Halo: Dark Aftermath Ch. 4: --Payback--
Posted By: Nick Kang<digitai430@yahoo.com>
Date: 16 February 2004, 5:38 AM
Read/Post Comments
|
'Nelemee bolted upright in the hospital bed but was quickly pushed back down by a medic. A sharp pain shot through his chest and spread into his hip and stomach. There were bloody holes in him. One on his stomach, one on his chest, and one on his thigh. The pain was almost unbearable. He grunted and laid back down in the bed. He could vaguely remember the Human grenade going off under his Shaddoe. He recalled 'Octolomee's twisted expression just before the vehicle hit the ground upside-down and smashed his head in. The explosion still echoed in his ears. He wondered if the Wrthaug had been stopped. He wondered if the Human that had thrown the grenade was the very same Human that the great Zuka 'Zamamee had tried to kill but failed. Whoever it was, payback was coming to it.
The Chief's visor darkened as the bright jets of the Pelican dropships settled to the ground. The attack on the Control Center had been renewed, this time Scorpion tanks and Warthogs armed with the Covenant technology would be involved. Nearly twice as many personnel would be used in the attack. But before they could land troops on the Control Center grounds, they needed to clear out the anti-air guns on the Covenant outpost that the previous attack had been mercilessly slaughtered at. The Shades and Banshees there would dice most of the Pelicans into pieces before they crossed over the safety of the rock wall.
Four tanks and twelve Warthogs with the plasma cannons were lined up in perfect formation. The twenty Spartans and thirty-six Marines taking place in the attack quickly raced to get the best positions on the vehicles as possible. The Chief sat on a track pod of a tank and drew his M90 shotgun. The newly built steel gates blocking the tunnels slowly opened up with the sound of shrieking metal. They were also accompanied by several utility Warthogs ferrying pieces for a bridge that could be retracted to block progress. The large invasion force waited for several minutes while the Techs installed the bridge. Once they were done, they pulled a switch on the newly installed control computer and the bridge slid out of the chasm wall and connected with the other side. The invasion force moved through while the Techs went back to the base. A pair of Marine guards remained to operate the bridge.
Once they moved through the tunnels and threw the large field with the stone pillar, they went through the river to the same position where they had been ambushed and slaughtered before. There seemed to be no sign of the Covenant except for the new twenty Shades and airfield of Banshees stationed around the structure. The Warthogs drove down the slope first to create a diversion for the Covenant forces that were probably hiding behind the doors. Sure enough, plasma bolts met the Warthogs, which quickly drove up the opposite slope. The wave of Covenant forces stormed out of the tunnels and began chasing the Warthog when they noticed the four giant apocalyptic tanks looking down upon them. The more unintelligent Grunts fired at the tanks but the shots merely charred the powerful armor. The Elites and Jackals chickened out and began running away and were met by four giant highly explosive projectiles, making a large crater and leaving no sign of the once-fleeing Covenant forces. Seeing the power of the tanks, the Grunts screamed and began running to and met the same fate as the others. The Hunters lined up in a straight line and fired. The fuel rod blasts were enough to melt the armor of the tanks. One was melted in place. The four tanks fired and blew half of the Hunters away. Another salvo took out the remaining Hunters. They thought the battle was over until they notived the Banshees taking off. There were at least twenty of them. The Warthogs weren't suited to take out aircraft with their plasma cannons and the tank cannon were too inacurate. It looked like this battle was up to the passengers of the vehicles.
The Chief ook careful aim at a Banshee that had strayed too close, waited for it to dive and fire, and squaeezed the trigger. It was close enough to penetrate the armor on he fuel rod gun and then entire Banshee disappeared in a blossom of fire. Bullets and plasma filled the air while the tanks and Warthogs drove arond to avoid the fire, making it even harder to aim at the Covenant aircraft. Several Warthogs were flipped and a few passengers on the tank were killled. The Marine seated next to the Chief fired a rocket and hit the very nose of a passing Banshee and destroyed it. There was a groaning sound. Green mist suddenly surrounded the Chief and his shields dropped. They continued falling and an alarm blared in his ear.
'Nelemee strode from the hospital, fully haled. The advanced Covenant medical technology healed even the most severe wounds in a matter of hours. He grabbed a plasma rifle hilt from the armory and strapped it to his hip. The Humans were going to pay.
|
