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Part 2 Malice
Posted By: Ghost Sniper<taylorboys@vtown.com.au>
Date: 30 September 2003, 6:35 AM
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Chief continued to see but another battle raging. Plasma bolts and bullets were flying madly, ricocheting off walls and into people. Chief took cover for the humans had created a brilliant barrier of small portable blast shields and boxes stacked between the two. The blast doors just forward of the humans began to close. Once they did, the only soldier in the group shouted to chief from across the hall.
"Chief, Captain Keyes wants you on the bridge ASAP, you'd better follow me."
The marine guided chief through an armoury full of empty cartridges and half blown up blast shields. A squad of soldiers where in there as well. He walked straight past them; he was a soldier, not a medic which is what they need.
As a squad goes they were immobilised, two of them didn't even have legs, the Sergeant (Wearing the standard sergeants cap) was coughing up blood, and there was blood all over the floor. Another skirmish was awaiting them through the armoury door. "Get clear Chief!" Shouted the guide. Chief began to run; the marine armed a frag grenade and ran after him.
The standard issue fragmentation highly explosive grenade soared through the air and bounced off a wall and rolled below an elite's foot. The little screen on the grenade began to flash green and red telling it was ready for activation. The deafening explosion reached even where chief had run to, bits of fragment ricochet of the tight corridor. The elite had caught most of the blast and was beyond any recognition, his friend caught a piece of fragment and lay beside him dead.
Chief and his guide reached the bridge soon after. "Captain Keyes is waiting for us sir." The bridge was a bland grey area with two rooms surrounded by a hallway dotted with computer terminals. The front room held Captain Keyes. A true Captain of the field, stress had caused his black air to turn grey on the sides. Looking professional in his crisp officers uniform, standing tall in the panic around him. A sturdy rock in the river of chaos. In front of him was a transparent screen that was now showing a map of the known local area, which was not very much.
In front of that still was the driving "cube". It literally was a glass cube where the drivers could see nothing but space around them. Chief could see through the glass in-between the ship and a distant planet was a ring. About the size of earth, a metallic ring floating in space it was very odd. Orbiting the planet it looked a little like a halo.
Oceans and continents were visible on the inside, which looked strange considering it was the metallic wasteland on the outside. Chief only stared at it for a few seconds but it still sent a shiver down his spine
"Captain Keyes" boomed Chief from behind him. Chief's voice was forceful but strangely normal. He wasn't exactly booming although in a crowded room if he talked it would become fairly silent. A good military voice, wasted though Chief thought action spoke louder than words.
"Master chief, good to see you, we are in trouble, Cortana did her best but we never had a chance." Keyes was never glorified as a hero but he had won many important victories and when he gave up hope everyone might as well. But someone hadn't, Cortana.
Cortana was the shipboard AI she took care of everything from troop deployment to food store management. Cortana uninterrupted just then the holo-graphic projection popped up from the projection pedestal beside Keyes.
"One single Halcyon-class cruiser up against a battle group of superior covenant Capital ships. With those odds-on content with three..." She paused for a few seconds as a rumble went through the ship. "Make that four kills." She turned to chief on her pedestal.
"Sleep well."
"No thanks to you're driving, yes."
"So you did miss me."
Cortana and Chief had worked together many times and had become comrades. In fact his battle suit had been modified to house the ship AI for increased security. Which was essential fighting the covenant. They wanted to get their dirty hands on a human AI since this war began.
The muffled explosion rocked the bridge temporarily stunning everyone. Keyes recovered first
"Status report." Cortana fizzled back to life
"Atmosphere breach on deck 11 must have been one of there anti-matter charges."
"Ma'am fire control to the main cannon is offline." Came a shout from the cube.
"Dam, Captain the Cannon was my last offensive option."
"All right that's enough, I'm initiating Cole protocol article 2. Where abandoning the Autumn."
The Cole protocol was made a few years ago. It told how UNSC ship should continue when facing defeat against a covenant ship. Some major points were all cripple ships self-destruct rather than capture, fleeing ships to avoid Earth bound sectors even if it meant blind space jumps (which is how they came to the very situation now). Capture of a shipboard AI was a big no on the protocol as well.
Cortana butted in "while you do what go down with the ship?"
"In a matter of speaking. The object we found, I'm going to try and land the Autumn on it."
The "Pillar of Autumn" was the name given to the ship which they where currently on. It literally was a pillar, a long rectangular prism floating through space. The bridge was situated at the front down below like a chin. Which confused Covenant attack ships who fired at the top missing the concealed bridge. The Autumn was chosen for a secret mission (Which Chief was a part of) before the planet it was docked at was overrun and the Autumn was forced to lure the Covenant from Reach, that was very close to Earth. Unfortunately it worked and this pillar was getting pounded.
'With all due respect, sir' Cortana said 'this war has enough dead heroes.'
'I appreciate you concern Cortana,' Keyes said in a slight smile 'but it's not up to me. The protocol is clear. Destruction or Capture of a shipboard Ai is absolutely unacceptable, and that means your leaving the ship. Lock in a selection of landing zones, up load them to my neural lace, and then sort yourself for an immediate transfer.'
'Aye, Aye sir' Cortana said disappointedly.
Keyes turned to Chief. 'Which is where you come in. Get Cortana off this ship. Keep her safe from the enemy. If they capture her they'll learn everything; force deployment weapons research...Earth.' Smart, the only way to get Cortana was to kill Chief; he had a funny feeling that of all the humans on this ship he would be the last to die.
'I understand.' Was all he said.
Cortana came blaring back, 'The autumn will continue evasive manoeuvres until you initiate a landing sequence. Not that you'll listen but I'd suggest letting by sub routines to handle the final approach.'
'Excellent work Cortana' beamed Keyes 'Thanks, are you ready" Cortana looked around the bridge for perhaps the last time memorising the faces of people who where certain to die, who knew and who showed it, her gaze finally rested on Chief looking at the visor unable to see his emotions. For a split second she though she could see through it and remembered the mans file photo before the Spartan program, a child only six innocent and care free his ruffled hair draping in front of his eyes a smile that showed he had a prank set up just waiting for someone to activate it. Then she saw the man's face only two days ago, an empty face, eyes with nothing except a black cloud hiding the faces of people who had died in the pupils reflection, the innocent smile changed to a forceful smirk one that held only joy in killing.
'Yank me.' Keyes pulled her chip out of the holo-display and handed the chip to Chief
'Good luck Master Chief.'
Chief put Cortana's chip into his helmet and her voice could be heard working in the background.
Keyes handed him his service pistol. 'I don't keep it loaded, so you'll have to find ammo as you go.' The dead weight of the M6D pistol felt reassuring, like a missing glove on a winters night. A very efficient pistol easy to produce, easy to use. It was equipped with a 2x scope good for long range shooting. Chief picked up a mag from a nearby tech, 12 bullets of high explosives armour piercing rounds capable of knocking anything off its feet. A weapon Chief loved and kept at his side.
Without a word Chief left the bridge looking for a fight, looking to show his talent. Just outside the bridge stood three grunts standing around. Grunts were the smallest and weakest of the religious motivated Covenant army, however they were also the most numerous mainly used as cannon fodder. As blue as their ice cold planet the only differentiation was by the colour of their life support packs looking comical on there small bodies. They also had voice translators to talk and to interrogate field prisoners; it also helped put an enemy uneasy. The voice was always the same, a nasally pig or dog that broke the air. Chief jumped around the corner, saw two orange minor grunts and one red major grunt. The bullet popping into the barrel could be heard before Chief fired. The flash lit up the hallway as the red grunt fell to the ground. The other grunts started to run; he caught one on the back of the skull with his pistol butt. Chief used his 2x scope on the pistol integrated above the barrel. He fired, the shell landed in the middle of the grunts life support. It sparked a fire and like a dancing ember the grunt continued down the hall. Next-door was a cafeteria, some food stains still fresh due to the immediate surprise of the Covenant attack. Opposite from where Chief entered an elite was keeping a few marines busy.
'Time to do your stuff' Cortana said calmly.
'All over it' Chief said back.
A small blockade had been put up and many marines where hiding behind it, Chief ducked behind.
'Good to see you sir.' Yelled a marine.
'Anyone have an Assault Rifle.'
'Simon won't need his anymore.'
An Assault Rifle began its pass down the line to Chief. A standard issue rifle to all marines in the UNSC. A black behemoth it looked more like a flat lump of lead than a sophisticated piece of weaponry. Chief went to grab the slightly protruding handle. Blood oozed through his fingers to stain his green armour on the other side. Poor Simon. The digital readout on the top said '60'. A full clip of 7.62 mm armour piercing bullets (Simon obviously didn't last long) capable of being fired at 600 bullets per minute. He jumped over the barricade and charged them. Two grunts bowled over one began to run away then only the elite remained. Chief looked at the readout '30' He ran up and kicked the elite in the shins; it went down onto its knees. Chief brought down the gun over its neck finishing the Elite off. Three marines came in from the door in front of him.
'What a mess!' said the Sergeant. To the far end on Chief's right two doors opened letting in a swarm of Covenant. A battle emerged men using tables as inadequate cover against the aliens. A blue ball far from Chief went flying through the air. A plasma grenade. A normal grenade except it stuck to things. Not only that it could choose what to stick to, it seemed mainly if the object was biological or with a sufficient heat signature, the humans just had no idea. A marine had moved too late and now a blue pulsating glow coming from his leg. He had three seconds to live and by looking at his face he knew it. He got up and ran towards the covenant knocking out two grunts and head butting an elite. He grabbed the last Elite by it's armour and shouted into it's ear
'We'll finish this in hell!'
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