The Halo RPG: RPG Thread (Story Arc 2, Sector 03)

[mechanizeddice]

Upon listening to the recorded message, I assembled my squad.

“Come brothers, today we are flying a reconnaissance mission in an attempt to locate the human survivors in sector three. We will fly in fan formation and use thermal imaging to search the foggy terrain. Upon locating the humans we will send their location and numbers to commander Talamee. The commander will then tell us what to do. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” They responded in unison. I signaled for my squad to follow, then walked into the single phantom in the hangar. With in moments we had risen from the ground and had begun the flight across the frozen wasteland.

I spent most of the trip in silence. I was preoccupied with my thought of our mission. I could not wait to plunge my energy sword into some puny humans chest. The thought of battle intoxicated me. I was not afraid of death. In fact I welcomed it, it would come to all of us someday. I only hope that it will come to me honorably in battle.

My thought were interrupted as our pilot turned to speak.

“ Sir we have arrived in sector three. I’m just going to look for a place to set her down.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I replied, “ Just continue to fly in the same direction for a few click then return to base. We will leave when I think it will be most appropriate.”

“Absolutely sir” he replied. He seemed somewhat confused, but he returned to the cockpit. I nodded to my squad then began to speak

“It’s time. Prepare to jump.” I watched as Valkyrie squad silently stood.

I checked my equipment and started my antigravity pack. I then ran strait off the side of the phantom. It was a thrilling yet terrifying experience, falling. It felt like it should never end, yet reason told you there always had to be a bottom. I turned and watched as my squad left the gunship. Experience had made them graceful, he thought, as they rocketed for the earth face first. The cloud cover approached quickly. I signaled to my squad. I started the countdown and on five we spread our arms and legs in unison. We rapidly slowed. I switched on my jet pack then rotated to a more upright position. The thrusters did there job as I went from a controlled fall to a hovering state.

We hovered above cloud cover for a short period of time, switched on infrared vision, then fanned out and quietly slipped through the clouds.

[llau]

Captain Pierce headed into a tent used for communication that the marines were able to set up while he was unconscious. He stood by a marine who was sitting at the radios and a computer. At least they managed to get them working for them to communicate on this god awful place. He would rather have it so they could contact another UNSC ship that could get to them with more reinforcements to help them against the Covenant, but this was better than nothing. If they could somehow manage to all regroup in one area, then maybe they had a chance...

He sighed. “Go into private comm on Sergeant Major Frost's channel when he radios back with his coordinates,” he told the marine, “Once he does, tell me.”

“Yes, sir,” replied the marine as he waited for Frost to get back to them.

Pierce turned and headed out of the tent, and saw Leonard approaching him. He met him half-way and looked at him when Leonard spoke.

“Took your sweet time, though, Leonard,” he frowned, “You should've been here ten minutes ago.” He smirked, remembering how Leonard always complained about him being late. “Follow me.” He headed back inside the communications tent. “I imagine that you've already came up with a plan, Sergeant Major...so let's hear it.”

[scshade]

For the first time in the whole situation, Sam took his helmet off for a moment there to take a better look around. His face was a clean as it was before, except for the ever rushing sweat that the suit couldn't stop. Even in his calmed demeanor, or the way he learned with the years to keep a straight face around his comrades... there were physical signs that showed his stress. Then he looked back at Pierce as he ran a gloved hand over his face in order to be rid of that sweat. "I was in the bathroom." He joked. "Hmmm... let's see what the hell else we can do..." He told him back with a bit of a smirk before he followed Mitchell inside the cheap version of a Command and Control.

Leonard stood up behind a table and placed his helmet on it by the side of a large map that covered mostly the whole table. He didn't like the holographic images that Admirals enjoyed. He was used to the old smelly maps that smelt like the battlefield. Not that he hated technology, but having a holographic map usually reminded him of the desk - not a position he would like to be ever in his life. He swore he would look for a way to de-rank himself if he was ever cuffed to a desk. After a few seconds of placing himself on the map, he ran his finger over the one week stubble of his face.

Grimm had followed him in order to keep good watch for what should she do in the situation stated. As he looked at the older man's face it sort of surprised her. She expected a Sergeant Major to be younger. Then again maybe those scratches on the side of his armor where his rank was explained something. That didn't mean she didn't trust him.

Even with her badly injured leg, she managed to walk here... with a rifle on her shoulder and ready to fight when it was asked of her. Of course that wasn't her mission... but either way. She continued to her usual post, behind the computers as she stared at the monitors that represented the radio signal of communication between their antenna and the STARS satellite. She caught something... Every single time they would transmit there was another line cutting a bit of communication in between and making for some background static. Sure, it was small... but constant. She checked on it... a bit deeper out of her curiosity and of course part of her job... her eyes widen. "Sir... they're intercepting our communications... or it seems so..."

Sam gave a bitter smirk at her words, his hands now pressed against the table into fist as he tried to keep calmed. "You want me to be honest... kid...?" He muttered at Pierce. "I lost my squad... in the same situation... We were... surrounded. I tried to come up with anything I could think of... but... nothing... nothing worked." This was reminding him of that situation. There was nowhere to run. They could just hide and hope to God for this antenna to have a sister somewhere... Their forces weren't many. They had no air support... just a couple of Pelicans with about 4 Mongooses. What good could that be? Send more men to die? No.

The terrifying prospect was that they were actually out here alone and with so little people while trying to copy The Alamo. They weren't exactly in the offensive line of the map. They were holding back and defending this place while hoping for some sort of miracle to happen.

"I placed some landmines around the base with enough of a perimeter to know if they get any close by foot... and try to attack..." He took a sigh... This was becoming frustrating beyond point; that this all happened again. He was no superstitious person, but he was starting to feel like a jinx. "We can move fast enough with the Mongooses... but..." Another sigh... His brain wasn't working enough for such an enormous amount of enemies. "... it should provide for some crazy bastards to move quickly enough around the... camp..." He chuckled. "There has to be someone there that truly hates you to come with all these people here... And people that truly hates you to not be here."

Leonard closed his eyes and tried to stay focused as he took a moment to take a breath, a deep frustrating one. "I suggest we use stealth. Radio silence is a must, or at least encrypt the damn signal..." And Grimm was already working on it... "...use coding for the commands... But they are too many... they can see us through thermal... My suit protects me, Mitchell, but I'm not going to send kids to die. They can't play dead and pretend to be cold under thermal..." A pause. "Keep... a good guard on the wounded ones... and pray that they don't kill them... Try to stay alive..." He stood up, facing the younger man.

"I'm going for a walk... I'm the only one who can get out there with enough cover from my armor and scout something for you... Once our comm is encrypted..."

And Grimm interrupted with a "Done..." and a proud smile.

"Alright... there's that..." Leonard chuckled a bit at that and nodded respectfully to the young woman before looking back at Pierce. "I'll let you know if I find anything... It's the least I can do now..." He really did look frustrated, under that face of calm, he really did look frustrated. Maybe he just was at wrong place in the wrong time... but as he saw those marines outside, that earlier thought was just a fleeting one. There was no other place where he had to be.

Sam took a moment to look at younger man straight in the eyes as he reached with a hand and gripped tight enough to where his rank was placed detaching it. The paint of the 'DeLorean' (as he called his armor) in that spot seemed scratched by the many times that he'd been changed from rank. He reached with a hand and gave it to Mitchell. Leonard was used to this, so he thought it as just going to happen again, since they were probably going to lose this one. It was an embarrassing situation to be de-ranked by someone who he spent years training... someone who he felt expected a lot from him. Sam felt as if he just failed a younger brother. However, he simply waited for Pierce to take his rank away and give him another lower one.

[llau]

Captain Pierce shoved his hand back. “Save it, Leonard,” he said as he looked back at him. “I don't have time to deal with de-ranking people...heh...especially you.”

He walked away, turned, and returned his attention to the sergeant major. “While you were away, several marines I sent out earlier sent a message through my own set of codes through morse.” he explained, “It said that they were ready. I imagine by now the Covenant are trying to find our signal to attack our position.” He grinned, “It was all a trick, you see. Me...breaking radio silence to communicate with Frost.” He walked over to the marine at the radios, and picked up a sheet of paper.

He turned to Grimm. “Do me a favor and enter these codes into our communication. That's all you need to do,” he told her, “Everything else is ready.” He looked back at Leonard.

“Yes, sir,” said Grimm and went to quickly do her task.

Pierce looked back at Leonard. “Ever tried to trace a signal when you couldn't barely see anything, got to it, and realize you've been played? I have...and I was pissed. Of course, I was only training.” He grinned.

“It's actually a radio from a fallen marine the scouts were using. When someone like Grimm here who knows how to tinker with technology, we can direct the signal from here to another location not too far away to be able to receive the signal. It may buy us some time....it might not. It might not even work at all in the fog. It's...worth a try.”

[SurvivorX]

"We've got them! They've used the radio again and we're triangulating their signal!"

"Excellent! Relay the triangulated signal to Zeeker's datapad. Zeeker, try to refine the accuracy of that. Meanwhile, Banshee Flight Aura, go investigate the location. I don't want to follow decoys."

"Haha gottem," says Zeeker. "I got them totally pinpointed."

"Is it them? Or a decoy"

"I pretty sure it them. Not know for sure though, not with this fog."

I wait briefly, and watch in the sky as the Ranger group shoots overhead. It shouldn't be long.

"This is Banshee Flight Aura. It was a decoy - just a couple Humans off in the snow with a radio. We tore them apart."

Frustrated, I spit off to the side. It doesn't quite hit the snow and lands on the side armor of the Wraith, on the hot part near one of the plasma conduits. The saliva sizzles as it boils away.

I wait awhile longer. The Humans cannot escape, not with this many Banshees in the area. Any dropships they send will be shot down. They have nowhere to run. And when the time comes...

"We've got them! We have a visual on their base! This is Ranger Lance Valkyrie, and we see them, transmitting coordinates now!"

Haha! At last! I prepare to move out my forces. I set a coordinate near the base - but not within visual range through the fog - for my forces to converge to, as well as a seperate rally-point behind the base for the Choppers and Rangers. I order the Banshees to set up a wide patrol around the base, to take down any rescue attempts. With luck, we will be able to sweep in and tear them apart in moments. There is nowhere to flee.

[scshade]

Leonard's calmed expression turned into surprise, that he quickly hid as he cleared his throat. He remained with the rank on his hand for a moment there. "Well... better cover the paint scratch of the 'DeLorean'..." He finally said with a slight smile as he placed his rank back into place, and again cleared his throat.

He turned around and looked at Pierce talked about how the sent the Morse Code, about how they managed to... send that signal somewhere else... redirect it... Sam stood there for a moment. He still remember that little trick back at training he placed Pierce and his squad on while redirecting a signal from a phone... while he ate some burgers and looked at their frustrated faces. Then it was worth it to be that tough on this kid. After a moment of going back to the past in his own head, Leonard looked down and slowly his eyes rested on his rank. He smiled and placed his rank back where it was to be. The old man felt pretty good knowing that he did something relatively good in his career. The proof was in front of him.

"Alright..."

"Sir... the radio... it stopped transmitting..." Grimm quickly looked back at both Sam and Mitchell. "There's no saying... but the marines wouldn't have done it..."

"They attacked them..." Leonard quickly interrupted. "You know what you have to do..."

She nodded, but then looked at the Captain for a moment. Of course she wasn't going back... at least not until it was completely necessary to hide and keep that device Leonard gave her safe. For now, she could fight... or try to... "What now sir?"

Sam turned away from Grimm and look at Pierce for a moment. "Mitchell... we don't have enough men for a face-to-face confrontation with them... After what I saw before we blew up cliff, there are... many of them." He whispered at the man. "The landmines should help us with the cover for thermal with the smoke... if they get any closer... They're motion sensored. I suggest to keep the marines the hell away from them, and allow them to cover our perimeter... If something comes pass that, those things will let us know..."