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The Shatella Conflict by Beep
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Welcome to Shatella - Chapter 1
Date: 17 November 2004, 3:58 AM
As humanity continues its fight against the Covenant, one city stands out from the rest. A now abandon planet, Nerul holds one important city - Shatella, an urban jungle of streets, skyscrapers and subways. We can only go by what the ONI spooks have discovered, but I seems the covenant are searching for something in this city...something big. Whatever it is, this is a rare occasion when they haven't just glassed a planet, so it is our duty to push back the Covenant, regardless of the human causalities.
-UNSC.
Hawkins crashed himself against concrete wall, slamming his last clip into his sub-machine gun. He blinked; sweat trickled down his left cheekbone, his blonde hair awash with dirt and gravel. Hawkins could hear the battle raging around him, the constant trio bursts of battle rifles ringing in his ear drums, the screams from fellow comrades, and the high pitched sizzle of plasma soaring through the air. He blinked again, opening to study his immediate surroundings.
The street had gone to hell; shattered windows, rubble and debris was all that remained from this once human civilisation, and now Hawkins sat back against the wall, on the corner of the street, sub-machine gun in hand, praying he would see a friendly face.
He didn't, and although the battle ranged on and the sounds of war could be heard from nearby sectors, where he slumped had an eerie silence too it. Hawkins gritted his teeth and stepped from away from the safety of the street corner. He ran swiftly down the street; his destination a dark fitted alley way. He reached it with no problem; it seemed the covenant had already come through this area with a vengeance. Hawkins however grinded to a stop as he saw two stocky figures clambering forward.
Grunts, the covenant cannon fodder, little bastards who worked in numbers. The grunts noticed Hawkins, but he was faster. He slammed his finger down on the trigger and offloaded his sub-machine gun. Hawkins braced himself, the gun recoiling from the intense fire rate. The bullets pelted the first grunt, shredding him in a hail of fire. His methane breathing mask breaking under the pressure of the fire, showering his fellow grunt with warm, metallic blue blood.
The second grunt reacted fasted, lifting its plasma pistol and firing two quick successive shots. The first shot sizzled past Hawkins's left ear, missing his head by millimetres. He could feel the warmth as it travelled past him, before it sailed into an electronic street sign behind him, shattering it, in an spectacular explosion of glass and sparks. The second shot hit its mark, piecing itself into Hawkins right shoulder, forcing him to instinctively drop the sub-machine gun. He felt the plasma seeping through his tactical combat armour, singing his first layer of skin before brutally burning his internal shoulder ligaments.
Hawkins out of desperation threw himself behind cover; an upturn warthog destroyed beyond repair, riddled with plasma scorching. From the way it was turned over, it looked like warthog was planning to travel down the alley way before it met some severe resistance. The private held his shoulder and howled, he was now feeling the intense burn of the plasma. He could hear the wobbling footsteps of the pursuing grunt and he was unarmed.
He saw the plasma pistol first, held by a grubby claw. Back against the warthog Hawkins was going to allow some grunt to finish him off. He had been through to much, loss to many friends in the city sieges just to be finished off by some... grunt. The Methane breathing mask came into view, it turned and spotted the human slumped like a defenceless animal waiting to die. The grunts eyes lit up, his paced quickened as he outstretched his finger to fire.
"Me gots you now, human scum" the grunt shrieked in a high pitched voice, he was excited; maybe they would reward if he killed enough humans. Hawkins painfully reached down to his torso, and out of view, grabbed his sidearm.
It was the M6C pistol magnum standard issue firearm backup for all marines engaged in Shatella. Hawkins had trouble keeping a steady hand on the magnum; he hands were doused in sweat, he mind numb from the pain in his shoulder. The grunt fired; and at the exact same time, Hawkins used what ever last energy he had left and dived. He didn't go far but it was far enough to dodge the plasma shot, which imploded on the up turn warthog. The grunt unexpectedly turned, not ready for such a manoeuvre, but it was too late, Hawkins had the magnum lined up and fired of three quick rounds.
The first two shots entered the grunts breastplate causing a splash of shimmering blood to irrupt and splatter on the dust ridden street. The last shot entered the grunts eye causing it to explode in a bloody burst. The grunt fell to the ground...silent. Hawkins rolled over onto his back and gasped. For a moment his blue eyes starred into the afternoon sky, he ignored the explosions, cries and commotions of the surrounding battle, as he felt the warmth of the sun, on his battle hardened face.
All of a sudden it got dark; someone's shadow was overlapping his body, and Hawkins blinked and turned his head up to see an elite with a plasma rifle point blank to his face.
Elites were the Covenant champions, highly trained, viscous warriors. They were told in training never to engage an elite solo; an elite alone was enough to decimate a squad of marines. The elite that stood over him said nothing, but Hawkins knew it was over. He closed his eyes and waited for the plasma to enter his brain.... but all he heard was a loud, deafening BANG.
He opened his eyes and saw a white phosphorus trail fading through the elites head. It was until Hawkins blinked again that the elite was missing half his skull, Covenant blood splashed before his feet. The elite stood for a second more before keeling over backwards into his own pool of blood.
Hawkins turned his head and saw a marine, but it wasn't any ordinary marine. He badge read Sargent. S. Bison, and he was a dominant figure, tall muscular, hand gripped tight on a UNSC sniper rifle.
"Get up boy; we got marines on the southern borders that are under attack by shock troopers. They're big, mean and orange and I need every marine I can find to bring these bastards down."
Hawkins opened his mouth in disbelief, he was just shot and could barley move and this sarge wanted him to fight hunters?!?
"As soon as you get patched up we heading south, so suck it up marine, this battle is far from over."
Welcome to Shatella - Chapter 2
Date: 22 November 2004, 9:34 AM
Hawkins gazed out of the high soaring pelican. The cockpit was silent. Sargent Bison lit a cigar, sat back with one leg crossed over the other. Two nameless marines that were just picked up from a "hot spot" stared at the ground, nervously twitching from time to time.
Hawkins didn't get a chance to catch their names, there was no time for chat, and even if there was, this wasn't the time nor the place. The skirmish like battles in Shatella, were in full effect now. Hawkins stood and watched the carnage as the pelican flew above, the urban like streets were defiled by the covenant, trashed, lined with the corpses of both human and alien alike; Shatella had officially gone to hell.
It had been three days since UNSC marines had been sent to the slaughter to push back the covenant, the only problem was it was suppose to have been wrapped in twenty-four hours.
Those stupid bastards, Hawkins thought to himself, the ONI screwjobs had underestimated the covenant's intent in finding this so called object. Of course they didn't care for the lives of marines; they would stop at nothing to ensure that the covenant didn't get the upper hand in the war. Upper hand, Hawkins continued is train of thought, the covenant already were wiping out planets like it was nothing, they were fighting a landslide battle.
The pelican blazed through the smoked filled atmosphere of the city, heading directly south. The relentless sounds of battle intensifying; he could now hear the screams of each and every single marine which the covenant butchered.
Hawkins train of thought snapped, as he quickly turned to see sarge. He had heard it too, and was now on his feet, the two new marines staring at him wondering why the hell he had sprang to life all of a sudden. It was the unmistakable sound of a modified fuel rod cannon; a covenant siege weapon which was literally biologically inserted into their heavy shock troopers, known as hunters.
Hawkins had dubbed the cannon "the incinerator", as on his second day on Shatella, he saw a hunter burst through the front line and fire the cannon point blank at a fellow marine. The results were devastating, as the highly fused plasma energy ripped through his body, the marine jolting from shock, as Hawkins watched his flesh and bones meld together from the intense heat before finally combusting into chunks of burning, charred flesh. It would be one memory that would haunt him forever in his sleep.
A female voice rang over the intercom,
"Sarge get your men out now, this zone is hot, I will only be able..." the pilot didn't finish the sentence, the pelican was torn in half by "the incinerator"
The flaming wreckage flew thirty metres and hit the ground. Hawkins was thrown violently to the left, the plasma wound to his shoulder, which had recently been filled with Biofoam stung with intense pain. Hawkins lay for a second, before attempting to move the pelican wreckage covering his upper body.
He struggled for a moment pushing a section of the pelican wing when he stomach revolted. The sight was ghastly, it made Hawkins insides turn; he had seen his fair share of death, but no marine deserved to die like that.
His two nameless pelican companions lay splinted in half, fresh blood slowly oozing over the metallic floor of the pelican. The fuel rod cannon had passed through the centre, cutting both marines like a knife through warm butter; and it had done so in an inexplicable manner, most of their intestines still visible through the lower half of their torso.
Hawkins limped up, the impact of the severed pelican taking a greater toll on his body then he thought. The crash site of the pelican was a similar looking street, at where he got picked up.
That was Shatella for you, architecturally repetitive, an urban jungle of streets and skyscrapers, the difference however between this street and the other was it was lined with over a dozen bodies of blood stained marines.
It was then at that point Hawkins heard a recognizable, bellowing voice.
"Hawkins get your ass over here now" it seemed the sarge had survived the crash, and it made him only more pissed off. Hawkins ran the small distance down the street avoiding the bodies and destruction, until he entered a dimly lit shelter, where sarge and a minute number of marines huddled together behind a worn-torn wall, watching two hunters in the near distance; fuel-rod cannons charging.
Welcome to Shatella - Chapter 3
Date: 27 November 2004, 4:35 AM
There were two marines in total, three if you counted the Sarge, and as Hawkins crashed into them, he threw himself against the meagre cover they had found amongst the ruins of an apartment courtyard.
He heard the heavy, thumping footsteps of the Hunters moving in for the kill, and they were trapped like rats in a sewer, with time running out. He glanced up, it was getting dark, they had to take this bastards out before it was night; fighting in pitch darkness was considered suicide on Shatella.
"Okay marines I want you to lay suppressing fire on my command" Hawkins was so close to the Sarge, he could smell his cigar-ridden breath as he talked. "Give me cover fire, and I'll try to offload a sniper round into one of these behemoths, and bring him down."
There was acknowledgement nods all round, as Hawkins stepped behind Sarge and huddled with the two marines, on the left side of the wall. They looked tired, worn-out, probably fighting hour's on-end, just trying to survive.
Hawkins glanced to the right, and saw Sarge pressed back against the wall, hands tight on his sniper rifle. It was at this view he noticed just how pale, Bison face was, his eyes like chiselled ice, a man who had lost it all in battle and had nothing to lose.
While the wall didn't offer much in the terms of protection, it did allow them to flank both Hunters from the left and right, and Hawkins held his magnum, ready for the order.
"NOW" Bison shouted, while throwing one hand forward. Hawkins and his marine companions reacted. Hawkins stepped to the left, outside the cover of the courtyard wall, but what he saw next was unexpected.
It was silent. No Hunters to be seen, only the bodies of marines who had died trying to bring them down before them. The courtyard was quiet, the only sounds, gunfire coming from nearby skirmishes.
It was getting hard to see, the night was upon them, but surely two giant figures don't disappear into nowhere.
"What the hell" Hawkins glanced by his side to see one of the marines, looking about, waving his battle rifle in the air; unfortunately for him, it was his last words.
A humongous, metallic shield came out of nowhere and smashed the private's ribcage, his internal organs shattering from the brute strength of the Hunter's swing. His body flew five metres through the air like a rag doll before hitting the ground with a thump.
"Behind us" the second marine screamed as he turned firing off his battle rifle erratically.
Hawkins saw the second Hunter emerge from the shadows, fuel rod cannon charging. He didn't have time to think, and dived as a steady bolt of super heated plasma blazed its way through the courtyard, illuminating the darkness of the night.
He scrambled to his feet, picking up the departed marine's battle rifle in one fluent action. The Hunter was ten metres from him; Hawkins lined up the battle rifle, held his breath and pulled the trigger. The trio burst ricocheted of the Hunter's heavy combat armour, as he charged, metal shield raised ready for the swing.
Hawkins closed his eyes and prepared to die for the second time today, but his guardian angel prevailed; a sniper round echoed through the darkness and entered the exposed region of the Hunter's lower torso.
The Hunter hit the ground running; orange blood splashed its once gleaming blue armour. Hawkins turned to see Sarge materialize from the right, dropping his sniper rifle and pulling a sub-machine gun from his back. It was only then that he remembered there was a second Hunter to contend with.
Hawkins saw his last living marine companion hiding amongst a pile of rubble, the second Hunter furiously bashing at the hidden marine with his shield.
After smashing the first marine the Hunter had turned his attention to his next victim, unaware he would have to play a game of cat and mouse.
Something was odd however; the Hunter had stopped worrying about the trapped marine and was staring at something. It was motionless, and at first Hawkins thought he was going to turn his attention towards himself, but then he realised it wasn't him it was staring at, but his fallen bond brother.
The Hunter wailed, lifting both arms, in a flail of anger. Bison stepped over Hawkins's downed body and walked directly to the Hunter.
"Sarge what the hell are you doing" Hawkins cried, but Bison continued his pace. The Hunter turned from the rubble, saw Bison, and lifted his shield in a berserk frenzy; its razor-sharp back needles tingling with rage.
It sprung forward, landing with an earth shattering thud, and brought his metallic shield vertically down on Bison's head.
Bison was too fast, and effortlessly side-stepped the blow. The shield sliced through the air before crashing into the ground sending dirt and gravel flying, as Bison manoeuvred towards the Hunter's back.
Hawkins from the ground watched with disbelief and awe, as Bison dodge the Hunter's razor needle back spines before pulling up his sub-machine gun and jamming the barrel into the Hunter's exposed orange skin at the rear.
"Swallow this, you bastard" Bison was like ice, no emotion, no remorse, no mercy, as he gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
The Hunter howled as the point blank sub-machine gun blasted its way through the Hunter's back region. Orange blood sprayed freely, splattering against Bison face.
The Hunter waved both arms frantically, before falling to the ground, its back ripped to shreds by the sheer force of the gun's velocity.
Bison ejected the empty sub-machine clip, and threw the gun to the ground as he bent to retrieve the rubble covered marine. He was battered and bruised by somehow still alive.
"Get up" the Sarge commanded before walking off into the darkness of the courtyard. Hawkins jumped to his feet and ran over to the marine. He was still lying there catching his breath, as Hawkins extended a hand to help.
"Thanks" although on his feet the marine was still recovering from his near death experience.
"The name's Rico" he managed to sputter out between breaths.
"Private Hawkins" was the reply.
It was near pitch darkness, the night came with a chill; the nearby skirmishes calming down. Nights in Shatella always came with the eerie silence of war.
Both marines stood in the centre of the apartment courtyard, Bison in the corner, back turned, cigar in hand.
"Marines hold this perimeter; I'm going to see if I can radio in Command." Bison turned to face both marines; his face grim as always.
Hawkins crossed the courtyard, battle rifle in hand. It wasn't a large space, square in shape, roughly twenty by ten metres. The apartment block which towered high over the space, had been blasted with Covenant fire and was no doubt a key reason why so much rubble and destruction remained on the courtyard below.
The courtyard itself was quite a secured area, with high cement walls surrounding the perimeter, the only two exclusions was a blasted wall, where they had originally entered and an entrance way that lead into the ground level of the apartment block.
It may have been secure but the courtyard was a mess. Bodies of marines lay, amongst the two Hunter bodies, red and orange blood mixed around the surrounding. Hawkins could still smell death within the perimeter walls.
He passed Rico, who had his back up against the wall, still recuperating from his encounter with the Hunter earlier on. Rico was short, and lacked a physical build, his tired brown eyes matching with his brown buzzcut.
Hawkins wondered how long he had been fighting for, because by the look of his face, it looked like he was going to crack.
Bison returned, emerging from the blasted gap in the wall. His facial expressional dismal; the same it was when he left.
"What's the go Sarge, are we getting out of here now" Rico voice was desperate.
"There's not going to be any evac son." was the reply.
Rico opened his mouth in disbelief, even Hawkins face was filled with surprise. The initial plan had always to go into Shatella, push the Covenant out in twenty-four hours and evacuate immediately. Things went bad however, there was more Covenant then expected.
"What do you mean there's not going to be any evac, there's always evac, where is the God damn evac." Rico dropped his rifle and slid slowly down the courtyard wall.
"Command has stated that the Covenant now controls total air-space around Nerul, there's no evac or reinforcements coming to Shatella." Bison spoke sternly, his ice cold personality in full force.
Hawkins tried to remain calm, but he couldn't. He knew those ONI assholes had screwed up, now they were trapped in a destroyed city, waiting to die. Their efforts had been in vain, so many lives lost, yet the Covenant would still walk out with what they wanted.
"We're screwed man." Rico lay slumped, he was in total break-down; no doubt he had seen too many die by the hands of the Covenant.
Hawkins walked over to the Bison. "So what's our objective now Sarge?"
"To stop the Covenant from finding what they want."
"You've got to be kidding me" Rico cried out "We're three men against a Covenant platoon, we are screwed...SCREWED."
Bison walked where Rico was slumped and pulled him to his feet by his armour.
"You listen to me marine, if the Covenant find what they want, they are packing up and Glassing this planet, then we're all dead, so quit your bitching, we're are going to survive and we're going to make it out alive." He dropped Rico, he hit the ground stunned.
"Hawkins if we're going to make it through the night I want that 50-cal machine gun set up, pronto." Bison pointed at discarded heavy machine gun, lying next to a dead marine, who unfortunately didn't get a chance to use it.
"We could be the only human life in this city marines, but I'll be damned if I'm going to lose more men to these alien bastards." Bison now shouting with raw hatred in his voice.
"We have been cut off, but we will get off this rock.... marines welcome to the new Shatella."
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