Enjoy guys.
"The ships crippled sir!" Cole heard from behind him as he looked at the flickering holo table in front of him "It's dead in the water!"
"Full frontal fire. No survivors" he ordered back quickly, watching as his own and four others fired their MACs at the broken ship in front of them. He wasn't foolish enough to think that it worked due to them, no that was because they were behind the Assault carrier and it would seem that whatever shields they were using weren't as strong at the back as they were at the front.
A little fact he was all too happy to take advantage of and he wouldn't hide the smile on his face as he watched the alien ship implode in on itself. Thankfully he didn't need to give out new orders immediately those who served under him knew the basic idea of what was happening now. The large Supercarrier seemed to be completely dead in the water and its large bulk was keeping both forces separate from each other which allowed the UNSC to use their effective MACs against the covenant at a much closer range which at the same time avoided fire from the enemy in return.
By keeping themselves in between the covenant and the Supercarrier the enemy wouldn't return fire, it was as if they were afraid of their shots missing and hitting the Supercarrier, why that is the case he didn't know but he wouldn't complain about it now.
Looking at their forces now, it seemed like they had a much better chance now than they did before. His fleet now numbered twenty-five after regrouping with each other, losing two in the processes which hurt badly but he would take it. The enemy now numbered only seven, including the ones on the planet's surface and while they just took down one of the three remaining Assault carriers, the others seemed to be in very good condition.
And then of course there was Atlas. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to breathe as he thought about that, looking at the map he could that Atlas's IFF tag was now halfway towards the planet, it was falling through the atmosphere and if the calculation were right, he would crash thirty miles away from the city in the next ten minutes.
The loss of Atlas would hurt the UNSC and humanity as a whole badly, Cole wouldn't let anyone go home until his body was recovered, the man deserved that at the very least. At least he died taking down that Leviathan 'We should all be so lucky' he thought to himself.
"All hands, prep for attack" he ordered through the com to his fleet as they started to come up on the final Assault carrier that was in orbit.
However, before they could go a step further, the ground under their feet rumbled "Admiral! Power signatures reading from the Supercarrier! Its engines are back up!" someone called to him.
"Damit!" he shouted, leaning in and looking at the table closer "All ships, focus fire on the Supercarrier! Bring it down before it can get its shields back!" he shouted and watched as his own ship and all the others slowly started to turn in order for their MACs to take aim. While it wouldn't be the best position for it, as the fleet was on the port side of the Supercarrier and not near the front where the assumed bridge would be or the back where its engines were, it would have to do.
Much like before Cole could feel the ground under him rumble as the MAC was fired and he looked out the front window as the weapons were used. He looked as the other slugs came into view around his own and they all crashed into the side of the Supercarrier, creating no small amounts of explosions as they did so. He wouldn't deny it and say watching all the fiery creators being made on the side of the ship was satisfying to see but it really was. At least that was until he saw that it started to move "What's it doing!" he shouted looking over to the helm.
"It's moving sir!" she called out to him.
"I can see that!" he said back as he walked over towards her and stood behind her chair, placing a hand on the back of it and leaning forward until he got a closer look at the screen in front of her "Give me details" he ordered, not shouting this time. Despite all the noise from around him.
The woman pressed a couple of keys and looked at the screen, Cole was halfway reading through it before she said it all out for him "Based on current trajectory and speeds it'll reach the city in twenty minutes" she told him.
He frowned as he heard her "That slow?" he asked confused.
"From what we can see through the scans, the amount of power coming from it is only one-fifth what it was before. Either the engines are badly damaged or they're still warming up" she said to him before he nodded and turned to leave.
"Admiral! Returning Fall is requesting orders along with what's left of the fleet, do we focus on the Supercarrier or disengage and deal with the rest of the enemy ships"
Cole didn't turn to face the one who spoke as he moved forward towards the table and leaned against it with both hands, taking only a couple of seconds to think about what they should do. If they followed the Supercarrier then they might be able to follow it and fire as they did so, with a little luck they could unload their MACs right into the ship's thrusters which might cause it to crash into the planet as they re-enter the atmosphere but that would leave them open to enemy fire from the rest of the ships, and with such a disadvantage that their position would give them, they wouldn't make it. He couldn't sacrifice what was left of their fleet to take that ship down, they would need to stay and deal with the rest of them first. Then make it to the planet as fast as possible to aid with Delta squad on the surface.
"All ships, remain in formation and lock all weapons onto the last Assault carrier" he ordered into the radio "Coms, send word to Delta squad. Let them know what's coming"
Spartan Solomon-069 was gripping the handles of the heavy machine gun as the Warthog drove down the streets of the city's outskirts. There was a heavy thumping that was heard all around them as they drove, he was the only spartan in their group of three. At least for now, it was likely they would end up meeting with the others later.
There was an ODST in the passenger seat with his weapon at the ready while one of the local militia was driving, that made sense considering he was a local and would know all the roads better than they could within the small amount of time they had to prepare. Their warthog was one of many that were acting as a type of quick response petrol unit that went where they were needed and got to work providing some extra firepower "One minute out Jorge!" he shouted into the helmet radio "Hold on!" he added.
Bringing up his hand and clocked the machine gun "Driver, when we arrive do not stop moving. Constant motion while I provide cover" he ordered.
"My name is Larry!" he shouted back at the Spartan "and understood"
"No names" Soloman said back to him "Not in this type of fight" he said as he and many other of the Spartans knew far too well how many of them were going to die, knowing names would just make it harder.
"Well that's just bleak" the ODST shouted from her spot and she raised her weapon and clocked it herself "Are you Spartans ever NOT miserable?" she asked as they started to come up on the first defensive line.
"Sometimes" he said back as he bent his knees and turned his body in order to stay in position, something that was needed due to the harsh turn the driver just made as they moved onto the final street.
Much like the rest of the city, the road was a mess with large skyscrapers on either side of the road, but he wasn't looking at them. No, the Spartan's eyes were on the far side of the road they were driving down. He didn't doubt that if this was a normal day he would have seen down this road and towards the large glass lands outside the city all the way towards the forests and mountains. Right now, all he could see was ruin. There was an enemy ship hovering in the sky above the grass, just in the middle of his field of view. The foremost building on the right looked really beat up and on the ground in front of them, he could make out a lot of enemy units that were firing at something they couldn't see. Most likely their own forces with Jorge in front of them.
"Contact" the ODST called out as they kept on driving towards them.
Soloman waited just a couple more moments until he could see the Covenant turn to look at them "Weapons free!" he shouted as he pulled the trigger and the barrel of the heavy machine gun started to spin. Not even a second later the rounds started to fire. The first one to take the hit was one of those Jackels with the arm shields. He'd read the reports and knew full well that they could block small arms fire but against the far heavier bullets of the mounted machine gun firing at the rate it was. Soloman wouldn't lie and say he didn't enjoy seeing the shield break apart and the third and fourth bullets shred the alien's body. He quickly turned and moved the still-firing gun at the row of Grunts that had now noticed them.
As they neared the final corner of the fighting, the driver kept on moving without slowing down, smashing into the bodies of the aliens that survived his attack. That was when the first sharp turn came.
Soloman knew he needed to take a second to process what he was seeing to understand the situation. The warthog skidded across the ground towards the left. He could make out three things immediately. The first being that as he thought, Jorde was in front of the decorative pillars in front of the building's main entrance, his heavy weapon was on the ground and he was currently headbutting a Brute that was in front of him. The ODSTs were behind him in cover, firing at the many different units that were trying to get around him. He did a good job of it from what he could see based on the many dead bodies scattered around the floor.
The third and final was the large purple vehicle that looked very beat up but was still functioning, which had to change "Don't stop!" he shouted as time returned to normal for him as Spartan time ended. He swirled his gun and aimed it at the large tanks, knowing from the many different reports that came from so many different battlefields. He knew where the driver for the tank was and immediately turned his weapon for the hatch at the front of the large tank.
The multiple jumps and bumps of the car didn't get in the way of his aim as he fired into the hatch of the tank when they drove past it. He didn't let that get in the way of his aim as he knew that would just be the dead or still living bodies they ran over.
The first few rounds bounced off the outer shell of the tank but he could tell they were making a dent; he kept the pressure up. Even as he saw more and more enemies show up, he decided to focus on the vehicle "About time you showed up" he heard Jorge say from his radio.
"Traffic was bad" Solomon said as the Warthog did a sharp turn in order to avoid some abandoned cars that were made to set up a barrier for cover. He continued to fire at the same point but when he felt something on his leg, he turned to look and saw Jackle that was hanging onto the side of the car. It looked up at him and roared, though he didn't know if the alien was trying to pull him off or hang on for his life but in truth it didn't matter.
He brought up his free foot and slammed it down on the Jackle's head, the result was what one would expect and the aliens' brains now coated his boot "Hatch is opAAHAHAHH" Solomon didn't hear what else was said as his body ducked to its knees in order to avoid the burst of plasma that he guessed came from a grenade that exploded before it landed. Once again, he entered Spartan time and saw the situation for what it was.
The machine gun was broken, something he couldn't fix quickly either based on the way the barrels were now missing. The Warthog wasn't doing much better at the time either, from the way it was now driving, how much the driver was turning the wheel and the angle from which they were turning. He would guess they just lost a tire. Now knowing that they would need to abandon the vehicle he decided to make the best option going forward. They were still moving closer to the tank and now he knew what the driver was saying.
The pilot hatch for it was now open "Get to the building!" he shouted as time came back to normal. The front of the Warthog turned as the driver tried to make it back to the front entrance of the building which he noted had a large number of enemy bodies in front of it. Using the momentum of the turn, Solomon quickly turned his body around, faced away from what was left of the turret and jumped at just the right time.
His large, armoured body flew four metres through the air, he landed harshly and with a grunt on the front of the tank. He didn't doubt that he made a dent as he did so, not allowing any of the enemy a moment to think about what he just did. He gripped a torn-open piece of armour to make sure he hung on and reached for his belt. Feeling the all too familiar feel of the grenade in his hand, with only his finger he pulled the pin and dropped the bomb in the now exposed driver's seat.
Now knowing that it had dropped he slid off the tank and landed on his back. The large hovering vehicle going right over him as it moved forward towards the entrance of the building, either the driver didn't notice what he did or he was too distracted trying to get rid of the grenade in order to change direction. Not that it mattered to him of course. He quickly stood back up as soon as he was able and reached for his back, grabbing his rifle as he stood up. For all the good it did he soon had a large Elite running towards him.
Jorge raised his leg and slammed it down into the knee of the Brute that had his hands locked with his own in a contest of strength. Of course, Jorge had no intention of playing fair, why would he? The alien roared in pain as the Spartan's augmented strength proved too much and the bone snapped in two due to the force and it started to stumble backwards.
Normally Jorge would go further and confirm the kill but he needed his weapon back, seeing many more enemies approaching from the grasslands and drop ships, he knew he needed to do something. He fucked and rolled across the ground towards his heavy machine gun that was knocked from his hands before, something that wasn't easy given his large bulk but he got it done. As he did so he reached for his hip, it felt wrong not having his pistol on him but it would have to do "EVERYONE! BACK IN THE BUILDING!" he shouted to the remaining ODSTs as he found his feet and gripped the handle of his weapon "Ajax, this Spartan-053. Requesting bombardment on marked location! How copy?!" he shouted seeing the Warthog Solomon arrived on turning towards them but not being able to stick it due to the blown-out tire.
The vehicle started to tip and at the speed it moved. He only caught sight of his fellow Spartans jumping from it and onto the tank. The others couldn't get out in time and when the car rolled, they rolled with it. A part of him wished they were closer, or that they crashed in front of him. If they did that he could have helped.
But they didn't.
"Solid Copy 053, fire support ready for beacon marking" He heard the Ajax say back to him. was forced to fire on the incoming Elites, ignoring that tank that was moving forward towards him and hoping the Soloman would be able to take care of it. As he kept them busy he started to back up a couple of steps which would allow him an easier time of falling back into the building.
He didn't want to, but he couldn't help himself, he looked to the right and saw the wreckage of the Warthog, he couldn't see the driver from this angle but he could make out the ODST who was trying to crawl away, but it looked like their foot was pinned. As by instinct, he was about to move over and help but he stopped himself before he could even move, knowing that he couldn't do anything.
He raised his hand and aimed the target marker a few dozen metres in front of them where he could see a large bulk of enemy infantry that was nearing them. He turned away as he saw a grouping of Jackles surround the ODST and start shooting with needles at close range, thankfully he could hear her screaming through the sounds of battle.
A large explosion came from the tank and the large vehicle exploded and fell to the ground in a heap of purple fire. Seeing the green light appear on the target marker, he quickly equipped it back to his hip and grabbed the handle of his weapon. Not both hands he could take proper aim and get back to work, slowly stepping back and nearing the lobby of the building, he didn't miss the fact that the number of enemies kept on getting bigger.
He saw a grouping of all Elites running towards him and the others, firing their weapons as they did so. As expected of him, he tanked what he could and returned fire "AAHH!" he yelled in the back as one of the smaller rounds of plasma nicked the side of his neck in between his armour. He didn't know if it was fatal or not but with the amount of adrenalin that was being pumped through his system, he didn't care at the moment.
"Location received 053, be advised this will be dangerous close. Good luck Spartan"
It was getting difficult to see what was in front of him with the number of explosions and smoke taking over the road they were falling back from. There was something he could make out there, a large figure was limping out from behind the tank, he was firing a rifle at an enemy Jorge couldn't see. He could see little, but even his mouth dropped ever so slightly in horror as he made out a Brute running towards Solomon waving around the large hammer. The Spartan was either in do daze from head injury or too injured to be fast enough but the hammer swung true and he watched as Soloman's chest armour was caved in from the force of the attack and the Spartan was thrown through the air, smacking against the burning shell of the tank and fell to the ground.
Dead.
Jorge continued to back up until he stepped into the lobby of the building "UP THE STAIRS, REGROUP!" he shouted, based on the friendly fire that was coming in over his shoulders. The ODSTs had positioned themselves near the door to the stairs and were ready to retreat. He had to admit, it was good that they hadn't run already.
"Firing now" he radios called.
"MOVE!" he shouted, turning around away from the enemy and rushing the stairs, knowing full well what the bombardment would do at this close of range. When he turned, he made out four ODSTs near the door, two in front and two inside it, he looked through the door and could see a couple of others sprint up the stairs and no doubt take positions on the stairs to cover them come up "GET MOVING!" he added.
Seeming to take the hint from his running and turning around, they most likely knew what was coming and the two that were out quickly moved inside the northwest stairwell. He didn't so much as see the bombardment as he did feel it, the ground shook a hell of a lot stronger than it had yet, the walls in front of him got brighter as their surface reflected something very bright and the fire behind him stopped as the Covenant were no doubt eradicated from the blasts.
He made it through the doorway and dropped his weapon, turning blindly he grabbed the large door and slammed it shut, he quickly braced himself against it and grunted as a large force collided with it and he fought to keep it shut so they wouldn't get burnt by the blast "Keep going!" he ordered the others who kept still with their weapons trained on the door "regroup with the others and climb the building, we'll provide cover for the others from above" he said.
The ODSTs didn't say anything else and instead just moved, they wouldn't be able to go back out there, they lost too many to hold the line. The most they could do now was climb the building, block off the stairwells and provide covering fire for the next line of defence from the middle of the building. It would be more than them staying down there and dying in a few minutes. When he felt the pressure on the door lessen, he let go of it, bent down, grabbed his weapon and got moving.
He stepped to the side in an attempt to dodge the incoming attack but found himself propelled in that direction far more than he had intended, the force that left the hammer as it collided with the ground was enough to cause him to fly through the air and smacking into a torn down steel support beam. Jerome forced the air to remain in his lungs as his chest hit the steel and he fell to his back.
The Spartan quickly turned around and got back up on his feet, to his surprise, however, the chieftain wasn't charging him. No, it stood in the same place. It brought its hammer up and placed the head on the ground, the shaft being held calmly in its hand. What this was he had no idea but there was something about this that just seemed off, the large alien let out a series of different grunts and chuckles. It was as if it was attempting to communicate with him... No, it was mocking him.
The Spartan let his fists clench in rage at the mockery that he was being made of. That was when he noticed that his combat knife wasn't in his hand anymore, he didn't notice when he flew through the air, but it must have been knocked out. Being careful not to make any sudden moves so as to alert the Brute and cause a fight before he was ready, he started to look around for his weapon. It only took him a couple of seconds to find it, it wasn't hard, and the shine from the blade was hard to miss. Especially when it was right under the Brute's feet.
For a reason he didn't want to think about, the Brute seemed to know what he was looking at as it glanced down and saw the knife. Then the laugh came again, it reminded him of the way large gorillas would chuckle at something. However, to his complete surprise, the Brute brought its foot back and kicked the knife towards him.
For a moment it was as if all the sounds of fighting outside this floor were washed out, the only thing the Spartan could make out was the glittering of the blade against the floor. His helmeted head turned towards him as he saw the knife come to a stop at his feet, what he just witnessed was something he would need to report. Assuming he would survive this, he bent down and grabbed the knife in his right hand.
Standing up straight he took a couple of steps forward away from the rubble behind him and held the knife in a reverse grip. Seeing his stance, the Brute once again let out a low chuckle before picking his hammer back up and holding it in both hands. That was his mistake, he should have killed the Spartan when he had the chance.
Jerome ran forward, knowing that he needed to get into the Brutes in order to do some damage. The Brute let out a bellowing roar in response to him, running the next couple of metres to meet him in the middle. He swung that hammer overhead, but the Spartan had learned from his mistake and instead of stepping out of the way. Jerome moved quickly and dropped to his knees, sliding across the ground, right under the brute's legs as the hammer came down.
This time Jerome was able to miss the attack and so was quick to get to his feet and turn around just as the alien did. But the Spartan got there first, with his knife in hand and ready he made a swing for the shaft of the hammer and towards the only piece of the flesh he could make out that was unprotected by armour. The sharp blade made contact with three of the fingers that held onto the shaft.
The blade was quick to go through the flesh and he watched as the appendages were quickly cut from the hand. When he heard the Brute roar, this time he knew it was in pain instead of some battle rage. Something he was glad about, but before he could enjoy it for much longer, he felt something heavy collide with his face and when his whole body shook from the impact, he could only assume that the Brute let go of the hammer and punched him in the face, the force of which forced him into a kneeling position. Feeling a large hand grab his shoulder, no doubt to bring him up and punch him again, Jerome acted first.
As he was being pulled up, he used his legs and armour to jump in the same direction, his shoulder collided with what he assumed was the Brutes chest. The alien stumbled slightly and as Jerome found his feet, he turned and used his free hand to punch the brute's armoured head, though he doubted he would do as much damage as was just done to him. With the knife in hand, he made a stabbing motion to the alien's stomach and was thankful that his knife found a spot in between the armour plates, going into the flesh.
He pushed the blade in as deep as it would go but it didn't seem to do much, the Brute let go of the hammer and grabbed the Spartan by his shoulders lifting him up into the air and roaring right in his face, spit and saliva spreading across his visor as it did so. He then spans in place and through the Spartan through the air again and this time. He collided with what he assumed was the enemy Phantom that was still hanging precariously from the side of the building. Though he only assumed that based on the loud groaning that came from what he hit, he couldn't see it of course due to being thrown in such a way.
He slid down what he hit back to the ground and was able to keep his feet under him and get ready for all the good it did him. As soon as he brought his hands up to defend himself, the Brute was on him. Its heavy armoured fists punched him in the sides and his body. A Spartan was as tough as a human could get but even with the armour he wore, Jerome knew he was getting hurt from the onslaught, he was getting dazed too. He needed to do something, when he felt the large right hook collide with his chest, he was pushed back into the Phantom, causing the ship to shake in place and based on the rumblings he was feeling beneath his feet, it was about to drop.
The Brute grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him in place, bringing his other hand back, Jerome did his best to keep up the boxer's defence to prevent any more damage being done but he needed to think of a way out of this. He knew full well that he couldn't keep this up for longer than a couple of seconds.
"RRRRROOOOAAAAARRRR!" They roared in what he could tell was pain instead. The strong grip keeping him in place let go and he fell to his knees but knowing that the fighting was far from over, he immediately got back up and ignored the pain completely for a moment and saw the Brute waving around in place as it tried to shake something off. That was when it turned around and Jerome watched with admittedly surprised wonder as he watched an ODST hang from the brute's back with what looked like a knife that was dug into the back of its neck that he was hanging on to.
"LITTLE HELP!" he shouted as he was losing his grip, but that was fine. It was what he needed. Jerome could feel the ground under him give way and he could hear the grinding of metal and stone, the Phantom no doubt proving too much.
He watched as the ODST lost his grip and fell to the ground, the Spartan got to his feet and sprinted towards the Brute who looked down at the marine and was no doubt about to either crush his head with his boot or take a bite out of him. Not that Jerome would let that happen. Before the alien could however, Jerome reached him, he grabbed the knife still in the back of the Brute's neck causing the alien to scream again. The Spartan knelt down and slashed the back of the Brute's knee, though it was a lot deeper than a simple slash. Spinning on the spot, Jerome moved around the Brute as it fell onto its knee. Extending his foot, he kicked the Brute in the chest and the alien fell backwards by only a couple of feet. Thankfully that was all that was needed as the ground had finally used all the strength it had. Jerome quickly turned and grabbed the ODST by the shoulders and through both of them away from the damage.
The ground behind them both gave way and the ship that was until now hanging halfway from the building fell away completely. The ground along with it and from there, the Brute. The alien looked up at them from the ground and made to make its way up before the ground went and it all fell to the street below them.
Thankfully the ground under them stopped cracking and falling just before it could reach the two. Jerome suspected full well that they both knew they needed to get back to it immediately, but he couldn't help but sit still for a moment and look at the large hole in the side of the building that had been made "Are you alright?" he heard.
Turning his head slightly he looked to see the marine who was slouching in a similar position to him "Slight concussion, a few broken ribs. Still green for combat. I just need some stims" he said to the smaller man.
"Cool" he said back as he reached for his belt and Jerome watched as he pulled out a slightly damaged battle stim. A type of all-around first aid tool, used for light but painful injuries, it was a type of mix between a painkiller and adrenaline. Enough to get most back on their feet until the fighting was done.
He nodded at the ODST before taking the stim and without any prompting, flipped the cap off of one end and jammed it into his neck, just in between the armour of his chest and helmet. The effect was immediate and the Spartan found an ease to standing up and felt ready enough to jump out of the building and deal with that army himself, thankfully much like every other Spartan. He was trained enough to know the effects how most drugs and what to do when affected by them. Not moving from his spot, he calmed himself with all the discipline he could muster and took a final deep breath.
He turned around and looked at the ODST who was still sitting down and leaning against the rubble. Offering him a hand, he looked at it for a moment before taking it and letting Jerome help him to his feet "Come on, we need to get back to the roof" he said as the two were just about to turn and make their way back.
TTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDDDDD
They both stopped in their tracks at the sound, like the sky itself was being split open. They both turned in time to see the cloud's part and the sky darken as a large shape blocked out the sun. Jerome kept himself calm but he could hear the rapid breathing of the ODST as a shape far larger than any that he's seen before dripped below the clouds and into view.
The ship was just as massive as he thought it would be, though damaged as it was. It was a sight that both amazed and terrified him. What this thing was doing down here he didn't know but that didn't paint a good picture for the fleet in orbit. He hadn't heard anything about what was going on, not that he expected too either. He and the others needed to be focused on the ground and not up in space.
'Where the hell is Atlas?' he thought to himself as he watched the badly damaged Supercarrier slowly and with difficulty, steady its position and hover the behind the other enemy ships.
Unknown to all present in the field of battle, fifty miles away from the city. On the highest mountain in the nearby range, it positioned itself on the northernmost point of the valley the city was in. A large ball of fire fell from the air and crash-landed into the snowcapped peaks. Inside of that fire was the body of humanity's greatest hope against annihilation.
We shall leave it there for now, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Next story update: A New Guardian
