Mission Nine - A Hairline Fracture

[Wax™]

Flight Captain Kara Palmer
120th MEU // 29th Marine Aviation Squadron // Call Sign: Delta - Triple Eight
Laketown FOB/LZ, Sitting idle
Laketown, Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551

Tags: Edto, Tento, Roach

Due to the UNSCS Iowa being out of reach for Kara to even attempt to fly for. Kara had been sitting ground side in the FOB since they landed. Which had been a long time considering she was the first Pelican to touch down on the ground. She watched out of the cockpit window has marines ran left right and centre setting up. Kara sat back in her seat and just watched. Soon enough however the action seemed to find her as the Covenant version of ODST-HEV's began to rain from the sky, many of which were impacting all over the FOB. Shortly after that if not immediately Seraph and Banshee squadron's began to swoop in and start doing strafing runs all over the FOB and the surrounding area of Laketown.

"Hooooooooooooooooooooooooly shit!" Senior Airman Ben Warran said as he sprinted up the 'blood-tray' and burst through the cockpit door. "Are you seeing this? We have to get the 'FUCK' out of here!"

"Are you insane!" Kara snapped back. "If we go up there we'll be taken down in a matter of seconds, what's the point."

"We can't stay here Kara, we'll---" Kara's co-pilot Second Lieutenant Terrance Walker begun to speak before a Pelican which had just taken off was brought down by a Covenant drop pod slamming straight through the rear of it. Essentially cutting the thing in two. "Jesus christ!"

"What do we do!" Warran said hysterically, this was his first deployment stuck to a Pelican, instead of acting as an airfield defence guard.

"We sit tight an----" Kara was cut off shortly after speaking by an emergency transmission echoing trough her 'terminal's' speakers.

"This is Echo 4 Sierra to all call signs. I have an ODST down at the church, requesting immediate evac over!"
The voice spoke over the COMM.

"There... We'll answer that distress call." Kara barked.

"But you said!" Warren said.

"I know what I said! Just shut up and get your fucking ass on the rear gun now!" Kara said barking at Warren.

"Okay!" Warren finished before sprinting back down the 'blood-tray' and manning the heavy AIE-486H HMG mounted to the ceiling of the Pelicans rear tray, making sure to connect his safety strap as they took off.

Kara spun up the engines and engaged full vertical thrust to get the Pelican off the ground as quickly as possible. It was only a matter of seconds before the Pelican had hovered to a altitude of twenty meters above the ground and already started taking fire from an incoming banshee wing. Two Banshee's howled and screeched through the air down onto the Pelican, firing a barrage of Plasma. A few shots managed to impact against the top of the Pelican, however it avoided any major moving parts. Kara managed to manoeuvre out of the way to avoid any further damage.

"Light them up Walker!"

Lieutenant Walker took control of the Pelicans chin mounted M370 auto-cannon and begun to fire at the Banshee's as they finished their strafe over the Pelican and begun to adjust their altitude back up. Though thanks to Walkers quick hands he managed to disable one Banshee which flew and crashed into a nearby coffee shop by the FOB and managed to damage the second one which appeared to start flying away from Laketown whilst gaining as much altitude as it possibly could. Kara took this time to begin heading to the location of Echo-Four Sierra. She also opened up a channel between herself and the squad.

"Echo-Four Sierra, this is Pelican: DT-Eight... We are inbound on your position, I repeat, inbound on your position... See you in one mike, out." Kara gained a little extra altitude before punching it in the direction of the Church. She got their in approximately forty five seconds but not after picking up a tail. A Seraph flanked by two Banshee's.

"Kara! We got company on our six!" Warren yelled up the blood-tray before opening up on the three vehicles with his AIE-486H HMG. Naturally aiming for the largest of the ships first the Seraph. The incoming 7.62x51mm rounds however simply bounced or dissipated off the Seraphs light shielding. A few of them actually managed to ricochet off into one of the flanking Banshee's, an impact which would normally do nothing. But one of the pieces managed to break through the gap in the pilot's cock-pit and cause a fatal enough wound which caused it to crash into a nearby building in what Warren would describe as a fiery display. By this time the Seraph and the remaining Banshee began to open fire on the Pelican. Forcing Kara to weave back and forth to avoid the incoming plasma bolts. Meanwhile Warren continued to rapidly fire at the remaining Banshee, every now and then luckily landing a shot which caused no major damage.

"We have to lose these two." Walker commented.

"We can't out manoeuvre a Banshee." Kara replied.

"No but Seraphs cant circle for shit in atmosphere!" Walker mentioned.

"Right!" Kara said before screaming back at Warren. "HOLD ON WARREN!"

"Huh?" Warren replied before being forced into the floor below as Kara ripped back on her joystick and force the Pelican into full vertical loop. The G-Forces were so severe that Kara could see herself loosing vision. But managed to complete the circle before blacking out. Meanwhile Warren was hanging onto his AIE-486H HMG for dear life. If it weren't for the safety strap he connected to the gun, he would have definitely been thrown out the back of the manoeuvring Pelican. Now the Pelican was behind the Seraph but the flanking Banshee was able to manoeuvre fast enough and remained behind Kara's Pelican. Which she decided not to worry about just yet. As the Seraph in front of her weaved back and forth in the air trying to lose Kara, Kara worked at locking onto the vehicle with her wing mounted ANVIL-II Air-to-Surface Missile's.

"Walker! Get ready to fire!"

"Walker!"

Kara looked back at Walker who was slumped over in his seat. Apparently the negative G-Forces were enough to knock him unconscious. "Shit." Kara remarked, before taking manual firing controls through her own flight console. She flicked up the safety on her joystick which prevented her from firing before lining up with the Seraph. She managed to keep the Seraph in her sights for just long enough to lock on. Firing three of her ANVIL-II Air-to-Surface Missile's. After which she pulled away and begun to make for the Church. As she did this two of the three missiles impacted with the Seraph, disabling it's shield quickly enough for the third and final missile to strike the rear engine of the Seraph. Sending it into a nearby street. Meanwhile Warren, with enough crazy firing had managed to damage the second Banshee enough to the point where it quickly retreated, leaving a thick trail of black and purple smoke. 

As Kara finally took her attention back to the Church she spotted three Banshees on strafing runs attacking Echo-Four Sierra. Taking control of the chin mounted M370 auto-cannon. She begun to unload on the currently unsuspecting Banshees. Taking two of them out whilst the third one retreated without the safety of it's wing-men. Upon doing this Kara circled the Church twice. Looking out her cock-put window at the men and women inside the Church. She then began to fly in the opposite direction before turning back around and lighting up the Covenant soldiers out the front of the Church with the M370 auto-cannon. As she made her strafing run she also fire several of her ANVIL-II Air-to-Surface Missile's. Absolutely annihilating any Covenant that was on the surface outside of the front of the Church. If any soldiers were left alive. Warren made quick work of them with his AIE-486H HMG. Though that wasn't all of the Covenant. There were still more on the Churches alternate flanks. But it was clear enough to Kara could land her Pelican safely. Once she touched down infront of the Church she angled the Pelican so the entrance to the blood-tray was facing the door to the Church about five meters away, with the chin mounted M370 auto-cannon and cock-pit facing outward. By this time Lieutenant Walker had also regained consciousness.

"Walker! Take the stick!" Kara yelled as she un-buckled and proceeded to run out of the cockpit but not before grabbing her 'M7S Caseless Submachine' Gun and slapping a fresh magazine into the feeder and cocking back the charging handle. She sprinted out of the rear of the 'blood-tray' and took cover outside the Church doors. If there were any Covenant still inside the Church she would begin to light them up with her M7S Caseless Submachine Gun whilst Senior Airman Warren also unloaded his AIE-486H HMG through the twin doors.

Kara held her breath as she fired her weapon. This was the first time in here entire career she had ever fired her weapon in a REAL ground engagement. And she was shit scared. Thankfully no one could tell, considering she was wearing a fully-armoured vacuum suit with a fully enclosed full face flight helmet with a polarised golden visor.

((Reference to what Kara looks like, except imagine she is fully covered in Halo 3 Marine armour.))

SPOILER: Click to show

[Sentinel]

Sergeant Henry "Salt" Dawes
153rd ODST, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Division, Callsign Angel Two-One
Lake Town
En-Route to the Church
    

    Sergeant Dawes heard the call over comms that a group of marines were pinned down in the church and needed reinforcements. The church was... only a short way from their current position. Fifteen minute march, max. 

    "Alright, break's over. We need to get moving ASAP, we've got marines pinned down in a church a few minutes away. Let's double time it, marines." Salt said, picking up his BR55 and helmet. The squad moved fast and was ready to go in a minute or two. The area they were in was surrounded by buildings, and shell casings littered the ground from the firefight that had ensued a few minutes ago. While moving through the streets, they had encountered a small outlying covenant group, and had been engaging them for the past half-hour. Now, as they left the safety of their hidden alcove, tension was high. More could be anywhere. As they began the march to the Church, and after a few minutes, they heard a pelican fly overhead, going the same direction as them. After a while, they heard the sounds of weapons fire being exchanged, and the sound of a pelican's engines. They picked up the pace, weapons ready. 

    November squad rounded a corner, and there was the side of the church in the distance, and a pelican landed out front under attack by several covvies.        

    "Alpha, on me, we're going to stay here and pick off as many as we can! Charlie, move up and help evac the marines in the church!" Salt said, and immediately crouched down and looked down his scope at the enemy. Shots erupted from the Squad, catching the Covenant forces totally off guard. Salt took aim, held his breath, and squeezed the trigger. Down range, a grunt dropped. He aimed again at the now very startled grunt next to the one he killed, and fired. The shot missed, creating a shower of splinters where it hit the side of the church. He cursed under his breath, and fired again, hitting the grunt in the chest.

    Meanwhile, Fireteam Charlie laid down suppressing fire and moved up, using the surrounding buildings as cover. Plasma rained down, and needles streaked though the air, shattering near the ODSTs. Corporal Harris fough through with his fireteam, making it to the church, and assisting a pilot in dispatching the approaching forces.

The position was somewhat secure, and Sergeant Dawes moved Alpha forward to the church entrance, running at full speed. They stepped over the shredded and burned bodies of various covvie species before finally reaching the entrance.

    "Harris, sit-rep!" Salt said, once they were safely inside, completely ignoring the marines and the pilot. 

    "Flats got hit, took a plasma bolt to the shoulder. Armor soaked up most of it, but he's burned pretty bad. We are getting pretty low on ammo as well. Those fucks earlier drained our mags." Harris said. 

    "We need to get Flats and the rest of these marines on the Pelican. Oh, and Hi there Marines," Salt said, turning to the Marines, "We're your backup." 

[roachman34]

Corporal Connor Lawton
153rd ODST, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Division, Callsign Bravo Two-Two, Fireteam Krieg
Lake Town
The Church

Connor and the rest of Fireteam Krieg pounded their way around the corner of a wide two-story building and spotted the ensuing carnage of November Actual, One, and Three firing away at a group of covenant troops on the side of the church. Fireteam Krieg sought cover behind several abandoned vehicles.

"Bravo Two-One, this is Bravo Two-Two, we are on your nine o'clock, and assisting with suppressing fire," Connor said over the squad comms, then he began to fire his MA5K quickly running dry with his current mag and rammed a new one home.

Through the firing over comms, "Took you long enough Bravo Two-Two, but thanks." Connor continued firing as did the rest of Fireteam Krieg, slowly pushing towards the pelican to assist with evacuating the marines with covering fire. Connor let off short burst after short burst dropping a grunt after two and wounding a jackal with another as it was quickly killed by another ODST its shield having failed. As Fireteam Krieg moves towards the pelican it became apparent that the Covenant knew they were there as a renewed wave of plasma rained down on the ODSTs, and with this someone screamed. As he looked over he saw Sara take a plasma bolt the hip, dropping her M7 and landing on her back as the plasma rushed over her right hip melting the body armor and burning her flesh.

Connor would shout, "Sara! James, Xander covering fire." Connor fired off another burst and dropped down pulling Sara into better cover then re-standing and firing again,then he said, "Sara, you good?"

Sara would groan and say, "It hurts like a bitch but I can manage," she says unholstering her M6D and firing over her head in the direction of the covenant without looking. Connor nodded and kept firing as the team kept moving, slower than previously, finally reaching an area close to the pelican to provide covering fire for any marines running to it.

[Sentinel]

Tyseus the Executioner, Chieftain of the Ashwrought Tribes
Covenant Staging Area
Preparing for Battle
Tags: BetaWülf , Faclan

Tyseus stared out over the vast expanse of flat land before him, thinking, a light breeze flowing over him. The land was serene, pure; But not for long. Soon, Tyseus and his warriors would descend upon it, ravaging the pitiful humans and seeking out the troublesome heretics. He wondered whether the humans feared death, or if they were warriors like him. He had killed weak and useless ones, true, but some proved more... difficult. They were worthy foes, as much as he hated to admit it to himself. There was a shred of respect he held for them; A shred, and nothing more.

A voice behind him brought him back to the present moment. "Chieftain, You wished to see me?" Kadeius asked.

"Yes, I trust your creche arrived without problems?" Tyseus said.

"Yes, we landed only a few minutes ago, I came straight here."

"Good. I have orders for you. You are to take a group of Kig'Yar with you and seek out the location of the heretic presence here."

"I will do as you command, but these Kig'yar... Are they trained well, or are they simply an addition to my forces?"

"They are Champion Gel's soldiers, so I trust they will be most helpful. Garatus has told me little of Gel other than he respects her greatly, so I suggest we do as well."

Kadeius nodded. He was a good warrior, and well trusted by Tyseus. He would accomplish his mission, and well.

"I will accompany you personally." Tyseus said. "We will be the tip of the spear, leading our brethren to war."

"I will inform my creche of our mission, and locate our Kig'yar additions. We will depart as soon as possible." Kadeius said, and walked away, leaving Tyseus with his thoughts again. Tyseus stood there a while longer observing the scenery, black armor now scarred and dented into truly fitting gear glinting in the sun. The battle had not started yet, but Tyseus felt invigorated knowing what was to come.

 

[Remnant]

Heretic Warlord Revuul 'Kasai
Louden
The Fall of Louden

Revuul and his elite guard pushed forward into the factory complex, deeper into the industrial zone. More militia resistance was met, but fairly outmatched. Fleeing factory workers were gunned down as more and more civilians tried to flee. Swiftly, Revuul came across a fairly large factory, where the entrance was currently being made into a last stand by resistance in the area. The lance quickly surrounded them, the sheer intimidation preventing the militiamen from pulling their triggers so suddenly.

The Burning Wrath hovered behind Revuul, its three cannons aimed on the entrance. Two banshee escorts quickly joined, hovering on either side of the Phantom. There was no escape for these Humans now. Quickly, they dropped their weapons and surrendered, as if it’d by them any time to continue living. Revuul walked past them, into the factory. He watched as trails of ore went by on lines of treads, ready to be smelted into useful resources.

He turned to one of the factory workers, and uttered a single question.

“Who is the one in charge here?” Revuul spoke in a rather butchered attempt at the Human language.

Silence.

Revuul raised his plasma rifle and fired a shot into a nearby Human’s face, scorching it off and killing it instantaneously.

“I ask again.” Revuul said impatiently. Quickly, one of the factory workers replied.

“Please, spare us! The Foreman’s office is by the entrance! Take a right and you can’t miss it!”

Revuul nodded, and turned to Xalek.

“Take four of the workers on board the Burning Wrath. We will interrogate them back at the base. As for the rest here, execute them. I will find this ‘Foreman’.” He spoke.

Finding the office wasn’t that hard, it was a crude yet large room with windows allowing anyone to peer in. Revuul kicked down the door and searched the office, looking for the Human. He caught him hiding under a desk, and so he promptly dragged him out despite the consistent shrieking. Hefting the Human over his shoulder, Revuul walked back out to the Burning Wrath, now that it was docked in front of the entrance. He came out just in time to watch the last of the executions. After having the lance restrain the five Humans, Revuul approached Xalek outside the Phantom.

“Ravager, continue the raid here. Raze this settlement to the ground, and pillage any remaining resources we could use.” Revuul commanded. Xalek nodded and left as a separate Phantom hovered nearby and began deploying troops.

Revuul boarded his Phantom and flew off towards the main Heretic base, where these Humans awaited interrogation. Soon, he would find out where the Humans mainly mined the ore from, and he would lead a raid at the source. If all went according to plan, the Cleansing Flame could start fleeing the planet soon with their bountiful harvest.

[Faclan]

Llau Sentinel

Chris Hyde - ONI Beard
Groundside
Plz no Invis Jelly.

Glancing up after he had just sat down to turn off the apps he was running on his pad and pack up for the mission he could see Mike once more shouting at him. Fucking asshole! He was being yelled at for not doing prep he couldn't have possibly prepared for!? That would be like a baseball playing being yelled at because he didn't bring a bowling ball to the game today. Mike really needed to have a wank or something and calm down and get the million sticks out of his ass...

But the only outside sign of his nerd rage would just be slightly narrowing eyes and a 'yes sir' before he just nodded and put the pad back into his backpack by his feet before tugging on the seat straps to make sure he was safe and secure.

Thomas and Laura on the other hand just smirked at the nerd and strapped themselves in with weapons and stuff all neatly stacked and ready next to them. Ready for the mission!

-landing sequence-

Holding his magnum in a low ready stance with the safety engaged Hyde quickly moved out in the middle of the ONI group. Thomas at the front with his SMG out and scanning with his air rifle over his back and Laura with her assault rifle primed and ready. He thankfully didn't need to say anything cause he was too spookified looking for invisible jelly as the sounds of gun and plasma fire was starting to get louder as more Jellies stuck from their hazy shadows.


Pela Gel - T'vaoan Commando
Covenant Hunting Party
More monkeys for this barrel.

With Vesa signaling the call to action for the T'vaoan her sister Pela would just nod, retracting her wrist blades that she had been sharpening and moving off to join the front. Her sister seemed distracted however talking with Murmillo Roh so there was still some time before it was time to move. The lightly armored Commando grunting in ackowledgment as she received word that another small pack of apes would be joining the hunting party.

She leaned back against the side of the Shadow she had been sitting on before as she clicked and hissed into her radio for more information about this group.

"Its a group from the Chiefs personal Guard."

"We already have them." Pela replied.

"No not Big G but the other one, the big black one with the extra shiny armor."

"The lesser Chief. Experience?"

"Unknown Commando - we don't have much information about them. But their motto is apparently a lot about no mercy. Soooooo...they may not be the best for this I think."

"Clearly the commanders disagree, return to your duties."

The Minor who had been put in radio duties today quickly closed the call after that and left Pela to move to greet these new arrivals. Tel was assisting him but was more so taking orders from all branches of the Covenant and parsing them through Kael and himself to inform the Entourage of the needed information. Thankfully it didn't take long for Pela to spot the approaching new apes, led by a white furred one in light armor with a bright yellow Carbine.

Holding up a hand as she stood to greet them and also signal that they were to stop for chit chat while the hunting party waited Pela them moved the hand to her chest for a slight bow and salute before standing upright again.

"Pela Gel, one of the leads for the Hunting party. Welcome fellow scout lead," truly she had always had a way with words. "I trust you know that live captives are needed for interrogation before execution."

(That's now all of Kaels Commando NPC's doing work, yey. Pela is the more quiet female, lightly armored with no shoulder armor, lighter leg armor, twin wrist blades and a needle rifle. She isn't a big talker.)

[Sentinel]

Jiralhanae Captain Kadeius 
Covenant Staging Are 
Preparing for the Hunt
Tags: Faclan

    Kadeius paced the area where his troops were assembling, and barked orders intermittently. His Jiralhanae were well disciplined, and went about their duties quite efficiently, but occasionally, one would fall out of line, misplace something, or get in a fight, and Kadeius would have to break them up. He did not dislike his position, though sometimes he did get bored of directing and correcting. He longed to be in the field, stalking his prey. Alone. His warriors were too loud for his taste. I will have to address that later, He thought. As he stood there, lost in his own thoughts, he suddenly remembered about the Kig'yar he was supposed to be working with.

    Kadeius liked the Kig'yar, though was skeptical of their abilities in combat. Yes, they were stealthy and quick, but they couldn't take a hit like a Jiralhanae. He was particularly fond of their scouting tactics, however, and made a mental note to discuss the topic with one. Whenever they showd up, that is. With their help, finding the heretics would be almost easy. Almost. From what he had heard, they were a cunning bunch, and their leader a slippery one. Kadeius was honored that Tyseus had chosen him to lead the scouting mission, as it meant that he though that he was as capable as the heretic leader. At least he thought it did; You could never tell exactly what the Chieftain meant.

    He surveyed the warriors arrayed out in front of him, moving back and forth checking vehicles, loading weapons. He liked to take an active role in leading his troops, as it bonded them together; Made the pack stronger. They looked up to him as a captain, and feared him as well. His white hair and piercing eyes reminded them of Tyseus, and they did not doubt that Kadeius could be equally as capable. 

    Kadeius ordered his creche to form up and follow him, as he had just been informed that he was to go to the Kig'Yar rather than them coming to him. He didn't mind, as he would bring them back to their camp anyway to discuss tactics. As he approached them, he saw a T'vaoan in front, hand raised. He nodded his head in greeting, and strode over to it.  

    "Pela Gel, one of the leads for the Hunting party. Welcome fellow scout lead," Gel, Kadeius thought, A relation of the Champion, I suppose. "I trust you know that live captives are needed for interrogation before execution."

    Kadeius threw his head back and laughed loudly. "I suppose you are in reference to Tyseus' war cry. My chieftain is... overzealous sometimes. It should not be taken too literally. We are ruthless when it suits us, not stupid, though I can see how you could get this... mixed up. I like you already, Pela Gel, for speaking such bold words." He motioned for Pela to follow him, and moved back in the direction of the camp. "We should discuss our strategy before we depart. I am most eager to hear your opinions on how we should proceed." 



    



        

[roachman34]

Patrol Officer Jason Sorelson
Lake Town Hospital

Jason Sorelson sat in a hallway while a nurse applied burn cream and a bandage to his left bicep. He had taken the hit while fighting his way to the hospital, though he made it in one piece surprisingly. He was becoming impatient as the nurse was taking her time applying the bandages. 

"Is there any way to speed this up?" He said finally after six minutes of burn cream and bandage application.

The nurse looked at him and said, "I can do it fast and make it get better faster or I can get it done quickly and it will cause you more pain." Jason sighed at this and let her finish without another comment, "All done, now get out there." Jason sighed again sliding his riot helmet onto his head and picking his rifle up off the ground, after he loaded a fresh magazine, and stepped towards the stairs heading down to go ask of the Marine Captain where he was needed. He would head to the Marine Captian, one Captain Bowers and say, "Officer Sorelson reporting sir, where do you need me?"

[Wax™]

Captain Jason Bowers
120th MEU // 12th Reconnaissance Company // Call Sign: Viper Actual
Laketown Memorial Hospital; Preparing for the storm
Laketown, Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551

Jason walked back and forth along the ground floor of the hospital and occasionally worked his way up to the first or second floors. Relaying orders and making sure that all the Civilians were moved off the ground floor and to the floors above. Jason soon made his way back down to the ground floor around a corridor and back into the main waiting room and lobby. The majority of the chairs had been ripped up and tossed to the side to make way for dozens of empty hospital beds with nurses and doctors standing by, waiting for more injured and wounded along with the two Corpsman's who made themselves useful earlier/ Jason began to walk back towards the main entrance to the hospital when the squad he ordered to chase down the Covenant burst through the door. Two marines were dragging another by her arms whilst another marine had a fellow soldier on his shoulders.

"We got two wounded and one KIA!" A Corporal yelled, Jason stepped to the side and watched as the marines worked at getting their friends onto the hospital beds. Jason looked back to the door and watched as a lone marine came through tugging what looked like the KIA marine. Jason ran up to assist the young woman who,from Jason's point of view. Was struggling not to cry. Jason took a knee by her.

"Go get yourself something to eat and drink upstairs in the cafeteria Private." Jason addressed the young woman who just stared emptily at him before letting go of the body and making he way slowly to the nearest staircase. Jason gripped the limbs of the body and threw it over his shoulders. Standing up he made his way to the rear of the hospital. Setting the body down in a second, smaller waiting area around the corner from the main section. In doing so he interrupted one marine consoling a second who was on his hands and knees crying. Jason ignored them for the time being and just worked at removing the dead soldiers dog-tag. It read: PFC O'Brian, Jacob. Shortly after stuffing it in a pocket behind his chest-plate he stood up and looked at both the marines staring at him.

"Now's not the time to grieve, if you need a moment, take a moment, but nothing more than that. We have people counting on us, and we can't let them down."

"Yes Sir." The marine who was consoling the other said as he stood up. The second marine stood up shortly after and wipes his eyes before nodding. The pair exchanged silent nods before leaving the area.

"Officer Sorelson reporting sir, where do you need me?"
Jason was caught off guard by being addressed by the new arrival.

"Sorelson?" He muttered as he turned around to look at the man. "Uh..." He stuttered briefly as he examined the man. "If you could stick with me Sorelson, I could use someone who knows their way inside and out through Laketown... We'll need to plan an escape out of this place once it all goes FUBAR." He said before making his way back toward the entrance of the hospital to step outside.

[MrKill]

Colonel Johnathon Killinger
120th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Inbound to CCP [Hospital]

"I'm sorry, Marine." John mumbled as he closed the eyes of a deceased Lance Corporal. The Marine had been hit in the chest with a needler, and unfortunately for him, the rounds exploded and spilled his guts all over the sidewalk and nearby wall. His fire-team pressed forward though, chasing the Elite down an alley before breaking of the engagement and returning for their friend. By that time, however, John had already stopped to recover the body.

Where that elite was now John didn't know, but he knew that if it returned it would get the business end of a firing squad. As for that fire-team of Marines, they looked shell shocked, and that only summed up what John saw in their faces. One of them sat up against the wall with a blank expression on his face, like he had just seen a ghost, rarely blinking as if he was staring into a void. Another was wiping blood off the distressed Marines visor, and John had to look away before he assumed whose blood it was.

"Corporal," John said as he made his way over to a grime faced mid-twenties Marine. "Come with me to the hospital."

"Aye, sir." The Corporal nodded. "For him?" The man asked.

John nodded. "He's out of this fight."

The Corporal sighed and shook his head. "He watched it all happen. Hasn't said a word since."

"Get him in the passenger seat," John said. He was halted mid sentence when a banshee strafed a building three doors down and bombed the intersection. "Quickly. I don't want to be here when those banshees come around for another pass."

When he returned to the warthog, John carefully removed the ammunition and dogtags from the casualties and loaded them into his pack. After grabbing the last dogtag the Colonel made his way over the driver seat and claimed it for himself. He knew logistics were going to be a problem for his Marines and ammunition was consumed quickly in a firefight. Even though Marines had various level of trigger discipline, some units packed lighter than others. In total, though, the twenty or so magazines he had collected weren't enough to feed a battalion of Marines.

"We need logistics," John mumbled to himself. "We need to set up lines and quick." He continued.

John's radio crackled over the local frequency, "I don't mean to rush you, sir, but we can't follow your orders when you're blocking the way."

John shifted in his seat to look behind him. Three tanks, lead by a M850 'Grizzly' Main Battle Tank, had stopped just shy of the intersection. The driver had an advanced HUD, it wasn't much of a surprise that the man could see John's friend of foe identification from that far away. When the final two Marines had climbed into the troop bay, John had accelerated the warthog down the street.

"Thank you, sir." The tanker said.

The local channel cut before John could reply, but at that particular moment he really had nothing to say.

"Guardian Actual to Viper Actual, we're about a click from your position. Give me a sit-rep at your location, over." John asked over the encrypted command channel.

"If you don't mind me asking sir, but it seems like we're getting our asses kicked! Do you have any plans?" The Corporal riding in the back shouted over the screaming Warthog engine.

"I know," John replied. "We can't establish lines because those fuck'n Elites break them every time we try! We've got to secure the town, but it's going to be hard with the Covenant dropping reinforcements down our throat. LZ is overrun but it sounds like the hospital has managed to set up a perimeter. If we can regroup and push outward from the hospital and the LZ, we can recapture the city while pushing Covenant reinforcements back."

"So you want everyone to regroup at the hospital?" The Corporal asked.

"No, but I want our lines pushing out from the hospital to the LZ and surrounding towns. The key to us taking the city back from the orbital inserted Elites is the hospital." John replied.

The Corporal remained quiet for a moment. John looked over his shoulder and the man simply nodded. He understood.

[RiddL]

First Lieutenant Alexei -Titan- Krevchenkov
153rd ODSTs
Angel 2 Actual
Location: Church.

SPOILER: Click to show

Titan methodically carved a way through the Church, stopping only when impeded by the enemy, counting each kill as gunned down one alien or another. He shot an elite in the leg with his shotgun, the blast itself doing little damage as it connected with its shields, but the kinetic force from the shot blowing its leg out from underneath it, stunning it long enough for him to shoot it again, point blank range in the chest, its armor and skin blowing inwards and bone and gore blowing outwards, showering the floor and wall with purple blood and white, meat specked, pieces of bone.

"5..." He muttered under his breath as he reloaded his shotgun.

He scanned the Marines that were scattered around the Church before spotting the man he was after, his HUD identifying him as he approached.

"Staff Sergeant Akiwara, my name Is Lieutenant Krevchenkov, seeing at that is a mouthful, call me Titan." He said cheerfully, turning to fire his shotgun ad an approaching jackal that was testing the churches suddenly reinforced numbers, getting blown back several feet as the shotgun blast caught it as it leapt forwards.

"6!" He said as the body dropped. He turned back to Akiwara.

Lowering his visor so his face was fully visible, he started giving orders as he heard a Pelican arrive.

"We need to get the injured out first before we can do more, otherwise they're just sitting ducks." He said, raising his visor as plasma whizzed past his face, sizzling on the wall behind him.

He turned and immediately engaged the enemy closing in, ODSTs engaging where they could.

(OOC: I'll fix at a later date, currently have problems IRL, its probably what's affecting my writing and screw ups. If necessary delete this post and I'll write up another one later./endOOC)

[roachman34]

Patrol Officer Jason Sorelson
Laketown Memorial Hospital

Jason nodded as the Captain spoke to him saying, " If you could stick with me Sorelson, I could use someone who knows their way inside and out through Laketown... We'll need to plan an escape out of this place once it all goes FUBAR." Jason continued to nod as he chambered a round into the rifle.

Jason then said, "Understood Sir you've got yourself a navigator." He then checked his count of ammo, he had about 60 rounds left, "Also sir, do you have anywhere I could stock up on ammo I'm running a bit low." He said then checking the ammo he had for his M6B and noting he had one full magazine spare and half a magazine in the weapon its self. 

[Cabel]

[Inner Colonies: System: Panis Eterni Sector: Esperanza II: Current Location: Surface: Lake Town: Town Square/Quad: Community Center: Direction: Southwest: Second Floor: Captain Mark Seamus ‘Spade‘ Sorelson]

“Viper Five to Guardian Actual and Echo Five…my Company has landed at the Hospital. I have two platoons stretched around the perimeter post Captain Sorelson’s warning to myself, with two platoons manning the inside. Break. I have made contact with local law enforcement, identified manpower at this time as twenty souls. Break. Report: Injured civilians and uniforms in the local hospital, LTPD Sergeant estimates at minimum two hundred civilians on site with wide spectrum of injuries, currently digging in with remnants of my Company. Will require immediate evac when possible, how copy, over?” he’d heard over the encrypted frequencies.

“Echo Actual to all Lake Town Call-signs, this net and any survivors. Avoid the Quad. Say again, avoid the Quad. Hunker down where you are or if you are out in the open, get to cover quickly or the sewers,” Mark said over the frequency assigned to the Lake Town PD and other such bands before switching back over to the frequency for Viper Actual. “Echo Actual to Viper Five, be advised. Evac will be a while. Hunker down and do what you can. LZ is hot. We have split-lips coming like ants. More hostiles are inbound. Approach to LZ is inadvisable. Do what you can, Viper Actual and Viper Five…keep looking up here, you split-lip bastard. Yeah, you in the red armor…”

The aging Captain had managed to catch sight of an Elite, a seven foot tall specimen, in red armor that happened to be looking up at the window the marine had been behind. Taking a single grenade from nearby, Mark tossed the grenade out the window watching as the Elite’s mandibles opened and before the bipedal alien could have brought his plasma rifle the grenade detonated. A pile of debris, mixed with smoke and flesh had erupted where the alien had been standing, and when the smoke cleared only a patch of scorched earth with a small crater remained. Having swung his rifle back into place, Mark had taken aim at a few Grunts that had managed to have run into his light of sight while attempting to flank his position before squeezing back on the trigger in controlled bursts. The trio of Grunts, canine aliens that were an amalgamation of a canine running on all fours at times and could pummel a marine senseless in what could have been a harmless game of tag, must have been fresh from the Covenant boot camp as far Mark knew when the three did only what untested raw recruits did upon their arrival at boot processing by actually standing still before raising their plasma pistols.

‘I wonder if I can shoot my Covenant D.I. counterpart for instilling that kind of stupidity,’ Mark mused before quickly ducking down behind a make-shift barricade of sandbags, and overturned furniture placed behind the wall of the Community Center as a series of phosphorescent plasma bolts often nicknamed blue boogers by some of more imaginative and sometimes immature marines impacted both the wall by the window and about three feet above his head. ‘Or, I might send him a box of tissues for that congested nose he finds those blue nose nuggets from,’

A rare sight caught his attention as one of the phosphorescent plasma bolts ‘blue boogers‘ struck a mirrored-dome covering a fake security camera before ricocheting by bouncing off of the mirror and being lobbed back through the window towards the trio of canine-aliens, and a few moments later a tiny explosion followed by a high-pitched scream leading to a series of three massive explosions combined with heat and the sulfurous odor characteristic of methane rocked the area.

“Damn,” Mark said aloud and not over the com-lines. “Their aim‘s worse than their training. I didn‘t think that was possible,”

[SuperCommando]

Even before the magnification came into focus, the terror those men were feeling was all too apparent. Zooming in, it was plain to see in their faces. Defeat, powerlessness, despair, their expressions said it all. And who could blame them, faced with such overwhelming force and gathered up like cattle. They didn’t stand a chance.

And then they started dying. Flashes of bright light ended their lives with quick, scorching ruthlessness. Their alien executioners gunned the men down in droves with heartless ease. The Covenant never did believe in taking prisoners.

But then again, these creatures were not Covenant…

As the last of the victims lifelessly collapsed, one more figure emerged from the building. It was large, large enough to casually carry one final man over its shoulder. And this towering figure was clad in distinctive armor… armor that glinted platinum in the light of the sun.

“There he is. Target confirmed.”

CPO SPARTAN-009

GOLD ONE

ESPERANZA-II, PANIS ETERNI SYSTEM

SECTOR B2, LOUDEN

Through his helmet’s built-in binoculars Silas watched the platinum Elite load his captive into the upgraded Phantom, comparing the Elite’s appearance to the image from the mission file he had displayed on his HUD. No doubt about it, that was Revuul ‘Kasai, their objective.

Beginning the hunt had been easy. Intel from the Prowler revealed alien attacks in the city of Louden, and since Covenant forces were only just arriving at the time, that left the Heretic faction responsible for the attack in progress. The challenging part was that after landing it was crucial for the combined ONI/SPARTAN strike team to remain undetected so as not to tip off the enemy that anyone was tracking them.

Since the last report the team received was that Lt. Commander Moretti and Agent Hyde were deploying on a mission of their own and would be unlikely to send further updates, it had been decided that the strike team would proceed under total radio silence. Encrypted or not, if long range communication was going to be sparse they agreed they may as well not even risk it at all for the time being, just to make extra sure they could close in on their HVT unawares. Of course, going dark like that may have left the others wondering for a time, but now it would appear to have been worth it.

The team had painstakingly followed signs of battle like a pack of wolves sniffing at their prey’s tracks. Once they inevitably happened upon the raid in progress, they observed the Heretics’ movements from a distance and tailed them to this industrial complex. But even now after finally getting eyes on ‘Kasai, the hunt was not over yet.

Silas ducked away from the window he had been spying on the Heretic leader from several buildings away once the Phantom lifted up and soared off with their target onboard, careful to take note of which direction the dropship went. After waiting a short while to make sure it was gone, the Spartan decided it was worth briefly breaking comms silence. He sent a burst transmission to the Prowler in orbit, confident that the compressed signal’s low probability of intercept (LPI) and low probability of recognition (LPR) would either be missed by the enemy entirely or buried like a needle in a haystack among all the other radio, TV, cell, and other signals buzzing around the planet.

“Gold One to Silent Sanguine, strike team has eyes on target. Anansi, I need orbital surveillance to track the modified Phantom fleeing our position bearing two-six-zero.”

“Copy that Gold One. Tracking now.” Came the AI’s response, followed shortly by, “Target identified. Adding waypoint to strike team HUDs now.”

A ghostly orange triangle appeared in Silas’s view, pointing in the direction of Revuul’s Phantom. The range indicator that displayed the distance to the target in meters was rapidly increasing.

“Waypoint confirmed. Proceeding with objective.”

Silas looked over at Jethro and nodded. Time to get that Elite.

TAG(s): Spartan 999 , Remnant , Llau , Faclan , SPARTAN-A120

OOC: Sorry for the extended delay. Gonna try to stick it out for the rest of the mission. Post includes the best excuse I could think to explain the (apparent) lack of activity. Also hope Llau doesn't mind me including Anansi briefly.

[Faclan]

Sentinel

Pela Gel - T'vaoan Commando
Covenant Hunting Party
Twin hunters.

It was good that the ape showed himself at least halfway intelligent there. And didn't descend into rage and spitting, probably about how no he was going to lead and how dare she question and blah blah blah. Good he didn't do that.

"That was the concern, news spreads fast. Tact and restraint are very useful." Something Pela clearly believed in. She bobbed her head with a bit of a smile visible under her green helmet at the praise, good. But instead motioned toward the Shadows and other land craft that would get them closer to the rough area of the Heretic base instead of back toward the camp.

"Talk in transit, enough time wasted. Can't let Revull retreat." She would start to head toward the vehicals and Kael's voice would sound over both Pela's radio as well as Kadeius'.

"Pela and Captain Kadeius, Tyseus and myself have worked out a basic plan. You two will go on ahead in one of our few Phantoms and be dropped off near the camp. Find out its defenses. The rest of the Assault Force, led by Tyseus and myself if I have the free time, will join you later since we have only land vehicles. Swift Winds to you both."

Turning toward the only Phantom in range Pela looked back and smiled at the Captain as she rolled her arms. "We hunt together then, we can discuss more on the way. Glad you seem capable."

It would soon be time to load up, the Phantom likely heading back to base after it dropped off those two for the scouting mission.

[Huka]

Field Marshal Til Je’at Ze’at ‘Muramai
Orbital Drop Destination -- Edge of Heretic Territorial Quadrant
The Time of the Hunt


In the claustrophobic closure of his orbital pod, Til stood with his arms folded and eyes closed in pseudo-sleep. The edge of life and death always present in these metal coffins. He’ve seen - and caused - the destruction of a orbital drop pod by lucky anti-air turrets that manage to lock onto them. While their energy shields designed to absorb damage with the shield-graded hulls, just the right amount of damage can easily end with their occupations’ death.


The Zealot made doubly-sure that doesn’t happen today. The known fronts were in savage engagement, the theater of war made its presence known and shrouded small details. His reconnaissance drones returned of information proper, if the Shipmaster’s trajectory is correct; the Zealot and his unit will make it just on the edge of the Heretic’s established power, in the mountains. While Til knew of the warband above the planet, already in engagement of his naval forces, he have lost merit for that side of warfare rotations ago. If one of them escape, the Reticent Silence will do its part. He almost hope the Human Seekers were here, the Sangheili veteran wanted a few of their skulls in his collection.


In that clarifying thought, the disturbing shockwave of tremor rattled from his boots to skull as the pod crashed in a landing. Pressure already hissed for release and by the press of a button, his top exploded off to allow the downing light of the planet’s afternoon bathe in. By instinct, he lunged out quick with carbine already drawn.


With life trained protocol, the black-armored zealot quickly checked all quarters while special operators fell behind him. A full two lances, armed of flexibility and stoic skill, quickly jumped into action with their majors assembling formations away from their landing places. The environment quickly taken note in its rocky sparseness and slight elevation for the mountain. In their midst, two stealth operatives stood with cold looks in their deadly eyes.


“Slip to the enemy for reconnaissance, death fall on your blades only if it is necessary and our target absolute of certainty.” Til ordered, the white-armored operatives bowed their heads before melting away. “Fell Sun, you are with me. Crying Moon, you will provide support and secondary clarity.” The respective units growled their affirmatives before all were taken under their active camouflages, marching up in the ultimate goal of the Heretic camp. Time was short.

[Wax™]

Captain Jason Bowers
120th MEU // 12th Reconnaissance Company // Call Sign: Viper Actual
Laketown Memorial Hospital; Dug in
Laketown, Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551

"Understood Sir you've got yourself a navigator... Also sir, do you have anywhere I could stock up on ammo I'm running a bit low."
The Officer spoke up to Jason again. Before he left where he had put the KIA marine he turned back and took a knee by the dead soldier. Hesitating a moment before un-buckling the PFC's webbing which contained his ammunition and a couple of grenades. He stood up before turning on his heels and offering it to the Police Officer.

"If you're weapon can't take MA5 magazines then take his weapon, he won't be needing it... And both you and me will need all the ammnition and fire power we can get soon to come... Strap that on you and when you're done come find me out the front Officer." He'd offer the man a nod before making his way back to the main entrance of the hospital. As he did so a squad of marines jogged past him to exit the hospital and re-take their positions someplace outside of the complex. As Jason reached the exit/entrance he was hailed by Colonel Killinger.

"Guardian Actual to Viper Actual, we're about a click from your position. Give me a sit-rep at your location, over."
The Colonel spoke.

"Copy Guardian Actual. Hospital is currently undiscovered by the Covenant but I'm not sure for how much longer... I have two platoons stretched around the perimeter of the building with two platoons inside, facing all bearings out... Currently sustained one KIA in a minor firefight and with walking wounded and an unconscious ODST, not entirely sure where she came from... Police have a presence at the hospital with a total of twenty men, I currently have them in the building... Be advised Sir... Ground floor has been set up to receive immediate casualties when necessary, we have doctors nurses and two corpsmen on standby, how copy? Over."

Whilst Jason awaited a reply from the Colonel he removed his data-pad from a pocket on his pants and begun to access the footage from his helmet-cam, specifically a few minute ago when he was talking face to face with Officer Sorelson. He proceeded to take a screenshot of the still image, soon after attaching it to a message he proceeded to send to Captain Sorelson.

>>To: Sorelson, Mark S.
>>From: Bowers, Jason M.
>>Subject: Have something of yours.

I wasn't sure exactly how to approach you with this Captain.

It didn't sit quite right with me not letting you know though ASAP, but.

I think I have found something of yours.

//>>ATTACHED IMAGE<<//

Jason Michael Bowers
120th Marine Expeditionary Unit
12th Reconnaissance Comapn
Captain, UNSC Marines

((Stole your correspondence style Llau, soz not soz.))

[Remnant]

Heretic Warlord Revuul 'Kasai
Sector E1 - Heretic Keep, War Room
The Best Laid Plans

Revuul stood at the end of a table-sized holoprojector that acted as a 3D map of the battlefield. He had been carefully studying it for the last twenty or so Rooks. After the Burning Wrath docked and the prisoners were unloaded, several of the Kaidon’s Guard guided them to the holding cells, and have been promptly interrogating them. Revuul took this time to study the battlefield and develop new tactics for the coming fights.

Within moments the entrance to the War Room slid open, and Ravager Xalek walked through with his helmet off and at his side. He saluted with a fist from his free hand to his chest.

“It’s good you’ve returned, brother. How fared the raid?” Revuul asked calmly.

“Louden is up in flames. We’ve unloaded the acquired resources from the Phantoms and have stored them in the warehouses.” Xalek replied.

“Good.” Revuul said, turning back to the holoprojector.

“I take it you’ve developed a new plan?”

“You could say that, yes.”

The entrance to the War Room opened once more and a member of the Kaidon’s Guard approached Revuul.

“Holy Kaidon, the prisoners have been interrogated. They have mines in Sectors E5, F5, D4, and B4.” The Guard member spoke. The holoprojector quickly updated to the new knowledge discovered.

“Good work. Execute the prisoners.” Revuul commanded, dismissing the Guard member from the room.

Revuul walked over to a communications terminal, and ordered the specialist stationed at it to rally the other Ravagers into the War Room.

Within moments they all arrived and surrounded the holoprojector. Most wore the same golden armor issued to Ravagers, however one stood out from the rest. Revuul’s nephew (Jule ‘Kasai), having been trained since birth by Revuul personally, was the leader of the Kaidon’s Guard. As such, he wore the white armor of the Guard, although the armor was trimmed with gold as a secondary color to signify his status as Ravager of the Kaidon’s Guard. He is considered to be the most elite of the Cleansing Flame, second only to Revuul himself. Such a reputation makes Revuul proud of his nephew, though wary too.

Revuul listed off his Ravagers, making sure they were all here. Sekan, Xyko, Jule, Xalek, Vaku, Erzak, and Keltra. His kinsmen were indeed present, none absent.

“Good. You’re all here.” Revuul said, as the Ravagers removed their helmets and nodded in reply. Revuul did the same.

“I currently have multiple plans of attack so far. Firstly, we’re going to stage a trap. From what I’ve seen on this map within the last half-unit, there’s contested fighting at the Human settlement called “Lake Town”. You can be sure that the Covenant will be hunting us down to the last warrior. As for the Humans, I’m sure they’ll want our heads too.” Revuul stated.

“We have an Outpost near the mountains in Sector B3.” The holoprojector zoomed in on said location. “I will have an engineer rig the reactor there for remote detonation, as well as load several Phantoms with explosives. The garrison will move to the outskirts afterwards. I will send a message on all frequencies, though directed at our misguided brethren. A simple message of conversion, asking our fellow Sangheili and subsequent races to forsake the Covenant in our name.” Revuul continued.

“One of our communications specialists will divert the signal of the message to the Outpost’s communications array, and broadcast it from there. It will give off a false location, allowing our enemies to think that Outpost is our main base, keeping this location hidden and secure.” As Revuul spoke, the Ravagers nodded in agreement, taking a liking to the plan.

“Xalek,” Revuul turned. “You will take two Phantoms and lead a group of soldiers to reinforce the garrison as the trap is triggered and the ambush commences. Use the Phantoms to jam local communications, slaughter any survivors, but capture any present leaders and bring them back to the Keep. We will hold them hostage and interrogate them here.”

“Nephew, mobilize the entirety of the Kaidon’s Guard and a Mgalekgolo pair. You all escort me to the mines in Sector E5, on the backside of the mountains. We will raid the mines for the valuable ore that we’ll need.” Helmet back on, Jule nodded and exited the room to complete his task.

“Sekan and Keltra, take two Creches and join the warzone at Lake Town. Harass the enemy and keep them occupied. You will suppress their efforts to establish a foothold.” The two nodded in agreement and left, also equipping their helmets.

“Xyko, I want you to take a Creche to Sector E5, where the mines are located, and establish an Outpost at the edge of the mountains. My task force will rendezvous there and load the resources into the transports once we have successfully raided the mines.” Xyko followed the others in the act of leaving the room after putting on his helmet.

“Ezrak, Vaku, you two will stay here with the remaining Creches. Your objectives are twofold; Load the transports with resources from the warehouse and start sending them off to the Warband in orbit, and guard this base with your lives. The other Mgalekgolo pair will remain here to make sure your efforts succeed.” Helmets on once more, the two nodded and left the room, leaving Xalek to be the only one left.

“Are you ready, brother?” Revuul asked.

“As ready as I will ever be, Kaidon.” Xalek replied.

Revuul nodded and walked over to the communications specialist. “Open a line to the Outpost in Sector B3.” Revuul commanded.

Quickly, a holographic figure of the garrison commander appeared.

“Commander, I take it you got my message from a half-unit ago?”

“Yes, sire. An engineer is rigging the reactor now, while the rest of the garrison is helping to load explosives into the decoy Phantoms. We will head into the outskirts to await your reinforcements and the ambush.” The commander spoke.

“Good. I will record my message now and broadcast it from your location. Ravager Xalek should arrive by the time the Covenant strike the trap.” Revuul said. The commander nodded as the line was cut off.

Revuul stood in front of a holorecording scanner, similar to the one back at the now-abandoned staging area. Blue lines enveloped his figure, and the recording began.

“My fellow brethren of the grand Covenant, I come here today to ask you to lay down your arms. We do not need to fight. Can’t you see the San ‘Shyuum are full of lies? They manipulate us like servants! We are warriors, not slaves! The Great Journey is for the strong, and none of us are worthy if we obey the weak! Dare I say, these Humans were warriors worthy to join our Covenant, but for whatever mysterious secrets the San ‘Shyuum will not tell us, they command us to slaughter them like animals. While we may do the same, we do this out of desperation, not choice. It was the San ‘Shyuums’ hands that forced this. I ask you my fellow kin, and any who would follow, to forsake the Covenant, and start anew with us. We ‘Heretics’, as you would label us, are only abiding to the truth of the Journey. Only together can we transcend to the divine beyond."

Revuul ended his speech with that, and the recording cut off. As planned, the specialist redirected the message to be broadcasted from the Outpost on all frequencies. For the trap to work, it needed to be heard by all. Both Revuul and Xalek equipped their helmets and exited the War Room, meeting outside the Keep.

“Stay safe, my friend. And good luck to your endeavors.” Revuul said kindly.

“And you as well Kaidon. May the Gods be with us.” Xalek replied.

The two parted ways, Revuul boarding his Phantom as the Kaidon’s Guard loaded into a separate choir, while Xalek took off with his two Phantoms and contingent of soldiers. Both were to be escorted by Banshees to keep the flights safe and to provide air support as well, if the Phantoms weren’t enough. The same is to be said for the assault force heading to Lake Town.

As the Burning Wrath took off, Revuul hummed to himself quietly, Jule at his side. Whatever fate awaited him, Revuul was ready to face it. He would stare death in the face if it came to it.

[Spartan 999]

Petty Officer SPARTAN-097
Gold Two
Esperanza-II, Panis Eterni System
Sector B2, Louden
Every step you take... Every move you make... I'll be watching you...


Squeeze the trigger. Take down the target. Oh, was it ever so tempting in that moment.

Jethro dutifully kept his finger off the trigger as, like Silas, he zoomed in on the events taking place in the factory. Prisoners, most of the workers executed, and Revuul 'Kasai himself strode out with a captive slung over his shoulder. Unlike Silas, he kept a bead on 'Kasai and the Elites accompanying him by way of his battle rifle's scope. Sure, it was tempting to unload on an alien when the reticle hovered over one of their heads, but he was a Spartan. He could easily handle a little temptation of that sort.

It helped that the safety was on.

By the time 'Kasai's Phantom flew away, Jethro had already slid his battle rifle onto his back before he ducked away from the window. His helmeted head swiveled to look at Silas when he heard the other Spartan's communique with Anansi, and he silently listened to the exchange. The orange triangle marker that appeared on his HUD caught his attention, and he craned his neck to follow the waypoint. His thumb twitched, lightly tapping the armor plating on his thigh near his knee. A small gesture, yes, but to a Spartan, it might as well have been a joyous fist-pump.

They hadn't captured 'Kasai yet, but they knew where the Elite was and where he was going. Needless to say, that made things quite a lot easier.

Simultaneously, Silas and Jethro's gold visors shifted to regard one another. Silas nodded. Jethro grinned and hefted his SAW up into his waiting grasp.

Time to get that Elite, indeed.

Together, the strike team quickly but stealthily exfiltrated the building they'd been using to spy on the Heretic leader. The Black Cat was waiting for them, having been hovering up high but now descending to street-level and parking in parked in a wide, dead-end alleyway where no one would look. The boarding ramp slowly slid down, permitting each of them to hurry aboard the stealth vessel.

“Pilot, follow that waypoint,” said Jethro over teamcom. “Keep us slow and steady, just like before.”

“Yes, sir,” came the reply.

As soon as the boarding ramp lifted and closed, the Prowler was on the move. Like it did earlier, the Black Cat tailed 'Kasai's Phantom to Sector E1, where it stopped at a safe distance for the strike team to watch and wait. Yet again.

During their wait, a transmission (that was quickly translated) broadcasted on all frequencies blared from somewhere in...Sector B3, it looked like. A message from Revuul 'Kaisai himself, inviting members of the Covenant to join his faction and yadda yadda yadda.

“...Humans are worthy warriors, huh?,” Jethro muttered under his breath, the words relayed to Silas through a tightbeam comm channel. “'Least he's got somethin' going for him.” And he couldn't help but wonder if the platinum-armored Elite had ever met a Spartan before...

Some time later, 'Kasai was spotted boarding the same Phantom, which was most likely his personal one. Accompanied by several other Phantoms and Banshee escorts, the Heretic leader began heading east.

The strike team's Black Cat waited a minute or two before moving off in pursuit of the alien fliers.

Jethro grunted when he scanned the video feed of all the aerial Heretic vehicles. “Looks like it'll be a hell of a party with all those tangos. If only I'd brought a few more mind-blowing presents...” A small smirk appeared behind his visor as he thought about the (possible) coming engagement. "S'pose I'll just have to make do with what I've got."

TAG(s): SuperCommando , Remnant , Llau , Faclan , SPARTAN-A120

[Huka]

Field Marshal Til Je’at Ze’at ‘Muramai
Section E1 - Eastern Communications Array
The Prey mobilizing - What are they up to?


Within one of the Keep’s Communication arrays, the commanding officer walked through in double check on his security force. The Unggoy make their lazy movements, even a couple sleeping. A sneer came onto his mandibles, about to re-correct the typical laziness of the peon species when something caught his eye. Looking out to the sentry turrets below, the Sangheili walked towards the end of the hardlight bridge’s edge and gawked a moment.

Where is the gunners? He didn’t allow dismounting. The voice of their kaidon started to speak on a new broadcast, causing the officer to turn straight into the withered face of a black mask. Mandibles gaped in abrupt shock and surprise before an explosion of white-hot pain struck his chest. Limbs were refusing to move, nerves were losing feeling...eyes staring into those jaded visors. The masked murderer tilted his head once, twisted his blade and used his basket-hilted fist to both drive the blade deeper and punch the officer off the ledge.

Behind him, his operators were finishing off the guards and looking at the announcement made by the Heretic Leader in arrays of disdain, disgust, annoyance and anger under their helmets. However, the leading Zealot walked ahead to stare at their keep in the short distance.

“Holy Zealot.” An accented voice hissed in their clan dialect. “What is it?” Til questioned with a quick flick of his lower right mandible. “The Heretics are growing in activity and preparing to mobilize once more.”

“Inform the bond brothers at the main camp. We will not allow any Heretic to escape far.” He ordered, before tapping his lower left mandible and pointed a claw at one of the operators, who just put a plasma bolt between a squirming Unggoy’s eyes. “Access their battlenet and secure a line to their communication to feed for interception.” “Yes, Holy Zealot!” The operator growled, immediately pulling a encryption data-chip from his thoracic cage to pop into the array’s console.

Walking to the other side of the communication array, his eye caught the distant cloud of aerial vehicles taking to the sky. "Transport incoming." A low voice announces by Til's earbud. The Zealot stared for a long moment, taking this development to his mind's eye before contacting the frigate. "Shipmaster, the Heretics are on the move. Have a lock on the Heretics' current ships..." He ordered, not waiting on the commander's answer as his Phantom appeared from its camouflage behind the array. Crawling on its ceiling was a clicking, chattering swarm with their bulbous eyes gleaming at their overseer as he and most of the lance climbed aboard. 

[Llau]

LT. CMDR Moretti, Michelangelo N.
ONI Tactical Field Officer
Inner Colonies // Panis Eterni System // Esperanza II // Lake Town // Sewer System
What A Foul-Smelling Shortcut This Is
2551
Tag(s): Faclan , MrKill , Wax™


While they quickly paced themselves toward the hospital through alleyways to minimize their chances of being seen by the enemy forces who were sent to attack Lake Town, Moretti had an idea to further help them not to be seen – hopefully. They already encountered one red-armored Sangheili after witnessing it killing a civilian who was trying to run into a building for safety. At his command, he and his unit started firing at the alien combatant with their respected weapons just as it turned to face them in surprise at being spotted before it could activate its camouflage again. It started running toward them in a rage, an ill attempt to kill them with the plasma sword it was wielding in its hand. All three ONI Operators and the Officer eventually took the Sangheili out; staying precise and exercised that trigger discipline of theirs as the alien warrior moved around to try and escape their bullets, like some hamster hyped up on coffee. Once its shields went down, Moretti managed to shoot it a couple of times in the chest and then in the head just as it flung itself toward him to try and swing the sword to try and take him with it before they managed to kill the alien.

What a fine experience that was, Moretti sarcastically thought as he headed down the alleyway cautiously. He was still panting as his adrenaline was still up and keeping him alert for any more. He then patted at the handle of the energy sword he looted from the dead Sangheili; to the other operators disappointment, as each of them really seemed to have wanted it. Maybe he'll use it...maybe he won't. He just knew he wanted it – for science of displaying it in his living room, of course, to see if the shiny piece of alien weaponry added value to his home.

“Happy birthday to me,” He smirked before communicating quietly with the Prowler. “Anansi, this town has a sewer system big enough for us to get around in, yeah?”

Anansi replied, “Yes, sir,” she explained as she downloaded a map to his TAC-PAD of the sewer system that was underneath Lake Town. “Many of it is big enough to allow maintenance workers to walk through to work in the sewers when needed. These tunnels also connect different businesses, as well as your current destination you are heading to, the hospital, Lieutenant Commander.” While adding, “There is an entrance to the tunnel within the alley you are in.

“All right,” he replied, “Good to know. Thank you.”

Once they arrived at the manhole, he looked over at one of the operators, and whispered, “Renfro,” he motioned for Thomas to remove the cover, while Moretti and the other two guarded their current position.

When Renfro finished sliding the heavy manhole cover, the younger man looked up at his commanding officer with a disgusted look on his face.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Renfro?” Moretti asked.

“Are you sure, sir?” Renfro grimaced. “It smells like shit.”

“Quit being a baby and take point,” The Lieutenant Commander glared at him. “Get on with it, mate. We don't have all day.”

Renfro grumbled in dismay, “Yes, sir.” He then took point and climbed down the ladder, and finished jumping down the last couple of feet into knee-deep running water. “Fuck, that's cold!”

“Shut up, mate,” Moretti muttered over their private comms. He soon followed down into the tunnel, while the other two stayed with Hyde. “Agent Hyde is next.” He said to Koval, who motioned for the Section One agent to head down before the remaining two climbed down after.

Once all of them were down in the dark tunnel that was wide enough for them to move nearly single file in, each of them turned on the flashlight attached to their weapons, and followed Renfro who was acting as the pointman, while Moretti kept looking at the map to make sure they were heading in the right direction toward the hospital. The unit wasn't down there for very long, and seemed to be a faster route to get to the hospital, rather than being outside in that mess. So far, it was clear of hostiles, but they didn't want to linger.

“Man, I hate sewers...” Renfro quietly complained as they eventually climbed up to another level, where it had a dry area to walk on, while the other side trickled a small stream down into the lower level they were in moments ago.

“Oh, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, snowflake,” Moretti grinned. “I'd much rather boil my face in a pan of steaming hot water than being down here with some grown man bitching about the smell, but you don't hear me complaining repeatedly about that, now do you?”

“Point taken, sir...” Renfro continued on, but now in silence.

“Good.”

Minutes after, he overheard a broadcast coming over his radio. The broadcast was from an alien, no less. He scoffed. “Must have been from that Heretic...” He muttered as they eventually climbed up a stone staircase that led them to another tunnel, but it was small, and eventually led them down toward a heavy steel door that was locked by a keypad he was able to access outside. He hacked the keypad, and the steel door unlocked and opened to let them inside the building.

“Anansi, sitrep on my strike team who is going to capture the Heretic HVT,” he said to the AI.

Anansi reported to him, “The Strike team are currently in pursuit of the HVT.”

“Good to hear,” he said, “Keep me updated.”

Moretti soon switched onto the channel the UNSC Marines were using after typing in his ONI access codes to bring up the HUD marker he placed on Killinger's DATA-PAD to make sure the Colonel was still heading toward the hospital as he viewed the map of the town. The feature was exclusive to ONI, and as long as he was authorized to use those access codes, he could mark anyone who carried a DATA-PAD on their person. It was similar to him using it on UNSC VIPs or Astronavigation Personnel who needed to be located and taken off-world during an invasion. After watching the way-point of the Colonel's location as it drew closer to the hospital, he finally spoke into his ear-piece to the marines.

<<“This is Lieutenant Commander Michelangelo Moretti, Tactical Field Officer with Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence. To any available Marines inside the hospital, we are coming up through the basement. Don't bloody fire at us.”>>

After speaking into his microphone of his ear-piece, he and the others followed him through the basement, and then climbed up the stairs to head to the floor where the marines were on to find the commanding officer of these marines so he could find out when and where Colonel Killinger will arrive so he could speak to him about the HVT further.

[Huka]

Kahnu Bond Brothers
Covenant Main Camp, Human Colony
Awaiting Command

Throughout the campaign, the two elder Mgalekgolo mates marched in patrol around the camp. Spines flexing and picking at the subsonic wavelengths and natural vibrations reaching far. Feeling every living thing moving through the camp. The heartbeats. The fauna. The wind flowing at their armored shells. Their colonies pulsating in idle communication like a bipedal creature’s throbbing heart, singing the lulling war poetry of the extinct Taalu Clan that they personally destroyed. Every elder, female, and child. Nothing but a glassed crater to be returned by the public, but the Kahnu remembers.

Their particular poem composed of a band of clan warriors who battled a small fleet in a crashing coastal storm for weeks. Not a single ship touched their shores since their charge, their ruins becoming a part of the coast later to be known as the Jagged Shore. How a monster of multiple limbs dragged their enemy’s flagship in her immediate retreat of defeat, devouring the assaulting kaidon and three of his sons. The band hailed as heroes, only to be the villains of the weakened clan across their sea. The beautiful twist of fates in the song of war

Just then, their communications’ encrypted channel spurred to life. There were very few with this authority and their attention was immediately on it.

“Colony of Kahnu, here my report;” A voice thick of the Field Marshal’s native accent, one of his assassins, “The Heretics are mobilizing. Make sure they do not escape. This is the Reticent Hunter’s decree.”

On that command, the pair straightened up and their plates shifted. Accessing their unit’s channel, their harmonious voice spoke in unison to their elite stationed around the camp. “The prey is scattering of thousand bodies, their wings take to air and resolve still. We will crush in fire, pull them to gravity’s will, and their lights dimmed to the void. Prepare...for Judgement is at the Threshold.”

“We acknowledge.” A multitude of voices answered through the audio receptors, the small file of supporting rangers moving with attention at the camp, outskirt lances taking more grounds with their weapons at the ready, and a number of aerial banshees making broader spaces for territorial clarity.

General Cav vo'ha 'Olamutee of the Iron Discipline
Section E-5; Unknown Human Facility
Breaking the Wall

"Fire!" Cav commanded with a powerful roar of his voice. The Humans were stalwart in their defense, holding the Iron Discipline as long as they did and managed to take a few of his tanks in the process. However, as the Wraith tanks and his last Wvyern siege cannon proved, the Covenant's Faith and power was greater. Ripping through the last sheet of defense on the faciity's wall as his warriors made their way along the deadly grounds. The rush of Unggoy screaming and barking their fanatic resolve, dying to storms of bullets and the wounded almost trampled by their brothers. T'vaoan zipped between their lines like hunting valley-bolts snapping their serrated jaws to keep the horde moving and get their own talons into the soft flesh in the layers of human gambesons and armor.

The full-plated armor of Iron Discipline warriors marching in the mid-range, armed of carbines and plasma repeaters to return fire, a number of their brothers flashing their rectangular shields to minimize exposure till covers was available. The Jiralhanae packs were finally joining the fire, having scaled the rocks and pouncing on their supplied jump-packs for the few exposed flight pads for supply lines. Burning remnants of past evacuation attempts still crackling and sparking with the last choir available to the General zipped overhead in their characteristic screams of death as they circled just barely at the range from anti-aerial munition. Heavy repeaters glowing in sadistic desire to end more lives, reined by only Cav's command.

"General." His Second growled through the battlenet, somewhere in the frontline while 'Olamutee allowed himself to keep tactical command. "The humans still resist-"

His complaint was entered by a bloody scream, enough to catch the General off guard. He saw a sudden distortion of air that exploded the ground and took a small patch of earth and soldiers. His Second presumably amongst them, watching a small swarm of Human reconnaissance vehicles with their high-firing weapons and one of their armor-piercing railguns fly out of the base's gaping hole. Unggoy jumped out of the way, rolled with their squat bodies. Screaming their surprise and retorts, but the Kig-yar in their greedy savagry as employed Cells tried to jump over visors, latch on sides and cut throats. Sneering, Cav lifted his burning sword and howled out through the firing heavy vehicles.

"Shredder Pack! Tear their vehicles apart!" He cried out, pointing his blade and in response, a small pack of twelve Choppers in their reinforced frames flung themselves off the small perch of earth and raced for combat. Their drivers beating and howling in delight, shouting native war cries.

[roachman34]

Patrol Officer Jason Sorelson
Laketown Memorial Hospital

    Jason watched the Captain detach the Marine's web gear and accepted it as the man handed it to him saying "If your weapon can't take MA5 magazines then take his weapon, he won't be needing it... And both you and me will be needing all the ammunition and firepower we can get soon to come... Strap that on you and when you're done come find me out front Officer." Jason would begin attaching the web gear to himself and checked what it contained, which was quite a bit of ammo and several grenades, he then ejected the magazine from the dead man's rifle and slid it into a pouch. 

    "I'm sorry man, good luck wherever you are in the afterlife," Jason said as he stepped out of the room and headed out to the front of the Hospital, and after taking a short look around, spotted the Captain typing away at a datapad, and Jason jogged over to the Captain and said, "I'm good to go, sir what's next on the agenda?" 

[tento125]

Staff Sergeant Shinji Akiwara
120th MEU, Echo Company, Fourth Platoon.
Lake Town Church
Time to scoot

As Shinji readied himself for the inevitable assault on what remains of 1st squad 4th platoon, a pelican suddenly comes out of nowhere and destroyed the 2 remaining banshees, forcing the last one to high tail it back to where it came from. It then circled the church a bit before unleashing dozens of missiles and machine gun fire on the covenant forces down the street. Nothing survived.

"We're saved?" muttered a private, obviously shellshocked from the brief fight.

"Seems so private" Shinji replied "Keep your eye out though. Might be a few lurkers around"

The private nodded before resuming a look out position while Shinji went down to greet the pelican touching down in front of the church.

Bullets and plasma fire riddled the first floor of the church. As well as splatters of red, blue and purple blood. Private Henderson has brought it. He took a couple of plasma bolts in the chest and his lifeless body now slumped up against the staircase. Shinji looked around and found Sam and the other marine alive, but badly wounded. Sam took a plasma bolt to the arms and legs, while the other marine looked as if an elite back slapped him across the room. 7 down, 3 of them killed Shinji counted. 1st squad was severely understrength now and if the covies wanted to assault this place now, theres almost nothing stopping them from doing that.

"Gather up the casualties" he told Sam "You included. We're going to fall back"

Sam just nodded eerily before passing the word and Shinji opened the front bullet ridden door to find a machine gun pointing squarely at him.

"Woah!" Shinji quickly said to avoid getting a hundred bullets in his body. "Staff Sergeant Shinji Akiwara here. Echo Company Fourth Platoon" he said introducing himself. "I've got 7 of my marines down, 3 KIA, along with 1 unconscious ODST. We are extremely low on ammo and need to get out of here, pronto" he finished before turning around to see the remains of the squad slowly file down the stairs, save for the private in the look out, and rested the casualties on whatever furniture was left.

"HEY STAFF!" the look out called from above "WE'VE GOT FRIENDLIES INCOMING!"

Friendlies??? Shinji thought to himself. He called for evac, not reinforcements, although he damn have well should. He got his evac but why the reinforcements???

Shinji looked around to find a squad of ODSTs running up to the church across dozens of disassembled alien bodies.

"We need to get Flats and the rest of these marines on the Pelican. Oh, and Hi there Marines" The squad leader unexpectedly turned around and addressed him before adding "We're your
backup"

"Thanks man" Shinji replied before giving the signal to load up the casualties and silently adding Oh jese......

[roachman34]

Corporal Connor Lawton
153rd ODST, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Division, Callsign Bravo Two-Two, Fireteam Krieg
The Church

Connor lowered his rifle after seeing the final covenant troop fall. He would reload the spent magazine and look around at the destruction.

    "That was one hell of a fight," James muttered as he looked around as well. 

    "Sara how you holding up?" Connor asked turning towards her, seeing that she was obviously in pain and limping quite heavily.

    " I'm fine, it's just a scratch," she muttered holding her side.

    Connor points to the pelican and says, "When we start loading up I want you in there you won't be much good to us if you can't walk straight or if you're dead." Sara just nods and leans on the side of the bird leaning heavily on her uninjured leg. Connor would then turn to the other two members of his fireteam, "How're you two holding up?" 

    Xander replies with "I'm alright one grazed me isn't too bad I'll be fine."

    James nods and says, "I'm fine, one almost took off my head but it missed."

    Connor would nod and begin his slow walk over towards the church being careful to watch the bodies for any movements or survivors. He would enter the church and say, "Is anyone alive in here?"

[Sentinel]

Tyseus the Executioner, Chieftain of the Ashwrought Tribes
Covenant Staging Area
The heretic's first and final mistake...
Tags: Faclan

Tyseus was sitting on a large boulder, sharpening the blade of his hammer in long strokes, the sound of the tone on the metal ringing and getting drowned out by the sound of engines. The war party was ready. He and Kael Gel had spoken a few minutes ago, and decided upon a course of action. Two forces would depart, Kadeius and Pela Gel aboard a Phantom, and Tyseus and Barnabus on the ground. The most recent intel suggested that the heretics were located somewhere near the human city of Louden. It wouldn't take too long to get there for Kadeius, but the ground force would take significantly longer. That was part of the plan, however.

The team aboard the Phantom would consist of around twenty troops, roughly half and half Jiralhanae and Kig'Yar. The goal was to capture and interrogate a heretic patrol regarding the location and defenses of their base. The ground team of around eighty troops would then meet up with the Phantom team and assault the base. At least, that was the plan. Things are always in motion, and Tyseus was keenly aware of that. Good plans fall apart when they do not change to accommodate a new weakness that may be exploited. A weakness like a location.

The radio broadcast was heard by many, including Tyseus. A message to the covenant spreading heresy. Yet embedded within that message was a bit of tactical advantage. It was easily traced back to a location in sector B3, just past Kerrigan and Tiffia. The fools. They would dare broadcast this heresy? And so foolishly done. Tyseus thought when he heard it. This changed everything as now the scouting team didn't have to search for the base. The heretics had given them that; no, all that the scouts needed to do was capture and interrogate a patrol. Then the real fun would begin for the ground team.

Tyseus tossed the stone he was using to sharpen his blade and got up from the rock. Before him was assembled the might of Barnabus's creche coupled with the remaining Kig'yar from Kael Gel's own command that could not accompany the Phantom team. Tyseus couldn't help but be proud. The collaboration between species here would be very beneficial. And Kael seemed quite capable herself, though Tyseus was unsure whether she would accompany them personally.

Out from the crowd walked Barnabus, a grin on his face. "Chieftain, I must say, I have never seen the warriors this... Organized. You and the Champion seem to have a way with them." He paused a moment, scanning the array of vehicles nearby. "It seems we are ready. Shall I give the order to mount up?"

"Yes. Tell them." Tyseus said. Barnabus turned to leave, but Tyseus caught him by the shoulder and said, "Be ready for anything on this mission, brother. They gave away their position, but I do not believe them to be stupid. There is a foul smell in the air. Steel yourself." He released his arm. Barnabus turned his head and nodded. That needed not be said, though, as Tyseus knew that Barnabus felt it as well. He just wanted to make sure.

---

Captain Kadeius of the Ashwrought Tribes
Covenant Staging Area
Hunters as they should be. Hunting.

    The call came over the radio to Kadeius that he and Pela were to board a Phantom in order to reach the base quicker. A solid plan, he liked it. The quicker he could load up and leave, the better, so he bellowed "TWENTY WARRIORS, BOARD THE PHANTOM. THE REST JOIN THE CHIEFTAIN." He preferred using his voice rather than radio. Seemed more... Jiralhanae. 

    This outburst seemed to startle the Kig'yar, which amused Kadeius. They moved fast to board the Phantom. Twenty of Kadeius and Pela Gel's finest boarded and readied their weaponry, mostly Type-51 Carbines and Needle Rifles. Kadeius himself boarded last. The Phantom hummed and lifted off, and so the mission began. 

    

[Cabel]

[Inner Colonies: System: Panis Eterni Sector: Esperanza II: Current Location: Surface: Lake Town: Town Square/Quad: Community Center: Direction: Southwest: Second Floor: Captain Mark Seamus ‘Spade‘ Sorelson]

>>To: Sorelson, Mark S.
>>From: Bowers, Jason M.
>>Subject: Have something of yours.

I wasn‘t sure exactly how to approach you with this Captain.

It didn‘t sit quite right with me not letting you know thought ASAP, but.

I think I have found something of yours.

//>>ATTACHED IMAGE<<//

Jason Michael Bowers
120th Marine Expeditionary Unit
12th Reconnaissance Company
Captain, UNSC Marines

Why had his oldest son been there? Why had he been on a planet contested heavily between the Covenant and the UNSC, he’d asked himself. His officer’s issued TACPad had alerted him of the incoming message, but at the time the aging Captain had been a tad preoccupied with having to reload his MA5C with a new magazine after expending the other, and had managed to lock it firmly in place before he’d checked the TACPad. He knew he‘d never be able to have told his wife about Jason being there, but if he‘d been transferred to the planet or even had decided to move to Esperanza II he‘d known Jason would have passed it by his mother first. Mark knew his presence on the planet hadn‘t been one of choice as he‘d been sent wherever the UNSC had needed the manpower of the 120th Marine Expeditionary Unit, but his son Jason‘s presence on the planet hadn‘t been something he‘d expected.

An almost echo from eighteen years prior on a mission that very few outside ONI had even known about had caught his attention, and due to his experiences on that mission and during his times as a rank-file single-striper had been able to identify only by the sound as a thirty-cal machine gun commonly known among the UNSC personnel as a Confetti Maker. Quickly saving the message with the attached video, the aging Captain had risen to his feet sweeping the MA5C along every angle of the area beyond the fortified window including one of the main streets leading from the southwest into the Square searching for the source of the fire while keeping his eyes open for in-coming Covenant.

“Echo Actual to all Call-Signs in the Quad, this net. Anyone else hear that? I need a report on whom is firing that antique. Say again, find out,” Mark said over the encrypted company-wide frequency, and a few moments after a chorus of thirty-cal fire followed by the semi-automatic reports from four Colt AR-15s opened fire in controlled bursts at a group of Covenant ground troops including Jackals with their shields. At least several of the Covenant troops, a range of Grunts to a Jackal had been mowed down by the suppressive fire provided by those gun nests, and while Mark would have normally been ecstatic about it the only groups he‘d known that had utilized the older air-cooled thirty-caliber Confetti Makers had been the Insurrectionists.

“Let us through, jarhead! We’re here to save your hides and keep our homes,” shouted a voice from a nearby hallway. A voice whose owner had pretended to have been an older man, but had as Mark managed to glean as a youth no older than seventeen or eighteen had rounded the corner of the hallway near Mark’s own position.

“Get out of here, son. I know you want to protect your home, but this isn’t a place for a civilian. Now, get the hell out of here,” Mark said, and somehow knew the youth wouldn’t have listened to his warning.

“Who are you, jarhead? This is our home. We don’t need you here…” the youth began.

“I hate to break it to you, son, but we’re here for the long haul. Someone on this planet sent out a call or us, and we’re here…” Mark began.

“I told you we don’t need you here, you damned jarhead,” the youth interrupted leveling an older MA37 at the aging Marine which prompted Mark to have brought his own to bear aimed on the youth.

“Drop it, son. I don’t want to argue,” the aging Captain said, not liking how the trigger-happy and immature youth had a fully-automatic weapon at his disposal.

“That’s enough of that, Karl,” another voice called out, before a calloused hand rested on the youth’s shoulder easing the youth. Standing behind the hot-headed youth, an older built-fellow sporting a graying beard wielding a Colt AR-15 with its black composite body in his right hand had managed to stay the youth while having drawn the aging Captain’s attention. “I apologize for my son’s behavior, Captain, but he is right. This is our home, and we can’t defend this planet against both the UNSC and the Covenant. We’re human, not alien. We’ve been watching your marines here in the Square, and while I can’t speak for every Cell in this system I can speak for my men. We’re here to join you. We’re a ragtag bunch, but I’m sure my men will surprise you. You can relax. I’ll make sure my son doesn’t shoot you,”

“What’s your name, Sir?” Mark asked, not lowering his own weapon.

“The name’s Lance. Lance Benson. Until the Covenant showed up, I ran a horse and Moa ranch not too far from here, and after this is over I'd like to return to it. Now, what’s your name, Marine?” Lance Benson replied.

“Captain Sorelson, Echo Company,” Mark replied, having kept the information about the 120th MEU secret for now. He’d known that giving information freely on the strength of the unit and how many marines had been present during the first meeting of a local, and as far as Mark had known an Insurrectionist hadn’t been the brightest idea.

“Well, Captain, I’m sure we can discuss strategy and the meaning of life later. For now, I suggest we make it as difficult for the Covenant to take this town as possible,” Lance said.

“How many men do you have, if you don’t mind my asking?” Mark asked.

“With the men and women that were working for me and the few other volunteers, I have about forty with me and they’re willing to fight alongside your marines,” the local explained. The math sounded right in Mark’s head, as he tallied up the available marines and the addition of forty trained militia or Insurrectionists or trained colonists as the case might have been.

“I hope you brought your own supply of ammo, MREs, Medical-supplies and radios. We don’t have that much to pass around, but we have enough to hold this LZ,” the CO of Echo Company said.

“We’ve brought enough. Before I left the militia, I managed have a fairly decent sized stockpile of weapons and ammunition. I’m sure we can manage,” Lance said, with a smile. There’s something about this Marine that tells me I can trust him, he thought.

“Alright. Deploy your men how you see fit, Mr. Benson. I’ll pass the word for my marines, and others in this Quad to keep an eye-out for your people and as far as we know they won’t stab us in the back,” Mark said, tossing that last part in given his first-hand experience with the Insurrectionists and their less than loyal nature.

“My people won’t betray you, Captain, and I’m hoping your marines won’t betray us either. They’re good people. I can vouch for ’em,” Lance replied and with that spread word to the men and women he’d brought with him to the Square to spread out to assist the marines. Given the brief, but enlightening exchange Mark followed suit spreading word through the marines of Echo Company in the Square and among Captain Duncan of the Fifty-Third Combat Engineers that they’d be reinforced by local armed colonists. With the formalities over, Mark with Mr. Benson and his son along with at least some marines and some of people that had accompanied Mr. Benson reinforced the firing positions throughout the Community Center. Crates of holding grenades to hundreds of spare magazines matching the varied calibers present to food and medical supplies were carried throughout the Community Center and throughout the Quad to the myriad of marine positions while the local colonists, and Insurrectionists though mostly colonists took up positions reinforcing the marines.

[Faclan]

Llau Sentinel

Pela Gel - T'vaoan Commando
Covenant Hunting Party
The hunt begins.

Tilting her head at the bellowing from her fellow Hunting lead Pela moved up a hand to cover the side of her helmet in mock pain as she walked backwards toward their transport. Giving signals as she went with her other hand as two Murmillones, a Major and her file, plus Pela herself - broke off from the ground team and headed to meet up with her and the others aboard the transport. And while doing that she responded to Kadeius. "Quite the persuasive voice, I'm sure it will serve us well." As she was finishing saying that she let her other hand fall to her side as she started to lift off the ground and was soon aboard. Her fellow Kig-Yar following up next and moving to one side of the transport as the apes came up next and finally Kadeius. Not that Pela knew his name yet.

When Kadeius arrived Pela would be giving coordinates of the rough location of the Heretic base so they could get moving. The transport soon moving off once Kad was aboard. Pela moving back to the main section, sifting to the sides as she did to go with the movement of the craft. Once back with Kad she gave another little smile and tapped the end of her helmet.

"Pela as you know, and I know your clan - what should I call you?" Her smile grew as she allowed herself a joke. "Loud furball probably wouldn't go over well."

The other Kig-Yar were busy preparing for the chase in their own way, some breathing with their eyes closed, some pulling out and checking blades, and one of the Murmillos tearing at a meat ration with his beak in earnest.


Chris Hyde - ONI language dude
Hospital Sewers n shit
Today isn't an awesome day.

The sudden pew pew arrival of the red Sangheili wasn't a fun experience for Hyde. Mostly because he only had the kick machine of the Magnum to fire at the jelly. It really took more skill that he had to use it at any sort of range beyond point blank. Not all the Hoomans who used it had the Spartan rock arms to be able to control that thing. But he may have hit the Jelly once or twice but more so just added fire to the general barrage that brought it down finally.

He tried not to look at the bullet riddled corpse as he reloaded and the other Operators went about looting the body. Mike of course took the sword as Thomas grabbed the Plasma rifle and Laura grabbed the two plasma grenades and pistol. No use leaving good equipment around when they could use it later. Hyde however did notice that the sword hilt had some runes on it that looked like a name, but he couldn't get a good look at it as Mike waved it around before pocketing it. He would have to try and look later.

But soon it was time to go to ground, smelly unfun wet ground. Standing watch again as they worked to get the manhole cover off Hyde was pretty on edge with the sound of fighting all around them but it seemed like this was just the first wave as there was no plasma raining from the sky or squeaky aliens clambering over all the abandoned vehicles. But then, OH JOY, it was time for the sewer crawl. Hyde still keeping his mouth shut as he enjoyed his internal monologue of how shitty the shit pipe was and the entire thing in general really.

Clambing down after Mike had wehed at wehing Thomas they were soon all down. Hyde probably surprising Mike that he didn't say anything or whine as he just kept it buttoned and just focused on the task and mission at hand. The slow slog through the sewer thankfully wasn't that long until they were under the hospital. But Hyde had a bit of a surprise for him in the message from Revull the herectic leader! Hyde slowing down a little as he listened and finally broke his own silence after it was finished.

"Hes telling the Covenant to come to him, disarmed, and how they don't need to fight. Denouncing the Prophets and saying they and the journey is wrong...Even saying Humans are worthy of joining the Covenant. Though he seems to be talking about his own journey." He would hmmmmm some before shrugging as they climbed some steps. "Either this is some kind of ploy or the Covenant must really be hammering them and hes trying to grasp at straws."

Mike probably had some douchey response to that so Hyde went back to quiet as they were soon close to the Marines. Hopefully they wouldn't be massive pains when ONI showed up cause ooooh nooo ONI, the big boogiemen assholes weeeh.

Man screw today.

(Hope the sword and other equipment pick up was fine Sheep.)

[Wax™]

Flight Captain Kara Palmer
120th MEU // 29th Marine Aviation Squadron // Call Sign: Delta - Triple Eight
Laketown Church, Rescuing the Jar Heads
Laketown, Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551

Tag(s): Llau, Tento, Roach, Sentinel

"Woah." Sergeant Akiwara said as he came through the doors of the Church.

"Get you're wounded on the Pelican ASAP Sergeant, we can't stay here for too long, my bird is too large a target." Kara said to the marine before another one started talking, a Sergeant Dawes

"We need to get Flats and the rest of these marines on the Pelican. Oh, and Hi there Marines," Dawes said, turning to the Marines, "We're your backup."
The Sergeant finished. Kara cringed a little underneath her helmet. In her mind that entire sentence turned into a cocky 'in your face' statement that Kara simply didn't respect so naturally she made a smart arsed remark toward the marine Sergeant.

"Yeah... And I'm your evac so get your wounded on the Pelican now marines!" Kara said before yelling over all the other marines. "Critically wounded on the Pelican first then walking wounded and all able bodied personnel are to board last!." Kara said before lightly jogging back to her Pelican and taking a standing position beside her Crew Chief and Tail Gunner. "Make sure all wounded are on board before the others." She said before patting the mans shoulder and making her way up to the cockpit. Once she was through the cockpit door she closed it behind her and looked up to her co-pilot.

"You alright Walker?"

"Yeah... I'm good."

Captain Jason Bowers
120th MEU // 12th Reconnaissance Company // Call Sign: Viper Actual
Laketown Memorial Hospital; Greeting Ghosts
Laketown, Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551


“This is Lieutenant Commander Michelangelo Moretti, Tactical Field Officer with Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence. To any available Marines inside the hospital, we are coming up through the basement. Don't bloody fire at us.” Jason heard over the COMM's a few moments after he was rejoined by the Laketown Police Officer Sorelson. Jason turned back around after heading to the exit of the hospital for what felt like the fifth time in a row to make his way to the maintenance staircase which lead down to the basement. As he was en:route he was joined by his company First Sergeant, Rachel Pearson who was flanked by a Corporal and a four man fire-team of Privates. Jason assumed that the First Sergeant had heard the transmission herself and come to see the ONI spooks for herself. Jason didn't like ONI and sure didn't like them when he had to interact with them and from what he knew neither did Rachel, so it only seemed fitting that the pair of them meet the agents together. 

Jason continued to walk towards the location of the maintenance room which hid the staircase down into the basement. It was in an area seemingly segregated from the rest of the hospital so there was no commotion or movement there and it was certainly a lot messier. Jason stood about five meters away from the door he expected the Lieutenant Commander to walk through. He slung his MA5C around his shoulder and stood at ease with his left hand folded behind his back, resting just above his waistline. Whilst his other hand pulled down on the sling which held his MA5C to his right shoulder. First Sergeant Pearson however stood with her BR55 in hand. She flanked Jason's right side and stood very close by, she in turn was flanked by the Corporal who was flanked by the four Privates, two on Jason's left and two to the rear who were watching the back. Once the ONI agent's made it to the floor and presumably made it out of the door, Jason greeted them. 

"Lieutenant Commander." Jason nodded to the man. Moretti wouldn't be able to distinguish Jason's own rank as his silver captain bars were tucked safely away in his top right pocket of his BDU. But if Moretti was wearing any kind of HUD or had his TAC-PAD handy, he'd be easily aware of Jason's rank, however the man introduced himself anyway. 

"Captain Jason Bowers of the 12th Recon, 120th MEU... Currently the ranking officer. Welcome to my hospital." He looked at the ONI agents for a moment, inspecting them as it were, and getting a feel for the situation. "I feel I have to get straight to the point and I'm sure you won't tell me anyway, but what is the Office of Naval Intelligence doing on the ground here Sir?" Jason tried his best to show the man nothing but respect, but he was uncomfortable in this situation.

[SPARTAN-A120]

Corporal Fredrick Mitchell
120th MEU, ECo./2/15, 1PLT-2nd Squad, Fireteam Bravo
Community Center, Lake Town
Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551
“Uninvited Guests”
(Tag: Cabel )

Corporal Mitchell ducked as plasma fire pound the corner he was firing from. The heat and debris caused him to shield his concealed balaclava-wearing face with his left arm and he fell on his rear from his kneeling position.

“You good, Mitchell?” Lance Corporal Gordon asked after returning fire with his BR55HB.

“Still in the fight!” Mitchell yelled in response over the sheer audio of warfare. He then rolled over to his right into an urban prone and fired five rounds from his own BR55HB in the Semi-Automatic fire mode. Once more, plasma struck his corner and forced the Corporal to shift back into cover. “Son of a bitch…” he cursed in response to the close call.

After repositioning into a kneeling position he ordered, “Carter, light them up on my Go. McMillan, you and I will launch forty mike-mikes at those bastards and Gordon, you take out anyone that's still moving. Ready?”

“Set!” PFC. McMillan yelled after inserting a 40mm grenade into the feeding tube of his M301 mounted under his MA5B.

“Ready when you are!” LCpl. Carter shouted as he took position with his MK.280 in a makeshift machine gun nest made out of sand bags.

“Reloading!” LCpl. Gordon advised for a moment before shouting, “Weapon's hot!”

“3… 2… 1… Execute!” the Corporal commenced and the jackhammering report of the MK.280 filled everyone's ears within the vicinity. While Carter was suppressing the advancing Covenant troops, Mitchell swung around the corner and took aim with his M301 sights; using the 100 meter mark as his chosen distance. “Firing a forty!” Mitchell warned before he launched a high-explosive grenade round toward his intended target. McMillan fired a heartbeat later and returned to cover. Mitchell maintained visual of the Covenant squad of seven (six Grunts and one blue-armored Elite) with the optic mounted on his BR55HB and two consecutive explosions can be seen and heard. There was a cloud of smoke that consumed the Covenant squad, but the familiar blue armored Elite getting up from its diving attempt to dodge the indirect fire and the anticipated appearance of its depleted shield gave Mitchell the opportunity he needed.

“Open up on the Gator!” Mitchell quickly ordered as he held his point of aim at center mass of the Elite and fired two hammered pairs followed by another. Gordon fired high at center mass while Carter fired short-controlled bursts which showered the dazed and weakened Elite with hot lead. Within a couple of seconds, the Elite was downed from the fireteam’s high volume of fire. Mitchell and Gordon scanned the general location for any additional hostiles with the assistance of their Battle Rifle scopes.

Gordon called out, “Got few Grunts at the same location. Looks like they survived the forties.”

“McMillan, Gordon. Engage them. We don't want them any closer to the perimeter,” Mitchell replied.

“Will do,” Gordon acknowledged and rested his weapon on top of a sandbag wall. McMillan peeked out slightly and used the frame of the shattered window to stabilize his weapon. A few shots rang out followed by a few more. A distant explosion can be heard during that time. “Kinda feel bad I shot them in the back as they were retreating,” Gordon said immediately after.

Mitchell thought of a response, but his mind drew a blank. Warfare had prioritized his train of thought to focus on fighting and leading instead of cracking jokes and making remarks that weren’t necessary. Instead, he returned to cover and checked his equipment. He had used three magazines since the initial assault from the Covenant Elite drop pods and expended four of twelve M301 HE 40mm rounds. He had extra ammunition in his pack, but at this moment, he had enough to hold his ground for another hour or two.

The sound of antique weaponry filled Mitchell’s ears as he tried to identify their location. It became hopeless as it sounded like a choir of the .30 caliber machine guns firing away. He heard McMillan mumble, “It’s the Innies. It’s got to be.”

There was commotion coming from the second floor of the community center and it made Mitchell curious. “Team, on me. Owens, can you watch my sector?” Mitchell said to his fireteam before asking Charlie Team’s leader who was garrisoned behind them.

“You got it, Mitchell,” Corporal Owens replied and replaced Bravo Team who followed Mitchell’s lead towards Captain Sorelson’s position.

The Corporal heard Sorelson’s voice through his headset that advised all of Echo Company to not engage friendly militia. “The hell?” Mitchell thought as he made it to the second level of the community center. He spotted the Captain speaking with two men in aged gear with at least a squad of Marines readying their weapons at the two unknowns. Based on the previous transmission from the Company Commander, they were probably part of the militia.

“Stand down, team. Those two and friendlies. We got the local militia support us,” Mitchell whispered into his Team Communications.

“This ain’t right,” LCpl. Carter warned in a low tone.

When Mitchell made it within range, he said to Captain Sorelson, “Sir, Corporal Mitchell. What’s the status of our support?”

While after he asked the aging Captain, he looked over towards the two militiamen suspiciously before looking back at his fireteam who were in a line formation behind him. Each of them nodded in response since they understood what Mitchell was doing. They were ready to engage the militia if they were going to kill their commanding officer.

---

Gunnery Sergeant Michael J. Kim
120th MEU, 12th Recon Co./49th Recon PLT., Sniper Team Dagger 1
200M West of Hospital, Lake Town
Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551
“I’m up, they see me. I’m down.”
(Tag(s): Wax™  )

“Another one coming ‘round the corner,” whispered Sergeant Campbell.

Kim pivoted slightly to the left and spotted a red-armored Elite trying to sneak down the street towards the hospital. “I see him,” Kim said.

The scout sniper’s breathing slowed as he aligned his crosshairs on the elite’s torso. After releasing his breath halfway through, he held his breath and squeezed the trigger of his SRS99. A loud bang echoed off the walls of the fifth floor apartment bedroom as Kim regained his target acquisition for a follow through. The red Elite’s shield broke and turned around to try to find the sniper team, but was greeted by Sgt. Campbell’s own SRS99 and laid out the alien. “Good shot,” Kim whispered before he rotated the bipod forward, switched the rifle to Safe, slung in on his back, and switched to his M7S Submachine Gun. Campbell did the same and slowly took the lead out the room to head up to the roof to reposition.

Kim followed behind closely and covered the rear and the flanks of his spotter as they proceeded up the stairs. “Got a padlock on the roof door. Picking the lock,” Campbell whispered.

“We don’t have time,” Kim replied. He looked down the gap between the staircase rails and saw orange blobs wobbling past. “They’re in the building,” Kim said calmly.

“Give me a few seconds,” Campbell responded.

“I’ll give you some lead poisoning if you don’t hurry the fuck up.”

Kim retrieved a M9 Frag Grenade from one of his pouches and primed it. He cooked the grenade for two seconds before carefully dropping it down the gap of the staircase. “Frag out,” Kim said quietly. The grenade detonated and a few cries from surprised or wounded Grunts can be heard.

“It’s open,” Campbell said to Kim while giving him a light tap on his right shoulder.

Kim quickly rotated and sprinted up the five steps between him and the door and closed it behind him when he was on the roof. He then followed Campbell’s lead who was already a few meters ahead of him. The Sniper Team hauled ass and made it down the end of the apartment building and made their way down the fire escape. Kim checked their rear before he went down the stairs to see if any Covenant had made it on the roof, but the door was still closed so he proceeded down. Instead of moving out on the street, the snipers traversed the alleys to avoid any confrontations on the street. They wanted to get close to the hospital to defend it from any incoming ground forces aside from enemy armor. They weren’t equipped to handle armored targets. They crossed along the right side of a courtyard that intersected with multiple alleyways leading out to different streets, but Campbell gave a halt signal and dropped to a kneeling stance. Kim did the same and looked around for hostiles, but looked over towards Campbell when he hand signaled, “Unknowns up ahead.”

Kim placed his right hand on Campbell’s shoulder while maintaining his grip on the M7S’s foregrip. He lightly squeezed the spotter’s shoulder and shouldered his SMG. With that signal, Campbell rounded the corner into their alley and Kim followed with their weapons raised. Kim spotted at least five armed humans in the alley with civilian versions of body armor and outdated weaponry.

“Drop the weapons and identify yourself!” Kim ordered. The armed individuals got caught by surprise and some even tripped on each other as they tried to back up deeper into the alley.

“Woah, woah, woah! Don’t shoot! We want to help!” said the man in front of of the group exclaimed.

“What the hell are you doing, Frank? They’re aiming guns at us!” said someone in the back of the group.

“Show me your hands!” Campbell shouted. His command made Kim feel like they were police officers.

“Just do it, man,” said someone else in the group.

“Alright, alright.”

Everyone in the alley disarmed themselves and raised their hands. When that occurred, Kim asked, “Friend or Foe?”

“We’re here to help you. We want these aliens outta here as much as you do,” said the man in the front again. “I’m sure you can use the numbers and support.”

The Sniper Team did not lower their weapons. Instead, they maintained their suppressed weapons at the group. Kim took the time to open a secure channel to Captain Bowers and said, “Viper Actual, this is Dagger 1. We found five armed civilians just West of the hospital. They said they wanted to assist. How copy?”

---

Ensign Richard A. Chen
ONI Section III Tactical Field Operative "Panther"
Louden, Sector B2
Esperanza II, Panis Eterni System, 2551
"The Hunt"
(Tags: Faclan , Llau , SuperCommando , Spartan 999 ) 

Chen’s wrist-mounted TAC-PAD vibrated lightly as he received the messages from Agent Hyde. He also had updates that popped up in his HUD, but he ignored the transmissions for now as the two SPARTANs of Gold Team and himself had their eyes on the prize. Their target, a platinum-armored Sangheili with an entourage of security slaughtering Louden’s population and taking the supplies for themselves. If piracy didn’t make his blood boil, it did know and the savagery that took place before his eyes caused him to clench his teeth and jaws tightly with hatred pumping from his heart and the heat of anger flowing through his veins.

When HVT boarded the modified Phantom he used for personal transportation, Chen unzoomed his visor’s magnification came down from the window where he was watching the scene unfold. “That little fucker,” he said quietly to himself as he slowly lowered himself off of the ledge onto the level where the SPARTANs were.

An orange marker appeared on his HUD with a distance calculator which caused Chen to look over to the SPARTANs. Chen gave them a thumbs up with his left hand and followed the two giants when they started leaving.

The Strike Team arrived to the Black Cat and boarded the stealth aircraft. While the SPARTANs gave the pilot orders, Chen took the time to read the message Agent Hyde sent a few minutes ago after closing the hatch behind him.

>Agent C.J. Hyde: Chen, Mike is leaving the prowler to head down to the planet, I am ordered to go with. I think there is something important that has to be destroyed or grabbed. Stay safe, may not be able to give updates. Good luck.

Chen did not reply because he didn’t want to compromise their location by breaking radio and communications silence. Instead, he made his way to the SPARTANs. As the Ensign walked casually through the Subprowler, he thought of reasons why Agent Moretti would enter planetside. "Something important has to be destroyed  or grabbed". What was that important for a Lieutenant Commander of his stature? Whatever It was, he would probably findout duringthe after-action report or if he had the time and window, he would provide support.

When Chen arrived, he asked the SPARTANs, “Now that we have positive ID, how do we execute?”

If planning on-the-fly was an academic course, the Ensign would’ve aced it.

---

(OOC): 1. Yappa's Cat- Mitchell is 2nd Squad, not 1st. 
2. I would assume GySgt Kim would not be able to hear Cpt Sorelson's update of the friend or foe status of the locals since he's 12th Recon unless he used the MEU freq.
3. Sorry for the delay!