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Teridan, Part III : Command and Control
Posted By: Duckfoot<duckfoot_2@hotmail.com>
Date: 14 September 2005, 9:34 pm
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19/7
2305h
Jennings, Corporal.
Well, we made it out of there. Some of us, at least. We managed to get to the exit, and escape into the labyrinth of tunnels in the planet. All the radioactive material had been removed, so it was safe to traverse the system unprotected. We lost a few privates in the last run for it – some Drones caught up with us. I carried the Ensign on his stretcher with Sergeant Dougherty. He was in a bad way. Hit by a charged plasma bolt in the chest. Past third degree burns on most of his body – most of his intestines blown away too. We reached the safe point, and put him down. Medics ran over immediately, and began to treat him. We could see they thought the worst from their faces.
I crouched over him, and he opened his eyes, his pupils focussing lazily on me, and then rolling around. I told him to hang on, that he would be alright, but he simply smiled in response. I shook him, but he refused to move. A medic moved over, and put two fingers on his neck. He grimaced, and announced his time of death. Silence washed over the cavern. Every single man in the area snapped to attention. Facing the body, they flung up a salute, and then took off their helmets as a sign of respect.
23/7
0744h
Jennings, Corporal
Orders had filtered down the chain of command. Due to the lack of an AI, even with the carelessness of the covenant battlenet, it had taken several days for higher command to find out what had happened to the covenant. Apparently, we had killed two hunters, and about five dropships worth of lower ranking troops. Not bad for a platoon or so of ours. However, the brass decided that we couldn't take that many casualties, not with our numbers. They gave a staff sergeant a battlefield commission, a bad decision in my opinion. Naïve and ignorant, he was prone to becoming uncontrollable in combat, the adrenalin causing him to send troops into suicidal positions. Ah well. Not my place to intervene. Just as long as he doesn't send me into my death, I'm happy.
We were to send a commando force into what appeared to be the covenant command and control centre. Just over half a click long and around a hundred or so yards across, it was strangely lightly defended for a critical centre – what we would say was a "platoon" of covenant troops – around thirty or so assorted troops, a couple of plasma guns, no heavy artillery like wraiths or hunters. That's what they said in the brief, anyway. We had a tunnel leading close to the centre, and it looked like a short sprint to one of the many doors dotting its perimeter. Get in, blow shit up, and get out. That was the plan. Once we had used all our charges and explosives, extraction would be by warthog.
Eight of us were chosen for the honour, including yours truly, kitted up, and sent along to walk into the wall of fire that was the covenant.
23/7
1723h
Jennings, Corporal
"Five…Four…"
We were in the tunnel. The hole in the dry, freezing cold earth broke away from your fingers, so no equipment was needed. I checked my rifle one last time, and flicked the catch away from safety, and made sure there was a bullet in the chamber.
"Three…two…"
I clutched at my medallion – my lucky charm. Raised it up to my lips, and gave it a soft kiss. Reminds me of my wife. She gave it to me before she left for Reach on administrational duty, and I left for basic. I got her death letter about two weeks ago.
"One…GO!"
We sprang up from our hole, and four of us ran for the door, the rest of us covering. The Sergeant at the front signalled, and I led my fireteam towards the door. Private Higson grabbed his affectionately named 'hackpack' from his side, and clamped it to the door. It made a few bleeping sounds, and glowed a bright green. He removed it, and the door opened silently. We entered the door in single file and took up a position inside. Staring inside, we could not believe what we saw.
There was not a maze of corridors, as we had anticipated. A single room encompassed the entire structure, completely devoid of any other detail, only in the centre lay what looked like a deep, smoothly bored hole in the floor. Wide enough to accept a hunter, the hole in the floor was deep enough for us not to be able to see to the bottom. Before we could do anything more, we heard a hair-prickling laugh from behind us. We turned around to see…nothing. Empty space.
All of a sudden, an energy blade sparked up in front of us. And another. And another. Soon, we were surrounded by glowing energy swords. An Elite decloaked, its active camouflage flickering and disappearing. Its armour was different. Older, more ceremonial armour appeared to be worn by this Elite. It raised its head, moving its mandibles in what must be imagined to be an Elite grin. It chuckled again, and raised its sword, ready to strike.
We were too petrified to move. I could count at least a dozen glowing swords, the remaining elites choosing to keep their camouflage activated. However, as the front Elite raised his sword, as one, we opened fire. Rifles clattered, and the brass cartridges spun to the floor. Moving quickly into a semi-circle, we fired into the crowd, bullets clearly making impacts on the cloaked Elites shields. Another corporal tossed a captured plasma grenade onto a flashing sword, sticking comically in the air for a moment, before it detonated, sending small alien pieces flying around the room. Another Elite fell from the barrage fired, but it was too late. All too soon, our magazines ran dry, and the hammer clacked onto the empty chamber. One by one we pulled out our pistols, and emptied them into a nearby sword. However, the pistols also ran dry. It was too late. The Elites finally caught up with us, hacking and slashing through the front few marines. The Sergeant screamed as one Elite sheared his arm off, but was silenced when another beheaded him. The marine next to him landed a punch on the lead elites face, but its shields flared, and the Elite quickly responded with a punch in kind, which crumpled his face in. A private jumped in front of me, wielding a ceremonial knife. He stabbed it into the nearest Elites ribcage, its shields flaring under the impact. The knife penetrated the shield, and sunk deep into the Elite, the alien roaring its anguish. Another Elite stepped in, and quickly slashed the marine down. Only me and the other corporal were left. Alone.
I glanced to my side. The Corporal nodded, knowing what I was thinking. Every muscle in my body tensed, knowing what I had to do. No less than four Elite bodies littered the floor, each one with the energy sword still flickering and sparking on the floor. The remaining Elites closed in slowly, eager to finish us off, but still savouring our death. Eyeing the lead Elite, I squared up to him, his eyes meeting mine. The tension was palpable. As the Elite raised his sword to strike again, I dodged left. With an anguished roar, he slashed at the space in which I had occupied milliseconds beforehand. I rolled to the right, his sword again missing. Now I was close. I reached out my right hand, and felt the remains of an Elite clutching his sword. I yanked it out, and held it in my hand. The Elite struck, and I blocked it, the swords crackling as they touched. He swiped again, and I parried the blow, my sword causing his shields to go crazy, static sparking across the floor. I took a second to look around the room. The other corporal was in bits on the floor, a dead Elite next to him. The other Elites, their active camo disabled now, crowded round in a circle, watching the battle. Recovering from the blow, the lead Elite slashed vertically. I managed to block it, but I felt the heat against my face. I then spun round, delivering a crashing blow to the Elites midriff. It screamed in agony as the sword cut through its shields. Falling to its knees, It began to moan. I stood and stared for a moment, in awe that I had hit the beast. Realizing where I was, I pulled the blade back up, and stood ready. The remaining Elites simply stood there and watched me. As one, they raised their own blades in salute, and brought them down in a diagonal slashing motion. Again following each other, they engaged their active camo and disabled their energy swords, rendering them invisible once again. I looked down at the first Elite, but he was also gone. Just…disappeared.
I sank down onto the floor, and waited for the Warthogs to arrive and pick me up.
To be continued…
postscript: extra surprise for you next time :)
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