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Welcome to Shatella - Chapter 1
Posted By: Beep<M_Bassos@hotmail.com>
Date: 17 November 2004, 3:58 AM


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As humanity continues its fight against the Covenant, one city stands out from the rest. A now abandon planet, Nerul holds one important city - Shatella, an urban jungle of streets, skyscrapers and subways. We can only go by what the ONI spooks have discovered, but I seems the covenant are searching for something in this city...something big. Whatever it is, this is a rare occasion when they haven't just glassed a planet, so it is our duty to push back the Covenant, regardless of the human causalities.

-UNSC.



Hawkins crashed himself against concrete wall, slamming his last clip into his sub-machine gun. He blinked; sweat trickled down his left cheekbone, his blonde hair awash with dirt and gravel. Hawkins could hear the battle raging around him, the constant trio bursts of battle rifles ringing in his ear drums, the screams from fellow comrades, and the high pitched sizzle of plasma soaring through the air. He blinked again, opening to study his immediate surroundings.

The street had gone to hell; shattered windows, rubble and debris was all that remained from this once human civilisation, and now Hawkins sat back against the wall, on the corner of the street, sub-machine gun in hand, praying he would see a friendly face.

He didn't, and although the battle ranged on and the sounds of war could be heard from nearby sectors, where he slumped had an eerie silence too it. Hawkins gritted his teeth and stepped from away from the safety of the street corner. He ran swiftly down the street; his destination a dark fitted alley way. He reached it with no problem; it seemed the covenant had already come through this area with a vengeance. Hawkins however grinded to a stop as he saw two stocky figures clambering forward.

Grunts, the covenant cannon fodder, little bastards who worked in numbers. The grunts noticed Hawkins, but he was faster. He slammed his finger down on the trigger and offloaded his sub-machine gun. Hawkins braced himself, the gun recoiling from the intense fire rate. The bullets pelted the first grunt, shredding him in a hail of fire. His methane breathing mask breaking under the pressure of the fire, showering his fellow grunt with warm, metallic blue blood.

The second grunt reacted fasted, lifting its plasma pistol and firing two quick successive shots. The first shot sizzled past Hawkins's left ear, missing his head by millimetres. He could feel the warmth as it travelled past him, before it sailed into an electronic street sign behind him, shattering it, in an spectacular explosion of glass and sparks. The second shot hit its mark, piecing itself into Hawkins right shoulder, forcing him to instinctively drop the sub-machine gun. He felt the plasma seeping through his tactical combat armour, singing his first layer of skin before brutally burning his internal shoulder ligaments.

Hawkins out of desperation threw himself behind cover; an upturn warthog destroyed beyond repair, riddled with plasma scorching. From the way it was turned over, it looked like warthog was planning to travel down the alley way before it met some severe resistance. The private held his shoulder and howled, he was now feeling the intense burn of the plasma. He could hear the wobbling footsteps of the pursuing grunt and he was unarmed.

He saw the plasma pistol first, held by a grubby claw. Back against the warthog Hawkins was going to allow some grunt to finish him off. He had been through to much, loss to many friends in the city sieges just to be finished off by some... grunt. The Methane breathing mask came into view, it turned and spotted the human slumped like a defenceless animal waiting to die. The grunts eyes lit up, his paced quickened as he outstretched his finger to fire.

"Me gots you now, human scum" the grunt shrieked in a high pitched voice, he was excited; maybe they would reward if he killed enough humans. Hawkins painfully reached down to his torso, and out of view, grabbed his sidearm.

It was the M6C pistol magnum standard issue firearm backup for all marines engaged in Shatella. Hawkins had trouble keeping a steady hand on the magnum; he hands were doused in sweat, he mind numb from the pain in his shoulder. The grunt fired; and at the exact same time, Hawkins used what ever last energy he had left and dived. He didn't go far but it was far enough to dodge the plasma shot, which imploded on the up turn warthog. The grunt unexpectedly turned, not ready for such a manoeuvre, but it was too late, Hawkins had the magnum lined up and fired of three quick rounds.

The first two shots entered the grunts breastplate causing a splash of shimmering blood to irrupt and splatter on the dust ridden street. The last shot entered the grunts eye causing it to explode in a bloody burst. The grunt fell to the ground...silent. Hawkins rolled over onto his back and gasped. For a moment his blue eyes starred into the afternoon sky, he ignored the explosions, cries and commotions of the surrounding battle, as he felt the warmth of the sun, on his battle hardened face.

All of a sudden it got dark; someone's shadow was overlapping his body, and Hawkins blinked and turned his head up to see an elite with a plasma rifle point blank to his face.

Elites were the Covenant champions, highly trained, viscous warriors. They were told in training never to engage an elite solo; an elite alone was enough to decimate a squad of marines. The elite that stood over him said nothing, but Hawkins knew it was over. He closed his eyes and waited for the plasma to enter his brain.... but all he heard was a loud, deafening BANG.

He opened his eyes and saw a white phosphorus trail fading through the elites head. It was until Hawkins blinked again that the elite was missing half his skull, Covenant blood splashed before his feet. The elite stood for a second more before keeling over backwards into his own pool of blood.

Hawkins turned his head and saw a marine, but it wasn't any ordinary marine. He badge read Sargent. S. Bison, and he was a dominant figure, tall muscular, hand gripped tight on a UNSC sniper rifle.

"Get up boy; we got marines on the southern borders that are under attack by shock troopers. They're big, mean and orange and I need every marine I can find to bring these bastards down."
Hawkins opened his mouth in disbelief, he was just shot and could barley move and this sarge wanted him to fight hunters?!?

"As soon as you get patched up we heading south, so suck it up marine, this battle is far from over."





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