Battle for Sigma Octanus
Posted By: Cire117<EJP8721@netscape.net>
Date: 14 August 2003, 3:19 AM
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(0600 hours) First Lieutenant Shafer looked out with a sense of security across the cleared area that marked the marine headquarters on Sigma Octanus IV. "The Covenant would be mad to attack us here" he muttered to himself as he heard the enlisted men bickering over shifts that day for the observation post. "Those poor bastards" he thought as he remembered that he was free from such an arduous and mind numbing task as that. The base was well defended; around the perimeter was row after row of fencing and razor wire. Behind the wire was a set of 18 bunkers each capable of holding 20 marines, and many having fixed 30mm Vulcan emplacements. As for personnel itself, there were well over 500 marines stationed in and around the immediate area, along with firebases scattered along the valley. "They would have to be insane" said the lieutenant with a smirk.
(1300 hours) Lieutenant Shafer had just left the chow hall for the midday meal. Unlike the enlisted personnel he usually got to eat on time and full meals, and was quite content and ready to tackle some reconnaissance paperwork that would be sent to ONI later that day. He was walking close to the perimeter fence to catch a glimpse of the lush rain forest that covered the plant, when suddenly out of nowhere three balls of green plasma hit the hospital. He turned quickly enough to see a flight of Banshee fliers pull up and out of the flaming wreckage that was the medical facility. For a brief time the screams of the wounded that weren't flash fried were hurt penetrating the chaos of the camp. The shouts of men were heard, as out of the forest charged hundreds upon hundreds of grunts. They ran headlong into the perimeter fence, and began dismantling it. Others charged the gate and guardhouse, but were held at bay by the guardhouse's Vulcan. The grunts kept pouring into the razor wire, using their dead as bridges over the crushed wire. The lieutenant beheld all this in a heartbeat. He quickly ran into the nearest bunker, and suddenly realized his helmet and MA5B were in the headquarters building. Shafer began to run out of the bunker again, but a corporal pulled him back, and just as he was about to break the man's nose, the corporal pointed to the sky. Eight drop ships came hurtling in from the north, and blasted all the prefab structures with their plasma turrets. The SAM batteries quickly responded with a salvo of missiles that sent the ships flaming into the remains of the inner compound. A private handed Lt. Shafer a helmet that had blood stains all over the inside of it, and an assault rifle in similar condition.
(1330 hours) The grunts that had made the initial charge were beginning to waver; they had nearly reached the bunker once and almost dismantled it with a plasma grenade. Banshees continued to pick off anything that moved, and attempted to take out the strong points. Every time a Covenant craft got close to a bunker it was met by a barrage of jackhammer rockets. Things were beginning to look up to Shafer when suddenly a large green bolt of plasma roared out the forest and rammed into the gatehouse. It immediately exploded into millions of small fragments. Several large shapes loomed out of the forest at the bunker. Shafer opened fire with his assault rifle, but the rounds merely pinged off what appeared to be a shield. As the creatures wandered close to the defensive line they unleashed bolts of green plasma at the emplacements. Brief shrieks were heard as the marines inside each bunker was flash fired. "Sir, what the hell are these things?" shouted a young marine. Shafer only stared back with a pallor of death fixed in his eyes. Event the large caliber rounds of the Vulcan merely deflected off of the shapes. Shafer tossed a frag grenade at the threat, but the simply walked through the explosion, and continued on their way. He then noticed that the grunts hadn't been anywhere in sight since these behemoths appeared. Lt. Shafer saw two marines run for cover as one immediately shot at them. In an instant there was nothing left but smoldering corpses. Deep inside the lieutenant a feeling was growing, one he hadn't had since he left the academy. "Listen up Marines" he barked "concentrate your fields of fire on the head and neck areas if you can, they seem to be trying to guard those the most". He then jumped out of the bunker and ran head long away from it. Shafer glanced over and saw one of them sighting down the weapon at him. He quickly fired a burst at the juggernaut just as the plasma was beginning to form in the chamber. The burst threw off its aim, and the plasma hit a few meters behind him. Shafer could feel the heat form blisters on his back, as his armor partially melted onto his back. He then turned toward the group of Covenant, and found an unarmored spot on the back of one. Shafer put a burst of armor piercing rounds into the discolored area. The creature heaved a last sigh, and collapsed with an earth-pounding thud. The five remaining Covenant turned, and all fired simultaneously at Shafer. His last vision before being engulfed with green was of the Covenant giants falling as the marines in the bunker tore into the unarmored backs of the creatures.
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