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Project Myrmidon- Part 3
Posted By: spartan shot<farfrompuken191@cs.com>
Date: 11 December 2009, 11:24 pm
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Exterior: Field on Reach. One Month Later. 7:34 A.M.
Fhajad had been hiding in the basement for a solid month. We went down there every chance we got to keep him company and bring him food. Any normal person would have gone crazy by now, but he was a Spartan. He could stay in a ditch for a year if he had to.
The time for Ackerson's test had come. All the ONI personnel that were gathered a month ago were here. They all waited in their cars outside a large Titanium-A plated bunker. It was dug halfway into the ground and had a long viewport for everyone to observe the demonstration. The wind blew over the rocky terrain and into the open field, gathering dust into twisters. Ackerson walked out from the bunker towards the makeshift parking lot. Everyone emerged from their vehicles.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today" he said. "I have promised you all the gift of the century. Today you get to open it. Follow me."
No one said anything. They all gathered within and spread along the viewport of the bunker. It was crowded. Ackerson stood next to a black console. It stood about three feet from the ground and had a large assortment of buttons and switches. There was a small blue plate on it. Ackerson took a Data Crystal Chip and inserted it into the console. The AI Achilles appeared on the plate.
"Everyone, this is the transmitter which I spoke of earlier" said Ackerson.
He then hit a switch on a different console. In the center of the field, a trap door opened. A platform rose from the chamber beneath with several vehicles on it such as Scorpion Tanks and Warthogs. Marines drove them to certain positions around the field and exited them. They then ran away.
"Everyone, I give you the Myrmidons" said Ackerson as he pushed a button.
Another trap door opened up. This one was right in front of the bunker. A platform rose from beneath with six behemoths on them. They stood fifteen feet off the ground and were facing the bunker. They had thin visors across their chests. All of them had a blackish green tint to their armor and different weapons variations. The personnel gathered within were dumbfounded.
"This is the future" said Ackerson.
"Colonel, what type of armor are these machines using?" asked one of the personnel.
"I'm glad you asked" Ackerson replied. "They are made of a dense Titanium-A plating with reinforced high torque joints for movement."
"Titanium-A won't last forever in a firefight" I said.
He looked at me.
"No it won't" he replied. "DeCorzo, do you carry a sidearm?"
"Yes."
"Please fire on any Myrmidon of your choosing."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Fire away."
I withdrew my sidearm and aimed at the closest robot. It had a .50 cal machine gun mounted on it's right forearm. A chain of bullets was being fed into the gun from a large cylinder container mounted on the back of the right shoulder. Just to the left of the container was a laser weapon mounted just to the right of where the head should be. On it's right shoulder was a 90 millimeter cannon with a belt of shells being fed into it from a container on the back. On it's left forearm was an extendable destruction bar.
I aimed steadily at the visor across the robot's chest. It's "eye". I pulled the trigger. In a split second, a shimmering light encased the robot and deflected the bullet.
"Shields?" I asked.
"Correct" said Ackerson. "These mecha-warriors contain shield generators like those the Covenant have on their Elites."
Everyone in the bunker was amazed. Ackerson had a huge smile across his face. How he had achieved these shields, I will never know. He then turned to the transmitter and looked at Achilles.
"Their all yours Achilles" he said. "Continue with the demonstration."
The AI nodded and dissolved into the light. The Myrmidons blinked to life. Red dots began to glow in the left corner of each of their visors. They were active.
The Myrmidons turned to the configuration of vehicles and charged. They ran at almost the same speed as a Warthog. One of them stopped and knelt down. It fired several rockets from it's shoulder-mounted pods, similar to those on the MAAT-9 Wolverine. The rockets danced around in the air and all descended on an empty Scorpion, destroying it.
The other robots still charged. One of them fired two GAUSS Cannons that were mounted on it's forearms. The one that I shot at did the same with it's gun. They all began wreaking havoc on the vehicles. They ripped them apart and blew them to bits. The one that I had fired at extended it's destruction bar and slammed it into a Warthog, nearly breaking it in half. It then turned and fired it's 90 mm cannon at an old SP42 Cobra, destroying it.
There was nothing left in the field but smoldering scrap metal and the six behemoth robots. The test was successful. All the personnel gathered within the bunker watched in awe. Ackerson had them.
"A successful test no?" he asked.
Parangosky looked at him.
"You've struck gold with this idea Colonel" she said. "You have our support."
"Excellent. I will push up the production on the new weapons. We shall see how successful they are in the field."
Exterior: Orbit of Pegasi Gama. July 3, 2545
The Covenant controlled moon of Pegasi Gama housed a special senor station that could detect any stealth vessels in the system. A UNSC Destroyer, The Blow Me Away, emerged from Slipspace and neared the small moon. It descended and easily skidded down on the surface, just two kilometers away from the station.
The Covenant were now on alert. Elites in Spec Ops armor and a mass of Grunts in vac suits neared the crash site in their Shadow transports. Once they were close enough, they got off their vehicles and examined the wrecked ship.
"Bring up a drill" said one of the Elites. "We shall breach the hull and suck them out!"
There was a loud thud coming from inside the ship. All the Covenant warriors aimed their weapons at the source of the noise. It grew louder and louder until it stopped. One Grunt slowly and cautiously walked toward the hull. It stopped just a few meters away and looked at it curiously.
"It's OK" he said.
Suddenly, the hull of the ship blew off and crushed the unsuspecting Grunt. Several blasts fired from within the ship and 90mm shells destroyed the Shadows. The troopers were shocked and disoriented. Over twenty Myrmidons emerged from the destroyer and mopped up all the alien soldiers in a matter of seconds.
One Elite ran desperately from the battle. It sprinted across the gray rocky terrain and didn't look back. He heard loud bumps and felt the ground shake. The bumps grew louder until a large four-fingered hand grabbed his legs and lifted him off the ground. The Elite looked upon the robot and just stared. He then withdrew his Plasma Pistol and fired. The robot's shields shimmered a bright gold. The grasp of the fingers grew tighter until the Elite heard his bones crack. The Myrmidon dropped the alien on the ground. The Elite looked up and saw four other robots walk up and stare at him. The Myrmidon whom had broken his legs lifted it's foot and crushed him. The twenty robots looked across the terrain and saw the sensor station. They slowly walked toward it and went into full sprints.
The station was now on full alert. A large door opened up and over fifteen Wraiths emerged. They drifted into a line in front of the station and began firing on the advancing enemy. Most of the Myrmidons dodged the raining balls of plasma, but one was not so lucky. A mortar round hit it dead on, blew out it's shields, and knocked it on it's back. The Myrmidon struggled to get up. As it lay there helpless, it tracked another ball of plasma as it flew in the air and impacted on it's visor, destroying it.
Over thirty Seraph fighters came into view and neared the advancing robots. Six of the Myrmidons stopped and recognized the threat. They all got on one knee and fired the AA missiles from the pods on their shoulders. The line of Seraphs broke and tried to shake them but to no avail. Each one was hit and fell towards the surface in a smoldering wreck.
The other Myrmidons continued to charge the line of Wraiths. Some stopped and fired their 90mm cannons. Others continued to run and fired their laser weapons. By the time they reached the line, only five tanks remained. One Myrmidon grabbed hold of one Wraith and pulled the hatch off, exposing the cockpit. It then stuck it's .50 cal inside and fired. Purple mist shrouded the area around the hatch and stained the robot's arm. By the time the Myrmidon had stopped, there was nothing left of the pilot but a blue pulp. Another Myrmidon did the same, only it stuck the destruction bar in and crushed the pilot.
After all of the Wraiths were destroyed, the Myrmidons focused on the station. They approached the blue tinted wall and located the door. Some of them had drills, saws, and welders mounted on their forearms and began cutting through the heavy door.
Within the large halls of the base, over twelve Jackals formed a phalanx with four Hunters and awaited this new threat. They all wore special vac suits. The halls in this part of the station were large enough to let vehicles move freely about. It would let the Myrmidons get to their objective, a reactor near the middle of that section.
The robots stopped drilling. One of them kicked the door down and acquired a target. They all fired on the formation of shielded aliens. All the Covenant warriors were obliterated in a matter of three seconds. Even the Hunters never stood a chance.
The Myrmidons continued through the halls and searched for their primary target. They stopped at a small door. One of them used thermal vision to identify over thirty Covenant soldiers in an oxygen rich environment, a safe room. It then grabbed the door and pulled it from the wall and blasted the air lock behind it. Every alien within was sucked out into the vacuum. They slammed on the legs of the robots as they flew down the halls towards the main door.
The thermal vision of one of the robots locked on to the strongest heat source, the reactor. They all followed this robot until they reached their target. The room was filled with light. Two cone like structures from the ground and ceiling nearly touched each other at the tips. A bright light was emitted from the center of this gap. All of the Myrmidons aimed their arms at the reactor and faced their palms toward it. Each of them fired a C12 charge from a launcher in their hands.
All of them ran through the large halls of the base and made their way to the exit, trampling any Covenant in their way. Once out, a signal was given off from one of the Myrmidons. Ten UNSC Prowlers drifted down to the rocky terrain and opened large hatches on their aft sections, exposing a storage bays modified to carry two of the mecha-warriors. One by one, they entered and the ships lifted off. As they left the surface, the base emitted a blinding light and exploded.
"That's affirmative control, Operation: TROJAN HORSE has been carried out. Casualties: 1. The way is clear for Operation: TORPEDO. Commence attack" said the pilot of one of the ships.
By knocking out the sensor station, the Myrmidons made a clear path for the Spartan-III's to destroy the Covenant refinery on Pegasi Delta. Ackerson had just conducted the first field test for his new project. Other than one casualty, it was a success. It would be more of a success than Operation: TORPEDO. Even though this mission was completed, there were only two survivors.
Interior: Covenant Supercarrier, Righteous Execution. 51-Pegasi- B System.
Field Commander Terao Klonaree walked nervously down the halls of the grand vessel. He was called to the bridge to see the Supreme Commander. He was positive of the reason. He was in charge of the sensor station on Pegasi Gama. After that disaster, his punishment was inevitable. Especially with Supreme Commander Xotenlee in charge of all operations in the system. He has built a reputation of being the most cruel of the Elites.
Klonaree stopped at the large door to the bridge. It was the largest of all of the already gigantic doors on this level. A circle in the center with three red lines pointing inward spun counterclockwise. The lines were now glowing green and a loud clank was heard. It opened. Klonaree worked up his courage and entered. Any Covenant life would gladly face the Prophets themselves before being judged by Xotenlee. The Supreme Commander sat in a gravity chair which floated high up between two sets of stairs that led to a landing where most of the command crew sat. Klonaree could not see him for it was dark, but his deep voice carried throughout the bridge.
"You have failed" he said.
Klonaree knelt in the center of the room before Xotenlee.
"Sir, there was nothing I could've done" he said.
"Explain! Before I have your head removed and your body thrown to the Kig-Yar!" yelled Xotenlee.
"Supreme Commander, a single ship appeared and crashed on the surface of the moon. We thought there were humans inside, but-"
"BUT! This happened?" said Xotenlee.
A holoscreen activated just below him and showed the Myrmidon's emergence from the destroyer. The recording was taken from a Grunt's helmet cam. It ceased after the Shadows exploded and the Grunt was shot down.
"Supreme Commander, this threat was like nothing we have ever seen. There was no way to counter it" said Klonaree.
"YOU LIE!" Xotenlee shouted. "What do you suppose this is?"
The holoscreen played a security recording from one of the base's external cameras. It magnified three hundred times it's normal view and focused on the Myrmidon being destroyed by Wraith bombardment. The only kill.
"They CAN be destroyed!" he said.
Xotenlee began descending in his command chair. When it reached the floor, his face appeared into the light. His armor was a deep purple with a similar colored cape hanging from his shoulders. His helmet had two nearly completed circles towards the back. He then got up and approached Klonaree. Klonaree looked up at him then immediately brought his eyes to the floor.
"You have failed. And you shall be punished."
"Please Supreme Commander! I beg of you! Offer me the opportunity to redeem myself" Klonaree pleaded with his gaze still locked on the floor.
"Bah! You beg for mercy like an Unggoy!" said Xotenlee. "Lift your head and look me in the eyes!"
Klonaree swallowed the ball forming in his throat. He slowly and nervously looked up at the Supreme Commander. In an instant, Xotenlee withdrew his energy sword and brought it to his throat. Klonaree shook with fear and just stared at the blade for a few moments.
"No…" said Xotenlee, "You are not worthy of my blade."
He shut down his sword and turned around.
"Such a death is too good for you" he said as he walked back to his seat.
Xotenlee sat down in his command chair. Klonaree did not move from his kneeling position. He awaited either his execution order or his very unlikely pardon.
"You shall perform a task for me" said Xotenlee. "If you complete it, then you shall be pardoned."
"Thank you Supreme Commander" said Klonaree with relief. "What will you have me do?"
"It will become clear very soon. You are dismissed."
Xotenlee pressed a button on his command chair. A large trap door opened up underneath Klonaree's feet and he fell into a large pit filled with the remains of different Covenant species. Xotenlee's chair began to rise into it's former position as the floor beneath it opened up and revealed the chamber.
Klonaree got up and looked around. All he saw was gray metal walls on all sides and the skulls of whatever had been dropped in the chamber before him. He looked up at Xotenlee.
"Sir! Please have mercy!" he cried.
"I am showing you my mercy" replied Xotenlee. "You must complete the task at hand in order to live."
A large door opened up in the pit. The room within was pitch black. Loud thumps were heard from within which caused the floor to rumble. A very large creature stepped into the light. It's skin was tan. It wore a bluish armor around it's body and hunched shoulders. It's head bore only a single, weird looking, eye and what looked like a "beard" of teeth. It's mouth was hidden behind this. On each of it's wrists were two spikes which stuck out past it's three fingered fists.
"Behold my mighty Drinol Beast!" shouted Xotenlee. "This is your task!"
The Drinol was a beast found by the Covenant some time ago. It had immense strength and was twice as tall as a Hunter. They are not very intelligent. Only those in the higher echelons of the Covenant could keep them as pets.
The Drinol let out a muffled roar and charged Klonaree. The Elite backed up against the wall. When the Drinol was close enough, he rolled under it's legs and ran for the other side. Klonaree withdrew his Plasma Pistol and charged it. He released the ball of superheated plasma and it flew towards the behemoth only to splash on it's skin. The Drinol didn't even notice. It turned around and charged Klonaree again.
Since the Drinol was slow moving, Klonaree had enough time to charge another plasma ball and fire. This one went sailing into the creature's eye. The great beast thrashed in pain for a moment. Klonaree saw this as an opportunity. He withdrew his Energy Sword and charged the beast. He loaded up for a swing, but the Drinol slammed him with the back of it's fist and sent him into the wall.
He lay on the floor in agony. He heard the slow footsteps of the beast and felt the floor shake as it neared him. He struggled to get up only to have the Drinol stomp on his legs. His mandibles spread apart and his scream was loud and painful. The Drinol then lifted him off the ground and put him up against the wall. Klonaree, in a final desperate act, took his sword and tried to slash the creature's arm. He brought the blade down hard only to have it bounce off. It left only a small sear across the beast's forearm. He stared at this slight burn and then looked up. The last thing he saw was Drinol's fist coming towards him.
The two spikes on the Drinol's wrist tore up Klonaree's face. It's fist crushed his chest. The beast then pulled it's hand from the wall and Klonaree dropped to the floor in a bloody, lifeless mess. His gold armor was covered in purple blood. Xotenlee looked on from above. He clicked his mandible in delight.
"Honor less maggot" he said. "How you became a Field Master is beyond me."
The floor beneath him began to close. Xotenlee's chair spun around and faced the command crew. They were all watching until he turned around. They all got back to their work. The main viewport showed Pegasi Delta and a fleet of Covenant vessels.
"Shipmaster!" Xotenlee called.
A gold armored Elite approached Xotenlee.
"Yes Supreme Commander?" he said.
"Have the wreckage from that abominable human creation examined" he ordered. "We must find out it's weaknesses."
"Of course Supreme Commander. Shall I notify the Holy Ones?"
"No!" Xotenlee barked. "I shall do it."
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