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Ninth Age of Reclamation, The moment of truth/In southern continent "Africa", human structure remains

      Caliph Ala 'Omnamamee glared at the torn, battle-massacred landscape around the region that once housed a proud human city. Blasphemy. How could they ever think of themselves as prowess beings with inferior structure capabilities? Adding to this statement, humans were herded and ripped apart of an evening meal for the hungry lower cadres of the forces. He jestured a smile as the ensuing carnage dropped and stained the mangled landscape.

      Seraph forces mopped up enemy fighters that managed to make their way down into the lower atmosphere, proving support to the guerilla Human forces, but the obsolete structure method they relied upon was their disadvantage. He watched in pride as three Seraph fighters chased down a Longsword fighter that crashed into a structure in a spiraling wave of smoke. Before this impact, the pulse lasers had managed to cut through the metal on it's hull, and bisect the enemy single-ship fighter, from stem to stern.

      'Omnamamee reviewed his objectives. The human space force was wiped out within minutes. 'Omnamamee led one thousand ships with upgraded weaponry into the planet, and the fleet, with minimal casualties, eradicated their force within minutes, literally. Bursting with pride, stage two commenced. Hundreds of cruisers touched down, and millions of Covenant infantry poured onto the heathen occupied landscape. The objective: to wipe out all Human settlements. The objective was nearly complete within the hour. One final objective was still being sorted out.

      A video feed popped up in his personal notepad revealing a gold armored Sangheili. He noticed the figure as 'Amomee, a loyal officer to him.

      "We've found it."

      "Good. Signal the Instrument of Retaliation to move to the point of salvation. Soon, the moment of truth will begin.

      October 12, 2552,


      It has been nearly two days since the war for Earth started. No one knows how, they, found us, no one knows why they are only focused in one spot on the planet. Our Commander in Force briefed us that there could be something underground. Under-ground, meaning something dug up under the old city of Old Mombassa. However ever since the explosion in New Mombassa, things have gone chaotic, people dying, riots starting, buildings falling, burning and getting destroyed.

      I wish they would leave, but war is hell as my father had put it like his father had and so on. My Company, well what's left of it, more like a squad, had assembled last night. We're now moving into what's left of Old Mombassa, in a double titanium armored truck with enough firepower to blow one of those Covenant tanks into a tin can.

      I don't know if we'll survive the night, the following day, or the week. But one thing is for sure, my squad, my team, my brother and sisters who have been waiting for this moment will fight. Their ready, we're all ready. We'll die to the last breath if necessary to stop them from finding whatever the hell they are here for, and to save humanity.

      My name is Mark Lieberg as friends call me Mak. I'm NCO of Gamma Company now in command of 2nd Squad. They are my fellow soldiers, and now we ride into battle as I once have dreamt in the time of darkness.


      "Check your ammo and weapons. Store an MRE or two in your pouch if you can. Grab as much clips you need too, we might be staying for a while without EVAC." The Sergeant Major stated grabbing five clips for his battle rifle and placing them in their pouches while the truck shook hitting a speed bump. The boxes in the middle of the truck were filled with weapons, ranging from a grenade to a sniper rifle. Everyone started filling their pouches with whatever they could stash and checked their rifles and gear.

      "Sergeant Lieberg, we'll reach your drop zone in three minutes. Hope your squad are built for this kind of action, because the last scout team never reported back in." the driver of the vehicle said as he watched the road careful not to drive too fast while watching for any enemy presence.

      "When we're they suppose to check in?" Mak replied looking at the small window to his right where he could see the driver.

      "Three hours ago."

      "Jesus…"

      "But don't worry! Commander Wolf has also informed me there will be a scheduled air raid at oh-four hundred."

      "Squadrons being pulled off from the fight above?"

      "Negative. The Commander radioed any remaining pilots from first Echelon after their battle above. However I think he found out ten survived their run. Lucky bastards don't you think Sergeant Major?" the driver said chuckling as he turned a corner prepared to stop near a half broken stop sign. An eerie screech was heard as the two-ton truck came to a stop.

      Yeah…lucky, "Thanks for the hospitality sir. Stay safe you hear?" the Sergeant Major ordered while his squad jumped threw the back door and ran to the nearest cover, which was a wall all smudged with black residue and bullet holes.

      "Ten-four. Hoo-rah!" the driver yelled as he gave some gas to the vehicle after the Sergeant jumped out of the truck.

      Lieberg watched the truck speed away hearing its rumbling engine vanish by the continuing sounds of firefights throughout the city. He looked around him, saw his squad, and then had a sudden feeling to look back where the truck was. The squad continued to kneel silently waiting for an order to move out, but the Sergeant Major had a weird feeling go down the back of his spleen.

      In the corner where the truck had turned driving away, an unsuspecting thing happened. A circular object began to roll the opposite way. It rolled half way and then sort of spun slowly to a stop flipping to its side. Smoke started to rise from the object and then four figures walked through the cloud of dark air.

      The Squad watched too, worried by what they saw, one spoke up, "sir? Permission to find cover?" Lieberg watched the tallest figure turn its head towards him. Its mouth opened showing the razor like jaw of the enemy.

      "Why are you asking me Private? Common sense is to run and hide so the enemy doesn't see us. Too late now don't you think?" the Squad Leader asked to his Private as he raised his Battle Rifle and let out a trio of rounds towards the four figures. The sound of screeching metal rang in Lieberg's ear while he watched one of the smaller figures tumble backwards. The taller creature quickly raised its arm and fired plasma at the group.

      The Squad then quickly ran to the other side of the wall and behind two flipped over vehicles on the main street. Lieberg ran backwards continuing to let out sustained burst of fire towards the taller figure while it too fired sustained plasma fire. Once the Sergeant Major hit the ground he looked at Corporal Greywalt and his Sniper Rifle.

      "Greywalt, I want you up that building on the second floor. Take the best shot possible at that Elite standing in the middle of the street. I want a fucking whole in its head for shooting at us okay?" Lieberg ordered as Greywalt nodded and ran up the stairs to the building on their right. Plasma continued to hit the car they were getting cover from as they waited.

      The building to the right of the squad had its window cracked and broken. The Corporal knew it was an ideal spot to shoot the target in the head so he set up his rifle and scoped the targets head into the crosshair. "Bye, bye you tall mother," the Sniper Rifle gave out a loud noise as one of its 14.5mm round penetrated the skull of the alien soldier. It gave out a loud wail while jumping off the ground and flipping over due to the force of inertia to the body.

      "Bulls Eye." The Corporal whispered to himself as he shot last two Grunts on the street who were wailing with their arms up. He mounted up and then walked downstairs hearing the compliment from his Sergeant. Lieberg smiled and then looked at Private Brown, their Communications Marine

      Brown looked at his Sergeant Major and then heard Lieberg order, "Call in for any units still in the area. Find out if they got a prepped Pelican still in one piece."

      "Roger that sir." Brown replied as he knelt down pulling out his phone calling in, "This is Gamma-Bravo calling any units still in New Mombassa to respond over," then he repeated, "This is Gamma-Bravo calling any units still in the area of New Mombassa to respond over."

      Silence took over after he ended his calling to anyone that was still in the area. Static rose over the silence, then it broke off and a reply came threw, "This is Echo-792 responding to Gamma-Bravo's hail. What might I be of assistants?"

      "Perfect," Lieberg said chuckling a bit happy for they're to be a pilot in the area still. Lieberg grabbed the microphone and then spoke, "This is Sergeant Major Lieberg of Gamma-Bravo. Is there anyone else with you and is your bird prepped for flight over?"

      Static rose again and a few seconds passed by. Then ended, "I'm sorry Sergeant Major. The bird got hit after a lucky Grunt got a chance to chuck a grenade in its wing. The thing stuck like it always would to anything and blew a pretty big hole. As for anybody else, I've got a Sergeant and a Private fixing the 'hog."

      "That's sad to hear Echo-792. Where is your location? Our supply truck got hit and we already ran into a scout group that probably called for assistants. We would really appreciate some more UNSC controlled grounds here." Lieberg replied.

      "Roger that. Our position is inside a movie hanger. Covenant hasn't gotten to us yet. Its an old place."

      "I don't know if that will help Soldier."

      "Sorry sir. Just a moment," the pilot said as static rose up. It ended as he came back, " the Sergeant says our location is in Grid Kilo-20."

      Grid Kilo-20…that's just thirty kilometers from Kilo-23 where the Master Chief vanished, Lieberg thought, "Roger that. We'll be there shortly. Gamma-Bravo out." He handed the phone back to Brown and then took off his helmet and rubbed his hand threw his hair a bit thinking.

      "Okay. They're at Grid Kilo-20. Where is that? Anywhere near where we are?" the Sergeant Major asked as Corporal Hank pulled out a map he managed to grab.

      "Sir, its two miles from here. I don't know how we'll get threw any armor if we run into them."

      "You're right, we have no idea. We'll have to go threw building to building till we get there." Lieberg put his helmet back on his head and stood up. "Lets get moving."

      Jogging across, building-to-building between debris from buildings for cover, was the most exercise the Squad have had in the past week. Smoke and fires have been seen for the past five minutes, but the number of scouts encountered since their last little battle was none so far.

      Privates Blanc and Kim have been whistling old military tunes for the last minutes and a half or so. Changing from Army, to Marines, then back to the Army seeing the Air Force integrated with the Marines.

      The city surroundings were becoming worse and worse from their drop point. Light poles would be broken in half; cars flipped over or destroyed, fires and piles of rubble everywhere. War as they knew it couldn't get any more worse then this, except…Grid Kilo-23. That Grid has been literally whipped off from the face of the planet due to the interplanetary Slipspace rupture in the city.

      Everyone and everything had died from that rupture. The Sergeant Major thinks that there were probably people still in the buildings that disappeared into the Slipspace rupture and wherever they were now, they were probably dead.

      Right now, the Squad was passing through an unlit hallway inside a motel. Wires were hanging from the walls the carpet was wet and moist. Then when they went out, they immediately dropped to the ground under the three feet pile of rubble leading towards the next building. Reason being for dropping on the ground was because of the five Elites patrolling the street.

      Two on both side while the last one in gold armor watched them. The Sergeant Major didn't like this, and he was sure they could even smell their stench, but he was going to have to pray he was wrong.

      They then started to crawl forward, hoping the Elites never heard or saw them after Lieberg signaled the Squad to continuing moving in silence. Crouching in silence isn't always easy to do, especially if there's some pretty tough, top notch, ugly Elites patrolling the area.

      Crawling halfway to the building, the whole squad stopped hearing some strange rumbling sound bounce off the walls in the city streets. The Elites looked up but the Gold one started shouting something out as the Sergeant Major peaked to take a look. Small pebbles started to shake and then move. Whatever the thing was, it was big. Around the corner something gray and battle stricken drove above the concrete. First it was a long cannon, and then a huge body appeared.

      Then, the Sergeant Major smiled.

      Flashes of light wisp pasted the alien guards and tossed their lifeless bodies aside for more wreckage. A loud, sharp blazing noise was heard for only a second as the huge vehicle launched a heavy round into a building of a runaway Covenant. The wall shattered into tiny bits of rock and flew out to the ground. The Scorpion Tank drove forward ceasing fire due to its sensor readings of registering nearly thirteen UNSC Neural Implants.

      Once the tank drove within five feet of the Sergeant Major, the cockpit of the vehicle flung open and a Green Armored Figure emerged.

Ninth Age of Reclamation, The moment of truth/In northern taiga, human planet "Earth"

      A legion of white plasma flares flared through the choked sky as the Covenant Flagship, the Instrument of Retaliation, docked roughly one hundred meters off of the northern taiga. One task in mind was for this covenant workforce. To find the Ark.

      Three Covenant Sangheili stroked through the pine choked terrain; plasma rifles in hand, instinct and will in the other. Wearing black armor, they were idolized as symbols of angry retribution of the gods. The lead Sangheili growled and sniffed strangely acidic air. They were getting closer.

      Three hundred units away, two figures met, shadows covering their scowling features. Mandibles clicked as an angry harmony strung out of each mouth in succession; laden with hate.

      "Leave nothing alive."

      The gold armored figure turned to his lesser, and with three motions, an entire fleet of Wraith mortar tanks began lobbing mortars in rapid succession, bringing death to the thousand year old forest. Explosions dotted the landscape as turrets and plasma grenades rained down onto the trees, that immediatly crashed into burning cinders. An angry flash of lightning lit up the black sky.

      The trio of deathly professional covenant soldiers advanced quickly and silently through the twisted, knarled terrain. A black shadow ahead of them parted quickly into the woods. The leader stopped, and smelt the same, strong, low PH substance drift into his smell. The made a quick gesture to the others to move faster. They were gaining on their prey. The leader tapped a knob on a handle, and a white hot triangle of energy was lit.

      Rapid footsteps in sloshy mud quickened as the Sangheili trio ran faster. The shadow darted from one side of the wall of conifers to the other. The leader tightened his grip, and made ready for the pounce.

      The shadow darted again, but in a different pattern. It made no difference to the Sangheili. The splatter of clay increased as they ran faster towards the creature.

      Abruptly, the shadow ceased darting from tree to tree. The lead Sangheili halted. With direct precision, the trio grabbed their weaponry and pointed it in flanking angles.

      The shadow moved infront of the pack, breaking the silence with a bloodcurdling roar. The group opened fire with automatic plasma. The suffocating stench of burnt flesh filled the air as the white hot bolts impacted on the creatures flesh. The leader, who waited for his opportunity, found it; and ceased it by lunging the blade into the creatures abdomen, and lashed out with a kick, breaking it's humanoid pelvis.

      The creature was silenced when the lead Sangheili arced the blade up through it's spine, and bisected it. It fell to the mud in a heap.

      "We found its weakness."

      The Platinum armored Sangheili was content when he recieved the news. "Excellent work, 'Xafomee. Bring your squad back to the ship." He turned and motioned to his first officer. "Why hasn't the forest been burned?"

      The other answered with haste: "Something alive is in that forest, sire. Something ancient. We cannot burn it down; something is protecting the trees, leaving them intact. 'Omnamamee, it's risky, but we could try pulse lasers."

      The other known as 'Omnamamee answered with a growl. "No. Bring in artillery. I want that forest completely eradicated before we search. You know the legend, 'Amomee. Those who can destroy the forest without melting the soil can reach thou ark."

      "Of course my lord. I will get scarabs down here at once. Anything else?"

      "Yes. Kill every single human on this planet. Make sure of it."

      Screams and cries killed the air as Covenant legions moved into towns of old, burning every human alive. Babies were held by cobalt Sangheili, and strangled until no more breath came out of them. Mothers were beaten. Fathers were eradicated. Families were erased. Smoke was lifted into the air full of human tissue, alight in unison with cinders, brightening up the pitch black sky.

      'Xafomee watched this horrific scene with pride. The human race. They were finally suffering for what all of the dead Unggoy had suffered for the Covenant. He watched as a pack of Kig-Yar devoured a group of men like angry pirahnas. He hated the disgusting birds, but their prowess sniping abilities made up for it. He watched in awe as a Woman's head exploded under a pink beam of compressed energy. A beam rifle bolt knifing through the air.

      The Sangheili smilied as human families were grouped together and slaughtered by the carneverous Kig-Yar. He thought one true thing during this extinction.

      The Covenant is at its fullest. Nothing can stop us now.

0339 Hours, October 12, 2552 (Military Calendar)
New Mombassa, Kenya/ Unknown Location/ Near Grid Kilo-23

      Found a Spartan, now all we need to do is get to our Objective.

      The Spartan stood up out of the cockpit. Its green reflective armor shined the sun into everyone's eyes so the Squad has to help cover the suns light with their hand over their eyes.

      "Thanks, I thought it was an enemy mortar moving positions. Guess I was wrong." Mak stated to the Spartan as the armored figure saluted his ranking officer.

      "Sir, Spartan-104 reporting unsuspectedly sir!" the crisp salute from the Spartan was nothing but a morale boost to the Squad, especially to Laser Eyes. Corporal McFarley thought about ditching the Squad once a few hours ago before arriving at the drop off point, but meeting Spartan-104 changed his motives a whole lot.

      The Sergeant Major smiled and returned the salute. He looked at the tank and the long elongated cannon then asked, " New Modification?" he pointed towards the welded part of the cannon that increased the length of the barrel.

      The half human-half machine stepped out of the tank and walked on the ground walking towards the Sergeant Major and noticing where he was pointed. The Spartan smiled and said, "Yes sir. My team's best demolitionist has some modifications to the M808B Scorpion Tank. Her plans and modification designs were more then great sir."

      Mak nodded and then added, "That's great, where is she now?"

      The Spartan hesitated at this reply, he was never used to talking about any members status and why they obtained that status. So all he could say was, "KIA sir."

      Silence was very uncomfortable right now, and even the guns fire around the city had stopped for a few seconds. The Sergeant Major looked down and then up, "I'm sorry for her loss. Im sure she did her duty. Those Covenant bastards don't know what its like to be us, so that's why we're here. To make them pay for all our loved ones and friends."

      The Spartan nodded and then said, "Sir, I was headed towards a transponder beacon I've registered into my neural link. Five Marines are apparently trapped in an intersection with a squad of Elites and other species of aliens. I wish to continue my mission to help rescue them sir."

      Mak walked around and then replied thinking, "Roger that. We'll tag along. We'll stay on your tail and once we get there engage any enemy insight. How far away are they?"

      "Nearly about a mile from here. We'll get there in a few minutes." The Spartan said turning around and going into the cockpit of the tank.

      "Roger, okay men and women. Lets get saddled, we have soldiers to save!" Mak ordered as the Squad, including himself, ran behind the Scorpion tank as it drove off into the streets filled with debris and bullet holes.

Somewhere in New Mombassa's Intersection
Situation: HOT


      "Baker, take out that Ghost speeding towards us! Quickly before it gets in range!" Sergeant Garcia yelled to the man with the double barrel rocket launcher. Plasma and Bullets fire raged for a while the past ten minutes. There was always another alien to shoot at, and if not one then ten. This worried the Sergeant much watching out for using too much ammunition.

      "Got the sucker sir!" Baker replied pulling the trigger of the Jackhammer Launcher. Two rockets streamed towards the purple tinted vehicle, which was mounted by a Blue Armored Elite. The first rocket spun missing the Ghost by a few mere inches. However that didn't matter for the second rocket spun right into the nose of the vehicle and exploded with a loud boom.

      Bits and pieces of metal scattered across the street while a column of Grunts were blown away by a series of bullets from two privates. The aliens dropped one by one and even when they were running, all it took for the privates were a few luck shots to put them down for good.

      Garcia reloaded his Battle Rifle and let out a sustained burst at a Grunt mounting up a stationary plasma turret. Luckily a shot taking off its right arm saved him and his men, but for the Grunt, another shot to the head ended its failed attempt to kill its enemy.

      After the Grunt rolled over backwards three blue energy shields emerged behind a large upside down truck. Jackals with their shields held up at a perfect protecting posture and plasma rifles in hand they marched slowly towards the group. The Sergeant smiled seeing as they were bunched up, he tapped Baker, "Grenade on three."

      The Jackals reached nearly five meters before getting blown to bits by the two grenades tossed at them. They didn't even have time to break for a run seeing as they were bird like and couldn't run worth a damn.

      Baker returned to his side and shot a Grunt running towards them with a grenade in hand already ignited and seeing as it was unprotected the Marine shot it in the leg. He watched it topple over in a roll and stare at its own grenade arming itself for the final countdown. Five seconds ticked by and the body of the disabled alien was blown apart by the fierce energy.

      On another corner of the intersection a tall gold figure walked across with a long weapon of some sort. When the Elite raised it, Corporal Mesela saw it he yelled, "Shit, Elite with a-" A loud sharp energetic noise was heard just a millisecond before the Corporals headless body dropped to the ground.

      Garcia quickly ordered, "Get down!" and right after the last man dropped to their stomach a purple energy beam cut across the sky right where Baker was last standing. They breathed quietly until the ground shook. Shit, the Sergeant thought as he saw a pebble move on the concrete. Next came a sharp noise that sounded very familiar to a M247 Machine Gun Turret.

      A roar was heard followed by a few squeaky noises and sounds of bodies dropping. Then the noise stopped. He heard a language yell across in the air, a human language.

      "Spread out and search for the Marines, their bound to be around here somewhere if that Elite was sniping at somebody!" a loud instructive voice rang into the Sergeants ears and he stood up quickly to find a Squad, a Spartan, and a Scorpion Tank.

Movie Theater Warehouse in New Mombassa


      "Thanks again for rescuing us Sergeant Major. After Mesela got hit, I didn't know if we'd be alive for any longer." Garcia said looking at Mak. Once the tank and Lieberg's squad reached the outnumbered Marines, they drove all the way to rendezvous location. The men and women got a ride from the tank and the way over to the warehouse was clean and clear of any enemy presence. The Sergeant Major also had a small chat with the Pilot and the two Marines with him before talking to Garcia.

      "Sergeant, you shouldn't be thanking me. If it weren't for this Spartan here," Mak smiled and gestured towards the tall armored figure, "we wouldn't even be having this conversation without him. And as a matter of fact he rescued us too."

      "So what's the news outside and topside?" the other Marine, Sergeant Michael, asked to the Sergeant Major glancing at the Spartan.

      "Well, I just got off the phone with Tactical Head Quarters and they said the scheduled air raid at oh-four hundred will still take place. Meaning Grid Kilo-18 threw 22 are going to be bombed." Mak said with a sigh while Corporal Greywalt pulled out a map and laid it on a crate Private Baker brought.

      The Sergeant Major took out his green highlighter and circled the grids being bombed. Everyone looked at the massive area. Strangely Sergeant Garcia thought, why would HQ be bombing nearly eight miles of nothing but rubble if the Covenant isn't focusing on this area anymore? And why would they do it so quickly when there is no strategic plan in bombing the area? This all confused the Sergeant into asking Mak, "Why do they want a Squadron to bomb nearly eight miles of worthless land? There aren't even enough Covenant left in this retched city to fill a barracks sir."

      Garcia is right, Mak thought. He looked at the map confusingly and asked himself this, why would HQ be bombing nothing but worthless land? Then the answer just suddenly popped up.

      There could be something important hidden in the city that would be vital to the Covenant. But then it could also benefit the UNSC so why again. Why would they? The Sergeant Major looked at his Squad sitting on the stack of boxed on the ground and saw a few on the tank. Damn it, he thought as he checked his watch. It was oh-three-forty-five right now. They have five minutes to get to a grid not marked for bombing, and they had to go fast.

      "We need to leave now, Spartan!" the Sergeant Major called out.

      Unknowing that the Sergeant Major calling for him, the Spartan just stood there watching the men, and women talk. He didn't pay attention to the Sergeant Major just now, and thought about where his other team was at, and where Kelly was at too. He thought of all the things that had happened in the past few days. Earth has just been attacked by the surprise attack of fifteen Covenant Capital Ships. The Prophet and the Master Chief disappeared to god knows where, and he was stuck here without communication unknowing what Linda and Will were up too.

      He just hoped they were all right.

      "Spartan?" Mak asked again as Garcia cut in.

      "Spartan, by god man do you have a name?" Garcia asked the giant figure. The Spartan focused back to reality and heard what the Sergeant was asking and pulled out his bayonet checking it for no particular reason. No, he had a reason. His name was etched into the blade three days after he had been given it by his drill instructor Sergeant Mendez.

      Sergeant Garcia stared at the knife when the Spartan finally replied, "Fred. My name is Fred."

© 2005 Cradle of Life Team (Insomnia, Mark Lieberg, Commander Demitri Wolf, Zombie)

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