Halo: Xenomorphs Revenge

Chapter 2: Forwards

Troy clambered out of his pod.

“Alright! Round up!” he barked. A nearby Sangheili ultra bumped him unnecessarily roughly as he walked past.

“Oh, sorry Sergeant Erl’nor,” he spat. Troy had a feeling that he was going to be trouble. He sighed and did a quick head-count. Everyone was present.

“Right then, we’re currently five clicks away from the structure. The Pelicans will be here in two minutes with transportation enough for all of us. The plan for when we get there is simple: overwhelm them with our superior numbers. Any questions?” Troy glared at a Sangheili who was passing a comment to one of his friends. “Perhaps you have one?” The Elite bristled and stepped forward. Troy stepped right up in front of him.

“Just one: what makes you think you are worthy to command us?” The Elite drew himself to full height and growled menacingly.

“Okay jackass, let’s clear something up. I stopped being afraid of Sangheili when I decided to marry one, so you and your cocky attitude can go straight to hell, I’m not having any of it here. Now, as you can imagine, I treat your kind with the same amount of respect as I would my own, which is none if you’re gonna be an asshole. What makes me think I can lead this operation? My superiors told me to. Here’s a tip, you listen to yours and get your ass back in line.” Calsu stepped forward to intervene.

“That’s enough,” she scolded.

“Silence woman!” the Sangheili snapped. “You’re opinion is as worthless as you are in battle!” Troy took off his helmet and let it drop to the ground. He cocked his head slightly before, quick as a striking snake, he grabbed the Sangheili’s head and brought it into his knee, spraying a bit of purple blood in the air as he broke a couple of mandibles. Troy then proceeded to kick the weak spot in the Elite’s double-knee, making him gasp in pain and fall to the ground. Troy straightened up and adjusted his armour.

“Today’s your lucky day Elite!” he said cheerily. “My wife over here would have kicked your ass twice as hard!” He turned to the crowd of Marines, ODSTs and Sangheili before him just as the Pelicans started to arrive. “I take it there are no more questions?” He was looking at the Elites in particular, each one giving him a slow shake of the head. “Good. We move out in five.”

Troy leaned back in the Guass Warthog’s passenger seat. Austin was concentrating on the path ahead, driving the vehicle towards the Nav-Point on his HUD. Calsu was sitting down next to the turret, leaning against the base of the large weapon. She was fiddling with the bipod attached to the barrel of her Sniper Rifle.

“How do you release this infernal device?” she grumbled. Troy smiled and pointed in the general direction of the catch she needed to flick off.

“Flick that thing,” he told her. She lifted the gun up and peered underneath it; twisting her head slightly and making her look like an inquisitive puppy. Troy laughed, making her blush before she finally found the right place and managed to make the bipod swing loosely. She played around with the torch and night vision for a bit, before her curiosity was finally sated and she clicked the gun back onto her back.

“Are you looking forward to some action?” she asked her husband. Troy shook his head.

“Am I wrong not to?” he replied. “These things are worse than hunters. And a thousand of them? Sounds like one hell of a job. If it were me, I’d try and destroy the entire planet.” Calsu nodded, understanding his view. She had never personally thought about it too much, she just ached to cram a bit more adventure into her life before she settled down with the love of her life. Troy checked his DMR for flaws, not really able to think of anything else to do. Troy flicked through a couple of maps on his VISR, noting the layout of the structure, even though the Xenomorphs had probably changed it with their weird slimy muck. Finally, they reached their destination. Troy motioned towards the two Scorpion Tanks that had come along with them. “Stay here and make sure none escape,” he ordered. The passengers dismounted from their vehicles, leaving just the gunners and the drivers. Calsu swapped places with a Marine so she could accompany Troy. “Cole formation. Torches on and fingers on triggers,” Troy whispered as they advanced into the depths of the structure. They came up to an intersection. Four Xenomorph-Stuff covered hallways lead off in different directions. “Fireteams Steel and Topaz with me. The rest of you, find a Fireteam to accompany you down one of the tunnels. Stay in constant radio contact. If you come to a dead end, mark the tunnel and join another group in their tunnel. Move out.” Fireteams Cobalt, Steel and Topaz walked down their corridor, weapons raised. Troy heard a skittering noise, the rest of the team must have heard it too, because everyone jumped and swept their weapons across the room. They were in a large, square room with an odd-looking device in the middle.

“Christine, Kyle, do a perimeter sweep,” a corporal told two of his team. Troy approached a panel in the wall. There was a small holo-panel that he recognised instantly. He raised his hand to press it.

“Sarge, is that really a good idea?” a marine with a shaky voice asked, blinding Trot with his torch.

“Relax,” Troy smiled, pressing the button. “It’s just a light switch.” And sure enough, the room was flooded with light seconds later. Many of the soldiers blinked in surprise as they tried to adjust to the dramatic change, some holding their arms out to shield themselves from the sudden brightness. Kyle stared dumbly at what had looked like part of the wall in the dark. Turns out, it was a Praetorian.

“Shit!” he cried, diving away. A nearby Sangheili was not so lucky and was sliced in half by the Xenomorph’s razor-sharp tail. Guns fired everywhere in the room.

“Flint!” Troy yelled, pulling a marine that got too close out of the way. Flint knew exactly what he was being asked to do, and charged up his Spartan Laser.

“Take cover!” he shouted at the last minute. The laser sliced the Xenomorph’s head open, causing a flood of Acid Blood to rain down into the room. Anyone who didn’t heed his advice was melted instantly. Once the chaos had died down a bit, Troy approached the corporal from before.

“How many dead?” he asked. The corporal glanced over his shoulder.

“Two from my squad, one from Fireteam Topaz.” Troy nodded. That left fourteen.

“Right then, let’s gather up and move out. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to...” The corporal went around the room to gather his Fireteam.