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The Fall of Fate: Invasion, Part Two(12)
Posted By: 'Nosolee<crugg2003@optonline.net>
Date: 31 July 2003, 1:00 AM
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1517 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)//In the Hills Near the Cleanup Site.
Wkehu 'Drrana watched as one human dropship flew overhead, then another two, then three more, until the air was filled with the sound of twenty Pelicans' engines. 'Drrana lowered his neck and peered at Arga.
"So what do we do if reinforcements do arrive?" the Field-master asked condescendingly.
"Then we bring our reinforcements," the Ossoona replied.
"I see, to avenge those who died from the battle of Fate," the Field-master continued. There was a long silence that lasted for a few minutes. Two of the Ossoonas cloaked themselves again, only Arga and Field-master Wkehu 'Drrana remained.
"I am taking your dropship," 'Drrana said swiftly, without even listening to the Ossoona's response.
"Please, Excellency, we beg you to keep it here. What if we must make quick escape?" Arga pleaded.
"Make sure you don't have to make a quick escape. Besides, this dropship looks very, very suspicious. It gives away your position; I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't already spotted you. I suggest you cloak yourself and fast. Find another location, that is an order," 'Drrana entered the cockpit and took off. He brought up the coordinates of Destiny and the other cruisers. Soon the six battleships came into full view. He saw the three frigates: The Repentance, The Candor and Appeasement, and The Belief and Wisdom; Fate's two sister-ships: Destiny and Providence; and the massive behemoth, the assault carrier, Judgment. Judgment was the second largest Covenant ship in the entire fleet, each of its plasma torpedoes had the power of a nuclear warhead, 'Drrana knew what they were planning to do. Judgment would unleash a series of torpedoes upon Ucundus's surface, setting off nuclear explosions nowhere near the Forerunner site, but wreaking havoc all over the planet. 'Drrana smiled.
His craft was soon caught in the midst of the other dropships released by Providence. He now knew what Arga meant by bringing reinforcements. 'Drrana watched as Judgement released 150 purple dropships , and he waited for Destiny to give her share.
1520 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)//In the Docking Bay of Destiny.
Fusa 'Lutamee and Fusa 'Yongaree grabbed the harness bars of the dropship. They felt a deep rumble as the ship undocked and they flew into space. 'Lutamee knew that his brother was nervous, it was the young Elite's first time into battle. The veteran looked at his brother and spoke.
"Do not be afraid, the gods will shine down upon you this day. Have faith in them and they will protect you. Kill the blasphemers, crush them into dust." The dropship joined the rest of the invasion force and they prepared to enter the atmosphere of Ucundus.
1520 Hours April 19, 2548 (Military Calendar//A Few Meters Above the Ground in Front of Delta Base 148, In the Troop Bay of Dropship Bravo 12.
"The LZ is hot, but you Spartans can handle yourselves pretty well. Touchdown in five, four, three, two, one...Take it to 'em marines!" the pilot exclaimed over the intercom. The three Spartans along with 200 other marines and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers charged off their dropships, firing at the ravenous POWs. Without weapons or shields they were defeated easily. The Jackals fought with tooth and claw, which only caused a few scratches, and the Grunts either fled or used whatever they could find lying around as a weapon. The small skirmish was over in a matter of minutes.
"I'm counting approximately sixty Covenant casualties," the Spartan named Edward said.
"Yeah, well watch it Ed. You've got several big enemies coming from the trees and fast," Linda, the fourth Spartan in their group, said. Linda was an expert sniper, the best of the best.
"Well, you know best, Linda," Ed glanced at his radar and realized she was right. The trees to their right rustled and branches cracked, Ed heard something that resembled trees being snapped in half. Low, rumbling snarls came from the forest. Suddenly, the loud report of a sniper rifle was heard, and the straight vapor trail was seen as it hammered into the forest. A loud screech and a gout of orange blood followed, along with the falling body of a Hunter.
"Shit," Ed muttered. An unearthly roar bellowed from the forest, and five Hunters burst from the trees, Ed dodged flying splinters of bark. A marine was taken by surprise, and was bashed to the left by a tree trunk, which the Hunter used as a melee weapon, since he had no shield or fuel-rod cannon. All Hunters seemed to be carrying them, using them like bludgeons. The bloody, crumpled marine's body landed several yards away with a sickening thwack! The closest marines opened fire on the Hunters, the rounds pinging on their armor. The beast that had killed the marine now threw another to the ground with his powerful fist and raised the trunk over his head to crush the marine. At that moment, a second report from Linda's rifle cracked and the round pierced the Hunter straight through his exposed back. The Hunter fell onto his back with a thud! and clank! from his armor. Linda picked off another one of the brutes and selected her next victim. Linda zoomed in to the 10x scope capability. Three marines were being harassed by the giant's natural club. She saw it stretch its neck out to roar at the marines, Linda waited for the arrogant beast to do it a second time. Sure enough, the turtle-like neck poked out and a third round escaped Linda's rifle. Before sound escaped the monster's mighty lungs, he dropped to his right side and small amounts of neon orange dribbled from the entry and exit wounds. That's how Linda liked it, swift, deadly, and clean. Ed fired his assault rifle at the nearest Hunter, he couldn't get a clear shot at the Hunter's back. A nearby ODST let loose a round from his Jackhammer launcher. The Hunter turned in just enough time to raise his trunk as a shield. The tree trunk exploded and flaming bark flew all over. The Hunter fell to the floor, badly wounded and bleeding. Ed picked up a jagged, flaming piece of the flaming wood and hurled it into the Hunter's bleeding, exposed stomach. It moaned, let loose a bloody gurgle and died. The ODST fired at the last Hunter, who dodged the rocket. The explosive round flew into the woods and exploded, setting trees on fire. The Hunter charged as the Shock Trooper paused to reload. The Hunter swung its weapon like a baseball bat at the ODST whose lifeless body flew upwards into the air and landed on a platform on Delta Base 148. Ed dropped his AR, caught the launcher and a packet of two rounds, loaded them into the Jackhammer, and fired in all one motion. The rocket found its way home and the Hunter's chest exploded in a flood of neon blood.
That was the last of the POWs outside of Delta Base 148, now the three Spartans began their extermination of the aliens inside of the base.
"Alright guys," the pilot of one of the pelicans said of the COM channel, "we're dropping off vehicles, so stand clear," the pelicans came back over the hills and dropped down twenty warthogs and five scorpion MBTs.
"Okay, you know your positions. Now move out! Sniper-squad get up top in the tower. Scorpion drivers, surround the perimeter, all the rest of you get to your respectable places! Go! Go! Go!" Sergeant Thomas Olmstead barked. He walked over to the three Spartans.
"You can get through the base using the long tunnel that leads through the length of the instillation, its used for transportation of weapons and machinery. Corporal York and his men are trapped in the armory in the basement. Find the vents that lead to them, he has civilians in there that need extraction." The Sergeant said as he directed them to a wide ramp that led into a dark tunnel. The three Spartans hopped into a Warthog and drove into the darkness.
1520 Hours April 19, 2548 (Military Calendar//Beneath the Surface of Ucundus, in the Forerunner Control Center.
"I'm gonna see if these Sentinels can get me out of here, they might be able to cut through the weakened hull of the fallen ship," Gregory said to the giant-sized hologram of his AI.
"Alright," the AI responded.
"You stay here, make sure the Covenant don't gain control over this control panel," Gregory ordered.
"Where else would I go, and how would I get there?" the AI said mockingly. Gregory grinned under his helmet.
"Okay, you'll be controlling these Sentinels via my helmet camera, right?" Gregory asked.
"Yes, I'll also keep a COM channel live," Augustus answered. Gregory turned and walked back over the luminescent bridge, through the corrugated hallway, past the room with the three pulse generators, walked straight through the dark gallery with the blue screens, up the steps and into the room with the malfunctioning machinery, followed by seventeen Sentinels. Gregory shuddered when he remembered the maps that led to the ringworlds and the bright flash that had rendered him unconscious. As he turned to the anti-grav lift he saw the cryo-tube and paused for a moment. He wondered what exactly was in that tube, but then remembered that it could not be opened and decided not the ponder any more. Gregory pressed the same button that had activated the lift before, and the elevator came to life with a jolt. When they reached the top the Sentinels began heating up the soil that had packed in around Fate. Cracked and hard dirt fell from around the once small slab of metal that Gegory had dug out. The purple spot grew and grew until the Sentinel had enough room to begin their work. Seventeen orange and red lasers shot from the Sentinels towards the weakened hull. The metal began to heat up, slowly turned from red to orange, and then one laser punched a hole in the hull, then another, and another, until all of the lasers began cutting out large chunks of superheated metal. The Sentinels eventually stopped once a large enough space had been carved out of the fallen ship. Gregory climbed into one of the halls, getting to his feet, he realized that it was the ceiling he was standing on, not the floor. The ship had fallen backwards when it tipped over.
It was an inferno inside, nuclear flames that hadn't gone out raged from ever crack and were alive in every corner. The once violet halls were now a mixture of blacks, sickly browns, and dark purples. Gregory stepped over a charred body of what looked like an Elite. He continued his trek through the twisted halls of Fate, accompanied by an orderly line of Sentinels.
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