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Attack on Sol (Part 15)
Posted By: Slit Throat
Date: 20 July 2004, 6:44 AM
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The long flight back to New Mombasa was not as tedious as the one in. After explaining General Ketin's plan to Admiral Hood, which he had been optimistic about, the Chief began to study the alien he had killed. He was especially interested in the camouflage unit that was so much better that the Elite's, and the weapon.
The unit was simply a small, square, white box that matched the creature's armor. Other than being slightly smaller than an Elite's, there was not much difference.
The weapon very much resembled a plasma rifle, except that the tubes came closer together to form a longer barrel. The tube on top which the Chief tested, verified it was a scope, with four times magnification.
Abruptly, the Pelican gave a jolt and began a landing sequence. The Chief looked out of the main hatch and saw New Mombasa rising to greet them.
The Marine HQ had changed drastically since the Spartans had been there six hours earlier. The walls of the building were blackened and the charred remains of Warthogs and Ghosts littered the area. No MPs came to meet them.
Motioning for Fred to come with him, the Chief ordered the rest of the group to stay there. Ackerson ignored the order and began to walk forward, but was frozen in his tracks by a look from Admiral Hood.
The Chief and Fred began to move forward as Linda, Will and the Marines formed a perimeter around the Pelican's main hatch.
The base's door had been hit and was leaning crazily on one hinge. The Chief and Fred walked cautiously inside to find that, contrary to the exterior of the base, the interior was perfectly normal. No plasma scars marred the walls, nor was there any blood or bodies in the hallways.
The Spartans moved into the lounge, where they had waited to receive their orders several times. The room was unoccupied, as was General Ketin's office a little further down the hall. There was, however, a data chip, labeled "C. Home.", lying on the General's desk which the Chief picked up and secured. He figured Ketin must have heard the attack and taken cover somewhere else, leaving the chip in plain sight.
The Spartans explored the entire base save for the mess hall, but when they reached the science lab, a surprise waited for them. As they walked slowly along the hallways of the base, the Chief saw a dark shape lying in the middle of the hall. He jogged quickly over to it and realized it was a body lying face down. Instantly on alert, the Chief cautiously rolled the body over.
Blood covered the face and chest from a head wound and a slit throat, but it was not enough to obscure the staring, dead features of the late General Ketin.
Once he got over the shock of Ketin being dead, the Chief noticed what the deceased General held in his hand. They were four exact copies of the plasma sword Linda and Will had recovered from the Covenant base! He gently removed the gray tubes from Ketin's hands and stood, still on the alert.
Fred had approached from behind and was standing with his back to the Chief, watching the hallway behind them. The Chief handed the energy swords to him, then gently picked up Ketin's body and moved it inside the lab and covered it with a sheet. He opened a com link to Linda and Will.
"Spartans," he said, "Ketin is dead."
There was silence for a moment, then Linda said "how?"
"His throat was cut," responded the Chief. "However, there is no one in the vicinity. It must have happened a while ago. Fred and I are going to clear the rest of the base, then we'll leave."
"Got it Chief," said Linda regretfully. The Chief nodded to Fred and they walked slowly away from the science lab to check the mess hall where they thought the other Marines and personnel might be.
It was not very far away, but when the Spartans arrived, they found the door locked. Fred slammed the butt of his rifle against the door several times, breaking it down. The Chief stepped through the doorway, weapon raised, and stopped. He was not prepared for the sight that met his eyes.
The Marines and other personnel that had manned the base were there all right, but they weren't alive.
Whoever had killed General Ketin had struck here too. Dead bodies lay on the floor and strewn across tables. Some were still sitting on the benches as if they had been killed from behind even while eating. Human blood covered the ground around almost every table, but there was no Covenant blood anywhere.
Suddenly, the Chief heard a coughing sound from his right. He spun and brought his Battle Rifle to bear. A wounded Marine was sitting against a wall, holding his chest and coughing. The Chief could see several streams of red running through the man's fingers. He stepped over to the soldier and knelt in front of him.
The Marine heard the Chief approaching and looked up through pain filled eyes.
"Sir," he stammered, "couldn't see them. People... dying. Mark... dead." The soldier took a shallow, rasping breath and continued. "Pain. Knocked out. Woke up... everyone else dead. I'm... dying." He glanced around in terror. "Keep them away... sir. I can... see... them." The Marine's eyes widened and he reached for the Chief, but he fell back and his eyes glazed over in death.
The Chief checked the soldier's pulse but found none. He then stood and saw Fred staring at the carnage, unmoving.
"Fred," he said sharply, waking the other Spartan from his shock, "we have a mission to complete. There's nothing we can do for them now." Fred nodded slowly, then snapped a salute.
"I'm ready Chief."
The Chief nodded and quickly walked to the door and out into the hallway trying to escape the scene of carnage now imprinted on his mind.
Linda was standing to the side of the Pelican's main hatch, watching the door into the base and the area surrounding it. Behind her, she could hear Admiral Hood discussing the new creature with the others.
Linda had already formulated her own opinion on the alien. She believed that it was a thus far unseen Covenant race trained for stealth missions. Assassin would be a good name for it...
Linda's speculation was interrupted by the opening of the base door. As John and Fred emerged, she turned and looked inside the Pelican's bay. The officers were crouching around the body of the alien lying on the floor.
"Sirs," she said, "the rest of our team has arrived."
"Thank you Spartan," acknowledged Admiral Hood, as he and Mayor Hopler stood up. Colonel Ackerson did not even look at her.
When the two absent Spartans arrived and related what had occurred in the mess hall, Linda could not help but think of the new alien.
"Chief, could the assassinations have been committed by the new creature you killed?" she asked.
"That seems highly likely," responded John. "The Marine I spoke to seemed confused on where the attack was coming from."
Linda nodded, then Will spoke up. "Well, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do here, so now what?"
John glanced at Admiral Hood, and the Admiral nodded. "I've considered the mission proposed by General Ketin... and I approve it." Ackerson opened his mouth to protest, but Hood overrode it.
"We haven't got a damn chance of beating the Covenant here. They're too well entrenched. If we take the fight to them in a swift, unexpected attack, we may have a chance." He looked straight into John's faceplate. "I hereby surrender tactical control of this mission to you Master Chief." This time, Ackerson did not even protest. He just stood there, eyes glittering in surprise and anger.
"I know you'll do your best to complete this mission," continued the Admiral. "You and your Spartans will be be the biggest part of this attack." Admiral Hood fell silent, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the Chief's orders.
Linda watched as John realized that it was up to him to save humanity from destruction.
"First," he began, "we need to find a way to reach the Fleet..."
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