A/N:
Asesabi Lutho is Sindebele for " We fear nothing ". It is the motto of the Rhodesian Armored Car Corps
0330 hours, local clock
New Mombasa
Kenya
Earth
The Seraphs were still lurking.
They were like sharks- circling blood in the water, as they roved around in wobbling flight paths around the edge of the alien strike formation. Their pale blue running lights glowed like neon lights against the dimming sky, which would've been pretty if they hadn't been there for the sole purpose of atomizing anything and everyone that they caught below them that wasn't Covenant- or, even if they were. Buck had found some of those dead Elites back at Tayari Plaza...it seemed that the Covies were going full open season on even their own.
Which, needless to say, said they'd been even more vicious toward their enemy. Ie, literally everyone on Earth. The Seraphs were here to murder, not to fight.
As usual.
Just behind them, the Phantoms were descending toward the Earth like ancient C-5 Galaxy transport planes ferrying much-needed cargo. Except, here, that " cargo " was a full strength company of heavily armed Covenant warriors, all of them chomping at the bit to purge the neighborhood they'd land in- and every one nearby- of who they called.." heretics ".
They were there, because the Covenant was doing what it did best, and that was saturating the ground they wanted with a sea of their soldiers...
It would take an army to engage them. Either that, or a Spartan strike team.
Or, obviously, a company of ODSTs. Maybe even just a few squads. Actually...yeah. A few squads of them would've been enough...
But, there wasn't one. There wasn't any of those available. Not one aside from the one the Covenant were bringing. Their dropships descended to the rooftops, and their belly grav elevators shimmered with more pale blue, as that alien force began hitting the tarmac, plasma weapons brandished in 3 fingered hands.
Screw you , xenos...
We're still here, aren't we ?!
The Gunny's eyes stayed locked on the airborne hostiles for another few seconds, watching as the hostile air assault was underway, via maximizing his VISOR's zoom setting. It wasn't quite night enough yet for the NV function on them to kick in, but in a few hours, it would be. For now, the ever-familiar contours and outlines of the bulbous alien craft were littering the sky, and they could be easily seen.
But, they couldn't see him. There would've been airborne plasma whipping past him from any one of those craft if they had...
Spikes of adrenaline rose all over Buck's nerve network, but after years of ODST service, they didn't distract him. They just kept him awake, and aware. Both immensely valuable.
And speaking of what was immensely valuable...
Not that ONI would agree...
Who cares what they want, though.
I don't.
No Jarhead worth their salt would
True enough. The NonCom had real concerns to address now,not whatever the Spymasters wanted.
Shutting off the VISOR's long range mode, Buck turned around, to where the other 3 of the mismatched bunch he was currently in charge of was hunkered. They were on the shadow side of an abandoned city bus- one with its front peppered and speckled with charred black, plasma-melted holes, some wide enough to lob a basketball through. They had found nobody and nothing left on the bus...though, given the Covenant's treatment of anybody they took alive ( which was a rarity bordering on " it doesn't happen " ), that still didn't signal things had turned out well for them.
But, Dubbo and Dekker were still there, along with Jeena. The pregnant was sitting, unsurprignsily, with the Aussie Marine standing by. Dekker was a few yards off, rifle steadily lined up where the road stretched away...dotted and pockmarked with energy weapon impact craters.
The Covenant had been here..and they were coming back as well.
And Romeo was where he'd been left as well- atop the bus, meticulously scanning the perimeter with his SS-2. If there had been any hostile approaching on their 6:00, he'd have seen them.
At least there was nobody coming for them from their rear...and especially, no Jackals. Brutes might've seen a tougher enemy, but they were noisy. You'd know they were coming for you a mile out...
Exhaling with gratitude for that slight favor, Buck made his way back over to where they were waiting, with one thumb flicking the MA5's safety back on. He wished he could switch his thirst for some cold water off, but they'd given most of their water to the expectant women they'd ran across back at the Plaza...so, finding a cold gulp would have to wait.
He could still speak, and loud enough to issue orders at least, so he did.
" Ok...rally up, Marines ! "
" Form a circle...! "
Buck made a lasso motion with one hand. Spotting it, and hearing the Gunny shout, Dubbo called out to Dekker, who 180'd and jogged over., stopped beide the still-seated Jeena right bedside him.
" Hey...", he greeted. " Gunny might have bad news for us...just so know. "
The cautionary prediction was surprisingly well received. "
" They're locking down the neighborhood we just left...so there's no going back even if we wanted to. "
" ..How bad is it, Sergeant ? ", asked Jeena, clearly doing her best to hide how nervous she was at the news.
" How many of them did you see ?! "
It was...it made sense that she was so scared, Buck told himself. However brave she might be on her own, it wasn't just her at stake here:
" Well, good thing the NMPD place is that way then... ". Dubbo pointed a finger down the road, past the back end of the wrecked NMPT ( New Mombasa Public Transport ) vehicle.
" You could say that ", agreed Dekker. " Least they're herding us toward where we're going, anyway. "
" Thank God for any favors, right ? "
" You catch on quick, Private. "
That was an apt observation...but when it came to the Covenant, things had a track record of getting upended quicker than the flick of a light switch. Or at least, for every time they didn't, there were 3 that they did...overall.
Things were going the squad's way for now though...but for how long that would last remained to be seen.
Until it did, Buck would use it for all it was worth.
" Let's go ! Let's go !", he urged, gesturing for everyone to begin to move. " We're only a few blocks from the HQ compound, and the enemy's tightening the noose. Let's get a move on, Marines ! "
The other two knew the drill, and they jumped to it right away. As Buck arrived, and carefully and yet again draped one of Jeena's arms around his shoulder, Dubbo did the same on the other side, as Dekker moved ahead. Buck notified Romeo that they had to displace, and the sniper responded with a brisk , " Copy that, Gunny. Hauling it. "
" Stay on it, but don't get strung out ", the NonCom ordered, as he set off at a purposeful stride. " Can't let ourselves end up scattered, you hear ? "
" Loud and clear, Gunny..."
And, on they went , all over again.
The aliens were herding them, that was true.
But, like Dekker had pointed out, that wasn't as bad it sounded- because the ODSTs weren't going backwards.
They were going forward.
" Banshees... I got Banshees, Gunny ! "
" 3:00...high ! "
Romeo. The eagle-eyed sniper did it again, calling out the enemy before they got a bead on them.
" 3:00, on approach ! There's an alley to your right...get in there...!"
"..Copy that, Lance ! "
The NonCom didn't waste a second relaying word to the others, even as he redirected his attention skyward up and to the right, to be greeted by several of the " flying eggplants " ghosting their way toward them.
Damn...
Got 'em.
" Copy-? ". Dubbo sounded as confused as Buck would expect.
Not any longer, though.
" Over here ! Over here, now ! We got hostile aircraft comin' our way ! "
" Head right ! Right, Dubbo !"
"..Right on, Gunny...! "
Yet again, they moved as a unit. Again, they had to carefully manure the heavily encumbered woman they were supporting around, and hustle forward, half lifting, half moving along with her, as they all moved together off the sidewalk, and into the concrete valley that was the narrow lane between two soaring buildings.
" What did he see ?! ", asked the future mother. " Whats- what did he see ?! "
" Bad company, ma'am ", supplied a sentry- posted Dekker, who had already - by pure reflex- come to stand at the mouth of the alley, just out of the field of view of anything flying overhead. " Aliens are sending their air force...patrolling the area. They're out to smoke out anyone they can till their main force gets on the ground and oraganized. "
" Their...main force ? Isn't that already here ?! "
" Not quite. Trust me: You'll know. "
Damn...
I'm recommending you for a promotion, kid.
Soon as the right opportunity comes up. Its gonna happen
Impressed with the sharp mind of his unofficial subordinate aside, Buck made sure to keep his ears open.
Romeo would have something to say soon enough about the enemy fliers, and when he did-
rMMBL...
rMMMMBL
...
...
Hold up a second.
What the- ?!
Rmmmmbll...
Out of the blue...
Heavy engines sounded ahead !
Heavy fueled engines....not repulosorlifts !There was something heavy on the roll coming in from the left, and it wasn't a Covie vehicle. Buck knew that for certain.
How many...?
Sounds like one..!
Yeah...it was a UNSC heavy roller. From down the street the squad was on, near the end, and just around the corner hooking around on the left just past a bus stop...there was the sound of a tank approaching.
Not an Oliphant, or a combat dozer...
A tank.
The NonCom would recognize that sound anywhere- and it was right there.
Coming for them. Getting closer and closer..
Geez..
Its..!
" Hey, Sarge ?! You hear that...? "
Buck already had, and it quickly made it known. " Yeah- hold up, everyone ! "
" Hold up ! "
" Hold up..."
" Dubbo ! Take her for a second; I'll take a closer look. "
" Gunny...? ". Jeena spoke up.
" He'll be back, miss ", Dubbo slipped an arm around her, keeping her firmly upright as best he could. " Just going to the mouth, and that's all. "
Backing that up right away, Buck jogged forward, rifle clutched. He slowed down as he was about to leave the safety of the alley, though not out of caution of what Banshees might still be there, but-
...you just did that, when leaving an alley. Alleys were safe. Alleys were secure, and unless you were being chased out of one ( like that damn Wraith had done ), you didn't ditch them in a hurry.
At least he could afford to now.
Bringing the rifle up, he continued at a slow walk, pressing against one wall as he reached the mouth...
...and took a gander out past it.
Right on cue, Romeo chimed in, from his position on the other side of the road, on top of a half-melted sedan. " Gunny ! Gunny, we got a Grizzly coming up ! Fully loaded with about a squad's worth of Jarheads on it ! And...yeah. And some GIs !"
" Army and Jarheads on one tank, Gunny ! "
And, just like that, Buck had finally received his first real shock of the day. Well, the second, actually...after Jeena, that is. Encountering a pregnant woman all on her own right smack dab in the epicenter of a Covenant-occupied city ranked pretty low on " List of things I expected to see today ".
Right alongside, needless to say, " Meeting a Grizzly tank ". Those things were a mint a pair ! Couldn't be more than 10,000 of them across the entire UNSC's armored corps, and production wasn't that swift either- or Buck would've counted how often he'd seen them above 100...rather than a few dozen.
But, one was here ? Now ?
No mistaking that engine sound though...
The NonCom's grinned broadly, and at once. There was no stopping it, and he didn't care.
Thank you, God.
Tanks. For us ?!
Oh, yes....
" Copy that, Romeo...
" Wait one. We'll be coming out. "
" My turn to copy, Gunny..."
Doing a 180, Buck hurried back the way he'd come.
Getting back tot he others, he found they'd heard the echoing racket of the heavy engines as well.
" Sergeant ?! Whats- what's that noise ?! ".
Jeena had given away that she thought the Covenant had brought something diesel powered to the mix. Sure, she was completely wrong, but...well, not that she'd know better.
Time for an education...
Fortunately, it was something Buck knew would give her another dose of hope.
" Good news, Ma'am: That's how I know a UNSC tank is comin' our way ! ", Buck told her, as he placed her arm back around his shoulders, where it was becoming used to being.
" One of our heavier ones. ", he added.
" For real ?! ". Dubbo interjected. " A bloody Grizzly...?! "
"Yeah. You'd better believe it, kid ", Dekker, as the more seasoned, clearly had more experience in working alongside the gigantic AFV's, and second only to Buck here on that, also had cottoned on real quick that a Grizzly was just seconds out...
Damn
My I say...thank you, God.
Fresh optimism bloomed through the NonCom- for first time after leaving the firefight back just short of Tayari Plaza, he'd found more friendlies.
Not that ODSTs minded operating on their own- heck, that's what they were built for, through and through- but...well, he was kind of short of that all critical resource known as " Ammo ". With some UNSC personnel just a stone's throw away, however, he could finally rectify that.
Couldn't kill Covenant without ammo. Aside from your knife..
" Dekker ! Move up, hug the wall, and let 'em know we're here ! ", Buck ordered, stabbing a finger ahead.
" Dubbo ! Stick close, ya hear ?! "
" Copy that, Gunny..! "
" You got it, Gunny...", the Aussie acknowledged, as the other Corporal jogged off, rifle cradled tightly.
As he headed off, Romeo come in with another update. " Hey, Gunny, that Grizzly's not alone..."
" Got another one behind it. We've got two of 'em, Gunny ! Two Grizzlies on the road...and... "
" Jesus Christ, Gunny- they got an Elephant ! An Elephant ! Grizzlies and an Elephant, column formation ! I send again, Grizzlies and an Elephant !"
The sniper could not hide his enthusiasm, and to be perfectly blunt, Buck would've shouted out loud...
Screw it. Why not ? He knew better than to
Utterly brilliant. With no sarcasm at all, that was brilliant. Just one Grizzly was enough to sweep aside- or more likely, straight up decimate- a whole company of Covenant ! Let alone two of them...
Things were turning around.
" Are you saying...are you saying there's more Marines ahead ?! ", asked the now cautiously optimistic Civvy.
" More of them ? "
There was renewed hope as she said it, and Buck already felt like he'd won a victory. Saving Civs, and giving them a fresh dose of " Don't give up; there's a light at the tunnel " was one of the less-advertised aspects of becoming an ODST, but it was definitely one of the more rewarding ones...
Right up with the soul-changing thrill of an orbital drop, as if that needed to be said. Lot of troopers signed up just for that.
But, with billions and billions of hapless civs across all the colonies all depending wholly on the ability of the Jarheads- especially the ELITE Jarheads, ie the ODSTs- to keep the Xenos off them, you'd come up against having to personally shield them from the enemy sooner or later. And when you did, you'd realize that was a major reason why all the years on tour was worth it.
Because they needed you. Not only your unit, but the other " they " as well.
" Not just more of them- UNSC tanks . ", Buck empathized, with a corner of his mouth tugging. " We've got tanks on our side now. "
As he told her so, they were drawing closer to the end of the road, having left the bus-wreck in their wake. The guttural growling and rumbling had only grown louder and louder, hinting that the source was right on top of them. By then, Dekker had already vanished around the corner, stepping over a plasma-carved pothole along the way, and kicking aside some soda cans. He was only out of view for about 20 seconds, but that soon proved to be all he needed-
- because then he was back.
And the heavy armor was with him.
" Hey, Sarge...! "
The Corporal's shout, along with his free waving arm, was immediately overshadowed by the now-peaking howl of the convoy's heavy engines...followed a moment later by the convoy itself.
A long, jade-green slab slid past the corner of the First Mombasa Bank building that Dubbo had just hooked around- only the leading portion of the first of the Grizzlies ! Buck and co were nearly there, finally within a few yards of the corner themselves, but by then the heavy tank was halfway out...
" Woah, woah...! "
Buck stopped himself, deftly bringing the 3 person line to a stop.
Its coal black gun barrels- both of them- jutted out like Mastodon tusks- of said tusks were straight, not curved. The side armor plating sections were glistening the diminishing light, and decorated with dents, blast marks, and other marks in clusters from receiving plasma and energy fire.
All that bunched up on the front righthand quarter ?
God, that's one tough mamma.
Oh, hang on-
And, the rest of the tank now emerged. Buck had nearly forgotten how freaking massive the things were, they were so borderline rare. Its hulking tread covers, 4 of them and each the size of a sedan, shuddered and bounced as the tank began coming to a grinding halt.
Seated haphazardly all over it, was a scattering of Marines, and a few Army soldiers. The different branches weren't mixed and matched, but the squads were close enough. They were all heavily armed, and with a buffet's worth of both UNSC and Covenant weaponry- MA5's, BR55HBs, M90's and M45s, SS-2s and- praise the Lord- Jackhammers. Plus, they were carrying some Needlers, Plasma rifles and plasma pistols, and some had even scored themselves a few beam rifles and...
..a Fuel Rod Gun !
A new jolt of fire puled though Buck's blood, as he kept sizing the new arrivals up-
Aha, there he is.
There was Dubbo, having freshly joined the gaggle of footsoldiers hitching a ride on the tank. He was a tad close to where the frontal tread block began sloping down, but it was still enough of a platform for the Aussie to not slide off like a notebook dropped on an office chair arm. His BR55HB was across his knees, and as he spotted the Sergeant, one fist came up at a solid defiant jab at the sky.
" Gunny ! ", he called, triumph ringing though that wide Aussie accent.
" Hey, Gunny ! We hit the jackpot ! "
No kidding...!
You're damn right we have.
He raised his own fist, fingers bunched tight , feeling the tendons
Even at a glance, that told a story. The assembled Marines and Soldiers had very obviously taken some heavy fire...and not just from riding the Grizzly, either. There was the giveaway signs of near-misses from plasma ordinance splashed over patches of their cammies and armor, blackening and charring the latter. It was alongside the usual layers of dust and grime that coated you after more than an hour or so in the field, not to mention scratches that were still red from leeching blood.
It didn't surprise Buck whatsoever, that they'd soaked up hits like that. The whole of New Mombasa was filling with Covenant faster than shoving a cup underwater. No doubt this column had to have pushed though multiple heavy engagements to reach this point- ones with Brutes coming at them like herds of angry gorillas, chucking their spike grenades and spraying the area with Spiker rounds...like they always did.
That the tanks had made it wasn't entirely shocking, though; they were Grizzlies, after all. But, that said, with all those Covies they had to have pushed through, it wasn't a dismissable feat.
Kudos to ya all...
Buck's already had considerable respect ( not the feigned kind like he had to display for the likes of ONI ) for them after just those first few seconds of assessment. He found himself grinning again- there was just no helping that.
They were here, his fellow Jarheads- and...yeah, some Soldiers as well.
I freaking love the grunts. I just love you all..
Real fighters...fight through thick and thin. That's what we need.
Yes...
Adding to all that, was when he was introduced a second later to the ranking officer...
" Trooper !", barked out a woman's voice.
...Ok.
I already like this one
By " this one ", that referred to the stocky Captain that had just sprung off the side of the Grizzly, with an BR55HB held tightly in one glove-sheathed hand. She had a round face, almost girlish, with fierce green eyes and a few strands of hair poking out from beneath her service cap
Surprisingly, her body armor wasn't as cracked and abused as Buck might've thought- she was slathered with all the grime and dust like everyone else, but it didn't look like she'd taken that many damaging hits...and why that was, the NonCom was pretty sure had something to do with Divine assistance.
Which, obviously, had come in the form of that Grizzly tank she'd rode in on. God worked in-
-mysterious ways...
...and that was the end of thinking.
Oh, there's the rest of it.
A real fireplug..
Yep.
Having come across many kinds of officers, Buck knew the " Take no nonsense from anybody " variety when he saw it, and that the only way a solder could respond, was with any officer wanted to hear.
"...Yes, Ma'am ! ". The NonCom automatically straightened his already-mostly-so posture...though he had to remember at the last second not to do it too quick- Jeena was still with them, and he didn't want to jolt her.
" Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, ODST Squad Alpha-9. "
It didn't occur to him to even think of adding , " Last member standing ", or anything along those lines. After all, why would he ? Romeo was still here, needless to say, and as for Mickey, Dutch, and the Rookie...they were just last to RVing. That's all it was. They were late- and lost. Separated by the chaos of the slipspace jump on the descent, and scattered all over the city like raindrops from a Thunderstorm.
The mere mention of the squad name...
Damn...
" Captain Yvette Korsan, 9th Company, 12th Marines. ", the captain stated, taking care of her side of the introductions.
Flicking a hand at the line of heavies lined up behind her, she went on without missing a beat. "
" ..That includes him ?! ". The officer put a stop to any mental musings, with both the question , and a chin jerk toward the sniper, who was still perched atop the roof of what had been a very pretty steel-silver sedan...minus the plasma holes.
Buck nodded. " Roger that. Lance Corporal Kojo Agru, also of Alpha-9. "
He gestured toward the Marine on his left, aware now that it'd be better to get the jump on introductions before he was asked. " That's Private First Class Chips Dubbo..."
Pointing up at the second Jarhead who had been riding the Grizzly, but had now jumped off with a loud thump of boots, and was striding over, he continued, " And that's Corporal Chase Dekker. Unless he told you already... "
" We've met, Sarge..", Dekker assured him. " Long bond of a whole minute. "
" Jesus Christ, you sound like a sap...", grunted the officer. " Is he, Gunny ? "
After slugging out with companies worth of Covies all day ?
Heck no, he isn't.
" No, ma'am. This guy's a rock. I vouch for this Marine. "
He tipped his helmet toward Dubbo. " And him. These men are good. I've been watching out for 'em all day, and they have their act together. They've got good tactical sense, and they know how handle Jackals. You can count on these ones. "
Praise and a assessment, all rolled together. Some would call it pointless, but Buck was going right to the belly of the beast by taking them along to NMPD HQ, and if these Jarheads and GIs were going there as well, and with their CO already roping the improvised squad to join their convoy that was headed there, the NonCom had to let be as clear as possible:
These Marines would not be deadweight.
And...yeah. The Captain hadn't actually said as much, " You're all coming with us right now, like it or not ", but she was getting around to it. That was obvious. It couldn't have been more obvious, and Buck wanted a leg up on that before she got there..
Any second now...he could see it on her face. All officers, more or less, had the same focused and on-point look, right before they began reeling off the orders. There was no mistaking it- not for a longtime NonCom, anyway.
Right on cue, the Captain studied them for a second or so longer, before nodding slightly. " Better be ready to prove that. I can't afford to leave you, but I can't afford to drag you either. "
Yeah...
Every rifle you can get your hands on. There's no other way to have a chance against these scum
I'm ok with that.
" I'm an ODST, Ma'am. Just use us like a spear at these guys- point us at 'em, and don't worry about the rest. "
" ..Exactly like every other Jumper I've ever met ", responded Korsan. There was a note of admiration as she said so, however- the officer had some experience fighting alongside ODSTs in their preferred environment...ie, wherever the enemy's presence was heaviest.
She must've known that's where they were most at home.
Her next few words proved it. After another quick glance down the road the column had been rolling along as if to study it, she exhaled, then turned back to Buck.
" You got a link to Command, Gunny ? Heard anything on the B-Net ? "
The NonCom could only shake his head. " Negative on both counts, Ma'am. I lost 'em soon as my pod hit the deck, and I've been at it all day to get it back- but no dice..."
" All I've got left is short range comms- line of sight, few click radius. Been pinging the Net from nearly everywhere, but it got me nothing . I'm thinking we need to get higher up for an actual signal. "
Korsan raised a brow. " That your plan along along, Gunny ? "
...Ok..
You might've lost me for a second..
"..Captain ? "
" You came up with that plan of action pretty quick, trooper. Are you that fast on the draw, or did you figure it out on the way ? "
By then, she finally seemed to pay some attention to Jeena, turning her way while gesturing toward the pregnant woman with some gloved fingers. " And I suppose she wasn't what made you make a call either way...unless she was. "
Slightly surprised at the officer's perception, Buck blinked, with his mouth opening a slit as a response was getting put together in his head.
The Captain was clearly no greenhorn, that was for sure.
A few seconds later though, Buck showed her he wasn't either.
" No Ma'am...and yes. Found her by accident back at Safari Plaza, while we were hoofing it to the NMPD HQ.. "
He waved a hand toward where he knew the building lay. "..because that was the nearest tall building to our 20. I figured if we got there, I could raise the rest of my squad. "
Biting his lower lip for a moment, he added ( while hiding a burst of frustration ), " ...They're scattered all over town like fall leaves, Captain. I can't leave 'em behind. "
An expression of understanding with the officer's gaze as she heard the NonCom's response...Buck could spot that easily. You didn't need to be a psychiatrist to notice that- all soldiers on the ground were loyal to a fault to one another, especially these days when they were up against an enemy like the Covenant. It was something that the likes of ONI couldn't understand, and for all the guns and bombs and tanks of the UNSC, it was that loyalty that was really giving them a fighting chance.
They understood. She must've as well..
It was that " in this together " link that showed pretty clearly when the Captain spoke again a moment later. " Well...then I got good new for you, Gunny. We're headed for the NMPD building ourselves. Place is built like a strongpoint already, and with the Covenant tightening the noose, we're running out of staging areas like cold drinks at a summer fair. "
Nothing about that was off base, anywhere from beginning to end. All this while, Buck had watched the sky as it'd turned a shade darker...and as a speckle of ghostly blue lights had begun to appear way off on the horizon as it stretched above the rooftops. The Jarheads riding on the side of the tanks would've already seen them, needless to say, but if they'd been moving closer, then the BR55-equipped Marines would've seen them well before they got within plasma-spitting range.
Oh...and Romeo. Nothing got by him.
Buck nodded decisively. " I hear you, Captain. Ready to be on point if you want me there. "
" You said it yourself- ODST's are basically tips of spears ", Korsan replied. " You'll be taking over one of my Bears- the one at the column head. Have your trooper buddy ride where you think he'll be best, but I need your Jarheads for my Elephant. "
Usually, getting poached for some duty by an officer was met with grumbling ( of the behind the back variety, obviously ), as said action had a bad track record of them getting sent on tactically botched missions, courtesy of the kind of lowgrade officers who made such calls.
Aside from the Covenant, they were one of the top tier threats facing the boys and girls in uniform..
Thank God Korsan wasn't one of them...or so she appeared to be.
" Hey, Captain ? ". Dubbo stepped forward.
" Don't wanna sound like a whiner, but I'd rather stay with the Gunny. No offense...but he's been lookin' out for us. "
Loyalty...
Called it. Years ago. Its what keeps us going. That, and its win or die
Yet again, Buck gave thanks for it.
" You're supposed to begin with ' Interrogative , Ma'am ' ", Dekker chided. " Current circumstances are no excuse for dropping protocol.."
'" What the- "
The Aussie was caught off guard for a second, but-
" Oh...oh right. Captain..."
So, you're the rule stickler , Dekker ?
That's not what I'd peg you for.
" Interrogative. Let me put an interrogative on that..."
He trailed off for another second, but Korsan was already head of him. " Its fine, Private. ", she assured, putting a hand up.
" Message received. "
Thumbing toward where the rest of the idling vehicles were waiting , she went on, her tone morphing into one that nearly reminded Buck of how Veronica would sound when she gave her ONI commands...but not quite.
Nobody made your skin crawl like ONI did.
" Now, I need you and Corporal Dekker to get on my Elephant, and man its M41s. I've been short on gunners for them for the last few hours now, and where we're going, I need all the firepower I can get my hands on. "
Ain't that the truth...
Knew she wasn't fresh out of OCS...
Buck wouldn't let an officer like that go shorthanded if he could help it. Nothing would stop him from finding his team, needless to say, but...if the objectives of the officer here and his own crossed paths...
...sure. He could accept pleasant coincidences when they happened. That...and he'd already cottoned onto how lady Captains in the UNSC had a rep for being forces to be reckoned with.
Like Veronica...
Damn it...
Not. Now. Teeth biting together for a moment, Buck head-shook the brief flash of the blonde agent away, and let his mind focus again.
" Dekker ! Dubbo ! Move your asses, and do as she says ! "
" Captain Korsan...". He met her eyes again, and pointed with his chin at Jeena. " What about her ? "
" She can ride in the Elephant as well ", Korsan promised. " Its a slowpoke, but its got armor to spare. "
Hearing that, the pregnant woman spoke up, sounding confused. " What's an Elephant ? I mean, not the animal..."
" I mean...I know you don't mean one of those, but...". She trailed off, sounding a tad awkward, clearly thinking she'd made a fool of herself.
On the upside, everyone's PR skills weren't completely rusty.
" A big ol' heavy roller, the size of a semi truck ", Buck supplied, as Korsan came over, gesturing for Buck to move aside so she could take his place in propping Jeena up. The NonCom complied, and continued, " Plenty of space inside, and its built like a rock. Trust me-its the safest place for you to be right now. "
" You'll see in a sec, Miss..", Dubbo helpfully added. " Its like a freaking bunker on treads. "
" All personnel, be advised: We're 10 clicks out. Repeat, 10 clicks out. Check weapons, and prepare for contact. "
The speakers, mounted in a cluster high in the corner of the Elephant's passenger bay, easily conveyed Korsan's orders. There wasn't even a crackle of static beforehand either-just out of the blue. The suddenness of it could catch you off guard, if you weren't paying attention...or if you weren't used to it.
Neither applied to Dubbo, green though he might've been, but they definitely did for Jeena, obviously. Out the corner of his field of view, Dubbo watched as she flinched a tad, before quickly realizing what it was.
Nothing to worry about. Still, he caught that brief jolt of surprise, even though it lasted for barely a second.
Most of him thought it'd be better to just let it slide without a word...but-
" Did ya catch that ?! ", barked the head NCO- a Staff Sergeant- riding with them in the bay-a tall, broad shouldered man with red hair and a strong South African/Rhodeisan accent named Creaig. " She's damn well not repeating herself for the likes of you ! We've got potential hostile contact, in 10 minutes ! I want all weapons chambered and charged, yesterday ! "
Ah, the age-old military custom of over-communicate.
It wouldn't ever die...but that was ok. Some things needed to be said more than once. Even if you were talking to a bunch of adrenaline-juiced up soldiers and Jarheads who were already as keyed for action as you could get. And did that ever apply to everyone crammed in here..
" Copy that, Staff..! ", acknowledged Dekker, with the top of his helmeted head just visible right at the lower right corner of where Dubbo could see.
There were more scratches and nicks there than the Aussie realized. Some even looked pretty deep...
Hang on a second...
Wait...are those from when he dove outta the way of that plasma grenade at Jomo Kenyatta Drive..?
No wonder I didn't notice. Christ, how hard did he bang his dome.. ?
Though his job was to keep his eyes downrange- and he'd been about to just now-
No...
No.
...He didn't have a choice.
Exhaling, the Aussie looked back down the length of the HMG, tightening his grip around its firing handles.
That must've been one heck of a slap, mukka...
He couldn't have helped to be distracted, even if just for a moment- he couldn't help it, because those were some real vicious claw marks all over the crown of the CH522. But, he hadn't seen that till now, because even when he ran right over to Dekker after the plasma blast, the other Jarhead had waved him off, adamant that he was ok, and that they had heavier fish to fry, so to speak. He'd barely even seemed to acknowledge he'd been bounced around at all...
And...well, he'd been moving and talking normally enough. Dubbo wasn't a neurosurgeon, but he'd been waiting for something to show up. Something he could actually worry their new Sergeant with. After all, if Dekker was still up and fighting- he hadn't even let any of the medics back on the approach on Tayari Plaza know ! He'd come to them without that helmet...after having demanded that Dubbo not say anything. " I can walk, talk, and fight ", he'd stated. " And that's all I need. I'll worry about me after we get out of this, not during it. "
Commendable ? Foolish ? Maybe it was both. All Dubbo knew was that he had no choice, again, but to stick close to his mukka...and do what he could to get him to wise up. Or...
...Tsch.
" Hey, Sarge. I think Dekker's got some head-damage that needs checking..caught it before we met you..."
" Don't let him tell ya otherwise. He's taken a bell ringing...go on, check.."
Thank God you could finish thoughts in only seconds...and ( slightly ) multitask as you did. Dubbo had watched the multistory buildings roll by, with most gutted by plasma, and all beyond the muzzle of his gun. He couldn't afford to let his head get too divided with anything other than the task at hand...even if he had good reasons for it.
Got to put that to bed, and soon.
No more waiting. This is a massive fight we're headed toward...
Huge. I shouldn't wait much longer.
Better than good: Aussies were raised with that " Watch out for your Mukka " culture from day 1. Given some ( yet more ) time to think on it, Dubbo was more and more convinced he wasn't doing so well on that. It...wasn't a good feeling.
Dubbo huffed more air between his teeth again, panning the machine gun left to right a tad. The guttural rumbling of the Elephant's low gear engines filled his ears, made his drums thrum hard, and sent heavy rattling vibrations all the way through him.
He was even considering letting some rounds off at some of the ditched cars, he was so listless now..
Target practice didn't hurt no-one...right ?
Eh...maybe
Lot to dwell on, that was for sure.
Soon enough- even quicker than the 10 minutes he thought he had- though, there was no more time to think.
None at all..
Because...well, yeah, he didn't need a reminder of what was coming. Mostly because it was already here.
BWOOM !
BWOOM !
BWOOM !
BWOOM !
The main cannons of the twin Grizzlies ahead- all 4 of them- going off in rapid succession were like absolute thunderclaps...except at ground level. If the engines of the Elephant were shaking him around from all their high-powered revs, then the road of 120mm cannons firing less than 300 yards away was practically grabbing and shaking him. No doubt it was blowing out the windows of anything that had them that was anywhere near the shockwave radius...
Yeah, it was pretty much just auditory assault. Let alone the wide-bore shells that were whipping toward the Covenant with each and every one of those-
BWOOM !
" DISMOUNT ! Joker and Golf Squads, dismount, and cover the flanks, ay ! X-Ray and Zulu... hold position ! "
" Frickin' move ! Go, go, go ! "
Only thing nearly as loud as the 120mm was, unsurprisingly, Creaig. He was going full Sergeant, reminding Dubbo all the way of his boot camp DIs. Heck, maybe he'd been one himself. It'd definitely add up..
Boots stamped out a pattern behind him, as the assigned Marines rushed outside. They didn't yell or call out...because there was nothing to say. Not when the plasma and lead was flying- unless it was about that stuff.
No, they knew what to do. They'd take care of the Covies, same as every unit Dubbo had served with. They'd do what Marines did best: close with the enemy, and destroy them with weapons fire at optimal range..
And that included Dekker.
He was in Golf Squad now, leading several Jarheads of his own. That had been Gunner Sergeant's Buck's idea...or more exactly, his suggestion. Technically, it was Captain Korsan who made the call, but every officer- any good one, at least- trusted a Gunny. If he said that he recommended someone for a leadership role, then a good officer would listen.
So, Dekker was where he was now.
Leading men and women, for the first time. Well, the first that Dubbo had seen. Frankly...he didn't get why it hadn't happened sooner.
Dubbo let his head turn, just a tad, enough to watch as the Corporal exited the Elephant's bay, with his BR55 held to his shoulder...and all the gouges and scrapes marking that helmet he had.
Plasma and other energy weapons whined and crashed hard and fast, forming a random but steady rhythm, from points down the column, mixing with the boom of the Grizzlie's guns. But, it couldn't drown out the thmp, thmp, thmp, of so many Jarheads bolting down the boarding ramps at a pace just short of a sprint. It was a sea of bobbing heads, all capped by their helmets, as they made their way outside where the battle was blazing.
Shouts rose form the Jarheads in charge as they led it, though it over almost as soon as it began, because they were out of the bay by then...and out of sight.
X-Ray hooked a right, Zulu went left, but either way...they were gone.
Watching them go, Dubbo hated staying still. He hated it. Something burned in him to go after them, because it didn't seem right to stay here, where there was layers of composite armor plating between him and a Plasma bolt, or a Needler spike.
He'd joined the Corps to fight, after all. He'd known the Covenant were coming for Earth, after growing up in Melbourne ( Mel-burn ) , watching all the ( real ) news footage and of the Covenant grinding their way closer and closer through the Inner Colonies, leaving whole worlds burnt to ashes behind them. Realizing that was coming his way...Dubbo wanted to do something. If they couldn't be stopped from getting here...
...then, might as well fight. A lot of folks were doing the same, because they knew the score as well. They knew, like he did, that if everyone ran for it, none of them would live at all.
It was why he would've been outside right now, taking the Covenant on face to face, like he'd been doing all day today. It was what he was supposed to do, as a Jarhead. It was what the UNSC had set him up to do...
And Dekker was out there doing it without him...
Watch your back, mukka, he let himself think, as Creiag issues the order to seal the ramp up..
Watch yourself.
" All chalk, clear ! Close up, close up ! "
One of the Elephant crew-a short, freckle-faced Rhodeisan chick with an M6H snugly holstered- sprang to comply, and hit the rose-red button. With a throaty hrmmmmm, the ramp door began to swing upwards, blocking out the outside light.
Not that it was much of it left. The sun was just about gone. It was hardly much more than street lights now- the few that the Covies hadn't melted into slagged candles.
" Devos ! Keep her in drive ! Ilasa ! Yates ! Dubbo ! Stay on the guns ! ", the burly South African bellowed.
NCOs- like good officers- were sliced from the same cloth, it seemed. The Australian PFC learned new things each day...
Such as, how adrenaline was really more of a drug than you might think. He had more of it through his veins than blood right now, and it was doing all kinds of things. Well, for his thought process, anyway. Everything was going faster up there, and multitasking was...slightly easier.
To name one, that was checking on Jeena.
Dubbo had not forgotten her. Of course not.
Though the PFC could not leave his post, he did pan the HMG around to the left, which was enough to get a look at the pregnant woman. She was still where she'd been seated- right by and below Dubbo's right elbow, on one of the passenger seats on that side of the bay.
She'd been real quiet all along, without saying a word amid all the noise and goings-on. Dubbo liked her just for that- staying calm and not having a meltdown was a plus for any civvy when in the crosshairs of a Covie onslaught.
Basically, no screaming. That was good enough.
The PFC couldn't see her face clearly. Partially because of the angle, and partly because her head was bowed. But, her lips seemed to be moving...and her arms were hugged around the round, bulging dome that was her pregnant belly.
Looked like she was...singing, to her kid ? Or maybe talking ? Calming him ( or maybe she was going to have a her. No way to know yet..) down ?
Could be either one. Still, just the sight alone was one heck of a booster shot. It was all the proof in the universe that there was something- someone- worth fighting for.
Two someones right here, not to mention all the many billions left on Earth..
Might as well begin right here, though.
Unable to keep quiet anyone , Dubbo, while still focused down the barrel of the HMG, spoke up. " Hey, miss ? Hey, you good over there ? "
For a moment, there was no response.
Then-
Her head slowly came up and around to see him, though her hands didn't move. " ...Yes, Private. I can hear you...", she confirmed with a slight nod.
Mixed emotions were all over her face. Concern, and hope. Each was about as strong as the other...or as much as Dubbo could guess. Even with the blood-red lighting that now filled the bay kind of making it difficult to get a good read on someone even with long honed skills in psychiatry ( which, Dubbo knew he didn't have ), you could still tell that was...more or less what was going on in her head.
I got demoted. Technically..
The Aussie felt a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.
He couldn't help it.
" I sure hope you are, miss. Anything I can do to help, lemme know, ok ? We're here to get you both out of this. "
" And we're gonna find your hubby, too. If he's here, we'll find him. "
It came easier than he thought, to be honest. And speaking honesty...it was pretty rewarding too. Like a shot of hot chocolate.
Right up there with lighting up the Covenant.
"...I know he's here. ", Jeena replied softly, just loud enough to hear over the wall of background noise.
" He told me...he promised to meet me when they let him off at noon. Even with all these aliens...he won't go anywhere. "
She glanced down,as if contemplating something, then shook her head. " No. No, he'll be there. Somewhere. "
" Its all I want, Corporal. Its not that I doubt that your friends will be successful, but...I just have to have him back. "
Her tone wavered a tad at the end there, and it struck something with the PFC. He couldn't pin down how to express it with words...but, maybe he didn't need to.
Well, not that many words, actually. Half because he didn't have to, and half because...
" They're track him down, Miss. They'll keep him safe, and you. And your kid you're gonna have, because we will kill these damn aliens till there ain't none left. ", Dubbo declared.
His own confidence was showing though, and he let it.
She need to hear that kind of thing , now more than ever.