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  • Subject: Cote D'azur story
Subject: Cote D'azur story
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This is a story I wrote a while back...

1830 Hours, July 18, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Sigma Octanus IV, Cote d’Azur


If you’d have told me yesterday that today he’d be leading twenty strangers through the Covenant infested streets of Cote d’Azur, I’d have laughed in your face, Tom thought. Well, I’m certainly not laughing now.

Tom had served for five years with the Marines aboard the Leviathan. He’d made it all the way up to Sergeant before a stray plasma bolt got him a Purple Heart and an Honorable Discharge. Since then he’d moved to Sigma Octanus and gotten a job in the arms factory. His wife had been skeptical when they first left Reach, but they had both come to love the tropical city. The beach was five minutes from their apartment, and for two years it seemed like Cote d’Azur was paradise.
Still, Tom had seen a dozen other paradises scorched by Covenant ships, and he was determined not to be another nameless victim of their brutality. He kept his standard issue sidearm in his closet, along with his old uniform. He was the only one on the block with a gun, and the other guys at the factory all told him he was paranoid. The city had next to no crime, so what did a guy need a gun for?
When Tom awoke that morning, he’d put on the news and saw the first reports of a battle with the Covenant in orbit. The anchor had said the report was unconfirmed and that it was highly unlikely. So Tom had kissed Amanda at the door and trod off to work as usual, with an anxious feeling in the back of his mind.
He stopped for breakfast on his way, and just as he took the first sip of his coffee, he saw the evacuation announcement on the café’s screen. He’d dropped his coffee and sprinted back to his apartment, only to have Amanda meet him at the door.
“Tom, what’s going on? The news said to evacuate. What do we do?” She was clearly distraught, but Tom knew he didn’t have time to explain.
“Get dressed. Wear a set of my work clothes and your boots.” He reached into the hall closet and pulled out two duffel bags. One was his survival bag, with enough water and sealed food for a week, plus one or two other surprises. The other he handed to his wife. “After you get dressed, fill this with stuff for Jack. Milk, diapers, whatever. Go.” She rushed out of the room and he stripped off his work clothes. He hoped to himself that his uniform still fit as he pulled up the fatigue patterned pants. After he got dressed he pulled down his web belt and strapped it on. Then he got down the box he kept his pistol in and opened it up.
It had been a pain to get a permit, and he’d had to pay the Corps for the weapon, but all that seemed insignificant now. As he slid a clip into the M6C, a wave of calm came over him. He had feared this day for two years, but now that it was here he was surprisingly serene. Tom knew the city’s evacuation plan was a joke, so he’d prepared his own plan. He’d take them to his sister’s in the hills and wait until the Marines landed. That is, if the Covenant don’t just glass the planet, he thought.
Amanda came back into the kitchen wearing her husband’s loose fitting clothes, with Jack in her arms and the duffel on her back, half ready to cry. But when she saw her husband in his uniform and steel in his eyes, it calmed her. She knew if anyone could get them out of this it was Tom.
“Ready to go?” he asked softly. When she nodded assent, he took her hand and they stepped out into the hall of the building. Their neighbor Ben was wandering the hallway, half crazed with fear.
“Hey Tom, what’s going on pal? Ten minutes ago the news says evacuate as fast as possible, now it says stay inside and lock your doors. What’s it all mean?” His hair was disheveled and he was wearing flannel pajamas. Tom had always envied Ben’s work hours, but today it meant he was unprepared for an early morning catastrophe.
“-blam!-. They only tell the civilians to lock their doors if the Covenant have landed already. Look Ben, calm down and listen to me. Your life depends on it. Go inside, wake Jane, get dressed in rugged clothes, pack some food real fast and meet me back here. I can only wait for three minutes, then Amanda and I are leaving.” Tom noticed that his forceful speech made the situation register with his neighbor, and within two and a half minutes the small group was ready to move.
“Okay, now, if we stay here, the Covenant will come eventually and it won’t be pretty. I’ve seen it plenty of times. We’ve got to get away from this population center. My truck can get us to my sister’s house in the hills. We can wait there until the Marines land. They’ll get us out of here. Unless, you have a better plan?” Tom hadn’t intended to take others with him, but he certainly wasn’t going to leave people behind for the Covenant.
“We’re with you Tom.” Ben and his wife were an older couple, and their children lived on Earth. They had moved to Cote d’Azur to retire, not be attacked by aliens, so they were glad to have a neighbor who knew what he was doing.
“Alright then, good to have you aboard. Now, let’s hustle.” They took the stairs down the three flights to the lobby, in case the power shut down on the elevator. Tom led the way, followed by Amanda and Jack, then Jane, with Ben bringing up the rear. When they reached the lobby, Tom opened up the front door and poked his head out.
When Tom had left for work, Cote d’Azur had been peaceful. Now people were running around, some screaming, others looting, and some just wandering aimlessly. The roads were jammed with cars, but traffic was moving, which was a good sign. He pulled his head back into the lobby and looked over his team. His wife, their six-month-old son, and the sixty something neighbors. Not exactly the elite squad he’d commanded in the Corps, but he’d have to make it work.
“It’s four blocks to the parking garage, so we’re going to have to run for it. Stay close and don’t bother slowing down to take a look. The city’s a mess, and a lot of people are losing it. Just stay behind me and we’ll be all right.” They nodded and he turned and started to jog. Not too fast, but definitely a brisk pace. He jumped over a stopped car in the road and waited at the corner for the rest to catch up. They made their way as swiftly as possible, but it took them nearly twenty minutes to go two blocks with all the chaos around them.
While they were still a block away from the garage, a U-shaped purple craft appeared and shot at the garage, setting off the parked cars like a string of firecrackers. Then it landed on the roof and dispatched a team of Grunts. Tom saw this and immediately stopped. He turned to the door of the building next to him and kicked it open. Then he waved his wife and Ben into the building, just as the purple craft took off and began shooting again.
It turned out they were in an apartment building, much like the one they had just left. Tom’s mind began racing and he formed a new plan. “Okay, the truck’s out of the question, so we need a new plan. I say we head down to the wharf. Maybe we can find a boat to get away in. If not, we’ll just have to walk. The coastline should keep us pretty well camouflaged if it comes to that. Any questions?”
“What if we run into the Covenant?” Ben was afraid again, and he had started to sweat.
“We’ve got my pistol, but let’s pray it doesn’t come to that. All right, we’ll go to the other side of this building and go out the back door. Stay quiet from now on.” With that he put a finger to his lips and started to slink through the building. He noticed the layout was nearly the same as his apartment building, until he got to the back wall. Some genius had built this building without a back door.
Tom held up his hand for them to stop. He looked around and saw an apartment to his left. He figured it would have a window they could climb out of, so he headed towards it, stopping dead when he heard sounds. As Tom pulled out his pistol, Jane gasped loudly, but Amanda put a hand over her mouth. Tom leaned and put an ear against the door and heard a lot of rustling noises, but he couldn’t identify any specific sounds.
Since there was no other apartment that would have a window on this wall, Tom decided he’d have to risk a forced entry. He hoped it was only a Grunt or two, otherwise his pistol wouldn’t be enough. He motioned the others to stay back on the far wall, took the time to wish he had a grenade, then stepped in front of the door and kicked it in.
When the dust settled, he saw a group of ten people sitting around a table.
“What the hell? What are you people still doing here? The city’s been invaded. You should have left a long time ago.” Tom was surprised to see these people just sitting around when he’d seen Covenant ground forces land less than a block away.
“The news said to stay inside and lock our doors. That’s what we did.” The speaker was a balding man with an overly large nose and an attitude that told Tom immediately that this was a man he would not like.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I am Craig Schneider, head of this building’s apartment owner’s association, and these are my neighbors. Until a moment ago, we were following the Colonial Administration Authority’s orders. Who, may I ask, are you?” The little man was amazed that someone dressed so outlandishly had disobeyed the city’s orders and barged into his apartment.
“I’m Tom, and if you ask me, you people need to get the hell out of here. The Covenant are on the ground as we speak. I’m taking my wife and our friends to the wharf to look for a way to get out of here. You’re welcome to join us, but we’re leaving now.”
“Are you a Marine sir?” a woman at the table asked.
“Retired ma’am. I was a Sergeant a few years ago.”

  • 07.09.2007 3:30 PM PDT
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“Very good then. Well Craig, I’m following this man.” With that she got up, and a few others got up with her.
“You can’t leave. The commission said to stay indoors.” Craig seemed angry at having lost control of the situation, and he growled at the woman who had stood up.
“Forget the commission,” she replied. “This man has a plan, and that’s way better than sitting around waiting for things to get better.”
With that, Tom called his wife into the room and they proceeded to the window on the wall. Ben tried to open it, but it was jammed. As Tom looked around for another window, the woman who had stood up for him offered him her chair. He took it quickly and tossed it through the window. As he sent Ben and Jane and Amanda through he noticed that the majority of the newcomers were following. Only Craig stayed behind.
“The commission said to stay indoors,” he harrumphed to himself.
“It’s your call Craig, but now you have no door and no window, so locking your place up is going to be tough. Last chance.” With that the small man dragged his feet over to the window and awkwardly climbed through. Tom was the last one out, and when his feet hit the sidewalk he did a quick headcount.
There were now fifteen people including himself. Ben, Jane, and the woman who had supported him were the oldest, at around sixty. The other newcomers were in their twenties and thirties, except for a four year old boy. Tom walked up to the child and got down to his level.
“We need to move fast, so how would you like to ride on my shoulders pal?” The child grinned and held his arms out to Tom, who hefted him up and put his head between the boy’s legs. “All right, now if we keep on this street we can make it to the wharf in an hour or so. Ben, take our six. The rest of you file in behind me and stay close. Don’t make any excessive noise and if I say to stop, do it quick.”
“Who put you in charge, Mr. High and Mighty?” Craig was still agitated at having been deserted by his neighbors, and didn’t like this stranger assuming he was the lead dog.
“Listen Craig, I didn’t have to let…”
“Allow me Sergeant,” the woman from the apartment interrupted. “All those in favor of putting Sergeant Tom in charge of this expedition raise their hand.” With that everyone in the group raised a hand, even the boy on Tom’s shoulders. “All opposed?” Only Craig raised his hand.
“Congratulations Sergeant, you are now in charge. Carry on.” The old woman smiled and fell into line behind him.
“Let’s go,” he answered in a whisper.
They passed the first few blocks without incident. Everyone was keeping a good pace, and Tom thought they just might be able to pull it off. Then he came to a corner and ground to a halt. A patrol of Covenant were guarding the street perpendicular to the one they were now on. Tom held up his hand and everyone stopped. He put down the child and put a finger to the boy’s lips to keep him quiet. Then he opened his survival bag and pulled out a mirror he had attached to a broomstick. He slowly maneuvered the mirror around the corner and took stock of the situation.
It was a four-lane street, so running across unnoticed was out of the question. Tom could see two Grunts and a Jackal meandering halfway down the street. He thought about simply opening fire on them from the corner, but he was sure to miss some shots at that distance, and at least one of the Covenant would survive to return fire. He rejected that idea and thought of another one.
“I need a volunteer to do something dangerous,” he said to the group.
“What do you need Sergeant?” the old woman asked.
“I need someone to run out into the open, get spotted by those Covenant, and lead them back here. Once they round the corner, I’ll open up with my pistol.”
“Sounds good Sergeant. I hereby volunteer.” The old woman replied.
“What’s your name ma’am?” he asked, thoroughly impressed.
“Margaret.”
“Well Margaret, I admire your enthusiasm, but we need someone whose quick.” Tom didn’t want to offend his biggest fan in this little band of survivors, but he didn’t want this lady to die either.
“I won the city final in the forty meter dash just a month ago,” she retorted.
“Really now?”
“Well, for the sixty five and up women’s bracket, but yes.”
“All right Margaret, if you insist. Ben and Margaret stay here. The rest of you go back a block and wait. If we don’t come get you in five minutes, find another way to the wharf. Go.” As the others retreated, he pulled out his combat knife and handed it to Ben. “I don’t know if all my shots will be fatal, so give ’em three quick stabs when they hit the ground for insurance, okay? Now Margaret, step out into the street, scream, and come running back this way as fast as you can. No heroics now.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it Sergeant Tom,” she answered innocently.
“All right then Ben, crouch there, I’ll stand here and I think were ready to go.” Tom positioned himself behind a concrete pillar, pulled his pistol out of the holster, and turned off the safety. “On three.”
“One.” He took aim at a point just past the corner of the building.
“Two.” He practiced firing three quick shots in his mind.
“Three!” Margaret ran and when she got out to halfway in the street she turned to face the Covenant patrol, let out an eep, and came running back towards Tom.
By the time she passed his hiding spot, Tom could see the first Grunt, but he waited until the second came into view, and then opened fire. The first Grunt dropped like a rock from a headshot, and the second fell, clutching his respirator. The Jackal, on the other hand, moved so that Tom only managed to graze its leg. It fell to a knee and prepared to return fire when Ben blindsided the creature and began stabbing furiously.
The Jackal twitched twice and died, and Tom finished off the second Grunt with a twist of the neck. Ben got up and dusted himself off, and Margaret came over to survey the damage. They had killed three Covenant warriors with one pistol and a knife. Pretty good work for a bunch of civilians. Tom picked up the plasma pistols and handed Ben and Margaret one each.
“Go and bring the others back here. I’ll hold the corner and hide these guys. Hopefully nobody will come looking for them too soon.” As he dragged the bodies up against the wall of the building, he inspected them a little closer. He found two plasma grenades and took the shield generator off the Jackal’s arm. Lucky he didn’t turn the thing on, Tom thought. He attached the thing to his forearm and pressed the left button to activate the shield. It glimmered and popped into place so Tom, satisfied that it worked, pressed the other button and deactivated it.
When the others came back he handed a plasma grenade to Ben and quickly showed him how to work it. “Hopefully that will be all the resistance we run into. Now, we’ve still got a ways to go, so we need to keep up the pace. Let’s put the kids in the middle of the line, you two come up here behind me. Craig, you and your friend there stay back with Ben. You three are our rear guard.” While three plasma pistols and a shield generator certainly wouldn’t be enough in any major action, it did reassure Tom that they had a fighting chance, so he pressed on.
When he figured they were well over half way to the wharf, he decided to stop and rest. They had been on the move for hours, and some members of the party were beginning to lag behind. He stopped at a restaurant, and was delighted to find it was unlocked. He beckoned his party inside, then bolted the door shut behind him. He raided the refrigerators and got out water and found some breadsticks. He passed them out and most people at hungrily.
“This is stealing, not to mention breaking and entering.” Craig whined.
“If it makes you feel better Craig, I’ll leave some money on the table when we leave. The owner can come and pick it up whenever he wants.”
“Hey Tom, look at this.” Ben called from the window.




  • 07.09.2007 3:31 PM PDT
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Tom walked over and looked to a spot his neighbor pointed out. It looked like a group of shapes leapfrogging down the street, right towards them.
“It must be the Covenant who came looking for that patrol we killed. Everybody stay quiet. Knock over those tables and hide behind ‘em. Let’s see if they’ll just pass us by.” Tom hid behind a table with Amanda and Jack and waited tensely.
As the shadows from the moving figures passed, he risked a look. He only saw the last one, put it didn’t look like any Covenant he’d ever seen. It looked more like a schoolteacher to him. He rushed to the window and peered at the group that had just passed. They were obviously human. He unlocked the door and called to the people.
“Hey, hey there. In here! Stop.” He tried to be as quiet as possible, but he got their attention, and they stopped and came back towards him. He ushered them in and locked the door again.
“Whose in charge here?” one of the newcomers asked.
“Sergeant Tom is,” Margaret replied, pointing to Tom.
“Sergeant? I guess so. Look at the uniform. Did the Marines make it into the city already?” the new man asked, skeptical.
“No. I’m retired. I kept the uniform for a rainy day, and if you hadn’t noticed, figuratively speaking, its monsooning out there.”
“Good point. I’m a policeman. Phil’s the name. I was off duty when the invasion started, so I threw on some clothes and started running. The five of us were heading to the sewer access way a block further down this road. I figured we could take the smelly way out of the city unnoticed.” Phil was clearly a good cop. He had charisma, and he seemed to know his stuff.
“My wife and I were going to take a truck out to the hills, but it got destroyed before we could get to it. Then we ran into these folks and decided to try to make it to the wharf. If we can’t find a boat, we’re going to try to run along the coastline until we get away from the Covenant. Do you have any weapons if you run into trouble on your way? We could spare you a plasma pistol we got off a Covenant patrol.” Tom didn’t want to give up the weapon, but he didn’t want these people to be unprepared.
“We haven’t got any weapons, but hold on a minute. Who says were splitting up again? I’d like to team up here if that’s all right with you. I think we can all fit in the sewers.”
“The only problem with the sewers is, I simply don’t know enough about them. It’s a good idea, but what if you get lost, or the pipes are blocked? You won’t have a lot of time to retrace your steps before the Covenant catch on. My wife and I are sticking with the wharf idea, but anyone is welcome to come.”
“Why should anyone follow you?” Craig asked with malice. “You have no real authority, and this man is a policeman for this city, with concrete, appointed reason to be in charge.”
“Whoa there pal. Who said I wanted to be in charge? I like the wharf idea, and a retired Marine is much better suited to lead in a situation like this than a parking ticket cop like me. Whatever authority I have a relinquish to the Sergeant here.” Phil knew he was out of his depth, and if this ex-Marine had taken out a Covenant patrol and lived to tell about it, then he was definitely the man for the job.
“Then we head for the wharf. We’ll rest up another five minutes, then we’ve got to press on. Be ready to move.”
After the allotted time, Tom rallied his group and they made ready to make the last leg of their nightmarish trip. Tom decided that with as many people as they had now, they would go in double file. He would take point, Ben would be in the middle of the line with one plasma pistol, and Phil would bring up the rear with another. Once they reached the sidewalk, Tom resumed the pace.
They were within sight of the wharf within a few minutes, and Tom decided he needed to take stock of the situation. He signaled the group to stop and sent Phil up a fire escape on the building next to them to have a look around. When he returned Phil definitely looked worried.
“There’s bad news and bad news,” he finally answered.
“It has been one of those days,” Tom remarked.
“The bad news is there’s a big patrol guarding the wharf and I don’t see a boat we can use. Just a big old cargo ship. The worse news is there’s an even bigger group of Covenant meandering this way. They’re a ways off, but they’re definitely coming this way. We’re in a tight spot here Tom.” Phil couldn’t see a way out, but he hoped he was wrong.
“You said there’s a cargo ship moored on the wharf?”
“Yeah, but it’s huge. Even if we could get it moving, the Covenant would notice and they’d fry us.” Phil wasn’t sure where the ex-Marine was going, but it didn’t make sense to him.
“Well, it’s not like we can just hang out here for that big group of Covenant to barrel down on us. If we distract the group on the wharf, the others can hide in the cargo ship. It would take a hundred Covenant to search a ship well enough to find us. We’ll hide on the ship and plan our next move. How many Covenant on the wharf?” Tom hoped it wasn’t many.
“I saw ten. Two of the ones with shields and eight of the little ones. How you planning to distract them?”
“We’ll just have to fight em’. We’ve got three plasma pistols, the two grenades, and my side arm. It’ll have to do. If we don’t kill them, they’ll call for reinforcements and we’ll be in real trouble.” Tom knew they’d need one hell of a plan to take on ten Covenant, but he saw no other alternative.
“You’re the boss. Let’s tell the others.” Phil brought the whole group over and hushed them as Tom began to evolve a plan.
“All right, we’ll need six people for the attack. Me, Phil, and Ben. Anyone else every used a gun before?” he asked. “No? Okay, you, you, and you are with us. The rest of you will need to wait until we start the distraction, then make a break for the ship moored to the wharf. Sprint for the bridge, and we’ll meet you there. Margaret, you’re in charge of the ship seizing team.”
“You mean the running away from the fight team,” she replied resentfully.
“Exactly right. Get the children out of here and secure the ship. We’ll hide out there for the night. Can I count on you?” He hoped she wouldn’t let her taste for the action earlier affect her.
“Of course Sergeant,” she answered after a moment.
“Good, head down to the last building on this street and wait till you hear us open fire. Move when you’re ready.” Tom turned to face his combat team, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Be careful Tom,” Amanda said.
“I will dear. I love you,” he replied. Then he kissed her and his son.
“I love you too. Come back in one piece,” she whispered, as tears welled up in her eyes. Then she turned and jogged over to Margaret, and their group made their way to the corner.
“Guys, we’re facing a numerically superior enemy, with better equipment and training. So I figure the only thing we have got is the element of surprise. Luckily for us, that’s all we need. You two take the grenades and go on the roof of this building. Try to hit a Jackal with each grenade. If we kill their superiors, the Grunts will get scared and we can pick ‘em off pretty easy. Ben, Craig, and Phil will have the plasma pistols. Try to get as many of the Grunts as you can in the first few shots. I’ll use this Jackal shield and my pistol to give the bad guys something to shoot at. When I run into the street, you two throw the grenades, and you guys open fire. Any questions?”
“How do you shoot this thing?” Craig asked.
“You know what Craig, you take a grenade. I’ll give you five minutes to get in position on the roof. Remember, when you see me in the street, throw for the Jackals. Go now.” While Tom waited for them he tested his Jackal shield again and reloaded his pistol. After he checked his watch, he turned to the shooters behind him. “Don’t wait all day to follow me. I don’t know how many shots this thing can take.”
They nodded, so Tom turned the thing on, faced the street, and ran for it. When he got to the middle of the street he crouched down behind the shield and opened fire. He was sure he hit one of the Jackals, but he couldn’t tell if it was fatal or not, since one of the grenades detonated a second later and threw the Jackal and two Grunts across the street. After Phil and his team fired their first volley, only three Grunts remained. Through the yellow glimmer of his stolen shield, Tom could see Margaret and Amanda running towards the ship and he sensed they were going to be okay.

  • 07.09.2007 3:33 PM PDT
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Through some malfunction, Phil’s pistol stopped firing after two shots, and perplexed, Phil had remained in the open while he tried to fix it. One of the remaining Grunts stood up and fired a quick shot, and was rewarded with a pistol round to the chest. The bolt was still on its way however, and it struck Phil in the thigh, instantly giving him third degree burns. Ben pulled him behind a building while Tom and the remaining shooter returned fire. Keeping his shield between him and the Covenant, Tom slowly advanced. Now outnumbered and without leadership, the two remaining Grunts turned and ran. Surprised by this, and determined not to let them anywhere near the group in the ship, Tom stood, took aim, and gunned them down.
After he was sure all the Covenant were dead, Tom rounded up their weapons and the intact Jackal shield. Then he headed over to see Phil. The skin of his leg was cracked and bleeding, and he grimaced as Ben dabbed it with a shirt.
“That was stupid,” Phil exclaimed through clenched teeth.
“Beginner’s mistake. You’ll live though. I’ve got a first aid kit in my bag. We’ll get that patched up when we get aboard the ship. But we’ve got to hurry.” Tom was gladly surprised they’d all lived.
Just then Craig appeared. “That other group of Covenant is almost here. There’s at least thirty of them. They’ll find us and kill us all, I know it.”
“Shove it Craig. You and Ben help Phil up and lets double time it to the ship.” Within five minutes, the entire group was on the bridge of the docked cargo ship.
“I’m afraid we had a mishap in your absence Sergeant,” Margaret said as Tom entered the bridge.
“What happened?” Tom feared the worst, and he had started to feel that these people were his responsibility.
“One of our party fell of the ladder to this room and appears to have broken his arm. I was leading this team, and I accept full responsibility for the misfortune,” Margaret was rather ashamed to have been put in charge of the easy duty and failed in this way.
“Is that all? You would have made a great Marine Margaret. Great leadership skills. Who’s hurt? I’ll look at their arm after I see to Phil’s leg.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that Sergeant. It turns out this lady here is a doctor. She set the arm moments ago, and we found a splint in the ship’s first aid kit.”
“That’s great, then she can look at Phil’s leg too. Fabulous work Margaret. You sure you weren’t a Marine?” Tom was impressed by the woman, and she beamed at his complement. He took a quick look around the ship’s bridge, and satisfied it was relatively secure, he relaxed a little. He showed the doctor over to Phil, and met up with Amanda.
“Miss me?” he asked as he pecked her on the cheek.
“Of course,” she replied. Then she yawned loudly and sat down.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Tom asked. “In fact, it’s getting pretty late. We’re all going to need to be rested up, so lets start sleeping. Find a friend and sleep in shifts. Four hours on, four hours off. I’ll be staying up the first shirt, Ben; you can lead the second shift. Now, if it’s your turn, sleep. If not, meet over here.” When those who had opted to stay up had met around him, Tom handed out the captured pistols. “You seven post a watch outside this bridge. Let me know if you see anything. Anything at all. Craig, you and me are going to see if this ship has a radio, or anything else we can use. Let’s go people.”
They group dispersed and Tom headed over to the ship’s controls. The Captain had obviously enacted the Cole Protocol, because most of the computers had been destroyed. The ones that still worked were engine control, which did Tom no good, and one other. It controlled the ship’s surveillance system, which Tom quickly configured for his own purposes.
“Okay Craig, here’s your job. Sit here and watch that screen. If you see anyone who’s not from our group, let me know. I’ll be out circulating among the others.” Tom turned to leave, but before he could even make it to the door, Craig cried out and started whimpering.
“Oh no. They’re here. They’re going to kill us all. I should have stayed at home.”
Tom rushed over and pushed Craig out of the way. The screen showed a series of green clad warriors moving deliberately through the ship towards the bridge. He let out one word as explanation to the crowd that had gathered behind him.
“Spartans…”



1934 Hours, July 18, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Sigma Octanus IV, Cote d’Azur

“Red Four to Red Leader.”
“Go ahead Anton,” Joshua, Red Team Leader replied.
“We might have a snag here boss.”
Joshua had had enough snags already in this mission. The march up the coast had been easy enough, but their run in with the new Covenant explorer race had nearly become a problem. “What is it Red Four?”
“I’m reading a faint Friend or Foe tag.”
“That’s odd. The Marines never made it anywhere near the city. What’s the tag say?”
“Sergeant Thomas Banks. The tag gives a service number, but says he’s retired.”
“A retired Sergeant in a city infested with Covenant. That sounds just interesting enough to be worth a look. Round up Red Team, we’re going in.”
Joshua led his team towards the faint signal. He considered the possibility that the Covenant were forging the signal, but it seemed unlikely. He doubted the Covenant even had that ability. And if they did, why send a signal for a Marine who was retired? More likely than not, some retired Marine had died nearby as a result of the invasion and his transmitter was fading.
After following the signal for ten minutes, he was surprised when it actually became stronger. The signal seemed to be emitting from a cargo ship moored to the city’s wharf. The confines of the ship would be a good place for an ambush, and the idea that the Covenant were sending the signal reformed in Joshua’s head.
“We’ve got to check for survivors, so we need to track this signal down. If anybody survived here, an ex-Marine would probably be behind it. But, that ship will be a good place for the Covenant to jump us. We’ll board the ship, but stay on guard.”
The Spartans used a series of hand signals to establish a search pattern and began searching every square inch of the ship. What they didn’t realize was that they were being watched. Up on the ship’s bridge, Tom had rounded up the survivors and began to explain. “I know those guys on the screen look pretty alien, but their more back-up then I could have possibly hoped for.”
“They move like the department’s Special Tactics Assault Team.” Phil piped up.
“They’re the best. The only problem now is, we can’t startle them. If we just jump out from behind a corner, they’ll blow us away. What I want you to do is stay here. I’ll try and contact them. If something goes wrong, stay here and let them come to you. Okay?” The last thing Tom wanted was to see one of these people shot by a Spartan after making it all this way. So he handed his pistol to Margaret and left the bridge.
After conducting a compartment-by-compartment search for fifteen minutes, Joshua began to lose hope that they would find anyone alive here. If the FOF tag hadn’t continued to grow stronger, he would have called it off. Just as he was about to give up hope, he heard a screw clang against the metal deck behind him. He wheeled around with lightning speed and leveled his rifle, as did the other Spartans.
Tom flinched as the screw hit the ground, and he stepped out from behind the metal container with his hands held behind his head just to show the Spartans that he was on their side.
As Joshua aimed toward the sound, the last thing he had expected to see was a man in a dated Marine uniform with his hands behind his head. The FOF tag they had been following was at full strength and indicating that they had found their man.
“Sergeant Thomas Banks?” Joshua asked skeptically.
“That’s me. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”
“I’m Senior Petty Officer SPARTAN-029. Our objective was to locate and extract any survivors in the city, but I have to admit, until I met you, I didn’t think anyone was left. Are there any more in your party Sergeant?”
“They’re up on the bridge Chief.” Tom had heard some rumors about the Spartans, but seeing them in person was awe-inspiring. Their shiny green armor made them appear even taller than their full two meters.
“As of right now, the Spartans are taking command of this operation, as per NavSpecWep’s orders. Is that clear Sergeant?” Joshua assumed that this sergeant had until recently been in charge, and he hoped for a smooth transition.
“You’ll get no argument here. I’m retired remember? But what do you guys plan to do? Spartans?” Truth be told, Tom was glad to be out of the leadership position, but he was curious when the Spartans didn’t respond. Then he remembered they could communicate with an inter-team com.
“Give us a moment Sergeant, we’ve got to check in with the rest of our team.” Joshua closed the external mike and waited for John to contact him.
“Red Team, report.”
“Red Leader, sir. We’ve got something for ONI. We’ve spotted some new type of Covenant race. Little guys that float. They seem to be some sort of explorer or scientist type. They take things apart, then move on, like they’re looking for something. They do not, repeat not, appear hostile. Advise that you do not engage. They raise a pretty loud alarm, Blue Lead.”
“You in trouble?” John’s voice crackled in Joshua’s ear.
“Dodged trouble sir,” Joshua replied, “but there is one snag.”
“Go ahead,” The Master Chief responded after a moment.
“We have survivors…”



  • 07.09.2007 3:34 PM PDT
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cool

  • 07.09.2007 4:00 PM PDT
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Pretty cool

  • 07.09.2007 4:37 PM PDT

Posted by: Sk1ll4x3D
What I like in a woman is articulation. Communication is essential. Plus, I like it when they can bend their ankles behind their ears and *(&*&*%$%$ then do that little thing with the &(**&%%%$ whipped cream on *(&*(^% cheese whiz *()*&^% Rice krispie treats.

That was really good. I like how you tied in teh FoR storyline.

  • 07.10.2007 10:53 AM PDT
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The only problem with this story is that in the FoR, the people were supposed to be captured and guarded.

  • 08.10.2007 8:19 PM PDT