Spartan IV # 2: Twilight's Executor
Posted By: Master Chief Spartan- 117<BoardRider331@aol.com>
Date: 1 September 2005, 3:01 am
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"What the he"- PFC Abelar was cut off mid sentence as a he was caught on the receiving end of a sniper round. It cut straight through his forehead and impacted into the wall behind him. His body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
"Take cover!" yelled the newly promoted Major Durson "Jones, set off the fougasses!"
There were seven muffled thumps as the fougasses detonated sending their contents hurling toward the forest where the sniper round had come from. A quarter of the forest was reduced to smoldering stumps and splintered trees. Every thing was silent except for the crackling of burning wood.
"We got 'em sir!" shouted Cosenza.
"Shut it marine! They're Spartans; remember?" said Durson. "Keep your eyes peeled people!"
Suddenly five piles of the burning wood started moving. Five Spartan IV's stood up opened fire on Sigma Company. Bullets pinged all around the newly made Instacrete bunker.
"Recchia, the Jackhammers!" screamed the Major "Robertson, Neil, and Vasquez; Since you three girl scouts work so well together your going to circle around the bunker and cover us!" From the moment the three Marines left cover they were doomed. There was a split second of noise from a sniper; crack; crack; crack; a split second of pain for the three marines, and three more thuds.
"Die!" Recchia fired one of Sigma Company's the Jackhammer launchers at the nearest Spartan. The Spartan's right arm was a blur of motion as it miraculously caught the rocket and threw it back at the bunker. "Incoming!"
There was an explosion as half of the bunker was blown away. Once the smoke cleared Major Durson and the surviving marines of Sigma Company couldn't see or hear the Spartans anywhere. Pedroza's and Brayton's bodies were indistinguishable lying burnt on the scorched ground. Durson could here the sound of five HPAR31 rifles reloading and the five Spartans stepped out from behind the rubble; each aiming for a surviving member of Sigma Company.
"Drop your weapons" one said, His voice cold, calm, and unfeeling. As if hearing his voice was enough to make them obey they each dropped their weapons. All of them except Durson.
"So, looks like the Spartans are more of the stealth type of guys. I never took lightly to sneaks and spies but I sure do 'preciate 'havin their help on the battlefield" replied Major Durson.
"Aww" said one of the Spartans; a female "I'm touched by your little talk but if you don't drop your gun I'm going to shove it up your"-
"That's enough Catriona!" said the Spartan who had spoken before. Durson couldn't tell but he guessed that the Spartan apparently called Catriona was grimacing at the sound of her name. Not many of the Spartans cared for their formal names anymore.
"So long and thanks for all the fun!" interrupted Maj. Durson. He hit the detonators on the three HAVOK Tac. Nukes taped to his back and they exploded. From a distance a giant mushroom cloud could be seen reaching in to the sky…
"End of simulation" said a computerized voice. Five Spartans and twelve Marines stepped out of the VCS or Virtual Combat Simulation pods.
"Very good Lance" said Dr. Lauren Halsley "You led Delta Squad well."
"A well led Squad would have secured the nukes before they could be detonated" yelled Colonel Ivaan Asimov "And as for you Marines! I have seen children pay more attention to where an enemy could be hiding!" He stomped out of the room muttering to himself about how he thought the Marines and Spartans could have done better.
"Let me remind you Colonel, that this simulation was to determine the abilities of the Spartans combined with their armor!" Dr. Halsley shouted down the hall. "You should all get some rest; Asimov has another mission for you and it won't be easy if you're tired."
Later in the Spartan's barracks; Master Chief Petty Officer Lance-331 used his data pad to pull up Dr. Halsley's evaluation about the combat simulation.
http://UNSC/ONI-ClassifiedEvaluation011231SpartanProfiles//enclosed/lock-
Enclosed are the combat evaluations of Spartans 331, 138, 07, 214, and 425. Click (ENTER)// to proceed.
Lance hit enter and a new file opened. It listed all five Spartans involved with the simulation. He selected Catriona's file first.
Petty Officer Third Class Catriona-138: Exhibits outstanding marksmanship and precision. Slight anger problem when Spartan- 331 is disobeyed by others.
Next he selected Spartan 07's file.
Petty Officer Third Class Allen "Sev"-07: Exhibits outstanding marksmanship. Gets exceedingly brutal towards enemies in combat situations. Works best alone. Does not get along well with Spartan 138. Squad members say "When things get hairy Sev gets scary".
Lance silently laughed to himself about Dr. Halsley's little end note as he opened the next file.
Petty Officer Third Class Morgan-214: Exhibits outstanding skills with human and Covenant vehicles, Stays calm under extreme pressure. Keeps other squad members calm.
He was curious about what the next file would say.
Petty Officer Third Class Evan-425: Shows signs of a split personality. One personality is quiet, careful, and extremely gifted with computers. Other personality is active with a since of humor even in time of danger, is extremely gifted with explosives, and prefers to be called "Scorch".
Lance agreed with Dr. Halsley about Evan's split personality. He gained the nickname "Scorch" after he came back from demolition practice one day covered with burns and with a huge grin on his face. Lance closed the file and lay down on his bunk. He fell asleep almost immediately wondering why there was no file on him.
"Delta Squad and Sigma Company report to the hangar bay immediately! I repeat; Delta Squad and Sigma Company report to the hangar bay immediately!" blared the PA system through out CASTLE II.
Once Sigma Company and Delta Squad arrived at the hangar bay they saw Dr. Halsley and Colonel Asimov talking to a group of technicians. Once Dr. Halsley saw the Spartans and Marines she and Colonel Asimov hurried over to where they were. Asimov set a small disc shaped object on the ground and a hologram of a flat, rectangular object flickered in to life. The bottom was covered in metal and was covered by trenches, some sort of turrets, and other structures. The other side was a mosaic of swirling greens, blues, whites, and browns.
"The Covenant call it Twilight's Executor." said Dr. Halsley "It, like Halo, is a weapon. It is designed to wipe out entire star systems rather than all sentient life in the galaxy. Unlike Halo, the presence of the parasitic Flood is much diminished due to the large number of robotic Sentinels and other robotic combat anomalies. It is also the last known contact point with the Spartans of Hell Jet Squad."
"If Hell Jet Squad was sent in then why weren't we notified and when was contact lost?" asked Lance angrily, fearing for the safety of his missing Spartans.
"It was to be a top secret mission as not to spread panic of another major threat." replied Dr. Halsley.
"Do we get any new toys?" asked Evan; apparently "Scorch" was the dominant personality right now.
"As a matter of fact we have a few new vehicles for you. Also some components to your rifles have been upgraded to allow modifications. You will receive some training with them in cryosleep during the voyage." said Dr. Halsley.
A platform rose up behind Dr. Halsley. On top of the platform was an armored motorcycle like thing with a side car. It resembled the now almost obsolete M 12 Warthog.
"This is the SD- 603A 'Warbow' LRV. It was designed as a Marine recon vehicle but the lack of a shielding system in the Marine's armor made the vehicle vulnerable to plasma fire," said Colonel Asimov. "Combined with your armor's shielding however, it could pose a major threat to the enemy. Like its cousin; the T-40 'Warthog'; It is fast and maneuverable. The higher top speed and the lower profile of the 'Warbow' make it ideal for covert ops. It is also has two 7.62 mm HV machine guns which are operated by the passenger."
The platform lowered and when it rose again there was some sort of tank on it.
"This is the GT-707.4ha 'Lobster'," explained Doctor Halsley. "This .4ha variant of the GT-707 platform is the standard Marine heavy field artillery unit. Even at extreme range the 'Lobster' can hit a target with deadly accuracy, especially when used with aerial or satellite reconnaissance. However, its onboard ammo store of HE Tungsten Ferric shells makes it vulnerable to enemy AP fire and plasma fire. The "Lobster fires much like a shipboard MAC. The only differences are that the shell is smaller, explosive, and the firing system is more like that of a Gauss cannon to reduce being disabled by an EMP blast. The 'Lobster generally is not a frontline vehicle and although it has a high powered auxiliary machine gun it should be deployed with adequate support."
"That is all for now. You will board the newly re-fit Prosecutor in two and a half hours to begin the voyage. You will also be accompanied by the Sands of Egypt and the Crockett. Finish with your preparations and good luck" finished the Doctor.
Note: Some of the vehicles used in this story are not my creations. While I am changing the descriptions and uses slightly the ideas are not entirely mine. I would give a name but I do not know the name of the original creator.
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