halo.bungie.org

They're Random, Baby!

Fan Fiction


UNSC Long Range Rifle Group - Base Camp
Posted By: Blindside<haloblindside@hotmail.com>
Date: 13 September 2002, 6:13 pm


Read/Post Comments

~Eagle Eye Base Camp, Outside of Kansas City~

"Damnit, Nicholson. Equal pressure means just that. Constant throughout! Don't squeeze too hard, or you may hit your own man behind the covenant scum you are aiming at."
"Yes sir."
"Sergeant Goudois, place your elbows on the mat, not your forearms. Your blood flow may throw off long shots. Jesus, do the DGSE not teach you that?"
Master Chief Jamar Kline paced the field, watching each and every one of the riflemen fire a shot. He corrected mistakes, and praised accomplishments. He was the new on-field commanding officer, sort of like a business' COO. Tyler Henry was in the headquarters building, doing paperwork. Hate to be him right now, thought Kline, of course, I'm not 90 years old either. He smiled to himself at the exaggeration.
"DAMNIT, NICHOLSON! If I have to tell you one more time, your PT will double tomorrow morning. CONSTANT squeeze. Do not slam the trigger, give it force, but not too much. Be delicate but forceful. I will not tolerate a missed shot because of over-anxiety. That's what this target practice is for, as well as our breathing exercises."
PT was five miles already, and the men were out of shape right now.
The men glanced up at him.
"That's right, ladies. We will be taking classes in meditation, just to control our breathing. Mandatory as per the Eagle Eye code."
Nicholson took another shot, applying constant pressure to the trigger, and not letting up until the bullet hit his target, dead center.
"Good! You are finally trainable, Nicholson."
"Thank you sir."

~Somewhere above New York City~

"Sir, the humans are unaware that we will attack the place called New York."
"Good. We will land on Liberty Island, so it is called, and then move on to Manhattan, the major center of the city."
"Yes sir. I will ready the plans."
The elite Covenant turned around, looked out the one-way glass, and smiled as the remains of the Statue of Liberty came into view.

~Eagle Eye Base Camp~

"Sir? This is Assad. Waiting for permission to fire upon subject. Over."
"This is Hakim. I have subject in scope. Awaiting permission. Over."
"This is Stewart. No visual. Repeat, no visual. Over"
Henry stood beside Kline, listening to the transmissions over their headgear. This training exercise was simulating a squad of Covenant invading St. Louis.
"Assad, this is command. Fire at will. Hakim- wait for further orders."
Assad raised up onto his elbows, making sure only bone touched his sniper's mat, as he remembered what Kline told Nicholson. He looked through the scope, and found the target. The target was holographic, and moving along the streets just as a real enemy would. He took in a breath, let it out, and squeezed the trigger firmly. The target dropped as expected, and Assad let off the trigger.
"Command, this is Assad. Target down."
"Hakim, this is command. Fire at will," the radio crackled to life in Hakim's helmet.
Hakim, already in position to fire, squeezed the trigger at a constant pressure. The 14 mm bullet exited the barrel, spinning rapidly. It entered the subject head, exploding it into a blue cloud of mush. Hakim reached up for his radio.
"Command, this is Hakim. Target is down."
"Command, this is Hambrick. We have 3 subjects approaching in Covenant Ghost vehicles. Permission to fire upon?"
"Hambrick, this is command. All members authorized to fire at will."
Michael Hambrick smiled. Those were the words he was waiting for. He rose up onto his elbows, and sighted a ghost vehicle through the scope. The purple land cruiser was an ugly sight to see, especially through human streets. He swiveled the rifle with the ghost, matching its speed with his own. Hambrick squeezed the trigger, hitting the hologram square in the neck. The ghost continued on, finally exploding into a nearby building.
Meanwhile, Lt. Scott Nicholson was shadowing another ghost vehicle. He smirked and pulled the trigger evenly. The ghost careened out of control as it's driver fell off, it's head disintegrated.
The calls for the kills went into command immediately. Only one left, thought Hambrick.
Hambrick found it. It was swerving back and forth, trying to avoid rifle fire. From Hambrick's perch, it seemed like the ghost wasn't moving. He aimed at the covenant driver, from the rear, and plugged the enemy in the head. The bullet entered through the brain stem, and exited through the face of the Covenant. Its face ripped away as the head exploded milliseconds later.
"All subjects are down." Hambrick, the newly elected field-leader, reported.
Kline's voice came through the radios. "Get back to base camp. It's time for debriefing."
The men packed up their rifles, and headed back to base, as a feeling of accomplishment swept over them.





bungie.org