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Subject: [Story] Winter Contingency (Chapter 7 is finally complete)
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

This is my first ever fan-fic. Feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated.

I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, and I figured I would just give it a try and see what the community thought. Here is my first fan-fic story, I hope you enjoy.

Fan Group announced! Get special updates and news on this story.

Chapter listing

Chapter 1: "All units mobilized and ready."

Chapter 2: The Calm...

Chapter 3: Going

Chapter 4: Are we there yet?

Chapter 5: New Orders

Chapter 6: The Charge

Chapter 7: ONI's Plans

Chapter 1: "All units mobilized and ready."

"Winter Contingency has been confirmed. All units are mobilized and ready."

Falcon rotors roared overhead as hundreds of UNSC Army troops scrambled across the ground. Faint explosions were heard off in the distance, bouncing across the mountains and rustling through the tall grass surrounding the base. Warthogs whinnied and sped away full of Army infantry and supplies. Pelicans were loaded up and they whistled up towards the immense Covenant cruisers.

The Covenant were a mysterious enemy. They spoke in strange tongue, and their anatomy was just about completely different than ours. They were ruthless and unreasonable. They didn't care about working together with us to build better societies, all they wanted to do is kill us, every last one.

Within the chaos on the ground, a young Army lieutenant pulled himself into the passenger side of a transport Warthog. The man's name was Matthew Evans, and he had just graduated from Officer Candidate School on Reach.

He was born and raised on Earth, and he remembered how he and his friends would walk to the Marine base after school each day. The Marines were his heroes when he was growing up. They worked so quickly, so efficiently, and they had the nicest looking uniforms in all the world. From the day he laid eyes on that military base, he knew what he was going to do when he was older.

The Lieutenant's helmet rested on his knee as he turned around to look at his squad. His brushed his dark brown hair back and sighed as he saw six young men sitting in the back, each with nervous looks on their faces. He was going to be responsible for their lives. Evans knew them. He gave them a confident look and nodded as he turned around to hide the fact that he was just as scared as them.

The Warthog driver was waiting for the order to start driving. Matt looked around himself, and all the shouting and engines overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes for a moment, placed his helmet over his head, mumbled a prayer, and tapped the dashboard twice to signal to the Hog driver to get going.


[Edited on 08.15.2010 4:49 PM PDT]

  • 07.28.2010 6:09 PM PDT
Subject: Winter Contingency (A fan-fic)

Foward unto dawn

you should give the marines personality and names so we care about them later and flush out the Lieutenant's back story as the story progresses

  • 07.28.2010 9:04 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Right, thats what I was planning. Every trooper in that truck will have their own back story and personality. Thanks for the tip.

  • 07.29.2010 12:22 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Here is chapter 2. Its hard to get your work noticed in this forum, huh?

Sorry for the wall of text, I had a lot I needed to get done in this chapter.

Chapter 2: The Calm...

The troop Hog zoomed toward its objective, a Orbital Defense generator just over two miles away. These UNSC assets were very important for powering the MAC guns that were keeping the Covenant buisy in space.

Matt looked back at his squad again and took out a map. He motioned for the men to come closer as the Hog went over a hill that made his stomach jump. He pointed to a red circle on the worn out paper.

"This is where were going," he voiced. "There is a ODG there that were going to protect to keep our MAC guns firing in the sky. If all goes as planned," he smiled, "we won't even have to see battle."

The soldiers spirits all lifted simultaneously.

Behind the Lieutenants transport, there was about six other Hogs full of troops from all branches. Even above them, ODST were manning guns on Falcons. Their objective was very important, and they were even given a few tanks and Pelicans to aid in the defense if needed.

They arrived at a rural area. The massive generator looked out of place against the soft dark grass. All the transports stopped one after another and Army troopers, Marines, and ODST all piled out onto the dirt road. The sky was turning grey, signifying rain was coming, and the tips of the mountains in the distance were just barely covered by the grey mist.

Soldiers shouted and rushed around carrying sand bags to use as cover when the Covenant showed up. Pelicans dropped Tanks and Warthogs and crews to operate them all around the perimeter. The troop transports all lined up in rows for when and if they were needed again.

The Lieutenant went to exit the Warthog and was startled by the great distance between the step and the ground. He finally found his way down and assembled his squad behind the sand bags where the groups commanding officer was.

All the soldiers loaded their weapons. Most Army grunts used a MA37 assault rifle while some preferred a more primitive alternative, the M6J carbine. Most Army officers carried DMRs. Almost all the Marines and ODST carried "Battle Rifles", a new prototype weapon commonly used by special forces.

Evans sat on a wooden box against the sandbags with his DMR across his knees. His squad of six all kneeled in a circle. Matt knew most of them personally.

Joe Holver was a specialist. He carried an MA37 and a pack of C4. His trademark was his SPNKR rocket launcher that he always carried over his shoulder. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. He was very thoughtful and he loved talking to the natives on Reach, since he was from Earth.

Sean McCaffery was a Sergeant in his thirties. He had a slight Irish brogue. He carried an M6J. Sean had three other brothers, one a Sergeant in the Army, the other in the marines. He was the loudest of them all. He hated the Covenant more than anybody in the squad. He had a family and a ranch on Harvest when it was attacked.

Amil Murrah was a small, energetic soldier. He loved to shoot, but he was the most inexperienced and didn't know the consequences of taking life. He carried an M6J, even though he didn't like it. He preferred being on a LAAG turret.

Chris Newcomb was a tall, quiet Falcon pilot. Matt didn't know him too well. He was just a replacement for a recently KIA soldier in the squad.

Tyler Karsky was the oldest surviving member of the squad. He weilded a MA5B assault rifle, and he was the toughest in the squad. He fought on Harvest, and learned a lot about the enemy while he was there.

The last, but not least soldier was named Thomas Higgs. He was the electronics expert, and was the only one there with experience driving a Covenant banshee. He fought alongside Karsky on Harvest.

The Lieutenant looked at all of them. They all had smiles on as Karsky dealt playing cards to each of the men. Matt looked around, and upon seeing nothing better to do, sat down in the dirt and started playing cards with the rest of the soldiers.

By the time the men finished playing and all their hard earned money was in McCaffery's pocket, Army tents were all set up around the area. Warthog gunners patiently sat and cleaned their LAAG turrets while Army soldiers crowded around a group of ODSTs, admiring their armor and their Battle Rifles.

Amil looked across a field to see children running on the horizon, chasing a soccer ball. Amil watched, wondering if he could ask the Lieutenant to go play. He decided to wait and see what they would do. He watched them walk into the evacuated village, with confused looks on their faces. Amil finally stood up and called them over. Every soldier in the camp looked at him, but he didn't care.

The boys started running over, shouting. The soldiers grew uneasy and the Lieutenant and Holver walked over to meet them.

"Whats wrong, son?" asked Holver to the 10 year old looking boy with the soccer ball under his arm.

"My family, where did they go?" The boy asked as the others moved closer behind him.

"They've been moved to a safer place." Said Evans with a friendly as possible voice.

"Where? Whats going on?" the boy asked, insisting on knowing.

"How about you stay in one of those tents over there," Holver said, pointing to an ODST establishment. "A very important man works over there. He will tell you whats going on."

The boy motioned for his freinds to follow him, and once they arrived at the generator, Amil intercepted them and he showed them his soccer skills he learned in high school.

Evans and Joe strolled back to the sandbags.

"The poor kid doesn't even know they're here." Said Holver with a surprised look on his face.

"He will soon. Everyone will know soon." The Lieutenant said, looking at the ground.

Karsky knelt quietly. He felt raindrops on the back of his neck, and he looked up to the sky. He saw the faint shape of a Covenant cruiser about four and a half miles away. He tapped Newcombs shoulder and pointed at the eerie sight. Suddenly, a bright orange glow illuminated the clouds near the front of it. Nearly every soldier in the camp gasped when they saw it.

"God help us all..." Said Newcomb.


[Edited on 08.03.2010 5:33 PM PDT]

  • 07.29.2010 4:25 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Im back! My story is on the third page, I better get back to work. Chapter three can be expected tommorow.

  • 08.02.2010 4:10 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Sorry. My writing skills are a bit rusty. The next chapter will be better. Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Going

UNSC frigates swooped down into atmosphere in pursuit of the Covenant vessel. Echo team and the rest of the soldiers looked on in awe as the frigates fired their massive cannons. The purple mass in the air didn't budge. Suddenly, a large plasma volley erupted from the side of the ship. They spread out like a spider web and impacted all three of the UNSC ships. The titanium giants fell like flies and plummeted slowly towards the ground.

There were reports of Covenant presence near the ODG. Pelicans soared over head and scouted the whole area. Supposedly, the alien fighting force was a good size, complete with tanks and aircraft.

Matt ordered his squad to be ready for the upcoming battle.

"Ok, the Covenant have penetrated the UNSC defenses. We're the last line of defense. The Covies are assembling to make a large scale attack on this ODG. If we all fight smart today we can keep them back. Understood?" The Lieutenant shouted over the sound of tank treads.

The squad replied in unison.

Amil knelt down next to Mcaffery behind the sandbags.

"You scared, Sarge?" Amil asked.

"No." Sean answered, after a moment of thinking. "When I fought on Harvest, me and Higgs saw people slaughtered by these things. They're just mindless animals with advanced tech. They are no match for the Army, anyways." He said confidently.

Amil bowed his head for a moment, and then quickly picked it back up.

"Whats up?" Asked Karsky.

"Shh shh shh," replied Amil. "Listen!"

The faint howling noise grew louder and louder. The rest of the squad began to realize it as well.

"Banshees, fast and low..." Said Higgs.

"Banshees!" cried a Marine grunt as he fired his battle rifle wildly at the machine.

The whole outpost erupted into chaos as everyone started firing their weapons at the three banshees that quickly passed over the base. They banked around and delivered several fuel rod shots into the ODG.

"The generator!" an ODST officer shouted. Large pieces of metal descended upon the base, some landing on UNSC soldiers.

The banshees prepared to turn around a second time when the first tank round was fired. It was a direct hit. The massive round ripped through the flier's light armor and it exploded into several pieces. A wing fragment hit one of the other banshees and it knocked off one of it's boosters. The machine did an awkward backwards, sideways flip before it buried itself into the soft, green ground.

"Fire fire!" The lieutenant shouted, not even knowing what he was firing at. Three Covenant mortar tanks came up over the hill and into the squads sight. As soon as they came into view, they all fired. Everything seemed to go into slow motion for Matt. The blue spheres of plasma soared through the air just as Holver fired his rocket. One of the rounds impacted the ODG, one landed on a tank beside the squad, and another headed strait for them.

"Get out!" Matt yelled, picking up Amil and pushing him away from the sandbags. The rest of the squad all reacted just as quickly and dived out of the way.

Matt looked around and realized he was lieing face down on his belly. His ears rang with great intensity as he coughed up dirt. He frantically stood up and searched for his squad. They were all standing side by side, shooting at the incoming alien infantry. The Covenant mortar tanks were still functional, despite Holver's rocket.

Matt looked down at Amil who was holding his ears and and rolling on the ground. He picked the boy up and searched for his rifle, all the while plasma rounds are scorching the earth beneath him. He picked up his rifle while Amil jumped onto a Warthog turret.

The Covenant soldiers were overwhelming. The humans could not hold them back.

"Fall back!" cried the outpost's commanding officer.

The soldiers all made a mad dash towards the neatly parked transport Hogs. Echo team was separated in the chaos. Amil was the last to retreat, covering the rest of the soldiers as they escaped. Karsky jumped into the driver side of a gauss Hog, one of the only ones given to the detachment. He looked around and called for Amil and Chris, who quickly joined him.

The Lieutenant searched for any sign of his squad. He narrowly avoided plasma rounds as he searched the crowd. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. It was Joe, about one hundred feet away leaning out of a Falcon. Matt looked around quickly and charged towards the vehicle. Joe used the turret to gun down banshees and ghosts speeding towards Evans.

After what seemed to be like minutes of running, the Lieutenant hoisted himself up into the vehicle.

"He's in, lets get going!" Joe said, hitting the cockpit door. The Falcon driver pushed the rotors to full throttle. The machine lifted up and soared away. As they were leaving, Matt looked back at the generator. They had failed their mission. If Reach was to fall, it would be their fault. The Lieutenant had this in the back of his mind as the Falcon flew over the mountain.


[Edited on 08.04.2010 4:35 PM PDT]

  • 08.03.2010 5:33 PM PDT

There once was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

The end.

SCFH

i really like the story and im surprised it doesn't have more comments!

  • 08.04.2010 5:43 AM PDT

Foward unto dawn

This chapter was good but you kinda dug your own grave in that you put an ending-ish chapter that will be hard to recover from at the beginning of the story.

  • 08.04.2010 3:49 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

ROFL!!!

Cockpit door was blocked. Im surprised no one noticed it there. lol

  • 08.04.2010 4:34 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Here is chapter 4 to make up for lost time. It is very light, and mostly talking. The next chapter will possibly be larger.

Chapter 4: Big Guns

"Sir," Joe said, with a lost look on his dirt covered face. "What the hell happened back there?"

The Lieutenant was shocked by the question.

"I don't know, Joe. Those things... I don't know." He said, almost breaking into tears.

"What happened to the rest of the men? Is Amil alright?" Holver asked to change the subject.

Matt thought for a moment. He looked up.

"I don't know..." He finally voiced helplessly.

Joe slowly turned away and manned a turret.

The Lieutenant hung his helmet on the rack inside the Falcon and looked out of the passenger side. Banshees, Spirits, and Phantoms were deployed from the bottom of a Covenant vessel and they all landed on a nearby mountain, hidden behind a large rock.

As soon as Evans spotted this, he opened the cockpit door. To his surprise, Higgs was sitting there, piloting the bird. He had a gauss pad over his right arm, with a prominent blood stain on it. He turned quickly to see Matt.

"Hello, sir!" He said with a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Evans replied scornfully.

Thom looked away with a look of guilt on his face. He forgot they had just lost a very important mission. "What do you need?"

"That mountain over there," Matt said, pointing over his shoulder, "I saw Covenant fliers land over there, I want to check it out."

"Yes, sir." Higgs replied in a low tone.

The Lieutenant walked back into the passenger area and sat by a turret. He rotated it and pulled the slide. He felt the Falcon twist around in the air and started feeling nauseous when he saw how far down the ground was.

The Falcon sped towards the mountain. It's blades made a soothing rhythm as they broke the sound barrier. Joe glanced back at the Lieutenant, surprised that he was there. Matt's dark hair blew in the wind as the Falcon started to slow down.

As soon as they reached their destination, a strange popping sound was heard. A bolt of green plasma was headed strait for Evans.

***

"What the hell happened back there!" Amil said, still frightened and wide eyed by the incident.

"It looks like we got our asses handed to us." Karsky said, staring through the windshield. The highway was filled with abandoned vehicles that Karksy had to avoid now and then. A giant UNSC frigate loomed in the distance, with pelicans leaving and docking with it occasionally, carrying Warthogs and Scorpion tanks.

Amil locked the gauss turret in place, crouched down, and held onto one of the Warthog's roll bars. Chris looked back at him, and looked towards the road again.

"Where you from, Chris?" Amil asked, seeming like he wasn't even expecting an answer as he scanned the horizon.

"Here." He replied.

"Do you have any family?"

"Not that I know of." He answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I never met them."

"Oh... Sorry." Said Amil, bowing his head for a moment before returning to his gauss turret.

Suddenly, Newcomb's radio came to life.

"Echo team, this is the UNSC frigate Aegis Fate, do you read?"

The soldiers were surprised by the sound. Karsky answered the operator.

"Loud and clear, Aegis Fate. This is Sergeant Karsky."

"Karsky I need a sitrep."

"Were at half force now, sir. Our remaining are private Newcomb and Private Murrah. We have no objectives queued. Awaiting orders."

"Alright. The Fate is deploying units not too far from your position. We could use a hand if your not busy."

"Yes sir."

"Were attacking a Covenant outpost. It's heavily guarded so we brought in the big guns." The radio operator's last words echoed in Amil's head.

"We have a Gauss gun. Im sure we'd be able to help." Karsky said as he swerved off of the road and onto the dusty ground.

"Good. We have a job for you. See you soon, Echo. Aegis out."

"Echo out."

As Karsky looked ahead, he could barely make out the large letters "Aegis Fate" on the massive ship in the distance.

  • 08.04.2010 7:54 PM PDT

"The Internet is a hostile and unforgiving place. Avoiding a flame war is like trying to walk unscathed through a minefield with a blindfold on. Likely it isn't going to happen."

I like it. Looking forward to more.

  • 08.05.2010 12:28 AM PDT

There once was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

The end.

SCFH

Again, nice chapter.

  • 08.05.2010 5:17 AM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Chapter 5: New Orders

Matt twisted over to the right to see if he could avoid the large fuel rod round. As it passed him, he felt it's green heat on his face. The green blob passed him and flew directly out the other side of the vehicle. Holver jumped at the sight of the projectile.

The high caliber rounds ripped through the grunt who fired the missile. Joe turned around and abandoned his gun before firing out of the Lieutenant's side with his MA37.

Assault rifle shells panged off of the Falcon's metal floor as Holver fired. Matt's shoulders moved back and forth, synchronized with the rhythm of the turrets recoil. The bullets rained upon the Covenant infantry who scrambled about, trying to find cover in the wide open space. They were sitting ducks.

Many of the aliens fired wildly as Matt picked them off, one by one. Occasionally a Jackal would lift up his shield and protect himself for a few moments before it collapsed.

Matt's turret winded down and Holver stopped roaring as his clip was emptied. The only sound that remained was the Falcon's rotors. Covenant bodies lay all over the ground by the time they were done firing. Even Hunters were among the dead, and a few Ghosts were destroyed.

Joe looked towards Evans, who also looked back at him.

"For Amil." Joe said, exasperated, slinging his gun over his shoulder.

The Falcon's radio started speaking.

"Echo team, this is Captain Newcomb. We are pinned down in a city not far from you. No other reinforcements are available in the area, we need you here."

***

As the Warthog rolled over the rocky hill, the massive UNSC operation was revealed to the other half of Echo team. Marine soldiers weaved through Scorpion tanks and Warthogs, carrying weapons and supplies. Amil's eyes lit up.

Karksy pressed the gas a little and let the Hog roll down the dusty, rocky hill. The frigate was still in the air, and Pelicans occasionally flew back and forth out of the hanger, loaded with vehicles and soldiers. There was a UNSC base behind all of the vehicles. It was a large, flat building that had people walking in and out of it. Karsky assumed that was the place to go.

As all the soldiers entered the building, they removed their helmets and brushed their suits. They were all unaware that their faces with covered in scratches and dirt. The base was surprisingly low tech. A majority of it was made out of a light colored concrete that slowly crumbled every time a Pelican flew over or a tank drove by. The three men all strolled through the base, following arrows painted yellow across the grey floors. Finally, they made it to the command center.

A tall, older looking man in a grey suit turned around to see them. All three soldiers saluted.

"At ease." The Colonel said, waving his hand. "Whats your business here?" He continued.

"This is whats left of Echo team. Aegis Fate told us you had a job for us?" Said Newcomb. Murrah and Karsky were surprised that he was the first to talk.

"Right, Echo team..." The Colonel said, scratching his head. "You have a gauss 'Hog?" He finished, looking back at them.

"Yes sir. It's low on fuel but it's in working condition." Chris answered.

"Alright. Follow this man here, he'l show you where you where we need you." He said, pulling a man from his computer monitor.


Sorry for the short chapter. I have big plans for the next one. See you later.

  • 08.05.2010 10:37 AM PDT

There once was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

The end.

SCFH

to let people know that you have a new chapter up, you should update your subject title every time you release a chapter. Like:

Winter Contingency *Chapter 4 Up!*

or

Winter Contingency *Chapter 5 Up!*

  • 08.05.2010 11:28 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Pretty good.

  • 08.05.2010 8:11 PM PDT
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Sorry, guys. I've been working hard on this new chapter and I havn't been feeling well. Forgive me for the delays, the story will be back in buisiness again soon. Sorry again.

  • 08.06.2010 8:00 PM PDT
Subject: Winter Contingency (Chapter 5 is up!)
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

GrownPrism is NOT my gt. Happened when signing into my xbox live account. My real gt is here:

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/Default.aspx?player=SYNTHES lS&sg=0

I like it, though a few tips.

Originality: Stories like the battle for Reach, cortana with gravemind, what happened between Halo 2 and Halo 3 have been done to death. Although I do realize that you have created new characters and plot, it's still reach, and the ending is inevitable. It's nice to start off with something new and different that has never or hardly ever been done. I like it though, keep it up.

Planning and chapter structure: Chapters should be longer, they are to short IMO. Also, for future things it's good to plan out the major events that happen in the chapter so you can keep on writing and when you have written down the events that happen in the chapter, all you have to do is write down a conclusion for the chapter.

Hope these tips helped.

Good job for your first fan fic. keep it up.

  • 08.07.2010 12:28 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Winter Contingency (Chapter 7 is finally complete)
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  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Here it is, finally! I'm sorry to keep you waiting, readers. I have something special in this chapter, including the return of one of Echo team's members, if you remember who. Well, here it is, Chapter 6!

Chapter 6: The Charge

The Falcon weaved through the flame infested buildings. Occasionally it's passengers were choked by the smoke, so Higgs decided to fly lower. It was much more turbulent near the ground from the heat reflecting off the pavement, but it was bearable.

They were contacted by a man named Newcomb, who seemed to be in great distress. Echo team was to find them and help them out of the city. The sounds of human guns sounds grew louder and louder as they approached the beacon that the Newcomb soldier sent them on their GPS. Finally, they saw the men.

They were fighting a massive Covenant force. There were three destroyed Wraith tanks, one downed banshee, and countless Grunt, Jackal, and Elite bodies. There were even a few Hunter bodies in the mix.

They were holed up in an old concrete structure, and it's roof was caving in. Matt couldn't see the soldiers underneath the roof. The falcon circled, looking for a place to land.

A few fuel rod grunts noticed the hovering Falcon. An Elite major barked orders and wasn't paying attention, so the grunts took it into their own hands. The two both aimed, and fired at the two rotors on the vehicle.

The bird lifted up as the green blobs approached them. The motors roared as they struggled against the rain. Evans and Holver started yelling at Thom, telling him to get out of the way. Thom just ignored them as he attempted to swing the vehicle around. He was too late.

One of the green projectiles impacted the right rotor. Joe and Matt slowly realized what had happened. What they saw horrified them. The rotor was completely missing, jet and all. The Falcon was preforming a terrible flipping maneuver. There was nothing Thom could do. The wet metal floor threatened to launch the two men to their deaths. Joe latched onto a storage net on the wall. Matt was too afraid to move. Holver grabbed his arm and braced himself for the impact.

Matt woke up in a quiet, dark building. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to get a grip on what was going on around him. He was in a crumbling concrete structure, with re-bar protruding from some places in the half roof. Rain dripped through the cracks on the roof and landed on Evans' face. Then he realized what had happened.

He sat upright awkwardly, and grunted as he lifted his head up. He saw six figures, and smiled. His squad was back together, he thought. Then, one of the figures approached him. It had a massive silhouette with broad shoulders. An Elite, he thought.

His vision refocused, and he was amazed at what he saw.

An enormous man, almost seven feet stood in front of him. His head was covered with a full helmet with a face that shined a pretty gold. The letters UNSC were clearly printed on it. His body was wide and covered with light blue armor. His hand rested on Matt's shoulder, and he felt the power of the massive man.

"Your alright." Said the mystery soldier.

"What happened?" Matt asked. He was completely unaware that the Covenant had even landed on Reach.

"Your Falcon was shot down by those grunts over there." He said, pointing to two crumpled bodies across the street.

Matt suddenly remembered everything. The seperation of his squad, the Covenant outpost, the destruction of the ODG...

"Yeah," He replied. "Where's Joe and Higgs, 'they alright?"

"Yeah. The pilot has a broken leg. We have a splint on him." He said, looking over to the grimacing man lying on his back on the hard ground floor.

Matt sighed and looked towards Joe who was talking to two armed civilians.

"Captain Newcomb, Spartan 038." He said, holding his hand out.

"Lietenant Matt Evans." he answered, saluting before shaking the soldier's hand. Matt was thoroughly confused. "Spartan?"

"ONI will explain. They told us you would be here."

***

"Okay," The skinny radio operator announced. "Your Hog is fueled and ready to go. Good luck."

"Thanks." Said Chris, shaking the mans hand before he walked back into the building.

"It's going to be moving in three minutes. Were late. Let's get the vehicle into position." Karsky finally announced. The UNSC was planning a massive offensive of a Covenant outpost. The outpost was an important Covy asset, and if they lost it, Covenant ground control would be lost in the whole area.

As the men loaded in the Hog, the sky shined a pretty orange. It reflected off of all the UNSC's green equipment and settled in the puddles of the past rain. The wind was calm, and the air was thick with humidity and distant gunfire.

Then, the charge was started. Hogs up front, tanks in back. All the UNSC vehicles ripped towards the Covenant outpost. The Scorpion treads flung sand through the air and the Warthogs made prominent tracks across the plane.

Amil held onto the Gauss' controls and looked into the thermal camera. He checked the ammunition for the fifth time and adjusted his helmet. Karsky stared emotionless out the front windshield and casually shifted up gears. Chris sat higher in his seat with his foot on the dashboard with his MA37 shouldered. The Covenant knew they were coming.

Mortar tanks began launching plasma and Ghosts were speeding towards them. Suddenly, a tank round ripped through an approaching ghost. It split in two, with one of it's wings flying through the air. The occupant, an Elite, fell out of the side and rolled across the ground. Once, you could hear his shields pop. The second pop was most likely his neck as he slid to a halt.

The Hogs simultaneously started firing. The Ghosts dropped, one by one. Once, a Warthog's steering was destroyed and it flipped, end over end, sending the operators through the air, one of them was flung over a hundred feet.

Amil was an excellent gunner. Karsky was hesitant to let him shoot but he couldn't find anyone else with better driving skills. A ghost approached them, plasma cannons raging. Amil shot a single gauss round through the middle of the machine, turning it into a flaming heap of metal. Echo's hog looked like it was leading the charge. It was ahead of all the other vehicles.

It was a smooth ride for the rest of the way except for the occasional Wraith round that was easily avoided. The Covenant outpost could be seen now. Longsword fighters flew over the UNSC formation and dropped massive bombs on the structure. The explosions rose high into the sky and the Hogs slowed a little to let the flames clear.

Once they arrived, they were satisfied with the results. Grunts were scattered on the ground everywhere, and Elites crawled through the sand, bleeding from their wounds. As the soldiers dismounted and walked through the camp, they shot any living thing that survived the explosion.

Amil looked all around him. All the Covenant equipment was in pieces, even their weapons and armor. He had discovered their weakness: Giant bombs.

***

Sean paced around the Command deck of the Aegis Fate. He had told the Captain about everything that had happened to him and his team. How they lost the ODG, how they got separated, and how he commandeered a ghost to escape. He was glad the Captain was able to find them. He was told that the two halfs of the team were on secret missions that he couldn't know about, and he was surprised the Lieutenant didn't tell him about his special operations affiliation. He watched the massive attack out the dusty observation window.

He was amazed at the amount of force the Aegis Fate actually posessed. At least ten Scorpions and thirty M12RVs. He felt the Longswords drop from the hanger beneath his feet, and saw them fly over the Covenant base and destroy the entire thing. He was disappointed he was not part of the attack, but the Captain said he needed to be with the rest of his squad before he was on the ground again.

His light grey uniform turned a kind of a dark tan from all the dirt he had accumulated during his time away from the team. His face was covered in dust, as well as his brown, greying hair. He sat down in the cafe on the Aegis and ate the best meal he had had in months. Navy food was the best, he thought. He sat alone in the whole place. All the other soldiers had been deployed on the ground and were taking part in the charge. He was the first and only Army personnel to be on the ship.

While he was eating, he thought about Higgs. He and him had fought on Harvest together, and he hadn't seen him in hours. He couldn't stand being away from his team for that long. He remembered how they had discovered his own house torn and burnt to pieces with his wife and son lying in the yard. He immediately moved on to another subject.

Suddenly, the Captain walked into the room. He approached Sean and sat down across from him.

"Sir," He said, looking back at him.

"I have an assignment for you and your team, Sergeant." He said in a low tone.


I have begun the story for the sequel. If this story goes far, I will make a follow up that will be something new and original. I have big ambitions for my next project. See you soon.

[Edited on 08.15.2010 9:03 AM PDT]

  • 08.07.2010 7:06 PM PDT
Subject: Winter Contingency (Chapter 5 is up!)

There once was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

The end.

SCFH

good chapter, and especially like the ending of the chapter. its suspenseful and makes you want more. great job.

  • 08.08.2010 7:08 AM PDT
Subject: Winter Contingency (Chapter 6 is finally here!)
  •  | 
  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Thanks Hal.

I've been polishing me next chapter, it should be up tommorow! Here is a little snack to award your patience.

We were inexperienced on Reach. We lost countless lives. It was probably the worst defeat in this entire war. We weren't prepared well enough.

The Covenant are looking for our home world. We can't let them get there. We are the line. We can't break. The Covenant are in orbit, right now, planning to take this world like they did Reach. Colonel Ackerson has bigger plans.

November 18th, 2552
Mare Erythraeum, Mars


Stay tuned.

[Edited on 08.09.2010 9:42 PM PDT]

  • 08.09.2010 9:17 PM PDT

There once was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died.

The end.

SCFH

Oh, soemthign taking place on Mars?

Like the non-originality. that's what people like.

  • 08.10.2010 9:09 AM PDT
Subject: [Story] Winter Contingency (Chapter 7 in progress, new story preview)
  •  | 
  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Im sorry for the long wait, fans, I have finally returned and I will post Chapter 7 in a few moments. Thanks for being patient to the two people who follow this story.

Thanks,
Dumdum

[Edited on 08.14.2010 7:38 PM PDT]

  • 08.14.2010 1:10 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Winter Contingency (Chapter 7 is finally complete)
  •  | 
  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Chapter 7: ONI's plans

Amil strolled through the wreckage. The site was actually quite frightening to him. He had never seen the things up so close. He was all alone st the moment. The other part of the team investigated a small purple structure about 150 yards away. The ground was covered with bodies and impact craters from the air strike. Something caught the curious boys eye.

Ahead of him a large body lied. It was an Elite, but something was different about this one. Amil had never really seen one these aliens before, so he decided to investigate. His armor was a light purple, and he had a very large headdress. It had yellow neon coloring in some places, and spikes in others. Amil crouched beside the almost perfectly intact body. He picked up a stick about the same lenth as a baseball bat and attempted to flip the creature on it's back.

"Murrah!" Newcomb finally shouted after watching him for about five minutes.

Amil jumped, and almost felt sick from the sudden shout. "Yes sir?" He called back.

"Leave those things alone, they could have diseases." He replied.

"Yes sir." Amil answered.
He grinned and slammed the stick on the aliens back. It's shields flared as the stick bounced back. Amil frowned, and looked towards the things face. It's eyes were wide, and beaming. It suddenly leaped up and grabbed hold of Amils chest. Amil screamed and swiped at the creature's face, and it easily avoided impact by pulling it's head back each time. It finally grasped the stick he had been using to keep the beast back and threw it away angrily, and a beam of energy shot from it's gauntlet. It roared and brought the dagger down towards Amil's chest. Suddenly, he caught the Elite's hand and attempted to force it back. The alien was much stronger than him.

The dagger slowly burnt through the soldier's chest peice as Amil struggled to keep distance. He felt the heat on his face from the blade. The creature's grotesque mandibals seemed to smile at him as it pressed down harder. All of the sudden, a crack was heard. A DMR round bounced off the alien's sheilds, and it's blade instantly turned into a blue mist. It looked up, and Amil took his pistol out of his holster and shot the entire clip into the beast's face. A second DMR round gave the fatal strike as it ripped through the Elites helmet and erupted out the back. The massive body became limp and rested ontop of Amil. It was too heavy to move.

"I told you to stay away from the bodies." Newcomb said, loading a new mag into his DMR and smiling down at the helpless Amil.

"Get-this-thing... off-of-me..."

***

The storm had passed, and the Lieutenant had talked with the Spartan for hours. By then he knew more than what was good for him. He started to worry about ONI's "secret mission" that they had for Echo. The Spartan hadn't told him any details, but that's what bothered him most.

They all rested and sat in a courtyard. The two civilians lowered Higgs' stretcher on a park bench, where he winced in pain and lied down, sleepily. The sky was a bright orange, and the air was calm. Covenant glassing beams could be seen in the distance, and the men started to become more and more worried.

"Newcomb, huh?" Matt questioned, after a long moment of silence. "I have a kid with the same name in my team. We got separated at an ODG earlier today."

"Really," The Spartan answered with more of a statement than an interested question.

"Chris Newcomb. I don't know his middle name, but his name is Chris."

The Spartan suddenly stared at the ground, as if he was thinking very deeply.

"Any relation?" Matt continued, wondering if the man had even heard him.

"No." The Spartan finally said after a lengthy pause.

"This is Pelican 624, we are inbound on your position. ETA one minute." The Spartan's radio announced.

"Understood 624, see you soon." He answered, scanning the sky.

The Pelican could be seen way off in the distance. It closed very quickly, and hovered above the ground.

All the men climbed aboard and found their seats speedily.

"Aegis Fate this is Echo 624, package retrieved. We are en-route back to you, over." The pilot's voice could faintly be heard through the cockpit door.

"Good work, 624. We're gathering the rest of the team as we speak."

No more sound was heard for the rest of the ride. Higgs lied quietly on the stretcher in the middle of the passenger bay and mumbled prayers. The two civilian men were in rough shape. One of them had an orange jacket that was torn in several places, the other had cuts all over his face. Matt looked almost as good as them after the crash, the same with Joe and Thom. Joe had a bandage wrapped around his leg that was soaked with his own blood. Thom, of course had the broken leg, and his helmet was missing.

The two non-uniform men traded weapons with each other. The one in the oranged jacket passed the other guy his plasma rifle, and the other man in the black coat gave him his spiker rifle. They fiddled with the weapons for a bit. The spiker rifle seemed to be the most intresting, They decided to remove bullets from the spike cartridge. They poked the ends with their fingers and put them back in the cartridge. Earlier the Spartan explained that the civilians were trained by him after he found them wandering the city.

After a long ride, the massive ship came into view. The Aegis Fate loomed over the even larger dust plane. The Pelican zoomed towards it and swooped up into the hangar.


[Edited on 08.15.2010 9:03 AM PDT]

  • 08.14.2010 7:45 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Winter Contingency (Chapter 7 in progress, new story preview)

WAAAHH I need more :[

Can't wait to see what the "non-relationship" of the Newcombs is :]

  • 08.14.2010 11:38 PM PDT
  •  | 
  • Senior Heroic Member

So long, Halo. Megszakad a szívem

Thanks, Riokus.

Wow, it's real difficult to get your work noticed here. I just can't compete with any of the big writers. Good thing im writing this for my self and not to see what anybody thought...

Anyways, the next chapter should be up tommorow. See you soon.

  • 08.16.2010 6:00 PM PDT

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