New Bremen
2541
UNSC Through the Fire
Corporal Mikah Risch ‘Rischy’
“Alright boys listen up!”- The ears of 31 men perked up to the words of their Leader: Lieutenant Pascal Dubois. -”We got our new mission. After days of waiting we got a simple one. Drop in blow up two covenant AA guns recon has identified them as T-38 ‘Tyrants’ they’re positioned in the northern park and next to Karsten Steel Works Northern industrial district."
"The park and Industrial district are connected via subway line.” He pointed out the entry points on the holographic map of New Bremen. “We're gonna hit both Tyrants at the same time. The subway line serves as our way back to friendly lines. It is imperative that both Tyrants get destroyed otherwise nothing leaves this city the airway. Including us.”
Silence the platoon of freshly made ODSTs was silent until one man broke the silence: Sergeant Alec Abadie. Leader of the Specialized Squad.
“Sir. How will the platoon be split up?”
“First and Specialized are the strike teams. First designation Striker. Specialized designated Reaper. Third and Fourth are in reserve. But I'm gonna need one of your Demomen. You'll get a SAW from Third to make Specialized full count.”
“Everdeen, you're with Striker.” Reapers leader ordered one of his two Demomen.
“Yes sir!”
“Good. Everyone gear up drop is in 7!” LT Dubois ordered the platoon dispersed immediately grabbing last minute equipment stims and rations.
Two Helljumpers stood at the side line, both helmetless, a man and a woman. The man had countless scratches on his helmet: kill tallies.
The woman had a red and white stripe on both shoulders as well as a red one over her helmet. Identifying her as a medic to the rest of the platoon.
“Vicky. Keep to cover and no unnecessary heroics. Okay?” the man said
“Do I get you so worried? I'm the medic in reserve. You're on the strike team. I should be the one worried.”
“You aren't worried about your dear brother in arms? Bad woman.” They both shared a chuckle
“It's time isn't it?” Vicky the medic asked
“I'll see you on the other side.” The man said.
They each went to different drop pods for they were in order of squad and they were not from the same.
Rischy put his bagged SRS in the pod then his M7 then he sat down. Putting on the safety harness he waited for the door to close. After a few moments it closed. The pods rotated into drop position and the vacuum sealed gate below the drop bay opened revealing a view that would make every normal human sick. Thousands of meters above the ground explosions and debris wherever the eye turned. Then the Platoon com went on. LT Dubois “Troopers! For most of us, me included, this is the first combat drop. Does that matter? No we're gonna drop down and kick alien ass but how do we get there?”
“Feet First!” 32 voices barked out.
“Damn right Feet first into Hell troopers.”
The pods were released, gravity seemed to not exist for a moment.
He had become used to the feeling of dropping into combat from orbit in a glorified coffin; it wasn't his first drop far from it. He had dozens of drops behind him, one of the few men in the platoon with ODST experience. The rest had seen combat as marine infantry. Though for sure but line combat didn't get close to the ODST mission though. It remains to be seen who of the 28 green ODSTs was really cut out to be a Helljumper.
At least his Sergeant Abadie wasn't new to this.
Vicky was and that made him nervous. The first time in ages of fighting covies as a Helljumper he was nervous.
He stopped that train of thought as soon as it came up. It was not good thinking about stuff like that during missions. He's seen enough men die because they were not focused solely on the task at hand.
Landing in 5 one of the displays showed
4. one breath in 3. One out 2. One in 1.
Touch down the pod landed with a big boom. Steel on concrete it surely left a crater good that the road would never be used by civilians again. Once covies found a planet it was a lost planet.
He immediately pressed the button to blow the hatch out. M7 raised he jumped out aiming right aiming left nothing to be seen he reached back in his pod to grab the bag with the disassembled SRS in it slinging it over his shoulder he moved to Reapers rallying point.
He reached the small carpentry shop they had set as a rally point.
Five of Eight men are now there.
“Aby. Word from the rest?”
“Michel's burned up. The guy from third and Jacky I don't know.” Abadie replied
“We still got time until the attack?”
"Yeah, 2 hours."
“Half an hour away without complications. I say wait for another half hour and then move out?”
“My thoughts". He turned to the other three
“Half an hour take the chance.”
The other three men took to napping after a while Rischy turned back to Abadie
“Any news from the fourth?” he asked his squad leader.
“Haven't heard anything from your petite amie.”
“Fucking french.” Abadie gave an amused snort in reply.
“What was your previous unit like?” Abadie asked.
“Good men, now dead men.”
“It will be the same with these kids. I reckon half of the platoon casualties.”
“At least." He replied ”Meat Eaters don't know the finesse it takes for our mission set.”
“Mhm. How Long you've been in? The ODSTs I mean.”
“Ten years. And Vicky is not my petite Amie. She's my sister.” “Ten years is a long time in this war. I've been in for siz. And how come the different last names if you're siblings?”
“Long story, ask me again after the mission.”
He checked the time in his Helmet's HUD Twenty one minutes past. Nine minutes left might as well close his eyes.
9 minutes later he was kicked.
“Alright greenhorns and Rischy. The good news: the dude from third made it to us. Jacky is still not here but we can't wait any longer. We're moving out. Sanders takes point.”
6 instead of 8 is not great, not terrible.
Sarge Aby. Demoman Olafsson.
Jtac Joséf. Rifleman Sanders.
The SAW and Me.
Michel's dead for sure along with our rocket launcher if we come across hunters we're fucked.
Jacky my spotter is missing, probably dead. Not a great loss, just a rifle less.
"Aby." I called out to my squad leader “Are we fighting Splits or Apes?” “Splits.” He replied
We marched along through the city of New Bremen sticking to the shadows making good progress and not coming into any contact whatsoever. Until Sanders, our point man raised his fist. We immediately stopped and took cover.
Through his helmet he spoke impossible to hear from the outside “patrol one Minor two Birds five dogs.” Sanders spoke without moving his sights off of the covenant patrol. “Can we evade them?” Sarge asked. Sanders took a few moments to reply. “Negative they're checking buildings. We gotta take them out or they'll run into third and fourth.” “Shit.” Abadie was quiet for a moment. “Rischy. How quickly can you waste the split and birds?” I took a look over the car I was hiding behind. “three seconds.” I replied “good assemble your SRS. Say when you're ready we take the dogs.” “Mhm” I got to unpack my SRS. The anti material rifle was too big to be practical to carry on missions like these at least in one piece it was 166 cm long after all.
“Alright. Everyone takes one grunt we kill the fucks simultaneously don't want double targets everyone a different grunt. Clear?”
A chorus of ‘clear’ came by the other 4 men
“Rischy on your go.” Aby said once the 5 men had each acquired aim at one of the grunts.
I put the crosshairs between the elite's eyes.
Normal procedure was to aim for center mass but the covenant armor along with their energy shield made it not worth it at least if your aim was true.
I slowly pulled the trigger the bullet left and I immediately switched targets to the jackal next to the elite one shot to the breast and over to the next jackal one shot to the breast. The three collapsed and the grunts followed soon thereafter.
“Scratch one” I muttered below breath but apparently not quiet enough for Aby catches it “Can't count to three Rischy?”
“If I count them Birds I'd have my armor full long ago.”
“If you say so. Move it boys.” and so Reaper started moving again
“That's our target. Covie AA gun. Got an Energy core inside one grenade in there the whole thing blows.” “I sense a ‘but’.” Olafson said
“Yeah, the energy shield protects it. Good news: the shield goes down every time the gun fires.”
“And the bad news?” “For fucks sake Olafson. The bad news is we have to get in there, wait until it fires, throw a grenade in there and then run out of it before it explodes. These babies are not undefended mind you.”
“Why not use a remote detonated charge?”
“No time the Shield is only open for a few moments.”
“Call someone to send a crippled ship overhead so they have something to shoot at?” Sanders suggested
“Nah takes too much time. I say; We split up in different buildings in a rough quarter circle around the gun. One guy sneaks to the other side. The lads in the buildings open up because we're shooting from multiple buildings. They might think we're a bigger force than we are. Or maybe not but either way they'll be focused on us and the dude that sneaks around can get in the Canon from the back. Throw a nade and run.” I suggested the maneuver was not new; usually we did it on Wraiths not on AA guns but the principle remains the same.
“I agree." Aby said “Remains just the question who goes in. Rischy is the Sniper he stays outside. SAW man as well. Olafson. You mind a bit of sneaking around?”
“Honestly Sarge I'll fuck it up I'd get panic alone in there and fuck up sorry.” Olafson said.
I thought it interesting that he would be honest about that, not many ODSTs were.
“Aby you know how to use the SRS?” He nodded yes he did know how to use the SRS “Then you'll take it and I will sneak in.” “Fine by me". “The ammo in the bag as well?” “Mhm”
“Are you in position? Rischy?” Aby asked over squad com I did not feel like talking and instead gave him a confirmation via the helmet his system a blue flash in his hud would signal him my positive acknowledgement.
“Good, let's do this. Reaper fire away!” The big boom the SRS made was clearly heard as well as the rattle of the SAW, certainly moving down grunts in droves. It's what they deserved fucking animals. After 3 Minutes of the firefight beginning I made my way to the Cannon. The plan so far was working. Elites, grunts and jackals were all with their backs to me shooting at the rest of Reaper. It was very hard to resist the urge to shoot the fuckers in the back but I had a mission to complete. I had almost reached the entrance of the Cannon when one of the pesky dog-like gassuckers decided to turn around and run. It was what these cowards did but it was very bad for me at the moment. If I shot it the covies would notice me. If I didn't, the grunt would alert the rest of my being in their position.
Luckily a 14,5mm round obliterated its skull. Normally a waste of resources to kill a singular running grunt with a 14,5 but I was very thankful.
I continued on but now with more haste the previous encounter way to close for comfort.
I reached the purple cannon and went inside, surprisingly it was empty. All the aliens were outside or on top shooting at my comrades but the bottom floor with the reactor was empty of enemy combatants. I took a fragmentation grenade from my belt and waited.
“Rischy they're about to shoot!” Aby said via squad com.
“Copy”
And he was right, the cannon shot once before the grenade left my hand and landed in the reactor.
It shot twice more before the grenade exploded.
Creating a chain reaction that obliterated the whole cannon in blue explosions. I sadly had no time to enjoy the fireworks for I was running as fast as my legs were carrying me. “Regroup at the Subway station?” I shouted into my helmet integrated microphone. “Copy. Good luck!”
Yeah he got that right I need a lot of that.
Xxx
“Striker 1-1 this is Reaper 1-1 objective complete. Regroup at Subway line? Over.”
Sergeant Abadie asked the Lieutenant via the platoon com.
“Reaper 1-1 Striker 1-1 Confirms objective completed all elements regroup at Subway line. Out” Lieutenant Dubois replied immediately.
“Well looks like they managed as well.” Aby said to the 4 men with him.
“He sounded pissed tho. Think they got casualties?” Sanders comments.
“Yeah probably.”
Their chat was interrupted by squad com crackling to live. “This is Reaper 1-2 where the fuck are you?”
“Well fuck me in the ass he lives.” Olafson said to nobody in particular.
“Rischy we're at the Subway station that was set as rendezvous point.” Abadie replied via squad com
“Gimme 5 mikes.”
“Wilco out.” “Well he's alive. Tough bastard that's for sure.” Aby said
“Movement!” Sanders, who kept watch at the tube, called out.
“Identify yourselfs!” He shouted into the Subway tunnel. “Thunder.” “Well move your asses then!” Sanders said “Yes momma!”
“Fuck you too.” he muttered beneath his breath.
Sure enough the shapes of ODSTs started to become identifiable. 7 of them were heavy weapons squad rocket launchers, grenade launchers and machine guns they had it all. After them came the fourth squad and Striker. Or what was left of Striker. “Get comfy. We're still waiting for one man.”
The 19 ODSTs took the chance without question.
They were beaten up. The Striker squad had only 4 men left. The demoman Everdeen loaned from Reaper wasn't with them. The 4 were wounded; one had his right arm cut off below the elbow.
“Splits with swords?” Aby asked the men. “Yeah we shot the garrison up moved in and the fuckers hid in there cut us to pieces.” “Damn.”
“Abadie, Miller and Carter with me.” LT Dubois ordered presumably to discuss the next course of action at that moment Rischy fell down the stairs
“Bit late aren't you?” Aby got no vocal reply, a mere middle finger was shown his way.
An ODST with red and white stripes immediately ran towards the collapsed Sniper on the ground.
“Micah!”