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Beckoning of Doom Ch. 4: Overwhelmed
Posted By: Nick Kang<digitai430@yahoo.com>
Date: 8 October 2004, 10:55 PM
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Author's Note: Okay, I got the internet back at my mom's, but my online time is now very restricted because of school. Luckily I have several chapters of BOD already typed up, so I can post this one. I'll try to continue my Ahead of Schedule series, but with the amount of homework I get, I'll just have to see. I'd also like to say that this story gets the point across much easier if you listen to 'The Game' by Disturbed while you read it. Enjoy.
NK
Beckoning of Doom
Chapter 4
Overwhelmed
"The Covenant cruiser is stationed here," Lieutenant Colonel Anderson growled, and the American state of Alaska faded into view on the giant screen, "based on intel from recon units stationed in the area, it has settled here, near this peninsula." A yellow square appeared and focused in on one of the upper peninsulas of the Alaskan tundra. It zoomed in, showing the gargauntuan Covenant battle cruiser. But something was different...there seemed to be a constant flow of dropships coming from off the screen. The U-shaped personnel carriers continuously landed near the ship, dumped their contents, and took off in the direction they had come from. The Covenant warriors, once deposited on the ground, would go under the ship out of view, most likely up the gravity lift.
"Any questions from here?" Anderson asked. Tesler stood. "Sergeant?" Anderson sounded annoyed.
"Sir," Tesler said, "there appears to be a flow of enemy aerial personnel carriers coming to the ship."
Anderson looked up at the screen, and checked a clipboard that he was carrying in his hands.
"Ah, yes. Our latest reconnaissance report indicated this factor. We believe that this particular cruiser has suffered severe damage and crew loss, perhaps becase it was part of the original attack fleet that hit Earth and was able to slip past our defenses. These dropships could be carrying replacements and engineers to repair any damage it may have sustained. The only testament to this theory is that the ship has sustained no damage to the hull. Which leaves the only remaining hypothesis as to an attempted mutiny or, on a more imaginative note, a Civil War." Anderson chuckled.
After reloading his spent Needler, Fanoon looked up at the still-smoking threshold of the recently-destroyed door. Through the dark red smoke and small flames, a large figure stumbled. A lone Brute staggered into the room, blood fountaining from the dozens of wounds on it's body. It tripped and fell to the floor, exhaling it's last breath, and died. No sooner had this happened than a score of enemy soldiers were charging through the doorway, their fingers restlessly jabbing at the triggers of their weapons.
Fanoon ducked down behind the Jackals as a salvo of blue and green plasma burst overhead. One of the Jackal's shield overloaded form too much abuse. The creature looked with bewilderment at the useless instrument strapped to it's wrist, before taking an entire clip of needles in the chest and flying back from the ensuing explosion. The small pink blast also killed the two surrounding Jackals. Fanoon stood up from cover and held down the firing tab of his needler. He swept the doorway with the weapon as he felt it rumble in his hands. Three Grunts and a Jackal flew back from the pink bursts. A volley of fuel rod blasts soared overhead and detonated in front of the door, scattering the enemy soldiers.
As the smoke began to clear, five figures, enough to fill up the hall, stirred within the gray mist. Seconds later, dozens of sharp snapping sounds echoed down the hallway, and five faint blue circles appeared illuminating the smoke. Five lines of five Jackals, ducked down behind their shields, came marching out of the doorway, plasma rifles firing. Two lines of three Elites each stood up from behind the Jackals and fired their Carbines. Numerous Beckoning warriors fell from the sudden onslaught.
"Plasma grenades!" Yelled 'Henifamee from his perch atop the control platform. "First Group, arc them over to the Elites! Second Group, throw them in front of the Jackals! Third Group, try to get them inside the Jackal ranks!"
The three Battle Groups obeyed the orders, and the Elites were quickly taken out. The frontline Jackals saw the grenades in front of them, and were about to turn back when the blue explosions ballooned inside their formation. The few survivors were quickly cut down in a hail of grenade projectile fire from the Brutes.
As Fanoon was relaxing, a mixture of plasma grenades and projectile grenades appeared out of midair in the hallway and soared into the control room. Dozens of his Brethren were tossed from their posts with effortlessness.
The Infidels were using cloaking technology!
"Fuel rod carriers, hit the hallway!" 'Henifamee's voice rang out through the hazy air. Green explosions peppered the hallway. Ten Elites materialized and screamed as the fuel-plasma combination ate at their flesh. Fanoon sighed and emptied the rest of his clip into the bodies. He slumped down against a crate and surveyed the damage that had been caused. Casualties were much higher than he had expected. Four Brutes lay crumpled against a wall, a purple puddle of blood slowly spreading on the floor. The entire population of Grunts had been decimated, and at least fifteen Jackals were spread throughout the chamber. Four Elites were also dead, and three Hunters were down. But before he could really accept the extent of the damage, an enemy Elite warbled down the hallway, and a volley of fuel rod blasts soared out of the smoky threshold. While the Beckoning forces were still confused and disoriented by their sudden casualties, dozens of Elites howled and at least thirty plasma blades snapped on in the air. The next thing Fanoon knew, thirty cloaked Elites wielding glowing blue swords charged into the room and hacked the defensive wall of Jackals apart.
Fanoon fell back as a blade slashed the air a mere unit from his face and decapitated the Jackal in front of him. He felt the heat splash across his visor. He fired half a clip from his needler into the shimmering air ahead of him and heard the Elite wail as ten pink needles dug into his skin and lay suspended in the air. Fanoon dove into one of the trenches next to an Elite just as the projectiles detonated and sent the Elite screaming overhead. Fanoon turned and was about to run for the ramp out of the trench when a cloaked Elite dropped from above with a heavy clank. In an instant, Fanoon's needler was split in half and still glowing with blue-green plasma scoring. He discarded the useless weapon and dropped himself onto his back as the enemy Elite swiped at him, his sword leaving pink contrails in the air.
Fanoon kicked back and landed both of his hooves on the enemy's chest, sending the Infidel into view as the cloaking device overloaded temporarily and left the Elite visible for a brief moment. The Vermin stumbled back and clutched his chest, running straight into a Jackal's overcharged pistol. The cloaking machine permanently failed and let Fanoon see the enemy's shocked expression as the green ball of plasma, still attached to the weapons tip, burned into his back. Seconds later, the Jackal discharged it's weapon and the ball of light incinerated the enemy's insides and went rocketing out his chest. The painful expression of horror was forever printed onto the Infidel's face as he sunk to the ground. His plasma blade clattered to the ground next to Fanoon and lay burning bright.
Fanoon picked himself up and stooped down to scoop up the formidable weapon, said his thanks to the Jackal who had killed the Elite, and charged back up to the ground floor, where the Beckoning forces were struggling to hold back the invading enemy. The cloaked Elites had breached the entrance ramp to the control platform, where the Cleanser plasma turrets were firing relentlessly into their formation. The enemies fell in droves. Ship Master 'Henifamee discharged his plasma pistol multiple times into the Swordsmen, but the plasma bolts did little damage against the armor of the rapidly advancing enemies.
Fanoon jumped, caught hold of the bottom of the control platform, and hefted himself onto the deck next to a bucking plasma turret. The enemy had carved a pathway out of the wall of overturned supply crates, and were attempting to advance into the heavily guarded control platform. Fanoon charged at the narrow passage in the wall, and swung his blade as hard as he could. The sword encountered resistance quickly, and tossed away the force with a scream of pain. A headless Elite materialized out of the air, fountained a spray of blood, and fell. Fanoon heard a clatter behind him and looked to see that 'Henifamee had discarded his plasma pistol and withdrawn his plasma blade. He squeezed the handle, and the blue-green sword grew out of the black hilt. He deflty charged into the enemy formation, swinging the blade left and right, and four dismembered enemies appeared and screamed before dying.
Fanoon followed his leader into their ranks, striking out at the cloaked Elites. He impaled one, the blade passing all the way through it's stomach, and kicked it off the ramp. He saw 'Henifamee, horribly distorted by the light-bending technology of a dozen Elites. He noticed a nasty purple gash running across his back.
Fanoon turned and sliced an Elite in half, adding it to the growing pile of enemy bodies on the ramp. Suddenly, he felt a white-hot pain running across his chest. He looked down, and saw a trail of blood running down his stomach, coming from the deep, long gash that spanned his entire chest. He sunk to his knees, looking up towards the reflected spectrum of light that took up the ceiling. He turned his head to the right, grunting as he felt another slash run across his back. Another nick of pain arose from his left arm, where a blade had slashed halfway through his flesh. He automatically dropped his blade and swiveled around and fell on his back as another bout of pain ballooned in his shoulder. He saw a blade, floating in the air, rushing down towards his face, where it would deliver the final blow. He was conscious just long enough to see 'Henifamee's blade come out of nowhere and block the attack...then all went black.
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