Sgt Winston, P. Day 1, 1600 Hrs
The Marines of Wildcat Company stationed at the city gate along MSR Ceasar were mostly supply and mechanic sections. The rest of the company reported to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Marine Regiment, 27th Marine Division as a support company. Their orders were to provide repairs and resupply to the division's armor detachment one klick to the north. They would drive ammunition and fuel out to the tanks in trucks and transport Warthogs. Occasionally, damaged Scorpions would pull back to their hastily erected repair and refit stations, where the mechanics would quickly set about undoing battle damage.
Sergeant Paul Winston was a section leader in charge of supply distribution and requisition. His squad of Marines was in charge of outfitting the truck drivers with ammo and providing spare parts for the armor mechanics. Most of their work was spent working inside a large, crudely constructed tent surrounded by sand bags on all sides, forming a makeshift warehouse. They crouched behind radios to request additional requisitions and helped other squads locate items and provided whatever resources were needed of them.
As the battle raged within the valley, sparse Covenant activity had been seen in the pass aside from minor patrols and probing attacks. Wildcat Company had not been under fire at all, as the tanks of the 27th and the 1/15th eliminated the enemy forces before they got a chance to get close. Winston had been assured that he would see no combat because of this, but when the report of an encroaching Covenant armor division came through, he became increasingly worried. Like many in his unit, he had been drafted from the Inner Colonies, and while he truly desired the defeat of the Covenant, he had no desire to participate in the actual fighting, knowing full well that the majority of battles resulted in massive UNSC casualties. For all of his years in service, he had managed to remain in the rear with the supply section. He had never seen combat and wanted to keep it that way, unlike a number of the younger Marines in his company. He was simply a man who wished to make it back home.
Heading outside the large supply tent, he walked over to a group of Marines huddled around the hood of a fully loaded transport Warthog. They were briefing themselves on enemy movements and current UNSC positions, planning a route for their Warthogs during the next resupply run. After taking a minute to wrap up, the Marines broke off and headed to their individual vehicles. Winston walked over to a Sergeant who remained at the Warthog.
"Moses, headed out again?" Winston asked. They clasped hands as they met.
The man, Sergeant Moses Dibaggio, responded, "Yeah Winston. Looks like this time we'll be under heavy fire. It's getting wild up there man."
"A whole other division. Anyone told you anything about us pulling out?"
"No man. No word has come down from higher. I think they're going to reinforce us instead. Gotta hold the pass."
"I just ain't trying to have my Marines stay around if those Wraiths show up."
"Yeah. We'll hold the line if we have to, but we'd be better off fixing and resupplying from a secure place." Sgt Dibaggio eyed his watch and turned to enter his Warthog, saying, "I have to roll man. Good luck to ya."
Winston pounded the hood of the vehicle in a friendly manner, "Good luck to you too brother." And the column of Warthogs rolled out of the supply station and onto the MSR, heading north towards the ever encroaching sounds of battle.
As Winston headed back towards his makeshift supply warehouse, a female Marine came out from the flaps and approached him. The nameplate on her M52B body armor read Everston. She spoke, "Sergeant, we're running low on 90 mil shells. Do you want me to make a request to HQ?"
"You don't have to Corporal, I'll do it," Winston responded, walking past her.
Cpl Everston followed along, saying, "Yes Sergeant. What do you want us to do in the meantime?"
Winston shrugged. "Organize our supplies," he said, before suddenly turning to her and adding, "Ammo first. We have reason to believe the fighting's getting real worse up there, so be ready to distribute ammunition."
"Roger Sergeant." She turned and headed off to round up the other Marines in the squad.
Winston entered a corner of the tent draped over in ponchos, creating a sort of makeshift room. In it, several radios buzzed with chatter. An officer, Lt Hardy, and another Marine, LCpl West, occupied the room.
Hardy greeted Winston as soon as he came in. "Sergeant. The situation's getting pretty bad out there, but they're sending in CAS to support the armor. What do you need?"
"Hello sir. Cpl Everston informed me that we need a resupply on 90 mil tungsten. I'm about to knock that out real quick."
Lt Hardy gestured towards the radios. "Be my guest Sergeant. Do your job."
LCpl West, who was sitting and monitoring company radio traffic, looked up at Winston. He asked, "Sergeant, we really about to see Covie up close?"
"We might. But I hope not Marine."
"Sergeant, I hope so. I'm about to take down some mike foxtrot." West was a Marine who loved to talk big. Normally, Marines were not allowed to be as vocal to NCO's and officers as much as Winston allowed him to be. But the Sergeant didn't mind vocally jousting with the younger Marine from time to time.
"You say that now. It won't be so easy when the real time comes."
"I'll just keep my finger squeezed around the trigger. Hose them all down with the M7."
Before Sgt Winston could answer, Lt Hardy cut them off. "Lance Corporal, the Sergeant has a supply request to send up. Cut the chatter."
As Winston contacted the HQ for a supply run, a simultaneous report detailed the status of Wildcat 1-3, Sgt Dibaggio's unit. A frantic voice yelled over the radio as plasma mortars exploded in the background. The lieutenant got on the radio and responded to the unit.
The voice on the other end was Sgt Dibaggio, "Wildcat 1, we are conducting resupply but are taking heavy fire from advancing Wraiths. We need to pull back immediately!"
Lt Hardy said into the radio, "Negative 1-3. Continue with resupply. Leave all downed vehicles behind and double time it to your objectives, over."
There was a pause. Sgt Winston stopped mid report and waited for Dibaggio's response. The voice on 1-3's end said, "We are taking too many casualties out here. Will continue with mission, but we are combat ineffective, over."
Lt Hardy threw his hands up in frustration, "Understood 1-3. We need to keep those Scorpions firing. Continue mission, over."
"Wildcat 1-3, out!" Sgt Dibaggio replied swiftly.
Winston finished up his supply request and monitored the radios, eventually picking up transmissions from CAS units flying overhead. He kept one of the radios dialed into their frequency.
A deep, male voice sounded over their comms. He said, "Talon flight, this is Talon 1. MSR Ceasar is a free-fire zone. Engage all hostile ground, over."
"Talon 2, roger that," A woman's voice responded.
"Talon 3, roger."
"Talon 4 copies."
When Winston got up and left the tent, he heard engines burning overhead. Peeking out from the tent flaps, he saw Talon flight cutting through the sky above Wildcat Company. Marines on the ground cheered as the Sparrowhawks headed off into battle. Across the highway, the armor mechanics leapt atop their tanks and tossed their caps into the air. Two of Winston's Marines, PFC Avedo and PFC Brayson had been smoking outside. They let out a woop at the air and tossed their finished cigarettes up.
Winston noticed they weren't carrying their weapons, so he yelled at them, "Hey PFC's! We might get hit anytime now. I sure as hell don't want you two with me in a firefight if you ain't even gonna bring your own damn weapons."
They rushed off amidst threats of eating the dirt and crawling through mud. Several more air units passed by overhead. Winston could see flashes from explosions not too far away, as well as that, he could also see the rise and fall of dozens of plasma mortars crashing upon their targets. The rest of the pass was covered in smoke and haze from the intense battle raging northward. He had expected Sgt Dibaggio's column to have returned already. However, no Warthogs re-emerged. Shaking his head, he turned around and went back into the tent.
Inside, his Marines were consolidating ammo crates into separate piles. Corporal Everston had left to inform the other Marines in the supply base that they were distributing ammo to those who needed it. Lance Corporal Tombo Anwa was overseeing the working party. Avedo and Brayson were moving crates of rockets together, and West was loading magazines of different sorts into different piles. PFC Rita Dubois, a rather shy and quiet Marine, was helping another Marine, PFC Conkle, open up ammo crates for West. Winston took no time hesitating, and immediately joined them at their work.
By the time they had finished and organized everything, several Marines from the other sections were already filing in by squads and teams to pick up extra ammo for themselves. As they walked through and grabbed their rounds and grenades, Winston could see the trepidation and seriousness over their faces. He too shared their anxiety. A small supply base wouldn't be able to hold out against an entire Covenant armor division. Hopefully, he thought, another company from division would be sent up to reinforce them.
As they handed out the majority of the ammo, Winston turned to Lt Hardy. He asked, "Sir, you know who's on their way to reinforce our position?"
"No Sergeant. But division knows we're in heavy contact so they'll be sending somebody. I'm gonna get back on the radio and see what exactly is going on. Take the Marines outside and load the truck with the rest of the ammo."
"Roger sir," and then he called out to the squad, "Let's go Marines. Get the rest of this stuff outside and onto the truck." They went out to a supply truck and began loading it down with supplies and ammo. The battle had grown more chaotic in the distance, and it wasn't as far away now.
As they set about their work on the truck, Winston stepped aside and looked out to the highway. Speeding out of the distant battle along the MSR came two Scorpion tanks. The first one was smoking, with fire burning from several damaged points along its hull. It rolled on by without even so much as making an attempt to stop at the repair station. The second Scorpion was in better condition. It had its turret turned around to face the rear, where the battle was. As it rolled by it screeched to a sudden halt. The hatch opened and a Marine popped his head out, looking around the supply base in surprise and then finally noticing Winston.
The tanker yelled out, "Marine! What the hell is everyone doing?"
Winston was confused. "What do you mean driver?" he asked.
The Scorpion driver looked at him as if he were stupid. Then he responded, "What do you mean what do I mean? The MSR is fubar! Covenant are gonna be right on top of this position any minute now!"
By now, the other Marines working at their stations had all stopped and were watching as the tank driver yelled into their midst. Winston asked, "What about the armor detachment? What happened to them?"
The driver shook his head in disbelief. He pointed to where the other Scorpion had gone and then back at his own vehicle. "We're it," he said, and then he began to close his hatch, "You all need to beat feet and get the hell out of here. Head for the gate and hold up there. I'll turn around and buy you some time." He disappeared under the metal of his hatch, and soon the Scorpion executed a full 180 degree turn, its turret continuing to face the enemy.
Just as the Scorpion got into position along the highway, the Marines of Wildcat Company saw flashes of light emerge in the distance. Dozens of brilliant blue streaks of plasma soared high into the sky, turning sharply at the apex of their climb and soon swiftly falling downwards – on top of them. In a panicked frenzy, the Marines scrambled for cover, yelling "Incoming!" and ducking down onto the ground or behind whatever they thought would protect them.
Winston rushed for the truck, but the impact of a nearby plasma shell sent him sprawling face first into the dirt. Rolling around onto his back, he watched as the mortars impacted around them. The building and lot being used for the repair station was hit by dozens of shells. Marines caught out in the open were either vaporized by falling plasma or, at best, they were blown wildly through the air, landing upon the ground covered in burns and wounds. A plasma mortar landed directly on top of the supply tent, setting off massive secondary explosions. Had Winston not been on the verge of passing out, he would've remembered that Lt Hardy was still in the tent at the time of the explosion. But all he could think of was the powerful display of fire and explosives taking place before his eyes. Then his vision became dark, and he passed out.
He awoke to the feeling of hands grasping his armor, wrapping beneath his arms and dragging him slowly across the grass. Through hazy eyes, he saw burning wreckages of several Wraiths and the lone Scorpion that sat amongst them. Its turret had been completely smashed inward, the metal heated and twisted cruelly in on the rest of the tank. The canopy was crushed, and nothing save for flames emerged from the driver's seat beneath it. The smell of gunpowder and smoke stung the air and reached heavily into Winston's nose.
The person dragging him placed him behind the ammo truck and laid him down. Several Marines huddled tightly together, holding various weapons at the high ready as they pulled security around one another. Lance Corporal Anwa stooped over Sgt Winston, assessing his vitals and awareness. Someone hissed something, and the Marines ducked behind the truck, making themselves as small and hidden as possible. Three Wraiths rolled by, escorted by several Ghosts. They barreled down the road to where the main gate to the city was.
Winston, feeling better now, sat up and surveyed the area around him. The supply tent was nothing more than an ever expanding ball of flame and smoke. Off in the distance, the reverberating fire of Covenant AA Wraiths boomed throughout the pass. Trails of green plasma shot furiously into the air, combusting wildly across the sky as they climbed to their limit. The UNSC air support was being wiped out.
Cpl Everston kneeled beside Winston. She asked, "Sergeant? Tombo is he alright?"
Tombo replied, his accent thick and deep, "He's not badly wounded Corporal, but he should still see a corpsman no less."
Winston shook his head and focused his thoughts, "I'll be fine Marines. What happened? Who's in charge now?"
Everston said, "You are Sergeant…as far as we can tell. Lieutenant's gone." Her voice betrayed its usual calmness and professionalism for a short moment as she trembled to bring out her last statement.
Winston, grieved by the confirmation, nodded. Although panicked, he forced himself to look around and ask, "Who's still with us?"
The Corporal named off the present Marines, pointing to them as she spoke their names, "Tombo, me, Conkle, Dubois, Avedo, Brayson, and West."
"Okay," Sgt Winston said, standing up and reaching for an MA5, "Let's get our weapons, mount up, and get the hell back to the city gate."
Tombo spoke up, "Sergeant. Wraiths have been rushing through our position for the past ten minutes. We're surrounded."
Winston assessed his options. If they travelled by foot, they might be able to lay low and hope that the Covenant patrols didn't notice them. But if they were to be spotted, they'd be gunned down without a fighting chance. If they took the truck, they'd be noticed by everyone, but there was the chance that they could outrun the Wraiths. Plus, the truck had enough ordinance in it to take on any assortment of Ghosts and Wraiths that might pursue them. He decided that if they were to be noticed, they should at least have a fighting chance. "We'll take the truck. Everyone get in," he said.
Tombo looked as if he were about to question Winston's decision, but his expression quickly changed from one of doubt to stoic compliance. He nodded and hopped into the back of the truck, grabbing an M41 rocket launcher as he settled into the cargo bed.
Everston stood up and loudly whispered to the Marines around them, "Marines, on your feet and get aboard the truck. We're getting out of here." They obeyed and quickly climbed aboard, with only LCpl West seeming to show discontent with the decision.
Winston climbed into the driver's cab and Everston got in beside him. One of the Marines in the back rapped twice on the cab through the metal. They started the truck and took stock of their surroundings, keeping a sharp eye out for approaching Wraiths. As they began to pull out of the former supply base, the vehicle's radio came to life.
A female voice sounded off on the other side. She said, "Any friendly station within grid Oscar Tango 3-5 2-2, this is Talon 2, respond. Over." They were silent as they coasted along quietly, but they kept their eyes up for any sign of the transmitting unit. She came on the radio again, saying, "Any UNSC elements along MSR Ceasar, this is Talon 2, respond. Over!"
Everston and Winston both looked at one another before the Sergeant decided to grab the mic. "Talon 2, this is Wildcat 1-1. We are headed fast down MSR Ceasar, going south. Are you available to cover? Over."
For a moment, the radio was silent, and the Marines drove along the road, passing wreckages, bodies, and patches of scorched earth. Talon 2 responded, "Roger Wildcat 1-1. We're right above you and I've got eyes on you. Be advised, Covenant armor on the road ahead. You might want to slow down and let us take 'em out, how copy over?"
Winston eased up on the gas and pressed the brake slightly. "I would be happy to oblige you Talon 2." Both he and Everston watched as a lone Sparrowhawk sped ahead of them. Two missiles were loosed from its wing pylons, detonating audibly on the far side of a rise. Streams of smoke erupted from two rocket pods attached to the aircraft's wings, undoubtedly wreaking great devastation amongst the Covenant ranks. The rocket barrage was followed by several rippling bursts from the Sparrowhawk's chin-mounted minigun.
Talon 2's friendly but focused voice came over the radio again, "Your twelve is clear Wildcat 1-1. Push up," and then suddenly she said, more urgently, "1-1 you've got Covenant on your six – Ghosts and Wraiths."
Winston pressed down on the acceleration as Everston spoke to the other Marines through an intercom. She said, "Marines, watch our six for Covies!" Sure enough, a loud pop and hiss echoed forth, shaking through the back of the truck to the front. Smoke poured out of the sides of the truck bed, just as a loud explosion reported the destruction of a pursuing Ghost. "What the hell?" the corporal asked, "Is everyone alright back there?"
A rather urgent voice responded, "We're fine! Just drive so we can get the hell outta here!" It was West.
They cleared the rise, passing by the destroyed hunks of alien metal that Talon 2 had so effortlessly littered about the field. Swerving along the highway to avoid both wrecks and craters, Wildcat 1-1 neared the gate to Victory City. Unfortunately for them, Winston could see Wraiths up ahead firing upon the meager defenders placed along the wall's perimeter.
Slamming down on the gas pedal, he told Everston to "Hold on!" His truck screeched by the assaulting Covenant force, drawing small amounts of plasma fire. He twisted and swerved to the best of his abilities, trying not to overturn the truck and harm the Marines within it. Panicking from the enemy fire, he twisted the truck too closely to the side of a Covenant Wraith, and as he pulled the truck away and drove off from the enemy vehicle, it fired a plasma mortar directly at the truck's rear. The vehicle escaped the mortar, but not the blast. Losing control, Sgt Winston could only hang on as the truck flipped onto its side and slid along the ground, coming roughly to a halt just in front of Victory City's walls.
As he slowly regained composure from the shock of the crash, he looked up and saw that Everston had already climbed out of the cab. She was on top of the truck, which had been flipped onto its side. She reached and pulled at Winston, yelling, "Sergeant, we need to go." Winston unstrapped himself from the seat belt and took her hand, clutching his rifle as he climbed out. Both he and the corporal dropped to the ground behind the truck for cover.
West came stumbling out of the truck along with the other Marines. "Knew we shouldn't have taken the damn truck," he grumbled.
"Focus on getting to cover," Tombo told him. And just as he did, two Ghosts approached and began laying down heavy plasma fire on the Marines. They ducked and huddled behind the truck. Tombo managed to fire the other round in his launcher, but the rocket flew harmlessly past the Ghosts. The twin plasma guns on each Ghost continued their barrage. One of the Ghosts maneuvered toward the Marines' flank, closing in to mow them down. As soon as it came around, fire from the gate picked off the Grunt driver. More automatic weapons fire took out the second Ghost as well.
A Marine emerged from the blown-apart doors of the city gate. He motioned at them and yelled, "Hurry up and get your asses in here!"
The majority of the Marines picked up and rushed madly towards the gate without hesitation. PFC Dubois however, froze in place and refused to leave the side of the wrecked truck. Sgt Winston stopped, turned, and noticed her. Cresting a small berm several hundred meters out, a Wraith hovered into view. The turret of the alien tank began to lay down suppressive fire, as did several infantry lances that advanced alongside the tank in support. Winston rushed back to Dubois.
"Private! Get up! We'll get killed here!" He didn't really know what else to say. He only knew that he had to say something, anything to get his Marine on her feet.
"Sergeant, there's too much fire out there! We'll get killed if we go!" She shook with fear and huddled herself into a tighter ball as the Covenant advanced and their volume of fire increased.
"Marine!" he paused, searching for words, then continued, "We could be killed either way! We gotta try! So get up and move if you want to make it home again!"
Sobbing, the terrified Private First Class got to her feet. Winston asked if she was ready, and she nodded reluctantly. Then the two took off running, stumbling and crouching low as rounds passed near them and overhead, scorching and fizzing into the ground around them. The rest of their squad, standing by the gate, loosed a barrage of suppressive fire as the two Marines made it to safety. The Covenant, in response, fired a salvo of plasma mortars, driving the humans back from the main gate.
Upon the other side of friendly lines, the supply Marines took a moment to catch their breaths. PFC Dubois collapsed on the ground, shaken at their ordeals. Cpl Everston and PFC Conkle consoled her. LCpl West checked his magazines and ammo, looking eagerly at the burned-down gates. PFCs Avedo and Brayson both sat upon the grass, exhausted from the encounter, their MA5s upon the ground beside them. LCpl Anwa watched stoically as a Marine approached the group.
He was a Sergeant Major, and he approached them with a sense of purpose. All around them, smoke and burning debris littered the ground. Several government buildings being used as shelters for defending UNSC troops stood behind the walls, all heavily bombed out from the plasma barrage. The Sergeant Major roused the attention of the Marines, and he spoke roughly, coldly, "Marines! What the hell are you doing sitting around out here? Quit your crying and get your asses inside."
"Sergeant Major," Winston said, "We're part of Wildcat Company. We need to go and link up with our commanding officer. Tell him our detachment has just been wiped out."
"To hell you're gonna just run off and link up with them Sergeant! You and your Marines are going to hold the line here, with us. We can get in touch with Wildcat Actual and let him know what happened."
Sgt Winston wanted to protest, but to do so would be subverting the respect of military rank. He quietly said, "Yes Sergeant Major." and motioned for Wildcat 1-1 to follow him.
He holed his Marines up in a long, one-story office building. To their left and right were Marines dug in behind metal barricades and sandbags. M247 machine gun emplacements peeked out from amidst holes in bombed out buildings. On top of one of the buildings, a sniper trained his SRS99 on the gate entrance, watching intently for Covenant infantry. All around, rockets were being loaded and prepped.
The attack came shortly after a plasma mortar struck the top of the wall, killing a Marine manning an AIE-486 turret from inside a guard tower. Soon, more plasma mortars struck inside the gatehouse checkpoint. Marines ducked low and hugged the walls of their cover, praying the Covenant artillery wouldn't hit them. After the brief barrage, the Covenant assault began.
A Wraith ploughed through the broken gate, flanked on both sides by infantry. The sniper fired, taking the head off of a blue-armored Elite. The Wraith turned to his direction and loosed a bright blast of blue-white plasma that completely obliterated the shooter's position. Before the rubble had even settled, Jackal Skirmishers dropped down from above, having scaled the walls to enter the compound. The Marines opened fire. Machinegun fire and plasma bolts crossed over one another and slammed into the walls around their respective targets. The Skirmishers moved in, leaping from roof to roof and engaging the Marines in fierce, close-quarters fighting. Several rockets struck the Wraith at once, destroying it in a massive explosion of hot, blue fire.
By now, Covenant soldiers were pouring through the gate in force. Fire from the Marine positions dropped several of them, but it did nothing to deter their numbers. Wraiths followed the lances of alien infantry into the breach. From Winston's position, they were overlooking a wide lot which the Covenant soldiers had refrained from charging across. As the enemy armor arrived however, the Elites and their lances rushed forth, attempting to swarm the Marine positions.
Both West and Everston were the first to open fire, having taken positions beside a large hole blown into the wall. Their M7s rattled with constant bursts of fire. The rest of the squad ducked into cover as the Covenant attackers responded with fire of their own. Winston left Dubois to guard the door covering their exit, and then he took up a position next to Conkle. He and the PFC exchanged fire with the advancing Covenant, firing their weapons on semi-automatic. A Wraith moved towards them, firing a plasma mortar that soared dangerously low over the building's roof. They instinctively ducked, but Tombo returned fire with the M41, firing two rockets in quick succession. In a burst of flame, the tank collapsed loudly on the ground.
Grunts and Jackals surged forward, using the wreckage of the Wraith for cover. An Elite leapt atop the burning tank and peppered the Marine-held building with fire from a carbine. Concentrated fire from Winston's squad and another team of Marines in the building brought the reckless alien down. But as soon as it fell, a Wraith materialized from out of the smoke and maneuvered around the wreckage of the first one. This one fired at the section of the building where the other team of Marines was located. The entire building shook as the plasma round detonated loudly into the other team's position.
Tombo reloaded the M41 and brought it to his shoulders, just as the Wraith fired a shell at Avedo and Brayson's position. The two PFCs ducked out of the window and made a break for it into a nearby hallway. The ensuing explosion sent Brayson sprawling to the ground but unhurt. Tombo fired twice again. The Wraith went up in flames. This did nothing to let up the assault of the Covenant infantry, who were at that point no more than fifty meters from the Marines' position. Tombo yelled out, "We have no more rockets!"
Winston went to check up on Brayson, leaving Everston to direct the squad's fire. He knelt down by the Marine and pulled him up by the hand. He asked, "Brayson you alright? Talk to me!"
The young Marine nodded, shaking himself out of a daze caused by the Wraith, "Alright mate…Sergeant. Doin' alright."
Avedo pulled security in the hallway door, firing into the lot through the burned office they had just escaped. He lowered his MA5 and turned to Sgt Winston, "Sergeant! They took out those other Marines. We're getting overrun!"
In the other room, where the rest of the squad was, Everston watched as Skirmishers engaged the Marines on their left flank. The swift and ferocious creatures dropped down from the roof and into the midst of their barricades. One of the aliens fired dozens of needler rounds into a Marine, causing the multiple shards to burst explosively. The Marines who fought back were instantly overwhelmed, as the Elites pushing up the center joined in on the fighting as well. A lone Skirmisher stood atop the roof of a nearby building and fired a carbine at several retreating Marines, killing them as they attempted to cover each other and break contact. Everston brought her M7 up, lined it up with the Skirmisher, and fired one long, firm burst. The alien's body crumpled over and fell backwards onto the roof.
Another Wraith materialized out of the haze before them, and Winston could already hear the sound of multiple Wraiths bombarding Marine positions around them. He went to Dubois and looked outside to their rear, reminding her to watch the door. Then he hurried back into the room that his Marines defended, shouting, "Marines, on your feet! Let's get out! Let's go!" He went to each and every one as they exchanged fire with the enemy, pulling at them and yelling for them to move. As they bunched in the hallway by the exit, he said, "There's some buildings about one hundred meters across the clearing. If we all move fast enough, we can make it. We've lost and we have to get out of here now. Get ready."
LCpl West, who was covering their rear from a doorway, stopped firing to reload his M7. He shouted above the firefight at Winston, "Sergeant! We're gonna get mowed down out there! I ain't dyin' like a bitch!"
Sgt Winston had no time for anyone to disagree, so he shouted back, "Stow that talk Lance Corporal, you hear me? I need to get each and every one of us home. We have to go now or those Covenant will cut off our escape! We could get taken out either way. Marines, follow me!" And with that, he rushed out of the doorway and into the field.
The squad followed him, even West picked up. Out in the open, they rushed wildly towards the line of buildings in front. Covenant plasma fire soared above their heads and the Wraith fired at them. The first plasma mortar impacted amidst them but did no harm as they kept running. Dubois tripped from a hole in the ground, but Everston picked her up and pushed her along, the surrounding plasma fire being enough motivation for both of them to keep pace. Halfway across the field, another plasma shell came down on them, landing directly behind PFC Conkle. He let out a brief scream as his body was engulfed in blue flames; nothing of him remained when the dust settled.
Winston turned and saw the Marine die with his own eyes. His squad rushed past him. Furious, he fired off a few rounds into the pursuing Covenant. They returned fire furiously, plasma bolts zeroing in on his position. Ducking low, he moved as quickly as he could in an attempt to catch up with the rest of the Marines. Looking back one more time, he saw the Wraith explode in a flurry of flame and smoke. Up above, a lone Sparrowhawk circled the field, firing its minigun into the advancing enemy with absolute impunity.
As they reached the cover of the far buildings, the Marines stopped to take a breath. Dubois, whose only friend had been Conkle, became even more of a nervous wreck than she had been earlier. Avedo and Brayson panted wildly, while West and Tombo took up positions observing their rear and front, respectively. Everston approached Winston, asking, "Sergeant, what are we doing now?"
Winston keyed the radio built into his squad leader's helmet comm. "Talon 2, this Wildcat 1-1. Is that you providing cover for us? Over."
"Wildcat 1-1, this is Talon 2," her voice was as warm as ever, "Glad to see you guys still made it. I've got your air cover but be advised, we are on station for only twenty mikes. Over."
"Alright, we copy. We need to get to friendly forces. Have any location on the nearest Marine unit? Over."
"Doesn't look good Wildcat 1-1. You're surrounded on all sides by Covenant armor. Nearest unit is callsign Immortal. They're holed up at objective Gold Mine roughly 800 meters south of you. Can you make it to them? Over."
Sgt Winston sighed, relaying the information to his Marines. Then he touched the mic, saying, "Talon 2, we're gonna try to make it to them. Give us as much air cover as you can."
"We've got you back."
"Wildcat 1-1, out."
They picked up from their position, moving south between the buildings. They passed by rows of perfectly aligned houses, stores, and streets. Debris and abandoned vehicles littered the town around them as they moved through the alleys. Occasionally, Wraiths would hover by, boosting south towards UNSC positions. The whole time, plasma mortars filled the sky above. On one occasion they came upon a house upon a rise that was so heavily guarded by Covenant troops, Talon 2 had to swoop in low and strafe the position with rockets. As soon as she did so, two Wraiths began to open fire on the Marines.
Talon 2 opened up with her minigun, laying down as much fire as she could. Winston led his squad around the smoldering ruins, placing it between them and the Wraiths. As they continued to push forward, one of the Wraiths caught up to them. It fired a shell into a street, missing them as they rushed across. Dust and rocks showered the Marines as Winston urged them into a waiting alley. Fire from the plasma turret forced the Sergeant to duck back into the safety of the shadows. LCpl West, who had not reached them, turned around and leapt behind a burned car.
Checking to see that his M7 was low on ammo, he reloaded the submachine gun and waited for the Wraith to get closer. As soon as it was right on top of him, he rushed the tank, roaring defiantly and firing a fully automatic hail of bullets into the exposed gunner. The Elite gunner's shields flickered, but before West could empty even half of his clip, the plasma turret swiveled onto him and loosed a torrent of white-hot plasma bolts. They cut through the young Marine, tearing him apart; and his lifeless form fell to the ground as heavy as iron.
A gun run from Talon 2 ripped the tank to shreds as Sgt Winston disappeared into the alley. The Marines continued their movement south. Across the now-elevated highway to their left, a spur rose up, covered in houses and trees. At the highest point of the landform, and right before it dipped down into the valley, a small tower-like building stood overlooking the area. Even as they did their best to avoid the Wraiths and Ghosts pushing forward along the highway, snipers on top of this tower still noticed them. While they were moving between buildings, from a small school to a cramped, four-level store building, a thick beam of energy pulsed directly above Sgt Winston's head. He ducked reflexively as it slammed into a building across the street.
"Get down! Sniper!" he yelled. Then he got on his radio, "Talon 2, this is Wildcat 1-1. Covenant snipers have us pinned down from the south err…southeast. They're firing from the top of that tall tower. Take 'em out, over!"
"Roger. I see contacts on top of that building, moving in for rockets." They watched as she zoomed overhead, but as soon as she neared the elevated ground, she began to receive heavy plasma fire from enemy positions. Her voice came over the radio, noticeably less calm as she tipped her Sparrowhawk out of the enemy's field of fire, "Covenant fire in that zone is too heavy. We're gonna pull out of range and come in for another pass." But when she left, she didn't come in or even fire at the tower again.
Winston got on the radio and spoke to her, "Talon 2, we are still pinned down by those snipers. We need immediate cover now, over!"
She answered back, calm again, "Wildcat 1-1, standby. Immortal has Shortswords inbound."
After a moment of holding their position while the battle raged to the south, they heard a loud engine roar in the skies above. A single Shortsword dove in low, dropping ordinance on top of the Covenant-occupied spur then turning sharply and climbing in altitude. A consecutive string of detonations filled the far side of the highway with explosive fire. The shockwaves of the air strike rattled Sgt Winston and his squad, shaking the windows of the buildings around them. The sniper-occupied tower was nothing more than a smoking, blazing ruin sitting atop a fiery hill.
As the Marines stood up and began to move again, plasma fire erupted from their rear. A Covenant lance of Grunts, Jackals, and an Elite was attacking from their six, moving up the street towards them. The Marines returned fire and broke contact, continuing to move in their original direction. Sgt Winston observed PFC Dubois expose herself and fire three bursts from her MA5, killing a Jackal that had also exposed itself. Another Jackal advanced forward, aiming its plasma pistol at her. Winston brought his own rifle up and fired at the Jackal, hitting it from the side and killing it with a prolonged burst.
He yelled at the PFC, "Let's go! Move!" and she complied, hurriedly rushing towards the other retreating Marines.
Down the street, Everston and Tombo waited for Winston and Dubois to catch up. When the pair approached, the waiting Marines unleashed a hail of suppressing fire. Then when the running Marines passed, the shooting stopped and the other two followed along. Up ahead, Brayson and Avedo laid down fire to the rear as the other four passed. Winston and Dubois got in position to cover them as well, but just as PFC Avedo stopped firing and moved from cover, three plasma bolts struck him directly in the abodomen. Screaming in agony, he collapsed onto the street. Brayson fired his weapon into the enemy, emptying the magazine before picking up his comrade and carrying him to the other Marines. Winston and Dubois suppressed the enemy before picking up and moving themselves. When they passed Tombo and Everston again, the two combined their fire and gunned down the Elite as it advanced. The rest of the lance broke off and began to retreat.
They set Avedo down and administered a small amount of biofoam into his wounds. The amount provided in his individual first aid kit wouldn't be enough to allow him to keep fighting. Winston ordered Brayson to carry him and Everston to watch the rear. Tombo moved out on point, and Dubois stayed between him and Winston. The street was quiet save for the sounds of plasma mortars and the distant gunfire from Immortal's position.
Winston got on the radio, "Talon 2, this is Wildcat 1-1, do you copy? Over."
"Wildcat 1-1, Talon 2 here."
"Do you have eyes on any Covenant troops ahead of our position? We have wounded, over."
She was quiet for a moment, possibly examining the forces on the ground. Then she spoke up, "Affirmative. Be advised, a small number of Covenant troops are in between you and Immortal. Roughly two dozen. We'll take 'em out, over."
"Roger that. In the meantime we'll go around, keep ourselves out of a firefight. Out."
They heard the buzzing of her minigun above, and then they saw several large plasma explosions in the sky. She came back on the radio. "This is Talon 2, I'm taking heavy AA fire. Doing the best I can for you Wildcat."
"Copy that, Talon 2. Pull back. We're going around the enemy, over."
"Roger. Pulling back. Wildcat 1-1 I see a possible route to the west. Head west for a hundred meters and cross the road south, it should take you directly behind Immortal's position. Our time on station is short, over."
"Roger that Talon 2. Thanks for the cover. Over."
"Good luck down there. Talon 2, out."
They moved west, skirting around the Covenant assault force and advancing between houses and through backyards. Eventually, they stepped out onto the street and followed it for another fifty meters. Sgt Winston kept his eyes open the whole way, and he could see Talon 2 still hovering above the battle, firing controlled bursts into the enemy force. He silently thanked the brave pilot for all the help she had given them, hoping to possibly find her after the battle and buy out an entire bar for her sake.
They moved into position, stacking up outside of an empty, darkened café. Avedo groaned in pain. Winston motioned for Everston to cross the street and scout out the other side. She nodded, getting up and moving. But just as she made it halfway across the street, a green streak of radioactive plasma struck her in the head. The top of her helmet exploded in red and green as she collapsed onto the street. She died instantly.
The shooter, now noticing the squad's position, began to fire a steady stream of shots from his carbine. Dust and heat kicked up around them as the squad of Marines scrambled into the building for cover. But just as Brayson helped Avedo to the front door, a ball of burning blue light was dropped from above, landing directly on Brayson's back. Turning his head in time only to notice, the plasma grenade let out a high pitched whine before exploding violently.
Sgt Winston, who had entered the café before them, was blown onto the ground. His neck, arm, and leg felt seared from the blast but he could still stand. Looking around, he tried to get a sense of where his Marines were and what was going on. In the corner of the shop, PFC Dubois looked at Winston fearfully and ran up the stairs to the second floor. Her lifeless body tumbled down the stairs under a hail of plasma fire. Both Tombo and he watched as a flickering shadow stepped over her corpse.
Tombo, looking to a door on the other side of the café now, noticed something that Winston didn't. Screaming a vicious warcry, he fired his MA5 on full auto into thin air, shattering windows, seats, and displays as he advanced towards an unseeable target. A small flicker of energy lit up in the gloom just as Tombo ran out of ammo. An energy sword materialized out of the air and speared the charging Marine, twisting him around and pressing him up against a wall. Relentless, Tombo primed a grenade and yelled curses and insults into the now-emerging face of a dark-armored Elite. The grenade detonated, killing Tombo. But the Elite, whose shields were only dissipated by the blast, rose up from the ground.
Winston watched in horror at the seemingly unstoppable foe. He contemplated running, running and getting to safety and making it home. He hesitated at the thought of the other Marines he had led there – the Marines who were now dead; who he had failed to bring home. Putting aside his insurmountable fear, he raised his rifle and slid his finger around the trigger. But just as soon as he put the Elite in his sights, a steady stream of burning plasma bolts struck him in the side. Yelping in pain, he fell to the ground, his rifle just out of reach.
Clenching his teeth from the pain of the wounds, he attempted to reach out for his rifle. Looking towards the stairwell, he could see a second stealth Elite walking slowly towards him, two plasma rifles held akimbo. Extending his arm out as far as he could, he cried out and made another attempt to retrieve his rifle. But then an armored foot stomped down on top of his wrist, eliciting from him a pained and fearful scream. Looking up in horror, he saw the Elite standing above him. It eyed him, looking him once over and then swiftly driving its energy sword through his chest.
Sgt Winston let out one more blood-gurgled gasp for breath as the sword ripped itself out of him. The life drained from his eyes just as the radio in his ears came to life.
"Wildcat 1-1, this is Talon 2, over." Nothing. "Wildcat 1-1, this is Talon 2. We are out of fuel and RTB, how copy over?" Nothing.