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Heroes and Legends by Odin of SoS.
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Heroes and Legends: Chapter 1 - It All Starts Somewhere
Date: 28 May 2005, 1:23 AM
India Company, Third Batallion, Seventh Marine Regiment had been tasked to help defend a small system on the outskirts of the Inner Colonies. That plan was launched out the window when the full scale invasion of Earth began. The first wave of Covenant was beaten away with devastating losses on both sides. All available ships were being called in system to help defend the inevitable second wave. Over two hundred UNSC fighting ships gathered around the Human homeworld. Independence was one of them. Fighting had been going on for weeks. The Covenant would assault and deploy ground troops. Super MAC platforms, fitted with new shield technology, fended off wave after wave. UNSC ships fought valiantly defending each platform. Marine and Army ground forces fought with unbefore seen tenacity defending the Super MAC generators. Almost all twenty generators were being constantly assaulted. Each of them buried deep below the largest cities of Earth, the defenders of humanity were having a tough time fighting off the onslaught. Paris had fallen first, New Baghdad's situation was unknown, and Boston was overrun but, the Covenant were having militia problems and hadn't found the generator yet. All other generators were secured.
First Sergeant Daley had taken full command of India Company when the CO was killed just days after the invasion. India Company was stationed in the small town of Warrensburg, fifty miles outside Kansas City Metropolis II. A generator was in KC and Warrensburg was on one of the main roads leading there. It had been a full week since the Covenant last assaulted the small town. Most of the civilians had been evacuated and Daley had had time to prepare the town for another assault. Seriously damaged buildings were knocked down, alleyways and side streets were blocked off, to keep the Covenant on the main roads only. The old high school had been turned into the company headquarters and billeting. Stolen Shades and machine gun turrets were mounted on the roof and at all of the entrances to the school grounds. Barbed wire and concrete dividers were used to cordon off the area and secure the vehicles. The flag pole still held the UN flag, the US flag, and was now accompanied by the gold and crimson Marine Corps flag.
Six Warthogs pulled out of the perimeter and drove towards the outskirts of town in a tactical column. Corporal Tran was in the lead Warthog, sitting in the passenger seat. The wind whipped at his clothes as they sped down the road. His hazel eyes were protected from the wind by his Oakley ballistic goggles. His dirty blonde hair was covered by an M832 Kevlar Combat Helmet. An ear and mouth piece extended from the helmet connecting him and his squad through COM.
Almost all of the downtown and residential areas had been completely leveled. A few houses with blown out windows and busted down doors still stood defiantly. Although no person resided in the houses, they appeared to live on their own. Nothing could be heard through the streets, except for the rumble of engines and grinding of gravel on asphalt. Debris littered the streets and directed the convoy in predetermined paths. Cpl. Tran nodded to the Marines dug in on the outskirts of the town. They had been there for weeks with but a few precious hours of sleep. Patrols were sent out regularly to look for incoming Covenant.
Outside the town, the roads followed along rolling, green hills, and fields of four foot tall wheat fields. The Warthogs disturbed the blissful silence of the country area. Cpl. Tran admired the terrain. He would have liked to live on a farm, if he ever had the chance. The convoy pulled up to a rally point and rolled into a coil, providing full security. Tran pulled a laminated map from his cargo pocket and examined the area. He opened the door and hung one leg out, giving himself more room. He looked out into the fields and imagined having a family, little baby Trans running around on their little farm house. His COM cracked on and shook him from the daze.
"Odin one one, Odin one one. This HQ over." The COM snapped back to a low hum waiting for a responce. Cpl. Tran neatly folded the map back up and stuffed in his cargo pocket. He pulled his leg back in and shut the door before pressing his chin mic.
"HQ this is Odin one one, send it over." Tran pumped his hands palm up in the air signalling the convoy,"We're Oscar Mike." He shouted to the Warthogs behind him.'
"Odin one one, we just got word from FLEETCOM that Covenant have broken through with dropships in this area. Head back to base double time. How copy, over."
Tran sat up straight and looked into the sky. "Roger HQ, that's a hard copy. We're on our way back. Odin one one out." He scanned the skyline and looked through the clouds for anything. His adrenaline was pumping out of his eyeballs as he told his driver to head back. "All trucks, all trucks, this is one one, we are heading back to town. Be on the look out devils, we got incoming Covvies."
Lance Corporal Jack Glass and his fireteam were waiting inside a fortified two story house on the outside of town. The front doors and windows were barricaded leaving only the back bottom deck hatch and any second deck window for an exit. His entire squad was strung out in similar houses on the same street. The other side of the street was lined with barbed wire and concrete baracades every twenty meters. Beyond that, Lotus Anti-Tank Mines were planted two hundred meters out. A single road was left untouched. It led Glass's temper was about as fragile as that, his sanity too. He once bit a man's cheek off in a bar fight, and ate it while beating him with a stool. That is why he is no longer a Sergeant. Fighting the Covenant soothed him.
He stared feverishly out a second deck window, looking for Covenant, or a Marine convoy, hopefully being chased by the Covenant. His squad leader radioed in a few minutes prior, telling Glass about the incoming Covenant. He had been sweating anticipation every second since. He see fire in the sky from the battle miles above. At night Glass would lay back and stare into the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of the space battle. If they didn't win up there, no point in winning groundside. He hated the idea of relying on sailors to win the war.
Glass's thoughts were cut short when he spotted dust clouds rising in the distance. "Get ready boys! We got some visitors." He yelled out the window. His Marines in the windows below him charged their weapons and sighted in. Glass unslung his BR55 and racked a round. He leaned it against the wall and pulled his M6D pistol from his chest holster, loaded a mag, racked a round, and reholstered the sidearm. Jack shouldered hs battle rifle and placed his eye in the scope.
The dust cloud looked about two and a half klicks out. The vehicles looked like ants in the distance. Glass lowered his rifle and pulled a cigarrette from his pocket. He removed the safety strip and lit the white tube. Smoke wafted in the air. Nicotine entered Glass's system. A slight feeling of euphoria came about him. His shoulders slumped as tension was relieved. His COM chirped static. Glass tapped his headset pointlessly as he took another long pull. Static crackled to jumbled words. Jack took another long pull as his COM burst into life.
"...that motherfucker down. One two, get the fuck up here. I repeat, all posts, all posts, we got Covenant inbound. Creeps, escorted by Banshees. Batallion size element. Inbound north by northeast. Grid two one zero five five eight. Relay to all posts. Odin one one CAT two incoming with Covvies."
Jack's cigarrette dropped from his mouth as excitement exploded from his body. He shouldered his rifle and looked for the convoy. They were only one and a half klicks away now. He could see two Banshees shooting down onto the convoy. Rounds tore through the sky in response. The lead Banshee's port grav pod exploded as a round from a gauss cannon connected. The alien aircraft spiralled downwards and crashed in a blue and purple explosion. The second Banshee pulled skyward as all remaining Warthogs concentrated their fire on the singe attack craft. Bullets riddled the hull and the ship combusted in midair, shapnel and a large burning hulk dropped from the sky.
The convoy drove down the unmined road and button-hooked onto the street in front of Glass. Glass looked down from his window as the lead Warthog skidded to a stop in front of his building. The rest of the vehicles dispersed themselves down the road. A Marie jumped out of the Warthog and took cover behind its frame. The driver dove into a downstairs window and the gunner oriented his weapon towards the horizon. Jack looked around as Marines took up defensive positions. The sun was high and to his back, leaving the horizon as clear as can be. Miniscule figures appeared in the distance. Jack lifted his rifle and sighted through his scope. Creeps lined the field, dozens of them. Banshees menacingly flew above them. Warrensburg was about to come under seige. Glass lowered his rifle, and smiled.
Heroes and Legends: Who Said They Were Tough?
Date: 30 June 2005, 2:54 am
Jack lifted his rifle and sighted through his scope. Creeps lined the field, dozens of them. Banshees menacingly flew above them. Warrensburg was about to come under seige. Glass lowered his rifle, and smiled.
Hold fire was called to all Marines on the line. The Covenant assault was coming head on. A very proud Elite must have been leading the attack, or a very stupid one. They were moving straight toward the mines. A wave of Creeps slowly crept toward the desolate town of Warrensburg. A squadron of Banshees teasingly followed through the sky. Jack Glass just waited.
Jack's wiley green eyes darted back and forth through the Covenant ranks. They strained to count the amount of enemy vehicles. It was too much, and Jack loved it. The sun had gone down by now, and the night was quiet. Jack wondered why the Covenant hadn't brought artillery. Wraith tanks wreaked havok on defensive positions such as his. He wondered too, why they were moving so slowly. As though they were waiting for something, or someone, before the actual assault began.
Below Jack was Corporal Michael Tran from CAT 1. His squad was on patrol when the Covenant decided to drop in. Tran was standing on the side of his Warthog, BR55 rested on the hood for stability. His gunner was responsible for taking down the advance Banshees that attacked his patrol. That was nearly half an hour ago. No armor or Marines had arrived to support the defensive position as yet.
Tran chinned his COM, "HQ this is Odin-one-one, are you all sending anyone down here to help us out or what?"
"Odin-one-one what in the world are you talking about? What's going on down there?" HQ's response puzzled Tran.
"HQ we have Covenant inbound north by northeast, grid two-one-zero-five-five-eight, batallion sized element. Creeps and Banshees. Did you not receive my transmission? Over." Tran was furiated.
"That's a negative Odin-one-one. We have armor and infantry support on the way. You have air and mortar support if needed. How copy, over."
"That's a hard copy HQ. One-one, out." Tran reached into his cargo pocket and pulled out a laminated map of the town and surrounding areas. "Stupid fucking COM guys. Good for nothing POGs."
Air and mortar support was rare to have. Tran knew this and was going to take full advantage. First would be the mortars.
"Ef-oh this is Odin-one-one, we need a shake and bake at Charlie Alpha two-one-zero-six-five-five-eight-three. We've got vehicles in the open, batallion size element, friendlies at Charlie Alpha three-two-five-six-niner-one-niner-five. Fire for effect over." Tran checked the map once more to make sure he was reading it right.
Odin-one-one we read you. You've got sixty-two rounds, hi-ex and willie-pete incoming at two-one-zero-six-five-five-eight-three, roger over."
"Roger that ef-oh, you are cleared." Tran sighted through his scopes to watch the show.
Ninety-five millimeter mortar rounds tore through the sky above Tran, singing as they went. The impacts were beautiful. Some Creeps immediately exploded, killing any occupants, others were immobilized. White phosphorus rounds impacted soon after the high explosives. Creeps were covered with metal heated to ten thousand degrees. Covenant warriors still inside were cooked alive. Only a third of the Creeps were destroyed by the mortar strike. Banshees roared to life and accelerated towards the city, leaving the remaining vehicles unprotected.
Tran chinned his mic again, "Ef-oh this is Odin-one-one, direct hits. We need air support on same location. Come in from the north, they're unprotected, over."
"Roger one-one. Longsword tee-oh-tee, fourty-five seconds."
Tran took cover behind his Warthog. Chain guns and gauss cannons talked as the Banshees came in range. Plasma cannons replied eagerly. Marines on the rooftops locked onto the incoming fliers with their rocket launchers, and fired. The sky was a canvas of steel, fire, smoke, and death.
A pair of Longsword bombers arrived on time. Two-thousand pound bombs were dropped in the midst of the Creeps. The dirt exploded violently, sending a few troop transports airborne. Shrapnel radiated from the epicenter of the explosion. Creeps were ripped in half. The concussion of the blasts crushed the organs of the infantry inside many of the transports. A few of the Banshees turned to attack the Longswords. Concentrated fire took advantage of their weaker flank. All of the Creep's air support was destroyed and only half of the original attack force remained, but they kept coming.
The remaining ten Creeps started faster towards the Human defenses. Six of the Creeps pulled forward. The last four kept a steady pace, as though they were weighed down too much to move faster. The forwardmost Creeps formed into a wedge formation, closing toward the mine field. The lead Creep passes into the mine field and exploded. The front half of the transport was blown straight off. Shrapnel and concussion killed everything inside the vehicle.
The Covenant formation slowed and got on line before the wrecked Creep. Two pairs of Hunters jumped out of the inside of the transports and walked in front of the formation. Four green lights emitted from the Hunters as they charged their fuel rod cannons. Marines took cover anywhere they could to protect themselves from the attack. The Hunters instead aimed their weapons downward and released their pent up energy onto the ground. Dirt and rocks melted beneath the plasma onslaught. Mines triggered, creating great explosions. The pairs of Hunters traced a path straight towards the Human defenses. They walked along their glass path, creating more destruction ahead of them. The Creeps followed in a single file line, moving slow as the last four Creeps caught up.
Corporal Tran looked over the hood of his Warthog, "Holy shit, damn mines can't kill anything if you blow them up." He switched to the area freq. and chinned his mic. "Guns up! Take those Hunters down! Gunners open fire!"
With that, every mounted gun oriented on the two pairs of Hunters. Twelve point seven millimeter LAAG rounds pinged off their shields as gauss rounds slowed them a bit more. The four Hunters then switched targets and opened up on the Warthogs. A Warthog twenty meters down from Corporal Tran exploded in a green fury. Shrapnel cut into his arm, minorly wounding him. Tran grabbed the wound on his arm and sqeezed. He grabbed his rifle with is injured arm and chinned his mic.
"Get off the Warthogs!" He ran between the two houses behind him to take cover. His gunner must not have heard him, because he was still firing. "Johnson, damnit, get the fuck off that truck!" Tran yelled at the top of his lungs, but Johnson had a wry smile on his face. He couldn't hear anything, not Tran, not his gun, not even his own screams as he was seared in half by a Hunter.
Lance Corporal Jack Glass took cover as the Warthog below him blew up. He peeked back out after a second and took in the scenery. The gunner's top half was laying ten meters from the wreckage. A Marine was leaning against Jack's house, holding his arm, calling for a Corpsman. Jack looked out at the Hunters. They were back to shooting at mines.
None of the six Warthogs were intact. Jack zoomed in on the Creeps with his Battle Rifle. The lead Creep was partially damaged and seemed to have an internal fire. The last four were actually dragging their tail end on the ground. No wonder they were slower. Jack lowered his rifle and smiled again. Jack couldn't wait. Jack was ready. Jack wanted to kill.
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