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Chambers Company: Chapter Six
Posted By: AngryHorizon<rennerma@alltel.net>
Date: 25 January 2006, 5:06 am
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Chapter 6
Sounded like a sound plan, but I just wasn't sure. It didn't seem like the Covenant would let this happen. They would send everything they have to take a base, and they have never been known to do reconnaissance.
1054 hrs. September 21st 2552 (Military Calendar)/
Covenant Camp south of Fort Erickson
I toured around the camp. It seemed to me that power had got into Red's head. We are all brothers here, and he is starting to treat us like trash. We are going to need a firm leader that everyone likes, but Red is burying himself in his own image.
Pelicans of men, heavy weapons, extra ammo, and vehicles kept arriving in twenty-minute increments. The area was active. Time was flying by. Red was positioning the men, while Thomas told him where to place them.
Chambers Company was left at the base they took. 2nd Lieutenant Smith was on the right flank of the base, while my platoon was on the left. Orders came through for us to hunker down, and become less visible. I smeared some mud on my already dirty face. The cool chill of the winter air made me shiver as the mud dried, and stuck to my face.
We cleaned up the base at to appear nothing happened. We stood up a few Elites to look like they were talking. Everyone was in position here, and as I understood it, the Washington had arrived. It lay dormant with the Elanjar waiting for the enemy. Thomas was able to talk to all of us via our helmet comes, so we waited for the word that the ship had arrived.
The trees were mostly bare, which didn't help us at all. The sky was clear, with the occasional bird flying over. This was a relaxing moment. I looked at my men. Private First Class Lenard James was hunkered down next to his lifetime buddy Private First Class Thomas Joucker. Lenard was a large lineman, but he was strong, and could nail anything with a sniper. His ocean blue eyes caught some light, and reflected it into mine. He winced at the bright light, as did I. His dark brown hair was cut like everyone else's, short on the top, and even shorter on the sides.
Thomas, was the opposite of Lenard. He is very slim, though he did not participate on the football team, he is still and extraordinary athlete. He was talking to Lenard, and his angular face broke out into laughter. It was good to see them having a good time, because any or all of us could be dead in a little while.
The tension was unbearable. We didn't waste anytime in setting up the ambushes. We have been in position for at least thirty minutes. The light north wind blew the naked trees gently. I was about to get up when Thomas came over the comm.
"It's here, but with the whole fleet! They intended on this, they are going to hit the base with us gone, possibly even bomb us here. The Elanjar, and Washington don't have a chance," cried Thomas using his installed voice to sound worried, panicky.
"Damn, we need to get out of here," cried Captain Summers over the comm. "Load up in the Warthogs you have, and high tail it back to the base, that goes for everyone." He then came over the private comm to me. "Joseph, get the AI, and Mason, and load up your platoons in the four Pelicans that stuck around. Then get back to base and rally with the rest of Chambers, I will follow suit in a 'Hog"
"Yes sir," I said fastly getting up from my mud hole. "1st Platoon, load up in the Pelicans, pronto!" I ran into the computer lab, and accessed the AI. I stuck him in one of the slots in my helmet. He would still be able to talk to everyone through my comm. By the time I came out of the structure, my platoon was loaded up mixed with 3rd Platoon. There were also members from other companies as well. I ended up standing. The take off was fast, and as I looked down, I saw our structured attack run around in madness, and chaos. The Pelicans did not rise high above the trees, and it was sickening to watch them go by so fast.
The thought of going higher didn't please me either. The memories of falling off of the building were still fresh in my mind. I was a volunteer firefighter for my town, and I was on top of one of the only tall buildings in my sleepy little town. It was engulfed in a raging inferno. The roof collapsed, but I didn't fall in the collapse. I jumped off, but fell of the side. I was fortunate for the weeks rain. The ground was saturated, and I landed in the full of water. I did not walk away with injury however. Two months of therapy were required to train my back to function properly again.
The Warthogs were navigating the terrain as best as they could, but there were just too many trees. They would not reach the base until it was to late.
"Lieutenant, I have no access to Command computers, or anything for that matter. I am virtually useless in you helmet," warned the AI.
"I will get you to Command as fast as I possibly can," I told him. The trees continued to swish past, and to add to the frustration, several squads of Banshees swooped down into view. The gunner opened, but they were out of range.
"Everyone down," I yelled as the Banshees boosted closer. Those who were standing and those on the last seats shouldered their weapons. Two out of the five men had rockets, and one was on the mounted machine gun. We waited. The other Pelicans behind us received fire, and they returned fire. I saw seven out of the more than thirty Banshees go down in a blinding shine of bright blue flames.
They were in range. Plasma screamed from their cannons. Projectiles were flung from our guns. Hot plasma struck the Pelican, leaving smoking burn marks. Sparks flew in the bay. Four out of four rockets were dead on. Another Banshee sustained damage from concentrated fire, and went down in a smoldering pile of flames. But the price wasn't free. Two Marines for another Company were hit. One was dead on impact, while the other fell off of the craft, and into the foliage below. The spent casings that lay on the bed of the Pelican gave off smoke.
"They will be back, and they probably won't attack from behind again, they were just playing with us," I said. "We need to keep our heads on straight now. Let's have a new wave of Marines up here."
Volunteers from every Company stood, but only about seven men could shoot out the back. This time we had more rockets ready to fire. No one from the Chambers Company made it up to the shooting platform however. The screams of the engines were suddenly loud to me. Everything around me became noticeable. Everyone in the ship was scared, with sweat rolling down the sides of their faces. I rose, and walked into the cockpit.
"Standing on the edge is not a good," said the pilot as soon as he noticed I was in there. "The Banshees could hit something, or I could hit an air pocket, the ship will become unstable, and they will fall out.'
"We don't really have a choice sir," I said respectfully. "We are way over overcrowded, and we have to try to fiend off the Banshees."
"Yes, I agree," responded the Pilot, while punching a series of buttons. The cockpit glowed on my face. "Tower, come in tower."
The tower must have responded, because he continued the conversation. "What is your status… We have four overstocked Pelicans screaming your way, ETA one minute… Roger, over and out. You might want to take a seat, here comes the Banshees again."
"Yes sir," I said going back to my seat. I warned those on the edge to brace themselves. They did as instructed. One arrogant Banshee presented itself as a target, and three of the Marines with rockets took the liberty of destroying it in an impressive inferno.
The men were quite, and the pilot called out twenty seconds. I looked out the back of the ship, and saw smoke rising from one of the structures in the base. Banshees were screaming all around, and all of the Longswords were in orbit fighting a losing battle. "All of you are to get into Command and defend the General, over," called the pilot over the comm.
The dropship lowered into yet another chaotic seen of Warthogs, and Scorpions scrambling, trying to grip with reality that they were under attack. We exited the ship, and saw destruction all around, but no ground forces. Banshees were swooping in and out, decimating anything in its path with its deadly fuel rod cannon.
Tracers from the cannons around the perimeter of the base were visible in the sky. They took out Banshees to the best of their ability. 2nd Platoon was no doubt putting up a hell of fight.
"Move, get into Command," I yelled at the top of my lungs over the comm. Everyone from the four Pelicans must have had the same assignment, because when I yelled that they all ran for the Titanium A structure that housed Command. I followed, and right before I entered the structure I looked back. All of the structures had damage done to them, thick black smoke lifted into the air. Plasma was screaming thorough the air. I looked into the general direction of our barracks, and wondered how 2nd Platoon was holding. I was yanked into the building when I saw an armada of giant ghost like ships coming down from the sky. They had a small bright blue circle underneath them, they must have been the new dropships Thomas was talking about.
I turned, and saw Trey form 2nd Platoon looking at me. The rest of 2nd Platoon had their guns focused on the doors.
"What are you doing here," I asked unbelievingly. I shook his hand. All of the Marines from the Covenant base were standing around.
"As it turns out our guns were in disrepair, and the General had us brought here just incase something went wrong in the attack," he informed. His dark brown eyes looked seriously at me, and then a little more light-hearted. "Looks like something did go wrong, but at least you guys made it back."
"Yeah, but Red probably won't make it. He left the base in a 'Hog, and there were Banshees all around," I said with a sad not on my face. "I need to find the General to return this AI."
"Yeah, he is down the hall, and to the right. There you will find a large door, it leads to the lower basement," he instructed. "We are all to head there. All Command personnel are down there."
"Alright, let's move then, for now, until Red returns I am in command of Chambers Company," I said not just telling him, but telling myself.
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