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Out of the Frying Pan... by ONI_operative_343
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Out of the Frying Pan... chapter I
Date: 24 August 2004, 10:22 PM
1600 Hours, August 17, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, Goombatu Swamps,
planet White
Corporal Byrne wasn't a neurosurgeon. But as the 14.5x 114mm APFSDS slammed into the Jackal's bony head, he couldn't help but be proud. He nudged his spotter.
"And my mom thought I was gonna be a doctor! Ha!" He announced in a hushed tone.
Private Parsons arched an eyebrow.
"Ya still got three more down there. One more of your late friend there, and two of the little guys."
"I see 'em."
In a matter of seconds Byrne whittled that number to one remaining Grunt. The clumsy little alien was now running about the clearing, shouting incoherently and flailing its arms about. Bugger aint even smart enough to take cover thought Byrne. He kinda deserves this. The Grunt paused for a split second to sniff the air, which was when the Corporal gave the S2 AM's trigger a slight squeeze. The ground behind the Grunt became splattered with a light blue colored blood and the alien toppled to the ground, lifeless.
"Good thing we got the sensors set up before they arrived. Anything else movin down there, Private?"
Parsons shook his head. "Negative sir, area clear."
A nod from Byrne. "Both sensors operational?"
"Yes sir."
"Right. Let's get back to the hog."
Both Marines stood up and tried to wipe the mud off their armor and gear. They had been lying in the mud for what had seemed like ages, when in reality it was a little less then an hour. Byrne had to patiently cover Parson's back as he set the equipment up, and a technical problem with sensor number two had almost blown the entire operation. If Parsons had been occupied with it for another few minutes, the Covenant patrol they had just eliminated would have emerged from the forest right on top of him.
Cautiously they made their way through the jungle, without further enemy contact. Soon they had found the Warthog, right where they had left it, hidden by large fern fronds. Parsons move the shrubbery aside and grabbed hold of the LAAG turret's handles.
He swung himself up, shouting, "Ready to roll!"
Byrne took hold of the wheel and started the machine up. Before going he accessed the Hog's small computer mounted on the center console and linked the sensors they had just installed into the motion tracker unit. He then forwarded the information back to HQ. The rear tires splattered mud out the back end as Byrne gave the Hog gas, and soon they were rolling at a fast pace along the trail. Suddenly, the computer started to beep. Byrne stole a glance at the screen and managed to read the error message that was flashing in red and white.
"Shit," he muttered, but kept driving. Maybe the jungle is too dense and the info wasn't received by HQ... Or, is this damn thing having problems? A million different scenarios ran through the Corporal's head. ... Or maybe... Covenant? Destroyed the HQ? He almost laughed at that one. But now that it had crossed his mind, it wouldn't go away. He slowed to a stop, and tried transmitting the data once more. He sent it, then a minute later the same screen and beeping returned. Another error. HQ wasn't receiving the data.
"Sir! What the hell is that?"
Byrne snapped back into reality. "Damn computer isn't working or something..." But he trailed off when he realized what Parsons was talking about. Up ahead a large, a massive blurred figure was shrouded in the mist... and what look like two green eyes were getting intensely brighter. For a second Byrne thought it was one of the legendary giant crocodiles that were said to inhabit the planet, but then he realized the truth. It was some sort of Covenant... he could focused his eyes more and saw two different masses, and two plasma weapons charging. Byrne swung the wheel to the right, slamming the accelerator to the ground. Parsons opened fire with the chain gun.
Bullets pinged off the shielding of the massive aliens. The one on the right, furthest from the hog, launched its plasma bomb. Parsons could feel and hear the air crackle as it raced past him. The shot had been slow and was a spilt second behind the hog... but the sheer heat had burned Parsons. He cried out in pain and Byrne swore intensely. The second alien had a much cleaner shot. Although it missed the Warthog, it had impacted on the tree the hog was now roaring past. The blast was unavoidable; it melted the tires on the right side and sent the hog barrel-rolling to the left.
Parsons was in too much pain to hold on, and screamed for the last time. Like a rag doll he flew a few feet through the forest, until his body made contact with a tree. There was a sickening crunch as he literally wrapped around it, crushing almost every bone possible. He hung there for a second then slipped to the ground, pulverized.
Byrne was thrown directly to the ground. He rolled once and landed on his back just in time to see the hog flying over him, on its side. It mowed down a few smaller trees and tore a cut through the jungle's undergrowth as it landed upside down and slid. It came to a rest up against a large boulder. The tires on the right side were dripping melted rubber, pieces of the window shield littered the area, and the smashed LAAG gun lay a few feet from Byrne, the barrel bent and snapped at the end.
He propped himself up on his elbows, then stood. Nothing broken, thank God he thought. Just then he heard the clanking of armor from the direction where he had swerved off the path to avoid the Hunters. They were coming after him, and quickly too. There was no time to search the area for Parson's MA5B or his own S2 AM. He checked to make sure his M6D pistol was in his sidearm holster and found not only that but one frag grenade still clipped onto his belt. He turned away from the direction the aliens were approaching from and broke into a run, thrashing blindly through the forest.
1423 Hours, August 18, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, Goombatu Swamps, outside Mute Tunnels,
planet White
Byrne was almost back at HQ. He had slept for a few hours during the night in the safety of one of the swamp's massive trees and had been on the move since 0706 hours. The Corporal had managed to outrun the massive aliens that destroyed the Warthog and killed Parsons, and had not encountered any other alien. Even the swamp life seemed to be missing. Usually the swamp would be full of noise but today only a few scattered bird calls were to be heard.
By now the Corporal had reached the beginning of the Coastal Mountains. Over the mountains, the Goombatu Swamps slowly start to disappear, and the jungles are replaced with beaches and ocean. Right over the mountain and Byrne was back at HQ, which meant food, shelter, and 400 other Marines to help kill Covenant with him. But Byrne wasn't going to hike; not unless he had to. The Mute Tunnels, he realized, I could get a ride into base!
The Mute Tunnels ran through the mountain range and led right to the HQ. It was the way Byrne and Parsons had taken the Hog to go replace the sensors back in the jungle. The main tunnels were each three lanes wide, and a sub tunnel that ran on the west side of the main tunnels was made specifically to move two Scorpion MBTs through at once. All three tunnels had maintenance passageways that connected them to each other, which were located at intervals throughout each separate tunnel. The tunnels were well armored; millions of tons of concrete, a few meters of titanium a battle armor, and the mountain itself protected the tunnels from attack.
Inside, the tunnels were broken down into sections by titanium reinforced blast doors. If a security breech or fire was present anywhere in any tunnel, the problem could be isolated and dealt with later. Byrne knew all this, but he couldn't possibly care less. It would only be a few more minutes before he broke out of the dense jungle vegetation and caught sight of the security outpost in front of his passageway home.
After fifteen minutes, Byrne was almost to the edge of the forest. He could see the mist starting to drift more easily through the tree trunks. However, his visibility of the sky was still cut off. If he could have seen through the canopy and caught a glimpse of the smoke rolling all over the hills, he might have been better prepared for what he saw next.
Corporal Byrne crashed through the last shrub and burst out of the jungle. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the security outpost. Or, what was left of it. One whole side had been obliterated on the second and third floors, exposing that side of those levels. Otherwise, the building was still erect. The front hadn't been blown away, and the back and other side of the structure had been built into the mountain, so Byrne knew they couldn't have taken damage. That would mean the few tunnels from the outpost to the tunnel would have survived as well.
A few smoldering Warthogs lay burning in what was once the parking lot, and the carcass of a Scorpion tank sat by it's tunnel, its barrel was smashed downward, and smoke issued from its trashed engines.
Byrne blinked in disbelief. But... How?
Suddenly a Marine's worst fear appeared from the MBT tunnel. It swerved to avoid it's former adversary, and continued on down its path. The Wraith tank chilled Byrne to the bone. Dropping back into the cover of a nearby bush, he froze, not moving a muscle, until the tank had glided past his position and disappeared along the path.
Out of the Frying Pan... chapter II
Date: 1 September 2004, 6:17 PM
1454 Hours, August 18, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, outside Mute Tunnels Security Outpost,
planet White
What am I going to do? From where he was in the bushes, Byrne knew it was hopeless. Spent shell casings littered the ground, and plasma burns had literally melted away parts of the scenery. Something caused the tunnel on the far left to collapse at the opening; No doubt the tanks' battle he surmised. The flagpole outside the security outpost had toppled over. Byrne could only guess that the UNSC flag was at the end was burning. The trees and bushes that use to be a part of the parking lot were now smoldering piles of ash. Then he took the time to notice the bodies. At least a hundred dead Marines littered the ground and almost quadruple that number of Covenant dead had fallen with them. The Corporal saluted his fallen soldiers. Siemper Fi, soldiers. You fought hard... damn proud of ya.
But now Byrne was questioning what to do. Could he make it back to HQ? Would there be a HQ when he got there? Everything was running through his head... The Covenant knocked out the comm.s... that's why my data didn't send... they destroyed HQ... everyone's dead, wasted...
Just then a gunshot rang out. Byrne leaped to his feet; yes, a firefight was going on. He strained to see through the smoke.
There! Involuntarily he pointed towards the security outpost. The sizzling hiss of plasma weapons of the sharp retort of AR fire was echoing from that building to the outside. The few Jackals and Grunts patrolling the wreckage outside turned and looked. A few Jackals bounded toward the building. The remaining ones went back to pacing back and forth, and the Grunts curled back up to sleep. It was then that Corporal Byrne made his decision. Whether he liked it or not, reality set he. Chances are, he thought, I ain't getting off this rock. Might as well take some of them down with me. He sighed, checked his pistol to make sure everything was functioning, then broke into a run towards the nearest smashed Warthog, evading the Covenant on patrol. He threw himself against it, panting. Byrne was going to help whoever was in that building, at any cost. But first, he had to make it across this barren land of destruction, with the enemy all around him.
He stole a look around the smashed Warthog, trying to not think of the blood that was smeared across the remnants of the shattered windshield. From where he was, only 200 meters of open ground separated him from the security outpost.
Only he muttered. Yeah, no big deal.
Byrne couldn't run the distance without being spotted. The few Grunts in the area were not alert, but the four or five Jackals, Byrne wasn't sure how many, they would be more then willing to make his trip more challenging. Dodging plasma fire and returning fire all while racing through a barren wasteland complete with large craters, smashed glass, and fallen comrades was not the Corporal's idea of fun. He considered sneaking to the nearest Warthog, but he would have to run directly past a yellow-shielded Jackal to do so.
The gunfire from the security outpost was getting louder now. Somewhere inside an alien grenade was detonated, followed by more. The Grunts awakened again and shuffled over to the Jackals, who seemed to be in command. Byrne peered around the Warthog just in time to see the aliens 'huddle up.' The Jackal with the yellow shield had his back to Byrne and was waving its gun at the security outpost, directing the troops to move in.
Not today pal. Byrne pulled the pin on his last frag and sent it sailing into the air. He watched it fly... and saw as it came down and smashed against the inside of the commanding Jackal's yellow shield, and bounced into its body. The aliens had no time to react before the M9 HE-DP grenade detonated, ripping them to shreds. Their bodies blasted out from the circle in all directions, one orange-clad Grunt even smashing into the Warthog Byrne took cover behind to avoid the shrapnel blast.
He stood, checked to make sure the area was clear, and slowly crept out from behind the Warthog, his pistol raised. One unfortunate Grunt was still alive, and tried crawling away from Byrne. Its methane tank was leaking and half of its left leg had been blown off. He looked down on the creature and considered ending the poor thing's suffering, but decided against it.
There was no telling how many of his squad mates had fallen prey to the little bastard and his comrades. Byrne bent down to rip three Covenant plasma grenades from the alien's belt then kicked the thing, hard, right in the chest. It coughed and rolled over, but still not dead. Byrne moved on towards the security outpost, where the firefight seemed to be ending. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
1506 Hours, August 18, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, inside Mute Tunnels Security Outpost, ground level reception area,
planet White
The steel doors of the security outpost had been breached forcefully, most likely from the Covenant Wraith tank. Corporal Byrne kicked the left door which was hanging on one hinge to make the opening a little bigger for his 6'2'' frame, then stepped inside. The front reception area and metal detectors at the security checkpoint had been trashed. Three dead Marines lay twisted horribly on the ground, blood issuing from a blonde soldier's ears. Byrne turned his attention away from the sight. It didn't make him sick, he just didn't like death. He crouched down to see what weapons he could scavenge. Two of the soldier's MA5B's were busted beyond repair. Maybe they were killed by a grenade? considered Byrne.
The third was stripped of ammo, with no weapon or ammo cache anywhere in sight. Figures.
Ahead he could see another fallen Marine in front of an elevator, but next to him was an alien corpse. Cautiously Byrne approached, moving through the reception area, his pistol up and ready to fire at any unlucky victim who entered his sights. He kicked the mangled, bloodied corpse to find a Jackal with a shot right to the gut, assuming that was where the aliens' stomachs were. A plasma pistol had fallen from its hand as it was killed, which Byrne considered pocketing, until he came across the fourth Marine's assault rifle resting just within the elevator car. He checked to make sure it was in working condition, which it was, and then began to search the Marine's packs for ammo, something that disgusted Byrne for some reason. He holstered his M6D pistol and dropped the few spare cartridges he found for the AR in one of his belt pockets.
The door down the hallway on the right had a fingerprint I.D. scanner locking the door. Byrne pressed his hand against the screen, but nothing happened. It was then he realized the power was out and the emergency generator was operating. A sign depicting stairs directed him to the hallway on the left, and he proceeded cautiously down it, his only other option on this level of the Security Outpost.
1513 Hours, August 18, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, inside Mute Tunnels Security Outpost, second floor,
planet White
In the stairwell red lights were flickering which put Byrne on edge. Anything could be hiding under the stairs or at the top landing, waiting for him to get careless. He went quickly but stealthy until he reached the second floor. He'd check this floor, then move up to the third. Byrne braced himself against the door, listening. Nothing. He let out a breath, then opened the door. [i[Clear his mind told him. He swept the rifle along the hallway, not seeing any sign of movement. Two dead grunts lay outside of a room off to Byrne's right. As he cautiously approached, he could see a Marine's arm laying limp half outside the door. Closer still, and he realized that was it... just an arm. No body. He paused a second then jumped into the doorway, prepared to face whatever was inside.
1548 Hours, August 18, 2541 (Military Calendar)/
Epsilon Eridani System, inside Mute Tunnels Security Outpost, second floor,
planet White
It took Byrne a little over half an hour to recon the second floor of the Security Outpost. He managed to salvage two fragmentation grenades and some M6D ammo from his fallen comrades. There were 11 and a half dead Marines on the second floor. Byrne got cold shivers thinking of that. 11 and a half... Byrne could only identify the upper torso of one UNSC Marine... he pushed the thoughts from his head. At least these guys kicked some major ass. The number of Covenant casualties was close to triple the amount of fallen Marines. It looked to Byrne like the Covenant had tried to overwhelm the Marines by sending in squad after squad... only to be mowed down by the Marine's AR fire.
Luckily the Marines had taken cover behind a barricade of pilled up desks and chairs from the various rooms on this floor, and were shooting out every possible opening. That was until the Covenant grenadiers showed up. Once the Covenant had broken through the Marine's defenses and killed a few defenders in the resulting explosion, they cornered the remaining UNSC fighters in one office. Overwhelmed and outgunned, the Marines had met their match.
So far, Byrne had yet to run into anything that was still alive in the Security Outpost, friend or foe. He slammed a fresh clip into his MA5B and proceeded back to the stairwell. Level three still had to be checked out. And even if there were no survivors from either side, Byrne had already formulated his plan for getting back to HQ. All he had to worry about now was if Headquarters would be there waiting for him, intact. Soon he would find that was the least of his problems.
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