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The Shots Heard Around the World
Posted By: Gasmask
Date: 14 November 2002, 3:05 pm
Read/Post Comments
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Date: September 15, 2552
Time: 8:23 pm
Location: Halo
The winds howled over the canyons where the Covenant slept. It made a hollow whistling sound in the canyons as it passed by. Grunts slept peacefully, knowing that big brother was watching out for them. Elites and jackals patrolled ever vigilantly, watching for those detestable humans, who might appear at any time. It seemed to be just another Covenant base camp. But, things are not always as they seem.
Ceuler Delrk sat inside the sleeping cavern that his troops had cleared for him. He sat cross-legged, meditating, and trying to communicate with his false, pagan gods. Nothing came to him. He would just have to tell the troops something they wanted to hear. That had always worked in the past. He got up, then strode over to the rock where his dinner lay. Drenord blood-worms. They were delicacies! How his troops ever scrounged these up was beyond him. They were good warriors, faithful to the last. It was a privilege to command them.
"Lt. Vlaren, come in here!" he called to the outside world. An elite in red armor ran into the cavern, then bowed low in a ceremonial salute.
"Konaga, Ceuler Delrk! What would you have me to do?" the lieutenant asked.
"Vlaren, as my right hand, I want to share my meal with you. You have earned it well. Come, let us eat!"
"Thank you, general!" Both the lieutenant and general sat down, and began to eat the squirming delicacies one by one. Once they were well fed and watered, they stood up.
"Thank you for the meal, oh most kind and generous of all leaders!" Vlaren said.
"You're most certainly welcome. Now, I have an assignment for you." the General whispered.
"I am ready to face whatever challenge you bestow upon me, General!"
"Good, good!" The General beamed, "I knew you would be up to this. I want you to get up on top of these cliffs and spy things out for us. We need to know if enemies are upon us, and if they get the higher ground, we may lose."
Solemnly, Vlaren said, "Yes, sir," then walked towards the pile of rocks he and the others had made. He climbed up on it, then leapt, grabbing the edge of the cliff. He heaved himself up, and found himself staring down the long barrel of a human sniper rifle. He rolled out of the way, then meleed the sniper. It was a dummy. There was no threat here. Suddenly, he got the strange feeling that he was being watched...
As it turns out, he was. Vladmir Drumek and Andrew Jenkins were watching him. Vladmir aimed the sniper rifle, while Andrew stared down the binoculars.
"He's about five clicks out, looking around. He's not moving, though. Nail him!"
Vladmir did not have to be told twice. He fired his weapon twice, and the high powered projectiles rammed through the elite's body like darts through balsa wood.
"Nice shot. No more enemies sighted, though. I'll move up a little and see what's up," Jenkins breathed.
He crawled on his belly, slowly, and carefully, making his way towards the canyon. He stopped at the edge, and peered down. Thirty grunts, packed tightly together, six elites, and about ten jackals. That was just counting the ones he could see. There were probably more. He signaled Vladmir to stay where he was, and that he was going to drop a grenade on their heads. Vladmir slowly nodded his head, then got a little lower to the ground. Andrew pulled out a grenade, activated it, then through it down in the center of the ring of sleeping grunts.
Delrk paced his room. He had not heard from or had seen Lt. Vlaren in some time. Maybe he was in trouble. Usually, he would make some noise by just moving around. But silence had prevailed. That silence was quickly broken by the sound of a grenade going off. He heard twenty grunts give their death cries, and the rest howl in pain as shrapnel embedded in their necks. Curses. They were under attack. But from where? Suddenly, it came to him.
"They're on the cliffs! Get up on the cliffs!"
All able bodied soldiers did as they were bid. The elites leapt up, while the jackals held down the fort and protected the wounded. A shot rang out. A blue elite fell dead, a hole in his brain the size of a quarter. Another shot. Another dead elite, this time red. His body hit the edge, and fell to the canyon floor with a loud thump.
"Retreat! Retreat! I will deal with this threat myself!" The soldiers did as the general bid.
Vladmir kicked himself. He had taken off the silencer to let it cool down, and had forgotten to put it back on. It might have given away his position. He saw his enemy, then checked his ammo. Three shots left in the clip. Just enough to nail him in the head and end his leadership. He looked down the barrel, and saw the elite power up his beam sword. This was his chance. While the shield was recharging. WHAM! He fired, and the elite's head recoiled. WHAM! Miss! The elite was charging! Wham! The bullet hit his enemy's foot as it jumped. The appendage bled freely. He reloaded, and watched as the enemy came closer to hitting him. Just as the elite landed, Andrew came from behind and smacked it in the back of the head, ending its life instantly. The beam sword extinguished itself, and the general was dead.
"Nice timingk," Vladmir said as he hyperventilated.
"Thanks. Look, I'll go around to the other side of this horseshoe cliff, and open fire. Then, when they come back up, you can pop them."
"That's if they come back up," the sniper snorted.
"Don't worry. I have a trick that'll get them up here."
One of the dying grunts lay against a rock, clutching his punctured chest. They had really surprised them, dropping a grenade off in their midst. He groaned, then looked at the opposite side of the cliff. There was a marine, exposing his rear-end to his enemies. The grunt watched in horror.
"E...Enemies!" he cried and pointed. He shuddered, then breathed no more.
Andrew pulled his pants up, then grabbed his assault rifle. He knew that would anger the Covenant.
"They're stirred, up, Vlad. You just wait for it."
"Roger that," Vladmir replied over the COM link.
Elites ran up, then more shots rang out. Elite bodies hit the ground, twitching their last. Down in the canyon, the jackals were scared. They had no idea what to do next, the elites all being dead. They ran. They ran down the pass that lead to this little circular alcove of death. Andrew opened fire. Bullets impacted into the scrawny aliens, and he killed a few.
"Vlad, we have to kill those jackals. We can't let them call reinforcements once they get away!"
"Understood. Will comply."
Andrew dashed towards the other side of the cliff, then dropped two grenades. Four jackals ran over it as it exploded, sending their bodies down, down, down into the void.
"Six down, four to go," the marine told himself. He opened fire on the jackal's heads, and three fell. One missed its footing, and fell down to its death.
Breathing heavily, the marine radioed Command Central.
"This is sniper squad 39. We have destroyed all hostiles in the area, and we can set up a base here anytime."
"Roger that, squad 39. We'll be around to drop of troops and supplies in the area ASAP," was the reply.
Vladmir walked up to his spotter. "Do you really think that we made a difference, my friend?" he asked.
"You bet we did!" Andrew replied. "Those shots you fired could probably be heard around the world. Six entire squads of elites, jackals, and grunts, and that general? My friend, we made a huge difference. Let's start cleaning up before they get here."
"Yes. Let's. I don't think that command will like too many bodies lying around."
They laughed, then walked down the cliff to their new base, bought with blood.
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