HELLJUMPERS CHAPTER 5: HUMANITY'S LAST HOPE
Posted By: Havok<snayperskaya@hotmail.com>
Date: 6 September 2002, 12:03 am
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As we sped through the dense jungle, I thought about my purpose here on HALO installation 001. After the Master Chief had destroyed installation 004, he returned to civilization and told UNSC HQ about all that he had been through. The decision was made then and there to see if humanity could harness the power of the HALO installation and use it against the covenant. All HALO installations had been found in this galaxy, and there was a sizable human force on each one. I wondered if each of the other ringworlds was being given the support that we were receiving right now. Maybe there was a two man team, just like Rob and I, speeding through the jungle, looking for a landing spot for reinforcements...
I saw that the jungle growth was thinning out, changing to a different type of climate al together. So strange, the way all these climates coincided next to each other...
We sped out into a clearing and I saw a broad mesa about two kilometers spinward. The top of the mesa was a good three kilometers in diameter. A good spot for a divisional headquarters. The slopes to each side looked to be easily defendable. I headed for it.
When we reached the center of the mesa, I dropped a landing beacon for one of the transports to home in on. On contact with the soil, it activated and burrowed into the soil. I parked the hog and turned it off. I looked up and could see one of the troop transports break formation and head towards us. I turned off the active camo on the hog and waited. A few minutes later, we had to move out of the way as the transport landed, and promptly began disgorging hordes of troops and vehicles. A command vehicle headed for us and stopped nearby.
A tall well built man wearing a rear admiral's insignia got out and I jumped out of the hog. He came up to us. "I am rear admiral James Carther. I am the overall commanding officer of the armored divisions that have come to take HALO from the covenant."
Rob and I saluted in unison as he continued. "you have found an impressive base site for us here boys. Good work." He held out his hand and I shook it. "Thank you sir."
Then he said, "Well, I have to be going now, you boys run along and find me some more sites to base my troops." He briskly turned and loped back to his vehicle. He must have spent a lot of tie in space to get that "space walk" as we called it. I felt that he was a good responsible commander.
"Come on, we got a lot of ground to cover today." I said as I jumped back into the hog. I started the engine and spun up the active camo. I looked back at the admiral and saw his eyes widen and register shock at seeing us and our vehicle disappear.
We covered all sorts of terrain. More than I could name. We found a good spot for the second transport on a wide hill covered with tundra about hundred and fifty kilometers from the first site. The ring construct is deceptively large, and so we had to stop for the first night with the second transport.
The third transport we decided to put on a hill in a very cold climate. There was snow all around, but I wasn't worried about that. All divisions come with cold weather gear. The fourth landing site we chose was situated on the edge of a desert. It was there that we decided to stop for the second night. We got to sleep in the comfortable beds on the recently arrived troop transport.
The fifth transport we assigned to a forested area of the ring, bordering on the edge of the swampy area. We decided not to place any divisions directly into the swampy area. There were just too many unknowns. And finally, the sixth division we decided to place on the hill neighboring our HQ. Who knew when we would need the extra support? The divisions split up into regimental bases and company outposts. When all was said and done, human military vehicles effectively controlled one third of the ring world. We could receive support whenever we needed it, but the Covenant forces were effectively cut off from outside support. Twenty battlecruisers patrol the deep black void outside, and we know exactly what they are planning, thanks to the bugs Rob and I planted in the covenant BattleNet. We are going to win this one. Many believe that the secrets that HALO contains will let humanity survive against the covenant onslaught. Maybe HALO really is Humanity's last hope. I don't know if they are right or not. But I do know that I am going to find out.
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