- Rainman89
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Read about the Forgotten Spartan I Program
Butane: To protect the world from devastation!
sir_brilliant: To unite all people within our nation!
Rainman89: To denounce the evils of truth and love!
sir_brilliant: To extend out reach to the stars above!
SpaceGhostFlyer: Jessie!
Butane: James!
sir_brilliant: Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light
Butane: Surrender now or prepare to fight
sir_brilliant: Meowth, that's right!
Simmons saluted and turned on his heel out of the room. Outside on the library’s steps the platoon awaited Simmons’ orders. “Puller?” Simmons keyed his radio.
“Yeah boss!” The Lieutenant had clearly liberated the Warthogs as requested.
“I need you here at the library.” Simmons wanted to get this task done as quickly as possible.
“What?”
“Library! Now!” Apparently the Titan Warthogs were especially loud.
“Got you boss! ETA five minutes!”
“Sergeant, take two and go get the crate from the colonel and bring it here. Everybody else get ready to move out.” As the Marines stepped to, Simmons checked the nav point. It was just five kilometers away. That shouldn’t take long. Practically a milk run.
It had taken four men to put the detonator in the back of the lead Warthog, but the rest of this objective was easy enough. As he sat in the passenger seat and looked at the pavement racing below, Simmons felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right. He instantly thought of the Covenant. But they couldn’t be here. At least not without him knowing it. Somebody would have said someth…
“Captain, incoming transmission from Admiral Cole!” The driver turned the radio’s volume up to the maximum.
“Attention all UNSC personnel. Three contacts have been located at the periphery of the system. Spectroscopic analysis is inconclusive, which means they’re Covenant. They could be here any minute. Our orders demand that all civilians be evacuated. The transport ships have jumped system, so the remaining civilians will be taken aboard our ships. Marines, we’ll buy you time but I need you to hurry. Don’t underestimate these bastards. Cole out.”
“Private, petal to the metal.” Simmons was eager to finish his objective before the Covenant hit the ground, if they even bothered before they destroyed the planet. The nav point on Simmons’ helmet read 100 meters and falling so he pulled out his rifle and clicked the zoom. The city center was a traffic circle with the city museum on one side, the government office on another, and a residential block on the last side. In the middle of the circle was a large stone monument complete with fountains and statues. That’s where the detonator needed to go.
“Put two Hogs blocking every street out of here. Get that crate into the circle. Private, get me the Colonel on the radio, now! Lets go!” The radioman snapped into action and handed the transmitter to Simmons.
“Yes?” The colonel was obviously busy.
“Sir, the detonator is in place. Awaiting activation code.” This milk run just became very important.
“Roger that. Good work Captain. Activation code is Delta, Foxtrot, one, nine, eight, nine, X-ray. Set it to remote detonation and get the Admiral’s ship on the phone. They’ll tell you what to do from there. Stay there and guard that machine until they tell you to otherwise. Once you’re relieved head straight to the airfield. We’re falling back there now. You’re the tip of the spear. Good luck son. Out.”
Simmons pondered this for a minute and returned the radio to the Marine next to him. “Runner, get me Lt. Puller and Doc Fiurah,” he barked. They needed to now this just as much as he did.
“Aye sir.” The man crouched low and ran down the hill to the street.
“You wanted to see us boss?” Puller was ready for combat this time.
“We need to secure this perimeter until we’re relieved. Puller, that’s you. Use the Hogs to cover the streets and get some men in the surrounding buildings. Fiurah, I want you to find me the fastest route to the airfield from here, and an auxiliary route through the back streets if we have to go it on foot. Can you do it?”
“Yes sir!” the men saluted in unison and ran to their stations.
As they turned to leave Simmons thought of something else. “Hey Puller. Where’s Bailey?” If anybody could work this crate in front of Simmons is was Lt. Bailey.
“He’s in the museum with his men. I think Dominique is in there too.” Without another look Puller ran to his men.
“Bailey?” As he keyed his mike Simmons realized that he now had three of his four platoons occupying one city block.
“Yeah boss?” Bailey sounded distracted.
“You have Dominique nearby?”
“Yeah, he’s right here.”
“You two meet me in the circle as soon as possible.” Simmons didn’t know why, but he wanted Dominique standing next to him. Bailey didn’t respond but he hit his acknowledgement light. Simmons watched the Museum’s giant oak doors open and the two Marines run across the street and up the marble steps to report.
“Bailey, what I have here is the activation code to a ten yield EMP detonator. I am told to set it to remote activation and call Admiral Cole to forward the signal. I was wondering if you would mind, since I personally don’t know much about such devices.”
“We have a Mark Two Chaos detonator? I wonder if it has a full yield explosion setting…” Bailey stood on his tiptoes and peered at the device from over Simmons’ shoulder.
“What’s that mean?” Dominique asked.
“The EMP is caused by a small explosion. If we could set it to full yield we could use it like a nuclear mine once everyone is clear of the city.” Bailey was clearly the right man to operate the detonator.
“Well Lieutenant, you can bring that up with the Admiral. Get going.” As Bailey began typing furiously on the machine’s interface, Simmons turned to Dominique. “I have a very uneasy feeling Dominique. We’re going to face the enemy today, for the first time, and I’m not sure we’re ready. I want you to say you’ve got my back, like you did back on Richter VII and Reach.”
“I’ll always be here for you Captain. No matter what these freaks try, I’ll have your back. These men are ready for anything. You’ve done an excellent job these past couple months. These men are the best in the Corps, and I should know, I’ve seen ‘em all. I’ll be down with Lieutenant Puller if you need me.” Dominique didn’t know it but it was his assurances that calmed Simmons. Not his rifle, not his training, not even his augmented strength and senses. It was Dominique’s approval that helped Simmons breathe easy.