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Closing with the Enemy Chapter 5 Night Approaches
Posted By: monitor101<wasup1989@hotmail.com>
Date: 2 December 2003, 1:14 AM
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(Firebase Echo HQ, planet Jericho II, grid fifteen by twenty five, sector four, three miles north of Firebase Delta, 1120 hours AM, year 2552, Major Lance)
Lance dropped his MA5B and yanked his M6D out of its holster. He didn't bother to zoom in with its scope. Sixty feet ahead of him the Covenant poured out of the gap and fell into the trenches. The first few Grunts who led the charge were struggling to get out of the ten foot deep crater left over from the grenades, when a volley of assault rifle fire poured upon them.
Lance quickly finished off his pistol ammo then reloaded his MA5B. He drew it and opened up on the helpless aliens who were struggling to get out of the crater. Several grenades were lobbed and exploded sending Grunts into the air and shrapnel flying into the Covenant ranks. The Elite that had all the plasma grenades left a 10 foot deep crater and even more Grunts fell into the crater and were struggling to get out. Jackhammer crews launched multiple rockets at the enemy who was trying get out of the crater. Ten minutes later a sea of dead bodies, human and Covenant alike scattered the front of Echo base.
"Good work Major we showed 'em!" Herrick said as he reloaded his modified MA5B.
"Yah," Lance whispered. He stood up and picked up his M6D. Through his thermal vision he could see that the other Covenant forces were falling back and were signaling for Dropships to land at least 600 yards from the base. An occasional plasma orb would whine past and in response the loud reports of S2 AM sniper rifles would be heard. On Lances left the Paratroopers and Marine regulars were sitting on the mound of gravel after a heavy attack by the Covenant. The soldiers on the right were all sitting against the fence either smoking or recovering from the traumatizing effects of heavy combat.
(Colonel Hood)
"Dammit we can't afford another attack like that again. Get those Longswords airborne and on bombing runs ASAP," Hood shot.
"Yes sir," Harold responded and jumped to his tasks.
"Sir Major Lance is on the line," Harold said.
"Pipe it onto the overhead speakers," Hood said.
A hiss of static filled the control room and Lance's voice filled it. "Sir the enemy attacked heavily that time."
"Yes I know but we're going to have to deal with it Major. Now I know your men have been through a lot but we have to wait it out," Hood replied.
"Yah sir are the Longswords in the air?"
"Yes as a matter of fact they are on bombing runs so we don't have a repeat of that. How you boys doing, fine I hope."
"Yah we're okay down here, holding our own."
"Good keep it up Major and keep us posted."
"Yes sir we will, Lance out," Lance's voice disappeared and static hissed through the speakers.
"Harold we're not going to see shit through this fog. Activate the thermal vision," Hood said.
"Yes sir," Harold flipped a set of switches and the room's incandescent lights flickered and faded. A bank of thermal vision lights flickered on giving the room an eerie red glow. The view through the windows showed he world of heat.
Hood walked up to the front window and peered down at the front of the base. Several fires from the plasma blast had the largest and most distinct signatures but the red blobs of humans were walking around the front of the base. In the field several scattered signatures were walking around waiting for the Dropships when the Longswords swooped in and opened fire with their autocannons.
(Lieutenant Wilson, 105th Helljumpers)
"HERE THEY COME!" Wilson barked into his com link as another wave of Grunts and Jackals advanced. The Grunts kept charging but the Jackals hid behind their personal shields and slowly moved forward. Wilson picked off several advancing Grunts and focused on five Jackals. The bird like aliens were packed closely together and were slowly advancing on him, they opened fire.
"Shit!" Williams screamed as a plasma orb smashed into his shoulder. He dove into the bushes and covered his head as plasma burned past, inches above him.
Private Hans ducked as more plasma shot past her. She cursed and opened fire on the little methane breathing bastard that had shot at her. Crouching next to her was Privates Falkirk and Burns. Falkirk was reloading when a needle slammed into his face. It exploded and blood sprayed out. Hans and Burns were covered in his blood.
"This was a damn suicide mission," Hans hissed as she slapped a fresh clip into her MA5B and jacked a round into the chamber.
"Yah no crap there," Burns remarked, firing on a massing group of Grunts.
A bright orb of superheated energy slammed into Burns throat and he slumped to the ground, his arms flailing into the air.
"Damn Burns," Hans dropped here MA5B and hovered over her friend.
"Medic we need a medic now," she said into her link. "Here let me see it," Hans said as he struggled to get Burns hands unclamped off the neck wound. She let go knowing that if she did the skin would come off with it. Burns hands were blood smeared and the parts of his neck that weren't covered by his hands were red and black. A pool of blood was starting to form around his head.
"Anna you called?" Medic Tom Downing asked.
"Help Burns," Hans said, moving out of the way and picking up her MA5B to provide cover fire.
"He's dead sorry," Downing said and crawled on.
"Damn," Hans whispered and pulled the trigger.
All around Wilson Helljumpers were dying. Screams rose up over the pop and whine of weapon fire. Wilson was reloading when Williams crawled up to him.
"Sir we're getting slaughtered here!" Williams shouted.
"Just keep shooting," Wilson shouted back. He finished reloading and took cover behind the tree. He switched com channels on his link. "Red 3 come in, this is blue 1 over."
"Rodger that blue 1 this is red 3 go ahead over," 1st Lieutenant Ferris the ODST company's commander, said.
"Sir we're getting our asses kicked here," Wilson said.
"What's your switch (situation) over?" Ferris's voice crackled over the static.
"We're about a mile in, we ran into a bunch of Covies. They must have been trying to sneak up on Echo. Anyways there's hundreds of them and we're pinned down, we need back up."
"Can't you fight them back?"
"Negative sir you don't understand there are hundreds of them. They just keep coming. We have a lot of casualties!" Wilson almost yelled.
"Look we can't send you back up of any kind right now we just got hit hard and it's going to take a while for us to set up a base perimeter security and regroup."
"Sir we can hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"Good hold tight Wilson we'll come. Just give the enemy hell and keep your soldiers alive. Good luck," Ferris said.
"Yes sir will do...blue 1 out," Wilson switched com channels back to his units. "Listen up Helljumpers we're going to have to fight off the Covies attack. Reinforcements are not able to come. We have enough ammo and supplies to last us all two days so make he best of it. Hold the line and we will not get overrun. We can't fall back due to heavy enemy fire so stay down or get shot, shoot in controlled bursts and conserve your ammo. Good luck Helljumpers...Lt. Wilson out," Wilson said over the team freq and traded his com link for his good old MA5B as five Elites charged upon his position.
(Major Lance, 1800 hours PM)
"Platoon leaders report," Lance barked into his com link.
"A platoon five: dead, six wounded."
"B platoon: eight dead, ten wounded."
"C platoon: six dead the rest of us wounded."
"D platoon: fifteen dead, six wounded."
"E platoon: ten dead, thirteen wounded."
Lance listened as all of the platoons in his company did a status report. After they were done Lance said, "Alright guys you did good today. They hit us hard but we fought them back. Platoons take your dead to the casualty collection point and bring your wounded to the med station in barracks M. Good job guys, Lance out," Lance stepped out of his little foxhole and sat up on the edge. He pulled out a cigarette and removed the safety strap, tapped the end and it ignited. He exhaled a cloud of smoke and took a deep breath.
"How are you feeling Major?" Herrick asked, walking over to the little hole and sitting on an edge.
"Like hell," Lance rasped, taking another puff.
"Yah...damn its cold out," Herrick said wrapping his coat tighter around him. "But look on the bright side we have a sea of dead Covies to laugh at."
"Yah...to bad most people won't be here to see it," Lane muttered.
"Hey Major you guys did good today. You killed more Covenant then stars in the sky. Your men died because it was there time. Its war...it happens," Herrick said.
"Yah well it could have been my time."
"Major your probably asking yourself why them and not you. It's a phase every officer undergoes. War is hell, this war is hell. Men die and others live on to fight another day. God has a plan for you...well for everybody, and he chose you to live on. It's not your time yet. You have a future role to play in some way. Of course I every officer hates it when the soldiers under their command die. But its war and that's the way things go in war. Your men spent their lives for the good of humanity. An entire race about to be kicked out of the picture...but we kick back. Your men spent their lives for a just cause and you were meant to survive this battle to live to fight another day. You think about that," Herrick got up and walked away.
No matter how much Lance didn't want to admit it...Herrick was right. Even though the Helljumper was a lower rank he still had more combat experience than Lance. Lance had worked his way up to major by being more of a tactician, staying on the back lines helping devise strategies with the older officers. It wasn't until two years ago when Lance saw combat for the first time. When he was assigned to his new unit, he was thrilled. He pushed his men to excel. For two years Lance's unit had seen one hundred fifty hours of combat. Most of the time was spent on UNSC ships traveling space. Every time the ship Lance was on would come close to a planet with heavy fighting, they got there too late and the Covenant had already glassed the planet.
Lance shook his head and took a last puff before flicking the cig away. Since 1100 hours the Covenant had launched a massive attack on Echo. There were thousands of them, Grunts, Jackals, Elites, even Hunters. They had at least fifteen tanks and dozens of Banshees harassed them. The hospital was destroyed and so were several barracks. Two of the three mess halls were destroyed and four Scorpion tanks were as well. They attacked on all sides. The front of the base was littered with dead human bodies but mainly Covenant. Grunts were the most common in the sea of dead. Two hundred UNSC soldiers were killed, fifty were from the 105th and the rest were Marine regulars and Paratroopers. The outer electrical fence was disabled and knocked down. In the front of the base deep craters were scattered around the ground and the two fences were completely flattened or blown away. Men were already piling the Covenant bodies in the front of the base to act as barricades. The human bodies were being collected in a Pelican maintenance hangar in the back of the base. The med center was located in another maintenance hangar; since the hospital was wiped out the med center was the acting hospital.
(Sergeant Johnson fireteam Sierra)
Johnson watched the carnage all around him. A couple of hours ago he was in a comfortable bed in the hospital, then a bunch of nurses had came and got him. He was thrown on a litter and rushed to this Pelican maintenance hangar, just as the hospital was hit. He was given a fluffy pillow and he lay back. The hangar was peaceful, there were no Pelicans around, and the sounds of battle were faint. But then Marines started flooding in. Men were carrying others and some were carried on litters like his. They were laid around him and the doctors started performing surgery on the critical ones. Blood was soon covering the floor and screams of pain filled the hangar. More and more men were brought in and more blood and more screams as men went under the doctor's knife. Some had to get amputations and others had to get badly burnt organs removed. The hangar was a blood bath and the ground and tables were jammed packed with men. The screams had settled as the morphine and other drugs kicked in, but the atmosphere was the same, the smell of rot, death, blood and other bodily fluids, and all the horrors of life after battle. Johnson's foot was feeling better thanks to the shot of morphine a medic had given him.
Johnson sank his head into the pillow and tried to catch some sleep.
(Colonel Hood)
"Great work today Corporal, the base wouldn't be where it is if it weren't for you," Hood patted Harold on the shoulder.
"Thanks sir," Harold said. He was sweating and his fingers were red and stiff from typing and punching buttons. His voice was partly distorted from relaying Hood's orders to the fighting men and women of Echo.
"Go get some sleep. I doubt the Covenant will do much tonight after we fought off there forces and they've sustained so many casualties. I'm sure the Covie commander is trying to figure what he'll do next."
"Thanks sir but permission to stay at my station?" Harold asked.
"Whatever you want," Hood smiled as he watched Harold dutifully return to his overseeing of the base security. The man had showed excellent skills today. Hood believed that one of the men who fought the hardest today was Harold.
(Orna 'Orsamee, Covenant Field Master for Jericho II)
"Yes Field Lieutenant carry on," 'Orsamee killed the com connection between him and Seraph. "Report 'Fasamee," he demanded.
"Yes Excellency, our forces have been pushed back and only a small number of troops returned unscathed. The human's defenses have been severely weakened. I think if we were to launch another attack like-"
"-No one asked for your opinion. Our forces were badly damaged since the attack, even though we did weaken them...badly. For now we plan," 'Orsamee cut off 'Fasamee.
"Ye...yes Excellency," 'Fasamee turned away and walked to his personal Ghost.
To Be Continued...
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