Cpt Janson, I. Day 1, 2300 Hrs
Among the fiery ruins of the city, the silhouettes of ODSTs advanced between devastated avenues and through fallen buildings. Heavy smoke permeated the air, covering the warzone with a thick fog of war. Visibility was poor, so each man and woman had to strain their eyes scanning rooftops and windows. They relied more on their hearing and VISRs.
Cpt Janson was in the middle of the formation. The three squads he had brought with him were spread out across several blocks operating in two-man teams. He made sure that they watched their intervals however, keeping each squad within a short sprint from his position. On his HUD, a waypoint led him in the direction of SSgt Banks' beacon.
Gunfire was being exchanged ahead. None of his squads were taking contact, but the gathered remnants of first platoon were under heavy fire. They picked up the pace, creeping through desolate and abandoned structures and around the wrecks of dozens of different vehicles. At last, entering a small building and observing from the second floor, he and two other ODSTs: Sgt Orzuna and LCpl McShaffer, managed to get a commanding view of the firefight before them.
Down below, Grunts and Elites made numerous attempts to cross a once-busy intersection while under heavy fire. From the ruins of a bombed out building, first platoon returned fire. A Spirit swooped in and dropped reinforcements on the opposite side of their building.
Taking a position to oversee it all, Cpt Janson had to be careful that they didn't accidentally get hit by friendly fire. Noises nearby drew the attention of the ODSTs; they weren't alone. On the same floor as them, a pair of Jackals crept about and took sporadic shots with needle rifles at first platoon's position. With a few silent hand and arm signals, Janson ordered them taken out. The two Helljumpers moved in behind each one of the enemy shooters. Then, in one swift, synchronous motion, they dug their knives into the creature's skulls and dragged them dying into a darkened room.
Over the radio, he heard Templar 2-2 on his left report in. "Templar 6, 2-2 is in position."
He replied, "Copy that 2-2. 2-3, this is 6. Continue to hold position at our rear, copy?"
"2-3 copies, 6."
Then there was an explosion to their right flank. The three ODSTs turned to see a small plume of flame rising from a building. Shooting followed. A report over the radio came to Janson. The voice on the other end said, "Templar 6, this is 2-4. We've been compromised. Troops in contact, over."
"Copy that 2-4. Templar 2-2, open up. Engage the enemy!"
Second squad's leader responded strongly, "Affirmitive 6!" Then grenades began detonating amidst the formation of Covenant attackers. Janson, Orzuna, and McShaffer all provided support by fire with their BR55's as second squad began a slow and cautious assault through the intersection. An Elite turned around to engage the Troopers on the second floor but Janson gunned him down with several bursts.
As the other two men mopped up the enemy below, he got on the radio with first platoon. "Templar 1-2, this is Templar 6. You still there?"
She responded, sounding relieved, "Roger that sir. We have casualties that need immediate evac, over."
"Copy that. 2-2 is inbound from the south. Grab your wounded and pull out with them."
The members of 2-2 rushed into the destroyed building. The sounds of close quarters fighting followed. The enemy reinforcements were attacking from the far side, away from his field of vision. Looking towards the right flank, he saw flashes of gunfire and the telltale streak of a Wraith's plasma mortar just before it detonated near fourth squad.
Janson keyed his radio. "2-4, you need to hold that position until we extract 1-2, over."
The squad leader replied, "6, we're being outflanked by armor. We have two KIA! Can't hold long. Over!"
The report troubled Janson. They were in immediate danger of being encircled and overwhelmed. He radioed to the extraction team. "2-2, you need to hurry up and extract 1-2!"
"Roger 6. Working on it!" ODSTs came out carrying three wounded Troopers. One of the downed men was on a litter, requiring two other Troopers to carry him. The other Helljumpers pulled security, scanning the vicinity around them as they moved across the intersection towards Cpt Janson's building. Aside from the wounded from first platoon, only five of the survivors were combat capable.
As soon as they entered the building, Janson motioned to McShaffer and Orzuna, saying, "Let's go!" They stood up and followed him downstairs. While descending a flight of stairs, he radioed fourth squad. "2-4, we have them. Fall back! Break contact. I say again, break contact!"
"Roger we're moving!" he shouted loudly into the radio.
On the first floor, Janson saw SSgt Banks. He walked up to her, "Staff sergeant, what's your status?"
"It wasn't good sir. The rest of the platoon rallied around our beacon, but the Covies came in too. As far as I know, we're all that's left." She looked mournfully at her old position before being dismissed by the captain and running purposefully towards her Troopers.
Janson shook his head regretfully. They had fought and given their lives like Helljumpers. It was expected. Going up to his rear security element, third squad, he told the squad leader, "We're gonna have Wraiths coming down this road really soon. I want second squad taking the survivors along the buildings heading south. Third, hold position here, ambush those tanks, and then break contact. Head to the rally point and then we'll fall back to Viper's position."
"Got it sir," the squad leader replied. Then he turned about and began placing his squad in ambush positions. Two Helljumpers would be on the second floor with rockets and grenades, while the rest of the shooters would be on the first floor engaging the enemy directly.
As soon as the extraction element stepped off and began moving south, fourth squad came running down the road under a hail of enemy plasma fire. Captain Janson stepped outside and motioned for them to follow him, shouting, "Let's go! Follow me! We're pulling back!" And the men joined him as they ran after second squad.
A rocket struck the first tank that emerged to pursue them. The Wraith exploded and sunk heavily to the ground. Enemy fire peppered the second story window of third squad's position. The Helljumpers tossed grenades out into the street, decimating the Covenant's vanguard of attackers. A second Wraith rounded the corner and sped down the street into the firefight. It elevated its turret, angled itself to third squad, and fired a solid plasma shell directly into the second floor. Then it turned to fire at the retreating extraction team. The plasma mortar detonated along the top of a building, right above their heads.
Above the captain's group, a Spirit circled around and dropped a lance of Covenant on top of the buildings across the street. Janson, fourth squad, and Orzuna and McShaffey exchanged fire with the enemy. Moving from cover to cover, they bounded down the road, killing the Covenant attackers as they went along.
Turning around to make sure that third squad was breaking contact, Cpt Janson saw one of the ODSTs rush out into the street under enemy fire. The Trooper deftly tossed a grenade into the rear cooling system of the Wraith, and then he ducked safely into the far side buildings as the tank exploded wildly. Third squad began to break contact, although there were only five of them now.
At the rally point, just outside of no-man's land, the rest of the team gathered. Once Janson arrived under heavy fire, he shouted and gestured to the Troopers carrying the wounded. "Go! Go! Go!" he shouted repeatedly. They picked up and began moving back towards friendly lines. His element remained and waited for third squad to catch up. Once they did, the combined squads picked up and raced across no-man's land towards friendly lines.
Two Banshees and a Spirit caught up to them. Before they could do any damage however, rocket fire from a nearby hill struck the Covenant dropship on the side. Another missile followed, ripping off the entire right extension of the alien craft. It twisted in the air, crashing in flames at the foot of the hill. A shockwave from the crash's explosion swept over the retreating Troopers, who continued along undeterred. Concentrated pockets of machine gun fire and small arms fire hit the Banshees as they swooped in for a gun run. Tracers filled the air overhead while Janson continued to run.
A fuel rod burst right next to Orzuna, who brought his arm up reflexively to shield his face. Unhurt, he pressed on past the cloud of heat and smoke. The other Banshee came in, unleashing a torrent of plasma from its cannons. One of the Troopers from second squad was cut down by the strafing run, but the men carrying the litter barely escaped the attack by half a meter's distance. Banks stopped and fired back angrily into the sky.
Before the Banshees could strafe them again, machine guns opened fire all along the UNSC lines. A triple-barreled .50 caliber emplacement fired fixatedly at one of the Banshees, damaging its hull and ripping apart a wing. It spiraled out of control, burning violently as it did so before finally crashing loudly into the dirt road beside the trenches. The other Banshee swiftly turned around and boosted away before it could be shot down by the heavy gunfire.
Janson's ODSTs quickly leapt into the trenches. They lowered in the wounded Troopers and took them to the nearest aid station. The captain met with Eldris, and then he assembled the Troopers who had gone out with him. Out of 20 Helljumpers, they had lost four. First platoon had been severely crippled, and with only five members present and able to fight, they were considered combat ineffective.
The captain spoke to them, "Troopers. Good work tonight. We don't abandon our own, and now the Covenant know that. First Sergeant has informed me that the 27th Division has provided us with some hot chow. Make sure you all get some."
The assembled men and women quietly uttered a collective, "Ooh-rah," and then they were dismissed. Janson quickly set about working with the officers of Viper Company, establishing watch schedules and familiarizing himself with sector sketches and gun emplacements. He watched as artillery pounded away at the buildings he had just returned from. His troops had earned a small reprieve for the time being, but the battle was far from being over.