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Assault on Edina 2
Posted By: Steele<hoffmansteele@hotmail.com>
Date: 9 March 2003, 5:16 PM
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Assault on Edina II
0600 Hours, October 13, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Agonizer, Seridnafer System, Planet Edina Orbit
Captain Smith listened to Major Harland's report with satisfaction. So far everything was going as planned. The Marine Expeditionary Taskforce (MET) had been ordered to retake the Planet Edina. Edina was located in the inner colonies. It was a very important planet. It was the only planet in the inner colonies, to contain durasteel. Durasteel was the strongest metal discovered, it was also extremely light. Not surprisingly the planet had been taken by the Covenant. For some strange reason the Covenant had not glassed the planet, like they did to all the other planets. Instead they had occupied it with an invasion force.
The MET was about to enter phase three to retake the planet. Thus far resistance had been minimal, but the marines had only encountered Covenant outposts. But of course, phase three required the rest of the invasion force to be deployed. The invasion force was one of the largest forces assembled to retake a planet in two years.
The One-One Marine Division, part of the MET, was attacking the northern hemisphere. It consisted of 10,000 marines, without support personal. They were relying heavily on air superiority for resupply and reserve deployment.
The One-One Division was a Mechanized Infantry-Tank Heavy force. This meant all the marines were transported by either M54037 Razor APCs or Scorpions and Warthogs. Along with a 205mm Heavy Mobile Howitzer Artillery unit, the One-One would put a serious hurting on the Covenant's Rear Flank.
The plan was for Divisions One-Two and One-Three to attack in a frontal attack. One-One would attack from the rear, hopefully turning the Covenant's flank, allowing the marines to roll them up.
"Good work, Major. The One-One is deploying now, ETA—ten minutes. Hold your current position and report to General McCasky when he arrives. Captain Smith out," Smith said.
"Aye aye, Captain," Major Harland replied.
Captain Smith Grunted in satisfaction and turned back to his bridge crew. "Lieutenant Moore, bring us about to heading One-One-Zero, deploy the first division."
"Heading One-One-Zero, aye, deploying division one now," Moore returned, his manner crisp and sharp.
Smith smiled and eased himself into his command chair. It was going to be a long day.
Corporal Webb eased his Warbow ATV through the forest foliage and let it slide down into the miniature gully. He slipped off the seat and slithered, as smooth as a snake, to the edge of the forest. Lifting his AED binoculars, he peered out over the rolling hills and sighted the enemy. Two Covenant Ghost Reconnaissance Vehicles, crested a hill and sped over the terrain, heading on a course that was obvious of a scout. Webb had no fear of being detected. He was wearing scout armor. The armor had the latest of Covenant stealth technology. It looked like standard marine armor when it wasn't activated. When activated it acted just like the Covenant's active camouflage, except it lasted a lot longer, and adapted to the surroundings better. His Warbow was cloaked in a similar fashion, and had a device that masked all sound. Both his suit and armor had motion sensor jammers.
After spotting the enemy he clicked on his COM, and got his company commander, Captain Wesley. "Captain, this is Scout-three reporting enemy sighting. Two Covie Ghosts, appear to be scouts. Permission to engage?"
"Copy Scout-three, I've got your sensor feed. Permission to engage granted, make it quick and silent. Wesley out."
Mike Webb let a predatory grin creep onto his face. Ever since the last engagement, where he had lost two of his best friends, he had transferred to the scout company. Then he had chosen the most dangerous position: First Contact Lone Scout (FCLS). He preferred to be by himself. That way he had no one else to look out for.
He pushed these thoughts out of his mind and snaked back to his Warbow. He switched his Advanced MA5B for a SPNKr Jackhammer Rocket Launcher. He went back to the tree line and laid down on his stomach, lifting the Jackhammer over his shoulder. He aligned his sight with the gliding Ghost and waited for the guidance system to lock on.
It did so with a silent chirp. He gently squeezed the trigger. The rocket exploded from the barrel in a flash and darted toward its target. The HE warhead slammed into the front of the Ghost, engulfing the nose in fire and flipping it upside down on the ground. The second Ghost immediately swerved to avoid the first Ghost.
Unfortunately, the Elite's piloting skills weren't up to par. The left wingtip, snagged the other Ghost's flaming wreck, spinning it around and causing the right wingtip to dip into the ground, catch on a rock, and dump the Elite on the ground. Before the elite could stand all the way up, another rocket slammed into his torso. Webb watched the Elite disintegrate into a violet mist.
Webb popped the catch on his SPNKr's ammo hatch and inserted another pair of rockets. Once again he keyed his COM, "Captain this is Scout-three, Covenant recon picket eliminated, repeat, Cove recon picket eliminated."
"Good job Corporal, continue scouting, and engage any Covenant patrols. Do not engage any large force. When you encounter the main force, pull back, and call for an Artillery mission," Captain Wesley ordered.
"Sir yes sir," Webb answered. Clicking off his comms gear, Webb hoped on the back off his Warbow and gunned the engine. His ATV leapt out of the ditch and scrambled up the other side. He left his cloaker on, and allowed his vehicle to speed up.
He bounced over a hill and sped down the other side. Hundreds of feet away he noticed another pair of Ghosts heading straight toward him. Luckily for him his stealth systems were keeping the Covenant from noticing him. But that wouldn't last for long, his rate of closure was rapidly increasing. At close ranges he would be seen.
Acting swiftly, he flicked on his Warbow's 7.62mm autocannon and held the trigger down. The first Ghost caught the full burst. The bullets pierced the craft's nose, kept going, and tore into the Elite, ripping his torso open, and spilling dark purple blood over the controls. The Elite slumped out of his vehicle, which plowed into the ground, throwing up dirt.
The second Ghost turned and spun 60 degrees. The Ghost's nose was now tracking Webb. He slammed his right arm forward, spinning the Warbow around to face his enemy. His finger immediately tightened on the autocannon's trigger, vomiting ammo at the Covenant. The Teflon-coated rounds tore through the Ghost's wing and punctured the Ghost's power source. Before Webb could fire again, plasma fire impacted on the front of his Warbow. The ATV gave a sickening lurch and slid to a halt, smoke pouring from its engine.
Webb lifted his MA5B and prepared to take on the Elite. There was no need. The Ghost exploded outward in a blue-tinted explosion. Webb dropped and covered his face as shrapnel pinged off his armor. A large chunk of purple metal caught him in the helmet and the force of its impact knocked him backward.
When the lead stopped flying Webb got up and checked out his helmet. A large gash wound itself up to the top. "Well, I'll be damned..." he muttered to himself. He turned to check out his Warbow. The plasma blast had hit the vehicle right in the shocks, kept going, and hit the engine and cloaking device. Looking at it, he realized he wouldn't be able to repair it. He flicked on his COM and opened a channel to his Company Commander.
"This is Scout-three, I encountered another Covenant Recon Picket, eliminated, but my Warbow is inoperable and irreparable. Request a Scouthog with support be delivered to my position."
Captain Wesley Grunted, "Alright, I'm sending one now, make sure your ATV is destroyed, we don't want the Covenant getting that stealth technology. I want you to find the Covenant's main force, report, and then stick around to call in accurate Artillery fire."
"Yes sir," Webb answered. "Can you give me an ETA on the Hog?"
"Ah...yeah, about five minutes. Anything else, Marine?"
"Semper Fi!" Webb yelled into the COM channel.
"Hoo-roh, Wesley out...oh and good luck, Mike," the Captain, said his voice softer than usual.
Webb clicked off his COM and started to remove his weaponry from the Warbow. He then set a C12 charge for a minute, and sprinted over a hill, lugging a private armory with him. He got behind the hill and dropped, panting from the exertion. A minute later he heard a loud boom and watched one of the Warbow's wheels go flying by overhead.
He got into a good position and watched for any sign of the enemy. He saw none. A few minutes later a Warthog variant pulled up beside him. The Scouthog, looked just like a standard Warthog, except in its color and armament. The Warthog was painted with Active Camouflage paint. From a distance the Warthog was nearly invisible. The jeep didn't have a cloaking device like the Warbow because it was too large and fast for the cloaker to work effectively.
The standard 50mm chain gun had been replace with a silenced 50mm Sniper Cannon (50SC). The 50SC had a higher range and velocity than the standard chain gun, but its rate of fire was drastically decreased. With a skilled operator it was more effective that the chain gun, plus it was nearly silent and left no contrails.
A private jumped out of the driver's seat and walked over to him. "How in the hell do you manage to get your ass whooped by a couple of Covenant pansies?"
Webb grinned, "You're one to be talking, Nick. From what I remember in the last engagement you fought hand to hand with a Grunt—and lost!"
Private Nick Troy had to fight to keep his face from turning red with embarrassment. "Those Grunt-dudes are a lot stronger than they look."
"Yeah, whatever you say," Webb chuckled.
"I saw the whole thing, Mike," said Specialist Zack Squires. "His rifle jammed and a Grunt attacked him. He managed to disarm the little chump, but then the Grunt starts hitting him upside the head. Nick falls down and then the Grunt is on top of him, punching him in the face a few dozen times. Lucky for him I was able to put a bullet in the Grunt's skull."
"You've told the story a dozen times, Zack," Webb said, tossing his weapons in the Warthog's small cargo space. "Alright boys it's time to get down to business. I take it you already know our assignment?" They both nodded, so he continued. "We're going to approach through the tree line and avoid enemy contact as long as possible. Nick you drive, Zack you gun, so let's roll."
The Marines jumped in the Warthog and drove up in the woods. Branches snapped and cracked under the vehicle's weight. They cautiously made their way through the forest until their motion sensors picked up an enemy contact.
"Stop, I'm going to see what's up ahead. Make sure your cloakers are on, oh and don't get trigger happy, don't fire if you can avoid it," Webb ordered. He grabbed a S2 AM Sniper Rifle with a silencer and flash suppressor, and made his way to the edge of the forest.
He laid on his stomach and got into a good viewing position. He put the rim of the scope up to his eye and looked for the enemy. About 500 yards away was a Covenant Infantry Column. They marched along a large path. Thousands of Grunts walked in perfect formation. Hundreds of Jackals, shields not activated, but at the ready occupied the front and middle of the Column. Elites patrolled the outer edges on foot or in Ghosts. Behind the Column lumbered the Covenant's armor: Wraith Mortar Tanks.
Webb whistled in amazement. A moment later an Elite patrolling not 200 yards away from him peered over in his direction, as though he had heard the whistle. Webb froze; no one knew just how sensitive the Elite's senses were. For all he knew he had been heard and was about to be spotted. He looked around and noticed the Elite was at the rear of the Column and wouldn't be missed.
He made sure the silencer was firmly attached and zoomed in on the Covenant. At this range he could count the Elite's teeth. He dropped the crosshairs on the Elite's head and gently squeezed the trigger. The rifle's recoil slammed into his shoulder, causing him to wince. The 14.5mm armor-piercing fin-stabilized sabot bullet wasn't even slowed by the Elite's shield. The round impacted into the aliens head with a meaty slap.
The Elite fell back and crumpled into a heap on the ground, his imploded skull spraying a fine purple mist. Webb smiled in satisfaction and made sure no Covenant had detected the Elite's downfall. He quickly made his way back to the Warthog and told his Marines what had happened.
"Follow them, while I get an Artillery mission," Webb commanded. He then flicked to a different COM channel. "Scout-three to Devil one-one, over."
"Scout-three, this is Devil one-one state your priority and request, over."
"I copy Devil one-one. Priority Alpha and a request for fire mission over."
"Devil one-one copies and validates, give coordinates and grid, over."
"Grid B, section 7, coordinates are: 134 degrees by 76 degrees. Shift and fire for effect, over."
"Firing sighting shots, adjusting for effect, Scout-three."
Webb and his Marines crested a hill, a kilometer distant and waited for all hell to break loose. Seconds later the ground itself seemed to explode. Explosions ripped through the Covenant formation, killing Grunts by the hundreds. Many fled in panic as more artillery shells rained down. Then the proximity shells hit. They exploded at about chest height, releasing tons of shrapnel. The Covenant infantry didn't stand a chance; they were cut down by the score. Purple and blue blood stained the ground. Within minutes the only surviving Covenant were those in the Wraith Tanks and Ghosts. The tanks were completely invulnerable to anti-infantry artillery, but not to Hammer cruise missiles.
A hundred long, slender missiles arced above the horizon and plummeted down on the Covenant tanks. The first missile hit a Wraith and went all the way through before exploding. The Wraiths were ripped apart like tinfoil. Webb and his Marines sat and watched the massacre with a grim satisfaction. They were finally getting a chance to pay the aliens back for what they had did to the Outer Colonies.
After the artillery barrage, the remaining Covenant, very few, just stumbled around, suffering from shell shock. Not that they were allowed to stumble around long, though. Razor APCs and Warthogs roared down the hill. The Razors stopped and their cargo compartments opened, spilling out Marines. The Warthogs drove around, taking out Elites and Ghosts. The Marines ran about, covering one another and methodically cutting down the remainder of Covenant.
Major Harland marched in the Command Center and crisply saluted General McCasky. The General returned it and motioned for him to sit beside down beside the other battalion commanders. Harland did so.
McCasky looked at them, his voice grim, "As of 0200 hundred yesterday Covenant forces showed up in system and began a major assault on Earth." He looked around and waited for what he said to sink in. When it did he continued, "We've been ordered to immediately retreat and reinforce Earth. To finish up here we're going to initiate Operation Sigma II.
"Most of you already know of the Sigma Octanus campaign and how the nuke was planted. Well we're going to do the same thing. A team will infiltrate the Covenant Perimeter and plant a HAVOK nuclear bomb. Any questions?"
Harland raised his hand, "Ah...sir the original nuke was planted by a SPARTAN II team. They were all eliminated at Reach, sir."
"Well, not all of them were defeated at Reach. There was a survivor, he's currently helping push back the Covenant invasion force on Earth. Apparently there is another group of SPARTAN II's. They were never at Reach and they don't exist, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we will pull back to orbit, and wait for the SPARTANs to complete their mission." He looked at his watch. "They should arrive shortly. I want you men, to start the pull-back to orbit."
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