Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 3300-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.
(Bega-IV, January 7th, 2532.)
Halius put his back to the stone behind him as Linda's rifle cracked once more, the sound of thunder accompanying it for now… Now? He had a duty.
Halius turned, his bolter putting a round into a jackal sniper which turned the entire upper body into chunky salsa. The rest of the snipers all raised their weapons as he ducked back into cover, pressing his body as close to it as possible.
The beams of overlapping plasma that shot through the air made it stink of ozone and scorched black everything behind him. The Ultramarine felt a dozen beams slam into the wall next to him and cut it into ribbons.
Linda's rifle cracked again and a jackal fell from its perch, missing the upper part of its skull.
He used this time to question how things were going on Kholo, the third company had been sent to do the bulk of fighting on that side while the second company was sent to deal with this planet of the system.
He guessed they were all prepared for this better than he. Captain Titus and the rest of the second… And the second Lieutenant of the company was busy.
Halius motioned for the pair of Ultramarines to sneak in while he turned, headshot a jackal, and then followed.
The carrier from before seemed to stay floating where it was…. Mocking them with the idea they were without support to remove it, he had never seen one up until now, most battle groups the Covenant employed were made of corvettes, cruisers, and destroyers.
The ship dwarfed most Imperial cruisers and it was powerful enough clearly to dominate the air space around them without any real support.
He was greeted by the Chief appearing next to him as both supersoldiers looked up at the cruiser.
Still? There were to be better ways to fight and better ways to knock a capital ship out than taking it on directly.
Halius watched the golden visor glance at him as they moved, shifting weight in hulking footsteps while moving from covenant crate to crate, only pausing to make sure the outer patrols did not notice them.
Halius and Chief took cover near the gate, both gently lifting their weapons. Chief glanced at him and he glanced back, both raising their heads.
"The Covenant came in far too great a force for a remote colony… The Prophet possibly set up base here." Halius stated as Chief nodded. "Did you wish to kill or capture?" Halius asked to which the Spartan looked downwards.
Halius studied both outcomes in his mind. Killing was easier, it simply relied on them locating the target and drawing them into a trap… But it would put the entire system on alert and escape harder.
The other option? Halius had captured targets before… Mostly insurgent leaders who were too arrogant to respect the Imperium and its ruler…. Never traitors or Covenant, the traitors were far too powerful to be taken willingly.
Halius did not at all think of the Covenant as the same thing, they were ruthless, they had no tricks he had not seen by conventional armies… And they were not immune to being killed.
Halius hummed… He hummed for a reason, knowing very well that what was going on now and for good reason… He had been able to think.
Halius frowned before the crack of Linda's rifle disposed of the last snipers… He looked up to see her prone on the rock, her belly pressed against it flat as she spoke up.
"Phantom coming in," Linda stated before Halius hummed.
Halius looked at Chief before both nodded, realizing that they would not get through the enemy by sitting still.
They both burst into the courtyard, raising their rifles, their guns blasting.
Halius put down a pair of brute minors and then turned to an elite minor only for a burst of assault rifle fire to off them first. He put a round in the head of a jackal then crushed a grunt under his boot.
"This will not work forever, we have to push through them," Halius stated, shooting a charging elite, reducing its torso to a pulp.
"We don't have time," Chief said before he swung around an elite, slicing them in the throat as he left.
"I will grant you some… Continue your mission, if we do not return. Return your fleet." Halius stated before slamming a brute into the wall.
He snapped its throat, grabbed its body, and tossed it over the wall. He hummed before he looked to the side, tossing himself over the wall as he relaxed, looking over at the end of the base.
Dozens of covenant soldiers emerged… And Halius decided to greet them before the sound of bolters caught his attention.
More bolts flew over his head, cutting down several brute and elite minors as the Ultramarines followed him, sliding into cover behind armored barricades as the more senior covenant soldiers took cover.
"I'm starting to think you hate living, sir," Igaros said as Halius snorted, rolling behind a destroyed wraith.
"I am not… I cannot simply put my life first." Halius said as the Ultramarines began to trade fire with the covenant.
"Part of me thinks you just like dying, Halius." Igaros snarked as Halius snorted.
"Only you would, Sergeant," Halius stated before he shot another brute in the head, watching it crash to the ground.
The amount of covenant soldiers began to dwindle from 100 or so to roughly 50 within 2 minutes… Granted, it was more due to each bolt putting down a covenant soldier in one hit…. But they were slowly clearing up.
Then came the sound of doors opening… Halius was greeted by a LARGE amount of insanity now. They had plenty of things to figure out now, he hummed.
Halius watched as more covenant soldiers all rushed off the elevator, dozens of brutes, jackals, grunts, elites… And those odd drone soldiers they had fought just before.
Halius cursed and began to think of his next move. Because trying to fight the Covenant forces like this? It was not going to work out well… Not at all, the only way it would is if they had a massive bomb.
"Ultramarines? Prepare to scatter." Halius stated as he guessed another larger group would be following.
He counted how many there were anyway, his helm scanning every soldier and then giving him an estimated guess of around 150-195.
Halius cursed to himself, he looked up at the carrier before questioning how they would react.
"Master Chief? The carrier has sent massive reinforcements… What is your situation?" Halius questioned before he sighed to himself.
There was no shortage of Covenant soldiers… And then came their reinforcements in the form of three familiar Spartans and several squads of ODSTs.
"Lieutenant," Jerome stated before she looked to the side and shot a jackal major, reducing their torso to paste, and then crashed to the ground.
Halius hummed to himself as the UNSC reinforcements began to pincer the covenant soldiers, boxing them in between the bolts and Melta rounds of the Ultramarines and the bullets of the ODSTS and Spartan Red Team.
"Jerome," Halius said in a gruff tone which had the smallest amount of mirth at seeing his friend.
Halius grabbed a frag grenade before tossing it, being rewarded with several dying screams and a large fireball.
"That carrier is a real problem," Alice said, her machine gun spitting out rounds as if it were alive.
"Agreed… But the situation with it is obvious. We cannot board it and even if we did? We possess ZERO weaponry able to reduce a capital ship to scrap metal." Halius stated with annoyance.
This had gone from an operation to a full-pitched battle and they had been left without much in the way of support. He contemplated retreating before violently discarding the idea in abject rage.
To do so would toss away every single life lost at Kholo and every single soldier who would have fought at Kholo. That, and even if they could not find this Prophet? They could at least stall the Covenant long enough for UNSC and Imperium forces to regroup.
Halius turned and shot another brute before pulling Willbreaker from his hip. His mind lingered back on Charybdis IX… And on how the Covenant had killed several hundred good men with a single capital ship… And injured Igaros.
So? He charged forward, chopping down brute after brute and stabbing elites as he went, painting the floor in alien ichor as he roared a vengeful battle cry.
If the Covenant wanted a hellish battle so much? He would grant them it. He would drown them in their self-righteous façade.
Halius hummed and then went chopping into the group of Covenant as he awaited confirmation that Blue Team was either dead or such.
He knew very well their mission was as vital as his… So, he decided to fight as well as he could have.
They challenged him… So, he pushed them in return, striking them as hard and fast as he could have, stabbing one elite, kicking another zealot to the ground, and crushing it under his heel.
One of the brutes brought down their hammer and Halius blocked it, sparks flying from his weapon as it came down to it.
He was eager to think… Eager to act, and he would and did.
The brute roared and Halius was reminded of his duel with the Brute Chieftain from that alien world. They had killed his brother to stop them.
No more.
He rushed forward, sliding into another elite and bisecting it before slashing them into pieces, throwing them at the brute before he sighed, cursing to himself now.
He sighed, too exhausted… Too angry, too annoyed now. They had hurt him and he tried his best to not be angry now. He failed, he felt rage at all the Covenant had done so far and all they would do.
So? Be tore into them like a ravenous beast, slicing and dicing through them like a rabid shark.
He seemed enraged at the very idea of it. The very painful monster was being hidden from them… It was being hidden from them as well as him.
So? He had done so and he did not once show the faintest hint of remorse.
(With Chief and Blue Team)
Chief swung around as the sound of dying covenant and gunfire were heard in the courtyard. It was entirely clear to him the entire base had chosen to fight the intruders which were swarming them.
Suited him fine, but they would end up causing the covenant commander to hole up… And he had an idea he knew where they were.
The group swung towards the gravity lift next to the main structure. It seemed as if most of the base was being brought down by the carrier, meaning if they managed to cripple the carrier? They would have a distinct advantage.
So? He decided on that, they did not have much choice anyway. The most likely spot for the VIP was on the carrier and it was one of the few places and ways he could escape if so. They had to ensure he could not and would not escape.
He was too interested in it all at the end of the moment, they had a lot more to try and figure out as he let it all come crashing.
He was too interested in his plans when it all came down the way, it was all going to be too much for the Spartan.
There was the signature crack of Linda's rifle as 3 elites crashed to the ground, Linda's ability to hit targets rivaled his luck at the end of the day, there were a LOT of different things to deal with now and he needed every Spartan here to deal with it better… Granted? That was easier said than done now.
He of all people did not at all seem to be able to think of it now before he sighed and then thought of it all.
The Ultramarine knew that the carrier was the biggest threat and so did Chief… Granted, they had very little firepower to get that done but it was due to their plans that the Covenant did not know this.
Whoever commanded the carrier left it in a prime position to be boarded… And while Halius and the others held off the Covenant? He planned to board it.
"Spartan, have you boarded the carrier yet?" Halius asked with the sound of gunfire fresh on his mind. "Igaros, cover that flank!" Halius roared before he looked to the side.
There was a lot more to try and figure out what was growing on his mind before he looked to the side.
"Linda?" Chief asked before 4 more cracks came across the radio.
"I will reinforce the assault… Take some down for me, Chief." Linda stated to which Chief nodded.
There was something else bothering him and now? He had little to nothing left to do besides carry out the mission.
So, he did so… He did so. He did so with the idea of exactly what was growing on his mind. They had plenty of plans to carry out now and for good reason.
(With Linda and Halius)
Halius watched a trio of elite zealots all collapse from precise headshots… It was clear that Linda was a master markswoman. She was a clear-cut soldier and a Spartan he considered a skilled soldier.
If women can be Astartes? She would have been an expert soldier…. In his opinion? She was equal to any Ultramarine when it came to warfare.
Halius stabbed a Brute to the ground, burying the blade in the Covenant soldier before he clicked his fingers. Halius thought of how many soldiers the Imperium had killed, how many Covenant soldiers had died in battle with them so far.
Not enough to end this conflict, perhaps… And he knew very well he would have to force them to notice war was out of the question.
Then came the familiar roars… There were dozens of Orks charging them, dozens of green shapes all crashing into the base.
Halius grabbed Willbreaker from the soldier in front of him then he retreated. The Orks would not be stopped so easily by the Covenant… And the Covenant knew it.
Halius lifted his bolter and continued to fire at the rows and rows of Greenskins, they looked less like monsters killed by the enemy and more and more like a wave, a tide of hellish flesh intent on slaughtering them all.
And they would. It was fun to them because they breathed war like one would breathe air through a straw… If they wanted a fight so badly, the Covenant seemed eager to grant them it.
But he would not have failed, it should not have failed at all yet it did… And those caused problems that most people were not willing to just forsake for now, something which needed to be done.
He had a lot more to deal with and a lot more to understand. All of it hurt, and all of it did nothing to soothe the scars.
Halius ducked behind cover as bullets flew toward them… Mostly towards the Covenant as the mass of soldiers turned to address them, more coming down from the base above.
"Well, this is nice." Igaros snarked as Halius allowed himself a small nod. "They are distracted…" Halius heard as he snorted.
He looked over to the side… And then? He broke, he looked at the clashing of covenant and Orks and then thought of it as a ball of massive violence…. A home where he could dwell.
He was too easily done in…. And he refused to be able to do it again…. All of it would burn and all of it would break.
All he had left to do was fight and crash through them.
"Cover me," Halius said as Igaros nodded and then fired at them, letting the Ultramarine Lieutenant vanish into the chaos.
"He is beginning to worry me." Igaros heard before he followed the Ultramarine officer.
Igaros said nothing as he paused himself and then thought of it all differently… They had a lot of different ideals.
He guessed how it would be and he guessed this issue was different than before. The Ultramarine in Halius fought with how Halius was normally, he had to be different, had to fight and cut.
They had business to do but that business was beginning to drag them down from being soldiers into being warriors of something FAR worse. Igaros? He wanted no point of it, he would want no part.
Igaros seemed to be thinking of it all differently now… There were a lot of issues now, they had a lot more to this.
And he was worried, all of it came tiresome for now, it would be harder and harder to think of it. They had a lot more to try and understand about her… Like how little she cared for how it felt.
She did not at all know what was growing more and more at the end of it. Robyn did not know how little the others would care but she did know without those people? Without those votes? She was never going to get into the position she wanted, she was within reach.
All of it came at a cost, such a cost would be easier said than done… An idea that needed to be done and would be done now a madness.
And he would not be ready for it all when it was coming down to it. They had something that was growing on his mind before he looked to the side. If he did have any issues with it all? He knew better than to voice them, why? They would fall now.
She had a lot more at the time being and it was all too much for now and she wanted to try and figure out now… Granted? One of them was far beyond normal.
Halius said nothing but he looked to the side where Linda stood and watched her reload another clip.
If they were going to fight? They would fight, they would fight and he would continue to fight when it was all said and done.
He sighed to himself before he looked to the side, something about it all came crashing to the ground… Something about it all came down the line.
She had been too eager to think of it all, just act.
So? Halius did the same… And he decided that if today was where he fell in battle? He damn well would make his last stand memorable.
Halius raised his rifle and engaged the Orks outside the command center, hissing war chants.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out next chapter will be delayed and will be 900-6500 words and will show more and more of the battle and operation… A few things.
I do not want this just to be a war story so I will be having scenes without just killing and violence. I do not intend for Halius to be some super-murder monster.
I plan for there to be losses for the Imperium, they cannot be everywhere and the Covenant are not pushovers, outclassed or not, look at the UNSC.
I still intend for Reach and the canon to happen.
The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will set up the end of this battle. Until then, Lighting Wolf is out!