halo.bungie.org

They're Random, Baby!

Fan Fiction


Closing with the Enemy Chapter 4 Covenant Advance
Posted By: monitor101<wasup1989@hotmail.com>
Date: 26 November 2003, 11:03 PM


Read/Post Comments

(Firebase Echo HQ, Planet Jericho II, grid fifteen by twenty five, sector four, three miles north of Firebase Delta, 1120 hours AM, year 2552, Colonel Hood, commanding officer Echo/Delta bases, commander 1st battalion.
"Alpha squadron enemy contact in sector four zero two, get airborne and engage," Hood said, keying a button labeled Alpha squadron barracks.

"Sir negative on enemy movement, their all dead, but in sector's five and six there is a hell of a lot of activity around that little clearing that the Covies call HQ and around Delta," Harold said, looking at readouts that scrolled across his screen.

"So the only thing we have to worry about is those damn Banshees, how's Delta holding?" Hood asked.

"Their being attacked by a shit load of Covies but they managed to push them back and are fighting them off, what's the point of attacking us anyways?"

"Who knows, how many men do we have who can actually fight if this battle heats up again?" Hood asked.

"Well that fight between Major Lance's men and Sergeant Major Cove's men put us down to...four hundred and thirty men," Harold replied.

"We can hold for now, tell Lance to gather what men he has and reinforce our left flank on that dirt road, tell him to have rockets in case of a tank attack. Tell Sergeant Major Cove to gather his men and reinforce the right flank. Have Base Security to run constant patrols and tell them to watch our back. Have Juliet and Golf companies to keep our front strongly guarded. Have Base Security platoon A go and set up some more Lotus mine in the front so power down the motion sensors. And tell Delta that if they need help then just holler," Hood said.

"Yes sir," Harold jumped to it, committing the orders to his unlimited memory.

(Orna 'Orsamee, Field Master of Covenant forces for Jericho II)
"Now Field Commander Seraph I want you to take your troops and head this way to flank the interlopers base. Field Commander Ak'Kamir send your troops to the interloper's base front. We will attack them with full force...on all sides, I will not make the same mistake twice," 'Orsamee said as he pointed a laser beam at a holographic image floating above a small palm pad. The hologram showed an overhead view of Echo base.

"Yes Field Master I will get to it immediately," Field Commander Seraph bowed and left the small circle of Field Commanders, all receiving orders from 'Orsamee.

Seraph walked fifty yards to the right of the little circle of Field Commanders, over to the awaiting entourage of 1500 Covenant. "Pass the word we are moving out and are going to flank the human base. It will be a long walk but we can make before the day has come to an end," Seraph said to his second in command, a red Elite named 'Warsamee.

"Tell the unit commanders we are moving out to flank the enemy," 'Warsamee said to his com operator, who relayed the orders to the smaller unit (the equivalent of a platoon) commanders.

Three hundred moved out into the woods, on a path that would take the, directly to Echo base.

(Colonel Hood)
"Sir lots of contact!" Harold blurted, his eyes glued to his screen.

"Where?" Hood asked walking over to Harold's station.

"From the front, the left, and the right," Harold said.

"Shit we should have sent out Longsword's to do bombing runs." Hood looked at his watch, it was 1210 hours. Since then the Covenant infantry had not attacked, only their Banshees, which weren't much when up against Longsword's. Echo base had received reinforcements and additional supplies. At least 500 new soldiers had come in. Two hundred of them were ODSTs, another two hundred and fifty were Paratroopers from the UNSC's 82nd and 101st divisions. The rest were Regular Marines.

"Okay have base personnel stay where they are, tell the Paratroopers to engage the Covies attacking on the left. I want a hundred and fifty of the Helljumper's to stay put and reinforce the frontline. I want the other fifty to move to the west in the direction of the clearing that the Covies have. I want them to move up and attack it, we'll send in reinforcements for them later," Hood ordered.

"Yes sir," Harold jumped to his tasks.

(Lieutenant Wilson, Alpha company, 105th Helljumpers)
"Lt. Colonel Hood says to take fifty of our guys west towards that clearing that the Covenant have, you know the one we saw coming down," Lieutenant (1st class) Anna Orson said to her second in command.

"Yes ma'am I know the one," Lieutenant (second class) Wilson answered.

"Yah well the Major says that your to lead the charge," Orson said.

"Yes ma'am I'll assemble the troops ASAP. Feet first into hell ma'am," Wilson saluted and ran off to rally his men.

Five minutes later Wilson and fifty ODSTs ran out of the base via the main entrance and hit the bush. They ran for maybe a mile until they slowed down. Wilson had his men stick tightly together due to the thick fog that made it exceptionally hard to see in the dense forest. The fog was so thick that Wilson had the men don their thermal imaging via their eye pieces which were connected to their helmets.

"El-tee I see movement," Sergeant Eros whispered.

"We got possible movement, platoons get down," Wilson said into his com link. The fifty Helljumpers all took a knee. Wilson switched on his thermal vision and scanned the bushes ahead of him...nothing. "Alright platoon leaders tell your men to fire a three round burst at anything that looks suspicious."

All fifty Helljumpers opened fire. Wilson switched his modified MA5B assault rifle to burst and quickly popped off his three rounds. The crackle of gunfire faded and the empty stillness sound of the forest crept back into the Helljumpers ears.

Suddenly a growling sound rose above the forest noises, Covenant troops poured out of the bushes and charged the humans.

"Shit open fire!" Wilson screamed into his com link. The noise of gunfire arose. Wilson depressed the assault weapons trigger and held it. Three rounds fired then nothing. "Dammit!" Wilson screamed as an entourage of hundreds of Grunts and Jackals advanced. He ducked as plasma shot past with a loud whine.

"Damn Covies musta' been trying to sneak up on Echo base," Sergeant Eros said, just as a bright orb of plasma slammed into her chest.

"Lieutenant there's too many of them!" Lance Corporal Williams screamed.

"Keep firing!" Wilson yelled back. He kept his finger on the trigger as more and more Covenant charged. They seemed to be growing out of the thick bushes that covered the forest ground. "Everybody fall back!" Wilson yelled into his link and got up. Suddenly as he was taking cover behind a tree something hit him in the stomach. It felt like a metal bat hit him. Wilson fell to the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "Helljumpers...get down...ta...take cover," Wilson croaked into his link. He looked down at his stomach. A plasma bolt had hit it but didn't penetrate his ballistic armor. The Helljumper grabbed his MA5B and reloaded.

(Field Commander Seraph)
"All units attack...don't let the interlopers leave kill them all," Seraph said into his com link. He set the link aside and pulled out his plasma pistol.

"Excellency where did these humans come from?" a Grunt named Wagaw inquired.

"They must have been trying to sneak up on the field we have. They are pretty much trying to do the same thing that we are trying to do," Seraph looked down at the head Grunt in his company.
"Oh thank you Excellency," Wagaw said.

Seraph looked ahead, although he couldn't see anything in the fog, he could here the pop of human projectile weapons and the blast of his race's plasma weaponry. Two tracers appeared out of the fog, they went past Seraph's head with a loud snap. Seraph ducked as more snapped past. Five Grunts materialized out of the fog, two were clutching bloody wounds and the other two were holding a badly wounded Grunt.

"Second in command 'Rasamee," Seraph barked.

"Yes Excellency?" Seraph's second in command, a red Elite named 'Rasamee asked.

"Tell the squad leaders that we are setting up a temporary command center right here, I want 1st and 2nd squads to maintain their attack, tell the rest to fall back for rear security in case the interlopers advance," Seraph said.

(Colonel Paul Hood)
"Colonel enemy troops advancing," Harold said, staring at his screen.

"Tell the troops to hold their position and to engage the Covies on sight," Hood commanded.

(Major Lance)
Alright here they come!" Lance said into his com link. He looked through his eye piece that was set on thermal vision to penetrate the thick sheets of fog. Visibility was now zero.

"Helljumpers when the first wave is taken out by the Lotus mines, use grenades then open fire and keep your eye pieces set for thermal," Lieutenant Herrick said into is com link.

Duck and cover!" someone screamed as the Lotus mines detonated. Their flashes pierced the fog and made it visible to the two hundred Marines and Helljumpers on the frontlines. The blasts shook the ground and threw bodies and debris in all directions.

"Open fire!" Lance yelled as his thermal eye piece filled with red signatures. Lance ducked into the chest high trench that was in between the bases twin fences that ran throughout the perimeter. Plasma splashed onto the sandbags and shot through. Most of it dissipated as hit the outer electrical fence but the gaps in the fence gave way for more bolts to escape. The Helljumpers jumped to their feet and lobbed grenades over the fence and more explosions rocked the ground. Lance was firing his assault rifle when he saw a blue Elite charging the fence. The Elite was laden with bandoliers of plasma grenades. "SHOOT THAT BLUE ELITE SHOOT IT!" Lance screamed into his com link, the Covenant was trying to get through the electric fence. The Elite was about fifty yards ahead and closing. Lance fired at it until he ammo counter read 00-and his assault rifle clicked.
"GET OUT!" Lance yelled as he grabbed Herrick and the two crawled out of the trench and through the small opening in the inner fence to the bases interior. Lance was reloading and Herrick was screaming into his com link for his men to get out of the trench. A hundred and fifty Marines and Helljumpers got out of the trenches that were in between the fences and fell back.


The Elite pulled a cord and all the fuses of the plasma grenades ignited. Three seconds later the front of the base lit up. Lance hit the ground as waves of heat splashed over him. All he saw was a bright blue flash then he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. A second later he was on his feet.

"The Covenant have breached...the...fence...li...can't...hold**///***," Lances com link hissed with static. He drew his MA5B and pulled the trigger...nothing happened. Lance dropped to the ground as plasma whined over his head. Ahead of him and the surviving humans a giant gap 45 feet in length was in the fence, Covenant poured out of it and into Echo base.

To Be Continued...





bungie.org