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Knossos: Fetters of War
Posted By: Matt Anderson<matt@mattcity.com>
Date: 27 November 2005, 11:41 pm
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0901 hours, September 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sigma Draconis system, UNSC camp at the Red Plains, planet Knossos
"And so the Symps just ran right to the alien camp?"
"Yes, the fools! I suppose they thought the Covenant would help them. What's best is how the aliens disposed of them. You see, they didn't just shoot them; they took them right up to a thousand feet and dropped them!"
"Brilliant! Maybe now they'll see logic and stop fighting us."
Lieutenant Colonel Amari laughed heartily as he took another bite of his omelet. He and his friend William Dean were eating breakfast in his house-sized tent, catching up on months of being apart. The man had come unannounced earlier in the morning to celebrate with Amari victory over the Sympathizers in the northern regions of Knossos. The Sympathizers, Humans who were tragically misled and believed the Covenant were gods, had tried for months to upset warfare wherever possible. In a last desperate attempt to win victory for their cause they had tried to seek help from their revered Covenant. The aliens had not reacted favorably.
"I see things are going well for you here," William said happily, stabbing a bit of egg onto his fork.
"Mmm. Yes," Amari replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Very well. I'm surprised the Covenant just don't give up, or at least glass us and be done with it."
Sunlight poured into the tent as Madison lifted the flap and entered hurriedly. "Dean, my old friend!" He slapped William on the back, making the man choke slightly on his food, and reached to grab a pad of paper off a back shelf. He came back to stand beside the table. "How goes the war up North?"
"Well, actually, it's going-"
"Listen, not now, I'm in a rush. Lieutenant Colonel, about the Covenant reinforcements?"
"Ah, yes," Amari said, turning in his seat. "I was just going to send for that report."
"The Watchmen saw the ship come in last night, it landed past the Hearth Mountains. I suppose you want me to take care of it?"
"Yes, please. I'd like to have the continent secured by mid October, this nuisance doesn't help."
"I'll get on it, then," Madison said, turning again to walk out. "Enjoy your stay, Will."
Dean waited for the man to leave before he spoke again.
"I don't see how you can stand that man."
"He loves to fight, and he's efficient."
"You don't seem to be worried about this new threat," William noted.
"It's nothing, really, just a delay. The Covenant aren't a match for me."
1027 hours, September 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sigma Draconis system, UNSC camp at the Red Plains, planet Knossos
Captain Madison sat listlessly at his desk, twirling a pen between his fingers. He had been trying to come up with an attack plan for an hour now and had only succeeded in drawing a few scribbles and a depiction of a marine shooting a grunt. The trouble with it all was he didn't know precisely where the Covenant were. They had flown past the mountains, and sense told him they would be there, but they could have gone for hundreds of miles beyond that. He couldn't very well march on a position and have the enemy not be there. And sending scouts would be suicide for whoever went. He'd have to pick someone he didn't care for.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Madison called, setting his pencil down and moving important looking papers to cover his scribbles. A soldier opened the door and moved quickly to stand at rigid attention in front of the Captain's desk. Madison held back a grin, letting the soldier salute for a moment, before returning the gesture.
"Lieutenant Anthony," he said coyly, leaning back in his chair. "Just the man I was hoping to see."
"I was told you sent for me, Sir," Anthony said quietly.
"So I did. I'd like your advice on a delicate matter."
"Sir?"
"As you've no doubt heard, the Covenant sent reinforcements in last night. I think they landed just over the mountains- through the River Valley. Trouble is, we can't be sure, since we have no working satellite equipment and can't risk another pelican for scouting. We also need to know what sort of artillery they brought with them. How would you proceed?"
Anthony hesitated for a moment, thinking, before speaking. "Well, Sir… I'd do it manually, since that's our only option, starting with the mountains. I'd go quietly, take one or two men through River Valley and get a report."
"A great idea. Do it."
"Do it, Sir?"
"There should be an extra warthog in the motor pool, take it if you want. The Valley isn't scorching this time of day so you should leave immediately. I'll even let you choose your own men, if you'd like."
Anthony nodded, looking a bit unsure of the idea. "Understood, Sir."
1104 hours, September 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sigma Draconis system, holding cell at the Red Plains, planet Knossos
James Heller knelt in the dirt, hands clasped in prayer, his gaze towards the dirty ceiling.
"Dear Lord, I know I haven't always been the most faithful servant, or even that decent of a man, but if you would open this door for me I'll attend chapel every weekend; or, if for some reason I can't, I'll at least read a few bible passages. This, Lord, I promise to you."
There was a loud creaking behind him; James turned his head quickly to see the cell door was being opened.
"Corporal Heller, come forward."
Heller quickly stood up and moved towards the door. A guard held it open, an impatient look on his face. Just behind him stood Lieutenant Anthony— the man who had beaten him for insubordination. Heller turned to the guard in annoyance. "What's he doing here?"
"You are to be released from captivity into supervision of Lieutenant Anthony, and your past infractions will be wiped from the record," The guard said, a bit of a smirk on his face.
"Forget it," Heller said, sitting down on the floor. "I'd rather be court-martialed than serve under this chickenshit."
"These orders come straight from Lieutenant Colonel Amari."
"Amari?" Heller asked, a look of surprise on his face.
"You are to locate the Covenant base camp."
Heller looked stunned. "Me locate…" He looked from the guard to Anthony and back again. This was unthinkable.
Heller burst into laughter.
1631 hours, September 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sigma Draconis system, somewhere in the River Valley, planet Knossos
In the hundred years Knossos had been a colony nobody had quite figured out why River Valley was named so. More of a canyon than anything, any water that had once been there was long gone. It was now similar to a desert, the yellow and brown sand scorching in the afternoon heat. Heat waves rippled in the bright light of the orange sun, casting strange shadows against sparsely scattered rocks and vegetation— and speeding through it all was a small green Warthog, tires kicking up a trail of dust as it drove along.
"I suppose you'll want me to forgive you with all this," Heller said, smiling as he looked out at the valley, wind blowing through his short-cropped hair.
"What's that?" Lieutenant Anthony asked, voice raised to be heard over the car engine.
"I said," Heller repeated, "That I bet this is all to have me forgive you for your nasty comments."
"You will address me properly, Heller."
"Yes, Sir."
Anthony shook his head. "This is far from a reward. HQ sent us on a task to find the Covenant base camp, which is nearly impossible since the enemy no doubt has guards and snipers set up along the valley. Even if we did find them we would most likely be killed, it's a suicide mission. I chose you because you're condemned anyway. The loss of one ill-behaved soldier won't matter much to the war effort."
"I would've felt better if you had just lied, Sir."
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. Anthony drove in wordless annoyance, while Heller stared continuously out the window.
"Sir, how much farther is it?" Heller asked at last.
"Any distance with you is-"
His words were cut off by an explosion of noise and dirt on the road ahead. Anthony swerved the warthog and threw on the brakes, a rain of sand and dust pouring down and making it impossible to see. The warthog had little traction in the sand. It span in circles, still rushing forward and keeping the two soldiers from any sort of rational thought. The force was unbearable, and the world was a fast moving blur. There was another explosion to the left, and another behind them. Several more seemed to shatter the world. Anthony strained to get back to his senses. He pulled the steering wheel hard to try and even out the spin, gritting his teeth and squinting to keep the sand from his eyes. It took only a moment to even out, and soon after the dust cloud passed to show the trail ahead.
There was a very large rock in the way.
Almost immediately the warthog slammed into the face of it, coming to a violent stop and destroying the front of the vehicle completely. The last thing Anthony remembered seeing was the steering wheel rushing toward his head.
-----------------
"Madison."
The Captain stopped walking, and leaned back to peer through the door he had just passed. Amari sat behind his desk, twirling a pen. Madison took a few steps backward and stared at his superior.
"Yes, Sir?"
"What news of the Covenant ship?"
"I wouldn't know. I sent scouts a few hours ago."
"Through river valley?"
"If they know how to read a map."
"I see. I just remembered that we had set up a few mines through there."
"Pity."
"Get me some bourbon, will you? I'm parched."
"Of course."
-----------------
Anthony was woken by a hard slap to the face.
"Get up!"
He opened his eyes, blinking repeatedly to get the sand out of them. Heller was kneeling over him.
"What happened?" The lieutenant mumbled.
"I think we were attacked."
Anthony sat up hurriedly, and winced from unexpected pain. It felt like a few of his ribs were broken. He was lying in the sand a few feet behind the destroyed warthog, which was letting off a heavy amount of smoke and was clearly inoperable. He twisted to look behind him- holes and blast marks littered the ground.
"Mines," he said after a moment, climbing to his feet.
Heller also stood. "Mines?"
"Yes, mines, you know what mines are don't you?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"They must've been here to halt any covenant forces."
"Friendly fire," Heller grumbled. He put his hands on his hips, and glanced around the small canyon. "I suppose we had better turn back?"
"No point."
"It'll be dark soon, no worries about the heat."
"No, you fool, look at that!" Anthony gestured towards the wrecked and smoking warthog.
"I see it. We can walk."
"There's no use walking, that smoke will attract attention from-" his speech halted suddenly. He stared off down the valley. "Damn."
"What?" Heller turned to face whatever it was Anthony was staring at. His posture stiffened immediately. "Oh. Damn."
Two puffs of sand in the distance were coming towards them rapidly, their shapes blurred by the waves of heat.
"Ghosts," Heller noted, a grin creeping across his face.
Anthony glanced at him. "What?"
"Elites don't scout. Grunts do."
A slow grin spread across the lieutenant's face as well. Their rides had come.
1916 hours, September 25, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Sigma Draconis system, Covenant camp at the Hearth Mountains, planet Knossos
"Look at them all," Heller whispered. "There must be thousands!"
The two men lay prone on a cliff overlooking the Covenant base. It appeared to be a staging point for their new forces on Knossos. The cruiser had long since gone, probably to another part of the planet, but it had left in its wake thousands of covenant troops. Their ranks seem to spread for a mile. Mixed in with the lot were scores of ghosts, dropships, wraiths, specres, and banshees.
There was more than enough firepower here to decimate Amari's forces.
"I think," Anthony whispered, "That they're moving out from here. Look- some of the vehicles are going south, some are going north, and others east."
"That's still a sizable potion for us," Heller grumbled. The man snapped a few pictures with his camera.
"A sizable portion? If they leave a quarter of that, it'll be enough to wipe us out. And who knows if there are more back on their ship."
"And they said it was a small cruiser. Lazy pricks."
"The sun starting to go down," Anthony said quietly. "We need to report back. Amari will need as much time as possible to plan."
"He better think of something good."
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