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BOAH4 part two: Dreams in detention
Posted By: Collins Okonkwo<collinsist@yahoo.com>
Date: 10 March 2007, 12:20 pm
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Dreams in detention
The restraint cords secured them with a firm clasp against their seats as the Pillar of Autumn's bridge crew, most of them face grimaced, teeth tightly gnashed, hoped that the Captain's indomitable decision was not going to get them all killed. The continued rumbling quaked and shivered the Halcyon-class warship's interior, frantic voices hurtling in terrified hysteria. A sudden elongated "boom", which gave off a most severe reverberation, spoke an abrupt end to their salvaged landing. First there was silence all over, alarmed faces calmed…before shouts of relief and victory abruptly took up the entire bridge.
Like a giant whale washed ashore by a strong tide, the Pillar of Autumn battered and shaken, sat upon an extensive desert region of the immense ring world. So momentous was the shimmering of the sun which glinted off the ships beat-up hull. Smoke danced from the sandy mound formed at the lower sections of her to float into the grey sky. "We made it captain, no reports of any casualties from the crash," bridge officer Leonard said.
"Of course we did," Captain Jacob Keyes replied, trashing the loosed cords aside to rise to his feet. "But this is no time for celebrations. You don't suppose the covenant entirely forgot about us the moment we plunged into…this thing's atmosphere. We'll have covenant vessels crawling all over this position in little time." The Captain commenced a stride toward the console which faced Leonard and two other officers when he added: "We're more on the safe side now that Cortana's been separated from the Autumn. Protocols are in check and since we're sure that the Autumn is undoubtedly crippled, the main subject of the moment will be how we can keep every remaining personnel alive and away from reach of the enemy, before any next line of action can be resolved. So wha---"
"Multiple covenant vessels incoming on our position sir!" officer Beason shrieked over his shoulder from the opposite end of the room. "Um, sorry to interrupt you sir."
"How many?" Captain Keyes easily asked, turning to have view of the bridge-officer. Beason returned his gaze to his console wide-eyed. "Um, about…there's just too many of them sir. The size of drop ships."
"And that's what they are. Either they are here to finish off whatever's left of us, or they intend to take prisoners." The captain swerved his calm-gaze back to officer Leonard, continuing with that ever untroubled tone he was known with: "Leonard, We're abandoning ship. Everyone."
"Understood sir," curly haired Leonard agreed.
"How many flights do we have left in the hangar?"
"Oh, more than enough sir. Apart from two pelicans that left the ship when we leveled into the pseudo-planet's atmosphere, no other aircrafts have left the Pillar of Autumn, and that should leave us with more than a dozen flights."
"Good. Can we by any chance make contact with those two crafts?" The Captain asked.
"I'm afraid not sir, radio-com systems are still down."
"Very well, I want everyone assembled at the vehicle chambers, double time."
"Right away sir," Leonard responded, before he whirled to speak into the central communicator.
Captain Keyes stuck his pipe in mouth before he began toward the bridge exit, but withdrew it shortly. "Anderson," he called, stopping near to another console.
"Sir!" a man rose to salute.
"I want you to take four other men with you and head to the armory. I want all my people armed with weapons."
"Yes sir."
"And… are there yet any marines left aboard this ship?"
"No idea sir."
The Captain whirled to be looking at Leonard's corner again, while Anderson scuttled off. Leonard's voice was already ringing around the whole ship at this point. "All remaining personnel should please proceed to vehicle chamber for immediate evacuation." The bridge got a little rowdy with officers abandoning their stations and heading for the exit. Keyes allowed Leonard do his job, and looking to his right, noticed Beason already on the move. "Officer Beason."
The man saluted: "sir!"
"I understand that Sergeant Johnson went with one of the life boats. But are there any marines left aboard the Autumn?"
"Yes sir. Sergeant Scofield and his team helped defend against boarders in second grid 0144 and are still in that sector. Can't explain how they survived the crash without restraints, but I guess they should be on their way to the hangar by now."
"Okay. You can be on your way, that's all I needed to know." Following toward the door with a casual gait, Keyes delved into the privacy of his thoughts. Reach is obliterated. The painfully nurtured Spartans bitterly lavished. The one ship assigned to my command, downed. This is a dreadful nightmare. I pray to God that these aliens do not by any means locate Earth. I guess I have to an extent performed my role in making sure that does not happen. The Cole Protocol has been fully achieved. It all lies in the hands of our last Spartan to keep it that way. But I trust John. As for these aliens; they seem to be getting too confident in militarily engaging we humans. I'll make sure they get a taste of what if feels like to underestimate humanity. Even if it has to end this way for me and my crew. Oh yes, they'll know they ran into a dog-headed human Captain.
"Captain!" a voice shook him back into awareness. He was already past the first two corridors presently. The man that spoke was a sweaty marine. He had saluted, and trailed beside the captain shouldering his rifle. "We are experiencing a major problem sir. Both routs to the upper vehicle chamber have been blocked off by an explosion. We only have access to the main hangar bay. Which means that we can't currently gain access to any air-born vehicles."
"When did this happen?"
"I don't know sir, but we can clear the path by hand, just that it'll take a while."
"You have to see this Captain," another man said, who was dressed in the red of an engineering officer and stood not many feet before the approaching men. He was peering through a view port. Captain Keyes reached and stood beside him to have a look. He observed, still casually. He had been listening to Central-com repeat the message, "enemy inbound," but did not expect this. An array of covenant drop ships already lined around the Pillar of Autumn. "Just how fast are these covenant?" Keyes muttered to himself. He turned around and referred to the marine who stood behind him.
"You can see how little time we have soldier, get a move on, and divert everyone going towards the upper chambers." The marine nodded, made to hurry away. "One more thing," the Captain called. "What's the exact count of your squad, Corporal…?"
"Corporal Philips sir. We should be twelve in number."
"Corporal Philips, your job is to make sure everyone is securely in that hangar in the quickest time possible. And I expect to meet your commanding officer there for more orders."
"Right sir." And he trotted off. The other man equally hurried away at that command, before Keyes stared out again. He observed the rising spire in the distance. He didn't know what that structure was or served, but that was their destination. It was the closest thing to the crash site and he hoped it would make for momentary camp while he tried to reorganize his troops, but mostly that it was not some kind of automated military base. He simply hoped it was as deserted as it seemed, and even if they had to fight an entire covenant war fleet, they would give a better fight upon a facility that huge.
Captain Keyes, guiding his glare downwards, revealed that the covenant drop ships, long ramps thumping open, were already emptying troops which Jacob Keyes observed most of them disappear against the Pillar of Autumn's sprawling shadow. The Captain better understood the urgency required of this evacuation as he continued along the corridor in muse. He soon noticed the horrible sight. Fires scorched here and there; human, covenant corpses sprawled all over the place. Those freaks bled blue, and mingled with human crimson, had the foul thing splattered over bulkhead and floor of almost every corner made by the Captain.
In about ten minutes later, Keyes' shoe-steps clanged lightly against the slanting floor which joined the hangar's main access hatch. All eyes were pointed at him, of marines and officers grouped below. They all saluted in a manner that did not by any means synchronize. Hands folded behind back, the captain reached to be standing before them in the hugeness of the vehicle chamber. The crew noticed that he first arrowed a brief glance at the noses of the aircrafts which gaped from their high hung platforms. With just the LRVs accessible here in the lower sections around them, they wondered what the Captain's intention was. "Is this everyone?" They seemed quite small in number that it dismayed Keyes, but he hoped that most of the rest of his crew would be eventually numbered with those that exited in the life-boats rather than the dead.
"No sir, Captain!" Sergeant Scofield exclaimed, emerging from the right where the marines were better orderly positioned. "Then who's left out?" Keyes asked.
"We're right here sir!" another voice sounded, tangled with multiple boot-steps that hurried down the tilted entrance. All turned to note bridge officer Anderson's entrance, with four additional men who shouldered packs just like he did. "Good job Anderson," Captain Keyes said, before he gestured a hand at the floor. "Lay em right here."
The five men were all sweaty from hauling those packs all the way from armory. They let the bulky packs slip from their shoulders to the ground with followed thumps, after which they proceeded to join behind the lines. It was then that Officer Leonard equally arrived, stomped down the entrance. Keyes briefly noticed the final arrival before he turned to Scofield. "Sergeant, I want everyone armed ASAP, lets see what we've got there."
Scofield briskly fled to squat before the packs and giving up a sharp whiz, the first pack was unzipped by the Sergeant's quick fingers; fingers that may have gained their quickness from a life time's hasty shifting of rifle trigger. The stone jawed and narrow eyed marine gathered contents of the bag in both hands. "M6Ds MA5Bs." He dropped his first picks and rummaged for more, lifted them into sight and added: "A few frag-grenades, and lots of ammo."
Captain Keyes retrieved his peek from the open pack, said: "That looks like enough to go round to me." He tried to search out Anderson at the rear of the lines. "Officer Anderson, why on Earth did you think these other packs necessary?"
"Rocket launchers sir!" Anderson hollered from his position. "And rocket launcher ammo." At this point, Sergeant Scofield was already done unzipping one of the extra packs. "Rocket launcher," he said, looking up at the captain with a slight grin. "Hmm," The Captain went. "Excellent job Anderson, we might just be needing that much fire power. Have three of your men handle those weapons immediately Sergeant."
"Kelly!" Scofield shouted. "Mathew! Jackoby! You heard the Captain, get moving!" three marines abruptly broke the lines to scramble forward. While the three obeyed that command, freeing the M19SSMs from their leathery coverings, Sergeant Scofield stretched a hand to again reach for the first pack which he had budged to his side. He handled and shoved it to the right such that it slithered on the smooth floor to brake in front of the file of remaining marines.
The Sergeant straightened, looked to the line of soldiers as though checking to see the most suitable men for the task. "Roy! Mackenzie!" he waved a hand. "Double time, make these cakes go round." They were quick in parting the queue and hefted the bag in no time by the two straps which they tugged apart to make it gape. Both men meddled through the lines lifting the pack in that manner, while multiple hands consecutively snatched at weapons of choice. With the exception of those already armed from the previous covenant attack.
Sergeant Scofield looked behind just to satisfy himself with the fact that his boys as fast as lightening, already heaved the cumbersome rocket launchers against their trained shoulders. As the distribution of weapons went on, Jacob Keyes raised his face to catch sight of the gathered crew. "Alright, listen up people," he began. "We've got bands of the enemy out there already thinking up a way to access the Autumn." The Captain had dabbed an explanatory thumb at the thatch of bulkhead behind in making that point.
"And I don't consider it to have been a very difficult task for them even while we were still in space. That should show you just how much time we have, to make a hurriedly planned exit." He sent a purposeful gaze at the high flung crafts again. "As I suppose you all know, all routs to the aerial vehicles were blocked off in the covenant's internal assault of the Autumn. So we'll have to somehow maximize the use of the LRVs, which is our only possible option in the present." What sounded like a light and distant explosion noised on the outside, forced everyone to look in the seeming direction.
"The covenant are already breaching the ship sir," Sergeant Scofield casually told the Captain. Keyes nodded, and went on rather too unperturbedly. "We'll have to be quick about this. I want…" he paused to observe and make estimations. "The best hands with the wheels; have ten LRVs lined in front of the deployment hatch ASAP. The rest of you, cock and load, we've got covenant blood to spill."
Like a school of fish suddenly startled by a voracious predator, the lines abruptly dispersed. Apart from the marines, most of the other men gathered around the gun-pack for extra ammo which they stiffly tucked into their belts and pants.
The land-vehicle-deployment hatch was such that it slanted not just on this inner path but after the level platform facing the door upon which the vehicles were now lined, another slant followed and would be revealed the moment the outer ramps drop and the hatch is thrown open. So wide was the deployment hatch that even after ten LRVs were stationed horizontally on its level platform, it still held enough space for at least half a dozen more. Captain Keyes approached the thrumming vehicles making it up the tilted path.
Having handed his personal M6D pistol to the MJOLNIR armored Master Chief, the Captain now equipped himself with another of that preferred weapon of his. Behind him was Private Jackoby who heaved one of the heavy rocket launchers along. Keyes' estimations were strikingly accurate, for apart from Jackoby and Corporal Philips whom he ordered to roll up an eleventh warthog, all other LRVs were occupied and no crew member was left out. More faint booms suggested that the covenant were already gaining access to different sectors of the ship.
Captain Keyes stopped in front of the hatch's manual release lever, turned to refer to the armored vehicles arrayed to his right. "I hope everyone got this right. Even though we can assume that the covenant do not have an idea of what we're about, the moment I release this door, we equally don't precisely know what we're going to be faced with out there. Nevertheless let us all try our best to keep focused on the main objective… And give em hell while we are at it." The captain thought he heard a silent "hoorah" by a marine. "In my opinion people," he carried on, "the covenant have pushed us too far. And for all I know, we did not manage to land this ship just to be obliterated by some offensively ugly aliens!" Some of them still possessed spirit high enough for a chuckle.
Jacob Keyes unusually spoke loudly and passionately as he added: "So we aren't giving up just yet!" The Captain's words were stressed such that it reminded Sergeant Scofield of a preacher he once listened to in his childhood days on Earth. "The freaks may be more in number," Keyes continued. "But their gathered wits cannot by any means be compared to that of any human within this hangar." The Sergeant better positioned himself rifle in hand and battle ready in the passenger seat of that first LRV looking as ready to kick covenant butt as he ever would. Behind him, a bridge officer rather awkwardly gripped the turret with a determined hold nodding in approval of the Captain's words. Even if they were not courageous enough earlier on, the ardor that streamed with Captain Keyes voice came a long way in helping achieve that now.
The additional vehicle rumbled up the path to brake behind Sergeant Scofield's ride and near to where the Captain stood. Keyes concluded as he pulled the lever: "And the most imperative command that I shall issue you this hour soldiers…is that you stay alive! Let us go soldiers, for REACH!" and unlike Captain Keyes it was loud; so loud that it echoed in the hugeness of the hangar bay. "For REACH!" they all shouted in response, guns and fists flailing in the air.
A shady cast of natural light flashed from below to meet their faces as the lengthy hatch groaned apart. Captain Keyes and Jackoby, whom he waved along, were quick to join Philips in the last LRV while the others were already barreling down the slope headed towards the lowered outer ramp. The coalescing of many vehicle engines roared at the hangars hollow interior. The first warthog to thump the sandy ground was Sergeant Scofield's. The vehicle's shocks recoiled and rebounded but the bobbing did not stop Scofield from picking off two covenant grunts to the left flank as the vehicle careened under the Pillar of Autumn's great shadow. He heard the deafening turret above his head as it crackled shots that knocked protesting covenant ground troops off their feet, fountains of sand sprayed by the mounted three-barreled machine-gun in the process. Other vehicles stumbled into the open field, which had covenant ranks strewn all over it like insects come to feed on a substantial catch. Turrets crackled, rifles rattled, while pistols banged at the enemy as the vehicles poured into the open. Covenant grunts panicked, scrambled for unavailable safety. Elites defiantly fired back at the emerging LRVs unflinchingly taking fire against their armor. Of which many were leveled by the human assault.
Scofield twisted his neck further left, along the Pillar of Autumn's extensive hull, to notice covenant drop-ships hovering at various positions, whom were vainly emptying more troops onto the downed giant. Before them, about half a kilometer or so after the Autumn's shade, more drop-ships were docked whilst banshees patrolled the brilliant sunlit sky.
Naturally, the covenant expected two things. Either the humans remained in their ship in fear of the enemy, which the aliens thought most likely; or they attempted an escape with their smaller troopships. They never anticipated this crazy move of ground vehicles hurtling across the sandy span. Nevertheless all covenant attention was drawn to the LRVs now. Sergeant Scofield's warthog made the lead as they managed to thunder past the Pillar of Autumn's dark shadow into brighter lit area where the sand seemed to dazzle from the sun's heated touch. One other LRV sped next to it, while the rest maintained a triangular formation behind. Their heavy tires kicked up sand, had their quick passage engulfed in a trailing mass of shrouding dust. Presently they were free of any disturbance from those ground forces, who remained within closer proximity of the Pillar of Autumn. While they sped towards the docked drop-ships, banshees were already gathering from different angles, brushing through the sky to engage a pursuit.
Two banshees in particular had been the only ones hovering near to the docked covenant ships and before the approaching human vehicles. They dived, approached head-on in the nearer sky and opened plasma fire. Plasma rounds shattered windshield of one speeding LRV before M19SSM rocket launcher projectiles fled from the herd to squeal toward the aerial assault aircrafts. Preciseness of those shots met one banshee in the nose. The other was quick to veer off but lost one wing which turned its swerve into an uncontrollable reel. And it reeled out of sight of the warthogs which was a good thing because the other projectile-rammed banshee sent spinning fragments that whipped through the air lunging directly at the escaping LRVs. The crew of Scofield's and the other ride which followed to their right ducked their heads in avoidance of what was more of an oversized spinning sword. Smoldering hot, the shrapnel halved the mounted turrets on both rides, cut both turrets and tore two gunners of the next LRVs in half who were the slowest to make an evasive move. Every other gunner dodged and the shrapnel disappeared into the dusty trail left behind by the rides, after it had destroyed five complete turrets and two men.
The rest of the shrapnel that lunged in their direction was small in comparison but were dangerously hot. One hissed past Scofield's ear. Some pierced into windshields and hung there like assassin darts, while some buried into shoulder and limbs of men who grunted at the pain. A marine was the driver of one of the warthogs who lost their gunners: Corporal Raul. Raul tried to keep his eye on the road and at the same time urge the bridge officer who was seated next to him to make use of his rifle rather than cringe into the lower part of the car. "More fighter crafts, six o clock!" An engineering officer screamed from the next ride, tore off rounds of his rifle in the direction before others joined to make a deadly barrage. "Make yourself and that weapon useful soldier," Raul growled. "We got more incoming!" The man finally got up to aim his rifle backwards just to witness that the gunner who had lost his entire torso still spurted blood on the turret stand. He grimaced, more like one who was in some kind of pain, releasing the most awkward shots at the hastily approaching banshees.
At this point the Pillar of Autumn's crew was drawing nearer to the two docked drop-ships. The space between the two ships was wide enough to take all the LRVs in their V formation. Every gunner of the remaining three-barreled mounted machine-guns were scattering rounds at the pursing covenant banshees. Of which the new arrivals were more careful to dodge, performed the most aerodynamically impossible maneuvers of avoidance ever seen by the humans. Three out of what happened to be six banshees dived, closed in almost simultaneously. They fired their dual fuel-rod cannons. The first erupted near Captain Keyes' LRV which tailed behind and was not part of the formation. The impact lifted a great shower of sand and tilted the left side of the vehicle so that it continued a few seconds on two wheels before bouncing back into balance. Shots from the other two banshees were aimed to the rear of the formation where it buried into the sand skimming the under side of one LRV. The LRV was thrown high into the air by that force. Like a piece of toy, the light reconnaissance vehicle was aloft and performed a sever spin forward, its shadow slowly flying past the other cars.
As for the banshees that dared come close enough for a fuel-rod attack, not all pulled up quick enough. Rocket launcher rounds from Corporal Kelly and Mathew tore two to shreds while the third already smoking black at its side from turret fire, was lucky to escape a last M19SSM projectile released by Jackoby which breezed wide. The exploding banshees blasted into pieces and tumbled away against the hurrying ground, and were not by any means a threat to the LRVs in this case since the attack came from behind. The pilots of those two forward drop-ships must have been scrambling as quick as they could to make it to the guns the moment they sighted the LRVs because the U shaped covenant drop-ships suddenly released huge bolts of scorching plasma from their top-guns, starting with the one on the right, then the one on the left wing. Wide-eyed, Sergeant Scofield threw his face backward waving an arm. "Break formation! Break formation!" the man screamed at the height of his vocals
Though Sergeant Scofield's driver swerved the vehicle to sway in avoidance of those deadly beams, it was too late for some of the LRVs. One took a direct hit that rained molten windshield into the driver's face. He screamed in agony, steered too hard to cause the vehicle to tumble violently sideways. Their gunner was tossed into the air, hands flailing helplessly. The man's landing was greeted with one of the LRVs accidentally ramming him into oblivion, blood splattering against windshield. Other LRVs skewed around the tumbled warthog as it finally ended its crash upside down, tires spinning vainly; Just for another careless driver to slam into it causing both vehicles to go up in blistering flames. The formation was broken and the humans made themselves more difficult targets swaying left and right like desperate bugs seeking a path out of a flaming maze. They showed their skills dodging those hellish spits of plasma beam that flared through the air in rapid bursts. Corporal Mathew's hasty hands were deftly reloading his rocket launcher. The teetering of the LRV made it into a most difficult task. But he succeeded…balanced it upon his shoulders, took unsteadied aim, and slammed the fat trigger to send a missile whistling away. It struck into the top-gun of the left handed covenant ship to completely neutralize that threat, leaving black plume that smoked from the severed spot.
While the other covenant drop-ships were too far off to get a precise shot at them, it was just the drop-ship by the right that continued to rain hell at them. The vehicles neared the gap which separated both ships. Getting past that space would mean that they would only be faced with the banshees that stalked above. It would be more like breaking through an enemy siege-wall in ancient Earth battles. But it was at that moment that the LRV which had been whisked into the air, which had gone spinning overhead of the other warthogs lifted by the banshee fuel-rod cannons, landed headlong in the exact middle of the gap with a dull clatter.
Scofield's LRV being the first tried to avoid but brushed past it, causing the vehicle to behave in the same manner as the Captain's ride from the earlier banshee attack. The difference being that Scofield's LRV continued on two wheels only for the briefest seconds before it somersaulted against the sand. Other vehicles did good to avoid both crashed LRVs, whipping past in meaningful speed. Just as the remaining cars made it across the gap, Corporal Mathew released his last round of rocket launcher to pluck off the yet disturbing drop-ship gun that had been trailing their progress with frustrating spits of plasma fire. They had made it across the gap. Their destination loomed before them as the speeding LRVs spat dust at the covenant forces behind. An expansive super structure with an extensive spire which had some kind of beam extending from it. That was their hope for at least a good fight against the covenant. It was all open desert from here on
As the dust of their passing cleared…a toppled LRV which had tumbled beyond the gap of covenant drop-ships was revealed, tires spinning in poignant futility. A figure crawled into view from underneath. Sergeant Scofield bled from the nose, a bloody scar on his left temple; his left leg took on a sharp pain that told him just how damaged it must be. His frail and trembling left hand clawed at the sand. After all that plummeting, the man had not lost grip of his rifle. His right hand maintained its clasp of the weapon as it reached across the sand. He winced, tried to pull himself into open ground. The pain in the left leg neared excruciating and Scofield grunted loudly, panted, and rested himself from the strain. He sent his gaze to the right, witnessed how hopeless his situation was by the distance his comrades had covered.
Scofield suddenly felt like life tried to force its way out of him. But then came that sound. He could never mistake it. He had heard the sound of those vehicles too many a times in his violent military life not to recognize it. The Sergeant was sure it was a warthog even though the sound echoed in his head. His mind surely did not deceive him as another LRV zoomed past his helpless self. Sergeant Scofield tried to call for help but discovered his throat refused to function. And they had not noticed him. Swift shadows of three banshees one after the other fled past him next. Obviously in pursuit of his comrades. There was only one other option and he hoped it would work. He managed to raise the MA5B Assault Rifle's muzzle high enough to crack sweltering bursts into the air. Scofield hoped his comrades would hear that gunfire, hoped it would not be muffled by the loud sounding warthog…then collapsed.
If it was hours, minutes or mere seconds that had past the man could not tell, but felt both his arms grasped and dragged. That left leg offered a cruel pain as he felt himself finally pulled out from below the vehicle. He heard a man's voice asking: "Are you Okay, Sir?" and it sounded like Jackoby's. But there was no more strength left in his weary body. He opened his eyes and it was all blurry, but he noticed the human shape of two faces. He shut his eyes again, for keeping them open seemed to take so much out of him.
Captain Keyes threw Sergeant Scofield's right arm over his shoulders, curved his own arm around the man's torso. "Be careful with the legs," Keyes told Jackoby who hefted the man from the other side. The warthog thrummed standing about fifteen paces ahead of them. Corporal Philips impatiently glanced at them in his position of the driver's seat. Both men scampered along the sand with Scofield supported against their shoulders, his dragged feet making a track across the sand. Perhaps Captain Keyes had purposely wanted his LRV to trail behind due to contingencies such as this. And now it seemed a reasonable idealist strategy. Jackoby had taken out one of the three banshees before they made the reverse on picking the sound of that rifle fire. Captain Jacob Keyes knew that what remained of his escaping UNSC personnel could hold off two banshees till they got to their destination of that great spire which brooded beyond the waiting LRV. The plan had been that casualties might be uncured in the process of escape but that no vehicle was to stop for any what so reason. And here was Captain Keyes breaking his own rule and putting more lives at stake. He disliked this soft part of him that always sprang up at times but allowed himself be overwhelmed by it nevertheless.
They were a less than a meter away from their ride now, and Keyes thought he could hear covenant forces behind them. Jackoby, even with the burden of a wounded marine upon his shoulders kept trying to glance backwards. They were there. Jacob Keyes reached out a hand to grab the upper fringes of the car…"Boom." A whitish-blue explosion tore at the LRV, threw the three men backwards.
In the next moments, Keyes opened his eyes to wince at a harsh sunlight that descended from a lingering sky. His breath heaved, rasped, and he thought he heard his own heartbeat. The silhouette figure of what was definitely not a man looked down at him. "Kill him," an acutely deep voice sounded nearby. "Kill them all." Keyes watched the barrel of an alien weapon come over his face. The weapon with a loud swoosh, released a substance over the Captain that felt as though the sun itself had descended from the sky to strike him with a heated palm…
Captain Jacob Keyes' eyes briskly shot open. He ran edgy hands over his face groping his fingers around it in frantic terror. Those anxious fingers went damp with liquid. He widened desperate eyes to look down at his outstretched palms only to realize it was perspiration. He was seated with back against a hard surface. Looking forward revealed a gleaming containment field. Keyes looked around and the realization of where he was flooded back into his mind. He took a breath of relief.
The covenant detention cell was small and square shaped having that same dour purple color. And the shady confine was not even equipped with necessary nature-call amenities. It made the Captain wonder what the covenant life was like outside the place of battle.
Keyes wondered for how long he had slumbered. My tired body seemed to get the better of me he thought. But that was not how it happened. Yes it was similar to the real experience but… He touched his face again. My face is not roasted… and I'm still alive. He suddenly remembered wounded Scofield being tossed into a cell opposite him. Keyes reached forward, peered out through the translucent gleam of containment field. Scofield was blissfully asleep in his cell and surprisingly his wounds somehow seemed to be catered for.
Surely there has to be a way out of this
Not without a fight
It can not end like this
Detention station main door hissed, approaching covenant voices noised on the outside.
Sergeant Brad took another peek of the corner, turned to pass instructions to the marines. But Latoya Hegins whom was nearest to the Sergeant apart from the other three marines, paid attentive ears and at the same time heard nothing, for he was lost in deep muse. Thoughts swirled in Hegins' despaired mind as the death of his friend in the past minutes kept recurring to him.
We had made it that far. The escape pod had been safely landed near that rockslide upon a grassy plain of this ring world. The great cluster of boulders had provided good cover against the covenant search and destroys, most of whom were neatly taken out by Edmond's sniper rifle. But then more covenant drop-ships began to descend just when Edmond started to come short of ammo. Our last remaining Spartan, the Master Chief, had saved our sorry behinds back there. I and Roy had been more than glad being sent on this mission as reinforcements for the same Spartan 117 who had saved our hopeless situation. Why did Roy have to survive all the battles against the Noruban rebels at the African excavation site of West Mutombo? Roy had learnt their language in less than a year that we served there, and had explained to me what the rebels always chanted whenever they engaged us in battle. "Leave the land of our fathers you devils sent of the beast." Roy had fought very well, and was always a better soldier than I am. Why then Roy, did you have to survive the boarders on the Pillar of Autumn? I actually concluded it was due to your luck that our life-boat managed to make a safe landing. You had survived the covenant search and destroy party, Roy. Only to be fried by alien plasma bolts the moment we touched down in this covenant ship. That is what I fail to understand. It happened just too easily. Just one instance and twenty one years of friendship ends before my eyes. What point is there in living on when one lost a friend such as Roy? I'm a bloody bastard and a damnable orphan with no one to call family. I've just suddenly lost the nearest thing to family that I ever knew. Surely to me life has entirely lost its meaning.
Hegins, even though he watched Sergeant Brad's lips move as they leaned against that wall, did not make out a single word of what his commanding officer said. If only he had kept the ponder for a later time, he would have heard the man explain that the two hurrying covenant elites had just made it into the door of that next corridor, and that the plan was to stealthily trail them, for they were definitely headed towards the location of the Master Chief. And that their not noticing them to this point, meant that the covenant must think they had eliminated all human reinforcements.
Sergeant Brad stole a final peep, waved the men forward to secure the next corridor. "Now, let's move it," he whispered. Hegins was supposed to take point. Private Akindele who was next to him noticed he was not moving and nudged the marine forward with a jerk of his sleeve. "Come on snap out of it Hegins."
Like a light bulb suddenly flicked on, Hegins was once more alert of his surroundings. And the first thing he noticed was the Sergeants hands waving them into that corridor. He firmed the grip of his weapon and scrambled past Sergeant Brad into the corner. The other three marines followed. They stumbled into and pointed their weapons in the directions necessary for securing the passage. But Hegins was not stopping. They alarmingly watched the young man trot toward the closed door which quickly hissed apart. Hegins continued in his thoughts. The only life I know now is the one where I kill covenant. And sure as hell I'm gonna kill me a lot of covenant this day. The opened door revealed the two covenant who were furious to notice the marine. They made to point their plasma rifles at him. Hegins gave them a wicked grin, aimed his assault rifle at them.
To be continued.
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