Apothecary Bruce
Shipwright with No Yards
Original poster
BORNSTELLAR MAKES ETERNAL LASTING
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
- Posting Speed
- Multiple posts per week
- 1-3 posts per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Advanced
- Prestige
- Preferred Character Gender
- Primarily Prefer Male
- Genres
- Science Fiction, Horror.
As Fieldings was dragged away, he thought it best to pump the brute guarding him for information. He looked up at the beast, "So, what're a bunch of Spartan Hunters doing out here on Levosia? This place isn't exactly important." Before he could get a reply, Fieldings was thrown to the floor by the impact of Adamantine Shield's main gun. Far from something he could capitalise on, as the brute with him got to its feet faster than he could. He wouldn't be resisting for now. The brutes were set on taking him alive, and there was no chance at escape.
The high-ranking Brute smiled at Fieldings, but it was not a cruel one. "I have once been captured as well, and I remember the pain that a lack of information brought. I shall spare you some mercy in this regard," he said. "The Banished want full control of this galaxy. We wish to spread our ideals and morality across all stars, granting our own meritocratic freedom to all under our banner...and Levosia, is one of the most populous worlds remaining to your kind, in your outer colonies. It was closest to our territory as well, a great foothold into yours. Its importance was deemed very vital. Your UNSC seems to agree," he said, before taking him into the hangar.
The entire ship was bloody, dented, ripped and torn. It seemed only him and fourteen other crewmen had survived, a tragically paltry sum. More gently than expected, the jiralhanae warden pushed Fieldings aboard the Banished Phantom, already waiting and loaded. "I hope you take these ounces of kindness and savor them, human. I do not believe you would survive the trials of the Banished, and unless you chose our path, the prisons will give you no more. First, you will receive the honor of meeting with War Chief Horcius."
"Damn it all to hell! Helm, belay that interdiction. Bring us back to the formation and prepare for a fight. Comms, get me a connection with that Covenant ship. They've sat on their hands for too long, We need to kill those reinforcements before they can spool their Slipspace Drives again." November jabbed a finger into his console, keying the command line once again, "Pale, Tower, Palenium, prepare for engagement. Four hostile Karves, 2 Ceudars, likely a Drekhar amidst them as well. I'm getting ahold of the Elites as well. Hopefully they'll take the brunt of the engagement."
With the clear capture of Fieldings, and November's quick reactions to the chaos around them, the other commanders fell in line without argument. Acknowledgements came from all three vessels, and even Shining Armor gave a quick affirmative ping, as indisposed as it was. Speaking of, November eyed the vessel on his command plot with deep concern. His sensors were still largely overloaded, but he'd seen a Shiva sailing unopposed to New Kherson. Shining Armor seemed to be moving in that direction at top speed, but he couldn't tell if it would or would not make the intercept in time.
"Worry not, humans - we shall bear this fight," the shipmaster of the Galactic Sojourner hailed back, "All available vessels of the Purposeful Way, to me."
The ex-Covenant fleet sped on to engage the Banished fleet, yet before that, another force arrived on another, close-by jump-point. A much larger force.
The entirety of the Purposeful Way arrived, ship by ship. A Ruma-pattern light carrier, two blockade runners, four line cruisers, over a dozen smaller escort ships. Then, UNSC slipspace ruptures, revealing an entire carrier task force, led by both a Valiant-class superheavy command cruiser and an Athens-class light carrier. "Consider this our application to the NAI," one of their captains jested over FLEETCOM, as a dozen MACs of various shapes and sizes turned a Karve into scrap.
Then, the Covenant vessels entered range. Plasma lances glittered out, heralding a flurry of cannon fire and Seraph bombing runs. The fleet's four other Ceudar-pattern corvettes and the Ruma-pattern carrier rocketed towards the planet as well, prepared to unleash their infantry and vehicles.
Finally, the flagship of the Purposeful Way arrived, and its majesty, even tarnished by time, was blinding. Over thirty kilometers of sheer nanolaminate mass, the Bane of Apostates was in of itself a clear declaration of support until the end, making Levosia the chief target of its crusade.
"A Drekar has slipped our grasp, Commander November," the same shipmaster reported. "Dastardly impressive vehicles. Nevertheless, the hulk of one of your light destroyers does naught but float here, if you wish to retrieve it for repairs."
The coalition force at Cassanova will attempt to reorganize as Bantas and other transports move the Solano garrison, and 50,000 of the Immortals deployed in the Solano mountains, to the battle at Cassanova. The Elite Legion of the Purposeful Way will also deploy to the battlefield, using CT's prior suggested drop method.
Nearly two hundred thousand new troops and their vehicle complements arrive to reinforce the defense against the Praetorian's ambush, quickly turning the tides. Attempting to retreat the long way around, running to the sides of the city walls to be let up onto the battlements themselves, Praetorian Carcharodon and his remaining forces find themselves confronted by another variable of the NAI's, foolishly thought containable...
Throughout the city, Covenant drop-pods and gunships soared down from Purposeful Way craft, carrying nearly ten thousand troops to gather a foothold, protecting the Bronze Bulwark. With that as reassurance, the crashed frigate's Ramparts opened fire, shooting down Banished Banshees by the dozen. Pulse lasers and bombardment cannons burned the city walls of defenders, and finally, plasma beams battered at the theater shield, readying for a final assault.
Veronica Ogburn held the detonator to the C7 that Connolly's mercenaries had placed all around a shipping crate of plasma coils, which the four Spartan-IIs had been kind enough to push into position. Wild, the difference between them and us, she'd have just about no choice but to think after witnessing the massive display of strength.
The UNSC super soldiers held their position - the marksmen, Bas, Connolly, and Veronica herself up in their separate sniper's perches. The rifle squad, Armando, James, Cal, the five merc snipers crouched low, three mercs with battle rifles and the five ORIONs using spartan rifles held their aim at the door, standing center and ready to fire. The heavy weapon squads, four Pilum rocketeers and eight grenade launcher infantry, ready to blast away at the second wave once the C7 and plasma got the first. Hidden behind a car was both Elara and Olly, ready to get in close if any broke through the line.
Then, the doors burst open, revealing a horde of Grunt Ultras, Skirmishers, and two Brute heavy gunners, holding aloft their scrap cannons. The humans didn't bother shooting, knowing their bullets were meant for the Banished behind these ones. That, and the crate of plasma and explosives in the way.
Veronica clicked the detonator's button, and the bridge exploded.
The first wave of Banished infantry were dead on the spot, what remained of them flung across the walls. Those on the battlements were too pre-occupied with other matters to really intervene, that, and something invisible seemed to be killing those that showed much interest. The gate separating this bridge section from the last still held, and through its openings more weapons fired, from plasma rifles to more scrap cannons. The sniper team took the heads off those who thought cover was their friend, while the bulky shielded Brutes who tried to rush in and fire off their fuel rod guns and ravagers were gunned down by precision salvo fire from the spartan rifle-wielding Orions.
The mercs, careful to conserve their ammo, switched their rifles to single fire to finish off the Grunts stripped of their shields by the Commando rifleers. The Pilums fired, blowing apart their heaviest soldiery while the grenade launchers kept their sangheili from swarming ahead. That was, until a plasma caster cluster bolt struck next to the grenade launcher squad, who tried their best to dive away, but still were annihilating in the resulting series of blasts.
"Focus fire on that crossbow gun!" Veronica called out to her squad, acting the spotter. Another salvo of spartan rifle fire tore the Elite with the caster apart. A volley of charged ravager bolts were loosed at the rifle squad, and they fell back, their accuracy faltering as the ground burned and smoldered before them. Two sangheili blademasters took their chances, rushing out, only to be met with Elara and her shotgun. The first, not seeing the blow coming fell backwards, shields, armor and hide all penetrated at once - yet the latter was unphased, slicing her weapon in half.
That was when Olly jumped forward with his combat knives, slicing broadly across the sangheili's chest to disorientate his enemy. Before he could thrust his other knife into the bottom of the sangheili's neck, there was a flash of light - and suddenly, Olly couldn't feel his hands anymore.
The sangheili kicked the suddenly disabled super soldier on their back, laughing in terrible mockery as it did so, before a plasma blade emerged from its chest, ceasing the laughter. Elara pulled the sword from the back of the blademaster, triumphant and sneaky, before a beam rifle clipped her shoulder, causing her to crouch, before a concussion bolt threw her forward, slamming atop Olly with all her weight, causing him to be unable to breathe.
Before Armando could move the unconscious C-II off of the wounded Olly, James merely ran over and kicked her off, firing his rifle one-handed as he handed Olly to the mercs without heavy weapons.
Baz finished reloading his sniper rifle, his shields still yet to recharge after a sniper exchange, as he heard the distinct warble of a Banshee fighter come closer and closer. He swung the rifle around, remembering his training in war games, and fired his weapon four times, the armor piercing rounds killing the pilot and breaking off an anti-gravity projector. The plane tumbled from the sky and detonated against the inner city wall, and as Baz turned his attention back to the battle, a split-second horror flashed across his scope.
A radioactive blamite round blasted apart the scope device, no doubt launched from some exotic blend of carbine and needle rifle, and struck his visor, held in place by the super-durable 'glass' material. Baz reached up to pull the round out before it could fire, but two more rounds struck him, one in the chest armor, and another in the stomach, delaying his reaction enough to allow the first crystal to violently burst. After that, he tried blinking - and found his left eye to be the only one that worked.
He quickly tossed aside the other needles, letting his fellow snipers cover him, and to let his automatic biofoam injectors heal up his lower bodily injuries, but there was nothing for the blistering pain in his face. He couldn't remove his helmet, that was stupid, but the pain was enough to blind him regardless of injury.
The hand of a sangheili was placed against his shoulder, and Baz turned, M6D in hand, and pointed it at a sangheili. She laughed. "Careful, Spartan. You've done enough, allow us to help now."
The Banished's defense turrets turned on their own warriors, thundering out plasma behind the snipers, and Baz found an entire force of the Purposeful Way, infiltrators and assassins all. They unleashed covering fire for their own blademasters, who rushed in and murdered what remained of their enemies.
Perhaps, if they had time to consider it, their egos might be wounded - but it was a mighty force, a hard fight, and all of them were lucky to be alive regardless.
Tese 'Taralumai: Illegally cybernetically augmented short Elite Scion, dancer's build, still light-hearted in the face of everything that's happened to her, strong warrior
- Syga 'Trantakai: Short and dour Elite, product of eugenics melding between the 'Sumai and Trantakai bloodlines, now incredible assassin, Infiltration Harness, Energy Garrote, Energy Daggers, twin Energy Swords, head of Fleet Security
- Yehono Rodna: Slugman, lieutenant of Syga, wears funny hat
Syga 'Trantakai: Infiltration Harness, Cloaking Device, Energy Garrote, Energy Daggers, Twin Energy Swords, Carbine
Tese 'Taralumai: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Twin Plasma Rifles
Yehono Rodna: Cloaking Device, Beam Rifle, M6C/SOCOM, Energy Sword, funny hat
Ex-Zealot: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Point Defense Gauntlet, Plasma Rifle
Skirmisher Commando: Cloaking Device, Needle Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Dual Needlers
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Plasma Rifle, Pulse Carbine
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Plasma Repeater, Plasma Rifle
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Carbine, Plasma Rifle
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Storm Rifle, Plasma Pistol
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Stalker Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Storm Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Carbine, M6C/SOCOM
Human Combat Harness: mixture of ODST/SPI and Spec Ops Elite aesthetics
- Syga 'Trantakai: Short and dour Elite, product of eugenics melding between the 'Sumai and Trantakai bloodlines, now incredible assassin, Infiltration Harness, Energy Garrote, Energy Daggers, twin Energy Swords, head of Fleet Security
- Yehono Rodna: Slugman, lieutenant of Syga, wears funny hat
Syga 'Trantakai: Infiltration Harness, Cloaking Device, Energy Garrote, Energy Daggers, Twin Energy Swords, Carbine
Tese 'Taralumai: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Twin Plasma Rifles
Yehono Rodna: Cloaking Device, Beam Rifle, M6C/SOCOM, Energy Sword, funny hat
Ex-Zealot: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Point Defense Gauntlet, Plasma Rifle
Skirmisher Commando: Cloaking Device, Needle Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Dual Needlers
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Plasma Rifle, Pulse Carbine
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Plasma Repeater, Plasma Rifle
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Carbine, Plasma Rifle
Spec Ops Elite: Cloaking Device, Energy Sword, Storm Rifle, Plasma Pistol
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Stalker Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Storm Rifle, M6C/SOCOM
Human PMC: Human Combat Harness, Cloaking Device, Carbine, M6C/SOCOM
Human Combat Harness: mixture of ODST/SPI and Spec Ops Elite aesthetics
While administering medical aid to their wounded, the mercenaries and Connolly secured the perimeter. The Spec Ops troop had eliminated the local wall section garrison, and in all the chaos, the NAI had deployed heavy amounts of Archer missiles and Rampart fire only two miles away, leaving the Banished offensive and defensive measures in complete disarray. Deciding they still could do some good, the remaining super soldiers and their allies new and old prepared to set off, loading Olly, one of the other ORIONs who had taken a plasma bolt to the right side of their torso, and the Pilum-wielding mercs onto the Spec Ops' Phantom, along with their ammo-exhausted weaponry, the spartan rifles and Echidna Hydra. Before departing, the Pilum rocket launchers were offered to the surviving soldiers.
272 Plasma Pistols
110 Disruptors
108 Needlers
92 Brute Plasma Rifles
32 Storm Rifles
31 Skewers
28 SAS-10 Defender Magnums
22 Stalker Rifles
20 Energy Swords
12 Plasma Turrets
10 Fuel Rod Guns
8 Scrap Cannons
7 Ravagers
5 Shock Rifles
6 Maestro Battle Rifles w/EVO Sights
3 Lances of Suban (Needle Corvette)
2 Bandit DMRs, Skirmisher-Modified
1 Plasma Caster
1 Beam Rifle
1 MA5K Carbine, Skirmisher-Modified
110 Disruptors
108 Needlers
92 Brute Plasma Rifles
32 Storm Rifles
31 Skewers
28 SAS-10 Defender Magnums
22 Stalker Rifles
20 Energy Swords
12 Plasma Turrets
10 Fuel Rod Guns
8 Scrap Cannons
7 Ravagers
5 Shock Rifles
6 Maestro Battle Rifles w/EVO Sights
3 Lances of Suban (Needle Corvette)
2 Bandit DMRs, Skirmisher-Modified
1 Plasma Caster
1 Beam Rifle
1 MA5K Carbine, Skirmisher-Modified
In the end though, the entire Champions force was dead, hundreds of the Banished's best troops wiped out. None of their super soldiers were fully lost. It was a good enough victory, all told.
The trek was relatively easy, running through the smoldering ruins of the city's entrance/exit zone. Tens of thousands of troops were now dead here, along with the carcasses of several ruined vehicles. The party could see in the distance the ginormous armies of the Purposeful Way bashing against the Praetorian's forces, slowly coming to outnumber him, pushing the ambush forces back even, towards the super soldier group.
They wouldn't be able to stand against his remaining army, depleted as it was. But they might be able to kill Carcharodon, and take a leader of the Banished off the board. Considering how many scattered armies there were left on Levosia, cutting off any head of command would be a wise thing to do...
Carcharodon's war party was doing its best to retreat, but it seemed he was the only one who wanted to. The rest of his army wanted to stay and fight, trying to defy the odds, even as enemies dropped in by the hundreds all around them. From his mobile command skiff, he tried ordering around his remaining warriors, yet with a stray Scorpion shell, his vehicle sputtered and died. The Praetorian bashed open his own dead craft, roaring in anger. Around him, he summoned his honor guard, chieftains with no responsibility over troops. "Aid me! This campaign is lost, transmit a request for extraction to the war chief!" he demanded.
"At once, praetorian," one of them said, pointing towards a Grunt, who activated his radio tool.
It was this sad display that the Spartans, ORIONs, sangheili and support troops found him in...
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