Neverland: Eradication
Posted By: SOS.Odin<kavika86@yahoo.com>
Date: 24 February 2004, 3:03 AM
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Red and blue teams started moving back into the woods as the Covenant decided not to follow across the field.
The mission was a success and the sun was just peeking over the hills. They would be back later that day to clear out the rest of the Covenant
John and Kelly were back in their scouting spots on the edge of the woods. This time there were twenty Spartan IIs and eighty UNSC Marines in the woods with them. It was about three fourths of the way through the day and the sun was closing towards the horizon. The Covenant base was crawling with patrols. Security had been boosted due to the early morning events.
Cpl. James was to the left flank. He had been assigned to the 1st Marine Battalion. There were seven Marine Battalions in Neverland. There were only five Army Battalions and only a single Company from the UNSC Air Navy Corps.
Cpl. James was made a platoon leader and promoted to Sergeant. He then volunteered for a spot in the assault to prove himself. He was given the Souders, and Staten when he got better, and seventeen other Marines. He was the fourth platoon Sgt. in Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. Dog Company were the only Marines to go on this assault. Intel told it would be enough.
James motioned for his men to stay low and stay quiet. An order for snipers went over the comm and James waved for his sniper to positon himself in the tree next to him. A single sniper was to report the strength of the enemy over the comm so everyone knew what was in there.
"I got two Elites in each of the twelve towers. Around 100 Grunts, it looks like. Three patrols of five Jackals moving around the perimeter. Probably about a dozen more Elites inside the base and around ten more Jackals." The sniper paused for a moment, probably scanning for more. "I see six Hunters standing by a big building close to the command center. There are four Brutes outside as well, and...Shit! There are two Knights behind the command center!"
The MC was already thinking the overview was a bit grimm, but two Knights made it impossible. From what he saw the night before, and past experiences, it'd probably take all twenty of the Spartans just to overtake the command center.
The MC turned towards Kelly, "Radio back to your base and send for the rest of 1st Battalion. We're going to have to attack at night, not like that's a bad thing."
Kelly accessed her comm and ordered the reinforcement, giving a sit wrap and their current position. John turned back to the base and accessed his comm system. "Sit tight boys and girls, we're waiting for reinforcements on this one."
A ton of weight was just lifted off of Sgt. James' shoulders. He turned towards his platoon and motioned a stand down. The snipers were ordered to alternate watch. James decided to open up his MRE and have dinner.
It was two hours before the reinforcements arrived and were in place. James' platoon was one of ten ordered to crawl across the field and wait. They were to be the first wave of assailants. Everyone else was to run in from the edge of the woods. Six Spartans were also ordered to move in with them.
The signal was sent across the comm and James ordered his men to hit the dirt. They crawled for ten minutes and then signaled back to confirm their postion. Fourty seconds later the last platoon signalled in and another signal went across the comm. Seconds later seventeen sniper rounds cracked across the night sky. A single round from each platoon in each company, and one from a Spartan. Seventeen of the twenty Elites in the towers fell from a mortal wound to the head.
The fire at will command crackled across the comm and the snipers finished off their clips. All of the tower guards were killed as ten of the Elites in the base and all of the Jackals on patrol. Eight more Elites came out of the command center and one of the Knights moved towards the entrance of the base.
The signal for the attack went out and James got up. Behind him, his nineteen Marines and all the others in the woods emerged and started out in a sprint. James got to the front gate right as a demolitions Marine called the "Fire in the Hole!". The explosion blew the gate inwards and killed a group of Grunts. James was the third Marine inside and he fired upon a trio of Grunts on his right. He ran that way to clear the area and was hit in the chest by a plasma round.
Pvt. Brian Souder entered the Covenant base just in time to see Sgt. James hit the ground. He fired six rounds from his MA6B Assault Rifle into the wounded Grunt in front of his platoon leader. When Brian got to James he was gasping for air and bleeding profusely. Souder pulled his biofome out and filled the wound while his brother shot another Grunt emerging from the buildings and called for a Medic.
A Medic got there and examined the Sgt. "He'll be o.k. if I get him back and treat him right now."
Pvt. Kevin Souder nodded and helped the Medic carry him out of the base.
Pvt. Brian Souder stood and took in the situation. The Marines had pushed into the base and were clearing out the rows of barracks to the left. In the middle more Marines and a handfull of Spartans were in a firefight with a few Elites and Jackals close to the center of the base. To Souder's right were more barracks were the rest of his platoon were clearing out Grunts. Brian started to run that way when a Knight emerged from behind a barrack and crushed the roof.
The Knight broke into the barrack and pounded two Marines to the ground with its massive, hairy fists. Brian commed his company and relayed the position of the Knight. He then opened fire and moved towards a position where three more Marines were. They also witnessed the Knights emergence and opened fire as well. The Knight started to move towards them, but was then stopped by a rocket into his back. The Knight turned around to see three Spartans and a Marine with a SPNKr rocket launcher. The Spartans opened up and the Knight was now taking fire from two different directions.
Brian dropped his spent clip and slammed a fresh one in. He couldn't believe the Knight was still standing. Brian peered at the three pale warriors on the opposite side of the Knight. They were unleashing all of Hell on the Knight and it was still ticking. Brian primed a grenade and lobbed it at the Knight's feet.
The Knight was still confused as to which way to attack and took the full force of the grenade. The Knight staggered and launched itself at the Spartans. It grabbed a hold of one of them and slammed her against the Marine. The Marine died instantly, but the Spartan's superstructure kept her alive. The other two Spartans lobbed plasma grenades onto the Knight's chest and ran past it, firing into its weak spots the whole time. The grenades exploded and the Knight fell. The Spartans helped up their comrade and moved on.
Brian and the three Marines with him moved on towards the command center. The main force was already in the base and past them.
Grace was still staggering from attack by the Knight. If it weren't for John and Max she probably would have probablems walking. They trudged on nonetheless.
When Brian reached the command center it was all caos. There were three Brutes and four Hunters standing by a destroyed command center. Rockets completely decimated the building. The Brutes and Hunters were fighting against three platoons of Marines, and losing. There were dead Marines and dead Covenant all over the ground. In the midst of another platoon of Marines was the second Knight. It smashed a Marine and backhanded two more, all while taking the full assault of the platoon. It took out four more Marines with another swing of it's hand.
It came down with a double fisted pound but hit nothing but ground. While bent down a single Marine leaped on it's back and grabbed onto it's armor. The Knight twirled around like a carousel. The Marine held hard and jammed the muzzle of his rifle into the Knight's flesh. He unloaded a full clip into the beast and it slowed down substantially. The Marine leaped off, but the Knight caught him in mid-air and crushed his body. The rest of the platoon renewed their assault and quickly brought down the Knight.
An hour and a half later the base was completely cleared. Covenant losses amounted to 256 dead, 12 captured. Eight Grunts, two Jackals, and Elite, and a Prophet forfeit their freedom to the Humans. Marine losses were 56 dead, 87 injured, and 3 wounded Spartans. The operation was a success, but came at a high price.
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