The Battle For Sigma Octanus Chapter 5 Casualties of War
Posted By: moniter101<wasup1989@hotmail.com>
Date: 1 March 2003, 3:54 am
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(Sigma Octanus Grid 13 by 24, 3 Klicks west of UNSC military base Bravo 0530 hours)
The warthog?s massive tires spun in the mud. Stacker felt the hog shake violently as the driver struggled to get it out of the dried up river bed.
?Sir I think were lost.? The driver said. Stacker looked at the radar. ?Cote d? Azur should be due west of us but I have no friggin? idea as to where we are.? he said. ?How long we been driving.? Said a marine. ?I don?t know 20 maybe 30 minutes.? Stacker got pissed; they have been driving through thick foliage and mud. Everything looked the same. ?We are lost but the damn map says that it?s due east.? Stacker gave an annoyed look. ?How old is it sir?? Harland asked. Stacker looked at the copyright. ?Damn its ten years old.? Stacker threw down the map.
?Ok we head back to the base and get directions.? ?Sir what direction is the base.? Harland asked? Stacker picked up the warthog?s Com link. ?Command this is Alpha we?re lost the map isn?t up to date and we have no idea where Azur is over.? He said into the link. A panic filled voice crackled back, ?Alpha we can?t help you at the moment the only building left is the armory they?ve already taken out the scorpions and we?re already down to 120 men we?ve already been overrun oh god their coming into command look Alpha do what ever you have to get to the city the covies have already called for reinforcements and there?s gotta? be a thousand of them I called for evac but the orbiting fleet is in a similar situation Command out.? Then static filled the battle net.
?Lets try north and hopefully that?ll lead us to Azur move out.? The three warthogs sped north. Stacker kept an eye on the compass. As the three warthogs raced through the jungle a red dot filled the radar. ?Stop? Stacker yelled into the link. The warthog screeched to a halt. ?Oh crap sir I got hell a covies about 100 yards straight ahead must be a patrol cause their movin? fast.? A marine said. ?I know first hog take their left second go to the right we?ll take their flank hail merry.? Stacker ordered. He took a glance at the radar to more patrols were to the south some 1500 yards. The drivers acknowledged and took their positions. The first warthog was concealed under thick bushes. The second was nearly invisible behind several trees. Stacker?s hog took a position sixteen feet behind the other two. The plan was simple Stacker?s hog would wait until the patrol had past ten feet ahead of them then drive out into their path to flank them and hose them down while the other two would rain hell on them. The field tactic known as hail merry had been practiced many times before in training and on the battlefield, ask any marine and they would know what it was.
Slowly the covenant patrol came into view. It consisted of seven grunts five jackals with their shields down and four minor Elites. Stacker watched the radar five feet...eight feet...ten feet. He signaled the driver. The warthog pulled out into the open and the gunner fired a volley of tracers into the patrol of sixteen covie suckers. Rounds tore through the grunts. All they could do was jump when the two other warthogs sprayed them with continuous fire. All the grunts died instantly as rounds ripped through them. The jackals had only a split second to react when bullets tore through their weak bodies they didn?t stand a chance. Most of the Elites died but two managed to return fire at Stackers warthog. One plasma bolt came dangerously close to Stacker?s wounded shoulder. The gunner was shielded by the protective armory plate mounted on the 50 CAL. But the driver wasn?t so lucky. A plasma charge from one of the dying jackals smacked into his leg and then an Elite shot at him hitting his chest. The man screamed in pain as he sprayed blood onto the windshield.
He collapsed in his seat. As the last elite fell Stacker jumped from his seat and ran around to the driver?s seat and pulled him out. The driver?s face was pale blood was streaming from his mouth his chest was black and red. Stacker called for the team medic. The marine was drifting in and out of consciousness and it would be a matter of time before death. The second bolt had burned through the left ventricle of the heart which was completely burned and also it had burned through the pulmonary artery. The leg scoring had punctured the femoral artery (the main blood passage for the lower half of the body).
Scarlet colored blood pumped from the leg as if it was pumping from a jug. Stacker moved as the medic went to work on him. The marine opened his eyes. ?What?s your name soldier?? Stacker asked. ?John...Johnson sir.? The marine said weakly his voice faint. ?I?m glad I could die for human...humanity.? Johnson eyes rolled into the back of his head. He died shortly after.
?Damn it asshole covies.? Stacker swore bitterly. He fired half a clip into the heap of covenant bodies. Stacker had all the men gather around the marine and said a quick prayer ?God take thy fallen brothers into thee hands and bring them to salvation?. He ordered a quick break. Stacker sat under a tree looking at the lifeless body of Johnson. The blood had formed a sticky pool in the dirt around Johnson. His face had a peaceful look on it.
Stacker got up and checked him for any ID. He found his tags along with a cross. He checked his pockets and found a picture of Johnson?s family. The man was happily married with two children. Stacker fell to the ground fighting back the tears. He seemed like the type of man who knew no fear but deep inside he was more scared than anything. He feared for his men the marines who fought for humanity but in return received no support.
Harland came and sat next to him. ?It?s hard to send men to their deaths but they died for a cause and a race.? He said. Stacker looked at him and turned away. ?We did all we could sir but it was his time to go there was nothing else we could do.? ?Do you have family sir?? Harland asked.
?When I was old enough to determine what I was going to do with my life the covenant attacked our home world.? My dad died saving me and I watched helplessly from the window of one of the only ships that escaped as the covenant rounded up my family killed them and 2 million others like them. It was then that I decided to spend my life defending humanity to make sure something like that never happened again.? He said quietly almost at a whisper. ?I married and had two kids they live on earth and I will do whatever it takes to protect them.?
Harland said nothing. He had heard the stories of the ?infamous show no mercy? Sergeant Stacker who knew no fear. But hear he was the most decorated and battle hardened marine in the core on telling him something that he had never spoke of and on the verge of tears.
?Sir we?re all casualties of war as soon as you step on that transport ready to ship out and see the universe you?re a casualty. When I go home people will say why are you goin to get yourself killed and I won?t say a damn thing they don?t know that it?s not about them it?s about the man next to you and that?s it.? He said.
?I?ve seen this happen a thousand times and Johnson is just one of billions lost in this war so maybe we?re all casualties of war.? Stacker said. He Got up and walked over to Johnson?s lifeless body. He bowed his head in prayer then raised it he snapped a crisp salute. He walked over and set the picture, dog tags, and Cross in a breast pocket. ?Move out? he said and hopped in the driver?s seat. The three warthogs disappeared into the jungle. To Be Continued...
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