Sidewinder: Arrival
Posted By: Flying Battle Man<Halo_Chronicals@yahoo.com>
Date: 17 May 2004, 3:58 AM
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The frigate slid through the blackness of space. As the ship rotated, the planet Echo 2 came into view. Through the viewport, Marine Sgt. Mike Denie tried to spot the canyon where he and the others men of the 203rd Marine Battalion were to be stationed.
"Drop in fifteen!" A voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "All troops to Pelicans!"
"Lock and load, men." Denie called. The clattering of Ballistic Armor filled the halls as the men of the 203rd shuffled down to the hanger bays. As the last man stepped aboard Pelican Bravo 329, Denie hit the switch to seal the rear hatch. Bravo 329 blasted out from the frigate and cruised through the atmosphere.
"There goes our welcoming party!" A marine muttered as he looked out a window.
Zipping past like flaming meteors, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers shot past the Pelicans in thier single man Exo-Atmospheric entry vehicles.
The troopers jerked upward as the parachutes deployed. Denie watched them touch down, then watched them race into a Covenant made facility. A strobe of muzzle flash, and three blue plasma bolts whipping out the door informed the Marines that the dwelling was occupied. Snow dusted over the Pelicans armor as the huge craft settled onto it's landing gear outside the emplacement. A shot from an assualt rifle severed the grunts windpipe and the little alien fell face first out of the Shade he'd been manning. The men of the 203rd marched into the Covie fortress. Standing almost six and a half feet, the tallest of the ODSTs jogged up to Denie and slung his MA7B Battle Rifle. In the small HUD squard hanging from Sgt. Denies helmet showed the ODST to be a Sergeant as well and the men walked into the fort. An ODST was propped up against a wall, blood flowing from an Plasma burn. The ODST moaned as a medic pressed the burn, then sighed as the pain-killing pad took effect. The medic stood, nodded to Denies guide and jogged away.
"We took the facility without much of a fight." The grating voice came through the ODSTs helmet filters and the man unsealed his helmet. "Nothing can stop an ODST."
The ODST couldn't have been more than twenty years old. Sandy brown hair was cropped short to UNSC regs, and the stubble of a beard was dusting over his face.
A Tactical Coodinator ran up and guided the two men to an obvious observation post. The men could see two glinting figures in the distance. The soldiers were to far to see clearly, so the ODST unslung his MA7B and peered through the 2X scope.
"Two Jackals standing." He said quietly. "I can see an Elites arm but his back is to the rock and it's giving him cover." He lowered the rifle and leaned over the safety wall.
"Conners." He hissed. "Conners!" Another ODST, one armed with an S2 AM sniper rifle, stepped out of a group of ODSTs and called, "Yeah, sarge?"
"Get your sorry ass up here!"
"Yes, sir!"
The clattering of the man climbing the ladder filled the post and the barrel of the S2 poked above the hole.
The ODST strode over to the young sergeant.
"Three shit bags at twelve o'clock. Can you hit 'em?"
The ODST sniper rested the S2 barrel on the safety wall and peered into the scope. "Consider 'em gone."
Denie fumbled with his equipment belt and pulled free a 2X teloscopic pistol.
The M6D shuddered as a chill ran through Denie, then steadied on the area where the Covenant Guards sat and stood.
Four shots rang out in quick succession. The Sniper dropped the clip and slammed a new Mag home.
Denie wondered at the use of four shots for three targets, PLUS a reload, when the gold armored elite rolled out from the snow whitened rock formation and fired. Purple needles lanced out at the sniper.
The ODST ducked and twenty needles impacted the safty wall, bounced free, or impaled the wall, and exploded.
Denie spun back in time to see the Elite dive for one of the Plasma pistols the Jackals had dropped.
Denie glanced over the the sniper, wondering why 14.5mm rounds weren't shredding the Elite, and saw the man nursing a freely flowing gash cut into his arm.
The M6D kicked and a 12.7mm round leapt from the shell, ran down the barrel, whizzed free of the gun, and hit the Elite in the temple.
The alien, who had been in the process of leaping back toward cover, suddenly jerked and slammed full force, face first, into a rock. The Elite slid down the boulder, l-eaving purple gore in a long streak down it's face. The pistol barrel dropped quickly and Denie loosened his elbows.
"What the hell was that?" Denie muttered to himself more than anything else.
"His shield generator." The ODST sniper coughed. "I hit his generator, you finished the job. Nice shot by the way."
"Thanks, I think."
Denie wandered to the ladder and slid down. He needed sleep, and if they had beds here, he was sure as hell gonna find 'em.
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