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The Revelation of War, Chapter Three: Part III
Posted By: russ687<russ687@hotmail.com>
Date: 23 July 2004, 9:24 PM
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1430 hours, September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar)
City of Rocere, South Side, 22 kilometers from City Center
Imbari System, planet Imbari V
Sergeant McCollum ran across the street silently and threw himself against the wall of the building. He gripped the long M7A1 rifle and edged up to the corner of the building, then peered around it. The narrow street ahead of him was devoid of movement or sound; only the debris cluttering up the two-lane road filled the empty street.
Private Smathers then silently made his way across the street to McCollum and pulled out the motion sensor. The display flickered to life and red dots appeared ahead of them, but the problem with being in an urban setting was very real. They couldn't tell if the threat was inside a building or in the open, only the direction of the target was known. It would have to do.
The sensor beeped once quietly as a motion appeared within ten meters of them. The two Marines immediately shouldered their rifles and scanned the street. The threat moved rather quickly.
The silence was broken with a 14.5 millimeter discarding SABOT round. McCollum looked behind them and found the long rifle steadily aimed in the hands of Sergeant Dieter, First Squad's sniper. He looked to his left and saw the body of a Red Elite slump to the ground from behind some debris, a single wound to its temple.
"Status?" Came Lt. Kren's voice over the comm. link.
McCollum depressed the button. "Numerous single contacts within the vicinity, and a group of targets bearing zero-nine-five at about sixty meters."
Smathers tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards the group on the sensor, which was now heading towards them. McCollum nodded and leaned out from behind the building; the group of ten Grunts and a couple Elites was making their way toward the sound of the single round fired. He didn't notice them taking any precautions in the way of stealth.
"Jacobs: Concentrate fire on the group, bearing 095." McCollum said over the comm. link. Third Squad Leader Sergeant Jacobs acknowledged the order; his Squad was one city block behind them, securing the road. They would have a clear shot of the Covenant group.
Suppressed rifle fire was barely noticeable from where Third Squad was. McCollum watched from around the buildings' corner as the first five Grunts fell to the earth, rounds tearing through their little armor. The Elites barked out orders and the survivors scattered, plasma fire flying down the road pass him towards Third Squad.
McCollum reached into his Load Bearing Vest and primed a fragmentation grenade, then leaned around the corner, spotted where the Covenant had gone, and threw the grenade into the broken window. A deep thump was heard as the remaining glass exploded outward into the street, along with debris.
McCollum brought his rifle up to his shoulder and walked quickly around the corner, Smathers quick in tow. He kept his rifle sights at where the Covenant had gone and walked quickly, but steadily, up to it. Smoke and dust filled the immediate area around the grenade explosion, hindering his view. A figure moved slowly through the smoke towards them.
He depressed the trigger, sending a three round burst into the small figure that squealed and flew back from the armor-piercing rounds. A deep growl could be heard form inside the building where he had thrown the grenade, and the tall figure darted through the smoke and dust toward them. Smathers and McCollum sent rounds into the chest of the being as its shields flashed, failed, and the rounds tore through its chest.
The two Marines ducked as plasma fire arched above them from the street, impacting on the building just above their heads. McCollum turned and found some new foes moving up on them; two Jackals and a trio of Grunts.
Suppressed rifle fire resounded from the other side of the street as Lt. Kren and First Squad moved up the side-walk, firing at the small group of Covenant, their well-placed shots tearing them apart. McCollum sighted his rife and fired another burst into a Grunt that was now trying to retreat.
The motion sensor beeped again: new targets at long range.
"We've got fifteen contacts moving in down the road, seventy-meters out." McCollum transmitted over the comm. link.
Two shots rang out form the S2B sniper rifle in the hands of Sergeant Dieter and cut down two Jackals from the group. McCollum sighted the targets in his scope and fired, the rounds tearing down two Grunts. The group hesitated briefly, but the Jackals brought up their shields and returned fire.
Smathers and McCollum ducked into the building, still filled with dust and smoke, as the plasma rounds flew past them down the street. He leaned out and fired off another burst, catching a Jackal in its unguarded side as First Squad across the street began engaging the small force of Covenant. He heard the hissing of a rocket launch and turned to see a single round fly passed him up the street and impact on a building right near the survivors of the group. The explosion erupted with debris flying everywhere, as well as several body pieces.
"Clear," McCollum transmitted, seeing no more contacts on his motion sensor.
Kren checked up and down the street one last time, then motioned for his comm. specialist to come over. Corporal Ryder ran up and detached the headset from the LRISC and handed it to his CO.
"Delta 4-1, this is Foxtrot Oscar, have you located the command post?" Kren transmitted.
"Copy that, Foxtrot Oscar, we have located the Company Command post and Tango Company has reported that they have secured an LZ near it. Exact location is about twenty-one clicks south." Came the reply. "And I'm going to get my ass chewed up for doing this."
Kren remembered the request he had given them after they left the Valiant Knight, and also the look on their faces. They had been given the coordinates of the possible location of the artifact, but he had changed their location after he saw what would happen if they didn't stop the Covenant from doing something first.
"Negative, Delta 4-1, I'll take the heat." Kren said. "Just make sure Tango Company secures that command post. Meanwhile, we need to locate our immediate objective."
"Copy, Delta 4-1 remaining on station."
Kren handed the headset back to Ryder and brought his rifle back out. They would not get the artifact without the Covenant knowing if they didn't stop a chain of events first.
1250 hours, September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Aboard UAS-9A Blackspear, en route to the City of Rocere
Imbari System, planet Imbari V
1 Hour 40 Minutes Earlier
Kren waited impatiently as the turbulence rocked the black ship. The drop-ship was flying through the upper atmosphere and the ride was not enjoyable. His Platoon was strapped in and waiting silently in the dull lighting of the ship as it vibrated through the air of the planet. The Marines were obviously apprehensive about not using HEVs for insertion, he was too, but they would need the drop-ship with them, for more reasons then one.
He looked around and tightened the grip on his rifle as the once dull lighting in the ship began getting lighter. He didn't know where it was coming from, but it began getting extremely bright. He shielded his eyes, then looked around as the light disappeared.
He found himself standing in a passageway room, illuminated only by purple lights in the hands of Grunts. He was standing in a hallway, right ahead of a group of Grunts and Elites, as they made their way cautiously through the tunnel. Odd inscriptions were etched on the wall, and he immediately recognized them as the inscriptions in the structure on Milestone, but he couldn't understand them.
The Covenant group walked right up to him, then through him, into the darkness of the tunnel ahead. Their weapons were up and ready, and the Grunts nervously squeaked every now and then. The Elites were silent, but their apprehension was clear.
He followed the group as they made a turn and entered a vaulted room. He stood in shock as it resembled exactly the one room under ground on Milestone: lining the walls were containers, and in the center of the room was a beam of light the filtered through from a shaft, which lead directly to the surface.
In the center directly under the beam of light, was a chrome ball.
The lead Elite took cautious step toward it as the other moved around the room, searching. Kren watched in horror as it reached for the ball, its long arm stretching out for it.
The room suddenly lit up with a new light, a blue flash that filled around them. The Grunts squealed as the light washed over them; they disappeared an instant later and their weapons clattered to the floor. The other two Elites looked frantically around before they were engulfed and disappeared, their plasma rifles hitting the floor with loud cracks the echoed in the room.
The lone Elite looked around as his team disappeared. It didn't hesitate at the situation and grabbed the ball. The Blue light disappeared in a flash as the Elite flashed, then turned half-transparent. Kren recognized the process; it wasn't all the distant for him.
The Elite looked around and walked toward one of the containers, its ghostly appearance barely visible in the dull light. It stopped and looked intently at one of the containers along the wall. Kren knew what he was looking at.
It was the one thing that brought him to this planet.
Kren suddenly watched as the Elite backtracked exactly the way he had gone. Then the blue light reappeared and the Covenant Grunts and Elites flashed back into existence, their weapons flying up from the ground and into their hands. The one Elite walked backwards from the chrome ball, then the entire group backtracked out of the room and into the tunnel.
The whole thing just reversed itself.
He watched as they walked backwards, like a tape rewinding, through the tunnels. They then made their way through a series of turn before the entered a tunnel that sloped up towards the surface. They appeared into daylight, surrounded by a thick forest. The group of Covenant went backwards through the forest until they entered a clearing.
A single drop-ship flew backwards and landed, opened its bays, and the Covenant group got in. The ship then took off, rear first, and headed into the sky. The ship flew over hills and mountains of the vast forest until it began crossing over country-farms and rural areas. It then made its way into a city and landed, the group disembarked, backwards.
Kren looked around at the war-torn city, light fighting was going on around them. It was the City of Rocere.
He looked at the watch on his heads-up-display. It was 1442 hours.
The area began getting bright, then in a flash, he looked around and found himself sitting in the drop ship, heading towards the planet. His platoon was waiting, strapped in, as they passed through turbulence. The dull lighting in the ship made it barely possible to identify anyone. It was now 1253.
He was back in the Blackspear heading for the possible location of the artifact.
Kren stood up and walked forward toward the cockpit. He wavered back in forth as the ship rocked, but made it uneventfully and opened the armored door. Inside the two pilots navigated the craft towards the surface.
"Lieutenant," copilot Weisfield said. "You need to be strapped in for this flight."
Kren waved him off. "We need to go to Rocere."
The copilot looked at him quizzically, then back at the controls. "We're going to were the artifact should be, that's the important thing."
"No, that's not the important thing. I don't have time to explain, just set a course for the city." Kren said.
The senior pilot didn't take his eyes off the controls. "Kren, what the hell is at this city?" Abrams asked.
Kren shook his head. "Just do it. You have to trust me on this one; we need to stop the Covenant."
"From doing what?" Abrams asked, manipulating the controls.
"From getting the artifact first."
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