The Spartan sniper shifted over the shards of glass, gradually rolling over onto his hands and knees.
The Falcon was still airborne as it began to circle around for another attack. Foggy voices continued to speak through the COM channels, becoming less distorted as the Spartans began regaining their equilibrium.
"… out of the 'Hog!" Jeremiah's scrambled voice yelled. "It's coming back!"
Lukas poked his head out of the Warthog's twisted frame, watching the Falcon lining up for another shot, despite Alex attempts to deter it with gunfire.
"Move! We gotta move, Lieutenant!"
Jace glanced at the Falcon, and it fired again. Nova-One and Nova-Four scrambled from the wreckage, just as the ordinance hit. The Warthog was further mangled as it was tossed in the air yet again as it was reducing to nothing more than a shower to components. Jace rolled away from the flaming shrapnel, got upright, and hurried to Lukas who was behind a pillar of rocks.
The Lieutenant caught his breath, looked around the rock, and watched Nova-Two and –Three attempt to down the Falcon. Mere machine gun fire wouldn't take it down, not with its maneuverability.
Jace looked down at Lukas' sniper rifle and gestured toward it. "Got any live rounds for that?"
"Yeah, why?" Nova-Four asked.
"I'm thinking if you get an angle on that Falcon, you can shoot for its rotors. Two, maybe three shots might suffice," the Lieutenant hypothesized.
Lukas studied the land, found a spot, and went for it.
Jeremiah swerved right, evading a grenade shell by two meters. He kept the vehicle steady as Alex peppered the Falcon. The chopper shifted in flight, firing aimless rounds to weaken its enemy's assault. A couple of shells nearly capsized the Warthog, nearly making Alex loose her balance. She held on tight, anchoring her feet against the edge of the vehicle's rear. Jeremiah straightened out the Warthog, shifted gears, and accepted an incoming link for Jace.
"Lukas is setting up for a shot. Ditch the 'Hog and get into cover. Let the Falcon have it."
"This better work!" Jeremiah barked as he keyed Alex's COM. "The Lieutenant wants us to bail. I'll send us into a powerslide, then we'll jump. Got it?"
"Copy that, Nova-Two," Nova-Three complied.
The Falcon lined up for another shot, hovered, then fired. Jeremiah and Alex escaped from the Warthog, covering three meters before the shell struck. The vehicle spun wildly, brightly glowing from the flames. Lukas took the shot, firing twice. The rounds sparked against the right rotor, nearly severing it from its base. A stream of smoke emitted from the impacted area, and the Spartan sniper fired again.
The final shot did the trick, ripping the rotor away. It spiral through the air, losing two meters per second. The severed rotor blade spun into the ground, chopping up the grass and soil. Jace studied the Falcon, not liking what he was seeing. Its crash zone was going to be close, too close. "Nova-Four, get clear. Move it!" the Lieutenant commanded, sprinting toward Jeremiah and Alex. The Spartan sniper abandoned his position, jumped down a cluster of boulders, and raced to catch up with Jace. The Falcon flew overhead, lost control, and plummeted into the ground with an explosion.
Nova Team assembled together, exhausted and mentally strained. They all looked at the flagpole, admiring the bell. It was beautiful. This training op had, for the most part, turned them into what Nolan had envisioned—one cohesive unit.
Jace turned to look at his team, gave a smirk of approval, and gestured toward the flagpole. "Who wants to do the honors?"
Alex stepped forward. "You don't have to tell me twice."
The Headhunter advanced toward the pole, yanked it out of the ground, and pushed it over. She casually walked to its end, raised her boot, and kicked the bell. The bell rung. At that, the heavy mechanized doors to Sword Base's outer region hissed open, expelling steam. The four Headhunters all turned as Lt. Commander Nolan walked out to them, ignoring the smoldering Falcon.
He clapped his hands with a devious smirk. "Well done, Nova. I believe you're ready."