The Human-Brute Conflict (Re-Write)

Prologue

Brute Home World, Doisac

Mission: High Priority VIP

Time: November 20, 2554 0400 Hours

Staff Sergeant John Henas sat in the troop bay of the drifting pelican. He, as were his squad mates, were prepared to arrive on Doisac for the detaining of a particular brute leader. Intelligence reports from satellite reconnaissance suggested that there would be high resistance, no doubt. It also showed the Brute’s had stepped up their efforts in securing the road checkpoints around the area.

That had eliminated the possibility of a ground insertion, not that that was a tactical choice in the first place. The prospect of enemy Ack-Ack or also known as Anti-Aircraft was eliminated from the equation due to it being moved to a new position in the city that made it well out of range. This greatly improved their chances now.

He wondered about the UNSC Victory Salute. It had hunkered down behind the Brute moon Solrapt and had waited until the time was right. Then sprung the plan. Henas reviewed this plan mentally, to make sure nothing went wrong. Three pelicans filled with heavily armed ODST’s were to be transported to the target building. After deployment was achieved, First Squad was to prepare to breach into the building below from the roof through the use of breaching-explosives.

They then were to be followed by Second Squad, who would keep the breached area secured. Meanwhile, Third Squad would remain on the roof to provide over watch and recon the situation around the building. First sight of a problem and the rest of the team would be notified and they would run like hell.

First Squad would then, if things continued to run smoothly, locate the VIP, detain him, and then return to the pelicans were they would be taken back to the waiting Victory Salute.

The pilot poked his head back into the troop bay and told the men that they had two minutes till they reached the landing area. Radio chatter followed from the two other pelicans, none of which he could hear. He took his MA5C from the rack next to him and grasped it with his glove-covered hands. Henas loaded his Assault Rifle and the other members followed suit with their weapons.
The pelican's engines came alive, due to the fact it had been drifting in to provide more stealth for the operation.

Everyone stood up, preparing to run out into the terrain and what it had prepared for them. The pelican leaned slightly to one side and then became level as the back hatch started to open. The darkness outside was still strong, so Henas ordered the Helljumpers to activate their VISR’s. The greenish-night vision came alive and illuminated friendlies in an outline of green, outlined enemies in red, and Special Interests in yellow. The last one had been applied to the Brute’s objects that ONI had a hard-on for as well as the targeted VIP, to help different him from the rest. Or so their superiors told them.

Henas and the troops filed out, creating a perimeter around the hatch's opening and the others still inside filled into the perimeter. A lone brute guard stood in awe and shock at the forces. The soldiers all fired at him with their silenced weapons. The bullets knocked him backward before he could say anything and he collapsed onto the ground, shield flickering. A soldier put a final round of a Battle Rifle into its head and it was over. The engagement took less then seven seconds. The group surveyed the area for more threats and found none.

"Looks clear. Pilot, you can set down and shut down," he said.

The pelican slowly closed the foot gap between it and the roof beneath it. As the pelican’s engines flickered off so save fuel, the two other pelicans came swooping in and began their drop-off. Third Squad’s pelican landed first and their troops filed-out and swiftly took up positions around the roof, which had a parapet, allowing for better cover if need be. Their arsenal was comprised of two M41 SSR MAV/AW’s, three Sniper Rifle System 99D Anti-Matériel’s, and two with Battle Rifles for close support, if need be.

The M41’s HEAT rounds could tear through any Covenant armor and render it completely useless in one or two shots guaranteed. Although the brutes utilizing Covenant vehicles in large numbers was still a possibility, it was a remote one at this moment. The designated marksmen were beginning to set-up positions that allowed fire to the North, the East, and the West. The South was an alleyway and because of this, did not require a Sniper. Instead, one of the soldier’s armed with a Battle Rifle had taken up there. The other stayed next to the two M41-equiped soldiers, who were on the West Side of the building. The West Side faced the main road in the area and that being said, made it the probable way the Brute’s would send anything of a vehicle sort their way.

After Third Squad had set-up, Second Squad had already landed and taken up a rear position to that of First. Henas looked over to the middle of the roof and radioed in.

“This is Echo. Come in AlphaOmega. All three teams are ready and in place. Need position of breach, over.”

A five-second lapse of silence followed then came the response.

“Echo, this is AlphaOmega. I am sending you the position now. It will be indicated by your Heads-Up Display. When deemed ready, execute the next phase.”

A seven-second delay occurred between the sending and receiving of the HUD display icon. It was over the building, no doubt, and sat slightly off center of the roof’s middle. Henas checked his mission timer. A total of three minutes had passed since they had landed. Now was the time.

“Squad, form up on the marker. I want breaching explosives on it as soon as we get there. Let’s get this done.”

The men followed up behind Henas, who reached it first in under a 10 seconds. He was way from the marker by a foot or two, to allow the placement and discharge of the explosives. Two of his men formed up over the marker and started to place it in the necessary places that would allow a successful breach and clear. The others filed in behind him. 20 seconds passed and finally, the two were done and stepped aside. They awaited Henas’s order.

He first made sure Second Squad was behind his own squad. He checked and they were. Secondly, he made his order heard.

“Do it.”

A flash of light and the roofing there was gone.

“Breaching, Breaching!”

Henas was the first to drop down into the room. The room was dimly lit and slightly obstructed the VSIR’s night vision, so Henas made his first shot at the single light source before assessing anything. A few brutes had been pissing and were just coming around to see what the matter was behind them. By then, three more soldiers had already dropped down and opened up with a salvo of lead that overtook both of the brute warriors. He walked forward to the doorway and put his back to the wall. The other soldiers of First Squad had already gotten down and were preparing to continue further, as the first people of Second Squad followed.

A few seconds later and the last men were down. Members of the squad started to make a disposable stairs of sorts that would help ease the rest of the operation. Henas moved forward into the room, his VISR outlining a figure down the hall in red. He notified the team and he slowly approached the brute. When he was behind it, he withdrew his knife and punched it hard in the skull-slit. The creature yelped and fell over; twitching once and then stopped. He pulled his knife out and cleaned it off. There were two hallways and he had no idea which would lead him to the objective.

He made his decision. He would have Second Squad go down the hall to the left while his own team would go to the right. These were the only two ways to the breached area so the third team would be safe. If things went bad, they would just get the hell out of here. He radioed Second Squad and they went down the hallway a few seconds later. Henas ordered his squad to start down the hallway.

Henas looked into a doorway as they filed down the hall. No contacts. Just a bathroom. He continued with the squad down the hall, down a pair of stairs, and into a grand room. The shadows on this end concealed them from what laid inside.

Seven enemy contacts. Five were brutes and wait, two were grunts? The grunts are working for the brutes still? After the break-up of the Covenant, ONI had made it clear that all of the factions had gone their own ways. Fucking lairs.

But no matter. They could be just a few supports or slaves anyways. But they would have to let this be known. But how to deal with the situation. There was their target. Outlined in yellow, he appeared to be eating a cooked beast of unknown origin. He was also sitting in a throne-like chair. His guards were all side-by-side in the center of the room. Their reason, Henas had no clue. But he figured a if they covered them in a volley of grenades, they could be eliminated quickly. He flipped his night vision off as it only hurt him now.

He ordered his men to ready grenades and they threw over 20 of them with a few seconds. Most were killed in an instant. But a single brute and grunt guard remained. The squad fired their rifles at both until they collapsed. The VIP was decorated in magnificent armor and he grabbed for a large hammer. Shit. Things just got complicated.

“Squad Two, Three. We’ve found the target. Attempting to detain the sonvabitch now. Over.”

Henas had a dart gun with a tranquilizer dart that had enough sedative to knock out a small elephant for a day. But it couldn’t by-pass the shield. And then, it could “bite” through the armor and apply the chemical to put the savage beast down.

“Take it’s shield down!” He yelled.

“Roger that!” One replied as they all opened fire.

The beast’s strides were that of a man’s three. It closed the distance and…it’s shields went down. Henas drawled his dart gun and took aim. One more step and it would be in range. The beast jumped forward, pulling it’s hammer backward for a destructive blow on the hulljumpers.

But Henas was quick. He pulled the trigger and the dart hit its mark in the savage’s chest. It went crashing down and slid the little distance to the squad’s feet.

“VIP is out cold. Second Squad, head back to the entrance and hold. We’re about to head your way.”

Second Squad acknowledged and started on their way as Henas and his men gathered around the VIP to begin to drag him. They pulled all their muscles into it and after a four-minute struggle, reached the stairs. There would be no pulling him up these, let alone carrying. He thought for a moment and then came up with a solution.

“Second Squad, get a gurney down here pronto.”

“A gurney, sir? Is someone hit?”

“No. Just get it down here yesterday.”

“Yes, sir.”

An another minute passed and the soldier arrived with the gurney. The slid it underneath the beast, slowly moving his body. After that was accomplished, they went up the stairs, down the hall, up the temporary stairs and arrived at the roof. He activated his night vision once again.

They allowed Second Squad to take over and load him into their pelican. Third Squad slowly moved from their positions and loaded into their pelican after Second and First squads had already got in theirs.

The pelican’s back hatch closed and the engines roared to life. The men relaxed, depolarized their visors, and talked the post-operation talk. Henas waited a minute and then turned his VISR off. The slight unbalance of the first few seconds of flight accompanied them and then faded as they raced toward space. Henas checked his time. Ten minutes. It had taken only ten minutes in what seemed like a lifetime. He radioed in.

"AlphaOmega. This is Echo. We have the VIP and are enroute to the UNSC Victory Salute. No casualties either, sir. Over."

"Roger that, Echo. Have your men at the debrief when you arrive. Over and out."

But, he thought, would any other mission here be as smooth or deathless as this one?

awesome, glad your doing a re-write this is a great ff.

Thanks. Comments are appreacited. Also, the first chapter should be out next week sometime.

Ruski wrote:Thanks. Comments are appreacited. Also, the first chapter should be out next week sometime.

Dude your gonna grow up and be one of the best writes known to man and dolphin. When does the next come out?