“Two minutes, then we keep moving!” Macaur stiffened when he heard a Human yell. Then, when he realised his men hadn’t been spotted, he moved closer to the Human force, gravity hammer in hand. He saw one of the Humans walk over to the edge of the clearing, away from everyone else. The Human unzipped his pants and walked about half a meter into the bushes. Macaur pointed at the Human. One of his men nodded and moved in that direction.
The ODST sighed as he emptied his bladder. Once done, he zipped his pants back up, went to turn around, then heard a rustling. He grabbed his rifle off the ground and aimed it towards where he thought he’d heard the rustling. Then he saw the sun glint off something to his right. He swung around just as something slammed into his face and pulled him to the ground.
Macaur smiled as he saw the Human get pulled to the ground without a sound. The Jiralhanae appeared next to Macaur less than a minute later. He dropped the Human to the ground. Macaur shook the Human, who woke up and would have screamed if Macaur hadn’t clamped his hand over his mouth. Then Macaur brought his other hand, holding a knife, down into the Human’s body.
“Marines! Form up!” the lieutenant yelled. When only eleven Marines jogged over he asked,
Malkovich glanced over and saw an ODST pinned to a tree by a knife in his throat.
“MARINES! EAST! MOVE!” Malkovich yelled. He threw a grenade towards the tree with the Marine, then ran.
The grenade detonated harmlessly, only pelting the body with shrapnel. Macaur smiled and watched the Humans run. He was enjoying this game. He knew, though, that he would eventually have to attack them in force and kill them. Macaur would do so eventually, but he’d play with them for a while longer.
“Skeratt! Covering fire!” Malkovich yelled. Skeratt turned to face the clearing and opened fire, spraying the foliage with sixty 5.56mm bullets. A roar proved that Skeratt had hit something. Two spikes barely missed his head and Skeratt dropped to a crouch, emptied the rest of the magazine in the direction of the Brutes, and then ran after the rest of the platoon.
“Man down!” Don yelled when he saw the spike impale Jones’ head. Jones dropped to his knees then crumpled forward.
“Keep moving, Don!” Skeratt yelled. He fired another burst towards the Brutes, then ran. Don took cover behind a tree, placed a grenade on the ground, pulled the pin, then placed a large twig inside the grenade to keep the firing charge held down. Then he ran, firing at the Brutes as he went.
Twenty seconds later an Unggoy hobbled forward, muttering,
“Me want to get this over with and get back to the base. Base got food nipples to quench me thirst.”
The Unggoy kept mumbling and walking forward, taking a shot occasionally with his plasma pistol. He stepped on a twig, which dug into his foot. He mumbled a curse and kicked the twig away. In the grenade, the firing charge snapped up and the Unggoy was transformed into hundreds of pieces of heated flesh.
“Bring it on.” Don muttered as the grenade detonated. Stupid Covenant fools. He fired his MA5C assault rifle, forcing a Grunt to take cover. A burst from Skeratt’s machine gun shredded the Grunt.
Macaur took stock of what was happening. In the last two minutes he’d lost seven of his soldiers. He ordered his men to regroup. He would wait until the Humans let their guard down again, then he’d strike once more.
Chapter 5
Half a kilometre south of Rally Point Alpha
Day 1, 1210 hours
“Any sign?” the lieutenant yelled. A chorus of reports from the Marines informed him that there hadn’t.
“We need to keep moving.” Malkovich said. “We need to get to that town before dark, or else those Brutes will slaughter us.”
“Let’s keep moving!” the lieutenant yelled. He turned around and kept running in the direction of the town, every step taking him closer. Sanchez caught up with the lieutenant and said,
“LT, there’s a ridge about a hundred meters to the northeast. Request permission to get up there and check the surroundings.”
“Take Skeratt and go ahead. We’ll be right behind you.” The lieutenant replied. Sanchez nodded his thanks and yelled,
“Skeratt! With me!”
Skeratt ran after Sanchez as the lieutenant yelled,
“Marines! One hundred meters northeast! To the ridge!”
The surviving Marines followed the lieutenant as he headed after Sanchez, his rifle up and ready.
Malkovich reloaded his battle rifle and glanced around. There was no sign of the Covenant, only Marines and forest. Malkovich kept moving, aiming his rifle in every direction he looked. The Brutes would not get him, not if he had a say in it. Malkovich was a third-generation Russian-Australian. He knew war, he’d fought the Covenant before, on Delta Halo alongside the Marines who had been based on the In Amber Clad. He’d seen the Covenant slay hundreds of Humans, he’d killed dear friends of his who’d been infected by the Flood. He’d gone through Hell in his five years in the Marine Corps. He would not be killed by a bunch of, as he referred to them, “retarded mutated monkeys”.
“Keep moving, Skeratt.” Sanchez said. They would be at the ridge in another thirty seconds. Sanchez slid his SMG into his side holster, then unslung his sniper rifle. He flicked off the safety, then broke through the foliage onto the open ground of the ridge. He ran over to the edge, then dropped to a crouch and took note of his surroundings. The ridge was a hundred meters above the forest. It was exposed, but it served Sanchez’s purposes.
Malkovich got to the ridge ten seconds later. He dropped to one knee and swung around, aiming his rifle into the forest, waiting for a Brute to show itself. None did. Once all the Marines were on the ridge, Malkovich walked over to the lieutenant and said,
“I don’t like this, LT.”
“What exactly, Malkovich? Being on the run from Brutes, losing over half the platoon, being stuck on an exposed ridge, what?” the lieutenant replied sarcastically. Malkovich didn’t smile. He just said,
“So far today we have not seen a single sign of any of those Covenant Buggers. Normally where you see a Brute, you see a Drone.”
“You think they’re holding them back?” the lieutenant asked.
“Yes sir. I think we just walked into a trap.” Malkovich stated. The lieutenant gulped then yelled,
“Sanchez! You have one minute!”
“More than enough.” Sanchez muttered. He returned his focus to scanning the forest through his rifle’s scope. He saw something move in the treetops. He looked carefully, then the shapes of a dozen Drones materialised. His eyes widened, and he yelled,
“Buggers! Fall back!”
He fired a shot, which smashed straight through the skull of a Drone, sending it tumbling into the forest. Sanchez then jumped to his feet and ran. Skeratt fired ten rounds in the direction of the Drones, then ran after Sanchez, waiting for a plasma bolt to slam into his back.
Plasma bolts rained down around Don as he ran. He swung around and ran backwards, firing his assault rifle on full automatic. When the magazine clicked empty, he reloaded and kept firing. He only turned around when he entered the tree line. Then he kept moving, following the lieutenant deeper into the forest.
Malkovich stayed at the tree line, pumping burst after burst into the swarm of Drones. Once Sanchez and Skeratt were in cover, Malkovich reloaded and retreated, ten plasma bolts scarring the earth where he had been hiding a second before.
Once away from the tree line, the Marines regrouped, then continued their trek for the town. They would arrive in another three hours and fifty minutes of constant movement and fear of attack.
Chapter 6
Two kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha
Day 1, 1300 hours
A low droning sound pierced the air. The lieutenant held up a fist to order the Marines to hold up. The Marines took up defensive positions. They were in a dense forest area; visibility was virtually nil.
“Phantom!” Malkovich yelled.
“Did it see us?” Don asked.
“No way. We’ve been under cover since the Buggers.” Sanchez replied. Malkovich nodded his agreement.
In the trees above the Marines, a single Yanme’e scout activated its tracking beacon, guiding the Phantom towards the Marines.
The sound changed suddenly, stopped getting closer. It just stayed still.
“It stopped.” Skeratt said unnecessarily. Then the distinctive sound of the plasma cannons sounded. Malkovich ignored it until plasma started obliterating the trees around them.
“MOVE!” Malkovich yelled.
The Marines scattered as the plasma bolts began striking their positions. A private screamed as a bolt splashed across his leg. He fell to the ground, still screaming. Malkovich ran back for him, but three more bolts splashed across the Marine’s back and head, killing him instantly. Malkovich spun around and ran from the clearing. He didn’t see the Drone flying from tree to tree, keeping up with the Marines, not faltering, unyielding in its pursuit.
The Yanme’e had one objective-keep up with the Humans for two minutes without ceasing. After that two minutes it was to switch off its tracking beacon but keep stalking the Humans, although from further away.
In the next two minutes the Phantom did not hit any more Marines, although it came close to hitting Don in the face.
“I wish I had a rocket launcher right now.” Don muttered.
“Or a couple of Longswords.” A Marine replied sarcastically.
“Shut it, Marines. I heard something.” Malkovich hissed. He raised his battle rifle, turned around, and saw a disturbance in the branches of a tree. He fired three bursts from his battle rifle. A grey liquid splattered against he trunk, then the carcass of a Drone, its chest torn apart, dropped to the ground.
“What is that?” a Marine asked. He walked over to the Drone and with his foot he tapped a mechanical antenna sticking up from a device on its neck.
“Locator beacon?” Don asked.
“Makes sense. That explains why the Phantom found us so easily and accurately.” Malkovich noted. The lieutenant nodded and ordered,
“Marines, keep an eye out for any more of those things. Keep moving.”
The Marines each showed their acknowledgement, and then kept moving south for the town.
“There’s got to be more of those things watching us.” The lieutenant commented.
“Yes sir. But we can’t just shoot every tree we see. We don’t have the ammo for that.” Malkovich replied. Both he and the lieutenant chuckled at the joke. Then Malkovich turned serious and said, “We need to keep our guard up. We can’t let that happen again.”
Macaur smiled as he heard the report from the Phantom. The Yanme’e had followed its orders perfectly. Macaur had no doubt that it would do so again when it was time. But just in case, Macaur sent another two Yanme’e out to track the Humans, in case anything went wrong. Macaur’s pack would not let up in their pursuit. The Humans would perish at their hands. And Macaur knew that, with the Prophet of Truth and the gods themselves on his side, he would prevail. He would not fail them.
Chapter 7
Two and a half kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1330 hours
“This is a bad sign.” Malkovich noted. The lieutenant nodded his agreement. They hadn’t seen any signs of the Covenant since they had killed the Drone half an hour ago. Malkovich glanced around and then added, “Still two and a half hours until we reach the town.”
“That’s two and a half hours that those bas***s can attack us.” The lieutenant replied. “Keep your guard up.”
“Keep my guard up?” Malkovich smiled. “My guard’s always up.”
“Funny, Sarge, funny. Now let’s keep moving. I don’t want to be in this da**ed jungle any longer than I have to be.” The lieutenant said sarcastically.
“Sir, yes sir!” Malkovich gave a mock salute, then kept walking. The lieutenant smiled as he shook his head. It amazed him that, even under these circumstances, his men could still keep up their sense of humour, however pathetic it may have been.
A single Kig-Yar sniper ran along a ridge high above the jungle about two hundred meters from the Marines. It glanced over into the jungle and saw the sun glint off a rifle. It crouched down and raised its beam rifle. It took aim, and fired.
“You know, LT, the civvies could have chosen a hundred better places to put a village. Don’t ya think?” Malkovich joked. He didn’t hear a reply. He turned around, saying, “LT, you-”
At that exact same second a plasma beam smashed through the lieutenant’s skull and kept going until it hit a tree. Blood spurted out of the side of the lieutenant’s head and he toppled to the ground.
“SNIPER!” Malkovich yelled. He dropped behind a bush and peered through his rifle’s scope, trying to see the sniper, no doubt a Jackal. When he didn’t see anything, he glanced over to the lieutenant’s corpse. His eyes were wide open in surprise, the only indicator that it had once been a Human’s face. The head was shattered by the plasma beam. The lieutenant would have been killed instantly.
The Kig-Yar let out a hiss of happiness, then it kept moving, seeking a new position along the path that the Humans were expected to take.
It was two minutes after the lieutenant’s death that he was dragged behind a bush where the Brutes would be hard pressed to find his body. Malkovich closed the lieutenant’s eyes and said,
“I swear, LT, that I will kill the son of a bi**h who did this. I give you my word.”
Then Malkovich turned around and announced,
“We’re still heading for the town. Move out, Marines.” Malkovich grabbed the lieutenant’s map, then lead the Marines further south, no doubt into another trap. But it was a risk they’d have to take.
Chapter 8
Three kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1400 hours
The pressure of command was starting to weigh on Malkovich. He was used to leading a squad larger than what was left of the platoon, but that wasn’t what was bothering him. These men had looked upon the lieutenant to get them out. And now they looked on Malkovich to do so. He wasn’t sure he could live up to their expectations. But he would do his best. He muttered an oath, swearing that he would get as many out as possible. He would not let them down.
“Contact.” Skeratt’s voice whispered over the platoon’s radio net. “Three Grunts, three o’clock. They haven’t seen us.”
“Take cover. Do not fire. Brutes will be close, don’t wanna tip ‘em off.” Malkovich replied quietly. He silently took cover behind a bush and pointed his rifle straight ahead, waiting for a Covenant soldier to show itself. He wondered where the Hunters were. They hadn’t been seen since their appearance at 1120 hours. Having lost this many men, Malkovich doubted that they could survive another encounter with the Hunters.
Macaur waited impatiently for the report from the Unggoy scouts. He had sent ten of them forward to find the Humans. So far there had been no luck. Macaur shuffled his feet and took a sniff of the air, trying to find the Humans’ stench. He couldn’t smell them.
“Curse their mongrel hides.” Macaur said quietly. His right hand rested on a Spiker on his hip. He longed for the chance to fire a spike into the face of a Human, to see the Human crumple as blood splattered across the ground. He longed to smell the glorious smell of victory as he killed the last of the Humans.
“The Unggoy have reported back. No sign of the Humans.” A Jiralhanae reported. Macaur shook his head to clear it then replied,
“Call back the Unggoy. We will keep moving. The Heretics cannot hide from us forever.”
“They’re moving away, retreating back the way they came.” Skeratt reported.
“Stay in cover.” Malkovich whispered over the radio. “If we so much as make a sound louder than a whisper, they’ll spot us. Ordering radio silence.”
Malkovich then refocused on watching out for Covenant, especially the Jackal that had killed the lieutenant. Malkovich would personally put a round through its head in revenge, even if he died in the process.
“They’re gone.” Don radioed two minutes later.
“Understood. Let’s keep moving, Marines.” Malkovich replied. He stood and kept moving south, his rifle raised, eyes searching for the Jackal that had killed the lieutenant.
“He’s going to get us killed.” Private Francis “Frankie” Bacon said. He was the platoon’s combat engineer, a Marine who specialised in making and destroying fortifications.
“What do you mean?” Don asked.
“He’s out for revenge. He wants to kill that sniper, no matter what. And he’s going to do it no matter what, even if we all get killed in the process.” Bacon answered.
“Sarge is a good soldier. He’s seen friends killed before. He’ll take revenge, but he won’t get us killed. Trust me.” Don stated. “We’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say.” Bacon said. When he saw Don’s puzzled look, he said, “I’ve seen this before. A Marine sees a friend killed, then goes into self-destruct mode. Believe me when I say this; Malkovich will do anything he can to kill that sniper. And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.”
Chapter 9
Three kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1410 hours
As Don kept up with the rest of the platoon, he kept hearing Bacon’s words echoing in his head. Malkovich will do anything he can to kill that sniper. And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.
Don shook his head to clear it. He had been in the same squad as Malkovich when they had been at Delta Halo with the In Amber Clad. Malkovich had been a simple rifleman then. He and Malkovich had been good friends since they met in the first Battle for Earth. Don trusted Malkovich with his life, and would follow him wherever he went. But still, Bacon’s last statement stayed in his head.
And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.
Malkovich kept his eyes on a ridge running parallel to the platoon’s path. The Marines were still in dense jungle, but the ridge was fifty or a hundred meters above the jungle by Malkovich’s guess. A Jackal up there could take out any one of the Marines without trouble. And the sun would make it even easier for one.
The Kig-Yar sniper knew this as well. And so it kept hidden, waiting for the sun to go down, when it could strike without being seen. It kept in the bushes on the ridge, careful to prevent the sun from glinting off its beam rifle. It glanced down to check on the Humans’ progress. The Kig-Yar froze as it saw a Human staring directly at it. It swung its beam rifle over and took aim. It knew that once it fired it would be spotted. It would only fire if it were obvious that the Human had seen it. The Kig-Yar waited patiently, keeping the beam rifle aimed at the Human’s forehead. Then the Human turned away and kept walking, not having seen the sniper. The Kig-Yar relaxed and kept moving, still careful to prevent the sun from glinting off its rifle.
Sanchez kept his SMG tucked against his shoulder as he moved. He longed for the chance to get to open ground, where he could finally use his sniper skills against something other than a Drone. Sanchez was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice a Marine private next to him until he asked,
“How good are you with that thing?”
“Huh?” Sanchez replied, not registering what the private had said.
“The sniper rifle. How good are you with it?” the private repeated. Sanchez paused for a second then replied,
“Pretty darn good, Marine. Why do you ask?”
“’Cause I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna need it later.” The private said. Sanchez was about to ask what he meant, but the private turned away and refocused on watching out for Brutes. Sanchez sighed and did the same, keeping his SMG aimed at chest height.
Bacon kept his eyes on Malkovich as he walked forward in the centre of the group of Marines. Like he had told Don, Bacon had seen this kind of thing before. One of his squad mates had been killed by an Elite during the first Battle for Earth. A close friend of that Marine had gone berserk, trying to kill as many Covenant as possible. He’d charged in front of two Ghosts and gotten mowed down, along with three Marines who had tried to stop him. Bacon had a feeling Malkovich would do the same, except be killed by that Jackal sniper, along with the rest of the survivors. A thought popped into Bacon’s head, a way to stop Malkovich from killing everyone. Though Bacon didn’t know it, that thought was a seed that would eventually lead to a series of circumstances that would affect every Marine in the platoon.
Chapter 10
Three and a half kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1430 hours
A low droning sound once again reached Malkovich’s ears. He muttered a curse and yelled,
“PHANTOM! TAKE COVER!”
Don dropped to the ground beneath a bush. He raised his assault rifle at the trees, ready to fire at any sign of a Drone. He saw Bacon near him muttering,
“This d***ed thing’s like a leech. It just won’t go away.”
Then the plasma bolts hit their positions like rain.
Miraculously, this time no one was killed by the Phantom. However, a Marine was hit in the leg by a burst of plasma. He screamed and huddled up close to a tree, remembering what had happened to the last Marine wounded by a Phantom. He was lucky. Three more bursts of plasma melted the ground where he’d been a second earlier.
“I want a rocket launcher now.” Don muttered. Bacon chuckled and Don said, “I was serious, you idiot.”
Bacon was about to laugh out loud when he was nearly decapitated by a plasma burst that missed him by a centimetre.
“That was way too close.” Bacon said. Don shook his head and went back to scanning the trees, but saw nothing.
Sanchez did. He saw a branch shake, and fired ten rounds into hit from his SMG. There was a screech, but nothing fell out.
“Da**it.” Sanchez muttered. He didn’t see any other contacts, but kept an eye out for a Drone. If he saw it again, he’d kill it. Simple as that.
The Kig-Yar sniper let out an amused hiss as the Phantom bombarded the Human positions. It saw a Human move, and raised its beam rifle. A second later it fired.
Knowing the sniper was still out there, Malkovich rolled away from where he’d fallen. He’d tried to run over to the wounded Marine, but tripped over a tree root. A second later a plasma beam struck the ground just in front of Malkovich. He glanced up, and traced the beam back to where it had originated.
“Gotcha, motherf***er.” Malkovich hissed. He raised his battle rifle and fired two quick bursts.
The Kig-Yar’s chest exploded into a fountain of purple blood as the six rounds slammed into it. It dropped to the ground without ceremony and slid off the ridge to the treetops twenty meters below.
After two minutes, the Phantom once again broke contact and flew away. Malkovich smiled. Two threats neutralised. He felt his burden lift off his shoulders, then a thought struck home. I avenged the lieutenant. But we have lost forty-one of our fifty Marines. Malkovich thought. He vowed right there that he would kill every last one of the Covenant hunting the survivors. And he would get the rest of the platoon out safely.
“That was too close.” Don said. Just as the Phantom had left, it had fired a parting shot that had ripped apart the bush a millimetre above his head. He’d felt the heat on his head as the plasma had passed overhead.
“Get over it, Don.” Bacon chuckled. He looked over at Malkovich and his good humour disappeared. Bacon struggled with his emotions. A part of him wanted to just render Malkovich unconscious and take command, but another part fought against the urge, wanting to go with the original plan. Bacon shook his head to clear it and walked over to the injured Marine. In time. He thought. All in due course.
Chapter 11
Six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1557 hours
“Leech will be back soon.” Malkovich muttered. He turned around and called out, “We’ll reach the town soon, within the next ten minutes! And keep your eyes out! Phantom’s due back soon.”
“F***ing leech.” Don growled.
“I hear you.” The wounded Marine replied. The all too familiar sound of the Phantom grew louder. Don lowered the Marine to the ground, then huddled next to him.
“That town had better have a rocket launcher, ‘cause I have an urge to blow that thing out of the sky.” Don said quietly. The wounded Marine stifled his laughter and got as close to the tree as possible in an effort to avoid being hit by the Phantom.
“Where are you?” Malkovich muttered. He looked around the area. The Marines were in another area of dense foliage, where the town’s sewerage system was supposed to end. If he found it, Malkovich would be able to bring the Marines into the town through the sewers before the Phantom could cause too much damage. Then he heard the cannons fire and Malkovich realised he was too late.
Three plasma bursts cut through the foliage right in front of Malkovich. He dropped to the ground and rolled towards the cover of a tree. As he did so, he prayed that he would not feel the kiss of death that day.
Bacon was sick of just hiding when the Phantom attacked. He couldn’t stand it. And so, in a fit of stupidity, he broke cover and opened fire with his SMG at the Phantom.
“Get down, you idiot!” Don yelled. He tackled Bacon to the ground just as the Phantom fired at them. The plasma bursts ripped apart the foliage around their feet, and only just missed Bacon.
“Come on! Why is it always me it tries to hit?” Bacon yelled.
“Maybe because you’re the only one stupid enough to shoot at it. Now get to cover.” Don hissed back. He sprinted for the wounded Marine and dropped to the ground next to him, narrowly avoiding the Phantom’s fire.
Malkovich glanced around, trying to find the sewer entrance. Then he saw the spot he was looking at when the Phantom had first fired. The foliage there had been ripped to pieces, exposing the steel of the sewer opening’s grated cover.
“Don! Breaching charge!” Malkovich yelled. Don glanced over, saw the sewerage pipe, and got a small stick of explosive from his hip pocket. He tossed it to Malkovich, who caught it and attached it to the grate. Malkovich took cover on the opposite side of a tree and nodded. Don pressed a detonator and the grate simply disintegrated.
“Marines! In here! Let’s move!” Malkovich yelled. The Marines started entering the pipe, ignoring the Phantom as it fired after them. When he was the last one outside, Malkovich followed the Marines, battle rifle up and aimed back the way he had come, waiting for a Covenant soldier to appear.
He emerged in a small cave with three more pipes. The rest of the Marines were already waiting there. When Malkovich had exited the pipe, Don quickly attached an explosive to the inside of it.
“All three pipes lead into the town.” Bacon reported. “All are open, no blockages, and don’t lead to the town’s sewerage systems.”
“Move out carefully. If there are Brutes here, I want them dead before they kill us. If there are Marines there, I don’t want ‘em killing us by accident.” Malkovich ordered. He moved to take point, then said, “Don, Bacon, booby trap this cave. I want the pipe we entered through blocked and this cave rigged to blow.”
“What if there are Brutes in the town? We’ll have lost our way out.” Bacon argued.
“If there are Brutes already in the town, it won’t make a difference.” Malkovich replied. He turned away and moved into the closest pipe without another word.
Chapter 12
The Town, six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1600 hours
When he exited the pipe, he found himself in what was left of a Marine platoon’s idea of Hell on Earth. There were three buildings that Malkovich could see. There was one about five meters in front of him that had been hit by something explosive. A huge hole was torn in the corner of it. Malkovich was in a small depression which was bordered by a small wall on one side, a building straight ahead, and the town’s main road to his right. On Malkovich’s far left was another building. It too had been blown apart, its bottom floor ripped apart and exposed to the outside world.
“Move out. We’ll check the centre building first, then the one on the left, then the rear building. Room to room search, gather all weapons and supplies you find.” Malkovich ordered. He walked past a square grate that had been ripped away from the pipe. On the main road he saw a metal barricade carelessly thrown aside, multiple bullet holes and bloodstains on it.
“The Brutes hit this place hard.” Sanchez commented.
“Now that’s an understatement.” Malkovich joked. He climbed onto a platform in the depression, looked around, and said, “Watch the catwalk.”
Sanchez nodded. Going from the building to the rock face the cave was in was a steel catwalk. Malkovich stepped off the platform and walked over to a slab of concrete that had been smashed into a ramp by an explosion. He walked up the concrete into the building, his battle rifle up and ready. He stepped around a concrete barrier, and ignored the shredded body behind it. Instead he grabbed the assault rifle next to the corpse, slung it over his shoulder, and kept moving.
“Tore him apart with those Spikers.” Sanchez said.
“That wasn’t done by Spikers. These were done by Maulers.” A Marine replied.
“Nasty.” Sanchez noted.
“Shut it, Marines. We’re in hostile territory.” Malkovich hissed. The Marines stopped talking and focused on securing the building.
Malkovich walked up a corridor, then stopped where a catwalk led to the building on the left and a second corridor led to another room in the building.
“Sanchez, take two Marines. Clear the left building. Then begin securing the main building. I’ll clear the rest of the building, then check out the main building.” Malkovich ordered. Sanchez nodded and chose two Marines. He then walked across the catwalk to the second building, SMG up and at the ready.
Five minutes later Don jolted as his radio squawked,
“Don, Bacon. Status?” it was Malkovich.
“Well, you just nearly blew us both up.” Don replied sarcastically. He paused as he finished preparing an explosive trap, then continued. “We’ve finished the last pipe. There are grates next to all the pipes. Apparently the Marines who defended this place tried to hold off the Brutes by putting them over the pipes. Bacon reckons that if we put them in right, they may hold out the night.”
“Do it.” Malkovich ordered.
“Roger that. Don out.” Don turned to Bacon and said, “Let’s do it.”
They would be done in ten minutes.
“We’ll defend the main building only.” Malkovich told Sanchez, who was, in effect, the second in command of the platoon. “We won’t have the manpower to defend the entire town. Sanchez, you take the best sniper position you can find. Skeratt, set up in the best location. Everyone else, fan out.”
The Marines all moved to what they deemed to be appropriate defensive positions. Malkovich watched them as they did so. He would not interfere with their work unless he thought they were getting into the wrong positions. As he watched, Malkovich sighed. It would be a long night.
Chapter 13
The Town, six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya
Day 1, 1610 hours
Malkovich looked up as Don and Bacon entered the main building.
“The cave is set to blow. Anything triggers those explosives, they’re dead. The cave should hold, though. I wanted to keep an exit available.” Don reported. Malkovich nodded and Don continued. “Under that bridge over there we set up a metal barrier left behind by the garrison. It covers half the space beneath the bridge. The other half of that space is rigged to blow.”
Malkovich looked over where Don was pointing. In between the centre building and a large hill was a concrete arch. Underneath it was a metal barrier. Malkovich didn’t see the explosives. Don then pointed to the catwalk between the middle and right hand side building and said,
“That’s rigged too. Any Brutes go beneath it, they’re history.”
Malkovich nodded his approval and said,
“Take Bacon and two Marines. You will set up what defences the last garrison left behind. Keep in mind that we will only have Marines in this building.”
Don nodded and informed Bacon and two Marines of Malkovich’s orders. Then all four of them left. Malkovich glanced around the building, checking the Marines’ positions.
The building had been a loading bay before the town had been deserted. The main entrance was an open concrete ramp running into the loading area. Above that were two chunks of half-destroyed concrete attached to the walls. Just below the concrete was a concrete landing two meters above the ramp. Skeratt had set up his machine gun there as it had a clear view of the concrete arch and hill, the main directions that a Brute assault would come from. Malkovich and another Marine had dragged a metal barrier into the middle of the loading bay and taken up positions there. To the right of the main loading bay was a small flight of four stairs which lead to a landing, then a large stairway leading to a catwalk between the main and centre buildings. A Marine had placed a large chunk of concrete there and taken cover behind it. Going down from the landing were more stairs that led to a ruined room and door leading to the outside. A metal barrier completely covered the door, preventing entry.
To the left of the loading ramp was a large hole blown into the floor leading to a tunnel. A steel grate had been placed over it. A metal barrier was blocking a door leading to the hill on the left side of the town. Malkovich had decided to have Bacon covering that door and Don up with Skeratt so he had a good view of some of his explosives.
To the right of the main building were three wooden landings. The top and middle ones were occupied by one Marine each. A building beside the wooden landings had had its roof and top floor torn apart by multiple explosions. After putting a block of concrete there, Sanchez had taken it up as his post.
After reviewing the platoon’s positions, Malkovich returned to his self-appointed post and awaited the return of Don and Bacon.
Chapter 14
The Town
24 hours earlier
All was quiet except for the sounds of the battle in space. The thuds of distant explosions echoed through the town as the thirty UNSC Marines waited for the latest news on the battle. The Marines had been stationed there as the town was a water purification facility that had fallen into disuse until the Covenant invasion of Earth, where a lot of infrastructure in the region had been devastated and the facility reactivated. The Marine platoon had been sent there to ensure that in the event of a second invasion, it would not be destroyed.
The lieutenant in command of the platoon sighed as he waited for a report from the Regional UNSC Command Centre (RUCC). He needed to know if Covenant forces had landed nearby, and if so, what their last known location was. He was getting frustrated. He needed that information as soon as possible so he could ensure that his men were ready.
The lieutenant’s train of thought was broken when a radio squawked,
“Contact! Covies inbound! They’re in the cave!”
The lieutenant heard rifles open up and he let out a curse. He hadn’t been informed of any Covenant activity in the area, let alone any directed towards the town. But that didn’t matter. What did matter was that he had a town to defend.
The first four Unggoy to reveal themselves in the cave were mowed down by rifle fire. Two more broke cover. One was killed instantly. The second took note of where the Human fire was coming from and the fact that all the pipes were blocked by steel grates. Then the Unggoy ran back to the main sewerage drain, just avoiding a burst from a battle rifle. It reported its observations to the Jiralhanae in command of the force, who then barked an order.
Three Jiralhanae advanced towards the drains, staying behind cover. They were followed by six Unggoy bombers, two behind each Jiralhanae. The Jiralhanae stopped when they were in position. Then they moved into action. Each Jiralhanae smashed the grate away from its assigned drain then burst into daylight, followed by its assigned Unggoy.
A Jiralhanae broke through the drain in the depression, then charged towards the middle building. It was blown apart by the combined fire of three rifles. But the two Unggoy behind it charged forward next. One was shot in the face and killed instantly, but the second ignited two plasma grenades and leaped for the doorway on level ground.
“FOR THE PROPHETS!” the Unggoy yelled as it landed at the doorway. A battle rifle fired and ripped its face apart, but it was too little, too late. The Marine inside the doorway ducked down behind the concrete barrier he was using for cover just as both plasma grenades detonated. The explosion ripped the wall to pieces, showering the area with blocks of concrete. Two large pieces of concrete flew through the middle building and smashed into the wall at the end of the corridor, ripping apart most of the framework.
The other suicide attacks also went as planned. Both Jiralhanae were cut down. An Unggoy suicide bomber detonated at the nearest side of the left building. The wall was blown to pieces, along with a section of the bottom floor, bringing down a section of the floor of the top level at the same time. A second Unggoy charged through the building then was cut down before it got much further than the first. The explosion knocked out a large portion of the side wall and ripped apart part of one of the building’s foundation columns. The next two Unggoy charged through that opening at the same time. One was killed instantly, but the second made it to its target and detonated, bringing down a section of the roof and killing a Marine.
The first stage of the Covenant assault had gone perfectly.
After the last of the suicide attacks had finished, the Covenant troops charged out of the drains. A burst of Spiker rounds ripped through a Marine on a catwalk above the drain near the main road. A Jiralhanae ran for the centre building and charged through the hole blasted by the suicide Unggoy, not even slowing down as it blasted away a Human with its Maulers. It kept moving until blown apart by a grenade.
The Marines in town put up a hell of a fight, but it was too little. The Covenant slowly gained ground, and the Humans were slowly pushed back, paying in blood for every Covenant killed. It was a battle of attrition, which the Marines could not possibly win.
A Jiralhanae wielding a fuel rod cannon broke cover and fired six rounds at the building adjacent to the loading bay, in which were three Marines, one with a sniper rifle. The sniper blew the head off the Jiralhanae, but it was too late. The fuel rod rounds ripped the structure apart, killing all the Marines inside and sending huge chunks of brickwork flying through the air. With the sniper dead, the Covenant advanced faster. They were winning, and there was nothing the Marines could do to stop them.
“The central building has fallen. Brutes are probably about to hit us via the catwalk.” A radioman reported. As if to punctuate this, several bursts of rifle fire sounded from the top floor of the building. Then there was a scream and a Marine, his chest ripped open by two bursts from a Mauler, tumbled down the stairwell and came to a rest in the loading bay. The Marine lieutenant ran over to the doorway and swung from behind cover, firing two bursts from his rifle and killing a Brute.
“Building Two has fallen. We’re getting sniper fire from it.” A second radioman called out.
“We can’t hold.” The lieutenant muttered. Then he cut down three Grunts as they tried to enter the loading bay.
The Covenant halted their assault after capturing the majority of the town. They regrouped and planned out their final assault. In two minutes they were ready. For the Marine garrison, the end was near.
The lieutenant’s face went pale when he saw the Covenant force break cover and charge forward. He turned to the radiomen and yelled,
“Forget the f***ing radios! Get over here and shoot ‘em!”
He then raised his rifle and shot down two Grunts. He took cover behind a metal barrier lying on its side along with another two Marines and continued firing. A grenade detonated among the Covenant. Three Grunts were shredded, and two Brutes were wounded. Several quick bursts from the lieutenant’s rifle finished the Brutes off. But still more came, and screams erupted from the room below the loading bay.
In the room below the loading bay were two Marines. They had been taking cover behind a concrete barrier and firing on the Covenant when two Brutes had charged inside. The first Brute was mowed down, but the second reached the Marines and attacked before they could do too much damage. The Brute shoved the barrel of its Spiker against a Marine’s chest, the two bayonets underneath ripping through the Marine’s rib cage and impaling his heart. The Brute let go of the Spiker and the Marine toppled to the ground. Then it punched the second Human in the face, crushing his skull. The Brute then saw the staircase leading to the main loading bay. It retrieved its Spiker, then kept moving.
The lieutenant swung around in time to see a Brute enter the loading bay from the stairwell. He and another Marine cut it down instantly. But that gave the main Covenant force time to advance. A burst of Spiker rounds cut down one of the Marines behind the barrier. The second Marine was hit in the face by a Spike Grenade. The lieutenant pulled the grenade out of the Marine’s face and threw it at the Brutes. It detonated and killed five Grunts. The lieutenant rose from cover just as a Brute reached him. Instead of attacking the lieutenant directly, the Brute simply kicked the metal barrier with all its strength. The barrier was sent backwards two meters into the rear wall, crushing the lieutenant in the process.
The town had fallen. The Covenant invasion would now be that bit easier.
Chapter 15
The Town
Day 1, 1630 hours
None of Malkovich’s Marines knew the details of what had happened to the last garrison. All they knew was that most of the garrison had died violently. The bodies had been piled unceremoniously in the left corner of the loading bay. Malkovich was concerned with his men surviving the night. He didn’t care about being kind to dead bodies. Not when he had more pressing concerns to be dealt with.
Sanchez laid down his sniper rifle and saw Malkovich pacing the loading bay. He smiled and said into his radio,
“Sarge, take a break. I’ll hold the fort while you get some shut-eye.”
He saw Malkovich look over at him and raise his middle finger.
“Funny, very funny.” Sanchez said. “I’m serious, Sarge. Get some sleep. I’ll take command.”
“Very well, Sanchez. You have command.” Malkovich replied. He walked out of Sanchez’s field of view. Sanchez saw Bacon glance towards Malkovich, a threatening look on his face. Sanchez shook his head and radioed,
“Watch the hill, Bacon.”
“Yes, sir.” Bacon replied.
“Don’t f***ing call me sir, Corporal. I’m no officer.” Sanchez said, stifling his laughter.
“Yes, Corporal.” Bacon joked back.
“Just get back to your post. Sanchez out.” Sanchez sighed and raised his sniper rifle, inspecting one of the drains, trying to find a sign of Don’s trap. Even with his skilled and trained eye, Sanchez could barely see the lump under which was an anti-personnel mine. Unless there were a couple of Jackals leading the attack, the Covenant would be caught completely by surprise.
Skeratt sighed from his fatigue. He struggled to keep his eyes open. Don noticed this and said,
“Get some sleep, Skeratt.”
“Huh?” Skeratt hadn’t even registered Don’s statement because of his fatigue.
“Get…some…sleep.” Don said slowly, then burst out laughing.
“Shut up.” Skeratt replied with a smile on his face. “Very well. You know how to work this thing?”
“It’s a light machine gun. I’m sure it works the same way as a mounted machine gun.” Don said sarcastically. Skeratt smiled, nodded, and walked a meter to the wall, then sat back and closed his eyes. Don shook his head in order to focus, then took Skeratt’s position on the machine gun. After a few seconds he looked closely at the ground underneath the bridge, looking for evidence of his trap. He couldn’t see anything. Don smiled. The Brutes would get one hell of a surprise when they attacked.
Macaur walked up to the sewerage system leading to the town. He let out a huff. The Humans were trapped. He knew that the only way out of the town was through the sewerage system. Not that the Humans would get a chance to try to escape through it.
“Prepare for battle!” Macaur yelled. “In one hour the Humans will feel the wrath of the gods!”
Macaur turned back to the drain and smiled. This would be the Humans’ last hour of peace. Then they would die painful and horrible deaths.
Chapter 16
The Town
Day 1, 1725 hours
Malkovich instinctively ducked as an artillery round detonated about a hundred meters away. He heard the distinctive sound of Scorpion main battle tanks and Warthog jeeps moving into position, their weapons firing. He gripped his assault rifle tightly, and debated whether or not to join the battle. The enemy force would easily overwhelm the main force without special forces support. Malkovich pushed the thought aside. He had his orders, and he would carry them out to the letter.
His mission briefing had been simple: the UNSC would attempt to retake this sector from the Covenant. Malkovich was to assassinate the Covenant commander, which would hopefully throw the Covenant forces into disarray. It sounded easy, but it would be harder in practice.