Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Halo: Battle for Halier; Chapter 2

“This is Charlie 2-3 droppin cargo for Gamma team. Have fun and put the keys on the table when you get home.”

“Thanks, Alright team, let’s load up. Alison, grab that fifty cal and throw it in the back. Sam, Cory, you two take the back and cover our rear. Keep me informed on anything.”

The team didn’t even need to agree. They knew that’s is the way it was going to be. After a small break to secure everything in the hog, they take off, spitting dust into the cavern they were just in. They traveled trough the more Arizona looking part of Reach. It would be another 10 minutes before they go to Halier. About half way through a canyon Sam broke the silence of the Engine. “Max, I think I spotted some Ghost closing in behind us. Drive a little slower so I can hook this 50 cal to the hog.” Max slowed the warthog down enough for the 50 cal to be stood up and strapped to the frame of the warthog. Sure enough, two ghost race up next to the warthog, the grunts piloting chatter with each other while the turret is being set up. At the same time they just stop. “Max, the ghost decided to leave us alone, I think it’s a trap.” As if on cue a plasma explosion cause the canyon in front of them to become blocked by rather large boulders.

“Leave the 50. Grab any ammunition and let’s get the fuck out of this canyon. Alison you take point.” Alison nodded before starting to climb the rocks in the easiest way possible. With the rest of the team following they were an easy target for the pair of ghost that had caught back up with them. Alison reached the top of the rocks, her tattered orange armor contradicting her green helmet. She was a master of hand-to-hand combat and particularly skilled at vehicle takedown.

Noticing the ghost, Alison jumps back onto the warthog, causing a large dent in the hood where she landed. The first ghost activated it’s boosters to ram Alison. However, Alison jumped over the ghost, and gripped the grunts methane tank. The grunt was ripped in half from the momentum of the ghost, and the sudden stop of the methane tank. The ghost collided into the wall, causing a small plasma explosion. Alison dropped the remains of a grunt on the ground ans the other one stopped and started shooting it’s plasma repeaters at her. She ran in a circle around the ghost, making an ever smaller circle. Once she was close enough, she jumped towards the ghost, landing on the front. She punched the hood of the ghost, causing her to find a good place to grip the vehicle. The grunt pilot tried to shake her off, but there was no valor. She dropped kicked the grunt in the side of the head, prior to taking command of the covenant vehicle. Before the grunt regained continuousness the Spartan rammed it with the ghost causing a small explosion of intestine and methane in front of her. She used the ghost to ramp the rocks and land on the top of the boulder pile next the other Spartans.

“Damn Alison, that was smooth.”

“I gotta agree with Sam for once, that was nice.”

“Cory and Sam said it best Alison, very well done.”

“You guys are being to nice, but we should get to Halier. They need our help there.”

“Right, Command this is Sierra 142, Inform other team to keep a watch out for traps. The covenant seem to know a little more about Reach then we thought.”

“Rodger that 142, I got a spare pelican in your area, we need you at the destination. Pick-up should be there soon. Oh, and you’ll have some back-up there.”

Halo: The Battle for Halier; Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Spartan 142, also known as Max, watched out the window of his stationed battle cruiser, The Forward Unto Dawn. He watched as covenant fleets materialized in front of the planet Reach. He didn’t need to have a mission briefing before he knew what was going to happen. He put his helmet on and readied for a drop. He had pretty basic Mjnoir armor with minor modifications to shoulders to make it easier for him to move his arms. He stood as a commanding officer walked in. His cyan armor reflecting in the window of the cruiser. Max turned to the officer and saluted.

“Son, we’re under attack. We need you to get your squad ready for a hot drop onto the town of Halier. You drop in 5.” The officer had an overly stern sound about him.

“Sir, you can count on me.” Max commented cockily.

“It’s not you I’m counting on, it your team. Now get going.” The officer just turned and walked away. Max figured it was just the situation, but they’d be fine. He walked down the corridors of the cruiser, dodging people running to their stations. He met up with his team, Team Gamma, in the mission briefing room. The 3 other Spartans stood in a circle waiting for their cue.

“Reach, is under attack, but I’m sure you know. This is a defense and extraction mission. Samuel, you can’t hesitate to take a shot this time. If you do, it could be our lives. Get your gear. Cory, grab a turret from the armory before we go, we’ll need it. And Alison, I know this is your first mission, and it’s gonna be brutal, but you need to stick in there. Meet at the drop pods in 3.” The other Spartans saluted and went their ways for a brief time. Alison walked up to Max, hesitant at first.

“Be honest with me, are we gonna die?”

“Honestly, no. Spartans never die. Get to your pod.”

After three minutes Max met back with the Gamma team. He took his helmet off for a second. “I talked to mission command. We got the best of the best down there, Alpha squad, Noble Team, Bravo Squad. We need to let them know that all Spartans can do what those guys do.” Max put his helmet back on, and popped his knuckles. “Now, let give them hell, in the name of Reach!” Cory attached the turret to a lone drop pod that well land near by her, before climbing into her drop pod. “Oh, Samuel, take this.” Max tossed him a standard Sniper Rifle. Samuel placed in in his pod before preparing for drop. Max quickly reassured Alison before they climbed into their pods.

A voice came over the intercom; it was the ships A.I. “Spartan Team Gamma Ready for drop in 3. 2. 1. Dropping, have a nice day.” The pods quickly detached from the ship and had a small thruster push them towards the surface of the planet. The pods continued to fall, quickly reaching terminal velocity. About a mile above the surface, the flaps opened and the metal parachute deployed. The pods slammed into the ground about fifteen meters from each other. Max opened a com link between him and his team. “Everyone alright?” He opened his door, the hydrolic systems sending it flying forward.

“Samuel here, I made it, but my door is jammed.”

“Of course yours would. Max I’ll get him.”

“Thanks Cory, Alison, status?”

“I’m fine, just a little shocked that I just dropped from space.”

The team laughed before meeting up in front of Samuel’s pod. “We could leave him there. Right?”

”As much as I would like to, we need him, open it up Cory.” As though she knew he would say it, she gripped a bar from her pod and shoved it into the door’s crack. Once it was securely in the crack she pushed the others out of the way, and punted the bar. The door flopped on the ground lazily.

“Yea that was worth pushing us out of the way for.”

“Shut up Alison.”

“Come on now you two. We need to get to Halier and help defend the city. Command this is Sierra 142, me and my team are on the ground headed to Halier. Seems like quite a long walk from out landing spot, think you could spare a ‘hog?”

“Rodger 142, looks like we got a warthogs in your area, I’ll have them drop you one. ETA 2 minutes.”

“Copy that. 142 over and out.”

Samuel climbed out his pod, hearing the discussion with command. :”So what, we gotta sit hear and wait for some ‘hog. That’s crap, we’re gonna get nailed out here.”

“We’ll be fine. Let’s head to those caverns over there. They should give us adequate cover and a place to get ready for this better.”