Beuselle Chronicles by E.C.Moore
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Beuselle Chronicles
Date: 18 May 2004, 6:52 PM
Beuselle Chronicles-Part One
Above the thick clouds of the outer rim world Beuselle, two covenant battle cruisers fought a single UNSC frigate. The Honour and Tradition had been fitted with the same weapons as a UNSC cruiser, but unfortunately a cruiser could take a helluva lot more damage. Half the 200 man crew fell to the floor of the ship as the hull took another battering.
'Captain, the hull just took a third hit, one more like that and were as good as dead!'
'Well that's it then were finished is it? And another billion people will die and the covenant move a step closer to wiping the human race off the face of the universe. Not why I'm in command dammit!'
'What do you suppose we do then sir' said the private.
'We go down to the planet and fight the covenant with ground under our feet' exclaimed the captain.
'A single human strike team against two covenant strike teams is suicide!' one of the crewmen shouted.
'Correction, one covenant strike team' said the captain.
'Count them, two' the crewman yelled.
'Not after I'm done' stated the captain.
'Columbus, set a crash course for one of the covenant cruisers' he said.
Columbus was the A.I on board The honour and tradition, he was effective even if he was a bit primitive.
'Roger that......done' said Columbus.
'Alright everyone to the escape pods' he announced over the intercom. There was a quick panic before protocol was remembered and everyone calmly travelled to the escape pods.
The captain took Columbus out of the system and made his way to one of the escape pods. The escape pods launched in quick succession. One of the pods malfunctioned and was too late to be saved. It would be part of the destruction of one of the cruisers. The remaining 24 escape pods speeded towards the surface of the defenceless Beuselle. The covenant cruisers tried to shoot the tiny pods but the targets were too small. As the escape pods entered the atmosphere, Columbus's programming took control of the wrecked honour and tradition and sped it towards the covenant cruisers. They split up trying to avoid it but the frigate turned towards the cruiser on the left. Grunts and jackals jumped aside as The Honour and Tradition tore through the hull of the cruiser. The second cruiser turned its attention towards the planet.
The escape pods fell towards the already evacuated Heling city. A city wasn't the best place to land as it was very difficult to navigate the skyscrapers especially when the pods flew like rocks. Fortunately most of the force made it down to the floor of the city and only two crashed into the high skyscrapers. A total of 24 casualties. Not bad. Sgt.Rickson separated the landing party into three platoons. One of the platoons would be positioned with heavy weapons in the skyscrapers. The second platoon would be in the lower skyscrapers with sniper rifles and the final platoon was positioned on the ground with assault rifles. Sgt. Rickson would command this platoon. They were ready. A covenant attack was inevitable. Beuselle had no military force therefore it was defenceless. One cruiser cannot glass a planet so they will have to send a strike team. Before they get on to slaughtering the civilians they will want to get rid of any military personnel that might intrude. That is why an attack was inevitable.
The captain was positioned with the heavy weapon platoon and was staring up into the sky with binoculars. Something small was approaching their position, several of them. Banshees!
'Enemy Contact!' the captain shouted. Plasma fire hit the tower. Several marines fired rockets towards the enemy. They weren't banshees they were phantoms!! The rockets impacted on the phantoms destroying three of them instantly and the fourth was heavily damaged. It fell towards the skyscraper and went right through the top of the skyscraper. Everyone inside died instantly.
The second wave consisted of three dropships. The two remaining platoons had a go at destroying them but the armour was too thick. Out of the dropships came brutes, hunters and elites. The ground team was demolished, but thankfully the snipers picked them off quite quickly. Sgt. Rickson one of the seven surviving ground force members yelled over the marines radio frequency : 'All troops pull out and head for the hills surrounding the city'.
'Excuse me sir, Columbus began, but that should have been the entire strike team. I'll check just to be sure........oh'.
'What?' said the sergeant.
' There is enough covenant on board that cruiser for it to be a invasion team!'
'Shit, said the sergeant off the radio. He turned the radio on and continued, Move into the hills!'
To be continued................................
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