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A Tale of Two Soldiers by Marine00
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Part 1: The Assault
Date: 25 February 2006, 3:52 am
0930 Hours, July 18, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Destroyer Avenger,
In orbit of Sigma Octanus IV
The Covenant attack on Sigma Octanus IV took the UNSC by surprise. The fleet, lead by Admiral Stanforth, barely got in-system in time to deploy ground forces and begin evacuating the civilian population. The first wave of Covenant didn't stick around to fight; they merely sent troops to the surface and retreated- it was not like the Covenant to flee.
They returned a short time later, this time they were up for a fight. So was the UNSC… In the time since the Covenant left, the UNSC had brought in nearly four-dozen warships, and had set up a strong military presence on the surface.
The destroyer Avenger was one of the later ships to arrive, so its Marine contingent hadn't been deployed. The ship moved into position near the rest of the fleet. The Covenant fleet was at the edge of the system and drawing closer by the second.
The Captain took a few steps toward the forward main viewscreen. He watched as a few more ships arrived and entered a holding position above the planet. It was beautiful, but somewhat unsettling. He turned to his COM officer and said, "Patch me through to the Admiral."
"Yes, sir." the officer tapped a few buttons and opened a channel to the Leviathan, one of only twenty cruisers left in the UNSC, this one happened to be the Admiral's flagship. "I've got the Admiral on the com."
"Good," the Captain addressed the Admiral, "Sir, I think it would be a good idea if you spread the fleet out, it would give them more room to move if the Covenant fire their plasma torpedoes."
"Spreading the fleet out would reduce the effectiveness of our MACs. We need all the firepower we can muster." replied the Admiral, adamantly.
"With all due respect, sir, we won't have any firepower if we don't have a fleet."
"Captain Dillard, I know you speak from experience, but I have a special surprise in store for them. Hold your position. Those are my orders. Stanforth out." The screen went black.
The Captain turned to his A.I., Nimitz, and spoke with him briefly about the situation. "What would you do in our situation?"
The A.I. replied calmly, "I would find a way to trap them and hit them with my most powerful weapons, or catch them in a crossfire. And I would try to not get hit."
"That was my idea, but the Admiral seems dead-set on holding his ground and winning the war of attrition."
"You do outnumber them more than two to one."
"That's not the point, we need every last ship we can get in order to continue to hold out against the Covenant. If not, then we have already lost."
"I see what you are saying, but this may not be just a military victory in the works. You should put more faith in the Admiral, especially since he is you uncle."
The Covenant fleet was, at this point, was only a few AU's from the planet. The Admiral told the fleet to remain in a tight grid formation.
The COM officer said, "Captain, the Leviathan's A.I. is sending the fleet firing solutions and a synchronized countdown."
"Put it on screen."
"Yes, sir." the Lieutenant tapped a few buttons the display appeared in front of the Captain.
Now the Admiral's orders made sense; the ships would fire their MACs in 2-3 massive volleys. With luck it should be enough to do some serious damage to the Covenant fleet. But, if they missed, then many people were going to have a very bad day. There was still the fact that the ships in the fleet had no room to move. That could be a problem; the Avenger was right in the middle.
"Sound general quarters, all hands to battle stations. Disengage all weapon and reactor safeties. Bring both MACs to full charge. Nimitz, the guns are yours. Deploy the Marines." the Captain didn't waste any time preparing for battle. The Covenant fleet was preparing to attack. Red motes of light appeared along the lateral lines of the alien ships, as they gathered charge, the light grew brighter and condensed.
The Marines scrambled and boarded their Pelican transports and prepared for orbital insertion. In a few minutes they would either be dead or about to die. This time, it wasn't a drill; it was war.
The Captain cam over the COM, "Alright Marines, this is what we've been waiting for. We have orders to head planetside and defend Cote d'Azur from the Covenant." The Captain paused, then continued "Some Marines have already set up a firebase in grid nine by twenty-four. That's where were headed."
The Pelicans roared to life as the last of the Marines scrambled aboard. The bay of the destroyer Avenger opened and the Pelicans began their trip to the surface of Sigma Octanus IV.
"We will link up with a battalion of Marines from the frigate Ticonderoga. Our mission is to keep the Covenant away from the city and to keep civilian casualties to a minimum." said the Captain. "There are already two Marine firebases up and running, with another one in the works. That's where we're headed."
"Sorry to interrupt, Captain, but it's going to get a little bumpy. We have company." said the pilot over the COM.
"Everyone hang on!"
Several Seraph starfighters broke through the cloud cover and dropped in behind the Pelicans. The air around the transports filled with blue fire, plasma, and the pilots began evasive maneuvers. The Pelicans, although heavily armored, were still nimble enough to dodge incoming fire. They dipped and rolled as they sped toward the surface, but the Seraphs were faster and more maneuverable. The pilots tried to shake the Covenant, but their efforts were futile. The Captain's Pelican took a direct hit to the starboard thruster, and the ship burst into flames. Bits of metal tore off and streaked into the atmosphere. The burning hulk continued on its course for a short time before it reached terminal velocity and ripped apart.
"Sergeant, the Captain's Pelican is down!" one of the pilots yelled.
First Sergeant Hutchinson, a man in his late thirties, had seen his share of battle. This was no different. With the Captain gone, his duty as senior NCO was to assume tactical command of the company, at least until a ranking officer relieved him of that duty.
"There's not much we can do until we're on the ground, but see if there are any Longswords nearby that can provide some cover." the Sergeant replied.
"Aye, sir." the pilot found and radioed the nearest Longsword fighters.
Ten seconds passed, then three of the fighters fell in behind the Seraphs. They opened up with their 110mm rotary cannons, and the Covenant fighters broke off to engage the new threat. The Longswords broke for orbit and the alien ships gave chase.
"We're clear Longswords, thanks for the assistance."
"That's what we're here for." the lead Longsword pilot replied before reverting his attention to the Seraphs.
The remaining Pelicans reached their target LZ unmolested. They touched down in a clearing on the edge of a dense jungle. A few Marine techs came out to meet them and help unload the reinforcements.
"Everybody out, I want those ships ready to fly in five." barked the Sergeant.
A Lieutenant approached him and asked, "Where is your Captain?"
"His Pelican took a hit on the way in, he didn't make it. That makes you the officer in-charge."
"Very well. There are some fighting positions about a klick from here, near a rock face, they could use some men."
"Right away, sir. Let me gather some equipment first, then I'll head out."
The Pelicans unloaded their cargo, which included a pair Warthog LRV's, Lotus anti-tank mines, and instacrete for building defensive structures. The Marines loaded the equipment on the Warthogs and headed out to reinforce the defensive position. The way to the position was fairly clear, with the exception of a few shrubs and boulders. When they arrived, the dug-in Marines came out to greet them and help set up more defenses.
"Set up those Lotuses in a thirty by ten grid with a five meter spread. Set them for manual detonation." the Sergeant said as he handed out mines. "Corporal Dennis, take some Jackhammers and a few men and set up in the tree line. Private Clark, grab a rifle and a spotter and hunker down on the rock face." the Warthogs were empty, and had been moved so that they could provide overlapping fields of fire from their LAAG machine guns. A few minutes passed before everything was set up.
"Corporal Dennis reporting in, I'm in position." said Marine over the COM. the Corporal Colin Dennis was lightly built and had dark hair; he was also one of the few people who were good enough with a rocket launcher to get one assigned to them as their primary weapon.
"Good, await further orders." replied the Sergeant.
"I'm in position, Sergeant, and I have a visual; four Wraiths, about a hundred of the Grunts, a few Jackals, and some Elites. They are coming from the south, they should arrive within five minutes." the Private said coolly over the COM. Private Nick Clark was about a head shorter than most Marines, but what he lacked physically, he made up for with determination and dead aim; he was a Marine sniper.
"Alright Marines, prepare for combat. Try to kill the tanks first; they'll cause us the most trouble. Rocket jockeys, fire in volleys to keep the pressure on them. Everyone else, wait until they get close, then give them hell." the Sergeant ordered his men, then radioed the Lieutenant, "Sir, we have enemies inbound on our position, what back-up will we have if we start to get overrun?"
The COM crackled, "The Ticonderoga has an ODST platoon standing by, they can enter the battle in less than five minutes."
"Aye, sir. I'll call if we need them." the Sergeant turned his attention back to his men. He heard a low rumble; he instantly knew what was happening. The Covenant broke into a charge as soon as they spotted the Marine defenses. "Here they come, prepare to fire!!!"
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