Above the trees of the Chawai hill, the Crow's Nest Flight controller looked towards the sky, spotting the returning Pelican dropship. "Sorry for the tight squeeze, " he apologized to the Pelican flight crew before looking towards a controller not busy at the moment. "Tell the Commander her ace is in the hole, " the controller nodded before communicating in his radio while the other watched Kilo 023 flare to land before entering the cave. Its landing struts extended moments before landing on the hangar bay, its troop bay door opening to reveal a Spartan II, Thel 'Vadam, and Johnson, allowing them to leave.
Sitting not far from the hangar bay, three marines nearly fell over as the first nudged the second. "Hey, check it out. " he says, gesturing with his chin towards the passing group.
"No way! " the other says, his voice filled with surprise and hope. "A Spartan?! "
The third one, who was blinded by an injury. "For real?" He says looking around his mood has improved. "You better not be…"
"No man, I'm not talking about Summer. " The first marine rebutted in annoyance. "He's here! We're gonna be alright! " Unbeknownst to them, John's augmented hearing picked up their conversation, a twitch of his eyebrow hidden by his helmet as they came to a stop before Commander Keyes.
At the same time this was happening, a misplaced huntress was enjoying the culture of Earth, well those that were available to her. Currently, she was bopping her head to the beat of a 21 st century rock band whose lyrics included history. "As fast as lightning there's no time to mourn. " She sang along with the Swedish vocalist, who had an odd desire to punch his thigh, blared from speakers over the drum of machinery that decorated her room. "A glimpse into the future a tactic is born. "
On a workbench, the dismantled remains of Thorn were laid orderly on a padded cloth. She was machining a new barrel and firing mechanism to compensate for the different firing methods. Earth's firearms have a firing pin which strikes a primer, igniting the gunpowder that launches the bullet. Remantians, on the other hand, use a specific type of quartz which ignites the blaze powder to push out the bullet.
Both had their pros and cons, but at this moment she needed Thorn to be working. Which means its micro missile launcher is out, but it's a minor notch in her firepower. On top of that, she shed some of the armour plating to make it less of a cumbersome rifle, meant to be used as a bludgeon and more into a streamlined marksman rifle. The extra metal she reforged into a combat knife which has a powerful brushless electric motor fuelled by a "burrowed" power cell from a plasma pistol that powered the hardened chain saw blade which ran along the edge of the Bowie knife.
Moving her hips to the rhythm, she assembled her rifle with expert ease. The last component snapped into place as she racked the bolt to test the mechanism, savouring the smooth pull. But the moment her hand released the bolt, the power went out.
"What the hell? " she asks, looking around as she takes off her now-dead headphones. Suddenly, a screen she rarely uses turns on, and an old-looking alien sitting in some kind of hovering chair.
"You are, all of you, vermin. " It starts, and Summer's grateful that they allowed her to get the CNI implant or this thing gob-smacking would just be gibberish to her. "Cowering in the dirt, thinking what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass! " Summer's brow knitted as her anger grew.
"And not even your demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage…" It yapped on as if it would prove he was not insane. "The culmination of our journey. For your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument! "
The power returned along with the music, but Summer's mood was ruined as she folded up her headphones and packed a few extra ammo boxes in her pouch. She slipped one into the mounting where its autoloader fed a new round into the receiver. Her danger sense made the hair on the back of her head stand on end. She slipped out of the room and made her way to the hangar bay.
Using her semblance to jump to the rafters, she crouched and after attaching the precision scope, she watched as marines set up barricades and machine gun posts. "Summer? " She heard the familiar voice of Miranda Keyes sound in her ear through the combud.
"Yeah? " Was her reply as her danger sense went haywire. "GET TO COVER! " She shouts before the thick hanger door is blown off from hinges. As if ringing the doorbell, Covenant phantoms rushed in to disgorge their load. One, however, was damaged by a rocket-toting marine, blowing its main gun off before being killed by the side gunner.
"Keyes! " She shouted over the gunfire. "We need backup now! " She shouts before shouldering the Thorn and takes pot-shots at open targets, many being grunts not looking up and a few brutes whose shields are cracked.
"Understood, reinforcement inbound hold out till then. " She hears over the double tap of Thorn staggering the Brute in her sights. She quickly moved her head to the side when a beam from a beam rifle drilled a hole into the I-beam behind her. Returning to her sight, she found the Jackal trying to get a bead on her but her finger was quicker as the Thorn's round found its head a welcome home.
Scattering, she reforms on the ground, scooping up a pistol in one hand while her other hand holds a chain knife that buzzes into the flesh of a surprised grunt, spraying its cyan blood on its kin who had a hole blown through its head. "It's the Witch! " A panicked grunt shouts before the door opens and a very tall man clad in green armour with a yellow visor bursts through the door, and many grunts shit themselves.
"It's the demon! " cried another, and Summer couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she almost felt sorry for the little ones... well, almost as she accurately threw the blade into the head of a brute followed by a double tap when its shields popped. When the last Jackal went down to a bullet storm, she watched as a prepped pelican was lowered to the deck and marines were evacuated.
"Are we evacuating? " Summer asked the towering man. For some odd reason, Summer could have sworn she heard a choir of men singing in harmony when she saw her reflection in her yellow visor. She watched as the giant moved out of the door before looking towards the parked pelican; its rear ramp closed and engines spooled up, lifting it from the ground and out where a dogfight between hornets and banshees took place. All the while, a Ket-pattern battlecruiser hovered ominously above them.
With a sigh, Summer turns to leave the hangar. They walked in silence through the motor access, hearing loud banging and insectoid wings beating in the ventilation pipes as something made its way through. "Hold on. " She says as she brings up the rifle and sends a five-second burst into the vent above their heads.
"What the fuck?! " a marine shouts as he ducks at the initial burst. "Are you crazy?! "
"Nope. " She says as her theory was proven true with her pointing to the vent that at this moment decided to tear open, revealing a swarm of drones rushing a wall of lead from Summer, marines, and the green giant. With the dying screech of the last drone as it succumbs to bullet holes, they walked on, making it to the operation centre, where Sargent Johnson and some engineers were working on a very big bomb.
Summer let out a surprised whistle at the sight. "That's one large cracker. " she says, earning a chuckle from the gathered group. On the large display, Commander Keyes was sitting in a cockpit of something, though she too had a small smile on her lips. "It's a little going-away gift for the Covenant. " She says, flicking switches and checking dials out of the camera's line of sight. "We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. " She continues, while flicking switches. "Johnson, as soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer. "
"Understood. " Sergeant Avery Johnson affirms before the screen winks off, replaced by the UNSC emblem.
"Chief, Summer. " He says, getting their attention before walking towards a set of stairs. "Follow me. " They follow, with the green giant taking some more ammo for his shotgun and DMR, while Summer added a magnum to her arsenal. They then form up on a door where the Sergeant stomps out his cigar.
"Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines are trapped inside. " He says, looking them right in the eyes. "Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to prisoners. " Moving through the corridor, she crouched behind an abandoned barricade as the chief flanked right, entering the motor pool.
She rested Thorn on the opening. Looking through its scope, she zeroed in on a Brute Chieftain armed with a Gravity Hammer. One of the Brutes looked to be sniffing the air as if smelling fresh prey. "A fresh scent! " it said while looking around. "Must be close. "
The Brute Chieftain caught on and ordered, "Spread out! Track it down! " Grunts, Jackals, and Brute Minors dispersed, and before they could see Summer, she ducked behind the barricade and traded Thorn's for her magnum and chain knife. Listening to the footsteps, she counted down until a grunt appeared on her right and met with a 12 x40 mm semi-armour piercing, high explosive bullet to the face, popping it like a grape.
"I found her! " Another cried as Summer levelled its sights on it and pulled the trigger twice, one to the body and one to the head. "Ah! "
She took down another one before having to duck behind the barricade as plasma, metal spikes, and beams splashed against it. This is where the giant steps in, rattling off rounds into the Brute's shields, cracking it. Shifting his aim, he accurately put a round into the head of a shield-bearing Jackal. Pulling out a grenade, he lobs it towards a gaggle of grunts which lands between them. "Oh shit! Grena-" a grunt who noticed the grenade after it bounced from his methane tank before landing before him. He tried to get a warning out but the grenade went up before he could finish.
Popping out of cover, Summer rattled Thorn's heavier rounds into Brute before switching to the Chieftain when the minor's shield overloaded, leaving it vulnerable to the green giant's accurate fire. Weaving out from behind the barricade, she uses her semblance to rush the chieftain and just as he swung at her, the flurry of white rose petals seemed to split into two groups before reforming behind it, her knife buzzing in her hands as she fell onto the chieftain.
There was some resistance from the chainsaw blades biting into the Chieftain's shielding. Just as the shield collapsed, the chieftain grabbed hold of her before throwing her away. Tucking a rolling, she skid to a stop only to bend back when the chieftain swung its hammer aimed at taking her head. The crack of her magnum blew out its knee before rolling out of the way when the hammer came crashing down in an attempt to crush her.
Spinning around, she empties the magazine into the side for the Chieftain before ducking under again, her knife flashing across its waist, its buzzing edge cutting through the fabric and flesh, causing its blood to spill on the ground. The chieftain gurgled then roared in rage as he dropped his hammer and tried to swing for her. Summer deftly mantled the Chieftain's arm and snapped a sharp kick to its jaw followed by another before pushing off to get some distance.
Enraged, the chieftain charged with claws, primed to rend flesh from her bones. Instead, Summer sidesteps, her knife flashing into the chieftain's arm, lopping it off and followed by the blade entering its head. With a gurgle, it goes still, with Summer wrenching the blade free, she flicks the blade clean of gore and blood before sheathing it.
Swapping for Thorn, she walks up to a vent where the chief was standing. "Ladies first." She was surprised at the gravely filled tenor voice as she dropped down the vent, accidentally stomping down on a drone.
"Ew… Bug goop." Summer groaned as she shook off bug gore from her shoes. She quickly had to move out of the way as the green giant dropped, denting the metal floor and crushing the dead drone beyond recognition. Continuing through the corridor, they hear the Arbiter try to reason with some drones from behind cover.
"Half-wit insects!" He shouted as he leaned out of cover to send a few bolts of plasma towards the flying swarm.
"The Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel, or all your hives will perish!" He continues, but the Drones are persistent as they now turn their attention to her and the chief only for one to be taken down by rifle rounds while the other was just vaporized by Thorn's shell.
"Spartan, Rose." The Arbiter, Thel Verdam says in greeting. "The Brutes have taken your soldiers. As prisoners or meat for their bellies, I do not know." He briefs once Summer and the Chief Scaled down from the corridor. "In case some live, let us be careful when we shoot." He continues while drawing a second plasma rifle from his hips. They then enter the barracks just as a Marine is sent flying into a pillar and dies on impact. Rushing ahead, Summer drew her combat knife and plunged it into the neck of a brute who was holding onto a begging Marine by the neck.
It gurgles as it dies, letting go of the marine who runs for cover while two remaining Brutes were taken down by the chief and the Arbiter's fire. Moving up, they were able to rescue seven marines including a Sergeant. As they wait for the lift to come, the situation turns for the worse when they hear a report from Sergeant Johnson.
"Commander, we lost the Ops Centre. Brutes attack in force." They entered the lift feeling it rise. "We're falling back to the hanger. But don't wait for us."
"What should I do, ma'am?" An ensign by the name of Hocus asks.
"Hold position!" Was the order from Commander Keys, and Summer could swear she heard some emotion in her voice. "I'm not leaving without him." She hears as the lift opens and everyone climbs out. Making their way to the parked pelican.
"Ma'am, I've got movement. Above and below." She hears him say over the hollow sound of jet engines. Bringing Thorn to bear, she kneels before taking a shot at a flying Brute using a jump pack, scaring a few off and blowing the pack of one.
She had to scatter when spiker rounds nearly kebab her. As the marines with the Arbiter and Chief added their fire, when the last Brute went down on fire, the pelican landed with the ramp lowering. The marines and the Arbiter boarded the troop carrier as Summer and the Chief provided cover fire for Sargent Johnson and his Marines as they fell back from the ops centre.
Watching as they board. "So this is where we part ways." She says to the Chief when they received a message from the commander wanting him to rearm the bomb. She gives him a two-fingered salute before boarding the pelican. She watched as the giant left the landing pad and the ramp closed. She feels the craft take off. Taking a seat, she swapped the half-spent magazine with a fresh box magazine, getting ready for what's next.
Hello fellow readers.
Apologies for the long wait.
My laptop suffered a Nurgle plague bomb and now I'm using my cell, which is a pain to do mind you.
Anyway if there is any writers reading this, I need to know; do you plan your story or is it just a spur of the moment kind of thing?
I thank those who have left a comment and followed.