Isabella felt faint as she walked down the corridor with the rest of the refugees, they wore panicked expression as they walked down an alien corridor that they had only just found out existed. The public address system was Korai speaking in a calm voice and directing them toward a tram system to an unknown location. Shockwaves would ripple down the corridor as Covenant artillery peppered the world above them and the armoured door behind them. Korai's voice was the only thing stopping a full scale panic.
"what is your decision Ms. King?" Korai spoke into Isabella earpiece
"you haven't done anything you've promised and so far, I seem to be the only one fulfilling my end of the bargain"
"I haven't fulfilled my end of the bargain because there is no channel I can send your message out on. I can assure you, it is not out of malice"
"still, why am I so important to you? I've seen your augmented soldiers, I'm sure they have this all under control"
"you have something they don't Ms. King, training…you are UNSC and I'm with the Insurrectionists but these are just people" Korai paused as Isabella looked to a little girl beside her, freckled and afraid, the girl clutched her doll as she looked up at Isabella, Isabella waved softly in reply "help me save them"
"I have to hand it to you, for an AI, you are a master manipulator"
"I've been working really hard at it"
"What's the objective?"
"move to the front the line, there is a lift waiting for you"
The tram that she was on started to slow down, the process seemed to be magic as the tram itself seemed to float down the tunnel but there was no time to focus on that. She looked at an AR projection of Korai in the middle of the space.
"There is a modest force of jackal and grunts right outside the door. My sensors are picking up snipers at these locations" Korai said "the control panel is here and the power coupling is here. What the plan Ms. King?"
"who need at least three good shooters, any volunteers?" three men offered "good, four of you with me" She gestured at some men and women "we move out first, scatter upon exit don't give them a fixed target. You guys" she pointed at a group "give us a couple of seconds and hammer down, marksmen find the snipers, take 'em out. Then we split up and take the objectives" She looked around at stern nods "then let's get tactical" everybody started to final prep as the tram came to a halt and they poured into a fairly large receiving room and brisk walk to the door that led outside. The group split into two, one on either side of the door, as they took deep breaths to get ready, a soldier tapped Isabella on the shoulder.
"ma'am, what are the odds we get this done?" the woman said.
"Unbloody likely" Isabella replied
"I'm opening the door Ms. King. The first wave of civilians is on its way" Korai said over comms as a deep hum became audible, followed by shifting parts and the alien door splitting at the seam.
"great, so no pressure". The grunt was startled as the first punctured the methane tank of one of their comrades. The team slowly created a wide arc, engulfing the small consignment of Grunts and Jackals. One of the teammates closest to door took a round to the shoulder, a second delay for it exploded in a mixture of pink dust and blood. The arm was gone and he bleeding profusely "someone patch him up. Marksmen, anytime now".
"That's the last ma'am" the soldier said to Isabella over comms as he waved his hands from the high powered turret location. "regulator fixed"
"good, now get down here" Isabella said "they can come out now Korai"
"the Pelicans are one their way" Korai said as civilians started to cross the divide between the bunker door and the helipad. "sensor indicate the Covenant are starting to look in our direction"
"between the turrets and our setup" Isabella looked around "I think we can hold"
"I have faith in you Ms. King"
"stop trying to do whatever 'that' was and make sure those turrets keep their aim true"
"My wisdom currently oversees over the sixty operations, my work keeps the Covenant at bay…"
"is that a yes or no?"
"yes" Korai said with a smirk
"don't let me keep you, with sixty operations and all…over sixty". It was a steady stream as soon as the pelicans landed. The first few minutes were uneventful but a Pelican crash from being hit on its way to them was the first sign of trouble. Isabella took a team to retrieve the occupants of the downed craft, almost falling prey to a trap, the Covenant weren't just trying to use air transports, they were dropping troops down a drivable road along the hillside. Isabella ordered for a machine gun turret to man the road, cursing herself for not realizing the treat the road posed. To Korai's credit he was doing a good job but orbital strikes were now in play and there was no defending against that. Some strikes hit dead on, other didn't but it seemed to disable the turrets close to it. The Helipad was now a hot zone, dropships landing at will
"how long do we have to wait Korai?" a soldier said. The helipad was too open and they had fallen back to the entrance.
"just hang in there Williams, Alpha 1 is almost here with his pelican" Korai replied "it's all I can spare"
"there is no a lot of us left anyhow" Williams replied and he was right, when d last shuttle left they had all but excepted their fate, 10 civilians and 6 soldiers would not withstand the military might but when Alpha 1 radioed in, they were elated. As Isabella slid back into the cover of the bunker, a needle round went into her armour with a muffled thud. She dropped everything she was carrying and pulled out the round without hesitation and tossed it, groaning with pain. Blood slowly dripped out the puncture and she cut her hand gripped the rough edges of the round.
"more rounds for the turret and some of the weapons the big guys use" she winced when she made a movement referring to carbines and storm rifles "I'm not sure I have any more of those runs left in me"
"you don't have to" Korai replied "he's almost here"
"I'll believe that when I see him" she got up from her resting position and started firing. Civilians and soldiers fighting for survival. The pelican rose up from cliff edge surprising everyone and when it got high enough, it opened fire "everybody form up, we are making a run for that craft"
The pelican around and as it opened its rear doors, a man in high tech, almost alien armour, pulled down a turret and opened controlled burst fire on the Covenant. "everyone ready?" Isabella said after a short while
"excuse me" a woman said to Isabella, she turned around a bit frustrated but her face changed when she saw the woman standing next to her husband holding their five-year-old son, a boy visible panicked by the situation.
"what can I do for you guys?" Isabella replied, trying to smile.
"whatever happens to us" the woman was almost crying "get him to safety…please" Isabella was reluctant but she understood
"nothing will happen to him. I promise "Isabella was still even though the boy was reluctant to leave and there were tears all around. Isabella cradled the boy with her left hand and activated the jackal energy shield she had strapped to his back. "you get to protect me, you brave boy" Isabella smiled at him and he tried to smile back "we are moving out, don't get left behind" she broke into the open space and started firing, keeping a brisk pace as she did, everyone followed her lead. She reached the Pelican and as she handed over the boy, she and armoured marine shared a moment, she recognized the armoured as one the soldiers that attacked her at the warehouse but she couldn't be sure which one and she knew he knew her. They couldn't dwell on their rivalry now. By the time everyone was on-board, the sixteen men and women of the group was now nine and just like that boy in her arms was an orphan, the bodies of his parents burnt and deformed by plasma fire. She set him down as the ship lifted off, she walked towards the exit ramp to see what was going on. She left her guard down. It was a push to her back, at first she thought the pelican took a hit and she could regain her balance but the force had purpose. As she flew clear of the Pelican and the ground approach her. She could make out a laugh and Korai's panicked lamentation, she hit the landing pad with a heavy thud.
She couldn't keep up the fight, she started at first but it didn't last, Jackals were tossing her around like a play thing. One of the aliens was the more aggressive of the bunch and the more he squawked at her, clearer it became who was going to kill her. She felt the cold blade puncture her side and she tried to hold in the pain but there was audible groan. The Shangheli barked and it startled her and her captors. He was a minor but he had the confidence of a commander and as he walked into the crowd of Jackals he was given proper respect. The Elite gestured for the grunt next to him to translate as he locked eyes with a battered Isabella. He started barking and paused often.
"master says if you are the human that fought at the…bunker" the grunt spoke in broken English "you fought his master and did not die immediately"
"I…have…no…idea, what he's talking about" Isabella replied. The barking continued.
"the female should be forthcoming, else I feed her to the Jackals. They are not kind to one that murders their kin" Isabella noticed the turret move on the hill and it was odd because it was previously disabled.
"is that supposed to scare me?" a light started to flash, it was code "I've made my peace with everything, whatever you want to do?" she waited for the translation to finish and looked the Shangheli in the eyes "do it". The turret warmed up and concentrated laser pierced the air, it missed her interrogator by a whisker but struck one of her captors, giving her room to move. She broke free and made a beeline for a parked Ghost. It was hard to get control of it but with enough distraction, she had enough time to get a hang of it. She gunned it for a road that was along the hill side. Plasma fire zipped pass her as Covenant ghosts bared down on her. For some reason they were faster and she didn't know why. Isabella swerved from side to side as her attackers got closer and their aim got better. Two got closer to her than the others. She could feel the heat from the back of her seat being peppered. A pelican descended from above, peppering the closer Ghost with machine gun fire. The pelican moved next to her and the pilot gestured to a bend in the road, she nodded in agreement and he accelerated to reach there before her.
"I wish it were that easy" Isabella said to herself as she watched the Pelican maneuver into place. "I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it …." She continued when she found the booster for the ghost, whit a grimace and some effort she slammed the Ghost into a forward motion and as it flew over the cliff, she jumped and rolled into the back of the Pelican panting. She banged on the cockpit door and the pilot gunned it. As she watched the enemy Ghosts get smaller and the bay doors close, she exhaled.