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The Fall of Fate: Raid (10)
Posted By: 'Nosolee<crugg2003@optonline.net>
Date: 18 July 2003, 12:08 AM


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1390 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)//To the North of the cleanup site, behind the makeshift cabin.

      The banshee wailed just over Wkehu 'Drrana's head, he saw the two adjacent vapor trails curl in unison as it turned. York dove, and fired his shotgun at the attack craft.
      "Damn it! Where the hell did he come from!" York yelled as he got to his feet.
      "Uh sir, I think you mean where the hell did they come from?" Peterson said as ten small dots appeared from the left side of the sky and another nine from the right.
      "Shit." York said under his breath, he activated his radio. "York to Delta Base 148, do you copy?"
      "York, is that you?" came an alarmed male voice.
      "Yes, what's wrong?" York said as he dove behind a rock while the banshee pounded the ground with twin plasma bolts.
      "Thank God you're alive. We've come under attack, three enemy dropships have entered the atmosphere, and two are deploying troops right on top of us. We've lost sight of the third. Oh my God. York we need as many reinforcements as possible, we weren't prepared for an attack," the voice from the radio said.
      "I don't know how much assistance we can give to you. We've got twenty enemy aircrafts in the area, and I've got three marines," York said in a panic.
      "Shit, get back to base A.S.A.P. It'll be easier to fight from there. Siglain over and out," the transmission was cut. Each of the purple dots in the sky had come into full view now. They swerved and roared over the cleanup site in a vicious frenzy.
      "Crap, we need to get the civilian workers evacuated immediately. Once that cleanup site gets hot they're toast," York said to Browning and Peterson. The banshee that had been attacking the three marines turned and flew towards the site of cranes, garbage-crafts, POWs, and humans. The three marines sprinted around the wrecked shack, allowing Wkehu 'Drrana enough time to escape.

1390 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)//Beneath the surface of Ucundus, inside the Forerunner Control Room.

      "So, ah, what do these Sentinels do? What are they like?" Gregory asked the gigantic holographic effigy of his AI.
      "I can show you," Augustus said with a grin. With that, two large, adjacent, metal panels slid upwards from the back wall of the Control Center dome. Out came racks and racks of black metal figures.
      "Activating Sentinel 136-2-4," Augustus said.
      "What do all the numbers stand for?" Gregory asked.
      "Serial number-rack number-row number. The racks work like grids," Augustus replied. At that moment, there was a metallic click! and the Sentinel hovered down to Gregory. It was made from some kind of silvery-black metal and was roughly cylindrical, but with angular edges. Suddenly, winglike, squarish fins sprung from the machine and a bright blue light emitted from the Sentinel's "eye" bathed upon Gregory's armor.
      "Holy, this thing is awesome," Gregory said, "But what is its weapon? How does it work?" Gregory asked.
      "Okay," was Augustus's only reply, but Gregory knew that the AI was giving the Sentinel an order through electronic communication roads no human could ever see or hear. A concentrated, red-orange, laser-beam flew from a red dot beneath its blue "eye". The laser traced a circle to the left of the entrance with so much precision, that Gregory knew that if he measured the circle it would equal an exact 360 degrees.
      "Wow, and that thing can be used against the Covenant?" Gregory inquired.
      "Yes, a single Sentinel can cut through an Elite's shields in about ten seconds and finish him off in about another ten. Grunts and Jackals are less of a challenge, and, if they hit the Hunters in the right spot, fall easily. Just imagine what dozens of these robots can do," Augustus explained with zeal.

1390 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)//Onboard Destiny.

      "The first wave of Banshee fighters have been deployed. I've received word that the Ossoonas have succeeded in freeing Field-master Wkehu 'Drrana, but three have died," Tusla 'Pokaree said to the Prophet.
      "That is too many dead. What of the other nine. Have they entered the Forerunner room?" the Prophet asked.
      "No, Your Excellency," 'Pokaree said.
      "And why not," the Prophet asked angrily.
      "Fate has fallen upon the entrance. We are having trouble removing it," Tusla said.
      "Hmm, this is a predicament, but we can deal with it after the invasion has wiped the planet clean of all resisting forces," the Prophet said.
      "The second and third dropships have deployed the Special Ops teams, which are infiltrating the human base called Delta Base 148," the Elite said.
      "Very good, get the other dropships ready and rally the troops. Alert the Ship-masters of the other crafts including the assault carrier, Judgement. This invasion will send these humans cowering in fear. They have not seen the might of our army until they have met one of our Elite soldiers in person," the Prophet said emotionally.

1420 Hours April 29, 2548 (Military Calendar)// Fate cleanup site.

      The banshee attack had been raging for just under an hour. They had taken out three of the five garbage-crafts, killed ten civilian workers, and five marines. The banshees had lost only three aircrafts and five special operations grunts. The battle inside Delta Base 148 also had caused numerous casualties. The five Elites clad in black armor crept through the base, killing with precise deadliness, while the Grunts sent body parts flying with their fuel rod guns. The POWs attacked the humans from all sides, it was total chaos, but was only the beginning of something far worse.
      "Damn it!" Sgt. Siglain said as he fought back a pair of ex-POW Jackals. "Where the hell are our reinforcements!" Siglain shot both jackals in the head with his sidearm; their purple blood erupted from the holes and spilt onto the cold floor.
      "Sir, they got Dean," Peterson said as two medics dragged away the bloody marine's body. Siglain suddenly realized that the marine had a gaping hole in his stomach.
      "Damn those fuel rod guns!" Siglain exclaimed.
      "Watch it sir!" Browning said as he fired at three Jackals that had leapt out of the rafters. Without shields they were much easier to kill. The shields were taken when the aliens became prisoners. Browning, Peterson, and Siglain each fired at the aliens, killing them fast.
      "That's it, I'm ordering everyone to get down stairs. I'm 'gonna seal off the passageways, we're completely overrun," Siglain said.
      "Okay, you heard the man! Everyone downstairs to the armory, get the civilians in there too," York ordered to the marines. All the marines sprinted down the steps firing rounds behind them at the oncoming enemy. Browning was the last one down. He locked each door behind him, which only slowed the Covenant. They blew each one down in seconds with their powerful fuel rod guns. Browning heard the last door he locked explode forwards and he knew it was only a matter of minutes before they were all right on top of him. The first round missed and exploded on the wall in front of him, the second fell right behind him and sent him flying forward.
      "Oh God, I have t-to lock the blast door," Browning said to himself as he quickly go to his feet. He had fallen behind the rest of the group. The blast door was a few meters in front of him. Browning quickly typed the code in and the doors hissed, he began to squeeze in, but a green blast from a fuel rod gun hit the floor near him and he was thrown to the ground. Browning felt intense pain throb through his body and he was bleeding in various places. He looked at the door, but the first layer had sealed shut, and the second layer of the blast door began closing. Browning drew his sidearm and fired at the closest Grunt. The Grunt began to fire his weapon, but was stopped by a bullet that passed through his skull. The loose fuel rod gun slid to Browning, but it was simmering green plasma. The gun exploded suddenly, bathing Browning in burning pain and sending two other fuel rod bearing grunts flying into the back wall. The result was a chain reaction, both guns exploded, setting off loose plasma grenades, which killed more grunts, and causing their volatile weapons to discharge. Browning was killed instantly, along with five special ops grunts, three POW grunts and, seven Jackals.
      Peterson heard the explosions and spun to catch a glimpse behind the glass of the first layer of the blast door. He saw Browning leaning against the closing door and watched as he become engulfed in a green and blue blast. He saw his fellow marine's blood for an instant, but the second layer sealed shut and Browning was gone.
      "Sir, Browning's dead."





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