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Halo: Psychic by Stephen McMurtry
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Halo: Psychic (Chapter One)
Date: 22 January 2007, 10:47 pm
1400 Hours, November 3, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sol System, Planet Earth Western Europe, on Omaha Beachhead
Going to a basketball game with his parents…. Taking the shuttle to Martian University for his first semester…. Graduating with a Masters in bioengineering…. Marrying his wife, Ellen… Being promoted to Colonel… Killing his first Elite…
God, I am lucky. He then threw himself off the edge of the observation post, out and over the water.
Joseph had had these visions ever since he joined the UNSC. Every time his life was in danger, he received these odd flashbacks. All the happy moments in his life were brought back when he was about to lose it.
It has saved my life a ton of times. If only all the soldiers had it. Then the Covenant wouldn't be so peppy every time they tried to invade a planet
BOOM!
The watchtower crumbled under an orbital strike. The hot plasma from a Covenant space vessel incinerated his less gifted company members. The structure dissinegrated and the outpost fell on itself like a boulder crushing straws.
He clumsily prepared himself for impact with the churning ocean.
SPLASH!
The water was murky, and he could barely. Then he saw the sunlight shining down and reoriented himself. Joseph swam for the surface, struggling through the anti-submarine nets that were designed to keep Covenant out, not humans. Command thought it would be a good idea since reports of Covenant mining had gone out. A team of Spartans stopped the operatinon before it could be completed, luckily. Once he reached the surface, he tiredly swam to the beach and climbed into a bunker on the shore. He then picked up the radio and switched to FLEETCOM's frequency, hoping to get some reinforcements.
"This is Colonel Joseph Grant, UNSC I.D. Number 0124-2687-0124. We have a Covenant orbital strike at watch point B on the Atlantic Coast, British Channel!" Joseph yelled into the radio.
"What companies are in your area?" asked the man on the radio, his voice fuzzy.
Another radio joined their frequency, "Sergeant Kelsey here. Alpha, Beta, and Delta Companies are searching the rubble for survivors; so far we've only found two. The two Johnson brothers were taking a leak and weren't hit by the strike. Are there any more survivors?"
FLEETCOM radioed back, "Colonel Grant just asked the same thing. By the way, I'm Ted Charleston, senior monitor at FLEETCOM. I've sent three Pelicans and some Warthogs to your location."
"Well we're gonna need it," said Joseph, while he looked over the water to see a fleet of three approaching Phantoms, protected by a squadron of Seraph fighters.
1405 Hours, November 3, 2553 (Military Calendar)
Sol System, Planet Earth Above Earth, Covenant Capital Ship
"Forgiven Sin"
The Brute was angry.
High Command had humiliated him when they ridiculed him about the humans sending reinforcements to the beachhead. All of the base defenders should have died. Intelligence probably gave him the wrong patrol times on purpose, that way he wouldn't kill all the humans. One man had even thrown himself out of the tower.
If my troops were that smart, I wouldn't have had to worry about the operation.
Why, oh, why had he decided to command the battle from the Capital Ship? The orbital would never have missed if he had been on the gun deck to wring their filthy little necks.
If our little operation succeeds, the humans will send reinforcements to the front, while my tribe and I break through their lines and capture their research center. Intelligence said they were developing shields for all soldiers, not just those pieces of machinery they are so fond of. Not to mention I'll redeem myself in front of High Command.
The Brute was angry.
The Pelicans began to radio in, "This is Rear Admiral Petrosky here. I want all companies to take up positions in the bunkers and MG nests. I don't want any Covenant to get through."
'Pelican One is preparing for touchdown. All UNSC Marines clear the area. Pelicans Two and Three, drop your cargo and keep the Phantoms from using their guns."
Before following the orders, the Pelicans started shooting down the Seraphs. Homing missiles hit two, three fell victim to Alpha Company's M19 SSM rockets, and the remaining one exploded when hit by another Seraph.
"Roger that, Sir," said Kelsey.
Another commander signaled in, "Delta Company requesting permission to use the 'Hogs."
"Permission granted," said Petrosky.
"First Phantom has touchdown," reported Joseph, through his bunker's radio.
Now let's make sure they don't get back up.
Joseph switched his gun to armor-piercing rounds radioing the other soldiers to do the same. Their HMGs raked across the view ports and hit an engine. It exploded in a fireworks display of plasma and fuel. Unable to hold itself straight, the Phantom fell over, crushing it's fleet of Spectres and Ghosts. The debris blocked the exit hatch.
"Someone set a charge in there!" yelled Petrosky
A Warthog from Delta Company drove up and dropped some heavy charges near the Phantom. Once a safe distance away, the driver detonated the C-4.
BOOM!
The Phantom exploded, destroying everything inside. Only some wayward Grunts were spared, but Beta Company snipers quickly picked them off with their S2-AM Sniper Rifles. All the bodies had holes in their little alien cerebellums.
"Good job Colonel!" yelled Colin, one of the Johnson brothers who was in an MG nest to his right. Colin was timid, but he was a great guy to have covering you with a shotgun.
"Ya, that was one helluva shot," said Nick, the other brother who was in his bunker.
I better get a medal for that. A nice big shiny one.
"Some of our frigates in space have decided to comb this place with Archer missiles. Get rid of these Phantoms in the next five minutes. That way we can get the hell out of here," yelled the Admiral, static scrambling his voice over the radio, "All guns, concentrate your fire on the rear Phantom, let the front one land."
All of the guns opened fire on second Phantom. It quickly turned into a burning ball of plasma and rubble. It lost altitude and landed in the ocean with a splash.
The first Phantom touched down and deployed three Ghosts, a Spectre, and a squad of Elites. Soon after it was pulverized by rockets from the Pelicans.
Delta Company drove up in the Warthogs and destroyed two Ghosts before they could be manned. They pulled away for a second pass, but before they could turn around, the Spectre primed its canon and turned two of the five Warthogs into smoking frames.
"Two minutes left," said Petrosky.
Meanwhile, on the beach the UNSC Marines were having a hard time with the Elites and the remaining Ghost.
The Elites had taken cover behind a dune; where they were protected from any bullets the marines could fire. Meanwhile, the Ghost had destroyed two MG nests with its plasma cannons and was working on a third, when it set off a LOTUS antitank mine. The explosion threw the Ghost into the air and ripped it apart. The driver landed all right but was mowed down by machine gun fire.
What to do about those Elites, thought Joseph.
He ducked as a M19 SSM rocket hit the Spectre that was sneaking up on his bunker.
Thank God for that. How did I not notice that?
Colin Johnson signaled him over with a quick wave of his hand, "Okay, here's the plan. I climb the dune under Nick's cover fire and pin the Elites down with my shotgun. You circle around, throw a grenade in, and hit them with your assault rifle when they try to run."
"Gotcha," said Joseph.
Colin climbed the dune and began opening fire on the Elites with his M90 Shotgun. The pellets ripped open the ground around the Elites and they began to return fire.
"Thirty seconds," said the Admiral his voice soft now that Joseph was out of the bunker.
Joseph ran around the dune and threw a plasma grenade. The Elites ran away from the dune to escape the blast. The hot plasma killed two and another three fell victim to Colin's shotgun. Joseph raised his MA5C Assault Rifle and aimed at an Elite's head. He opened fire, the Elite's shields drained slowly, so it had time to react. It opened fire with its plasma rifle, the rounds flew, and one grazed the side of Joseph's head. He did a roll to the side to dodge the barrage of fire. When Joseph straightened himself, he aimed at the Elite's head and blew it off with a short, controlled burst. The remaining four circled around Joseph. A couple of them clicked their lower mandibles, as if indecision. Another looked up towards the bunkers, eyeing them warily, obviously spooked by the prospect of machine gun fire. But the marines wouldn't fire, at least until Joseph was under some sort of cover. Finally, one Elite decided to take control.
"Say goodbye, human," said the head Elite, charging his plasma pistol and pointing it at Joseph's head. He looked at his squad mates for support. They nodded, giving him the go ahead.
Odd, my life's not flashing before my eyes, maybe I'm really dying this time.
"Not so fast, you Covenant bastard!" yelled Kelsey, as he flew over the dune in a Mongoose. He ran over two Elites and shot their leader twice in the head with his M6C Pistol. Immediately, the remaining Elite clutched his neck were a hole had punctured it. Beta Company's snipers yelled a catcall at the swaying body. Kelsey hit the corpse in the torso and it fell over, dead. Covenant blood spurted everywhere.
"Yuchh," said Joseph, scraping the sticky blue stuff from his uniform.
"No time for that", said Kelsey, "we have one minute to get a mile away from here. Everyone else is already leaving. Hop on!"
Joseph hopped on the Mongoose, sitting uncomfortably on the back of the one-man vehicle.
"Thanks!" yelled Joseph over the roar of the Mongoose's engine.
Kelsey picked up the radio, fumbling with the receiver since the Mongoose bumped up and down.
I wish FLEETCOM had given our Division the budget for that TEAMCOM stuff.
"This is Sergeant Daniel Kelsey, UNSC I.D. Number 0124-1684-0123. Won't the Covenant be sending more troops?" asked Daniel.
"Two Phantoms and more Seraph fighters, to be exact. We have five Longswords inbound to intercept them," said Petrosky.
They were now outside the target zone, and they turned around to look at the impact of the Archer pods. The area exploded into the bright light of explosions. The Marines sheltered their eyes from the light. When they opened, their recent base was a wasteland of acrid smelling fumes. Jets of gas randomly shot up from the cracks in the ground, and the barracks burned in the distance, now a smoldering pile of ashes.
The Admiral buzzed in, "They can see this from space boys. Now let's get out of here before more Covenant show up. Hop in the Pelicans, we're meeting at the research center in Paris. I will brief you there. All of you did an excellent job today. Oh, I might be able to get us some of that TEAMCOM stuff, now that we've foiled a Covenant landing."
"We are not pleased, not at all," said the Prophet of Truth, "We gave you innumerable resources and your operation still failed."
"Yes, how can you ask for more troops when all of the troops you already asked for died on your watch! Have you no honor?" yelled the other, the Prophet of Forgiveness, not sounding too forgiving.
"But this time I will not fail," retorted the Brute, "All I need is…"
"Silence! Can you not see that you well get no more troops? Take your tribe and leave," ordered the first Prophet.
"Argor, I am truly sorry, but you must leave," said the next Prophet, "Now!"
Argor turned and walked out of the bridge, punching a Grunt on his way past, its body falling limp on the deck. One of the Hunters assigned to protect the Prophet growled, wondering if he should attack his Excellency's offender. The Prophet silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"I have no quarrel with him. Soon the Brutes will replace the Elites, we shall be thankful. Their prowess in battle is unmatched. Neither do they follow the Ways of Honor that the Elites do. It allows them to be merciless in battle, and that is one thing we shall need," the Prophet ended.
In the Pelican, Joseph heard the pilots talking about the news from the fronts all around the galaxy. Apparently, Blue Team, the elite group of Spartans, had destroyed the COE, or Centennial Orbital Elevator and taken out two Covenant ships in the process. Sadly, the station, Wayward Rest, had been destroyed in the process. Also, Captain Keyes and Master Chief had discovered a new Halo ring world. They went so far as to request a NOVA bomb. For the amount of money it took to use one of those things, you could give all of Beta Company MJOLNIR armor, not to mention the bombs were only in prototype stage.
MJOLNIR armor would be really, really cool.
One of the Pelican captains yelled for order, "We're receiving a transmission from Lord Hood on Cairo Station."
The display flickered to life, it's bluish glow casting an eerie light around the interior of the troopship. Static distorted the sound at first, but they soon got a better signal.
"This is Admiral Hood sending a fleet wide request. Blue Team has been sent on an urgent mission to the planet Onyx, any reinforcements we can afford to send would be greatly appreciated. Doctor Halsey says there is a possibility of recovering Forerunner technologies and converting them to our own means. For those of you aren't up to date on the Forerunners and recent Halo campaigns, see UNSC dispatch 04628. That is all," the hologram pulsed once and died.
The only UNSC forces close to there are at Tripoli station. I doubt they still man that place though, not with the Covenant discovering the inner colonies.
One of the Pelican pilots let out a surprised gasp and reported that all CENTCOM channels had gone offline. That could only mean one of three things: the Covenant had learned how to block their channels, FLEETCOM went into blackout to avoid detection by Covenant forces, or they had been destroyed. Either way, the prospects looked bleak.
Halo: Psychic (Chapter Two)
Date: 3 February 2007, 1:05 am
Chapter Two
0400 Hours, November 4, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sol System, Planet Earth Central America, Isthmus of Panama
Joseph's company was at the end of its rope. After eight hours of crawling through jungle brush and evading Covenant patrols, the UNSC Marines were tired, wet, and hungry. A sense of paranoia had grown within each and every soldier, forcing them twitch at random times and pull out their weapons.
Sergeant Kelsey held up his hand, the sign to stop all movement. The strike force stiffened, fearful of being discovered by the Covenant. If the alarm sounded, the forest would be crawling with battalions of Covenant, all hoping for a promotion by capturing the intruders. That meant almost certain death for the soldiers.
A pair of Brutes stumbled through the rainforest, flattening the undergrowth as they went. Charles Hudson and Jacob Lange, two of B Squad's best snipers, held up their silenced SRS99C Sniper Rifles, sighting through the scope and waiting for the signal to fire. Kelsey waited until he was sure the Brutes weren't being followed. Once sure of their position, he flicked his fingers forward. Two muffled cracks sounded through the tropical paradise. The Brutes turned around, prepared to fight and charged the marines. Two seconds later, they fell realizing they were dead. Kelsey signaled again, and a group of marines ran over and hid the bodies in the roots of a tree.
The company moved on, staying off the beaten path.
Argor grunted, a Brute's sign of impatience. He had waited the necessary ten minutes for his squad to return. His headdress swayed in the wind as he prepared to carry out his plan.
Those stupid humans think they're sneaking up on us, but I know better.
"They're trying to destroy our fuel depot. Take up positions outside the clearing and wait until they are all in before you attack," ordered Argor in his race's harsh tongue.
The assortment of Brutes, Jackals, and Elites moved off into the woods to find a good hiding spot, oblivious to the watching UNSC soldiers.
Meanwhile, the strike force ducked away from their vintage point on top of the ridge, scared of a sighting that would end their mission.
"Okay, they know we're coming," started Kelsey, "This complicates things. Each man will have to take out one or two Covenant units before we can enter the depot clearing. Beta Company will pick off any stragglers. Make a perimeter, kill, and move in."
"Sir, yes, Sir!" yelled a young marine who sheepishly lowered his voice after realizing his mistake.
The companies moved off and separated, preparing for the operation.
Joseph followed a gently flowing stream down the ridge. He jumped off a small bluff and landed softly. Up ahead were two Jackal snipers with Particle Beam Rifles. He pulled out his silenced M6C pistol and crept up slowly. Taking aim he shot one in the head without a sound and silenced the other with a knock to the head from his pistol butt. Joseph covered the bodies with ferns and waited for the signal.
His drill sergeant, giving up on the helljumper idea, had him taken to special ops. But Joseph just wasn't aware enough. He would always be killed from behind. The sergeant constantly yelled at him to turn around. TURN AROUND!
Joseph spun around, just as something thudded to the ground. An Elite lay dead on the ground, his finger reaching for the trigger on his Covenant Carbine. Joseph looked up and saw Jacob waving from the top of the ridge.
Six Brutes ran out next to the fuel depot, dragging what appeared to be an injured Brute Chieftain, and called for any remaining Covenant to reinforce them, none answered. Knowing they would get no more help, they threw plasma grenades into the trees, setting them ablaze. They formed a circle, pointing their Brute Shots at any UNSC Marines that might break cover to escape the flames.
Behind the Brutes, blocked from their view by the fuel depot, was a soldier creeping up to the tank with a charge ready. Two more brave soldiers ran out, MA5Ks, modified versions of the MA5Cs, blazing as a distraction.
One of them yelled to the rest of the company, "Get to EVAC guys, we'll handle this!"
Joseph knew what would happen, along with the rest of the battalion, so he started trudging back up to the ridge. He soon found his progress blocked by flames, though. He looked around for an escape route.
Trapped between a hammer and an anvil, great.
He saw the stream he had followed down and stepped in. He submerged himself and dragged himself along the bottom to avoid the flames. Joseph surfaced and continued to the top of the ridge, looking back to see the progress on the depot front.
The Brutes fired. Their grenades killed one marine and injured the other, though he kept on firing. Two Brutes fell beneath his courageous onslaught. By then, the marine with the charge had planted the bomb and set it for twenty seconds.
Then the explosives marine made an obscene gesture at the Covenant and screamed, "Suck this you big, hairy Brutes! How's this for messing with out planet."
The Brutes, acknowledging their predicament, ran into the forest trying to escape the explosion. Carrying their leader the entire time. The explosives marine, knowing he wouldn't have time to get away, ran over to comfort his squad mates who created the diversion. Meanwhile, the Brutes found a rock to shelter behind and threw Argor over. Just in time to save his life, but not theirs.
The remaining marines had all regrouped at the top of the ridge. They looked down to see the explosion.
BOOM!
The depot exploded, killing all the Brutes but Argor, the three marines that orchestrated the explosion, and two soldiers from Beta Company that were trapped between the depot and the forest fire.
That brought D Squad down to nine troops, B to thirteen, and A, Joseph's new company, to twelve.
The marines packed up and left for the extraction point.
Argor groaned in pain. Had the humans destroyed the depot? Were his blood brothers alive?
He tried to sit up but couldn't, it hurt too much. Two members of his tribe were scanning the forest, looking for something. He let out a yowl to attract their attention. The Brutes looked up, surprised, then joyous having found their leader. His tribe mates ran over, cursing those who had injured their leader. They gently picked him up and carried him respectfully to their Phantom, making sure not to disturb his headdress.
After two hours of fighting their way back through the tropical forests, Joseph's company wearily reached their extraction point. They hopped into the blood tray of the Pelican and took a short flight back to their temporary camp in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They had six hours of rest before they left to fight in the re-taking of the COE in Cuba. Their battalion and another battalion of helljumpers would take the Elevator to stem the flow of Covenant troops from space and allow UNSC armor to land. An invasion force of heavy armor was already there, but it would take them about a day to break through the jungle. By then the Covenant might be too well fortified.
The UNSC sure is worn thin. Earlier in the war, we would only get one mission a week. I feel like a Spartan doing all of these ops.
Joseph dozed off, dreaming of his wife in Frankfurt. He shuddered when he thought about losing the campaign in Europe.
No, we won't lose. I'd go up against a Hunter if I could guarantee her safety.
With that one glimmer of hope he drifted off to sleep.
1250 Hours, November 4, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sol System, Planet Earth Caribbean Ocean, near Cuban Coast
The Pelican was a flurry of activity. Commanding officers yelled orders to troops in preparation for the coming invasion. Bursts from the radio depleted what silence was left onboard.
Joseph looked out the cockpit window towards the island of Cuba. It was a mass of activity. Marines and armor moved around the beach as if they were chasing their own tails. MR-50 Scorpions, the UNSC's artillery units, lined the beach and lobbed shells at the Covenant installations surrounding the COE. Meanwhile, M808B Scorpion MTBs powered their way through the dense jungle. Warthogs followed in the wake of tree stumps. Squadrons of Shortswords and Longswords prepared for take-off on nearby aircraft carriers. The boats were antique, but they were cheaper and easier to deploy than an in atmosphere UNSC carrier.
Their Pelican landed and deployed all the troops but Joseph's company. It lifted off and carried them into the jungle.
The radio hummed to life, barely discernable over the steady thrumming of the engine, "Pelican One, this is A-wave. We'll pass you in a minute or two. My fighters and I will neutralize any Covenant air support. That way, you can land your company and get out. B-wave will cover your retreat. Over."
"Roger that A-wave. Pelican One is signing out," their pilot ended and turned around, "Okay boys, you know the drill. Clear the elevator's landing area so Command can get some big guns in there. There are two anti-air installations you need to get rid off. Clear out the enemies so Corporal Johnson can shimmy in and blow those things up. Any questions?"
"No, sir!" yelled the company. The excitement of the coming battle was already coursing through their veins.
The pilot chuckled and turned around. He saw the designated deployment point and touched down. The marines hopped off and waved goodbye. The Pelican lifted off and exploded. Joseph looked over and saw a Scarab battle platform charging up its laser and eyeing its new target.
The Scarab fired right into the center of the deployment area, throwing Joseph's company everywhere. Almost all of the troops were thrown against trees and had their bodies snapped in half like twigs. Joseph, the Johnson boys, Kelsey, Jacob, Charles, and five other soldiers had survived. The Scarab began to charge up its laser for the third time in less than a minute.
He looked up, praying to God for the last time and saw what appeared to be a shooting star.
The ODSTs are finally here. Just in time.
The lead drop pod came sailing through the atmosphere at incredible speeds. A tail of fire had already formed behind it. Twenty more appeared all centered around the leader. The Scarab walker stopped charging up its beam. The pilot was obviously interested in this new sight.
The lead helljumper yelled over the comm, "I hope you guys remember me. Since, I am taking out a Scarab all by myself. Oo-rah!" His HEV accelerated and crashed right into the center of the Scarab. The battle platform was forced to its knees under the extreme pressure from a pod hitting it at thirteen hundred meters per second. The ODST's drop pod exploded and killed the entire body of Covenant troops inside the Scarab. He died laughing.
The rest of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers landed and made introductions with the soldiers remaining in Sergeant Kelsey's squad.
"Hello, I'm Lieutenant Bryan Robinson. May I ask yours?" asked the lead ODST.
"Good afternoon, I'm Sergeant Kelsey. This is Joseph," he said pointing to him, "Colin and Nick are right here, and Jacob and Charles are over here." The Sergeant continued the introductions pointing everyone out.
"Well met good sirs," replied the Lieutenant smartly. He started introducing the rest of his squad.
Kelsey, growing impatient, put an end to the pleasantries and commanded the squads to move out.
He signaled for the Helljumpers to movie into a flanking position. They promptly obeyed. Kelsey then signaled for the rest of the squad to move out, cutting right up the center.
His sergeant had finally hit the nail on the head. "Vehicles," he had started, "Are the pinnacle of modern military combat. You can love them, but watch out for them. WATCH OUT!"
As loud as he could, Joseph yelled, "STOP!"
A Ghost flew by on patrol, right where the squad would've been if they hadn't stopped. The driver noticed the noise and started to turn around for a second pass. Jacob stood up and dropped the driver like a fly. Two Elites, who had seen the dead Covenant driver, ran over to their position, sniffing the air like bloodhounds. Some shots rang out through the forest as the flanking ODSTs issued kills to the unlucky recipients.
Sergeant Kelsey motioned the squad to move forward into the complex. The ODSTs ran over and hinted at a warehouse in the center of the area. The combined squads took out troops left and right to make it to the destination. Once the soldiers were in the warehouse, the sergeant began to lie out the plan.
Nick was instructing another soldier in the art of blowing stuff to smithereens. Two mixed forces of Helljumpers and Marines would head towards the anti-air installations, each with an explosives man. The brass, or as much brass as lieutenant and sergeant were, would stay in the warehouse and monitor the Covenant battlenets for signs of commotion, in which case they would order their appropriate squads to just blow up everything they could as a distraction and then focus on the AA.
Joseph was put in an observation position so he could radio the commanders the information of the battle.
Both of the squads moved out to their respective installations, encountering little resistance as they went.
Argor turned and yelled at his battalion, just as a bullet whizzed where his head was only moments ago, "Fall back! There are too many of the humans. We will hold the elevator itself. To me, my fellow Covenant!"
His soldiers joined him, and they began their retreat. Argor swore as an artillery shell decimated his force of loyal Elites.
Stupid Schism. The Elites were some of the most competent soldiers, except for Brutes of course.
The remaining Grunts and Jackals scattered but stayed on their objective, running as if the Prophets had abandoned verbal abuse and started to whip them like the dogs they were. They were almost there, but two explosions shattered his troop's advance, they stood there, dumbfounded as their AA guns smoldered like smores in a campfire.
"Keep running," demanded Argor. The squad continued on seeking revenge.
"Okay, good job men. The relief force will be here soon, so let's pack up and move out," ended Kelsey. He was relieved that the operation was finally over.
Movement near the door made the squad look up. Argor and his soldiers were there, and they were wondering, in a pissed off kind of way, what a group of humans was doing in their warehouse. Argor stood tall and majestic, like a king envying over his lands. The Brute motioned and the entire Covenant force charged like an angry sea upon the bluffs of New Mombassa. That's when the relief force came.
"Send 'em to hell, boys!" yelled the Admiral, hanging from the drop bay of the Pelican. He was dressed in a combat suit, and he looked pretty healthy as far as the admiralty goes.
The battalions charged, the Scorpions fired, and the Warthogs drove.
Oh, what a relief force it was.
The ensuing battle, or slaughter more like it, was a testament to why the Covenant would never vanquish humanity's light. It was a swan song about why Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, and Dwight D. Eisenhower had down what they did. It was because humanity was here by some divine providence, and they believed in what they had accomplished was right and just. Humans could not be moved. Not by plagues and sickness, nor by war and peace, not even by terrorism and bad government. Humans suffered through the worst of times and the best of times, but they powered on. Their Creator, to do this right now, endowed them with all of the strength they needed.
Oh, What a relief force it was.
Joseph waved goodbye to his wife and child. His leave was finally over, and he was excited to get back to his friends and comrades. The taxi pulled up and he stepped in and drove off.
"Oh, by the way," started the military driver, "the Admiral has asked to see you for a special meeting. Apparently, your joint action Robinson and Kelsey has caused quite stir in Command. Because there are some Covenant to kill, you'll be re-deployed on numerous ops and countless missions, but who cares, you're the best. Welcome aboard." The Admiral turned around and shook his hand. "Captain."
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