Today was a glorious day for battle.
'Xytamee and his team of warriors had moved through the human positions with relative ease. The pathetic creatures were no match for the strength of battle-hardened Sangheili. Behind them, pairs of Unggoy were setting up plasma turrets to cover the entrance of this massive cave. Kig-yar and lower ranking Sangheili had taken up positions in the cleared out bunkers on the hills surrounding it as well. With their flank covered, 'Xytamee and his team could move forward without too much concern.
Somehow, this cave seemed even larger on the inside. The walls and ceiling were lined with metal that had corroded away in many spots, revealing the natural rock in large splotches. Unlike the majority of ruins left behind by the Forerunners, this place was in particularly bad shape. 'Xytamee wondered briefly why these sacred ruins were in such terrible condition, but mentally shrugged. That was a question better left to the scientists. He was a warrior.
The squad reached a large door at the end of the corridor. Thankfully, its holographic controls in the corner were still functional. 'Xytamee ordered one of his men to open the door. The rest took up positions, should there be any remaining Human presence beyond the doors. 'Xytamee withdrew his plasma rifle and held it in his off-hand; even his blade had its limitations.
The door emitted a loud tone and began to open slowly. Almost immediately, small arms fire filled the air. The Sangheili tasked with opening the door was riddled with bullets and torn apart in an explosion of blue gore. They had set up heavy weaponry overlooking the door, anticipating their approach. Although Humans were at best pests, 'Xytamee had to admit it was a wise idea.
Of course, that changed nothing about their fate.
'Xytamee unleashed a volley of plasma from his rifle, which caught one of the defending Humans dead-center in the chest. The creature crumpled to the ground with a smoking hole in its armor. 'Xytamee holstered his energy sword and primed a plasma grenade. He hurled the ignited device into the fray. As expected, Humans cried out in their primitive tongue and dove for cover. From his own cover, he could hear the detonation of the grenade and the sounds of screams.
It was only a matter of time before they broke through.
[hr]
From the moment Virgil's pod hit the dirt, he knew what to do.
He unlatched his gear and got his BR55 at the ready, just in time for the door charges to detonate, blasting the front of the pod clear. Ducking through a volley of plasma fire, he swung around and took cover behind the vehicle.
"Sir, you manage to spot how many we are dealing with? Didn't have a chance for headcount."
The VISIR system identified the speaker as Echo Six. Virgil activated the helmet's built-in mic with his chin and opened a channel to the rest of the squad.
"This Echo Actual. The drop was shaky but I spotted-"
"Approximately eighty hostiles." Tyr interrupted him. "My guess is forty "Grunts", ten "Jackals", and thirty "Elites". Not an occupation force, by any means. This is definitely a special task group. They have been moving to the north and clearing out our positions as they go. Small numbers of troops are being left behind as they advance, in addition to turret emplacements. At their current pace, they will reach the ruins before you do."
The approximate locations of the hostiles appeared on Virgil's motion tracker.
"Fuck! We're gonna have to move, fast." He peered out of cover with his BR at the ready. Taking aim at a Grunt who very arrogantly stood in the open, he fired a three round burst that pierced its mask and exited out the back of its skull. Gas escaped from the ruptured apparatus and bright blue blood splattered on his comrades, who wisely took cover. "We need to move, now. Tyr, find us a path that doesn't get us fried."
"Can do. Calculating." After a brief pause, two red arrows appeared on the HUD, one to the northeast and one to the northwest. Two bunkers sat on raised hills that overlooked the entrance of a large, cave-like structure. Virgil could see the distant shimmering of Jackal shields. The Covenant have already taken those positions...but he could see what Tyr had in mind. Hit the left and right flanks from above, then descend and move in.
"Good idea. Echo Squad, we're splitting up. Echo Two, Four and Six are on me. The rest of you are on Echo Seven. My team will clear out the northeast bunker, and Seven's team will clear the northwest bunker. Wipe out the Covies inside and we'll hit the sonsofbitches down below. Copy, Echo Squad?"
