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Halos and Rings - 1
Posted By: Jillybean<jbean_gotmuse@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 19 August 2003, 3:19 PM
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Halos and Rings
Author: Jillybean
AN: This story was originally posted and fanfiction.net - it's really just to rectify the lack of female characters in Halo (I don't count Cortana, she annoys the shit out of me)
Level Locale: Assault on the Control Room
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Halos and Rings
"Yo Ringo, gonna keep us off the menu!" One of the marines shouted.
"Oh I'm sorry - do you wanna drive?" Daxia Ring shouted over her shoulder, fighting with the steering column of the drop ship to keep it relatively in the air. To either side of her a couple of Banshee's started to reconfigure their guns for close quarters battle.
"Aw feck off wouldja?" She snarled, snatching her pistol out of her holster and sending one banshee spiralling out of control. Her co-pilot Rogers glanced at her nervously.
"What, the ship's goin' down, a smashed window ain't gonna make a difference." She replied. "Oh shit." A quick snatch upwards of the controls let them clear an outcrop of black granite dusted with snow. An explosion behind her heralded the Pelican's mad dive sideways.
Once more Daxia was glad of the stiff seatbelts holding her firmly into the seat. She jerked at the controls, trying to stop them from digging twenty metres down into the snow. Around her the controls were going crazy, a wild, loud halo of red and (fewer) green lights just outside her line of vision. Just as they levelled off the ground beneath them dropped into a canyon.
"Ringo, set us down!" Shouted the Sarge. Daxia didn't reply, fighting to keep the Pelican from crashing into one of the bridges that spanned the canyon. She heard Rogers shouting a mayday, but that wasn't what she was interested in.
One of their Banshee's disengaged and veered off to attack a purple blip on her radar.
"The Master Chief! And we led these buggers right to him." She groaned, slightly distracted by a green figure running the length of the bridge.
"No time now Ringo - get us outta here!" The Sarge bellowed. Daxia ducked the Pelican under the second bridge and then gasped.
"Oh my God, look! There's a Wraith, Banshee's and Ghosts!" Rogers screamed for her. Daxia gritted her teeth.
I can't get us away. She'd meant to say it aloud but her voice stuck. As it was, there was no way she could escape the Wraith. And if they landed near they'd be pureed by the Covenant.
"Get your men ready for a bloodbath." Daxia said what she meant to think and sent the Pelican veering towards the cliff side. When it became clear the Pelican was going to be smashed into the granite their escort of Banshee's and Ghosts dropped back, fleeing from what they thought would be a huge explosion.
Daxia disengaged the Warthog and sent the Pelican into a nosedive. The G pushed her so hard back into her seat the controls were ripped from her hands. The clumsy Pelican ploughed through yards of the powder, before becoming rear ended when it finally hit the granite.
***
"Wake up!" The Marine shook her shoulder roughly. Daxia felt her head roll back. There was a dampness in her helmet, it was sticky and hot and felt suspiciously like blood.
"Ringo. We need to get out. Now." The Marine repeated, unfastening her harness and pulling her arm over his head. He started to lug her out of the seat.
"Rogers." She muttered, struggling a little and making the Marine sprawl on the walls. Or was it the floor? Why did the hallway to the exit lead to the sky?
"Dead. Move it Ringo! Or we'll be joining him!" The Marine shoved her roughly as she started to scramble over the seats, using them as a ladder to freedom. The whirr of an angry ghost heralded the approach of the Covenant.
"Your little trick brought us some time." The Sarge shouted to her as she dropped to the soft white cushion like snow. "The Covenant are coming in fast though." He said, taking an aim through the small copse of trees that were their only defence. The Warthog lay a little away from them, helpless on it's back.
Daxia reached for her pistol the remembered she'd dropped it on the floor in the cockpit. Don't dwell over spilt milk. She snatched a machine gun from it's open grave in the snow. Slamming the magazine in she cocked it and waited as the enemy came racing towards them.
"Look! It's the Chief!" Cried one of the Marine's. Daxia could make out his green armour as he came out of a door. He paused for a second as he took in the hellish surroundings.
"What's he waiting for? Get over here!" The Sarge bellowed. He pointed to two marines and waved them at the Warthog. "Move it girlies! I want that Hog operational!"
"It may have suffered some damage, just be gentle with it!" Daxia shouted as the two made their way through the snow. The MC was pelting across the plains, his destination intent. The Sarge gave her a look.
"Ringo, what are you?"
"A mechanic." She retorted, skimming along the rock base. In her opinion the safest place to be was with the MC. She wasn't a Marine, she hadn't ever fancied the sheer insanity of them.
"Move outta the way!" The MC was shouting, pushing his shoulder under the seats and pushing the Hog up and over. Daxia fired a spray of bullets at the Ghost approaching from behind. She grabbed hold of the bar and swung into the passenger seat, flicking the ignition switch and just as she feared the engine stalled. The MC was ensuring their continued breathing by keeping a couple of Jackal's at bay. Daxia grimaced and kicked her legs in the air, sticking her head under the seats to check. Just as she'd suspected, the circuit breakers were all out.
"There, there baby." She cooed, slapping the large grey switches back into existence. The Hog roared to life and the MC jumped in as she righted herself. The yellow visor stared at her for a second before the Hog leapt into action.
"Wow!" Shouted the Marine in the back, swinging his gun around in a mad slaughter of everything around them. The Hog doughnutted its way around and headed straight for the Wraith on the ice. Daxia slid a glance at the MC. Perhaps this wasn't the safest place to be?
"Hold on." He grunted, perhaps to himself as the Hog skidded around the Wraith then started to reverse around in dizzy circles. The Wraith followed them, trying to keep it's vulnerable backside off of them. The MC skidded forward, the Hog hit into the Wraith and both vehicles jerked to a halt. Daxia felt pretty sure a second concussion was imminent. But the MC was already on top of the tank and back in the Hog. A tell tale hiss gave away the grenade implanted in the Wraith's shell. They skidded away, tires screeching as they did an about face and headed for the other marines.
"Grab a Ghost." The MC grated, leaping out of the car and heading for the upturned one that lay on the ice. Daxia blinked a few times then took his advice. Lying waiting for her was one of the purple Ghosts, and it looked so inviting . . . she could well imagine the kind of ride that baby would give.
"Keep up or get left behind!" The MC shouted as his Ghost hummed into life and made for the pass. He did not wait for the Marine's to keep up with him, that was there's to do alone, and Daxia was very glad of the Ghost in her hands.
***
As with most battles it seemed to stretch for hours in a mere matter of minutes. The passion of every emotion tided them over as they struggled to keep up with the MC. When he left them to head deeper into the Covenant complex, he left them awed.
Daxia knew she was vital to the Marines, she could pilot them anywhere, any vehicle. She was a mechanical whiz. So the should be goddam treating her like one!
"Ringo!" Shouted the Sarge as she took a break on a fallen log. They were setting up a stronghold in the tunnel, desperately clinging to life and strength until a Pelican could pick them up.
"It's. Ring." She snarled. Standing and peeling off her helmet. She hated the nickname, but normally let it pass.
"Yeah? Well round here we don't like that name." Snarled the Sarge. He glanced at her short blonde hair, matted with blood and gestured to one of the Marines. "Clean her up. Then. Ring. I want you out there with the others. We need everyone out there."
"Thank you sir." Daxia drawled. Standing while the Marine fused the small cut on her head.
"You're good to go." The Marine told her. She nodded her thanks and gingerly placed the helmet back on her head.
"Didja see the Chief? Like a man possessed he was." Said one guy to his friend as she passed. Daxia resisted the temptation to tell them that he was Genetically Engineered. Not that they didn't know. But sometimes they seemed so forgetful.
"He's a madman. I think he's nuts." Said the other guy. Mendoza she thought his name was. "Hey. Ringo. What did you think?"
"He seemed ok." She said, leaning against a tree and letting her guard down. "I don't know. I mean, he's a supersoldier, he's meant to do this kinda thing."
"Yeah. But still, it's like he's taking the Covenant on himself." Mendoza shook his head and looked up at the Halo above them.
"Maybe he's the only one who can." Said Mendoza's companion. Mendoza grinned.
"Look - a Pelican!" He shouted. They all looked up, Daxia had never been so glad to see the ugly lumbering ship setting down before them. A voice came over her comm.
"C'mon Marines. Hop aboard." She knew that voice.
"It's Mark." She breathed happily. Mendoza gave her a funny look and she shook her head laughing. "Mark, my friend." She sighed.
"That Ring I hear down there? Glad you made it girl! Got a space for a Co-Pilot if you're looking." Mark called over the radio. Before she could answer the huge Covenant blast doors slid open. Every weapon spun in that direction, facing the Master Chief as he walked out.
"Stand down." He said lowly.
"Glad to see you sir!" Shouted Mendoza. The Chief nodded, then his vizor might have looked in Daxia's direction for a while, or it might not have. It was difficult to tell.
"You a pilot?" He asked, walked along beside her. Daxia assumed he was talking to her, it was difficult to tell.
"Yes sir. I am. I'm also a fully qualified mech."
"Yes. Yes I remember, you fixed the Warthog." He stopped and the vizor pointed in her direction. By the casual stance and silence Daxia guessed he was contemplating something.
"I did." She said after a while, to break the silence. The Marines were loading onto the Pelican. The MC's visor swung in that direction then back to her again.
"Yes. You did." He mused. Daxia was beginning to bore with conversation, and it seemed to her that all she really wanted to do was to lie down and sleep.
"You're injured." He said abruptly, his helmet cocking and one gloved hand tapping the side of her helmet very gently. "And here." He indicated her side.
"How did you . . . ?"
"I can see the heat spots." He replied. "You should get that seen to. I think I'll be needing a good Mech in the future. What's your name?"
"Ring. Lieutenant." She replied.
"Right. Daxia, if I remember my crew list correctly. I'll talk to you later. Cortana says Halo is some sort of weapon . . . I'll definitely need a good Mech."
"A weapon . . ." Daxia began, but the MC was already stalking off. "Bugger. I didn't volunteer for this." She muttered, pulling herself into the Pelican. She made her way through the cabin and into the cockpit. Mark turned around and nodded to her.
"Take off in three, two, one." He began. Daxia glanced back as she sensed someone over her shoulder. The MC was breathing down their necks literally.
"Take us to the marshes." He told them.
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