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Ascendant Part VII
Posted By: Archangel's Blade<archangels_blade@hotmail.com>
Date: 17 July 2002, 6:52 pm
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Author's Note: Okay, so the last part probably wasn't so good. I hope this will make up for it, however. I've been having trouble writing lately, and it's good that I managed to type and edit this all in two nights. Hope you enjoy this one, y'all, and if you wanna give me any ideas for the next part, don't post 'em. Instead, give me a shout at my hotmail address. Makes for easier replies without disclosing info on my next chapter to the public before its time comes. Have fun!
Here goes...
6:35 a.m.
Battlecruiser Bulldog
Orbiting Human Held World of Summer, Engaging Attacking Covenant Fleet
Commander Michael A. Sheener, Spartan #235, Mark VII
Another fuel-rod blast hit the Titanium A barricade overhead. The shots had continued like this for the better part of three minutes. Who knew that on my way back to the commonroom, I'd encounter a pack of Hunters? The other Spartans obviously weren't making much progress. Even with the advanced training included inside the neural implant, there was still a scorched husk inside MJOLNIRNX armor lying to my right, a hole in the faceplate. I had had just about enough.
I peeked to the right of where the last shot had hit. The Hunters seemed content just to sit there and shoot at me. Whatever empowered the creatures to have that kind of patience, I don't know. But I was growing very sick of it. Ducking another shot from one of the fuel-rod guns, I rolled to the left, and leaped 6 feet over the barricade. These muscular implants really are something!
I had no gun. My phase rifle was back in the Spartan armories, on deck C42. I still had 3 decks of hell to get through if I wanted to blast these motherfuckers. So much for the long distance tactics.
I ran towards the first hunter. It raised its shield, moving as if in slow motion. Too slow to dodge my right hand, knifing in towards the patch of exposed orange skin at its throat.
Impact.
The Hunter was dead milliseconds after I hit. I reached my other hand downwards, to grasp one of its armored legs. I lifted the whole fucking caboodle into the air, blocking several green fuel-rod shots from the other three Hunters. Swinging the massive armored corpse, I knocked another hunter into the wall. It was still moving, so I kicked it in the orange spot on its neck. Blood spattered the walls around it. Blocking several other shots, I turned to the two surviving Hunters. Adrenaline pumping the whole time, I didn't even realize that I was bashing two behemoths to death with a giant armored corpse.
Chest heaving, I stopped. The two other Hunters lay dead at my feet, orange blood spattered all over the bulkheads. Ripping my right arm free from its gory grasp on the first Hunters spine, I looked the area over. No weapons to be used, but at least I had avenged my fallen comrade. I decided to make due with what was available to me, and ripped one of the Hunters arms off. I pulled the severed limb from its armored sheath, and dismantled the gauntlet. I took what I wanted: its shield.
I looked myself over. I was covered in orange blood from head to toe, but I could still see the scorch mark from when the Ascendant sent me flying into the console. No wounds that I could see, I headed off down the corridor.
I made it down another deck before I encountered another group of Covenant. A squad of elites and grunts were massacring a squad of marines behind a barricade much like the one I had sought shelter behind earlier. I noticed another couple of Spartans among the marines, wielding the inaccurate MA5B assault rifles used by regular forces.
Leaping past Covenant plasma fire, I rolled behind the barricade, just in time to catch a falling marine, a plasma burn in his shoulder. The poor lad was in shock, and as usual, his wound had cauterized with the plasma. Pushing him towards the squad medic, I quickly policed his unneeded weapons. The marine was armed with a double-edged combat knife, a pistol, an MA5B, and two fragmentation grenades. He also had several clips for both firearms.
Tucking the clips and knife into various shielded holsters on my armor, I hefted the AR and pistol simultaneously. Standing, I took note of the ammo count for the current clip. I was at 39 rounds for my AR, but at full for my pistol. I figured that I had better remember that. I targeted the Elite first. For some reason, the marines were contenting themselves to destroy the lesser evil, the Grunts. I, however immediately targeted the commander, knowing from past experience that when the Elite dies, the Grunts run.
Firing my AR, I managed to bring the Elites shields down. I must have been lucky. I then put a hole in the Elites skull with the high caliber round from my pistol. He stood for several seconds, as Elites often do when they die, and then fell limply to the ground. Upon seeing the death of their commander, the Grunts turned and fled. All were cut down by fire from myself and my fellow Spartans. My shield was still slung across my back, unused.
Turning back towards my fellow Spartans, I motioned for them to follow. We worked our way slowly across the deck to the next turbolift. All turbolifts between decks were separated to slow Covenant movement across the ship. It took too long. For all I knew, the Covvies could already be smashing Archangels chip to pieces.
Upon reaching the next deck down, we entered a safe zone. The place was bustling with Spartans. Men and women in MJOLNIRNX armor handed out phase rifles to everyone. Another group of Spartans crossed the floor handing out small metal chips to everyone, according to names on chips and HUDs. I noticed a computer terminal in the corner that looked like it had been torn from the wall. It probably had, knowing the strength and need of my fellow Spartans. I received my chip gratefully, and slid it into my helmet. The cool sensation that announced Archangels presence hit me like a refreshing spring breeze.
"Long time, no see, Mike. You didn't forget about me, did you?"
"Nah, just spending some time with my new friends."
"I see you have a Hunters shield. Rough party?"
"Hell yeah. Lets get a gun, some ammo, and a couple more grenades. After that, we can worry about the Hunters, okay?"
"Got it."
I walked to the 'supply personnel', and received my phase rifle. I reached deep into my ammo pouches, and emptied them of MA5B clips. I took a double handful of phase rifle clips, and secreted them about my armor. I then grabbed a battery, slapped it in, and charged my gun. Soon after, I slowly made my way down the line to the shield charging station.
It took me the better part of 15 minutes to get there. I stepped into the yellow square, and watched as the yellow bars began to rotate. I really hate yellow. It moves too fast. However unpleasant, I achieved the desired result. My shields charged, and I strode to the turbolift.
I grabbed a couple of lower ranking Spartans on my way out. I knew which ones to grab by the warding aura of shields around their bodies. I then made my way with my new squad to the deck where I left the Hunters.
The others were amazed to see that I had killed 4 Hunters singlehandedly, without a gun. Two of the braver ones tore the shields off the corpses, and clipped them to their arms. I did likewise.
"Hey, Mike, wouldn't it be a good idea to head for the bridge? Not many of the Spartans are up in that direction, and the Covvies will probably head that way, anyway."
"Good idea." I switched to the squads comm channel. "Listen up, kiddos. We're gonna go to the bridge. The fighting's probably heaviest that way, so anyone too scared to go can leave for the base camp."
No one left. A chorus of 'lets kick some ass' came up on the comm.
I knew that the road ahead of our squad would be tough, and I'd most likely lose a couple squadmates to Covenant fire, but I felt confident that we'd prevail, and save the bridge crew.
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