Summary/disclaimer: It is time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 3800-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.
(Installation 04, 2532, March 14th.)
Halius stood in front of the combined UNSC/Imperial force. They glanced at him, both curious and eager to have a real fight.
Something about it all had been much at the end of this mission… Now? Now it was more than the soldiers of the Imperium had gotten.
Something about it all had been too much at the time. They had been too distracted with all such things when said and done.
Halius tapped his foot on the ground. He was all too focused at the end of the day, something which they thought of himself.
He had more to distract himself in the end. He had more in the end. Their work was not yet complete to them all.
As a soldier? He was much more interested in something when said and done… All too much had gone on when this war had finally decided itself… All of it would be hard to deal with for now.
Halius did not want to relax again at the end of the day. They did not at all.
It was too much now… Too much had gone into this all now… Now, it was good that he had acted the best warrior he could have been. There was so much to deal with at the end of the day, a part of him knew the war would not end there.
Something about it all had been distracting him. He had much more to try and think of what was growing on his mind.
She was all too distracted at the end of it… She was all too distracted.
She would not be able to relax for now and it was something that he could deal with now. Now and good reason.
So? Halius glanced over the waves of soldiers, brave warriors willing to die.
Something inside him told him that dozens of soldiers were going to die; they would need to die before a single victory had come.
It had quite the opposite effect… He would not let these people die. Something about it all had bothered him, a soldier like him had now gotten distracted by the fight.
He was all too focused on the next big battle. Something about it all had been over within him, he had to fight. He had to show his teeth… Or the Ultramarines would fail.
He had more left to deal with… Something within him refused to bend.
"Quite an army… Even if it will not be enough by numbers alone." Halius heard as he paused.
He knew better, knew better, and was not stupid enough to believe this… Something about it all had been too much to deal with for now.
He had more to deal with for now at the end of the day, something about it all had been too much for now, and for a good reason.
They had increased info left upon them at the end of the day.
"We should go…" Halius stated before he turned.
"Without even a speech?" Johnson asked himself for now. "We need to deal with some good old-fashioned morale," Johnson stated before he sighed.
He sighed, annoyed at this, they had a mission more to deal with for the time being.
He had more left to deal with for now… He had more to deal with for now and for a good reason to deal with for now.
He had much more to try and think of now, and it always had been too much for now at the end.
"Fine… Shall I give them a speech?" Halius stated to himself more than them.
Morale was rare where he came from… Undyingly rare. Yet? He had been able to distract himself for now and it had been too much for now and it had been much.
He had more knowledge about the fact that these people were to have to deal with death for now. They were well-trained but outmatched, brave but foolish. The enemy would kill dozens of them in combat today, the blasted Covenant.
It had been too much to distract him for now at the end of the day now… But they did need to relax once more for now. He had much more to distract.
He had more to think of now. Tactics, strategy? They all had a place at the table.
"Let me, big man." Halius heard as he snorted, annoyed and tired.
It had been too much now… Far too much at the end of the day. It had been more than he had wanted to deal with for now.
Something about it had been too much for now and for a good reason.
He had been too distracted for now and for good. He would let them do this, knowing without resolve? Even the best soldiers could not march… Fight.
He had been too much for now at the end of it all the way.
"Go ahead," Halius added before he hummed, tired, and distracted by it all when he ended this fight.
Johnson chuckled and looked at the rows of both Imperial and UNSC soldiers, marines who had fought through years of hell and had been tired of it.
"Right now? Those split-lip SOBs think they have found their holy grail! They are sitting in their little temple, laughing at us, thinking all their fancy tanks and guns make them better, stronger." Johnson chuckled as they looked around.
"We've all fought hell itself, looked down into the worse of these b*s and laughed, mocked them and their fancy tech because we are some of the biggest badasses from the human race!" Johnson roared at the top of his lungs.
The Marines roared with cheers while the other soldiers nodded at each other.
"What we must do will not be easy… All of us might not come back. But? We let those Covies win here? We are going to ALL be dead. We fight or we die now… We kick their sorry asses back to whatever hole they crawled out of!" Johnson stated before he looked at them.
"He is… Very convincing when it comes to battle speeches," Halius added with interest in such a thing.
He would continue to study the rest of the end of the day. He would continue to relax once more. They had increasingly in mind for them to deal with for now.
Halius was sure they had dozens more tasks left to do so it was clear they would need increasingly now and good enough.
"We need to move before the covenant manages to get their forces ready," Halius added before he sighed again.
"Agreed." Halius heard from Master Chief.
Something about this all served only to amuse them now…. It was fun… Too fun for them to think… Not even acting now.
It was just odd now and for a good reason… They had work left to do… It was work they needed entirely.
It was too much for now… And yet they worked out. Halius had no real clue… But continued to relax… Knowing what was occurring.
They had a strike to get through… A battle that would define them slowly but surely it had been odder now.
He had more to deal with for now as he relaxed once more… He had more upon his mind now than this… Which drove him almost crazy now.
"We move out now. When does the Covenant no longer occupy that temple? We will not be able to pierce their forces." Halius added, more to himself than anything.
He had MORE left now and for now. He had more to deal with for now and it hurt now… All too much now and good.
"WE STRIKE DOWN THE COVENANT TODAY!" Halius roared as he raised Blind Justice into the sky.
Halius watched as cries and screams filled the air, cries from soldiers willing to die if humanity would live. It was something with it all becoming too much to bear for now.
Now it was chaos within him he could not stand…. So, they would act. The Imperium and the UNSC would fight and die even. All so humanity may live.
He had more to deal with for now at the end of today and all such days now. The war would stop for no one, not even him. Halius knew the coming battles would shape this war for the ring.
He HAD more to try and think for now at the end of the day… Now? Now he was tired and unable to deal with it all properly… Something like this was chaotic.
It was all too much at the end… They would not be able to think of themselves once more at the end of it all.
Now? Now he was unable to think.
He was all too much for now… And it would be too much for NOW when they had work to do.
Their commander was also unable to distract himself. Thel knew that the enemy was busy pushing their forces away.
They knew the battle was going against them… Now? Now they only had the holy temple… Their forces were barely holding onto the ring.
(With the Covenant)
Thel knew they would come. The UNSC and their ally. They had more work left now.
He had a lot more to worry about. They would raid the control center, and kill the soldiers guarding it. The Prophets dismissed the problems but Thel knew better… He would always know better it appeared.
He had a lot more to distract himself for now at the end now… He was all too much at the end of the day.
Now and good at the end? This ended properly… And good for the time being… He had no idea what was coming and what was going on.
He was all too much tired at the end of the day… And for good reason now.
Odd to him.
"Are all soldiers deployed properly?" Thel asked, turning to look.
A nod. There was a nod from one of his officers… The covenant was used to crush humanity but within weeks and MONTHS? They had put the Covenant in a spot where even their strongest weapons seemed unlikely to tip the balance.
He was all too distracted at the end of the day…. Something about it told them a LOT more had been allowed now, and a LOT more was coming.
There was plenty of work now and good. Work had been too much distracted.
Thel knew they were planning to assault the control room. It was the only part of the ring that was strategically important and they knew whoever controlled the ring would control power across the stars.
Something within him was annoyed. The demons were clashing with his men and causing losses across the ring.
The demons had chased him across the galaxy. They knew how threatening he was as a commander but they had killed hundreds if not thousands of covenant soldiers.
Granted? They were at war… His forces seemed to be taking heavier and heavier losses at the time being. His covenant soldiers were taking heavy losses back and forth as if the Imperium and the UNSC were finally finding ground in the war with the covenant… And he knew this.
His superiors did not, they focused on controlling the holy relic, ignoring that their armies were being decimated.
They were all too much to deal WITH… Work became harder and harder to figure out… Something like this was harder and harder to figure out now.
Now? It had to end for now.
He was curious now and good. He was curious as to how this would… Go.
"We outnumber their force 10 to 1." Thel heard as he snorted.
"It will not stop them… They fight like demons; they have driven back the Covenant. This war is less certain now than the 1 year it has raged." Thel pointed out.
Not untrue… They had been in a fight PURELY for their survival… But it had not helped much at all when it came down to it now….
Something like this was too much for now. It would not help… Not well… It was enough.
The Covenant had been pushed back; their enemies stood on equal footing. Defeat here could have done something else.
Something like this all HURT now… And it was too much just to end it short and sweetly.
Something about it all had been too much… Their war was curious… These soldiers had fought like hell to take down the Covenant. Their group was interested and had much more to deal with for now.
"Send everything… And prepare for the invasion…" Thel ordered, knowing what was to occur.
They could not wait… Only pray the enemy was something else… He was not too much confident in it all.
They were losing… That much was obvious now. It would always be too much distracted.
He was too much for now… It had been too much…. The enemy was at their door and they were busy struggling, suffering at the hands of the enemy… Something about it all had been more than they wished… Would wish to have done.
It was too much for now, far too much for now, and good….
It had to end… Would end… To lose at the time was a failure, heresy at the highest order inside and out.
This all would end now… All would become nothing now… He had to deal with it all now… He was all too much now.
"Prepare everything and let us hope they do not overwhelm us… We will not have a second chance." Thel stated before he sighed to himself.
He was curious… Knowing what was occurring.
(With Halius and Blue Team)
Halius took a deep breath inside his armor. They were beginning to near the coordinates, unlike the others. They were dealing with a massive army and the Orks would come.
They did not have enough soldiers to fight the enemy off now… Something about it was just too much for now…
It would be too much…. He was all too much for now.
He was all too distracted.
"We will end up taking heavy losses," Halius stated before he sighed. "Spartans? I wish you luck in trying to get to the control room… We will carve through their forces…. We will try to cause as much damage." Halius stated before he sighed to himself.
Halius seemed to know the battle coming would test them. They were outnumbered and outgunned… The Covenant was in control of something vital and there were thousands of soldiers to deal with.
He was no Titus, nor their gene father. He was a soldier and a good one but a good soldier was a dime a dozen.
He checked his bolter, they would be killing and leaving bodies left and right… But for Halius? Attempting to back down would give them a foothold they could not ally.
Halius hummed as he felt a subtle weight upon his shoulder. He turned to see Linda with a hand on his shoulder.
"We fight them together… We make sure they do not control the ring." Linda stated before Halius hummed.
"It is not death that worries me. It is that death will not claim victory… We have a low chance of winning, the Orks will no doubt be involved as well and they will show no small measure of mercy." Halius added.
It was met by silence. People would be fighting here and dying, something about that bothered Halius knowing dozens of soldiers would be dying for the Imperium and the UNSC.
That told him they would need plenty of luck and skill.
"We go through them… Attempting to flank the Covenant will not end well. Sergeant? I will leave most of the fighting to your men while we deal with their worst soldiers… The more Covenant we slay? The less they will have for deployment…" Halius added before the viewscreen lit up.
"You are not in this fight alone… The UNSC Spirit of Fire will be standing by to support you." Halius heard as he hummed.
"I thought the bulk of forces have to engage the rest of them…" Halius stated before he sighed to himself for it coming crashing down to it.
He was curious to deal with…. Something else had become harder to deal with.
The transport hit a bump of turbulence, Halius stood, prepared for combat at the drop of a hat… Being a soldier was different to him.
He had a lot more to deal with for now at the time being as he relaxed once more… He was all too much thrown off.
Halius was curious as their craft started to land on the ground, the door opening as the rest of the soldiers prepared for combat, he knew exactly what was going on.
It was too much to deal with for him… All of it had been too much.
He had too much left to deal with for now… It was far beyond chaotic.
He had been waiting when the door opened… And they stormed out… And then he was tired, exhausted… Work began.
Halius stepped downwards, surveying the area with his bolter as the squad formed up behind him. Halius paused and noticed a pair of grunts… And the same Shade turrets from the Truth and Reconciliation.
He was silent… They had put out sentries but no guards… Something which had confused him now.
Halius drew his knife from his hip. He looked at Chief as the others spread out… If they were scouts? Halius would make sure they never reported in… It was the best option.
Halius hummed and was cut short by Master Chief shooting both in the head with his magnum.
"That… Was an option." Halius said before turning. "We draw fire… More troops are landing in the valleys ahead. We will cut through their flank and join them below." Halius ordered, knowing that their enemy would strike soon at their flank.
Halius knew the group would need to go… The covenant would know they had invaded and…
There was silence and snow upon them… The Ultramarines stood as Halius hummed to himself.
The covenant had planned for them to come here now. They were ready to fight to the death for now.
Halius would give them death, he would give them all death if they so cherished it so damn much.
It was annoying… Too annoying to update them on what was to be done… He had to be prepared for it all coming to an end now.
There was something worth dealing with for now and for a good reason.
They had work to deal with for now at the end… It was all too much for now.
It was too much for now and good… It was to be something worth saving now and for a good reason at the end of the day.
This would have to be done now.
Halius signaled for the others to move forward, he knew that the covenant would have had time to set up soldiers and positions. They were curious about it all had been too much for now.
He was too thrown off to deal with for now… He and the Spartans shared a look before he looked to the side.
"Today? Many soldiers will die… The covenant has had time to set up defenses and I saw at least 2 cruisers in the sky." Halius added as he and Master Chief brought up their rifles.
The door slowly slid open and they walked through. This place was a natural bottleneck and it seemed they could attack now.
Halius hummed, curious as he stepped inside. The other doors slowly started to slide open as Halius brought up his bolter.
He knew better as the others slowly started to prepare for combat. Halius seemed eager to fight but they had work to deal with.
He brought up his bolter as the group entered.
"Keep your men back… Come in when they get back." Halius stated before he looked.
There was movement in the room. He saw at least 2 elites… A crimson and a blue one. That meant they had soldiers here.
Halius sighed as he thought of what to do if they started a gunfight. There was a chance they got a signal out which would cause chaos as the rest of the enemy understood.
Halius held up his weapon as he turned… And then shot a jackal who was attempting to flank them… He cursed and then guessed that they would have to fight.
He knew that they had to fight… So, he would, he drew his bolter pistol and his knife and rolled from cover, decapitating a grunt, and shooting at the crimson elite who roared.
Gunfire came into play… And he slowly started to fight. The door opened and the dozen or so Cadians and marines swarmed in.
They would continue fighting… Halius flanked around. It seemed like there were… At least a dozen covenant soldiers inside the room… But the door they guarded implied there was more ahead.
"Kill them before they rally reinforcements!" Halius stated before he gunned down a pair of grunts attempting to run.
Halius brought up his rifle and prepared for combat. If they came after him? He would be ready for combat and he was bred for it sooner or later.
The elite charged at them and Halius snorted… Elites were officers yet they were stupidly recklessly. He was curious about how they made officer rank.
Halius seemed to be prepared either way as he pivoted around the elite and stabbed him, driving the blade into their side. He was amused, curious…
And it was such to deal with now and good… So, he spoke into his voxbox.
"Push through them, they will bring reinforcements," Halius ordered, confused.
He knew better, much better now than to push through the enemy. It had to end for them to live… It was something else.
Halius rolled out of cover and brought up his bolt pistol. He aimed down the sights and then put a bolt through the head of a jackal, splattering it across the floor.
Then? He turned and shot down the pair of grunts and charged the door…. The sooner they reached the valley? The sooner they would end it all now.
He had to be done for the time being as he rolled, smashing the lead elite into the door, and crushing their skull into pulp.
Author Notes
Phew. The next chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words… And will be showing the next part of the fight… I apologize as I have been busy and things have been occurring… I am almost always working on a chapter of this story every day of the week but they will not be as fast. The next chapter will show Linda and Halius fighting the Covenant while Master Chief seeks out the control room, until then? Lighting Wolf out!