- OfTheBloodguard
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- Fabled Heroic Member
The tide is turning, brothers! Let us take our kingdom back!
The timing couldn't have been better. Without a moment's hesitation, Sierra Company disbanded their cover setups, took all necessary equipment and bolted for HAUBERK Base's entrance, cheering as they ran. Where they had all but lost the hope that they were going to make it out alive a few seconds ago, now their hopes had risen from the ashes of despair, drawing power from the Colonel's return. But while they celebrated on one hand, they knew that the risk of being gunned down on the way over to freedom was still a very real possibility. Out of desperation, soldiers took shots as they ran, hoping it would slow their hunters down.
As those who'd been spread out around Mt. Arphos started nearing the entrance, Team Theta fanned out, doing their best to keep it as safe as possible for anyone entering. They were now the last four who had their full attention fixed on the Covenant, saving everyone else was a higher priority on their list than saving themselves.
"It seems you were right, Rodney," Baldemar remarked, impressed by his leader's faith in someone he himself didn't trust in the slightest. "He did indeed make the better choice. But how could you have known that he would do so?"
"I didn't know."
Theta's awe for Rodney went unspoken, yet it was discernible to him as if it were a presence standing at his side. Ever since the fateful day where the team lost two of its members, they had changed for both the better and the worse. While their raw, almost unchallenged effectiveness had made them a tremendous asset to the UNSC, the team had grown more and more secluded, slowly losing the ability to trust anyone outside of their team. Their deaths had hit Rodney the hardest, as he still blamed himself, even now. And as a result, while he was a formidably capable leader, his ability to put the lives of him and his team in the hands of others had been deteriorating over time.
His team-mates had been noticing this gentle decline, as it had been affecting them as well, albeit at a slower rate. The fact that Rodney had been able to trust the Colonel to come back for Sierra Company stunned them, for it may have been that if they had been asked to do such a thing, they weren't so sure they could last as long as their leader had. But the thought quickly passed, for there was no time to spare. And so the SPARTANs continued to defend HAUBERK Base's entrance, their aim scarcely off as shot after shot continued to find its mark.
Despite their significant losses, there were still a lot of soldiers around the mountain, leading to a constant stream of Marines and ODSTs trickling into HAUBERK Base. And although the tension in the air was thick, Sierra Company's mood had brightened drastically. But, as Rodney glanced over at the entrance, he saw a lone ODST crouching over a fallen comrade just out of the line. Worried that he too would be killed, Rodney yelled a command at him, urging him to carry on. But the ODST gave no response, not even so much as a flinch.
Driven by urgency, Rodney sped over and crouched beside him, placing his BR55 onto one of his magnetic attachments and grabbing him by the shoulders.
"You in there, soldier? Get a move on!" he insisted, not wishing to leave him to the wolves. But once again, the ODST gave no response. He didn't firm up in the SPARTAN's grip, lolling as he was shaken, too far gone in his grief to acknowledge the shaking he'd been given. Even over the tired cries and cheers around him, Rodney could still hear a faint sobbing.
Although he understood the trooper's pain, pushing away the memories of his own team-mate's deaths as they came to him, there was simply no time to waste. Rodney hefted him up onto his feet, and then ran towards the entrance, dragging him by the arm. The ODST kept pace to avoid falling down and being dragged through the snow, but he still looked to the body, his arm outstretched to it in yearning. They made it to the entrance quickly, and Rodney quickly whipped him into the inflow. He immediately turned around, joining the fight once more as he reselected his BR.
Fortunately, by the time he had begun to fire, the majority of Sierra Company had made it inside. And after a few more soldiers reached the entrance, Theta departed from the battlefield, killing off as many as they could as they stepped back into the ONI facility. As soon as Boris had made it through, Colonel Thompson immediately closed the heavy entrance door remotely from his terminal. It almost shook the building as it slid over, giving hope to those inside that it would hold the Covenant off.
Everyone was exhausted. The battle had been ruthless and demanding, and as soon as they'd gotten inside, most of Sierra Company had seated themselves upon the floor, gasping for breath as their rest craving bodies finally getting what they had been needing. Even Theta, who'd been the people to moved the most around Mt. Arphos by far, felt the effects of the battle, which gave them a sense of scale in how big their mission had been.
The Colonel stepped to the middle of the room, surveying what was left of the company that had put their lives on the line for all that HAUBERK Base held within. A quick headcount put the total figure left at 88, minus the nine pilots who'd stayed indoors and Theta. They had suffered staggering losses, and the rest of Sierra weren't a pretty sight to behold either. Total fatigue shrouded them as if it were a cloud of fog, and injuries weren't rare. Some had even been burned by plasma, gaping wounds left as a remnant of the Covenant's untamed violence.
Disheartened by what he saw, guilt eating away at him, the Colonel couldn't help but feel responsible. While he'd been down in the depths of his base, the soldiers lying around him had been getting slaughtered by an army of thousands, perhaps even more. The fact that they had even survived, let alone racked up such a kill count was an extraordinary feat. And if I'd been sent a lesser team, I would be standing here with nobody to thank, he thought, thanking his lucky stars that Sierra Company had done as well as they had. But still, it was justified. I had no choice. They have to understand.
Wars still raged within his head, and even though he did his best to keep himself composed, what'd he felt in the surveillance operations facility had dispersed as a broken company made their way back into his base. It seemed that he just couldn't keep his hopes alive, even after all the support he had been given. But nevertheless, the Colonel had received his orders, and he had no choice but to see them through. Summoning every last bit of resolve he had left, he addressed Sierra Company for the last time.
"I have been in contact with one of ONI's highest ranking officers, who has informed me of an urgent matter that has come to the attention of our personnel here on Atlas. Although the details are highly classified, I am able to tell you that we have learned of the Covenant's reasoning for attacking this planet, and that you will be sent out to hold off their main army as soon as possible." His tone was matter of fact, almost emotionless, which was the near opposite of how he felt inside.
Sierra Company couldn't believe it. Although they made no audible protest, how they felt about having to fight an even larger Covenant force was plainly written across their faces.
"We are redirecting every possible soldier we can afford to take from around the planet to the site, and as we speak, we are amassing a main army of our own to counter their advance. This mission is of vital importance, far surpassing even this base in terms of worth to them. You will not let them get what they came here for, and that order is to be followed above all else. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Sierra Company replied wearily. Their bodies may have been broken, but their will to fight had not, even after all they had been through the last couple of hours. However, some injuries around the room were rather impairing and in need of medical attention. One of the company's corpsmen asked the Colonel for a quick moment to treat only the most serious of wounds, which the Colonel allowed.
While they worked, everyone else began to check their gear over. Extreme environments like the mountain outside were infamous for causing faults in weapons, and despite the rugged tenacity of most UNSC weaponry, some had indeed succumbed to the cold. Slight tremors were able to be felt as Sierra Company collected themselves and prepared for yet another mission, this was due to plasma impacting HAUBERK Base's exterior. This wasn't a good sign to the Colonel, for the tremors were becoming more and more frequent.
A few minutes later, most of the soldiers around had been treated as well as time constrictions would allow, and though the relief was not permanent, it would have to suffice. They were as ready as they could be to fight again.
As the coprsemen stood at attention, signalling that they had done all they could, Colonel Thompson nodded and asked Sierra Company to follow him up to the aircraft delivery bay, not wishing to take a look at the security terminal. He already knew what he'd see. As he led them towards the stairs up to the top floor, he continued speaking.
"By now, the rate at which we are able to defend this base will have significantly lowered due to your departure from the battlefield. As a result of this, our defence turrets and aircraft will have had to compensate by shooting at ground units as well as air units. This will likely mean that enemy units have closed the gap to a fairly close distance, and will be gaining more ground every second we waste. Also, this means that extracting you via D77-TC will be extremely risky." He motioned for everyone behind him to go forward without him once they arrived at the ramps leading up to their Pelicans up on the landing pads.