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Halo: The Human Frontier by Andrew Golightly
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Halo 2: Blade Squadron Part 1
Date: 13 March 2003, 10:48 PM
Halo 2: Blade Squadron
His Majesty's Pride
'This is Broadsword Heavy Fighter 004,' shouted the distressed pilot, 'I can't shake those damn Seraphs off my tail! Request assistance from Blade Squadron immediately!'
'Negative 004,' responded the Captain, 'We have bogeys also. The whole of Blade Squadron is engaged! We may need to fall back!'
There was short pause filled with static. 'Fall back to where, sir? All the LEO stations have been destroyed!'
The captain didn't answer, but his co-pilot reacted. 'Sir, look! Bandit dropships on descent to the surface! They're invading Earth!'
Ships turned about, plasma scoring dark space like a meteor shower. Atmosphere vented from destroyed cruisers as they defended Earth's ships from the huge Covenant fleets amassing all around the innocent blue planet.
The Captain turned his Broadsword single ship about, facing the literally black and blue globe directly ahead. He restrained himself, making sure his co-pilot followed suit, preparing for reentry down to humanity's scarred mother world.
'Blade Squadron, fall back planetside! We'll have to leave it to the Longswords from the other teams to protect the fleets! We need to protect the ground forces now! They're the only thing standing between the glassing of the planet!'
The fighter craft shook violently as it hit the stratosphere, descending for what seemed like an aeon. The shark-like Covenant carriers deployed both Seraphs and Banshees to follow Blade Squadron and the other flight battalions down to Britain, even though Seraphs were at 1-3 disadvantages in atmosphere.
As the squadron neared London's blackened and cratered surface, hundreds of shiny purple 'U' shaped Covenant Bandits unloaded their cargo.
'This is Broadsword 007,' said one of Blade Squadron, 'orders, sir? I suggest as 2IC that we should tilt descent attitude and prepare for a bombing run.'
The Captain nodded on the viewscreen. 'Yes, as I'd suggest myself. We need to take out as many as we can before ground forces begin to mix.
He switched comm channel to the four Longswords in the group. 'Longswords 002 and 003, I want you to do a horizontal figure eight loop and get yourselves on the tails of those two Seraphs. Longswords 005 and 009 I want you to vertically loop and eliminate as many of those Banshees as you can.' He switched back to the main comm. 'All Broadswords spread on thirty degree inclines now, I want a heavy bombardment of ground forces. Regroup at the other side for a reverse run. Over!'
Blade squadron split up. The Broadswords fanned out and swooped down towards the ground. Hydraulic gears and mechanisms adjusted as the heavy crafts prepared for a bombing run. The Longswords swept in 360 degree turns, taking positions on the Covenant crafts.
Scatter homing missiles were deployed and spread out in wide arcs, closing in on the Seraphs, creating a cages of smoke. Behind them, Banshees burst into bright explosions and spat their pilots from the cockpits. Smoking metal carcasses landed among the carpet of ground troops.
Broadsword 007 swooped down, flying parallel to the ground, excreting bombs out three every second. The crowds of Covenant troops were mainly small Grunts, punctuated occasionally with the tall head of an Elite commander. At all fronts, shielded Jackals pushed forward, the yellow and blue discs on their arms making life hard for the human snipers.
Purple hoverships skimmed over the ground, weaving between the Covenant troops to make their way to the human front. Marines on tanks and in Warthog jeeps progressed cautiously to the Covenant forces.
The two men in 007 watched eagerly as their bombs threw up dirt and troops on the surface. Screaming and burning bodies flew up before smashing to the ground in heaps. Bodies fell down like dominoes, sending circular waves out as more fell down. Glittering silver pinpricks of light shone on the dark battlefield as Elite shields burst for overload.
More columns of flame erupted from the ground just behind the Broadsword as hundreds of bombs detonated upon impact.
The Captain's voice crackled through. 'Okay, next run we're going to napalm them. Regroup and then split out on thirty degree inclines when we are over what's left of the House of Lords.' The whole of Blade Squadron was painfully reminded of the fact that London was now a wasteland.
As they approached the building, the Captain radioed in to the ground forces. 'All Marine ground forces or otherwise hold your positions for now and try long range fire. We're going to napalm them. We'll just need you to clean up the rest of them.'
'Acknowledged, sir,' shouted the Marine Lieutenant from inside the cockpit of his Scorpion tank, as Blade Squadron reassembled and turned back again.
The Captain flew over the dead centre of the Covenant forces, finger on his trigger, ready to release the napalm capsules. His grip on the yoke was tight and tense, and as he pressed the trigger in, he felt his arm relax.
The eight napalm pods ejected from under the tail of the Broadsword, the gelatinous liquid spreading outwards and igniting over the Covenant forces. The hundreds of troops vainly tried to flee from the blanket of flame descending upon them. Jackals raised their shields upwards, Grunts fled with their arms held high above their heads, and Elites carelessly tossed the small soldiers out of their way, running through, eyes set on escape. There were scores of Hunters also mercilessly bashing their ways through the crowds, crushing Grunts and Jackals under their relentless strides, thrashing them from their paths with their shields.
As the duvets of fire carpeted the Covenant, screams and curses could be heard, even through the sealed cockpits of the Broadswords.
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