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Anathema - One
Posted By: Bloodcider<duiguy117@hotmail.com>
Date: 8 January 2005, 9:10 PM
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Anathema
by Bloodcider
----
One
1248 Hours, July 20, 2552 (Military Calender) / Sigma Octanus IV / Control Point Alpha
The mud caked, blood splattered, plasma scortched Warthog rolled to a stop at Command Point Alpha. The tents that housed the various supplies waved in the wind, the sun casting their shadows across the metal boxes underneath.
"Where is everyone?" Pvt. Keller asked. He climbed out of the Warthog, and lifted his MA5B assault rifle from inbetween the two seats where he had placed it. Sargeant Sharp climbed from the passenger seat, and lifted his own rifle.
"Careful Keller...I don't like this one bit."
CP Alpha always had at least six men on guard. He looked around, over the stacks of boxes, the command hut, and the other Warthogs. It was all empty, desolate. Almsot as it it had been abandoned. Looking closer, Sharp saw the plasma burns.
"Keller, eyes open!" He barked.
Keller dropped instinctivly to a halfcrouch, bringing his MA5B to ready. The Covenant had been here. Recently too. The burned metal was still hot.
After the invasion, and destruction of Cote d'Azur several days ago, The Covenant still had forces in the area, despite the victory of the UNSC. CP Alpha served as the beginning of a vital supply route to Firebase Delta, the last UNSC command center in the region. The clean up effort after the fight for Sigma Octanus wasn't even halfway over, and the Covenant still managed to hamper their efforts. CP Alpha held a number of supplies. Ammunition for all UNSC standard issue weapons, and vehicles, medical tools and equipment, dozens of crates full of weapons, parts to repair vehicles...
All the other Command Points had these features too, hence the supply route. It was the most efficient way of getting equipment to troops in the field, or getting troops from the field to the command center. Each Command Point sent out several patrols each day, scouting for Covenant activity. Just recently, Sharp and Keller had been attacked by four Ghosts. They usually travelled in pairs. It was a miricle He and Keller were still alive.
Sharp peered around. It was odd. If the Covenant had been here, they would have destroyed the supplies, not just killed the guards. There were twenty men stationed at CP Alpha, twenty two including him and Keller. They all wouldn't have just walked off.
Not without leaving a note. Sharp thought sarcastically. He smirked.
"Sir!" Keller called. Sharp looked over to see Keller standing near the edge of the grassy field surrounding the camp. "You might want to see this, Sir."
Sharp jogged over, and frowned as he smelt the familiar stench of fresh blood. The long grass was splattered with various amounts, and colors of gore. The twenty men under Sharps command lay dead in the grass around the camp. Each body sprawled out, dead from plasma burns. But not all of them, some looked as though they had been beaten to death. Some of their skulls were even caved in.
There were only two dead Covenant Grunts.
"What the fuck?" The Sargeant involuntarily muttered. Two Grunts? Impossible. There had to be more. There was the possibility that they had left already. But why go through the trouble of killing the guards, and not destroying the supplies in the process?
Things didn't add up.
"If the Covenant hit here, they're gonna go after the other Command Points too, Sarge." Keller suggested.
"You're right. I'll try to raise the other camps on the radio. Just keep an eye open for me." Sharp said, and jogged over to the command hut. He opened the door and stepped inside the concrete prefab structure. It was noticably cooler inside. As his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he ran a hand through his hair and replaced his cap. The command hut doubled as a barracks, and had ten cots around the room, since the day shift and night shift was ten men. There was a radio set up to the left, a refridgerator, and lavatories, as well as a table.
He picked up the radio, and read over the frequency chart for the other reachable stations. After setting CP Bravos frequency, he spoke into the microphone.
"This is and emergency message from Command Point Alpha, do you copy? I repeat, this is an emergency. Respond." There was only silence. He gave it a few more tries, then switched to CP Charlie's frequency, repeating the same message.
"Roger, CP Alpha. What's the problem?" The radio operator from the other end spoke.
"CP Alpha has been attacked by the Covenant. Extreme casualties. Also, I can't reach CP Bravo on the radio."
"Hang on, sir. I'll try and contact Bravo now..." The operator responded. There was silence for a few moments. The radio crackled a moment later. "No response, sir."
"Put your CO on the line soldier." Sharp commanded.
"Yes sir."
He sat down in the chair, and glanced over at Keller. The young marine stood in the doorway, peeking out at the sunlit fields around the camp. Concern, and fatigue present on his youthful face. He held the MA5B up, pointing out the door, ready for any alien that might approach.
"Sharp?" The radio spoke.
"Yes, Sargeant Farnsworth."
"What's the situation over there?"
"Covenant invaded while I was out on patrol, all twenty marines KIA. Sargeant, if they hit here, and most likely took out Bravo, you'd better get your defences ready." Sharp spoke quickly.
"Mmmhmm..." Farnsworth replied, apparently thinking. "Should I send a 'hog out to pick you up?" Farnsworth replied.
"No, there's a few lying around here. We'll drive over to you after we check out Bravo."
"Roger that. Over and out."
Sharp hung up the radio, stood, and walked out of the building. Keller followed. He approached one of the other Warthogs, one with a usable LAAG chaingun. The gun on their Hog had been destroyed in the skirmish with the Ghosts earlier.
"Sir? What about the bodies?" Keller spoke, nodding in the direction of the field.
"We can get 'em out of the grass, but be can't waste time burying them." Sharp decided.
They set forth with the task of moving the bodies behind the camp, lined up in a row, with a white sheet draped over all of them. It took them over fifteen minutes, but at least Sharp had a clearer conscience. He whiped sweat from his forhead, and silently said a prayer for the his fallen soldiers. Sharp wasn't a religious man, but he felt it was the right thing to do. With a salute, he turned on his heel and walked away.
Sharp climbed into the Warthog and started the engine. Keller climbed up onto the the rear mounted chaingun, and Sharp put it in gear. The Warthog drove off, leaving the desolate camp behind.
"Keep moving." The Jackal barked.
Nayap growled, but obeyed the order. He heaved and tugged the heavy Elite behind him, despite the pain in his shoulder. He had closed the wound on his shoulder a little while ago with a superheated piece of metal. It stopped the blood, but not the pain. At times it ranged from barely tolerable, to excruciating. But Nayap had to move on. Surely, if he didn't, Iziz would kill him. Iziz seemed quite proud of himself, from what Nayap could decipher from his ugly grin. He seemed to enjoy being in control, and even more enjoyed what he expected to come.
After Raka fell, Iziz had come from hiding. He held Nayap hostage, even as Nayap was tending to the unconcious Raka. Iziz wouldn't kill him just yet. He would make Nayap drag the Elite to the extraction zone, and then kill him. Iziz would receive the praise and reward for rescuing the team leader, while Nayap would decay on the ground, forgotten as the Grunt he was. Iziz had also taken Nayaps plasma pistol, and now had it clipped to his belt. How careless Nayap had been to discard the pistol on the ground as he treated Raka. He cursed under his breath, but he knew it was too late for regrets. He needed an escape plan.
"So, you're just going to shoot me and reap the rewards of a successful mission? The term 'Jackal' suits you just fine." Nayap snapped, and tugged the Elite again, moving a few feet forward. His race was stronger than judged at first sight, but an eight foot Elite in full combat armor was a heavy object.
"I would hold my tounge if I were in your posistion, Grunt. I have the weapons, and I can easily deform your skull right now if you continue with such talk." The Jackal replied. "Besides, I am in charge. Raka himself would probably approve of my actions. In fact, I-"
"But he would not approve of you hiding like a coward, as he and I were nearly shot to death. Surely you didn't think that he would forgive such actions?"
"Silence!" Iziz barked. "Your life is in my hands now Grunt. You will do as I say, and bring this Elite to the extraction zone."
Nayap did not presses the issue further. He didn't want the plasma pistol going off before he could form some plan. With the shard of metal lodged within himself, and the pain it caused, he doubted his already limited mobility would be of use. He'd have to outsmart Iziz, or die. The latter just wasn't acceptable. Not like this.
Raka will have his head placed on a pike for running away instead of shielding us, anyway. Nayap thought. Though, reaching that outcome meant that Nayap would be dead, and wouldn't be able to enjoy the sight of it.
Nayap gazed with tired eyes at the surroundings. They were moving uphill in the jungle north of the human camp, towards the extraction zone. They had more than enough time to reach it. Being it around twelve fifty in the afternoon, extraction at five in the evening, they would make it on time. Even with the slow rate they were moving, due to Nayap dragging Raka.
"You know, you could help." Nayap spoke, and tugged once more. There was one clean drag mark in the soft soil, leading all the way up the hill. Any humans following them would find it easily. Not a comforting idea.
"I could help. But then, you could do it by yourself." Iziz replied, then gave a cackling, squaking sound that passed for a laugh among his kind. Nayap growled, but kept pulling.
They reached the top of the hill not too long later. From where they stood, they could see the whole valley before them.
"Rest." Iziz commanded. "We will start again in a fifteen."
Nayap nodded, and sat down. He concentrated on his breathing. The rhythm of the mechanical breather feeding him the life sustaining methane relaxed him. Allowed him to think. He had no dexterity advantage, and time was not on his side. He needed a surpise. One quick, definate move that would take Iziz out of action. But what? He looked in the Jackal's direction, and saw it sitting on a log near the edge of the hill.
The edge of the hill.
Nayap stood and stepped around Raka. Iziz wasn't paying attention. Nayap walked forward, and began to pick up speed. Soon, he was in a full fledged sprint, as fast as his body would allow, speeding strait towards the Jackal.
"Fuck-" Nayap hissed, summoning the worst of all curses he could think of. He tensed his legs and sprang forward. Iziz stapped his head up just in time to see Nayap soaring through the air towards him. "-you!"
Nayap collided with the Jackal's chest, tackling him over the edge of the hill. They began rolling downhill, barely missing trees they tumbled by. Leaves, rocks, twigs and other clutter dislodged and moved down the hill with them. Nayap did his best to shove the Jackal away from him, but everything was spinning, blurring togeather. The ground, then the tree tops, then soon the ground again. He felt dizzy, and he was still rolling. Iziz was no longer there, and Nayap found himself trying to grab onto one of the many passing trees to stop his fall. But he couldn't. He was bouncing and tumbling along far too fast to get a good grip.
He rolled to a stop face first at the base of the hill. Winded, dazed, and confused. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. To shake a strange shroud that had worked its way into his skull. He lifted himself off the ground and looked back up the hill, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
Iziz lay motionless in front of a tree, purple blood running from an open wound on his head, about halfway up the hill. Undoubtably, he had made a head on collision with the tree. Nayap felt no pity for him. Instead, he gave a huff of proud acheivement as he lifted himself to his feet. Now all he had to do was get back up to Raka, and bring him to the extraction zone. But as he moved towards the hill again, he saw that it was far too steep to climb from this side. He'd have to move back around. As he went to leave, he almost missed the dull green glow underneath a pile of leaves at the base of the hill.
Prodding through the pile, he retreived a plasma pistol. Iziz must have dropped it, or it fell from his belt, or-
Who cares?
Nayap didn't, he was grateful he had a weapon. He shook his head, clipped the pistol to his belt, and moved off to the other side of the hill. All he had to do was bring Raka to the other side of the valley. It wouldn't be too hard. Not too hard at all. Nayap smiled.
Things were getting better.
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