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Sea of Steel: Part 6
Posted By: Omniscient<davenish@jps.net>
Date: 11 August 2001, 7:12 PM


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Part 6
Location: Covenant drop ship unit 3, sector W, Halo.

Commander Tsheac, the Red elite, was prowling casually throughout the command deck of his drop ship. A devious grin slipped across his face as he thought of the final destruction of the human resistance. Finally, he though, I will sleep in peace, without the constant thought of a human ambush in my brain. Perhaps I will even get promoted to Fleet Commander for my military brilliance on Halo.

"Commander, drop zone is near. I humbly suggest that you prepare to drop," said the sensor operator. Tsheac walked over to him and peered over his shoulder at the screen.

"That is the forest where the humans are hiding?" asked Tsheac, indicating a patch of green on the screen.

"Correct."

"Set us down in that field. I will lead the elites through the forest to the humans. It will be a fast, deadly strike. I expect minimal casualties, if any. Alert unit 2 of the plan." The sensor officer nodded and Tsheac climbed the ladder down the drop deck, where his group of ten elites were waiting for him. They stood up as soon as Tsheac's feet hit the floor, holding their heavy battle rifles across their chests in a salute.

"At peace," said Tsheac. The elites sat back down. A minute later, the ship shook and the elites all stood up again and looked at the lights above each of their individual drop doors. The light was purple. No go. Then it started flashing, as the ship came closer to the ground. When the drop ship was just a few feet from the ground, the light turned blue, a bright, blinding blue. The doors flew open, and the elites tumbled out. Tsheac was right with them.

Unit 2 had also unloaded its ten elites, and the two drop ships took to the skies again. The edge of the forest was about fifty meters in front of the drop group, and Tsheac immediately started the charge. The other elites quickly followed suit, running as fast as they could into the woods. They knew the forest by instinct, something the humans lacked. The Covenant would not hesitate to use this to their advantage. Suddenly, Tsheac halted the charge with a wave of his arm. He called the elites forward slowly, and told them to take cover behind a tree.

"Humans are near," said Tsheac, "I can feel it. I can smell their blood, that boiling, warm, red blood of theirs. Brothers, that blood runs full of fear. We will be victorious. Now, advance in a wide sweep. We will encircle them and dispense with them before they even wake up." Tsheac stepped out from behind the tree and slowly crept forward. The other elites did as they were told, forming a long line to close in around the human camp. The humans outnumbered them almost two to one, but the elites were confident. The humans had never seen a Red elite in battle before, let alone such a prestigious one as Commander Tsheac, and would not be ready for it.
Location: Human marine encampment, sector W, Halo.

"You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Shh! Listen . . . Never mind, it's nothing."

"Why you gotta scare me like that, Ornales?"

"Hey man, I don't do it to scare you. I be scared too, no? Bein' out here on watch duty in the pitch black. Damn this planet, or whatever it is. I want to be at home, con mi familia. SÌ, con me espousa en mi cama . . . Ahh. Y t™, Richards?"

"No comprendo, compadre," said Richards, stretching his back out against the tree that they were leaning against. He quickly sat up again and cocked his head, trying to peer through the forest. "Ornales, wait . . . I did hear something. Just now. You hear it?"

"Ya man, yo le oyo."

"What do you suppose it was?"

"Solimente Dios sabe . . ."

"What? Cut that spanish, man."

"It means, Only God knows."

"Whatever. Shut up now," said Richards as he raised his assault rifle. They both heard it again. Foot steps, undoubtedly. Ornales saw them on his HUD first. He cursed something in spanish that Richards understood as soon as he saw the elites on his own HUD.

"Shit," said Richards. He looked at Ornales, "Go now. Run! Wake everybody, I'll try to stall 'em!"

"Rich, those be elites man. About twelve. Come with me! You know you can't win!"

"GO!" yelled Richards. His HUD indicated the Covenant were in range, though there were too many trees in the way to be sure of a hit. Nevertheless, he opened fire. Ornales took this as a good queue that Richards wasn't coming, so he took off running as fast as he could. Richards' rifle continued to blast metal into the forest as he let out a yell at the top of his lungs that seemed to last indefinately. Ornales listened to it as he ran farther. Then he heard the all too familiar sound of Covenant battle rifles. Richards' yelling stopped.

"Madre de Dios . . ."





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