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-The Croton Chronicles: Chapter 1.5, It's half as good but twice as fun-

      Two high velocity missiles had just impacted on the Covenant lines. Blood, death and the smell of burning flesh filled Renner's nose. Renner looked up in time to see three longsword interceptors go screaming overhead. Support was finally there ten warthogs most of them customized out of necessity came to support Renner's bloodied team, accompanied by sixty marines. "Oooorahh" the whole squad yelled. Renner looked for a good warthog to ride, He finally decided on the one that had two mounted M-19 SSM rocket launchers were the chain gun had been. He surveyed the area and it looked like something out of "Road Warrior©", each warthog was different, some had almost nothing except for maybe a mortar or a grenade launcher others were armed to the teeth like the "Stinging Pig", which was basically a warthog chasse with tank treads for its rear wheels, and the main tank gun was attached were the chain gun used to be; it was also covered head to wheel with hunter arm shields that had been 'liberated' after numerous battles. It also came equipped with two anvil missiles. The "Stinging Pig" could take a huge amount of damage and dish out some major pain. "Okay," Renner said "we're going to chase down those Covie bastards and kill them all. Do you get me?!" "SIR YES SIR" they shouted in unison.

      They quickly reached what was left of recon base Delay.
"Air support must have followed them for a while" Private Hillock said (that was Renner's new driver he liked the kid, he had some serious skills); "there are way too many dead for your men to have pulled that off."
"You'd think that wouldn't you marine" Renner spat.
"Let's keep moving, the Covenant aren't going to wait for us."
The first trouble they ran into was a squad of jackals, a dozen thuds echoed through the lines, man wailed. The passenger in Renner's hog was hit twice his flesh melted to the metal around him and he was fused to the inside of the warthog.
"EWWWWW," Hillock said, "that smells horrible!"

      Renner just aimed his rocket launches and compressed one of the triggers sending a missile streaking towards a pair of jackals. In a desperate bid for survival they put up their shields to deflect the blast but it was all in vain, the missile slammed home and the jackals were vaporized. All that remained was an arm and a few bits of burnt flesh. Then all the marines opened up on the remaining jackals. The battle lasted all of two minutes, tops, now they had wounded, this would slow them down considerably. Renner whistled to two snowmobile like vehicles which immediately came over to him.
"We're going to go ahead, everybody else goes back to recon base Delay and see what you can salvage, Hillock you're driving."
"Yes sir" Hillock said in a less than enthusiastic tone.
They reached a small Covenant base about ten minutes later.
"Give me you sniper scope" Renner yelled to Andrea.
"Yes sir" she huffed.
He looked through the scope; the place looked horrible. In the center seemed to be a crashed Covenant ship, maybe a stealth class. It was too small to be anything else. The troops posted around the base looked half dead, malnourished, and extremely tired. There were broken plasma conduits everywhere and it seemed as if the Covenant were using them for warmth and to cook there food...or something. Their dead were in a large pile next to what seemed to be a medical tent.
"This is pathetic," Renner whispered to his team, "this place is badly demoralized and low on supplies with just a little more support I think we can take them."
Just as if on cue ten marines came over the ridge, it was everybody that was left of his old squad, Renner couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Okay were going to divide into two teams and pincer move them, Andrea you command team two I'll take my own squad, remember attack quickly and without mercy if you want to win."

      Five minutes latter they were in position, "CHARGE!!!" Renner yelled over the COM channel. Everybody started yelling "BAHHHHH!!!" and it sounded like a whole battalion was coming down the hill. An Elite jumped from behind a rock, aimed his plasma rife right a Renner's head and pulled the trigger. The plasma rifle made a pathetic PFHT sound and the Elite groaned. The Elite just dropped his gun a put his hands up. "What's going on here," Renner thought, "the Covenant never surrender."
The Elite then sat down and put his hands behind his back. Renner shot him in the head five times just to be sure, it was strange he almost felt bad or maybe it was just the rations talking.

      About half an hour latter the covenant forces were all detained in there own downed ship, lucky for the marines the ship's brig still worked.
"Try to fix this ship and scavenge anything you can, we'll also have to find away to either secure this area or transport the prisoners. I'm up for any suggestions."
"Well," Grater said, "we could bring in engineers and see if they can fix this thing, or try to air lift it out."
"Do you honestly think our engineers can repair this ship when the Covenant couldn't" Renner asked,
"Hey you just asked us for suggestions you didn't say they had to be good ones" "Touché" Renner admitted.
"That air lift idea actually has some merit to it, what do you think the vessel weighs?" Renner asked.
"You're asking the wrong man I'm just a grunt, do you get it sir, a grunt" Grater said laughing hysterically.
"Yes...very funny," Renner said as sarcastically as he possibly could.
"Then get me a DAMN engineer!" Renner yelled.
"Yes sir." Grater went running.
An hour passed and finally an engineer came up to Renner.
"What do you need?" the slightly disgruntled engineer asked.
Renner just glared at him and asked, "How much do you think this Covenant vessel weighs?"
"Well since I have no idea what materials were used to build it, what it uses for reactor fuel, or how many people are on it...but given this planet has approximately earth's gravity I'd say...100 to 120 tons easy."
"Well how many longsword interceptors would it take to move this beast?" Renner asked. "Well given that an interceptor has about," his voice trailed off and he began mumbling to himself and started counting on his fingers. After about 90 minutes he seemed to have an answer.
"Well if I'm right and this is a big IF, it should take about fifteen longsword interceptors give or take a bit" the engineer said with a shrug.
"Well thank you," Renner said looking for the man's identification badge, "Private... (not really sure what it says he mumbled something barely audible)."
"Not a problem but don't thank me yet," the engineer walked away.
"Shandor!" Renner yelled.
"Yes sir!" he came running
"Get me fifteen longswords over here ASAP, and calm down."
The longswords, who were supposed to be there in ten minutes took five hours, mostly because they were engaging Covenant forces and getting lost, mostly getting lost. The marines were now mopping up most of the Covenant that were left. The longswords finally arrived and they dropped thick heavy lift cables down and the engineers quickly began attaching them to the downed Covenant stealth ship.
"Okay, let's move this bitch." Renner shouted over the COM.
The longswords began lifting the ship into the air, the cables went taught, there was a long groan then the ship suddenly lurched off the ground.
"Let's get it up high and back to HQ" an engineer yelled over the COM.
The longswords moved off with the vessel at a pretty good clip.
"Sir," Shandor said, "they are requesting you at HQ for a debriefing on this battle!"
"Well let's not keep them waiting."
"Saddle up boys we're moving out, oh and Shandor CALM DOWN!!!"

      They arrived at HQ in half an hour. Renner stepped up to the gate and looked around; the place more resembled a junkyard than a command post. Everything that had been scavenged was now in large piles. Looks can be deceiving, if you looked long enough and hard enough you would find this place was a formidable fortress. The whole surrounding area was a network of lotus mines, and automated guns. The inner circle was nothing but bunkers, trenches, mini-guns, rocket launchers, even a few shade turrets that had been captured. It was also the only base with true artillery, which was a big ass gun that fired 180cm high velocity rounds, air support and functioning scorpion tanks. If you didn't spend the better part of a day that was required to see that it was a formidable fortress it looked just like a junkyard and didn't smell much better, at least not to Renner but neither did the private that had just saluted him. He walked down to the command shuttle, which was basically an over sized Pelican that couldn't fly or defend its self. "What a piece of garbage," Renner though to himself, "well at least it fits the surroundings."
He entered through the broken and permanently open door and saluted Jamison. Jamison returned Renner's salute.
"You pulled of a real piece of work out there today so we're promoting you to Staff Sergeant."
"Thank you sir" Renner said.
Renner just stood there, still in shock.
"Now on to a more pressing matter, come over here and look at this VID screen."
"What is it?" Renner asked.
"It's a large vessel of unknown origin."
"So what does this have to do with me, why should I even care?" Renner sat staring at the screen like a frog caught in a hailstorm.
"Because we're, and by we're I mean myself, are going to send you and your sorry ass out to blow that thing to hell and back!"
"Okay," Renner was now thoroughly confused, "what if it's a friendly ship?"
"I won't have any of your lip solider, unless you want to be up on charges of insubordination" Jamison snapped.
"Oh no, anything but that" Renner said as mockingly as possible.
"Just assemble a team; you'll be moving out at about ohhhh 600."
"What ever you say you stupid monkey turd" Renner said with a growl.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Jamison roared.
"Umm...err... ahhh...nothing sir" Renner said and just slinked away.
He found his squad out side, drunker then hell. Hillock was with them. He was being properly initiated into the squad, this consisted of having everybody else in the squad punch him five times.
"What a bunch of retards," Renner thought, "but they are my retards, guess I'll have to deal with it."

      The rest of the night was a blur of drunken stupors. They went around setting of false alarms and even stole a warthog and went jumping off the junk heaps, Leo and Carl both got injured when the warthog did a barrel roll and landed upside down. Hal seriously injured Jackson when they tried to use two rocket launchers strapped to Jackson's back as a jet pack. The results were less than stellar; in fact it was a miracle that they even survived. Shandor was screaming like a small child. So much so that Renner, Grater, and Duke almost beat him into unconsciousness. Tobias and Tom were attempting to go sledding down a huge pile of junk. Tom slipped off the makeshift sled and caused a large avalanche of garbage that looked really cool but incapacitated both men. Trevlosavich and Manny got into a drunken brawl; the fight was at best pathetic. Manny was never a good fighter nor was he particularly strong which of course means he had the strength a newborn kitten. Trevlosavich did his best not to hurt Manny but failed miserably when he repeatedly punched him in the face. Needless to say both men were detained to the brig. The next morning they mounted up and three warthogs went flying into the horizon. Hillock who was only seventeen was still a little bit buzzed he couldn't drive worth shit and repeatedly crashed into just about everything humanly possible.
"Stop!" Renner yelled, "Hillock I'm driving now."
"Fine sure just take away my glory," Hillock slurred and fell out of the warthog.
They crammed him into the passenger seat and strapped him in.
"Just don't puke everywhere okay."
Hillock gave the thumbs up and they sped of to the crash site.

      They arrived about five minutes latter.
"What the hell is it?" Andrea looked to Renner for an answer.
"Does it really matter were just going to blow it all to hell." Renner said with a smile.
"Who has the nuke?" Andrea asked.
Grater sat holding the thermonuclear device as if it were a baby,
"I do all 150 megatons worth." Grater overflowed with glee
"Isn't that just a little over kill?" Hillock urped.
"Hell no, if your going to do something you best do it right." Grater responded.
Hillock cocked his head "but what the hell does that have to do with my question I asked if it was over kill not if we were doing it right?"
"Shut up you stupid piece of sperm jerky," was Graters only response.
"Well let's get this over with." Andrea let out a visible sigh.
They quickly sped to the crash site. Renner began looking around for an opening,
"What the hell is wrong with this picture? Can anybody tell me?"
All the marines just shrugged. Click click.
"What the hell was that?" Duke asked to no one in particular.
"Well probable just a," Renner started in on a long boring lecture, "Wait a minute this is going to be bad."
Three high power plasma explosions sent three warthogs rocketing into the sky.
"Everybody okay?" Renner yelled.
"Were fine all except Durger he bit it big time."
"What the fuck is that?" Andrea yelled. She tossed Renner the scope.
"Oh shit on me shit on me." Renner gasped.
"WELL IF YOU REALLY WANT ME TO SIR." Shandor attempted to be funny.
"Kill yourself you moron." Grater shot,
"Well what do you see boss?"
"A whole lot of trouble, their covenant alright but there some special unit, there wearing black armor rimmed with gold, they are all elites... no wait there are two hunters really big ones and a third who is about 16 foot tall he's ginormis..." Renner was cut short, ten Elites formed out of thin air around him.
"Oh shit," Renner yelped.

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