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Beta Halo: On Earth's Doorstep
Date: 31 May 2003, 2:57 AM
1980 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Complex,
Underground Reactor Room
SPARTAN 053, Kale, was blind. He opened his eyes, and the as the dust cleared he looked around at the underground reactor. Bodies lay all around, the reactor was gone, only the MJOLNIR suit kept him clean of radiation, and his shields were only starting to recharge. Looking up at the whole the Covenant cruiser blasted through, Kale saw glass, and fragments of Pelicans, Banshees and Super Hawks. Then there was a dull roar, and Kale stood there, unarmed, and expected the worst. Instead of a Covenant ship, it was a Pelican. From the pelican came a radio signal into his MJOLNIR headset.
"This is Alley Duster, anyone down there?"
"Spartan 053 trapped and unarmed Alley Duster. Can you get me out?"
The drop ship lowered, its hatch opened and Kale saw 10 other Spartans inside including Kelly. She opened her faceplate and greeted him.
"Welcome lucky 11."
The ship slowly lifted out and away. The attack on Reach had ended, and the UNSC cruiser New York was picking up the pieces. About 150 drop ships rose above the glassy smooth rock of Reach to the cruiser. Super Hawks escorted some of them.
When all the survivors were brought into the cruiser, she sped out system and, fearing a drone, checked her hull. Satisfied, she went on a random escape vector. And disappeared into slipstream.
0000 Hours, August 32, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Dagger System, Space near Jupiter II,
UNSC Cruiser New York
A green whole in space appeared near Jupiter II. The New York decelerated out. Her captain, Lieutenant Gregor Illyanovich, scanned the system for Covenant vessels.
"Found anything Orca?" He asked the AI.
"A ring." Orca replied.
"Put it on screen."
An image appeared. A blue ring floated in space, its outer surface covered with strange carvings. The inside was an earthlike covering of seas, deserts, forests, clouds, and different weather patterns.
"Measurements Orca."
"10,000 kilometers in diameter, about 22.3 kilometers in thickness. Earthlike Atmosphere with Oxygen and Nitrogen. It's some kind of artificial environment."
"Navigation."
A chart appeared, showing the system on a map of the Milky Way.
"Jesus," Gregor whispered. "It's about half an hour in slip space from Sol!"
"What are we going to do captain?"
"Orbit it and land a force on it. I want the Spartans and 2 Marine battalions down there."
"Sir!" the weapons officer yelled. "Incoming Covenant ships inbound and 541.37!"
"Ok." Gregor said. "Lets land this hulk."
The New York sped toward the artificial world, unaware that one of its sisters was just discovered as well.
On the surface of the artificial world, a small covenant drop ship landed its cargo. Hunters, Grunts and Elites stepped out, and ran toward a gigantic structure.
On the other side of the ring, a lone human cruiser landed. Immediately, Super Hawks, small powerful armed floating gun platforms, left it and sped away, then split up in a fan around the landing site, deploying mines, static fences and guns. They then began their patrol.
A pelican left the cruiser's bay, and landed on the ground nearby. Eleven shapes stepped out. On them was MJOLNIR armor. They looked invincible in it. But they were not alone. Another five pelicans left the bay, and landed their troops. Ten tanks rolled out, twenty-five warthogs and of course, crates of weapons.
"All clear," said the leader of the super soldiers.
"Copy." Came Gregor's Voice. "Move out beyond the perimeter and investigate that building to the East.
"Yes sir"
The Spartans and the battalion of Marines loaded up their equipment, and moved out.
On the bridge of the New York Gregor looked at the navigations charts. They said Earth wasn't far away. Jupiter II had a hidden underground base. Hundreds of cruisers were docked there to protect earth. The Covenant have come very far. They were on Earth's doorstep.
0800 Hours, August 32, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Temple like Structure on Beta Halo (Ring World)
Kale peeked inside, holding an assault rifle in one hand and a shotgun slung over his back. He led the team of Spartans inside, and moved with great care. He made sure the motion sensors were dark. 3 warthogs full of Marines followed the 2 Spartan warthogs. The teams went inside, and down a wide ramp. At the bottom was a pool of drool-like liquid. In it, a few dead carcasses were floating. Big, squid-like bodies.
At the far end was a fork. When the team reached it, they decided to go to the left, and came to a ramp leading up to the surface. Following it, the team came up to a Covenant encampment.
Beta Halo: Call in the Scouts
Date: 3 June 2003, 1:03 AM
0800 Hours, August 32, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Temple like Structure on Beta Halo (Ring World)
The Spartan gave the go and the marines launched tank shells and rockets at the Covenant Base. The enemy Shades, Mortar Tanks and Ghosts went in columns of fire. Sky Hawks came in and obliterated the Covenant drop ships. Suddenly, a squad of hunters fired. 5 marines fell. Somewhere, a sniper shot the creatures in their weak spots, and they fell.
"Come on!" urged Kale.
The marines ran into the destroyed encampment, and killed all the grunts. Stationary artillery and point defense guns were set up around the structure. Men ran to arm them, and then grabbed their packs and ripped into lunch.
All the sudden, an explosion, barely distinguishable, rang. A plume of fire lit up the sky, and one of the orbiting Covenant cruisers fell, hit by five MAC shells. Three support ships followed. The ship hit the ground and flung dirt into the marines, ruining their picnic.
The other orbiting cruisers went down, voluntarily. They were trying to escape. Three UNSC cruisers followed them, trying to take them down. Reinforcements have arrived. A flaming hulk of a UNSC cruiser did crash into the ring. The explosive impact created a minor earthquake. The result was the dislodging of some ground plates and the revealment of girders, and an inhuman scream.
The marines looked at each other. The covenant could now take them out with real firepower, and what was that cry?
2000 Hours, August 32, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Temple like Structure on Beta Halo
The Spartans and some marines looked through their scopes. Kelly suddenly ran to Kale.
"Sir, Grunt en mass formation headed toward the hole!"
"Ok lets move marines, create a Warthog and tank formation to counter them. Double time!"
The marines moved off. The lines of equipment opened fire. The Grunts turned and ran toward a floating Covenant vessel, moats of light building along its hull. Plasma Torpedoes.
"Oh, shit." Whispered Kale. "Kelly, fire a--"
The plasma discharged and hit the hole, punching it deeper and wider. Another torpedo hit it and it continued to grow. After a while the whole became big enough for the cruiser to pass through.
The cruiser lowered in, and Kale sighed. The cruiser disappeared completely. A UNSC cruiser tried to follow, but it turned back, its captain seeing something down bellow. The UNSC marines fell asleep.
Kale didn't. He realized that the Covenant wanted something down there. He selected a group of Marines to use tanks to build a barrier around the hole.
The rest of the evening went without incident.
0700 Hours, August 33, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
UNSC cruiser New York on Beta Halo
Gregor stood silently on the bridge. He didn't like the reports of a Covenant cruiser going into the ring. It sounded suspicious.
"Lieutenant Kilo." He said to the navigation officer. "Give me a map of Covenant landing on the Ring."
"Yes sir."
On the screen in front of Gregor, an image of the ring appeared. Red dots showed Covenant cruisers and troops. There were over 5 billion grunts, a billion Hunters, five billion Elites, and 7 billion Jackals. The odds were overwhelming.
"Lieutenant Deckard. Send a signal to the Jupiter II base, get the largest nuke they have smack in the middle of the ring's orbit."
"Yes sir."
When they were done, Gregor would blow the ring to bits.
1800 Hours, August 33, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Hole on Beta Halo
Kale led the battle group inside the hole. The Covenant cruiser was immobile, and there was no resistance. It was too easy, something was wrong.
They continued to march, they saw some squid like corpses, but they ignored them. Finally, they came to a wall of white rubble. The team paused and waved their flashlight beams on the obstacle. Kelly came up to touch them, and it quivered.
"It's alive." She said.
"What?" said SPARTAN 107 George, coming up to touch it too.
The wall started to move, and one of the stones popped out. It was another squid like creature, whitish, and with several tentacles, each ending in a few adhesive digits. It jumped at George's stomach, bursting through his armor and anchoring to him. He turned to the team, but he then fell, the creature worked its way inside. He stood, took his gun, and fired at them. Tentacles reaching out the back.
The team threw grenades as the wall of creatures began to collapse. Once outside the hole, they shot down the cruiser, covering the hole.
They stood there, panting. They had just come an inch from something worse then death. They collapsed and watched the sunset.
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