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Lost Battle of Reach

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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Lost Battle of Reach

Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:53 pm

Well, after the deal with someone copying my fan fic, I decided to we-write a bit of it and continue it. So... here it is.

Prologue

Mike was having the time of his life. Here he was, a ten year old child, yet still having fun playing duck, duck, goose. “Who cares what the others say,” his mother had said, “just have fun!” The new kid was circling the others. “Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck...” Mike was wondering when it would stop when suddenly, “Goose!” Mike whirled around and tried to catch the kid with his hand but he was too late. He got up and circled as fast as he possibly could, but he was too late. The new kid was awfully fast. Mike sighed. Knowing that whining would just ruin the game, he started to pat each kid on the head. “Duck, duck, duck, duck…”

Mike continued this game for several more rounds before deciding to return home. He ran as fast as he could as soon as his house was in site. His dad was coming home in a few minutes and Mike didn’t want to miss a second. Just as he reached the front porch he caught a twinkle in the sky. He assumed it was just another transport from Earth and continued inside. Nothing. That’s strange, he thought. He expected his aunt and mother to be excitedly talking, awaiting his dad’s arrival, but it was quiet.

He slowly walked down the hall and turned into the kitchen. He looked curiously at his mother, but her blank face gave him no sign as to what the problem was. She stared at the TV on the other side of the room. Uhhhh….. news. But even the news didn’t provoke such silence as this.

“Mom?” Mike asked, “Is everything okay?”

No answer

“Mom?” Mike tried again.

“Mike,” she said.

Relieved that she could still speak, he answered “yea-” but the door slammed open before Mike could finish. Mike turned to see his father filling in the doorway. Mike ran too him to give him a hug, but he slowed to a halt half way. His dad wasn’t smiling as he thought he would be, but instead his face was stricken with fear.

“Honey, get Mike and get in the car,” he said.

“Ken, what’s wron-” his mom started.

“Just do it!” Mike reeled back in shock. His father never yelled,
especially not at his mother. Without warning Mike felt his body being
pushed outside from behind.

“Let’s go Mike,” his mom said. “Hurry.”

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked, but there was dead silenced.

Quite again? Mike was getting sick of this lack of speech. He hoisted himself into the back seat of the car as his mom started to shut the door. “I can do it,” Mike inquired, but the door had all ready shut.

The drive there consisted of even less talking than at home. “Where are we going?” Mike had asked several times. All that he got for an answer was “On a little trip.” After about thirty minutes into the ride Mike was just starting to sleep when the car leached forward and ground to a halt. We must be here. Standing before Mike was two giant towers with spinning lights at the top of each. There was a large building in front of them and behind it was a giant paved area. Like a big black top from school, Mike thought. His mom held his hand as they moved from place to place in the building. Finally they came to what looked like a long tunnel.

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to let you go any further,” the guard told Mike’s parents. “Only he can go past this gate.”

“Mike, don’t worry,” his mother insisted.

“We’ll see you soon again,” his father assured.

“Where am I going?” Mike had not been told anything for the whole trip.

“Have you ever seen a rocket ship?” his mom asked. “You’re going to ride a space ship! Just like a real astronaut.”

“Really?” Mike asked, now very excited.

“Yes,” his father said. “You’re going to a planet called Reach.

Reach? Mike thought to himself. I’ve never heard of Reach. Mike had lived all of his life on Chi Ceti IV all his life.

“Go on now,” his mother said, “we’ll see you in a few days.”

Days? Mike was nervous. He had never been apart from his parents for more than a few hours. Now he wasn’t going to see them for days?

“Don’t worry. You’ll be perfectly safe,” his father assured. “Now get to the ship before it takes off without you.

“All……right…” Mike wasn’t so sure. He took the guards hand and hesitantly walked down the tunnel. He watched his parents as long as he could before he had to turn. Little did he know, that was the last he’d ever see of them.


Last edited by CivBase on Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:00 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Re: Lost Battle of Reach

Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:54 pm

Chapter I

Mike ducked his head, plasma fire scorching the barrier in front of him. He clutched his battle rifle and prepared to lay down counter fire when a bright blue flash appeared next to him. Plasma Grenade! Mike dove to his right, under the cover of his warthog. When the explosion came the entire warthog tipped to the right. No! We can't lose the warthog! Thankfully the giant beast fell back and came to a rest. Mike flew out from under the hog and thundered down the hallway into the building. He plowed his rifle into the chest of the elite in front of him and quickly fell back behind a nearby wall.

"You all right?" called Zane, second in command in Delta Force and Mikes best friend for the past two years.

"Yah," Mike called back.

"Good, last thing we need is a ton of hungry elites smelling your fried ***!"

Mike sighed. Always making light of even the most deadly situations. "Thanks!" he replied, "I'm glad I'm still breathing too."

Mike had joined the UNSC in the war against the Covenant at the age of sixteen, four years ago, by faking his age. After arriving at Reach, Mike spent six years in foster care, awaiting his parents’ arrival. They never came. Mike's sorrow quickly turned to rage. He vowed revenge on this new alien threat and joined the cause. Within two years of his enlisting his passion had lead him to Delta Force, the UNSC special operations squad. Delta Force could even stand toe-to-toe with ODST's.

Mike was huddled up against the wall. He had strict orders to eliminate all information stored inside the bank's computer system and retrieve the AI that was held inside the structure that was once used as a UNSC HQ before it was overrun. He was in the city of Kali, a major business center. Though normally packed to the brim, it was now deserted and felt like a ghost town.

Mike rounded the corner and burst into a large, open lobby. He caught three grunts huddled around a methane tank by surprise and dispatched them silently with his magnum. A clash of growls and murmurs came from a nearby doorway. Mike climbed behind the front desk and awaited his prey.

Sure enough, two eight-foot-tall elites entered the lobby on patrol. Upon seeing the pile of grunts, the red armored elite raised his plasma rifle. Mike ducked down. I could take them out with a single grenade... but it will be sure to raise alarm. Better to take them out silently. Mike reached into his pack and withdrew a silencer. He attached the short barrel to his battle rifle and inserted a fresh clip. Take your time, aim over speed. Cross hairs lined up, Mike squeezed down on the trigger. There was a quick splash of purple liquid as the red elite's head vanished. Strike one. His companion turned just in time to hear a bullet ring past his head. Strike two. Next shot will count. The elite raised his rifle, but had no time to do any damage before it was surrounded by a cloud of purple vapor. Strike three, you're out.



Chapter II

Mike clutched his MA3 Assault Rifle, securing his pistol in it’s holster on his leg. The next phase will require a bit more punch. Zane’s voice erupted in Mikes ear. “Report.”

“Two elites and three grunts down. Lobby is clear. No sign that they know.” Mike replied.

“Good, then they should have no reason to suspect that we are here.”

“I still don’t know why we just don’t nuke these *** things.”

“You know that we need to be sure that the AI does not fall into their hands.”

“Right.” Mike sighed. “I’ll continue to clear out the first level.” Mike had barely finished his sentence when a grunt waddled in. It made it to the northern doorway before streaking. Oh ***. The grunt quickly sped out yelling. Those things run pretty fast. Mike got up and ran after him.

The hallway jutted into a corner and Mike stopped before turning. Peeking around the corner he saw that two jackals were holding the grunt. Mike swung his head back behind the corner. Just perfect. He heard one of the jackals growl as the grunt babbled on. Screw silence! Make pulled a grenade off of his belt. He yanked out the pin and rolled it down the hall. One of the jackals looked down. Hope you like hell. I hear it’s kinda warm this time of the year.

The entire structure shuddered as the immense explosion thundered through the hall. “What the *** was that?” screamed Zane.

“The welcoming committee.” Mike flipped a switch on his helmet and the
radio shut off. I’d better work fast.

Mike came around the corner to see two more grunts running around with their arms flailing above their heads. They both fell as Mike fired bursts of lead from his assault rifle. Well, at least I won’t have to worry much about grunts. He grabbed the large metal door at the end of the hallway labeled ‘stairs’ and pulled as hard as he could. Locked. Mike looked down at his small package of C4 on his belt. No, I may need that later. Maybe there’s a key in the lobby.

Mike rushed to the front desk. Key, key, where are the keys. He started to rummage through compartments. No luck. As he was walking back to the stairway, he noticed a glimmer of light from the red elite’s body. It can’t be that easy… Sure enough, a small key chain was dangling from the red armor. Without hesitation, Mike grabbed the keys and ran down the hall.

The first four keys were too large, but the fifth key fit perfectly. Mike pushed on the door and it opened up to a small stair case. He quickly climbed the first set and turned around to face the second set when a green flash almost melted his face. Holy ***! A jackal charged it’s plasma pistol at the bottom of the stairway growling. There was no way he could get out of range before the blast hit him and it would take several shots to bring down it’s shield. Nowhere to run, Mike thought.

“Go to he-” Suddenly the jackal fell, face first.

“You didn’t really think we’d let you have all the fun, did ya?”

Zane.



Chapter III

“Well, what are you waiting for?” The voice came from behind Mike.
It was Taylor, the demolitions expert for his squad. Taylor may be a girl, but she was one of the roughest marines he’d ever met. On Mikes first day in Delta Force, he went up to meet here, but instead he got a boot between the legs. “Let that be a lesson. I’m a girl, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t make you eat dirt for breakfast,” was her reply. Mike was sure to stay out of her way.

“Right.” Mike trudged up the stairway.

At the top he could make out what looked like a large purple crate. Was very smooth, but tougher than any material he had seen, other than that of the covenant ships themselves. It was wedged against the door to keep intruders out. “Looks like we’re going to need some bang to get around this one.”

“I’m on it.” Taylor immediately went to work. She set two yellow packages in the center of the crate. Taylor then went down the stairs, to the safety of the hall below. Knowing it wouldn’t be wise to stay in the stairway either, Zane and Mike followed in close pursuit.

Mike watched as Taylor pulled out a small device that resembled a COM pad. This was the modern version of a plunger. “Fire in the hole.” This bang was even worse than the grenade that Mike had used, but it got the job done.

The trio marched up the stairs to find that not only had the crate been moved, but so had some of the walls. The entire doorway was scorched and smelt of fresh gunpowder. Zane smiled, “We’re really good at this element of surprise thing aren’t we?”

Mike grinned. While the situation didn’t call for jokes, it felt good to put his mind on something other than the war.

The upper level was very hot. The end of the hall jutted in two directions. Mike took the lead, assault rifle drawn. At the end of the hall he took the left while Zane and Taylor took the right.

Mike opened the door and looked around the new room. There was a large assortment of bulky machines all along the walls. Crimson wires hung everywhere. In the center of the room were a holo-projector and two large computers. This is it.

Before he could alert his two comrades, he could hear gunfire behind him. Mike pivoted around and caught a glimpse of Zane firing his BR55 battle rifle across the room. Suddenly he felt his gut drop as a giant stream of plasma scorched the wall above Zane’s head as he ducked. ***!

Mike raced to the room, gun in hand. The first thing he noticed upon entering the room was the desk at the far wall. It was littered with papers, as was the floor. File cabinets lined the walls around the desk. But then he saw it; a gigantic creature was charging Taylor, who was behind the desk, using all the cover she could get. It appeared to have a large serrated shield and it’s arm glowed bright green. Bullets bounced off of it’s massive armor with no effect. Mike could make out what looked like orange muscle between the gaps in the armor.

With a wipe of the beast’s arm, it shoved the desk aside, leaving Taylor exposed. Raising it’s arm, it let out a stream of green plasma at Taylor’s leg, much like the plasma that barely missed Zane. She screamed in agony as the plasma seared her leg, and then fell limp.

The alien, apparently satisfied with this, turned towards Mike and Zane. It crept forward, their bullets pouring down on the monster, but having no effect. A blue flash caught Mike’s eye, but before he could identify the source, the alien blew apart, it’s orange, worm-like entrails showering the room.

Zane was silent as Mike radioed in to the rest of Delta Force. “We need a medic now!”

Taylor’s head fell to the floor as she went into shock. Mike left the room, unable to see her there, but Zane stood frozen in place staring at the scorched leg. And beneath the clamor of the COM channel, Mike swore he could hear crying.


Last edited by CivBase on Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:10 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Re: Lost Battle of Reach

Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:54 pm

Chapter IV

Mike felt sick for the rest of the day. He couldn’t get the retched smell of burnt flesh from he nostrils, he couldn’t purge his mind of the thought of Taylor’s pain. True, Mike had been in battles before, seen people die before him, but he had never seen someone been so brutally tortured. The medics had waited no time and they got her back to base before she lost too much blood. Mike lay in his tent now, devoid of happiness. It had been one rough day.

The AI that they were after had been no more than a false alarm. He knew it wasn’t his fault but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, that he could have done more than just sit there and waist ammo. After all she, in her injured state, had done more for him than he had for her.

Mike decided to review what he had seen. He flipped a switch on his helmets camera and the recorded battle was displayed in his visor. He saw the bullets clang against the armor. He fast-forwarded to the part where Taylor had killed this goliath. That’s when he saw it, she had not mealy tossed a plasma grenade at the alien as Zane and Mike had, but had stuck it in the center of the orange muscle. It has a weakness, he thought excitedly.

He quickly compiled a report and marched to the commander’s desk to relay the news. The commander’s tent wasn’t far from the bunker, a ten minute walk at most, but Mike was now sprinting. As he ran past the field hospital, he once again felt sorrow. He slowed to a walk with his head hung low. I should have seen this weakness before, not just fired dumbfounded at it. The grey skies started to let a slight rain reach the ground. Time moved slowly as he finally reached the commander’s tent. “Permission to enter.”

“What’s the password?” Came a rough voice from within the tent. Commander Healy was in command of Delta Force, but, like Zane, was not particularly serious when unnecessary. It is rumored that he was there when the aliens first arrived at Harvest.

“Sir, I have some important information regarding our last mission.”

“Then by all means, enter. But make it snappy, we are short on time. It’s only a matter of time before the Covenant get tired of playing games and bring out the big guns.”

Mike lifted the flap and entered the warm, dry tent. A small, portable desk sat in the middle of the room holding Commander Healy’s laptop, but the only other objects in the room were two small chairs in front of his desk.

“So, let’s hear it.”

“Well, the creature that injured Taylor-”

“Ah yes,” Healy cut him off “rest assured she will be fine. You know I was a medic not to long ago?”

“No sir.”

“Well, that’s a different story. Back to your report.”

Mike handed Healy a video chip from his helmet. “See for yourself.”

“Very well.” The commander put the chip in a small adapter on his laptop and the screen filled with the grainy recording from Mikes helmet.

“As you can see, this is a new contact. It appears to have a large, bladed shield and a plasma weapon even more deadly than what we have seen before. Both seem to be attached to the creature’s arms.”

“Interesting.”

“What’s even more interesting is yet to come. Skip to the creatures death.”

As the commander did this, Mike continued his report. “It has a weakness. The center of it’s orange muscle-like body seems to have a weak spot. While it’s armor is nearly impenetrable, the back is exposed. The only problem is getting around the thing.”

“Very good. I will relay this information to Gama Station at once,” Healy trailed off, “and as for you, you are promoted to second in command as of today.”

Mikes eyes grew wide. “Second in command, sir? Isn’t that Zane’s position?”

“Yes, but he had decided that he could not take the pressure of Taylor’s death. He has stepped down. You will report to my tent at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow”

It felt as if a rubber ball was lodged in his throat. “Yes… sir…” Mike saluted and slowly backed out of the tent.

Second in command… I’m second in command. The rain had stopped and Mike raised his head to catch the sight of one of the most beautiful rainbows he had ever seen.



Chapter V

“Keep your eyes open,” Mike encouraged as his troops marched through the empty fields. Ever since the Covenant troops landed on Reach, they had been pushing with immense force. As soon as they reached Kali, the front door to Delta Force’s main base- and the generators that powered the orbital MAC stations- Commander Healy had ordered recon patrols. Recently there had been a large amount of air traffic on the outskirts of these patrols and this could only mean one thing, they are preparing to attack Delta Force.

Mike clutched the LAAG turret on his warthog. These guns were originally meant to be anti-air weapons, but having proven inefficient against anything but the banshee, the weapons are now used to mow down infantry coming out of drop ships instead of the ships themselves.

He was not required to be on this patrol because of his newfound position. Mike had held his position for no longer than 24 hours, but he already yearned to be back on the field rather than cooped up at base as did Zane. He wasn’t ready to let his base get attacked.

Taylor was still in the hospital and Zane was a mess. Healy told Mike he had given Zane two days of rest and Mike jumped at the opportunity to replace Zane during this time.

While there was no complaining, Mike knew that the marines were dead tired. They had been called up at oh-two-hundred last night and woken up less than five hours later. The immense heat didn’t help either. The star in Reach’s solar system wasn’t particularly hot or bright today, but the heat from constant plasma and glassing by the Covenant war ships had drastically changed the temperature.

Everyone knew that Reach wouldn’t last much longer. Covenant didn’t leave survivors; it was all glassed from space, leaving people to die without any hope of striking back. So why are we here? Why are we still alive?

Less than three days ago, the already famous Battle of Reach occurred. While the navy took a major toll on the Covenant ships, they couldn’t overpower them. During the battle, it is rumored that a ship of Spartans was headed down to Reach, but never made it. While this would be top classified information, it wouldn’t be too hard to believe that it was leaked.

“Three targets, buggers, two o’clock.” Said Lt Don Cozan.

“Confirmed,” replied Mike, “engaging.” It didn’t take 10 shots to nail all three drones. These giant insect-like creatures were fast and always moving, but their armor wasn’t particularly useful.

Not one alien was seen for the rest of the patrol. “Lets head back to base,” Mike said after another hour, “there’s nothing here.”

The warthogs rolled through the gate. The fence surrounding Delta Force wouldn’t do much to stop the Covenant, which was exactly why it was there. In front of the fence was a large mine field, enough to take out several squads and enough to slow down the Covenant enough to ready for an attack. Behind the fence were several auto-cannons, ready to halt any aerial assaults.

“How’d the patrol go?” asked the guard.

“Good,” Mike lied. He had noticed that there was a definite lack of Covenant activity. This meant they were ready, but didn’t know the guard and had no clue how much he could tell him.

“You can drop me off here.” Mike said as the warthog neared the commander’s tent.

“Sure thing.” The warthog slowed to a stop. Mike dismounted the
turret and lifted the flap to the tent.

“What’s the news?” asked Healy, not even bothering to look up.

“Three drones, nothing more.” Healy lifted his head, an unreadable expression on his face.

“I want all the firepower you can get out on the front line. If they want a fight, we’ll give them one their ancestors will remember.”

“Sir, what if we loose?”

“Excuse me?” the commander had a cold look on his face.

Though it was unwise to make a commander angry, he knew that it had to be said. “The Covenant are no pushovers. If we loose, we need to have a line of retreat. I suggest we pack up all unneeded gear, just in case.”

Commander Healy’s face seemed to loosen, apparently surprised by Mikes proposition. “Fine, spread the word that there’s an attack on its way. Pack your things or leave it here.”

“Yes sir.” Mike exited the tent, going about to spread the news. There’s an attack coming, and this base will be ready for it.



Chapter VI

Mike looked up as the cool breeze swept around him. The calm before the storm, he thought. All around him marines were busy establishing turret emplacements. Some were already suited up for battle, eager to be ready for the first wave.

He strode over to the field hospital. It was very early, before the sun even rose above the horizon. I wish I had brought my watch.

Upon entering the tent, Mike was welcomed by the musky smell of blood and death. All around him were marines with various injuries, some with casts, other with complete amputations. At the far side of the tent was another marine, screaming and struggling to break free of the two other marines holding him down. A nurse was trying to give him a shot below the shoulder on his right arm. Toughest men in the world, he chuckled at the thought.

Taylors bed was the third on the left side of the tent. Though her entire leg had been amputated, she looked fairly cheerful. “Doc said that I’d be out in a few hours,” she said calmly.

“I’m so sorry,” Mike begun.

“Stow it,” she demanded, “you did what you could.”

“No, I could have killed it,”

“No you couldn’t have, nothing prepared you for that encounter.”

There was dead silence.

“How did you-”

“Know it’s weakness? I don’t know. I just guessed and hoped I got
it right.

“Nobody gets that lucky with sheer guessing.” Mark implied.

“Maybe, maybe not. But from what I can tell, the human race will need a lot of luck soon. We’re going to need a lot of luck soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” And he did, though he regretted thinking
it.

It was the whole reason Mike had wanted to take such precautions when meeting with Healy. If we didn’t get the kind of luck that Taylor was talking about, the entire Delta Force was doomed. Then where would Earth be? No more Delta Force, no more spartans… it would be mass slaughter.

Light gushed around Mike and he turned to see what happened. Zane had lifted the flap to enter the tent. As he walked over to Taylor Mike could see the grief in his eyes. If I felt this guilty, I can’t imagine how mortified he must feel.

“Mike.”

“You stepped down?” This was the first time Mike had seen Zane since he
was promoted.

“I can’t-” but before he could finish, another person entered the tent, Private Don Cozan.

He marched over to the three of them and saluted towards Mike. “Message from Commander Healy, report to his quarters immediately.”

“Can do,” Mike looked at Zane, “keep her safe.” Taylor growled from her bed, obviously insulted by the order.

“Then who’s going to watch his sissy back?” she joked, but Mike was already out of the tent. The captain’s quarters? He never invites people to his quarters. He was perplexed. Did I do something wrong? Mike began to think through everything he had done that morning, making sure nothing was out of line.

Mike located Commander Healy’s tent fairly fast, as it was the only tent that had two guards. Though they looked as if they wouldn’t let even the most innocent of flies past them, they each stepped aside when they saw Mike. Each saluted as he pulled back the flap and entered the tent.

The tent was much like his office. A lone table with his laptop rested on it. It was almost completely devoid of furniture aside from the commander’s rough metal bed and stool, which was behind the table.

“You wished to see me sir?”

“Yes.” There was an uncomfortable silence.

“May I ask why sir?”

“You are a very talented soldier,” the commander began, “this is why I chose
you to be my second in command.” Mike blushed.

“I-”

“The truth is that Zane didn’t step down from command.” Mike was aw-struck. But even Zane acknowledged that he chose to give up his position! “I relieved him of his duties.”

“Sir… He-”

“He was torn apart by the last battle. While he was ready to do his duty as a good soldier always is, I knew he would be more of a loss in his current state than an asset. However, he is still a valuable soldier, which is why I chose him to be one of the members of your team for your mission.”

“Team? Mission?” Mike didn’t know what was going on.

“Answer this, what do you know of the spartan program?”


Last edited by CivBase on Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:23 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Re: Lost Battle of Reach

Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:54 pm

Chapter VII

“Sir? The spartan program is classified information. All I know is the rumors that I’ve heard, most of which sound unrealistic to say the least.”

“Well soldier, we need you for this mission which is why you are being promoted to top security clearance.” Mike was stunned.

“But sir, you don’t have the-” but before Mike could finish his objection Healy slammed down a manila folder on his desk. It was labeled ‘S-II’.

“I have orders strait from command. I don’t know much of the details, but I will give you a brief summery of your main objective,” the commander paused for a while, as if to wonder weather or not he should carry on, “It seems we have a few AWOL soldiers.”

AWOL soldiers? Mike thought, what could this possibly have to do with spartans?

Healy continued, “What I am about to tell you, you cannot repeat to anyone aside from your team.” He paused to let it sink in, then continued. “During the Battle of Reach, less than oh-eight-three hours ago, a large group of spartans were shipped to land at the reactor complex via pelican. We haven’t heard from them since, MIA.”

By then Mike knew his mission, but he couldn’t understand why it was him. “Sir, why me?”

“Because you are the only one with enough balls to do this correctly. Believe it or not, you are one of the best soldiers of Delta Squad.” Mike was blushing again. He had noticed that his missions were getting more and more dangerous, that last one was pure luck that Zane had showed up when he did. “We have one shot at this before Covy *** are crawling all over the crash site. We believe that some may still be alive, but not for long.”

Now Mike was sweating. The sartans themselves? But if they wont survive the onslaught, how will we? “Sir, may I ask who my team is?” He asked as he reached for the manila folder. It was very clean and organized compared to those you see in the classic movies.

“Yes, I have assembled all that I could for you without compromising our bases defenses.” Mike knew that couldn’t be much, which only served to increase his nervousness. “Zane Tanners, Don Cozan, and Vasili Yakamof will all accompany you on your mission.”

Vasili Yakamof? The Russian brute? If Mike was worried before, he was in a full state of panic now. Vasili was Russian. After the UNSC had finally united humanity, most people had grown a more American accent, yet the Yakamof family kept their rough Russian accent. Vasili was a vehicle and explosives specialist, much like Taylor, but twice as mean. Nobody crossed Vasili, though it wasn’t hard for he mostly kept to his own.

The commander continued, “You leave for the crash site in one hour. Make sure you are fully loaded. We will supply you with any vehicles and weapons that you may need. Make sure to leave some for the fight, okay soldier?”

“Yes sir!” Though Mike was in no mood for jokes.

“You will be debriefed later today on the full extent of your mission. Until then, make sure you can get as much as you can out of that,” Healy said, pointing to the manila folder. “Dismissed.”

With that, Mike saluted and strode out of the tent. For the next five hours, he would be in his tent learning what he could from this small folder. Why does this stuff always happen to me?[/font]


Chapter VIII

The wind felt good as Mike traced the horizon from the back of his transport hog. While they could have opted for a tank, it would have dangerously slowed them down and been very easy to spot by covenant patrols. Besides, Mike thought, we need the extra space.

Stacked in the rear where the turret would normally be were five crates, normally meant for carrying large 50 cal turrets, but now gutted and loaded with ammo and munitions. While the marines hoped that they themselves would never need that much firepower, the Spartans would surely be running low by now. At this rate, we’ll be lucky if the ship is even there.

Mike, Zane, and Don all shouldered their BR55s while Vasili preferred a bit more punch. Strapped to his back was a large, boxy rocket launcher. Though the casing is only big enough to hold two rounds it can lock on to targets, making up for it’s lack of shots. Vasili also boasted a single M7 sub-machinegun (SMG) stored in the crude holster on his left leg. He sat on the opening at the rear, cleaning his rocket and making sure everything was ready.

Silence filled the marines as they prepared for the fight of their lives. This is suicidal, Mike had thought as he was reading his full debrief via com pad. However, Mike was determined to follow through with his mission.

“5000 meters and closing” Don said from the passenger seat. Sure enough, a pelican was sitting atop a hill dead ahead, completely destroyed beyond recognition. Five or six grunts were sitting around the site, no doubt unaware of the fight ahead. Fairly close to the pelican debris was a large, glowing antenna with three hooks jutting out at the top.

“They have communication,” Mike alerted his team.

“Not for long,” Vasili confirmed in his thick Russian accent. Soon after, the com tower exploded in a brilliant blue and purple flash as his rocket made contact. Grunts scrambled and ran for cover. The marines slowly picked them off, not stopping the hog to take cover from the wave of plasma fire.

The plasma was quickly thinning as more than half of the small force was knocked down. The warthog burst into the camp and the marines swiftly switched to fully automatic, finishing off the survivors. The only damage that could be found was burning paint on the front of the warthog and a melting area on the windshield. We caught them by surprise, but we won’t be so lucky with the next group, Mike thought, viewing the obliterated antenna.

“Command?” Mike radioed in.

“Yea?” replied the commander’s gruff voice through the static. Gun fire could be heard in the background and he knew the attack was already underway.

“As expected, the spartans packed up, no survivors at the crash site.”

“Affirmative, any bodies?”

“No sir, it seems the Covenant have packed them up if there were any, along with all weapons and radio gear on the ship.”

Mike could hear Healy swear under his breath as a few bursts exploded from a nearby gun. “Pull a five mile sweep of the area. If you don’t find any hint of where they could be, fall back to base. These b*******s brought more to the show than we had expected.”

“Yes, sir! Mike out.”

“Healy out.”



Chapter IX

The next three hours consisted of several circles around the crash site, looking for any hint on where the Spartans could be. Even worse, the only enemies the small team could find were very small on numbers and didn’t even put up a fight.

“Do one more pass here, Don,” Mike yelled over the growling warthog engine, pointing to a clearing in the brush. Don pulled the warthog to the left and rolled over the untouched grass.

After a quick scan of the area Vasili reported, “Looks all clear; no hostiles, no spartans.”

Mike let out a sigh. “All right. Don, bring us out over there. There’s a path just beyond those bushes. We’re heading back to base.” Don had nearly cleared the brush when the tail of the warthog hit a bump, sending a loose crate in the back tumbling off. Slightly frustrated by the days failed mission, Mike hopped out and stomped to the back of the hog. It didn’t take long to locate the bulky, olive-green case. Mike let out a grunt and bent down to retrieve it when a thud sounded from behind him. Mike twisted his head around to see Zane loading their crate onto the bed of the warthog.

“Sir?” Zane asked, noticing Mike’s stare, “Is something wrong?”

All Mike could let out was a short gasp as he realized what he had found.



Chapter X

Mike couldn’t move at first. Zane, alarmed at Mike’s unresponsiveness rushed over. “You okay, buddy? You look a little pale.” Zane put his hands on Mike’s shoulders and shook him. After a little of this, Mike snapped to.

“We’ve found one.”

“One wa-”

“A Spartan!” With that, the rest of the crew jumped off the hog and were with Mike in a second. Mike turned around and pulled out his combat knife. He began slashing at the undergrowth all around the giant suit until the helmet was finally visible.

“That’s one of them alright,” confirmed Don with a hint of awe in his voice.

“But he’s not moving,” Zane said, worried, “Do you think he’s sleeping?” The other three stared at Zane, not amused. “Right, sorry.”

A grunt was heard and the corpse moved a bit. Mike turned to see Vasili tugging at the legs, trying to drag the heavy armor out of the brush. “I could use a little help here.”

Mike and Zane reached under the arms and lifted while Don went back to the warthog and started to clear the bed for their new guest. Once the body was clear, the three set it down on the open terrain.

“Spartan-059,” Mike read aloud from the chest plate on the armor. “Name seems to be Tanya.”

“Tanya?” sounded Don from the warthog, “They have female spartans too?”

“That’s what it looks like. Most of the armor’s in good condition, not bullet wounds or plasma marks. What do you suppose got to her?”

“How do we know she’s even dead?” asked Zane, “And I’m not talking about sleeping this time, could just be unconscious.”

“Well,” this time from Vasili, “we’re not here to be doctors; we’re just the search party." After a long silence, Vasili spoke again, "What now?”

“Let’s load her up and pull a sweep of the area. If we don’t find any more, we’ll head on back.” And so the day went on. Other than a small crater near where the body was found, there were no signs of Spartans and with a little depression, the soldiers began back to base, unsure of what they’d find.


Last edited by CivBase on Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:20 am; edited 3 times in total
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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Re: Lost Battle of Reach

Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:55 pm

Reserved
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Lost Battle of Reach Empty Re: Lost Battle of Reach

Post by XNate02 Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:59 pm

yay!!!!!

so you decided to continue it after all =3
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Post by CivBase Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:01 pm

XNate02 wrote:yay!!!!!

so you decided to continue it after all =3
Yah... a few posting problems after bringing it over from word though.
EDIT: Fixed Very Happy
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Post by CivBase Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:19 am

New chapter up.
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Post by capn qwerty Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:58 pm

Very good, very well written Smile.

You seem to use the same words alot, though; try a bit more variety.
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