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Attack on Sol (Part 5)
Posted By: Slit Throat
Date: 28 May 2004, 12:09 AM
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The door slid open to reveal a large number of Elites facing the door. As soon as the door was open, they fired through it at the unprotected humans. The Spartans' shields took the brunt of the volley but a round got through and hit a Marine. He screamed and dropped to the floor holding his right arm. The humans returned fire and Elites began to fall. However, one Elite lived long enough to hurtle a plasma grenade into the hallway. It attached to a startled Marine's rifle and began to glow. Fred ripped the gun out of the Marine's hand and threw it at the Elites. With no time to respond, the grenade's explosion enveloped the entire alien squad and threw bodies every which way. No Covenant were left standing.
The Chief turned and knelt beside the fallen Marine. The burn on the Marine's arm stretched from the wrist to lower forearm but did not look life threatening, he would live. The Chief helped the Marine to his feet and Corporal Nunéz came over to help the wounded soldier into the control center. For the second time in several hours, the Chief climbed the short ramp to the control platform and inserted Cortana's chip into the slot. Her holographic body appeared with hands pressed to forehead.
"Chief, I've got a problem," she said. "It appears that there is a Covenant A.I. in this ship's system and it is blocking my attempts to lift off. I can't access the ship's controls. I..... wait," Cortana's figure flared red for an instant then settled back to a cool blue.
"Got him!" she announced. "The tricky freak tried to shut down main power but I caught him. Preparing to delete....."
"Wait Cortana," interrupted the Chief, "shouldn't we analyze it before it is destroyed?"
"I guess you're right," agreed Cortana, grudgingly, "transferring A.I. to a data chip....." A chip similar to Cortana's popped out of the slot. The Chief picked it up and put it in his equipment pack.
"Preparing to lift off," warned Cortana, "in three-two-one...."
The thousand Covenant troops guarding the gravity lift stared up in amazement as the cruiser began to drift slowly upwards. The lift disengaged, leaving the troops stranded on the ground. At an altitude of a seven hundred fifty meters, the cruiser simply stopped and hovered. The Covenant troops continued to watch in case the ship should descend, which it did, but not in the way they expected.
"Self-destruct engaged. We have fifteen minutes to get off this ship!" announced Cortana. "Chief, I recommend we leave."
"Good idea Cortana," agreed the Master Chief, "lets move people!"
A good ten minutes were spent getting from the bridge to the hangers, seven decks below. A large firefight broke out as the humans attempted to seize a dropship. The guard force, twenty odd Elites, Jackals and Grunts, took cover behind fuel tanks and fighters as plasma and bullets crossed the large room. The battle was brought to a close, finally, when Linda shot and killed the commander and several well placed grenades destroyed the gas tanks being used as cover.
"Everyone move!" shouted the Chief as the timer on his HUD ran down to two minutes. The rest of the squad ran up the gangway into the U shaped ship with him right behind.
The hatch closed, the bay doors opened and the small ship flew out in a rush of exhaust. Will, who was flying, turned the dropship back toward the city center as the cruiser detonated behind them, showering the Covenant troops on the ground with hot pieces of melted metal and sections of hull.
Will gently set the dropship down on one of the Pelican landing pads near the Marine HQ. A Marine fire team surrounded the enemy ship, but relaxed when the Spartans and other Marines exited the craft. They were quickly shown into the base by a MP and asked to wait in a drab, metal walled 'lounge'.
The MP returned a few minutes later and said that General Ketin would see them now. They decided that the Master Chief and Corporal Nunéz would go. The Spartan and Marine followed the MP into a bare office with a desk and chair. Sitting in that chair was General Ketin. Ketin was a thin man and tall, with gray streaks in his brown hair. The Chief and Nunéz saluted.
"At ease," said Ketin. "Gentlemen I must congratulate you on a job well done. That cruiser had been giving us trouble for a long time. Now with it gone, we can concentrate our efforts on clearing the city."
"Thank you sir," acknowledged the Chief.
"Also of note," continued Ketin, "is that you captured an intact, fully functional Covenant A.I. This could be the break that the Fleet has been waiting for, depending on what's in the A.I."
"What do you mean sir?" asked Nunéz tentatively.
"I mean that this A.I. may contain the location of the Covenant homeworld!" responded Ketin. "If it does, and if we can drive the Covenant from Earth, then we can launch an attack on their home planet and end this war once and for all!"
"That would be wonderful sir!" agreed Nunéz.
"But before we wipe the Covenant from their homeworld, we must wipe them from ours. Intel has learned that the Covenant has set up a base of operations on the moon. If that base is not neutralized, then the Covenant will continue to send reinforcements until the entire planet is overrun. We must stop them at whatever cost!" announced Ketin adamantly.
"General," said the Chief, saluting, "I believe you have given my team and I our next mission."
"Spartans," announced the Chief, after he had exited the General's office a while later, "we have a new mission."
"What's that?" asked Linda.
"We're going to neutralize the base of operations that the Covenant have set up on the moon," the Chief announced. "We leave in six hours. We should all get a couple of hours rest and meet at the hanger at 1800." The other Spartans nodded. "Then lets get ready."
The Prophet of Vengeance turned from one of the many view screens spaced around the large room. The control center was located in the heart of the Covenant attack HQ and was heavily fortified. Protected by a screen of ships, ground defense turrets, as well as a legion of top Covenant troopers, the base could withstand a full scale assault with ease.
The Ship Master that bowed low before the Prophet was the commander of the force attacking the Infidel's world.
"Everything is going according to plan," he announced, "the assault has taken control of many cities and has crushed all resistance. It will not be long before the planet is taken my Lord."
"Very good," said the Prophet, "how goes this base's defenses?"
"They are almost complete my Lord. Only a few air defense turrets need to be installed," announced the Ship Master.
"That is well. You are dismissed," said the Prophet, waving his wrinkled hand. The Ship Master bowed his way from the room and the Prophet turned back to the view screen which showed the space surrounding the moon. The space was filled with orbiting destroyers and cruisers even though the surviving human ships, and there had not been a great many, had evidently fled the system. There was no way to confirm that as of yet, however.
The Prophet allowed himself a small smile. Soon this victory would be complete and he would be raised to a High Prophet. That was reason enough to smile.
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