Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 9500-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.
(Installation 04, UNSC Halcyon-Class Cruiser UNSC Rubicon 2532, March 14th.)
When the fleet had arrived, both UNSC and Imperium? Halius quickly looked at the fleet as he paused. There were more ships than he claimed as he sighed and crossed his arms and then shook his head.
"There are more cruisers here than I believe," Halius stated before he sighed to himself.
"We're moving to drop you and the troops off…" Halius heard before he relaxed once more.
There was something else to think about. He would mention it… But as their fleet approached the covenant? He was greeted by dozens of pings.
"Boarding craft… Over 50, sir." Halius heard from the captain's crew as he hummed.
"Launch all broadswords, bring the guns online, and order all marines to combat alert status alpha." He heard as he turned to the others.
"Prepare for combat… We will hold off whatever boards the ship… Then get to the ring." Halius ordered as he left the bridge, Kasibel right next to the door.
"They will not scratch us, commander." Halius heard as he snorted.
"Boarding craft inbound, all squads to defense points!" Halius heard as he motioned for Igaros and the others to move.
"You love being right, don't you?" Igaros asked as Halius snorted.
"Not when it makes everything a bigger problem," Halius stated before he sighed.
He put his hand to his helm… Everything bothered him. Why? Simple, he knew what was going on and knew what was coming.
The covenant would send more troops, their crews and all staff not needed for combat would attack them and he expected barrages in kind.
The muffled roar of engines reminded him that the UNSC had fighters as the Imperium did. All 75 longswords slowly shot outwards into the void as he sighed once more.
They had a lot more to deal with before he sighed to himself. He was all too much for now as he crossed his arms he looked to the side and then looked to the side.
Halius hummed and walked towards the common areas of the ship. They could do nothing beyond repel borders and he looked to the side as he shook his head.
"We need to get ready…." Halius stated before he sighed to himself and turned to look towards one of the Marines. "Soldier… Which of the defense points will the most fighting for now." Halius sighed to himself before he relaxed once more.
Halius hummed and then looked to the side, watching as the marines pointed and started jogging toward another area.
"Secure the other bulkheads." Halius hummed to himself as he thought of what was growing on his mind.
He was all too much to deal with. They had to split up, 3 Ultramarines and 3 at another point. Halius looked towards the others before he sighed once more.
There was a lot more to deal with and he was exhausted once more as it was all too much.
He fell silent as he opened a communication to the Pillar of Autumn, sighing as he thought of it.
"Master Chief, the covenant has launched boarding craft towards the fleet, what is the situation for you?" Halius questioned, moving towards the engine room.
"Covenant boarding here… Meet you on the surface," Chief stated before the Rubicon shook as the leech-class boarding craft hit the ship.
"Covenant boarders, starboard side!" The ship's PA announced before he sighed.
"Repel the covenant then we leave," Halius stated before shaking his head.
(Spirit of Fire)
Cutter watched as a dozen explosions ripped open the sky, a squadron of Dark Angel Xiphon Class fighters soaring past the deck.
"Opening barrages fired, the first wave of covenant boarding craft repelled 75%... Shields down on at least 3 cruisers." Serina stated as Cutter hummed.
"Inferno of the Imperium, move forwards!" He heard over imperial channels as the single Oberon-Class battleship moved forward.
"All Avenger cruisers, close distance, sword frigates? Launch assaults upon the flagship." The comms stated as Serina hummed.
"Sir? Slipspace signatures on the edge of the system, neither covenant nor UNSC." Serina reported as Cutter cursed.
"Banished…" Cutter muttered as the flurry of explosions off the bow reminded him of the battle. "Serina, charge MACS, firing solutions on any ship we can hit… Get ground teams dispatched." Cutter ordered with a sigh.
(With Halius)
The first contact with the covenant was near the engines. Halius and a squadron of marines greeted the 40 covenant boarders consisting of dozens of grunts and a group of elite minors.
"Contact!" One of the marines stated as a barrage of covenant plasma greeted them.
Halius and the marines scattered, a pair of marines screaming as plasma caught them in the chest.
"Return fire!" Halius ordered, turning, and unleashing a 3 round burst which caught the lead grunts in the chest.
The marines, most armed with MA5B assault rifles shouldered them and returned fire, bullet casings littering the ground as grunt after grunt slammed to the ground, bleeding blue.
Halius drew his knife from his thigh and stabbed the lead elite, tossing their corpse to the ground before tossing the next elite to the ground and crushing their skull underfoot.
"Captain Titus? The covenant is sieging the fleet hard, we need to punch a hole through the cruisers." Halius stated, watching as the remaining grunts were mopped up by the marines.
"Focus on defending the ship… All squadrons? Launch assault upon the support ships. All terminator squads? Prepare for warp teleport towards some of the less damaged cruisers" Halius heard as the ship shuddered again.
"Halius? The covenant has boarded near the hanger… The captain has launched all starboard escape pods to get more soldiers to the ring. They might… Suppressing fire! Clear them out of the cargo bay!" Halius heard before he turned.
"Captain? Where is the highest concentration of covenant boarders?" Halius questioned, motioning for the marines to follow.
"E… Engines! Keep them off my damn ship, Lieutenant!" He heard as the Ultramarine hummed.
"Igaros? Clear out your section then get to the hanger. We are heading down to the ring as we pass over it." Halius ordered as he retreated with the marines.
There were at least over 100 covenant soldiers aboard the Rubicon, he would guess most of them were attempting to attack the ship from all angles to overwhelm the crew.
"There are at least 2 platoons between us and the hanger, most of them are pushing for the bridge," Igaros stated before he sighed.
"Break them… We need to reach the ring." Halius ordered as he sighed.
"We aren't done yet." Halius heard covenant atop the landing.
"Suppressing fire," Halius stated before he grabbed his bolter and shot a grunt on the stairs, collapsing into the side.
The sound of marine gunfire and covenant plasma fire rocked the tranquility of the room.
He knew better, much better than that now.
(UNSC Spirit of Fire)
"Sir? 3 cruisers heavily damaged… Most of the cruisers have retreated to the ring's surface. They appear to be breaking." Serina reported as Cutter looked out at the battle.
One of the CCS-Class Battlecruisers listed was damaged by imperial plasma fire. Another was cornered between Imperial fighters and the UNSC Cruisers, the covenant fleet was faltering as UNSC and Imperial warships closed in.
One of the Halberd-Class destroyers listed still, burned, and losing atmosphere, a Charon-Class frigate also burned, plasma burning their stern.
"We're still taking losses… Crews are evacuating still, ODST and pelican launches detected along with several bumblebee class escape pods." Serina stated as Cutter turned.
"Keep the pressure on them, get marines down there… Forge? You have tactical command, meet me in the war room." Cutter stated before he sighed.
(With Halius)
Another of the marines collapsed, blood pooling under them as Halius decapitated another crimson elite with his knife, tossing them to the side.
"Suppressing fire!" Halius ordered as more covenant soldiers emerged, all equally bloodthirsty.
He knew damn well they were regrouping… Which meant they were preparing to push forward.
"How many of you have grenades?" Halius questioned as the 10 marines regrouped with him, several opening fire in bursts as plasma dinged bizarre.
"We got 10, why?" Halius heard as he paused to himself.
He sighed to himself before shaking his head and then thought of it all now.
"Wait until they move up, then toss them… If it does not kill them? It will disrupt them enough." Halius stated before pausing. "Wait 2 minutes, on my mark," Halius ordered before sighing once more.
He knew more and more the covenant was too zealous, too eager for human blood not to charge. They could easily crush them if another squad was able to flank them, instead. He believed there was no strategy to their siege beyond merely crushing them with numbers.
Thel was focusing more on the ground battle than the space. He expected them to be pushed back by a coordinated strike…
Halius was rendered silent for now, pondering what the elite's next move would have been… And for a good reason, this all was to end and onwards now.
Halius watched as the covenant drew closer, a massive herd of grunts and a pair of elite minors led by a crimson elite.
He was too amused, tired more than anything. This all had yet to come crashing down.
He waited till they were at the lip of the corridor. He nodded to the Marines as he counted down.
"Now!" Halius stated, pushing out of cover, and firing at the elites.
A cluster of M9s went flying, each explosion intensifying as grunts were pulped and sent flying, the corridor ringing with smoke and fire.
He could not tell if the elites were killed… Yet? The marines all pivoted and filled the corridor with bullets, pushing upwards towards the stairs.
The covenant was routed… Decimated as the 20 or so soldiers collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from their broken bodies.
"Keep pushing, don't give them momentum!" Halius ordered as he led the group in a counterattack.
(With the Spirit of Fire)
Over a dozen pelicans and Thunderhawks flew towards the planet… They were greeted by a trio of Devourer-Class Dropships… An army of Imperial and UNSC soldiers were on their way to the ring.
"Keep us away from the ring directly… The covenant would not have pulled their forces back without a reason." Cutter stated before Forge entered the room.
He hummed, knowing that there was a lot more to deal with now. Forge was not stupid but he kept his mind on the goal for now and for a good reason.
"We have at least 500 marines down there including ODSTs with more on the way. Why is the covenant backing off? They outnumber us and had a line in the sand around here." Forge questioned as Serina chimed in.
"Their defenses are possibly more layered than we expected… We also have another 2 fleets closing in… Banished are half of those signatures." Serina stated before she sighed to herself.
Cutter looked at the assault carrier, Thel was no fool as a naval leader. Perhaps he expected the other fleets to decimate the UNSC and Imperial armada for him.
"Serina, keep all fighters and defensive ships ready…. Forge, you have command of UNSC ground forces, for now, keep me updated." Cutter stated as the UNSC and Imperial fleet repositioned to engage the encroaching Orks while the Banished hung back.
All Cutter could tell for certain was simple. They would be in for a long fight now and always.
(With Halius)
Halius could hear the covenant forces diminishing. There were far more bullets being fired than plasma as he rode the elevator downwards and towards the hanger.
"The covenant is backpedaling… Additional contacts, Orks and Banished." Halius heard before he sighed.
Now he knew why Titus was commanding Ultramarine space-borne actions. They were to be fighting in orbit and on the planet below for a while.
"Captain Titus, good luck," Halius muttered as the elevator doors opened.
He was greeted mostly by the corpses of elites, jackals, and grunts, a few crewmen from the Rubicon were also laid across the floor.
"We need to reach the surface down below for now," Halius stated before he looked to the side as he paused to himself.
He was all too much to deal with for now. He looked at the fallen crew and then nodded as he felt the ship shudder again.
"They're launching plenty of troops… We have no idea where they end up… You know that?" Igaros stated to which Halius hummed.
"We're dealing with it," Halius stated before frowning to himself. "Master Chief? We are heading to the ring now, where is your location? We will head there and then establish a beachhead." Halius questioned only to get static.
"A fair bit of those dropships seemed shot down… The Covenant could be hunting down the UNSC soldiers below." Halius heard as he and the others boarded the Stormraven.
"Then we find the Spartans and establish a beachhead… The UNSC and Imperial forces are scattered." Halius stated before the gunship lifted off.
Halius settled into his seat as he turned to Igaros, the 6-man squad looked at him for a moment.
"Igaros? You and Suriel are with me… Kasibel? Take Humiel and Zazriel and scout ahead." Halius stated before he hummed.
If nothing else? Halius would organize the UNSC and Imperial forces and lead them to Cato's location.
"Pilot? Put us down near the energy signature. We clear the area." Halius stated before he sighed.
The hatch opened and Halius was given an outlay of the area, mountainous and full of metal, stone, and trees. Halius motioned for the two Ultramarines to join him as they leaped out of the craft, sliding down the stone and slamming to the ground.
There was a scream of engines as a spirit and a pair of banshees entered the area.
Halius hummed and motioned for the two to spread out. They did so as he relaxed once more.
"Escape pod… I do not see many survivors." Suriel stated as Halius nodded.
"I am still reading vitals… The covenant will kill them if we do not get to them." Halius stated before he frowned.
He was curious as to how this would have been done but he looked to the ground.
He looked overhead where it seemed one of the battlecruisers had settled in… Halius frowned as he realized their troubles here had just started.
"Captain Titus? We have made landfall on the ring; the covenant has a cruiser in our region… I wish to round up the UNSC and Imperial forces and then proceed to the camp." Halius stated before he looked at the two Ultramarines.
The Banshees slowly started downwards as Halius debated shooting them for a second but knew he could not knock them out without a direct hit.
"Master Chief?" Halius asked, expecting nothing.
After a moment? There was the familiar crack of a sniper and one of the banshees spun out and into the bottom of the cliff, exploding on impact.
"Linda…" Halius stated before turning to the two Ultramarines. "Spread out… They do not see us yet…" Halius stated before he shook his head.
He had been too silent as he paused to try and think more and more. There were at least 15 covenant soldiers… Mostly grunts and a few Azure elites.
"Master Chief? If you can read me? We are moving to flank the covenant… Stay where you are." Halius stated before he drew his knife from his thigh.
Halius and his men moved like ghosts… One would often be surprised an Ultramarine… Astartes in general were capable of stealth.
But only a fool would think them such. Halius looked at the unit of the covenant, they had not spotted Linda but they still took cover, pausing only to exchange fire… If reinforcements were inbound? This battle might have gone differently.
Instead? They chose foolishly to open themselves up to being flanked.
Halius scanned the ridgeline for Linda, the cliffs above them were the only place a sniper could hide…. And he spotted only the smallest inch of a sniper.
"Leave the fighter… She has it." Halius stated, pausing for a moment.
He positioned himself above the elite hiding behind a stone…. For a moment? He checked to see where Chief was.
The Spartan was behind the escape pod, from the bodies next to him. He guessed either Linda killed them or Chief had.
Halius leaped down, stabbing through the elite spine first and slamming into the stone which cracked as the covenant soldiers turned.
At the same time? Suriel and Igaros opened fire, Igaros taking to the air as he did so.
Chief emerged from cover and gunned down 3 of the grunts before tackling another elite and snapping its neck. The groups moved through, gunfire and bolts dispatching the last of the soldiers as Igaros vaporized the last elite.
Halius looked over the group before the other banshee angled towards them. He watched as its cannons burned up the path towards them while the Ultramarine stared it down.
Another thunder crack and it slammed into the ground, exploding into pieces as he snorted.
"Master Chief," Halius stated as the Spartan and he scanned the area to make sure the covenant soldiers were dead. "Are there any other survivors beyond you and 058?" Halius stated, his tone off as he used Linda's serial number.
"3… All wounded, the others did not make it." He heard in a female voice which Halius hummed.
Another AI? It was logical, he did not see a female marine and Linda's voice was something he was used to.
"I am… Sorry. Covenant?" Halius asked, tone full of subdued sadness as Chief shook his head.
"Crash landing?" Suriel asked as Chief nodded.
"Soldiers? We will escort you to the landing zone… But we must go, more covenant forces are closing in." Halius stated and nodded towards Chief.
Halius and Chief were greeted by the sound of engines as a trio of Type-44 phantoms and 6 Type-28 banshees flew overhead.
"There's another bumblebee escape pod over the ridge, more covenant infantry on the hill leading there." He heard as he hummed.
"Spartan… I know you are up there, how is your ammo count?" Halius questioned to which Linda finally spoke.
"I have 2 more rounds in this magazine… You expected me to take out those banshees." Linda stated as Halius hummed.
"You are an expert sniper. I expected you to take out the biggest threat." Halius stated before turning to Master Chief. "Where is your team? Did they head to camp?" Halius stated as Cortana spoke up.
"They took a pelican, we did not… Shall we go? Those marines are not going to save themselves." She asked as Halius hummed.
"058? How much covenant infantry is between us and the marines?" Halius questioned before he readied his bolter.
"8… One major and a group of grunts." Linda stated her voice barely above a whisper.
"Not as many as I expected… This area must be recently contested." Halius stated as they slowly moved towards the bridge. "Do you have an idea of how many marines were able to land?" Halius questioned as they slowly crossed.
"Unknown, could be half a dozen… Most of the UNSC/Imperial forces headed to a mesa uphill." Halius hummed before he shook his head.
He was all too much for now… And he knew it.
"Why did you come for me?" Chief asked as Halius hummed.
"Would you like the simple reason or the longer and more deceptive one?" Halius asked as Chief cocked his head. "Captain Cato would rather focus on the more complex and varied details. I would rather focus on one strategic battle at a time… I feel more a kinship to grunt work and enjoy the fact you share a similar ideal." Halius stated before taking cover.
There was a growl ahead of them before Halius turned to Chief and nodded as the group split up, Chief and the marines heading one way and Halius and the Ultramarines the other.
There was a roar as the grunts waddled towards them, Halius snorted and dispatched each with single headshots.
The elite stepped out to attack them before a shadow fell on them and a Spartan fell atop them, crushing them under the weight.
"Linda," Halius stated as the Spartan sniper looked at him and Chief. "Glad to see you are unharmed… Would have liked to have your rifle above." Halius said as Linda hummed.
"There are 2 squads of marines ahead…. The covenant has them surrounded." Linda reported as Halius and Chief shared a look.
"How many soldiers are assaulting them?" Halius asked as Linda hummed.
"Most of them are camped outside…" Linda said as Halius hummed and looked upwards.
"You know why," Linda said as he pointed towards the skyline.
There was a CCS-Class Battlecruiser in the skies above them in the distance. Halius guessed the covenant was busy slowly solidifying their hold in this region… If he were to hazard another guess? They would have sent reinforcements if they believed they were needed.
"Admiral Cutter? We have a covenant cruiser in the region… Do you have any support you can dispatch?" Halius questioned with a frown as he paused to think.
"Not at the moment, what's your situation?" Halius heard before he shook his head.
"Locating the marine lifeboats… We will make do until then." Halius stated before he prepared to leap down.
A phantom appeared overhead, unleashing a group of 5 elite minors led by an elite ultra followed by 8 more minor grunts and a major or 2 grunts.
"They don't know we're flanking them," Suriel stated as Halius snorted.
"Spread out… Move in." Halius ordered, drawing his knife.
The marines with them both took cover as the Spartans and Ultramarines spread out. Halius hummed before he sighed to himself.
"If that cruiser remains in the sky? Our chances of finding survivors dwindle… We cannot evacuate them with that much firepower present and it has enough reinforcements to overrun us." Halius stated.
"You think there is more?" Linda asked, grabbing at her thigh.
"Consolidation of all our forces in one area is a bad move strategically in case the covenant decides to launch a full-scale siege… Also yes, I believe this area was recently contested, if it was not. There would be no chance we would have made landfall." Halius stated before raising his bolter.
He emptied the dregs of his bolter into the grunts, sending alien gore to the ground and drawing the attention of the flanking wave. Halius watched as the crimson elite growled and turned, pointing a clawed finger at him.
He holstered his empty bolter and drew his bolter pistol, raising the weapon as he rushed out from cover.
Chief rolled from behind cover, MA5B cutting down another half dozen grunts before Linda peppered the two nearest elites with twin M6D magnums.
Both had their shields drained in seconds before the Spartan sniper split their skulls with 12.7x40MM SAPHE rounds.
The crimson elite roared and peppered them with his plasma rifle, shields draining as both ducked behind cover.
Halius rushed forward, drew Blind Justice, and slashed through the nape of their neck in one slice, parting their skull from their body in a splash of purple blood.
The remaining grunts screamed and ran away only to be cut down by MA5B fire. Halius looked up to see a squad of marines numbering 10 at least, all of whom glanced and then glanced again to make certain their eyes did not betray them.
"Holy s***! Cavalry is here!" One of the marines said as Halius paused to reload his bolter.
"Looks like we arrived in time," Halius stated, sheathing Blind Justice on his hip. "It is good to see more survivors, are you injured?" Halius asked as the others joined him.
"No, your buddies helped us lock this place down." The marine stated as Halius cocked his head.
It was then the booming voice of a non-commissioned officer chimed in.
"Stop drooling, leatherneck." They heard as Halius hummed.
A man appeared, their complexion as ebon as a Salamander and he believed them just as tough. He looked at the group and nodded.
"Welcome to the party! Your friends were just setting up dinner reservations!" The officer said before a trio of footsteps appeared.
Yellow Ceramite greeted them. Halius was met with a trio of Astartes and nodded at them.
"Imperial Fists… The best siege strategists and defensive soldiers in the Imperium." Halius stated before tilting his head. "Brothers. There are more of you in this region?" Halius questioned as he and the others began the climb up.
"No. We decided to scout this location…" Halius heard as he frowned and looked upwards and into the sky.
"They will assault this position soon as well," Halius added before looking at the trio. "Is this position more defensible than the plains? You were scouting for a defensive position, correct?" Halius asked as he crossed his arms.
"It can… That cruiser is a problem. It will overrun our position eventually." The lead Imperial Fist stated.
"We're looking for survivors, you have spotted escape pods?" Halius asked and got a nod. "How many? If that cruiser dispatches ground forces? They will be slaughtered." Halius stated before scanning the skyline.
There was movement from the cruiser as if it had heard their words and decided to crush them like ants. He, the other Astartes, and Spartans watched as a series of lights descended from the cruiser's belly.
"Dropships," Linda stated before the lights sped up. "And air support. They are assaulting this position." Linda added as Halius nodded.
"How many marines are here?" Halius asked as the marine officer appeared.
"We had 3 pods… Each one holds 8. The crew of one did not make it and the fight took care of the rest in the third." Halius heard as he tapped his side.
"So, 16?" Halius asked as he did some mental math. "Igaros? Take the others, 2 Astartes a side… Let the covenant approach and do not fire until I command…. I have an idea if you will indulge me." Halius stated to the others.
"What is it, big blue?" The marine asked as Halius chuckled.
"They will come to us… Even if they flank us? This building gives us good fields of fire. We let them think you died… They will draw closer. When they reach us? We attack as one, 4 marines a side… The rest down in the rocks to ambush any who we do not get." Halius stated as he looked at Chief.
"He has a point. This building is a kill zone, they cannot attack from the plains, it is too exposed, and flanking us still means they can only come from one side." Linda stated as Halius hummed.
"We still don't have evacuation." The marine officer stated.
"You have my word I will save the other marines… I do not know your name to promise." Halius stated in a tone full of mirth.
"Johnson… Of the damn best corps in the galaxy." He heard as he chuckled.
"Then let us prepare a proper welcome for the covenant, Johnson," Halius stated, his voice more amused than before.
Halius and his squad moved to get into positions. The Imperial Fists began to set up their weapons as he turned to them.
"You are free to do what you think is best… As are you, Spartans." Halius stated before walking backward. "I would prepare for combat… Has anyone managed to contact the fleet?" Halius questioned, tilting his head.
The question went unanswered. He did not expect one amid battle and it suited him fine.
He looked up at the cruiser. If they wanted to? They could char the area they were upon and burn them all to cinders. The fact they did not make the Ultramarine curious if the crew was busy or if they were too arrogant to resort to such an obvious tactic.
Halius questioned how many soldiers had made it to the ring's surface. He did not believe the covenant would so readily accept defeat nor did he believe the idea this battle was won so easily.
"I count 5 phantoms," Linda stated, taking cover.
"Do we know how many 1 can carry?" Halius questioned.
"30 soldiers at maximum," Cortana stated as Halius frowned.
"Then we can reasonably act on the assumption each is fully loaded… That would bring it to 120 plus the 6-fighter craft I spot." Halius stated as he took cover behind the wall.
Linda glanced through her rifle… 2 of the phantoms split off and circled them. Whoever was in charge appeared to be attempting to flank them, the majority it appeared would land out in the plains… She suspected they wanted to pincer the group in while slowly encircling them.
If they were smart? They would have attacked at once, letting the banshees pin them down while slowly advancing.
But she knew the covenant, they all did.
"Sir, you are in the way." One of the marines said as they slowly slipped around Halius.
"Apologies," Halius responded as he checked his bolter. "Master Chief? Where is the rest of your group? I have not seen your group apart." Halius added as the Spartan titled his head.
"With the others," Chief responded as the Ultramarine Lieutenant nodded.
Finally? The dropships unloaded their cargo. Halius crouched as low as he could, not finding it easy to do so.
The Ultramarine watched the flanking unit. It was primarily the grunts with a twin pair of azure elites, he counted at least 40 soldiers in total.
"How many?" Halius questioned as Linda peeked over.
It appeared at least 80, 55 grunts… A line of jackals all spread out in a row and a group of elites, both crimson majors and Azure minors.
There was a gleam from further back. A golden elite, energy sword on their hip. She recognized their armor as a zealot and a general at that for the time being and she contemplated dispatching him but it was not wise.
Their armor's shields would tank her rifle's shot, and wasting one magazine to kill one soldier also would give away her position.
"Damn it, we're outnumbered." One marine muttered as Halius looked at them.
"Do not count battles in the number of infantry soldiers on the battlefield… We can handle this." Halius stayed before he closed his eyes.
The covenant set in, Halius turned to Linda and watched as she motioned towards them. The air rippled with tension as Halius watched the covenant with anticipation.
Step, another step… They passed by the rocks. He took a deep breath through his armored helm and waited a precious moment.
"NOW!" Halius yelled, raising his bolter, and unleashing a torrent of bolts toward the lead elite and watching as the crimson elite exploded into gore.
Halius heard both MA5Bs and BR55 battle rifles as the marines peppered the covenant, grunt after grunt collapsing as the golden elite roared.
The line of jackals opened fire on them and Halius heard the death cry of one marine who took a needle to the face… Then a second who took a half dozen shots from a plasma rifle.
"C'mon, split lip! Let us see you fight a real soldier!" Johnson yelled over the sound of his gun.
Halius smiled despite himself and reloaded, pulling out another magazine and slotting it in… He was grateful that they had brought plenty of ammo.
"Break their line! They will run out of soldiers before we run out of ammo!" Halius stated, pausing to put down a grunt with a headshot and watching their corpse roll down the slope.
Linda watched as the elite general growled and rushed at them, sword raised as a volley of grenades soared from the rocks where Master Chief and a squad of marines had taken cover.
Dirt and gore flew as the jackals were either detonated by the explosions or staggered, allowing the marines to pepper them and slowly wipe them out.
The death cry of a third marine made Halius look to see the general cut them down and sprint up the ramp. He brought up his bolter before Linda reacted.
She drew the dual pair of magnums from her thighs, leaped, and slammed foot first into the elite, making his shields shimmer… He watched her pepper the elite as they fell.
"They're falling apart! Press the advantage!" Suriel yelled as Halius turned and gunned down another elite minor trying to climb the stairs.
The sound of gunfire slowly died out as it became clear they had won. Halius looked around to see dead covenant in almost every direction… And those who remained were picked off easily by the Marines.
"Linda?" Halius asked, hoping the private channel to the Spartans and Astartes remained so.
"Here," Linda stated, slowly climbing up. "I thought you had that one, Chief," Linda stated as she put her magnums back on her hips.
Then came the banshees who started to strafe them again. Halius cursed as the 6 banshees all descended on them.
"Crap!" One of the marines yelled before another set of engines came in.
There was a roar of guns and one by one, the banshees exploded into scrap metal as Halius looked up to see a D77-TC Pelican spin around, its M370 chain gun smoking.
"This is Echo 419, heard you boys were having a party… Sorry I'm late, UNSC forces are landing all over this place and my invitation must have gotten caught in the mail." The pilot said as Halius tilted his head.
"There are more humans here," Halius stated before he looked at the cruiser. "I know why there is a cruiser here…. The remaining UNSC soldiers in this region? That cruiser is hunting them." Halius stated before watching as one of the marines spoke over the radio.
The pelican dipped low, allowing the squad of marines to board it as Halius watched a warthog disengage from the back of the vehicle.
"We will secure this and catch the next dropship…" Halius heard from the others.
"That could be a while, brother," Halius stated before turning to the Spartans. "I will find the remaining marines… If you wish? I do not mind you leaving… Igaros? Tell Captain Cato we will be coming back within an hour." Halius stated before he sighed once more.
"We find them together," Chief stated as Halius turned.
"Are you sure?" Halius questioned and got a nod. "Good… Brothers? You might wish to take the dropship back to base… We will come back soon." Halius stated as the Imperial Fist faltered for a second.
The pelican swiveled towards them and Halius gestured towards it as the three Imperial Fists nodded and went to board.
Halius watched as the pelican lifted into the air and left with its cargo, Halius nodded.
"Won't you need transport?" Linda asked as Halius chuckled.
"Astartes can move faster than you think," Halius said before noticing that Johnson had stayed. "I thought you would have boarded with your men, sergeant," Halius stated as Johnson chuckled, took a long puff from his cigar, and tossed it.
"Every damn marine in this valley is my troops… Now, let us go get them." Johnson stated before he walked towards the warthog.
"He would have made a fine Salamander… Or perhaps an Ultramarine," Halius stated before turning to Master Chief. "Lead… We will follow." Halius stated as he cracked his neck, the armor hissing as he and his men formed up behind him.
Chief nodded, turned to Linda, and motioned to the side. He turned to look to the side.
"We must move out now if we do not? I suspect the covenant will have wiped out all UNSC forces." Halius stated before he sighed. "And we need air support. That cruiser needs to be taken out or it will shoot down any evacuation dropships." Halius stated before he stepped down.
The two Spartans looked at the cruiser, it was clear that they did not get work done. They would find corpses rather than soldiers.
Chief nodded towards the gun of the warthog before he checked his rifle. Cortana had already prepared a nav point while the others were too busy dealing with getting to work.
It was clear they had a lot more to deal with for now. Chief suspected deep down this would take much longer than an hour, he suspected the others were busy with setting up camp.
"You think we're going to need more backup?" Linda asked to which Chief shook his head.
The two boarded the warthog, Johnson deciding to take the passenger seat as Linda manned the turret. She paused to look at Halius who seemed completely still as if waiting for something.
She was about to ask when Chief gunned the engine to 50 MPH and the warthog lurched forwards, 12.0 'ICE' engines revving up.
Linda watched as the group watched for a moment before leaping down. They waited until the warthog was halfway across the plains, racing towards the other side of the valley.
Then they broke into a sprint, Halius jogged as if he were on an Olympic-level dash. The Astartes rushed across the plains as if it was a morning jog, Halius leaped into the air, almost appearing to fly as he rolled in mid-air and landed right behind the warthog.
"Damn, they can sprint well," Johnson stated before the warthog lurched over a massive hill at least 30-40 feet down.
The vehicle rolled around the ground, rattling as it spun around and then lurched towards the waypoint.
The Astartes rushed forward, leaping down the hill as each of them slammed straight down like meteors, they then sprinted up to the Warthog.
"Spartans," Halius stated mid-stride as he turned while running. "Take a moment to pace yourselves. We run further during training." Halius stated before the warthog stopped inside a metal cave.
Linda chuckled despite herself, realizing that the Ultramarines were just as superhuman as Spartans-II.
"This cave is not a natural formation… I have compared it to data found from Red Team's mission and found a staggering resemblance to that construction." Cortana stated before the Ultramarines paused.
Linda watched as Halius took a deep breath and then another, the hulking supersoldiers took 2 breaths and then were already moving again. Halius walked past the warthog and hummed.
"Which mission?" Halius questioned as Cortana hummed.
"The planet Professor Anders was located on, this ring resembles the planet the advanced dreadnoughts were found on," Cortana stated as Halius looked at Chief.
"Then we must stop the covenant," Halius stated before he shook his head. "Is there a path through this complex? The planet we were upon 1 year ago? The tunnels ran deep underground." Halius added before he shook his head.
"Follow ahead… Heads up? There is more covenant infantry up ahead, their battle net is very active, unshielded even." Cortana added as Halius shared a look with the others.
'They are not encrypting their battle plans? What are these fools doing?' Halius thought as he paused.
He slowly followed the warthog, prepared for the next battle now.
(With the Imperial/UNSC fleet)
"Yes, send it in… Admiral Grieves? I would advise you to pull your fleet back." Cutter stated before watching as the Imperial ships continued to combat the Ork's fleet.
He got no response from the Imperials but still? There was a ground battle to win and he had sent at least 1 destroyer towards the surface.
"Why haven't they counterattacked? And why has Atriox been content to wait?" Cutter asked as Serina hummed.
"Everything we know suggests the fight is below, on the ring… Nobody cares much for a space battle besides those 'Orks,' admiral." Serina stated. "If I were to hazard a guess? They wish to own Halo…. Any victory we have in orbit can be negated by a victory below." Serina stated as Cutter frowned.
Cutter frowned and then keyed in a transmission towards his ships. There would be a few reinforcements but he knew the UNSC and Imperium were waiting to see the outcome before they committed to anything.
"Anyone who can spare their ship? Head down and reinforce our ground forces… We are burning fuel sitting up here and we either strike or lose our footing." Cutter added before he frowned.
(With Halius and the others)
The warthog slowly continued down the corridor as Halius and his squad scouted ahead of them.
"Chasm… No way across." Suriel stated as Halius frowned under his helm.
"Yes, there is…" Halius stated in response. "They are waiting for us, weapons up…" Halius stated as he hefted a stone.
He picked up a stone the size of his fist and hurled it hard at the ground near the drop… And a half dozen streams of plasma flew at it.
Chief leaped out of the warthog, unslinging the MA5B from his back and leaping behind the warthog as a trio of grunts wadded out near the chasm and fired needlers, the small thin projectiles flying right at them.
"How did you know?" Suriel asked as he opened fire, bolts soaring toward the trio.
"Because it is a wide-open area, they know we were coming and there is another side to the chasm… We need to look for a way to extend the bridge." Halius responded, a pair of elite minors emerging, plasma rifles blasting.
Linda unloaded on them with the Vulcan of the warthog, 12.7MM rounds blasting off the metal as one elite found itself shredded in half.
"Spread out! Draw fire!" Halius yelled as Suriel and Kasibel slowly advanced. "We are dealing with them… Do you want me to extend the bridge or will you?" Halius questioned as they continued shooting.
"Chief, we are taking care of the bridge…. There is more of them in those cracks anyway." Cortana stated as the Spartan-II nodded.
"Secure the area, flush them out!" Halius yelled as the Ultramarines rushed forward. "More approaching from across the chasm!" Halius yelled as he looked ahead.
There was indeed more approaching from the other side of the gorge. Another wave of grunts armed with better weapons… Along with what appeared to be a trio of Type-32 ghosts… Along with a larger shape.
"Spectre!" Johnson yelled as Halius cursed.
"Take cover, enemy armor!" Halius yelled as the alien tank launched a massive barrage of plasma toward them.
The 6 Ultramarines scattered, the new wave of covenant suppressing them. He cursed before thinking of what was growing on his mind… They planned another ambush and he suspected they had started laying siege to the marine units in the area.
Halius took cover behind one wall as he poked his bolter around the corner and let loose a burst of gunfire as he cursed. He pondered how to break their line, vehicle support was not something expected and it was clear if he did not take down the tank.
They would slowly be overwhelmed as he expected more covenant soldiers to encircle them.
"We need to take down that armor or they're going to overwhelm us," Halius stated, opening fire again. "I am open to suggestions," Halius added, plasma slamming into the wall next to him.
"Got anything with some kick?" Johnson asked as bullets and plasma passed each other.
"Igaros, do we have any weapons powerful enough to safely take out that gunner?" Halius asked as the covenant infantry began to step out.
Halius knew they had different weapons, only Kasibel and Suriel carried bolters between the group and it was clear to him at least one of the squadmates would have carried a heavier gun.
It was then Humiel decided to make himself known, hefting his proteus-class rocket launcher, and aiming it towards one of the ghosts. A thundering roar made itself heard as the weapon flew and spun, once, twice before slamming headfirst into the ghost.
The machine flipped end over end, black smoke belching from it as the machine split clean in half.
"You had a launcher the entire time?" Igaros questioned as his battle brother shrugged.
"I suspected we would not need it," Humiel stated as Halius sighed.
"Take care of the tank… Igaros? Get over there and take out the other armored vehicle… I will help clean out their infantry." Halius stated as the wraith fired another glob of plasma.
Halius was forced to sprint away as the barrage slammed into the wall next to him, heat and smoke rolled over his armor, and if he was not an Astartes? He knew his armor would not shield him from the pains the plasma brought licking at his skin beneath.
He quickly found his footing as the warthog moved up to the lip of the room, gunfire ringing off the ground. Halius watched as another elite in blue armor gurgled before slamming dead.
"C'mon, split lip! Fight like a man!" Johnson stated, Linda's gunfire expertly bursting through the air.
Hemiel opened fire with another rocket, aiming purely at the spectre which moved to the side slightly, putting the other ghost between it and the explosive which took it head-on and vanished.
Halius cursed as he realized the tank had sacrificed its escort to block the weapon and he knew damn well that while it put them in a bad spot? The spectre was still dangerous enough to suppress them on its own and he was tired to himself before he sighed.
He was not going to be dealt with easily as he thought of it all as he relaxed for now. He was too curious to pause himself and he felt himself amid combat now and always when it came down to it at the time.
He sighed to himself before he looked to the side, he had a lot more to deal with for now.
He had a lot more on his mind… He had a lot more to try and think of now.
"If they are fighting this damn hard? They have not wiped out the others yet." Johnson stated before he sighed.
"Agreed. This amount of manpower must mean they are not done yet." Halius stated before the armor splat another plasma barrage into the air. "Someone, take out the blasted tank!" Halius hissed as he rushed back towards the warthog, rolling across the ground.
He knew damn well there was little they could do to take out the spectre easily… But it appeared the galaxy heard him as the bridge slowly appeared, a narrow beam of light.
Halius turned, drew Blind Justice from his hip, and rushed back towards the tank. He ripped his bolter pistol from his hip and put a pair of bolts in the pair of grunts in front of him.
He spun and brought the blade through the chest of the azure elite, gripped the next one, and tossed it to the side before sprinting faster and faster.
The group of grunts left to guard the spectre let out whimpers of fear and opened fire as Halius leaped into the air, freeing Johnson, and the others to shred them with gunfire.
Halius landed in a crouch, crushing one grunt under the heel as he reached towards the spectre. The vehicle was slowly tilted to one side as the Ultramarine lifted it like it was a toy.
Halius cursed before he found purchase, his ceramite-clad fingers biting into the alien metal before he slammed it into the wall, flipping it entirely as if was a piece of paper.
"I tire of these damned tanks firing upon me," Halius stated before planting a foot on the vehicle and kicking it, sending it flipping across the ground and over the edge. "Did we eliminate them?" Halius stated, brushing off his armor.
Johnson laughed at the sight for a moment before shaking his head.
"Damn, never seen someone throw a spectre!" Johnson said before he turned. "Chief?" Johnson asked as the Spartan-II emerged from cover.
An elite major collapsed down the path as Halius turned, putting the blade upon its sheath as the wreckage of covenant vehicles and corpses greeted him.
"We should move… More covenant means that cruiser must be dropping off more soldiers." Halius stated before taking a deep breath. "Master Chief… Does your AI companion know how many covenant soldiers are ahead if any?" Halius stated before he shook his head.
He was beginning to question how many soldiers were in the area… If they had deployed armor to this location? They might have lost.
"The battle net reports most of their ground forces in this area are still engaged," Cortana stated as Halius hummed.
"Then there is still hope. Good… Let us hope they do not control more wraiths." Halius muttered with obvious annoyance still before he and the others slowly set across the rest of the canyon.
He pondered what was going on next, pondered what the covenant would have thrown at them next. So long as the cruiser above them stood? They would be bound to stay stuck in this canyon.
He and the others slowly yet surely advanced. The warthog's turret swiveled back and forth.
"The covenant fleet had taken heavy losses in the battle over the ring… From what I am hearing? Their leadership ordered all forces to reinforce occupied areas and ensure the 'Dawn of humanity's extinction.' Is not discovered." Cortana stated before they rounded a corner.
There was the sound of engines as they pulled through the halls of this place. This place reminded Halius of that hollow planet that Cortana had mentioned… Were they connected? Questions for later.
As they neared the entrance to the other side, the sound of engines grew… Both Imperial and the UNSC.
He knew why as they appeared near a river that ran uphill and seemed to go into another canyon.
"UNSC Midway to all forces in this region? We have engaged the covenant cruiser…" Halius heard as he looked upwards.
The shadow of a UNSC Able-Class Heavy Destroyer roared overhead, a squadron of Xiphon-Class Fighters escorting it. The sounds of heavy ammunition being fired echoed through the canyon as Halius hummed.
"Does that destroyer have a chance against that cruiser?" Halius questioned as Chief nodded. "Then I suppose we finish this… This is Lieutenant Halius of the Ultramarines. We read you, Midway… Can you provide evacuation to the UNSC forces as we gather them?" Halius questioned as more engines joined the air.
He looked upwards to see the cruiser had launched all its fighter escort, orbital and atmospheric… Along with all its dropships. It seemed they had no intention of leaving, Halius bristled as the air became a series of explosions.
"How many pods did you say had landed?" Halius questioned as they charged up the hill, realizing there was going to be more covenant to deal with.
"3 or more… You all might be worried to hear that cruiser is dispatching any soldier not needed for operating the ship." Cortana added.
"They are desperate," Halius stated before the sound of engines made him look up.
3 of the banshees split off and began strafing them as the group split up. Halius snorted and continued sprinting, questioning how many marines were alive.
It did not matter to him; he swore he would save them and he would. If they could not aid a group of Marines? How could they expect to fight tooth and nail for this ring?
Halius heard the LMG as Linda sent dozens of bullets into the air, casings rolling down the hill as the warthog roared up the hill. He tried drawing a bead on one of the banshees… He could track it easily, but shooting it was not as simple.
He turned to see more covenant soldiers traveling down all corners of the valley… Along with several ghosts and wraiths.
Halius cursed as he realized there was still a battle to win… And he had a lot more to try and figure out as of now before he sighed to himself.
If this was a battle? He would fight it as well as he could… He had a lot more left to do.
"This is going to take more time than I believed," Halius stated before he sighed and shook his head.
He had a lot more to do…. And if nothing else? He would do it.
Halius rolled behind a rock as the majority of Covenant split up to assault the groups of marines… Halius watched as the warthog roared up the hill and the banshees soared off, one smoking and crashing as the rounds cut through its fuselage.
"UNSC Midway? This is the UNSC Tempest, we have dispatched reinforcements… Lieutenant? We are reading 30 UNSC transponders, you need to hurry." Halius heard as he sighed.
"Keep the skies clear and I shall…" Halius stated before he cursed and watched as a squadron of UNSC C712 Longsword class fighters and a Lancer-Class Corvette backed up the Tempest.
Halius cleared his throat before the battle returned to the skies and they were given some reprieve.
He sighed to himself before he shook his head. He was tired and then thought of what was to occur in this battle.
He knew more and more with each second that their battle was going to be harder and harder to understand.
A few seconds later? He finally let himself move, motioning for the squadron to move forward. He was all too distracted now and he had a lot more ideas now.
This battle was not yet done… He had something else to deal with.
"They have been trying to establish a beachhead… Where are the covenant forces most present?" Halius stated as Cortana hummed.
"The ones by the cliff… It seems most of their forces are interfering the most." Cortana stated before Halius frowned and nodded.
"Then we start attacking… We need to push their forces back." Halius stated, frowning with annoyance.
He had a lot more left to distract him from the battle. It seemed there was a larger siege they were a part of and as they rushed towards the wave point? Halius could already see wraiths atop the canyon lobbing their mortars down and into the cliffside.
"Midway? They have artillery support; do you have any ability to take them out?" Halius questioned before they rushed up the canyon.
He was too curious as to how this would pan out. He had a lot more left to distract him and he would have to lead their forces for the time.
He shook his head and focused entirely on the mission; he had a lot more to talk about when it came to these sorts of things.
Halius knew this battle would have to end. He would ensure it would have ended and he smiled, slamming another magazine into his bolter.
As they rushed up the river? It became obvious why the covenant was trying so hard to exterminate the humans here… Because they were giving damn well as good as they got.
Halius could hear the death cries of covenant soldiers and the telltale rattle of UNSC bullets hitting the ground as they approached the lip of the cliffside.
Halius could spot a similar structure to the last one they were at… That and what appeared to be pipes snaking through the ground as if feeding energy to something. He scanned the area and noticed very large amounts of weaponry and ammo but no bodies, not even scorch marks where they would have died.
Most of the covenant seemed to be taking cover at one end of the area. He snorted and motioned for the Ultramarines to move in.
"I see no UNSC personnel," Suriel stated as Halius hummed.
"That does not mean they are dead… Move in quickly and quietly… Their artillery support is our biggest threat." Halius ordered, taking a deep breath as they moved.
Part of him guessed the others were less in danger than he thought. He suspected more resistance than he had seen and that was enough to make him happy.
Then the wraiths drove him back into the annoyance and anger he had minutes ago as he tossed himself down the lip as white-hot plasma burned from the area behind him. If he could have beaten the drivers of those mortar tanks to death? He damn well would have.
The Ultramarine rushed forward, the Warthog revving up its engine and following. He felt more plasma as he ducked into the pipes, plasma slamming into them and vanishing.
"Take a right, there's something under us," Linda stated as she ducked downwards and into the depths of the ring.
Halius waited until the others had done so before ducking around the corner and into what appeared to be a tunnel.
"Their artillery is beginning to anger me," Halius stated, his voice somewhat of a growl as he walked slower and slower.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! A few things!
I am going to attempt to draw out the battle of Installation 04.
I am going to make the covenant more dangerous and show the battle as more even.
I am moving the battle of Reach until later. First Strike will take place after this then a time skip and then the battle of Earth, Installation 05 then the Ark.
The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words and show their rescue of marines along with more of the ground battle. Until then? Lighting Wolf out!