The Final Conflict: Chapter 1
Posted By: Blade<blade@leetgamers.org>
Date: 23 September 2003, 11:27 PM
Read/Post Comments
|
Private Johnson stood in the bridge of the Spartan IV battle cruiser. He gazed out the large glass display window at the Covenant battle cruisers and frigates that were approaching. In less than thirty seconds, the Covenant will be storming into the ship and kill all humans onboard. Then they will proceed to hack into the mainframe computer and download all data needed to locate the human home-planet of Earth. That's how it always works.
Johnson took a deep breath, "The final moments of my life are upon me. Sheez, I never should have signed up for the marines."
The first blow to the ship was a big one. Everyone standing up in the bridge was knocked off of his or her feet.
Johnson got back up, picking up his MA5B Assault Rifle as he went, "Time to go to work."
In order to be in the UNSC Marine Corps you had to be in good physical condition. Johnson worked out in the weight room everyday since he was recruited ten years ago, so, of course, he was in good physical condition.
He jogged down the hall with his assault rifle aiming in front of him to be prepared for stray Covenant soldiers popping around a corner at any given time. He was well armed; carrying four fragmentation grenades in his left cargo-pocket, a fully loaded pistol on his belt accompanied by extra pistol and assault rifle ammunition. He couldn't carry more equipment even if he wanted to. Johnson was well known for his good battle tactics. But battle tactics come easily when you're a weapons-expert of every known human weapon there is or ever will be, like French fries and a soda come with every hamburger at any fast-food restaurant there is or ever will be.
Johnson heard shooting around a corner just ahead of him. He focused his assault rifle on the door to the hallway. A small Covenant soldier holding a shield in front of him, known as a jackal to the marines, jogged out of the corner in front of him going in the same direction he was heading. Johnson shot a quick three-round burst with his assault rifle. All rounds struck the jackal in the back, killing it instantly. He went into the hallway that the jackal came out of and he saw a human engineer sitting on the ground holding multiple plasma wounds. There was a trail of red blood on the floor coming from a doorway ahead of Johnson and ending where the engineer sat. Blood was slightly coming out of the knee of the engineer. Johnson could tell that the jackal must have shot the engineer in the knee, then dragged him out of the room and shot him two to three times more right here until he thought the engineer was dead. It must have been a newly recruited jackal because experienced ones would still shoot you when they believed you were dead, just to make sure you weren't still alive.
Johnson noticed the nametag of the engineer, "Wait here, William. I'm going to see if there are any more survivors in the direction I was heading before I came this way," he pulled the pistol off of his belt, "Take this pistol and shoot anything that comes around this corner."
"But what if it's friendly?" the engineer replied.
Johnson tried radioing to Captain Simmons, who was back on the bridge of the ship. He got nothing.
"It won't be. You're the last living human in this section of the ship. I just tried radioing to the Captain and I got nothing. Other marines or engineers would have heard me and responded to tell me about the Captain being killed but I got none of them either. Everyone's dead, except me and you," Johnson turned around and started to exit the hallway. He turned back around, "Oh, and make sure whatever you shoot at is dead before you take your eyes off of it."
Johnson headed back in his original direction. He saw the end of that hallway which only branched off to the left. Flashes were coming out of that next hallway and occasionally projectiles would accompany them. Marines were fighting the Covenant ahead and Johnson knew they'd need his help. After all, any battle against the Covenant was a losing one. More numbers on the human side at least gives them a better chance of survival.
He entered the hallway and noticed six jackals, four grunts, and two elites firing at a small group of marines pinned down behind a pillar. This was a bad position for him because the Covenant was in between him and the other marines.
Johnson grabbed one of his grenades and pulled the pin, "Frag out!"
The grenade ricocheted off of the left wall and landed directly in front of the Covenant forces. It exploded. All grunts and jackals were killed. The elites were tossed in opposite directions, slamming into the walls of the hallway depleting both of their suit's shielding systems. They both turned to face Johnson and simultaneously threw their arms in the air and let out a loud howl. Then they charged him, growling and firing their automatic plasma rifles.
Even the greatest marines couldn't kill two elites alone, even without their shields. Johnson readied his assault rifle. Gritting his teeth, he opened fire on them both.
|
