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Halo: Dark Aftermath by Nick Kang
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HALO: Dark Aftermath
Date: 3 February 2004, 11:08 PM
One year after the Master Chief's harrowing escape from Halo, UNSC forces were sent up to investigate the Burial Ground. Slowly, piece by piece, the Ruins were rebuilt, stuck back together by an extremely powerful adhesive. SPARTAN III's had been made on Earth, and they were being sent up with the Master Chief...
John 117, the Master Chief, looked out the window of the slowly orbitting UNSC cruiser Mystery. The ruins of Installation 04 were almost completely rebuilt. He recalled his adventures on the Ring, the discovery of the Flood, and the mission that had sent two hundred Marines to their death.
The 30 UNSC cruisers patrolling the inner perimeter slowly revolved around the Ring. After a few minutes of observing the slow reconctruction of 04, he became bored and traveled to the Sim room.
3 DAYS LATER
The Master Chief was uncomfortable in the small seats of the lifeboat as it accelerated toward the surface of the ring. 10 other Spartans, all of them SPARTAN III's, sat around him. Their mission was to secure the chasm that the control center was housed in and use it as a base. The ring had been completely rebuilt, and ready for Humans to be on it. The back window of the lifeboat showed snow-covered chasms with bridges connecting them thousands of feet into the air. He recognized the place. It was the series of chasms that held the Pulse Generators that he had neutralized a year ago. The metal tunnel that had housed two Hunters had caved in in the explosion of Halo. Boulders and rocks coated the area where they had broken off the canyon walls and fell to the ground.
The lifeboat braked and slowly settled to the ground. The back doors slid open and the Master Chief cautiously stepped out. It was quite possible that some of the Flood had survived the explosion if they had taken cover far enough underground. The rest of the SPARTANS came out and secrued the perimeter. It was time to drill through the tunnel that the Chief had traveled through. After a few lifeboats loaded with drilling equipment and Marines arrived, UNSC was ready to set up camp. Cutting torch-weilding Marines and giant drill vehicles quickly cut right through the pile of rocks. After that the Chief and three other SPARTANS made their way through the tunnel. Soon they reached the huge cavern with the pit in the middle that the Chief remebered. Both of the bridges across had been destroyed and large chunks were missing from the ceiling. Big pieces of thick steel were cut and measured to fit over the chasm. As soon as they were in place, the Chief ans his SPARTANS moved through. The place seemed eerily quiet, almost as if something was waiting...waiting to strike. They reached the end of the bridge and made sure nothing was waiting on the other side. The broken blast door on the other side was clogged by a large boulder. One of the SPARTANS shouldered a jackhammer rocket launcher and fired. The boulder was blown to pieces and the way was cleared. That was when they attacked. Plasma bolts ripped across the Chief's shields, as well as the shields of the other SPARTANS. They returned fie and cut down most of the enemies before the smoke cleared. By the time the air was clean, fifty Covenant Elites as well as a wall of Jackals, a few Grunts, and six Hunters waited on the other side of the broken door. The Hunters fired. The green blobs flew over the wall of Jackals and struck the SPARTANS. Their shields flared and drained to half. A quick chain of frag grenades thrown by the SPARTANS took care of most of the Jackals and the MA5B 7.62mm rounds tore into the crowd. Elites, Jackals, and Grunts fell from the fire. Bullets pinged and ricocheted off the Hunters' armor. The behemoths fired a second wave of green blobs at the small group of merciless SPARTANS. The Chief dodged a Fuel Rod blast and fired his pistol into the exposed midsection of one of the Hunters. The creature groaned and fell to the ground. The SPARTANS toting rocket launchers fired into the remaining aliens. The five Hunters as well as the two survivng Elites flew into the air where they fell onto the ground to be treated to an ever-peaceful sleep. It seemed the Covenant had beaten them to Halo. Taking the Control Center was going to be tougher than they thought.
Stay tuned next time for Ch. 2.
Halo: Dark Aftermath Ch. 2: Ambush
Date: 11 February 2004, 1:43 AM
Halo: Dark Aftermath
Ch. 2
Ambush
The last Hunter dropped from the rocket and all was silent.
"Recon group to base, Covenant resistance found and neutralized. They've beat us to Halo. Require reinforcements." the Chief said into the COM.
"Roger that Recon group, reinforcements incoming. ETA in two minutes." Sergeant Johnson's voice echoed in his ear.
Sure enough, within two minutes there was the sound of engines and six Warthogs rounded the corner of the tunnel, their headlights slicing through the darkness. Each one had a only a driver, save for one which had a passenger. They stopped near the Spartans and the super-soldiers piled in. The Chief got on the gunner platform of one and another Spartan wielding a rocket launcher rode shotgun. After they were all settled, the Warthogs went off. They drove for another five minutes before reaching the large upward slope dotted with rocks that the Chief and his tank had gone up a year ago. They quickly drove up the hill and reached the large clearing with the stone comumn, now half its original size thanks to the explosion, reaching into the heavens. They drove to the pond that had been frozen on his last visit. But because of the large magnitude of the explosion, the ice had melted. After testing the depth to find that it was only a foot or so deep, they drove right through it. They got to the point where there was the curving downhill slope where the Chief and fireteam Zulu had had to abandon their tank.
The 'hogs inched down the slop, careful not to fall off. They got down to where the ice had also melted and was now a small stream. They drove against the weak current to a point where the two metal bars had once barred the path off from vehicles. Due to the explosion, they were now just short, charred stubs that were easily passable. The recon group swiftly moved through the short tunnel and drove up the once-ledgs that had been eroded by the river, forming a smooth slope to drive up. They had gotten to the strange Forerunner structure that was on either side of a U-shaped indentation on the ground with a tunnel and a door branching off on each side. They would not be able to continue through the passages in Warthogs, so they decided to park them in the branchin tunnels of the structure. They drove to the bottom of the tiny valley and were about to drive into the narrow tunnels when it happened. The Ambush started. The doors at the end of each hall opened and Covenant flooded out. The Chief didn't have enough time to count them before the firing began, but from what he could tell there were ten sixteen Hunters, at least fifty Elites, maybe thirty Jackals, and a whole mess of Grunts. The Jackals wasted almost no time in forming their wall of shields to protect the others as the Hunters lobbed fire over the protective living barrier. The Warthogs were at once firing. The Chief fired, but the wall of Jackals blocked all of the bullets. He managed to make a few of them recoil, revealing their vulnerable flesh, and he killed them, but other than that there was no luck. He saw a Warthog take a fuel rod blast in the hood and explode. One of the Spartans was able to bail out but the metal skeleton of the gutted LRV landed on her.
The passenger of the Chef's Warthog fired a rocket into the Jackals and blew three of them away, giving the Chief a small firing point which he used to take out a few Elites and a bunch of Grunts. One of the rockets going for the Jackals was a hair high and blew a Hunter's head off as it was raising to fire over the shield. A plasma grenade landed in front of the Chief's Warthog. The driver and the passengers were bailing out as it went off, flipping it. The driver hit the ground from about fifty feet up with a crunch that could be heard over the firing. The passenger stayed in the Warthog, as the seatbelt refused to unlock. He fired a last rocket before a fuel rod blast hit him in the chest and killed him. The Chief landed on the ground and pain shot trough his left leg and spread into his waist. His leg was probably broken. He reached for his pistol. He fired several unaimed shots into the advancing Covenant mob. A few Grunts went down for his troubles. He ran out of ammo for his pistol and felt for the extra clips. There were none on his belt. He looked at the place where they should be. The strap carrying them had been broken. The five clips wrapped in foil laid about ten feet away. His belt had must have been broken when the Warthog flipped. There was nothing he could do. He watched as one by one, the Warthogs were flipped and most of the soldiers inside were killed. Soon there were only two left. Now that he had more time, the Chief counted ten Hunters, thirty-six Elites, seventeen Jackals, and fourty-two Grunts.
Plasma flew from the crowd and hit the two Warthogs. A plasma grenade landed on the hood of one of the Warthogs and the gunner was able to get out before it blew. The Spartan's battle rifle, wich had been propped up against the LAAG, flew away. The soldiers unholstered dual Sub-Machine Guns. He fired short bursts before taking a substantial amount of plasma to the chest and falling over. The twin SMGs toppled over to the Chief. He grabbed them and checked the ammo. One clip was almost totally full, the other was about half. He fired bursts at the Jackals. Three of them fell. A blue plasma bolt hit a grenade that was lying on the ground and ignited it, sending the last Warthog toppling back, landing right in front of the Chief. The passenger was killed but the driver and gunner were still alive. Luckily, the Warthog landed right side up so it didn't kill the rest of the soldiers in it. The gunner spotted the Chief and fired a short burst at the Covenant before hopping down and carrying the Chief into the passenger seat and arming him with a battle-rifle. He then jumped back to the gunner seat and the driver took off. Just as they went up the slop with the Covenant on their tails, the Chief saw the most horrifying sight he had ever seen in his life...
Halo: Dark Aftermath Ch. 3: --Covenant Pursuit--
Date: 13 February 2004, 8:09 PM
Halo: Dark Aftermath
Ch. 3
--Covenant Pursuit--
Ghosts. Shadows. Wraiths. Dozens of them. Hundreds. They were all lined up, ready to take out the single surviving Warthog. The Chief was scared. Almost more so then he had been of the Flood. Even thinking about them made the scar on his neck made by an infection form burn. Seeing he had bigger problems, the Chief pushed the pain to his lower-senses.
Also realizing their situation, the gunner quickly unscrewed the LAAG from the stand and put it in the storage compartment, withdrawing a large cannon that used Covenant technology to function. He quickly screwed it on and was ready. It seemed the long line of Covenant vehicles were waiting for him to replace the weapons, wanting the most challenging fight they could get.
Ready to go on the suicidal run, the driver stamped on the accelerator. The Warthog flew forward.
Kebro 'Ehcuree eagerly awaited the kill. The Human vehicle sped toward them. His grip tightened on the stationary plasma cannon mounted on the 'Shaddoe' as the Humans liked to call it. The craft was similar to the Human vehicle speeding at them right now, except for the fact that was far superior to the lightly-armed Human LRV. It continued flying at them. Just as it was about to pass through the lines of Covenant vehicles, it fired. At first it seemed like they were shooting blanks, until giant blue fireballs appeared on his comrades vehicles and they exploded in a shower of blood and molten metal.
"Go!" he yelled to the driver of the Shaddoe, Raydo 'Octolomee.
"Yes, sir!" 'Octolomee shouted. The Shaddoe fluidly turned around and went after the fleeing Human vehicle. The gun emplacement on the back of the vehicle turned. 'Ehcuree was shocked to see one of their Super-Soldiers manning it. He thought they had all been wiped out. The gun fired. 'Octolomee swiftly dodged the blast, leaving a Wraith to be hit. A smoking hole appeared in the lumpy tank and it was unable to keep up with the rest of the group. 'Ehcuree fired. Purple plasma lanced from the tri-barreled plasma cannon and chased the Human vehicle. Giant blue and white plasma bolts flew overhead and smashed into the ground, shaking the Human vehicle but not doing any damage. A foolish 'Goste' driver drove ahead of the group and was blown to smithereens by the Human craft. One of the Human plasma bolts hit a Wraith right in the engine, causing it to spin out of control and smash into a Goste and and Shaddoe. The trio of vehicles exploded and meat rained from the heavens.
Blue, purple, and white plasma blasts followed the Human vehicle. The Goste next to 'Ehcuree's vehicle exploded and killed both of the passengers on his Shaddoe. They narrowly missed 'Octolomee's head, saving him from certain death. 'Ehcuree saw the hand of the Human vehicle's passenger come up and toss a spherical object back. 'Ehcuree realized what it was just as it went under the Shaddoe.
The Chief saw his grenade explode and flip a Shadow. It had worked. He was worrying that it would explode before the Covenant vehicles got to it. So far the gunner of the Warthog was doing a good job taking out the Covenant vehicles. All the driver of the Warthog had to do was lose the pursuing Covenant battalion and they would be safe. But seeing as how there were few forks in the route they were taking, it was a slim chance of that happening. All they could do was wait until they reached the chamber where they could blow the bridge and prevent the Covenant from crossing the chasm. Only a small amount of time. A blast from one of their Wraiths brought him back to reality. The Covenant were gaining. Fast. They went through the field with the giant stone pillar so fast they were barely touching the ground. A plasma bolt melted a part of the metal on the passenger side. It was a bit too close for comfort. The reports of the stolen-technology plasma cannon could be heard above the thundering of the engines and the whining and swooshing of plasma. They raced down the rocky slope and entered the tunnels. They were close to the chamber now. A Shadow flew up next to the Warthog and one of the passengers tried jumping aboard. The Chief triggered a plasma grenade and stuck it to the Elite and shoved him off the 'hog. It warbled and rolled up the slope, it's arm hanging at a weird angle. It noticed the blue blob attached to it's chest and screamed. The Chief looked ahead just in time for the explosion. A flaming Ghost flew overhead from behind them, the dead driver soaring just behind it. The Warthog reached the chamber and fishtailed a Ghost as it turned, sending it into the pit. The LRV drove over the bridge. The Chief tossed a frag grenade behind them. As they reached the othe side just as it detonated, accompanied by the sound of twisting metal. He looked back. The two pieces of metal were disappearing into the chasm, half of the Covenant vehicles follwing. The gunner fired across the hole at the remaining Covenant vehicles and scored a few hits. The Warthog sped through the rest of the tunnels without a hitch. They reached the base where they retold their horrifying tale...
Halo: Dark Aftermath Ch. 4: --Payback--
Date: 16 February 2004, 5:38 AM
'Nelemee bolted upright in the hospital bed but was quickly pushed back down by a medic. A sharp pain shot through his chest and spread into his hip and stomach. There were bloody holes in him. One on his stomach, one on his chest, and one on his thigh. The pain was almost unbearable. He grunted and laid back down in the bed. He could vaguely remember the Human grenade going off under his Shaddoe. He recalled 'Octolomee's twisted expression just before the vehicle hit the ground upside-down and smashed his head in. The explosion still echoed in his ears. He wondered if the Wrthaug had been stopped. He wondered if the Human that had thrown the grenade was the very same Human that the great Zuka 'Zamamee had tried to kill but failed. Whoever it was, payback was coming to it.
The Chief's visor darkened as the bright jets of the Pelican dropships settled to the ground. The attack on the Control Center had been renewed, this time Scorpion tanks and Warthogs armed with the Covenant technology would be involved. Nearly twice as many personnel would be used in the attack. But before they could land troops on the Control Center grounds, they needed to clear out the anti-air guns on the Covenant outpost that the previous attack had been mercilessly slaughtered at. The Shades and Banshees there would dice most of the Pelicans into pieces before they crossed over the safety of the rock wall.
Four tanks and twelve Warthogs with the plasma cannons were lined up in perfect formation. The twenty Spartans and thirty-six Marines taking place in the attack quickly raced to get the best positions on the vehicles as possible. The Chief sat on a track pod of a tank and drew his M90 shotgun. The newly built steel gates blocking the tunnels slowly opened up with the sound of shrieking metal. They were also accompanied by several utility Warthogs ferrying pieces for a bridge that could be retracted to block progress. The large invasion force waited for several minutes while the Techs installed the bridge. Once they were done, they pulled a switch on the newly installed control computer and the bridge slid out of the chasm wall and connected with the other side. The invasion force moved through while the Techs went back to the base. A pair of Marine guards remained to operate the bridge.
Once they moved through the tunnels and threw the large field with the stone pillar, they went through the river to the same position where they had been ambushed and slaughtered before. There seemed to be no sign of the Covenant except for the new twenty Shades and airfield of Banshees stationed around the structure. The Warthogs drove down the slope first to create a diversion for the Covenant forces that were probably hiding behind the doors. Sure enough, plasma bolts met the Warthogs, which quickly drove up the opposite slope. The wave of Covenant forces stormed out of the tunnels and began chasing the Warthog when they noticed the four giant apocalyptic tanks looking down upon them. The more unintelligent Grunts fired at the tanks but the shots merely charred the powerful armor. The Elites and Jackals chickened out and began running away and were met by four giant highly explosive projectiles, making a large crater and leaving no sign of the once-fleeing Covenant forces. Seeing the power of the tanks, the Grunts screamed and began running to and met the same fate as the others. The Hunters lined up in a straight line and fired. The fuel rod blasts were enough to melt the armor of the tanks. One was melted in place. The four tanks fired and blew half of the Hunters away. Another salvo took out the remaining Hunters. They thought the battle was over until they notived the Banshees taking off. There were at least twenty of them. The Warthogs weren't suited to take out aircraft with their plasma cannons and the tank cannon were too inacurate. It looked like this battle was up to the passengers of the vehicles.
The Chief ook careful aim at a Banshee that had strayed too close, waited for it to dive and fire, and squaeezed the trigger. It was close enough to penetrate the armor on he fuel rod gun and then entire Banshee disappeared in a blossom of fire. Bullets and plasma filled the air while the tanks and Warthogs drove arond to avoid the fire, making it even harder to aim at the Covenant aircraft. Several Warthogs were flipped and a few passengers on the tank were killled. The Marine seated next to the Chief fired a rocket and hit the very nose of a passing Banshee and destroyed it. There was a groaning sound. Green mist suddenly surrounded the Chief and his shields dropped. They continued falling and an alarm blared in his ear.
'Nelemee strode from the hospital, fully haled. The advanced Covenant medical technology healed even the most severe wounds in a matter of hours. He grabbed a plasma rifle hilt from the armory and strapped it to his hip. The Humans were going to pay.
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