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HALO 2: Earth's Reclaimer (part eins)
Posted By: Brian vms<steveb3@comcast.net>
Date: 4 July 2003, 3:15 AM
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As the sun shone over the horizon, Master Chief could hear the clouds as they scattered across the hull of his Pelican dropship, soaring high above the planet. Below, although nothing was seen, the blasts of Covenant anti-aircraft fire could be heard trying to track down the Pelican en route to its objective. As the plasma blasts exploded mid-air, the clouds in the blast radius immediately vaporized, laving a gap in the cover that the Pelican used to evade Covenant fire.
Closing in on their objective, the fire intensified, and so did the anticipation of the hardened ODST of getting their chance to throw themselves into they fray; this is what they were known for, that, and always coming out the victors from odds humanly impossible. They were the best of the best next to the Master Chief, and their sheer numbers provided a force to be reckoned with. They are the only other forces in existence next to the Master Chief that instills fear into the Covenant, riddling their psyche with memories of defeat, humiliation, and pain.
Back on HALO, they single-handedly captured a Covenant base defended well beyond the impenetrable grounds of their leadership headquarters on their home planet. They dropped in with a slim chance of survival from miles high onto a ring without knowing what lived there, what the Covenant had in for them, and what they had to do. When they landed, they where able to regroup, and under the leadership of a long-gone-by commander, take the stronghold, and devise plans for a departure from the ringworld. When they just thought they had settled in, they were attacked by hoard after hoard of Flood and Covenant to within a few inches of destruction. To leave, they boarded the Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, and departed from the planet. From there, their whereabouts are still unknown.
"Sir, LZ seems clear from this altitude. I'm gonna take her in at a lower approach vector; we'll get there faster, but we'll be drawing more ground fire. All I need is your permission Sergeant," gasped the pilot over the communications channel as he rolled the ship past some anti-aircraft bursts.
"Right then," barked Sergeant, or Sarge, as he was affectionately known. Even though he encountered 343 Guilty Spark, his attitude of command hadn't changed. "You heard us, get ready. You got a lot of work to do, and no time to do it. Approaching LZ in 5."
The Pelican seemed to fall out of the sky as it plunged below the clouds, and immediately began taking a range of fire from Covenant ground fire. The Covenant knew the Master Chief was on board, and they'd do anything to take him out in the air, and not suffer facing him man to man on the battlefield. Plasma whirred past the Pelican from anti-aircraft turrets entrenched in the streets of New Mombassa below, and blasts from Covenant flak shook the Pelican, and damaged one of her engines thrusters. They approached the main streets of the city, and just beyond that the Master Chief's main objective.
"This is recon outpost 1647-vms reporting. Grid 34-12 is hot. We've got all kinds problems down there. Recommend mission abort," breathed the sniper into his microphone, speaking so as the Covenant below wouldn't spot them. They were on one of the elevated highways, looking down onto New Mombassa's famed Grid 34-12, the shopping district. Before the Covenant invaded, shops with all products lined the streets, and shoppers would crowd the streets, blocking the flow of traffic through this section. Those days have since passed, and they were now being held by the Covenant, researchers documenting their finds.
"Pelican 117, out," yelled the pilot over the Com channel. "Sir, it's your decision now."
"We're goin' in," answered the Sergeant. "Get tactical Marines! The Covenant don't want you sleepin' on their sofas tonight."
Reluctant not to oblige, the Marines checked over their weapons, and loaded the ammunition into the clips. Helmets were slid on, pockets buttoned, and shields activated as the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers readied for action.
As they lowered in, the Covenant fire ceased, and what came into view was the Marines center of operations, and the makeshift hospital. The Pelican shot out dust from her undercarriage as she lowered in for landing. The landing gear strained as it extended from the hull of the dropship and made contact with the landing pad. The Pelican remained still for a minute, hovering above the pad, before it landed, transferring its full weight to the landing gear. The engines whined as its fuel was cut, and a Marine could be seen in the distance shielding his eyes from the spiraling dust particles.
"Move it Marines, they don't pay us enough to do this. Go, go, go!" Yelled the Sarge at his troops, as he too jumped off the Pelican and onto the landing pad.
Just as the Sarge and his men disappeared down the ramp leading off the landing pad, Master Chief walked through the dropship, and jumped down onto the landing pad. His suit compensated for the fall, and absorbed the shock in its entirety. Standing there, poised for combat, the Pelican took off behind him. His new armor activated its counterweights, holding the chief up right behind the thrust of the Pelican as it lifted of the pad. Its engines groaned as they were fed fuel, and it shot into the air.
"Cortana, we're moving out. We'll circle back later to evac the wounded. Out," confirmed the pilot of the Pelican.
"Sure thing," replied Cortana, phrasing her words with her usually witty personality. Although artificial intelligence, they were well known for the ability to acquire a personality over time.
Just as the words left Cortana's processor, fire from a Covenant artillery emplacement could be heard. A streak of plasma exploded through the sky with the intensity of lightning, the sound of thunder. The purple plasma cast a shadow of eerie iridescent light over the area as it sped through the sky. As soon as it was seen streaking through the sky, it slammed into the side of the Pelican. The ship was torn in two, and was blown through the sky into a tumbling steel casket. It moved with splendid beauty as the flames changed color, burning through the layers of chemicals, wires, and armor. The pilot was seen jumping out, as a massive explosion engulfed him in flames as the fire breached the outer flame shields over the gas chambers. The Pelican was torn into pieces, as it fell to the ground. Smoke trailed it, and so did the memory of the pilot who had reached the top in the Air Force. He had been no one, no place, no meaning. Then, he made himself who he was through hard work and arduous battles. Unfortunately, he had become what he changed himself from, nothing, no one, and unseen. Though, he now lived on forever, as no one would for what they had just seen.
"Chief, we must move on ," spoke Cortana, breaking the silence.
The Master Chief moved forward, his armor moving every ounce of its weight, allowing the Master Chief unlimited movement. He walked down the sub-ramp to where the corporal was standing, still looking into the sky, bewildered.
-part zwei coming tomorrow, or the next Fan Ficiton post
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