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The Defense of Earth 4: Ghost Ship
Posted By: Steele
Date: 8 April 2003, 11:03 PM
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Ghost Ship
0945 Hours, October 14, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
Earth Local Space, Middle of UNSC Defense Fleet
"Lieutenant Herrick roll us to starboard," Rear Admiral Joseph Mugs ordered his ships navigation officer.
"Complying sir," he responded as the Widower began to roll over.
Mugs didn't even fell the spin; the only way he noticed that the ship had inverted was the now upside down view outside the main viewport. "Weapons, port shield status?"
"Down to five percent with multiple breaches. I'm recharging now, but it'll take a while," the Weapons officer replied, her face beaded with sweat.
"Shit! Admiral, we have multiple Plasma Torpedo launches, bearing one-two-seven. Impact on starboard shield in six seconds!" The Navigation officer screamed hysterically.
"Divert all uncritical power to starboard shields," Mugs returned, his firm voice betraying no anxiety.
"Aye aye," his Weapons officer said, already following orders.
The two Plasma Torpedoes slammed into an invisible force field, 200 meters away from the Widower, causing the space around the Battleship to glow static silver. The torpedoes coalesced into an azure fireball that shot gouts of superheated plasma out in all directions, except past the shield.
Mugs almost fell out of the command chair by the force of the blow. The Widower rocked. "Shield status?"
"Starboard shields are down to fifty percent. Port shields have recharged to ten percent," Dante, the ship's A.I., responded.
"What about the Destroyer that launched 'em?"
"I took the initiative and sent it a FRC and MAC volley," Dante said, his artificial, holographic face showing a smile that looked all to feral for Mugs liking. "I have highlighted the areas where the largest pieces of it can be found."
"No thanks. Give me a SitRep." Mugs ordered the A.I.
"UNSC casualties: 101, 435 ship-to-ship KIAs and another 11, 000 damaged. 34 Battleships destroyed with 10 damaged, but still Combat Effective. 17 Super MACs KIA.
"Covenant Casualties: 197, 234 ship-to-ship KIAs and another 15, 321 damaged. 347 Capital ships destroyed, and 29 damaged, Admiral."
"Will we be able to push them back?" Mugs asked, his voice starting to betray his fear of failure.
"Calculating," Dante said as symbols scrolled across his holographic form. "No, but if casualties continue along like this there won't be that many Covenant craft left."
Mugs felt his gut tighten. He had never wanted this. The Covenant would wipe out his fleet and have a whole hour to land invasion forces of glass the planet, before reinforcements arrived.
Mugs turned back to his bridge crew, "Well, I guess it's time to Dance with the Devil."
Cockpit of C742 Dagger Space Superiority Fighter
Commander Rick "Einstein" Mitchell stood his
Dagger on its tail and rocketed upward. He followed up with a port barrel roll and a dive, which put him on the six of the Covenant Seraph that had shot at him earlier.
Rick lined up his targeting reticle, which resembles a 'w,' and pulled the trigger. The 20mm cannon rounds cut through empty space. Rick followed the Seraph into a hard starboard turn and through a quick loop.
He lined up his sight again and fired. He missed. The Elite piloting the Seraph was good. The Elite kept jinxing the Seraph left and right. Obviously this guy was a veteran. Rick executed a high-G barrel roll that put him right behind the Seraph, with his guns pointed straight into the Covenant craft's Plasma engine. He pulled the trigger.
Dozens of incendiary rounds lanced into the Covenant ship's spine and gouged out sections of hull, leaving flaming pockmarks behind. The Seraph banked to the left, showing no signs of having been shot.
Rick snap rolled his fighter ninety degrees and turned hard to the left. He found his nose pointed right at a Covenant Battle Cruiser's open Launch Bay. He was only 300 meters away and flying at about 500mph. He instinctively yanked his throttles back into reverse thrust and pulled up.
Even though his reflexes were extremely fast, his Dagger was too close to the Covenant Cruiser to avoid hitting it. His Dagger shot straight into the Covenant ship through the open Launch Bay and plowed into the side of the bay.
Rick watched his nose crumple and the bay bulkhead rush up to meet him. Then blackness.
Rick awoke precisely two hours later, with a pounding headache. He was still sitting in the middle of his Dagger, or more precisely, what was left of it. He looked around and realized how lucky he was to be alive. The Dagger's cockpit armor had saved his life. Where his Dagger had once had a long nose, nothing but crunched and compacted metal remained.
First things first, he had to see where he was. He looked up out the shattered Dagger's canopy and gasped in amazement. He was actually inside a Covenant Cruiser. His Fighter had slammed into what appeared to the Covenant's launch bay and landed on the floor. Around him, hundreds of Covenant assault craft hung on racks and sat around, waiting to be flown. Strangely no Covenant were around.
He checked his cockpit and frowned. None of the Dagger's equipment would work. He looked up and actually found his control column imbedded into the Dagger's glass canopy. He was glad he had been knocked unconscious during the crash.
He popped his harness and grabbed his M6D pistol from its shoulder holster and climbed out of the cockpit. He cautiously made his way down, his pistol ready to blast anything he saw. He hopped down and crouched, peering through the jumble of aircraft, looking for Covenant. He didn't find any.
He climbed back into the cockpit and grabbed his standard-issue survival pack. It consisted of extra ammo for his M6D, a MA5B with ammunition, a few grenades, a Comlink that didn't appear to be working, standard marine battle armor, and food.
He filled up the pockets of his flight-suit and tried to get any one on the Comlink. Getting nothing, he ran over to a Covenant Dropship, hoping to get a ride out of the ship. That was when he noticed the Bay door. It was sealed with a blue gel like fluid, but that wasn't what worried him. Outside the Bay door he could see the distinct mirage like greenness of Slipstream space. The Battle Cruiser was in Slipstream. Great this day couldn't get any better.
He wouldn't be able to fly out of the ship. If he flew out of a ship in the middle of Slipstream space, he would be ripped to pieces and none of the Covenant small craft had a Slipspace drives. He was here for the ride.
The only way off this thing would be too get to the bridge and take control of it himself. He knew he would die. But it was better than being a prisoner and at least he would be doing something.
He turned and jogged off toward the nearest door. The gray door, beeped and slid open. Rick proceeded inside, his weapon in the 'Tac-Carry' position, ready to neutralize any threats. There was nothing. Rick continued down a purple and pink hallway to another door. He went inside it to.
Once again, no Covenant. Rick started to worry. Where was all the Covenant? Where they hiding waiting to ambush him, or where there actually no Covenant on this ship. It didn't really matter to him, he'd probably die either way.
Rick continued into the next room and stopped dead in his tracks. The walls were covered in blood. Bright blue, dark purple, and orange. It mapped the walls all the way to the ceiling. Near the doors he could see the trails of blood where bodies had been dragged, yet there were no bodies. What the hell happened here, he wondered.
He noticed other things. The walls bore the tell-tell sign of having been shot with Plasma Weapons. He took a few steps in, his MA5B at the ready, and stepped on something squishy. He looked down and recoiled at what he saw.
The floor beneath his foot was covered in green blood and bits of brown-white skin. He looked around, taking a more careful view this time. Intermixed with the Covenant blood he could see bits of green fluid and brown flesh. It must be some new Covenant species, he thought.
He got out of there and continued on his way. From that point forward all the walls, and bulkheads were covered in blood. After a long stretch of seemingly identical hallways he arrived in a large, square room.
In the middle of the room was an upraised platform, surrounded by holographic panels all glowing a pale blue. This must be the control room. Oddly, this room was devoid of blood or signs of battle.
He jogged up the ramp and started pressing buttons on the holopanel wildly. He felt the ship decelerate and drop out of Slipspace. That was when the door behind him beeped and opened. He spun and dropped to one knee, his rifle barrel pointed at the empty doorway.
Nothing. The door must have opened on it's own. Just as he was about to relax it darted out of the doorway and came for him. Whatever it was, it sure wasn't a Covenant species. Behind it, more of them came. Rick opened fire.
To be continued....
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