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Setting the Table
Posted By: hornet34<hornet34x@hotmail.com>
Date: 3 January 2003, 3:33 pm
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Wraith Base is located on the colony world Endurance. The action takes place two years after the fall of Earth. The base commander is General Etsen.
0600
Wraith Base General Meeting Room
"Approximately two hours ago, Intelreported that broken Covenant transmissions confirm an attack at approximately 1400 today. Therefore, we will be usingthe remaining time to prepare a welcomefor these squid-head s.o.b.'s that they won't forget. We are going to annihilate them so terribly that the idea of ever landing on one of our planets in the future is going to make them shudder. Everyone move to their assigned stations" barked General Etsen.
"SIR YES SIR"
The General had good men. They were well trained and battle tested. The Intel on the upcoming battle was better than most, and the positioning of the base made it a formidable target. Yes, the General was confident in their victory today. But that wasn't all that was keeping him smug. Just two days earlier a soldier had arrived on tour of the facilities. That soldier was the Master Chief. His incredible battle skills coupled with the well-prepared marines seemed to assure victory, although assurances usually meant squat.
0700
Wraith Base Perimeter
"So, Master Chief, we've decided that you'll be in one of our best sniper towers when the battle starts."
"But General, I think I would be more useful on the ground and at the frontlines."
As the two men walk, the air is filled with marines yelling out orders to each other, the sound of autocannons test firing, and Warthog engines idling.
"Our High Command thinks that that would put you at too much risk, and your skills at a sniper position are invaluable. But I would still like for you to inspect the rest of our defenses, it would be good for you to be familiar with them all should you find yourself in that position."
The General and the Master Chief proceeded to inspect the various preset mortars, mine fields, and autocannons that amplified the power of the marines. The marines, after cracking Covenant radio transmissions, had advantage in knowing where the Covenant planned to attack. This allowed them to concentrate their firepower in a most lethal manner.
1230
Somewhere in the forest near Wraith Base.
"This is Red One, we have confirmed mobilization of the Covenant troops."
"Roger, Red One, proceed with your assignment and then get your happy asses back to base."
Red One took his place in the Warthogs driver seat. Meanwhile, his comrades Red Two and Red Three inched over the hill and prepared their weapons. 3...2...1... mark! Whoosh, whoosh, two rockets barreled down towards the unsuspecting aliens. The first blast was right between a grunt and a jackal, turning them both into well-scattered body parts. The second blast was right between a gold elite and the blue one assigned to protect him. The blue elites back was filled with shrapnel, effectively ending his usefulness, but the gold elites shields took the damage for him. Red Two took advantage of the elites weakened shields and fire his sniper, once, twice, and the gold elites chest had a baseball sized hole in it. He then shifted aim to a jackal that had his back turned. The bullet passed through the jackal's spine with ease, continuing on to sever a grunt leg at the kneecap. Red Two's fourth shot turned another jackal's head into a memory, and all three members were into the warthog and roaring away.
1400
Wraith Base Command Center
"Sir, Private Meier reports enemy movement through his sniper scope."
"Yes, we've already identified them on the sensors. Tell all snipers to fire as the Covenant come out of the clearing, with priority on elites. Maybe if we deprive them of their leadership, they'll decide they don't like playing with us and go home" the General replied.
"Aye Aye, sir"
Meanwhile, outside.
"That's affirmative, General"came Cortana's reply. "Listen up, marines. All snipers have been ordered to engage the Covenant as they enter the mine field. All other marines are ordered to hold their fire until they passed the mine field and have entered the artillery zone. Put plenty of fire out, because we want them ducking right as our shells come on top of them. All soldiers with rocket launchers, hunters are your priority as usual. The Master Chief and I will be providing sniper support and info onCovenant movements."
The Covenant were now entering the clearing, preparing to charge up the torturous incline that made Wraith Base so easy to protect. Few pieces of Covenant armor where evident, only a scattering of ghosts, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. The Covies advanced with the jackals in the lead, the idea that the other would be protected behind their massed shields. No long range shots were being exchanged by either side, and it seemed somewhat surreal until that first jackal stepped on a mine. The explosion tossed him several meters in the air, and many fellow jackals were blown off balance or turned to see the source of this attack. All of a sudden several white lances filled the air, as the snipers at the base opened up with deadly accurate fire on the startled jackals. Many gaps formed in the Covenant ranks, but were quickly filled by more jackals. The leading elites quickly realized how deadly advancing up the mine ridden hills would be, and ordered four groups of grunts to toss their plasma grenades over the jackals as the advanced to clear the mines.
The Master Chief crouched in his perch and smiled. He already picked off two jackals after the first explosion, and now he watched the Covenant stop their advance to clear the area with grenades. While he was certain the commanding elites were doing the right thing to preserve their soldiers, he also grinned at all the extra time they were giving him to pick off those careless enough to peek out of their protection. He followed one grunt as he made his way up to toss a grenade, then pulled the trigger just as he was pulling the pin. The now headless grunt dropped to the ground, the burning grenade counting down till the time the rest of his body would be nothing but carbonized ash. The Master Chief then scoped over to an elite. Using a very slim gap in thejackals shields in front of him,the Master Chiefsent a shell through the elite's skull.
Now the were through the minefield and were entering the preset zones for the artillery shells. Private William Patterson was up on the front wall clutching his assault rifle for dear life.
"OPEN UP" yelled the Sarge, and thousand of roundsshot down into the Covenant ranks.
Private Patterson stepped from behind the barricade and emptied hisclip. He ducked behind cover and began reloading, his hands shaking. The sounds of mortars blowing up and the hissofplasma in the air threatened to deafen him. He stepped back into the open and again emptied his clip. He reloaded once more, dropping to the ground once as a plasma went off close by. He stepped out a third time to fire, butaplasma bolt caught himin the left leg. The bolt hithis armor square, spinning him aroundbut deflecting a good portion of the shot's power. He propped himself up and emptied his clip once more into the rush of Covenant. Through his steadily blurring vision, he sees one grunt go down. He distantly hears a cry of "medic", and then shock from the wound overpowers him.
The Master Chief watches as the Covenant struggle through the artillery zone. He continues to lay down merciless sniper fire, taking a Covenant downwith each shot. To him the General's defensive set up is brilliant, forcing the enemy from one unsavory position into another. His musings on the battle are interrupted as Cortana's cool voice echoes inhis head. "Two Banshees detected."
Aw hell, I know this was too easy, the Master Chief thinks. "Alright marines, we haveBanshees entering our airspace.Lets ground them."
The Banshees separate as they approach, forcing the fire on them to also be divided. The first Banshee swoops in, its fuel rod cannon blasting one marines legs off. It continues to fire its plasma cannons, the shots dancing across the bunker surface till they chew through amarine. Return fire comes in the form of scattered assault rifle shots from those daring to take their eyes off the ground forces, to the deadlier combined fire from scoped pistols and autocannons. The first Banshee is ripped to shreds as it attempts to turn for another pass.As the second Banshee begins its run, the Master Chief pullsout his own pistol. While the clip he unloads on the Banshee fails to brings it down, it does cause it to abort its run on the marines below. TheBanshee arcs up and fire its fuel rod cannon, missing the Master Chiefs Sniper position by a couple of tens of meters. It then turns to make another run,but it too is taken down by combined forces.
The remaining Covenant below, never fully aided by the air support they needed and missing one of their topleaders, quickly fall to the marine forces, victim of bad tactics and Intel.
2200
Wraith Base Command Center
"Quite impressive, General. Nearly 100 percent kill rate with a causality rate of only 18 percent."
"Ah, Cortana, Master Chief. Shouldn't you two be finally taking a little rest. You do deserve it."
"No can do, the Covenant knowI'm here, which means I need to leave. Still, I was quite impressed with your troops today. I'm sure they'll make quick work of whatever the Covenant send to exact revenge for their embarrassing loss today."
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