Chapter 8 - Spartana
September 16th, 2544 (08:45 Hours – Military Calendar)
Ulterin System, Miridem
Matin Province, Continent of Vitre
Provincial Capital of New Memphis, De Gaulle Starport
:********:
The attack came from every direction.
The Covenant seemed to seep out of sewer exits and buildings surrounding the Starport, as if someone had flipped a switch. Now they were forming a singularly massive maw, ready to swallow the De Gaulle whole.
It completely went over Duncan's head how they hadn't detected them. There was a chance they'd stowed away within the subterranean maintenance tunnels. For the moment, however, he was more concerned about the fact that they were actively trying to kill him and every ODST, Marine and Armored personnel now holding the line.
Garrison had sent both Alpha and Bravo Companies to the frontlines the moment the first Covenant forces were seen pressing towards the Starport. The ODSTs of Alpha's 2nd Platoon and Bravo's 1st Platoon were dispatched along the kilometer-long Western Sector. They stood alongside 500 Marines of 2nd Battalion, the combined forces of Lima and Olympic Companies, as well as a few Hogs and Tanks from the 53rd. Even so, the number of Covenant troops charging towards them were triple that, and the bulk of UNSC defensive elements were currently engaged at the other sectors.
"Give'em hell, troopers!" The Staff said over bursts of rifle fire. "Hold this position!"
Squad's Epsilon and Echo winked their acknowledgement lights as they took turns firing and ducking behind the smoldering wreckages of Wraith tanks to avoid the hail of plasma coming their way.
The dozens of Wraiths left disabled by the earlier Longsword-strike were the perfect cover. Their bulbous girths enabled UNSC forces to peek out and fire regularly at encroaching Grunts and Jackals without having to face them over open ground.
The Covenant, however, were forced to cover the 100-meter stretch of marked runway in order to reach the scores of Marines and ODSTs gunning them down by the handfuls. They were willing to face the suicidal odds anyway, especially the Elites who yelled out eloquent lines of unintelligible bravado as they charged and fired.
Several squads of Grunts and Jackals got close enough to filter through a nearby mazework of Wraith wreckages led by four very-eager Elite Minors. Very eager to die, Duncan thought. "Covies pushing up to the Northwest, 10 meters out."
Epsilon and the Marines mixed in among them quickly opened up on them. Duncan added his own MA37 to the mix. Four Grunts who'd pushed too far ahead got caught in the hailstorm while the others took cover. The survivors fired back with plasma and needler rounds.
An Elite tossed a plasma grenade into the air. The small blue ball arced towards them, landing on the hull of one of their Wraiths. It whined then detonated in a flash of cerulean gas and electrical energy that tore a solid chunk out of the wreckage.
Deaks, lying prone over the belly of another Wraith, fired his sniper at the grenade's source. The Elite reeled back from its cover as a 14.5 millimeter round punched it in the gut, bursting its energy shield. Another round passed through its snarled mouth and caused it to topple over.
The Staff came in over team freq. "Get some frags in there!"
Duncan lobbed a grenade towards the closest enemy position with everyone else doing the same. A heartbeat later came a cacophony of alien screams as successive grenade detonations sent Grunts, Jackals and Elites flying into the air.
Two surviving Jackals and an Elite charged out, firing and sprinting towards them. Duncan gave the closest Jackal a three-round burst to the foot that made it falter, lowering its shields and allowing him to pump half his magazine into its exposed chest. Its next of kin fell under a similar salvo.
The Elite forged on regardless and became the epicenter of a small solar system of bullets.
Duncan was about to join in when he spotted a trio of Grunts leaping out from behind a Wraith five meters away. One was about to throw a plasma grenade. He targeted that one and drilled ten rounds into its stomach. The alien flinched and squealed as its torso was torn apart. It fell forward with the grenade in hand which whined then exploded, sending the other two airborne. He dispensed his dry clip and slapped in a new one just as the Elite's shield dissipated. He lent his own help in causing it to almost dance to the tune of bullets ripping through armor and flesh. After two seconds of sustained fire it slumped limply to the ground.
There was a flash of light and blood spray spattered Duncan's visor. He crouched, trying to wipe it off. When he did, he saw the Marine that had been standing next to him now on his back, staring up at the morning sky with an angry red hole in his head that steamed and crackled.
"Sniper!"
The others heard him and swiftly got down.
"Ep-1 to Ep-8, which direction?"
Duncan glanced back at the fallen Marine. He looked at the hole in his forehead, saw his empty eyes and, for a moment, wondered if that was how Cosmo looked when he died.
"Ep-8, which direction?" The Staff called more hastily.
Duncan snapped out of it and took note of the entry angle of the hole in the man's head. He peeked back over the Wraith-cover to glance at the distant buildings of New Memphis. "I'm thinking those rooftops 30 degrees to our Northeast."
Behind the broken exhaust port of another Wraith, Deaks sighted through his sniper rifle's oracle scope and scanned the rooftops. "Ep-3 to 1, I'm looking at seven…no, ten Jackals on overwatch, over."
"Weapons?"
"These boys are packin' alright, Type-50 Particle Beam Rifles across the board. At least four are looking our way."
"Solid copy. Echo-5, you're on counter-sniper duty with Ep-3. Everyone else, keep your heads down and hold the line."
The rest of the platoon winked their acknowledgement lights. Echo-5 shuffled over to Deaks' side with his sniper rifle. The two marksmen nodded at each other then picked their targets. The ODSTs waited until the duo fired off two rounds each before standing back up to pick their own targets.
More Covenant were already inbound. Grunts and Jackals flooded across the Apron with their Elite Handlers. Yet they were the least of the troopers' concerns.
Deep, throaty roars resounded across the Apron. Heavy footfalls thundered over the tarmac. Wreckages of dead Wraiths were forced aside by creatures with the strength and patience of a raging bull.
Duncan spotted the pairs of blue plate-armored goliaths stampeding towards them. Standing at three and a half meters tall, they towered over the other troops that used their sheer bulk for cover. Concrete crunched beneath their feet as the long spines on their backs bristled in anticipation.
The hulking aliens were at the forefront of the Covenant advance. Around 20 pairs of the humanoid juggernauts stomped towards the line of UNSC. As showers of ballistic fire rained against their two-ton pavise shields, their hand-mounted assault cannons spewed out either a single emerald torpedo that crashed against Marine positions or used streams of plasma to bathe them in green flames.
A torpedo struck a Warthog near Duncan, swallowing up the three Marines onboard in the resulting explosion.
"Hunters!" The Staff called out. "SPANKRS, move up!"
Rico and Hector slid to an opening in the labyrinth of vehicle wreckages. Captain Ortega ordered two from Reaper Squad to join them. They each set their sights on the two Hunter pairs less than 10 meters away and fired, sending out eight rockets, two for each individual Hunter. Three detonated harmlessly against their shields. Two slammed into one's exposed midsection, causing part of the gestalt colony of orange-colored worms housed within to spill out from the fiery wound. It lurched forward but remained upright, unlike the dozen Grunts, Jackals and several Elites behind it as the last three rockets ploughed into their ranks.
The two pairs answered with streams of searing plasma that forced the ODSTs and Marines to duck back behind cover. One of the Hunters broke rank. Taking advantage of the situation, it charged towards them, bellowing a kind of muffled battle cry.
It managed to reach their lines, barreling through a roasted Warthog and breaking it in half. A fireteam of Marines and ODSTs fired into it. It grunted under the pressure but went after a Marine that had the grave misfortune of being the closest. The Hunter leapt at the man and swatted him away with its shield, sending his broken corpse sailing through the air. His two squadmates were now firing and screaming at the alien's exposed back, eliciting gouts of orange blood. The Hunter pivoted on one armored foot, wielded its shield like a club and swung it down onto the second Marine, crushing him and nearly splitting him in half. The force threw the last Marine back against the blackened remains of the Hog, winding her. She got back on her feet, firing her DMR into the slit of its helmet. The Hunter ducked its head beneath the shield and leaped again, this time impaling the soldier on two of the pointed spines adorning its back. She coughed up blood, struggling to get free as the alien stood back up, ignoring her skewered form still hanging on its back to charge after a retreating ODST. Its hive-minded focus blocked out the heavy concentration of bullets spraying over its body to pursue the trooper. It proved faster, pushed the ODST onto his stomach, raised its foot high and stamped down in an eruption of gore.
Another Marine trying to retreat turned around and fired on the creature's midsection. The Staff jumped out from cover carrying his M90 shotgun. He joined the Marine in firing buckshot into its worm-riddled torso. The hivemind amalgamation turned to them and roared in anger. It reached them in two titanic steps and swiped at them with its shield. The Staff managed to duck but slipped onto his back while the Jarhead proved too slow and was decapitated for his trouble. As the Marine's body spiraled away, the Staff pumped another shell into the chamber, fired again and again, earning one multi-vocal grunt of pain and liter of amber blood with each pull of the trigger.
The Hunter raised its foot, ready to stamp down when a sniper round splashed through its 'head', knocking it back. A follow-up 40-millimeter grenade bounced near the Staff then up into the alien's midsection before detonating. The blast pushed it further back. It fell onto its knees as slithering worms fell from its torso like living intestines.
The Staff saw his chance.
He dashed past the creature, slid behind it and fired two more bursts of buckshot into its back. The Hunter released a final cry of agony and collapsed forward.
The Staff didn't risk getting up right away, not until he was certain it was dead.
A few other Marines, probably squadmates, ran over to the fallen behemoth, not to finish it off, but to try and dislodge the wounded Marine impaled on its back. They slowly pried her body off the spines and laid her down. The Staff saw the look of pure agony frozen on her face and could tell she was already beyond saving.
Across the Western Sector, the Marines of Lima and Olympic Companies and the ODST platoons sprinkled between them were facing increasing pressure from the line of advancing Hunters. While seven had been taken out individually, enough pairs had gotten close enough to start wreaking havoc. Close quarters combat broke out as Hunters crushed UNSC forces one by one or incinerated them with plasma. They punched holes through the first line of defense for other Covenant to stream through.
Grunts discharged plasma pistols into Marines at point-blank range. Jackals withstood rifle fire with blue and red energy shields. Elites leaped over the wreckages of Wraiths and blasted any human within sight with bursts of plasma. Those armed with energy swords summarily cutdown anyone within reach.
1st and 2nd Platoons were forced to contend with the advances of three more Hunters and the various species coming behind them. It was obvious to anyone with eyes and the ability to turn their head from one side of the battlefield to the other that the outer-Western Defense was crumbling.
The order to retreat came over SATCOM. "This is Major General Horvath to all UNSC forces on the Western Approach, fall back to the second defensive line immediately! Fall back now!"
Every Marine and Orbital Drop Shock Trooper alive to hear it was keen to obey.
"You heard him people!" The Staff shouted. "Get back to the second line, let's go!"
With the closest Hunter less than 10 meters away, 1st platoon broke from their positions and ran, retreating through the maze of Wraith wrecks that were being set ablaze at their backs. They coordinated with 2nd Platoon, stopping every 20 meters to cover the retreat of the other in a tactical withdrawal. They ritualistically cut down the persistent Grunt or Jackal pursuing their sister platoon.
After a minute they came across a stretch of open tarmac, at least 100 meters to the other side. If they had been fighting in a maze of Wraith tanks before, they were about to find themselves in a forest of vehicles soon. Not only Wraiths, but Warthogs and Scorpions, both burning husks and their living counterparts formed the second and final line of defense. Scores of Marines were already desperately sprinting to the other side, some carrying wounded or lifeless comrades.
1st Platoon went first and made it safely to the other side to setup defensive positions behind several Warthogs and two active Scorpions.
They covered 2nd Platoon as they made their run for it. With only 10 meters left to go, Razor-4 was singled out and received a beam of concentrated plasma thorough the thigh.
"Ep-3!" The Staff called.
"On it!" Deaks said and got a beamline through his scope on a distant rooftop. He fired once, then twice. "Clear!"
Razor-2 picked up Razor-4 and dragged him the rest of the way, resting him behind the same Scorpion that Duncan was using for cover. He glanced over at the trooper as he was laid against one of the treads. Razor-2 sprayed a canister of biofoam into the steaming wound. Razor-4 sounded like he was holding back a few screams throughout the process. Once the muscular regenerative polymer dried, his squadmate patted him on the shoulder and dashed over to a better position.
The wounded trooper slowly turned to see Duncan who gave him a thumbs up. Razor-4 gave a tired nod in reply. He pulled out his M6 and held it close.
"Check weapons and ammo." The Staff ordered. "Make sure you have enough. If you run dry, call it out so someone can pass you a mag. This is our last chance people. We'll be fighting inside if we don't stop'em here."
Duncan winked his acknowledgement light. He had six more magazines left. He set his attention on his crosshairs and hoped it would be enough as the first Covenant forces began to appear.
At first, they oozed from the Wraith labyrinth like a leaking pipe. Then the leak turned into a rupture of hundreds of Elites, Jackals and Grunts. Led by a dozen pairs of Hunters, they sprinted across the open ground and at the last line of humans standing between them and the De Gaulle.
This time they were greeted with the devastating wrath of ten Scorpions standing guard along the line while LAAG fire from twice as many Hogs began skimming their numbers.
:********:
Lieutenant Colonel Garrison was having a hard time keeping the Southern Defensive Line in order. He found himself barking orders to his own troopers and Marines one moment, then pulling the trigger on Grunts that had waddled too close to the Hog he was using for cover the next. Mentieth was taking care of things on the opposite side of the Starport with Alpha's Company Commander. The Major General was holding the joint between the Eastern and Western Defensive Lines, but things were beginning to fall apart in the West. If even one part of the line collapsed then there was a high chance that the entire formation would fold.
As he finished off a charging Elite, he was thankful that the majority of Covenant air forces over New Memphis were already eliminated. The last thing they needed at this point were Seraph fighters doing a bombing run. However, the problem also applied in reverse. The Longswords who'd helped out earlier had been redeployed about an hour ago to assist Vice Admiral Tursk against the advancing Covenant fleet. A few well-coordinated ASGM-payload deliveries around the Starport could have easily turned the fight in their favor.
He would've given anything to have Delta and Echo Companies back groundside. That way he'd have the full weight of the 7th Battalion to bring to bare against the Covenant. But that wasn't an option anymore. After their evacuation from Miridem's Eastern Hemisphere they were mostly kept onboard their evac ships which were too preoccupied with action in the western exosphere to redeploy them.
Garrison was busy treating a Grunt wielding an overloaded plasma pistol with an overdose of hot lead when the Major General came in on his private comm-link. "This is Horvath to Garrison and Mentieth, how's the situation on your ends?"
"We're holding in the South, sir." Garrison stopped to crouch and reload before exchanging fire with a shielded Jackal. He got the better of it by shooting it in the heel, then put it down with a three-round burst to the skull. "Could use some back-up if there's any to spare."
"The situation's the same here." Mentieth said. There was an audible crack of thunder on the Colonel's end as a nearby Scorpion fired its cannon. "We're holding but reinforcements would be appreciated."
"Copy." Horvath said. "I'd spare you some if I weren't in need myself. The East is taking a beating but its holding. That said, we're already on our last legs on the West. If we're broken there, the Covenant will storm the Starport. If that happens, I'll need your sides to fall back and maintain control over the North and South Wings to try and corral the Covenant in the main atrium. We either keep them away from the refueling stations or its over for us."
"As you can imagine, my tanks won't be very useful in room to room fighting." Mentieth said.
"We'll figure it out as we go, Colonel. In the end we may not have a choice."
"What about reinforcements from the Fleet?" Garrison asked. "If everyone's rendezvousing here then can't they lend a hand?"
"They are." Horvath answered. "Tursk greenlighted a unit of special forces to be deployed to the De Gaulle to help us out."
Garrison winced. "I'm sorry sir, 'a' unit? As in one? We're going to need an entire battalion down here if we hope to stand a chance."
"I've already recalled my 5th and 7th Battalions back to New Memphis but they won't get here in time. I would've had them in place earlier if I'd known we were going to get ambushed like this. Right now, those Special Forces are all we've got. They'll be here in about 10 minutes so we have to hold fast until then."
There was another roar of cannon fire on Mentieth's comms. "I hope those special forces are enough, sir."
"I can only hope so too, Colonel." Horvath said and signed off the comms.
Garrison didn't like the idea that they were only sending in a single unit to help. What use would one be against so many?
He couldn't find any good answers to the question as pink needler rounds glanced against his position, prompting him to repay the sender.
:********:
Twin jet-streams of green plasma splashed against the Scorpion tank that Duncan was hiding behind, melting the armor and setting it ablaze. He could tell it was about to blow. As the tank thundered a reply, he ran over to Razor-4, grabbed him by the shoulders and started dragging him away.
Two follow-up torpedoes struck the main gun. The entire Scorpion erupted into a firework show of flame and metal, taking the crew out with it.
The cannon, blown free of its housing, arced through the air and descended. Duncan barely dragged Razor-4 out of the way in time as the massive weapon crashed down less than a meter from them. He brought them into an artificial alleyway formed between four dead tanks from either side. His charge fired his pistol at a Grunt and Jackal that came racing in after them. While Razor-4 put a slug through the Grunt's eye, Duncan held his rifle one-handed and shot at the Jackal's feet. The avian entity lowered its shield to compensate, catching the bullets, then quickly repositioned for a better shot.
Duncan felt his rifle click, empty. He gritted his teeth as the Jackal prepared to fire its plasma pistol when a lead-round caught it in the hand, blowing off a few fingers and sending the G-shaped weapon flying. Razor-4 had gotten one last shot in before his pistol clicked empty as well.
It became a race to see who could finish the other off first. As the Jackal rushed for its pistol, Duncan dropped his rifle and took out his own, aimed and fired, sliding two rounds clean through its throat. The Jackal gave a gargled squawk and toppled over into a fit of bloody spasms. Duncan took the opportunity to slip a fresh clip into his sidearm.
"Got any spares?" Razor-4 asked.
Duncan reached into his utility belt and handed him a clip for his M6. "Thanks."
"1st Platoon, listen up!" The Staff said over comms. "This part of the sector's falling! We're moving back with the 2nd to Terminal C to hold there, move out!"
As everyone else began their retreat, Duncan hooked an arm around Razor-4's shoulder and helped him onto his feet. With the other ODST guarding their rear, Duncan helped him limp back towards the De Gaulle.
The way ahead was divided up by a roadway that split off into two curving directions at the large decorative pool surrounding the main atrium. One road curved along the front of A, B and C Terminals on the North Wing while the other angled along D, E and F on the South.
The surviving ODSTs and Marines were all falling back. Behind them, Scorpions fell prey to green explosions and steaming Warthog wrecks flew into the air, caught in the rampage of Hunters. The Covenant were right on their tail. They overtook and isolated pockets of left behind UNSC forces who were quickly wiped out.
Duncan pushed past the dead Scorpion near the intersection. He spotted several squads of Marines heading up the inclines of either roadway. Waving hands caught his attention. He saw Nova and Zack waving to him further up the left road. He quickly winked his acknowledgement light and started over, weaving through abandoned cars along the way while Razor-4 fired behind them. They were moving slower than everyone else. Duncan knew it couldn't be helped. He wasn't about to leave a man behind.
Midway up the road there was an explosion at their backs. Three pairs of Hunters gunned their way through the vehicular wreckage in their paths, blasting them aside. Elites stormed through them en masse, running and firing with precision. Several fleeing Marines around Duncan screamed as blots of plasma punched them in their backs and threw them over. He saw the closest, a Sergeant, stop and pivot around to return fire. "I'll cover you Helljumper, get going!"
Duncan nodded and did his best to gain ground while the Marine bought him some time. After two seconds there was a ZIP-sound accompanied by a light grunt from the Sergeant. He glanced back and saw the Marine lying on his side with a pink needler round jutting from his helmet. He ducked as Elites began rushing after him and fired his M6 in reply. Razor-4 tossed back a primed frag. It bounced into the midst of two Elites only five meters behind them and burst their shields, forcing them to move for cover. A sniper round caught one in the face and tossed it back.
"Move it, Ep-8!" Deaks said.
"Copy." Duncan grabbed Razor-4 and hefted him onto his shoulders. He was about to make a run for it when a plasma grenade landed a few meters away. It whined and exploded, picking the troopers up and hurdling them onto their stomachs.
Duncan felt dizziness wash over him. He forced himself back on his feet. He saw Razor-4 struggling to get up, grabbed him by the shoulders and started pulling him along, ignoring as needler and lead tracers flashed overhead.
Another Elite leaped out from behind an incinerated car to dash towards them. Duncan fired his pistol, Razor-4 doing the same. They battered the 2-meter-tall warrior's shields but it shot its Needler in exchange. The Elite's shield succumbed to the slugs just as Duncan heard several consecutive THUCKs. He looked down right as the quartet of pink needles lodged in Razor-4's chest glowed then detonated.
The blast of pink energy knocked Duncan onto his back, winding him. He gasped for breath, feeling his pistol skid away. He looked to his left and saw Razor-4 lying next to him. The trooper was sprawled out with a large, smoldering hole ripped into his stomach.
A shadow fell over him. Duncan immediately grabbed the man's pistol from his unmoving hands and took aim. The Elite running towards him was raising its Needler just as he pulled the trigger twice, putting two through its helmet. The warrior groaned and fell forward, landing at his feet. Duncan desperately forced himself back up. He took one last look at Razor-4, then ran for it.
1st and 2nd Platoons had formed positions in front of the doors of Terminal C. Duncan sprinted the rest of the way and hid behind one of the multiple support columns upholding the overhanging veranda. Deaks was next to him, kneeling and firing his SRS-99. "Where's Razor-4?"
Duncan shook his head. The Corporal nodded in quick understanding and turned back to lance a high caliber round through the skull of an onrushing Elite.
Duncan checked his smartlink. He only had 3 more rounds left. He looked over at the Northern Wing and saw Marines trying to hold their own further down the line. He looked to the South Wing and saw something similar playing out across the way.
Hector was standing nearby, flinching at three bolts of plasma that slashed at the column he was standing behind.
"Hey, Ep-4!"
Hector shot out two rockets from his launcher at a swarm of Grunts, then turned to him once they were sent sprawling from the explosion. "Yeah!?"
"Can I borrow your rifle?"
Hector tossed over his MA37. Duncan grabbed it out of the air and made sure it was full. He would have to make all 32 rounds count. He peeked out and fired in three-round bursts at a pair of Elites making their way over to them.
The Covenant were pushing up the two roads leading to the front of the De Gaulle. A lateral rainfall of plasma was flashing past. ODSTs and Marines fired back but dwindled in number while Grunts, Jackals and Elites streamed forward.
"Ep-2 to Ep-1, how much longer?"
"Ep-1 to Ep-5 and 6, are we set?" The Staff asked.
The comm crackled to life. "Ready." Yuri said simply. "Step inside and bring friends for cookies."
"Good to go." Rico added.
The Staff barked. "Helljumpers, get inside and take your positions! Move!"
Duncan lay down covering fire for Hector who released one last rocket into a nearby Hunter's shield, forcing it back. Then they both ran with everyone else. They passed through one of the ten automatic glass doors that slid open then closed behind them.
They spread out across the wide space before the doors to hide behind rows of chairs, several overturned vending machines and the vehicular rental counters hemming the sidewalls of Terminal C's frontmost concourse.
Duncan saw the rest of Epsilon huddling behind the counters on the left side and ran over. On the way he noticed multiple clusters of abandoned bags near the doors that hadn't been there before. He put the pieces together just as he vaulted over a counter and landed next to Nova.
"Are those what I think they are?" He asked.
Nova gave a subtle nod of her head. "A little gift for our guests, yes."
The Staff spoke over comms. "Here's the plan people. We let them inside, give'em a bloody nose and cut them down before they can regroup."
Captain Ortega, stationed with the rest of 2nd platoon on the upper concourse, spoke. "Retreat up here if you have to but don't take the escalators. Use the stairwells in the maintenance rooms off to the sides. Our reinforcements will be here in five minutes so we have to hold out until then."
The ODSTs used their HUDs to wink their acknowledgement lights. The Marines gave their thumbs up or shouted determined quips.
"We got you, Cap!"
"Bloody nose and broken bones, hey AJ?"
"Copy, lets give the Hunters a 1-2 to the balls, if they've got any."
"Doubt it."
"I bet they've got more than you, Sarge."
"Shut up and get that launcher up, Briggs."
:********:
Two of the doors to Terminal C slid open.
A single Grunt peeked inside. It took one hesitant step forward, looked around and saw only the wide, empty space. It didn't notice the fifty or so rifle muzzles staring back at it from the shadows. It walked inside, leading another five Grunts into the interior with it.
Duncan watched them disperse across the room from a small space between the counter he was hiding behind and the adjacent wall. They scattered about, investigating the chairs. One worryingly moved towards a cluster of bags.
"Not yet." The Staff said in a near whisper. "Wait for more to come in."
Next came the Hunters. Two pairs lumbered through the doors, bashing them down outright. Their spines rattled as the nodes on their assault cannons glowed with green energy. They scanned the room as well as the upper concourse.
A dozen Jackals and an equal number of Elites filtered past them with weapons raised as they fanned out across the room.
"Ep-3 to Ep-1, I've got eyes on a Major, over."
Duncan saw what Deaks had spotted; an Elite in orange armor shouting orders to its blue-armored subordinates in their strange, angry-sounding language.
"Ep-1 to 3, wait till we've got more in the bag."
There was a rustling noise above Duncan. He stiffened where he sat as a shadow appeared over him. He glanced up into the dark pupils of a Grunt that had crawled onto the counter. The alien stared right back down at him, equally confused. When it reached for its pistol, Duncan beat it to the draw and put a three-round burst through its head. Blue blood sprayed out over him as it fell dead on the counter.
A commotion arose within the concourse.
"Ep-1 to 6, blow it!"
The air was filled with the whine of priming devices, then lit up. The network of Antilon Anti-personnel Mines that Rico and Yuri had planted beneath the bags went off simultaneously, igniting the floor of the lowest concourse. The terminal was filled with the death screams of the enemy.
"Guns up!"
The ODSTs rose in unison. Duncan pushed the dead Grunt out of the way and homed in on the closest target. There were few to be spoken of as the smoke gradually cleared away to reveal the extent of the mines' effectiveness. Scores of Grunts, Jackals and Elites lay unmoving with missing limbs or as nothing more than blue stains on the tiled floor. But several massive silhouettes stood in the midst of the smoke.
All four Hunters had survived and stepped out into the open. They hustled together and formed a four-sided phalanx. Hector and a Marine loosed four rockets at the ad hoc formation. They thundered uselessly off the combined strength of their shields. The Hunters in turn discharged their cannons, bathing the area in rivers of emerald conflagration. Duncan had been firing at the exposed thigh of the nearest when it rounded on him, growled and hurled plasma his way. He ducked back as the wall behind him was set ablaze. The green flames flickered near his feet. He forced himself to ignore it, instead focusing on the '00' reading on his ammo-counter.
Nova finished firing a full magazine then crouched down beside him to reload. He elbowed her and got her attention. "Got any more mags?"
"Should've packed more before the trip, Ep-8." She slapped a fresh clip into her own rifle first then reached into her utility belt and handed over four more. He slipped one into the firing chamber, placed the other three on the floor, then stood up and went to work cutting down the numbers of Covenant flooding inside.
He gave two Grunts three in the face each, popped five through the back of an unsuspecting Jackal then generously gave ten more to an Elite's forehead just as its shields succumbed to overwhelming firepower. There was a flash of sniper fire and the Major who'd managed to survive near the Hunters stumbled back at the shot. Nova pumped half a magazine into its side and it fell away in a spray of blue blood.
A comet of green plasma launched from the cannon of one Hunter, flying across the room to strike a very unlucky Marine square in the stomach. The man simply disappeared. The blast enveloped two more squadmates nearby and sent several others sailing across the concourse.
The Staff growled over comms. "Focus on those Hunters! Counter from all sides!"
The Hunters again became the center of attention. From behind a counter, Rico stood up and shot out a grenade, letting it bounce into the midst of the four Goliaths. He let go of the trigger, shouting in ecstatic Spanish as the blast caught all four in their unarmored backs.
The rearmost stumbled onto all fours. Two 14.5 millimeter rounds speared through its unprotected back simultaneously as Deaks and Echo-5 singled it out. The alien gave a throaty gasp, doubled over and collapsed.
The small victory was short-lived as one of the giants saw the body and roared, its spines bristling with anger. It charged further into the room and shot a plasma torpedo into one of the counters, reducing it to fiery waste. It barely missed Rico. The other two fired their torpedoes as well.
The floor of the lower concourse quickly became a swamp of crackling, green flames. A torpedo struck the position of a squad of Marines on the other side of a row of seats. Four literally flew apart. The last one was left lying on the floor with third degree burns. He screamed at the top of his lungs and clutched at his scorched face, accidentally pulling off patches of crumbling skin. Duncan did his best to suppress the Hunter nearest to him while another Marine shouldered the man and ran for the maintenance door leading to the upper level.
More Covenant came pouring through the doors. Duncan was eventually forced to crouch down to avoid the growing barrage slashing overhead.
"Ep-1 to Echo-1, pull back! We're taking this to the next level!"
"Copy your last!" Joels said. "It was getting too hot down here anyway."
Nova bumped Duncan on the shoulder and he nodded back, grabbed his last magazines and shuffled behind her and the rest of Epsilon. They headed into the maintenance door at the end of the row of counters. On the opposite side, Echo was doing the same.
Rico shut the door behind them and planted a motion-sensitive claymore at the hinges. They jogged up the stairwell inside, strode out onto the upper concourse and joined 2nd platoon at the railing.
The Covenant were already swarming over the lower level. A number of them made for the four escalators, the most obvious route up.
Rico waited with detonator in hand as more clambered up the steps. Then as the closest Elite came within a few meters of the top, he thumbed the switch.
Multiple fireballs erupted into full bloom, spiraling up the escalators from top to bottom like hellish serpents wrapping their coils around their newest victim. Several dozen Covenant were consumed in a flash.
Duncan saw Rico and Yuri out of the corner of his eye as they high fived each other. But looking over the rails, the numbers surging onto the lower floor made taking out the escalators seem like a moot point.
:********:
They came in waves.
Each one flowed forward then ebbed away, leaving a wake of bright blue blood after they were battered back. The ODSTs and Marines shot their last rockets and caused splashes of smoke and fire within the living tides.
The main problem came from the three Hunters left standing. They unleashed streams of plasma at the ledges to keep them from firing down on the crowds. Soon enough the entire railing was set aflame with no way to approach.
Finally, one of the maintenance room doors flew open. An Elite sprinted out, firing directly at Captain Ortega. The Captain threw himself onto his stomach, presenting a smaller target while firing his DMR. He gave it three to the head, breaking its shields until he pushed a final round through its brain. As it toppled back, he spotted Grunts coming up the steps behind it. The Captain tossed a frag into the room. Fragmentation dismembered and disemboweled the fodder creatures inside. "1-Actual to Ep-1, this concourse is compromised! Let's haul it to the last level!"
"I hear you, Captain!" The Staff said. "Everyone fall back! Fall back now!"
Epsilon and Echo covered 2nd platoon's retreat up the set of escalators first then followed close behind.
The last of the Marines were waiting on the top of the final concourse. Only eight were left. Even with the ODSTs' numbers, it still wasn't likely to be enough.
They all took a position behind the service counters leading to Starport Security Checkpoints on the other side. If necessary, they could fall back there, Duncan knew. On the other hand, if they did then the Covenant were likely to storm throughout the rest of the Starport. He quickly realized that this was their line in the sand, their last stand. They either held this position, or they died here. Maybe both.
The sound of something large breaking caught everyone's attention. The rhythmic creaking of stressed metal came to ear.
"Ep-1 to Ep-7, any update on those reinforcements?"
"They're saying they're almost here, sir."
"Tell them to double-time it. We need back-up ASAP."
"Copy."
The noise grew louder. It became obvious the closer it came that they were very heavy footsteps.
The heads of the Hunters appeared first, each slowly stalking up one of the four escalators. They marched up the steps, crushing the metal beneath their boots. Once they reached the top, they got out of the way for the rest of the Covenant forces coming behind them to storm out over the floor.
The space quickly evolved into a lightshow of plasma and needles that whined past their ballistic cousins.
Duncan heard shouting and saw two Grunts making a break for his counter, both carrying plasma grenades primed in either hand. Terrified, he shot one in the face. The moment it flipped back and its grenades hit the floor, he ducked behind his counter.
The twin detonations rattled his skull. Two more blew right after as the first Grunt accidentally took out the second. By the end of it, he found himself barely able to hear. His sight blurred. The world around him felt tilted. Still he got back up and spent his magazine into the shield of an oncoming Jackal. The last shot caught it in the wrist. It winced and its shield dropped slightly.
Nova finished it off with a three-round burst to the head. She peered over at Duncan and asked him something, although he couldn't tell what. Someone else said his name. He couldn't bring himself to focus on them. He forced his last magazine into his rifle and fired full auto over the ringing in his own ears as the enemy drew closer.
"This is Sierra 117 to surviving UNSC forces, friendlies coming in."
It was a deep, male voice. He couldn't tell how he'd heard it over everything else zipping past his helmet.
A shadow passed overhead. He looked up to see a Pelican zoom over the glass-ceiling above them, its hanger door open. Four figures jumped out midflight. They landed on the rooftop, their impact cracking the bulletproof glass.
Duncan upped his visor magnification and still had no clue who they were.
They weren't Marines, but they wore a green armor he'd never seen before. They weren't ODSTs either, although they wore visors whose golden sheen stared down at the firefight beneath them.
Three of them hooked cables onto the roof while one used their SRS-99 to shoot through a section of cracked glass, shattering it.
The other three rappelled down the cables while firing their rifles down at the gathering of Covenant.
Duncan's hearing slowly cleared up. He could hear the others shouting.
"Who're these guys!?" Hector asked over comms.
The Staff was speechless for a moment. "…Keep firing! Just keep firing!"
Duncan couldn't help wondering if these were their reinforcements.
He watched them land. They were unbelievably tall, closer to the Elites in height at around 2 meters. He didn't get much more of a look because they suddenly sprinted across the room at dizzying speeds. He was barely able to keep up as the figures strafed the area around them, gunning down anything that wasn't human. One armed with a DMR used the butt of the weapon to crack an Elite in the face, breaking its shields and causing it to cough up thick azure blood, then zipped a round clean through its forehead. While it was still falling, its killer got back to work on another.
Despite their speed they somehow moved in tandem, switching like shadows from one position to the next, always avoiding return fire while picking off one target after another. All the while their sniper smote Elite officers with bolts of lightning- fast rounds that always found their mark, like a God passing judgement from on high. One such judgement dictated that one of the Hunters should die and achieved its edict as it shot through its neck. The goliath groaned and fell back, the worms within writhing then dying slowly.
In under 30 seconds, half of the Covenant on the final concourse were reduced to piles of corpses. The other half began focusing less on the ODSTs and more on this new threat.
The troopers still didn't back down. However, the difficulty didn't come from the enemy, but these new allies.
Duncan found that every time he had an Elite or Grunt in his sights, it would already be shaking under a steady stream of fire or flipping over as the sniper nailed them from above.
He saw the last Elite succumb to a shotgun firing into its face point blanc, the alien never having seen its killer until they were right in front of it.
Only the last two Hunters were left standing. They held up their shields to block the sniper fire coming from overhead.
One of the green, armored figures hurled a frag in between them, forcing them to separate before the blast could harm them.
Two of the other figures leaped out from cover to land on the floor, both near an individual Hunter. In that brief moment, Duncan could recognize that one had a more masculine physique while the other had a more feminine build, although both seemed extremely muscular beneath the layer of black material just below their armor components. Unless he was mistaken, he thought he saw a rabbit emblem on the female's chest-plate beside a number: '087'.
The two sprinted towards the separated Hunters at speeds Duncan couldn't follow.
The female was faster and reached her target first. The Hunter saw her coming and leaped towards her, raising its shield-arm to swat her away. But as its arm arced down, the armored woman grabbed a hold of the shield itself. Once the arm swung back up from the blow, she let go, allowing the momentum to carry her into the air. She flew five meters up, summersaulted and landed on top of the alien, planting both boots squarely on either shoulder. The Hunter growled and reached up for her. Before it could, she pulled the pin on a grenade, grabbed its helmet, reeled back with the other hand then ploughed it deep into the orange flesh. She backflipped off its shoulders and landed behind it. The larger automaton turned to face her when an explosion inside decapitated it, spewing out chunks of orange gore onto the floor. It took one stumbling step forward then collapsed.
The armored male meanwhile leaped aside to evade a stream of plasma from the Hunter. He kept running without breaking stride. He got close enough for the giant to counter-charge, swinging its cannon arm. The 'man' ducked beneath the lateral blow, then just as easily pulled himself to the side in one-fluid movement to sidestep a chopping motion from the shield. He didn't flinch as the massive barrier crashed only a few centimeters away, instead bounding forward to slam an active grenade deep into its torso. The Hunter staggered back and swiped again with its shield. The man barrel-rolled out of harm's way in time for the grenade's explosion.
The detonation tore out half the worms in the behemoth's torso. It fell to a knee. As it did, its assailant ran up from behind, leaped and landed on its back to slip another grenade into its remaining flesh. He then kicked off from the creature, forcing it onto its stomach.
Another explosion spewed gouts of torn worms into the air. The Hunter's groans ebbed away, leaving the room unnervingly quiet save for the distant sounds of battle.
Duncan blinked. He blinked again. Despite how many times he did, his eyes wouldn't allow him to dispel the landscape of dead Covenant before him as some dream.
He saw the others also staring at the four armored figures. The Marines, lacking visors, had their mouths partially agape, eyes wide.
They gradually stepped out into the open. They watched their 'reinforcements' return to a walking speed that could be considered 'human'. Two of them, the female and another male, jogged up to the edge of the concourse and took up overwatch positions.
The third, the man that killed the last Hunter was talking to the sniper after she'd rappelled down to the concourse. They looked like they were talking on some private commlink. Then the sniper, with the number '058' on her chest piece, strode off to join the others.
The last armored figure turned to face the ODSTs and Marines that were slowly approaching. He began to walk towards them as well. Duncan immediately stopped in his tracks, his hair standing on end. Everyone else stopped as well.
The voice from before came in over comms. "Who's in charge here?"
Everyone turned to the Staff and Captain Ortega. Both men looked at each other then back at him. "Ugh…I'm guessing that'd be you." The Staff said. "And you'd be?"
The man looked between Ortega and the Staff for a moment. As he did, Duncan noticed the number on his left breastplate. It was three white numerals that contrasted against the rest of the green armor: '117'.
A status update appeared on Duncan's HUD. He scrutinized it. It was the symbol of the UNSC eagle with two stars over each elevated wing and two crossed anchors beneath its talons: The Navy insignia of a Master Chief Petty Officer.
Duncan instinctively stood at attention. He saw the others do the same, giving this man their full focus.
Yet Duncan caught sight of something beneath the rank designation. It was the unit designation. It was odd, he'd never heard of a 'Spartan' before. Was that what these four were? If so, he'd never heard of them, and couldn't help wondering why.
"Well…Chief, looks like we're all yours." Ortega said.
The Master Chief nodded. "Good. The rest of my teams are currently engaged around the Starport. We need to push out and secure this sector, and I want you troopers and Marines to help. Think you can keep up?"
The Staff nodded. "If what we saw just now is anything to go by then we shouldn't have a hard time at all. Lead on, Master Chief."
Spartana - Spartan