Location: Arcadia, Pirth City, Extraction Point
Space System: Procyon System
Date: March 3, 2531
Time: 0730 Hours
The Pelican's engines sputtered and coughed, trailing black smoke as the Banshee's plasma scorched through its armor. The civilians were inside, huddled down in the troop bay, and Beta Four was stuck on the ground, staring at what should've been our ticket out of here.
"We've got a problem!" Slink shouted again, already backing up from the doomed Pelican.
The Banshee was a twisted wreck, burning in the rubble where it crashed, but the damage it had done was enough to ground our evac. I could see the other Marines pulling back, shouting orders as they realized the Pelican wasn't taking off.
Allen barked into the comms, his voice tight with urgency. "Command, we need another bird! LZ is still hot!"
I could hear the static, the strained comms on the other end, and the response came back too quick for comfort. "Negative, Beta Four. All remaining birds are tied up in the air battle. We'll get one to you as soon as possible, but you're gonna have to hold position."
Hold position. The words hung heavy in the air.
Ramirez was already moving, planting himself between us and the burning Pelican. "You heard 'em, we dig in." He lifted his SPNKR, eyes scanning the horizon.
Allen gave a grim nod. "Everyone form up. Set a perimeter around the Pelican. We've got no choice but to hold."
I glanced at Slink, who was already pulling out her explosives kit. She gave me a look—half a smirk, half serious. "Guess we're stickin' around a little longer, Greenhorn. You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," I muttered, dropping to one knee behind a chunk of debris. I could still feel the adrenaline pumping through me from the earlier firefight, but there was no time to process it now. We were still in the thick of it.
The civilians were huddled in the back of the Pelican, their faces pale and scared. The kid hadn't stopped crying since we started the extraction, and his mother was trying to calm him, though she looked like she might break down herself any second. I couldn't blame them. Hell, I wasn't far from it either.
Doc knelt beside them, checking their vitals and doing what she could to reassure them. "We'll get you out of here," she said softly, though her eyes told a different story. She wasn't so sure anymore.
Location: Arcadia, Pirth City, Extraction Point
Date: March 3, 2531
Time: 0740 Hours
The sounds of Covenant forces closing in were unmistakable—Grunt chatter, the screeching howl of Jackals, the heavy footfalls of something bigger. They were coming, and they knew exactly where we were.
"Movement!" Slink called out, her MA5C already aimed down the street.
A patrol of Grunts rounded the corner, their glowing methane tanks bobbing as they scrambled forward. Behind them came the Jackals, their energy shields forming a tight phalanx. And, bringing up the rear, a pair of Elites in shimmering purple armor, their plasma rifles aimed right at us.
"Engage!" Allen ordered, and the street erupted into chaos.
I squeezed the trigger, my M392 kicking against my shoulder as I opened fire. The rounds punched through the Grunts' armor, sending two of them sprawling to the ground in a pool of their own methane. The Jackals raised their shields, deflecting our fire as they advanced.
Ramirez growled into the comms. "Someone take those damn shields down!"
Doc fired off a few well-aimed bursts from her rifle, but the Jackals were holding strong, moving forward like an impenetrable wall. The Elites, still behind them, barked orders in their guttural language, their plasma rifles lighting up the battlefield.
"Slink!" Allen barked, "get ready with those explosives!"
"Already on it," she snapped, pulling out a pair of grenades. She popped the pins with practiced ease, tossing them over the Jackals' shields.
The explosion rocked the street, sending shrapnel and fire into the air. The Jackal formation broke, their shields flickering as they staggered from the blast. The opening was all I needed.
I aimed down my sights, squeezing off three more shots. The first Jackal went down with a shot to the head, its shield useless. The second stumbled, trying to raise its defense again, but a burst of fire from Allen took it out before it could recover.
But the Elites… they weren't so easily deterred.
The two of them came charging through the smoke, their plasma rifles blazing. I ducked just in time, feeling the heat of a plasma round scorch the air next to me.
Allen was already moving, his rifle spitting rounds at the first Elite. "Focus fire!" he yelled.
We concentrated our shots on the nearest one, but the Elite's armor was holding strong. It growled, its shields glowing with energy as it advanced, seemingly unfazed by the gunfire.
Then I heard it—the low whine of the Elite's energy sword powering up.
"Get back!" Allen shouted, but it was too late. The Elite lunged forward, its energy sword slicing through the air.
I scrambled back, barely dodging the swipe. My heart raced as I realized how close I'd come to being cut in half.
The second Elite wasn't far behind, flanking us from the side. Ramirez fired off a shot from his SPNKR, but the Elite ducked behind cover just before the rocket hit, the explosion shaking the ground.
"This is bad," I muttered, reloading my M392 as fast as I could. My hands were shaking, but I forced myself to focus.
"Hold the line!" Allen ordered, his voice calm despite the chaos. "We can't let them reach the Pelican!"
The civilians were still huddled inside, and I could see the fear in their eyes as the battle raged around them. The politician, the father, was holding his son close, shielding him from the sights and sounds of the fight. The mother was pale, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of the seat. We had to protect them, no matter what.
Allen dropped the first Elite with a well-placed shot to the head, its energy sword flickering out as it collapsed to the ground. But the second one was still moving, circling around us, looking for an opening.
"Slink!" I called out, "We need a boom!"
She didn't need to be told twice. She lobbed another grenade toward the Elite, and this time, it hit its mark.
The explosion sent the Elite flying, its shields flickering out as it crashed into the debris. It didn't get back up.
For a moment, there was silence. Just the crackle of fire and the distant sound of the Pelican's struggling engines.
"We clear?" Ramirez asked, breathing heavily.
"Clear," Slink confirmed, though her eyes were still scanning the street, searching for any more threats.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My hands were still trembling, but I forced them to steady as I reloaded my rifle.
"We need that bird now," Allen muttered into the comms, frustration creeping into his voice. "We can't hold this position much longer."
The reply was quick, but not what we wanted to hear. "Pelicans are still tied up with Covenant air. We'll get to you as soon as we can."
"We don't have time for 'as soon as you can,'" Allen snapped. "We've got civilians down here."
"Copy that, Beta Four. Hold tight."
Hold tight. That seemed to be the phrase of the day.
Location: Arcadia, Pirth City, Extraction Point
Date: March 3, 2531
Time: 0750 Hours
We had no choice but to keep waiting. Every minute felt like an hour, my nerves on edge as I watched the skyline for any sign of Covenant reinforcements. They were out there. We knew it. It was just a matter of time before they regrouped and came at us again.
"We're sitting ducks here," Slink muttered, crouching down next to me. Her voice was low, but I could hear the tension in it.
"I know," I whispered back, glancing at the civilians. "But we can't leave them."
"I wasn't suggesting we should," she said, her tone softening slightly. "Just… this is a mess. Greenhorn or not, you're doin' alright."
It was the closest thing to a compliment I'd gotten from her so far, and for a moment, it helped ease the weight on my chest.
Before I could respond, Allen's voice came through the comms again, sharper this time. "Heads up! Banshees incoming!"
I looked up, just in time to see the familiar, terrifying shape of Covenant Banshees swooping down from the sky, their plasma cannons already lighting up.
We didn't have time to react.
The first plasma round hit the Pelican dead-on, the explosion tearing through its engines and sending a shockwave through the clearing. I was thrown to the ground, my vision swimming as the blast knocked the wind out of me.
"Move, move!" Allen shouted, but my ears were ringing, and I could barely make out his voice.
I staggered to my feet, gripping my rifle as I looked up at the burning wreckage of the Pelican. The civilians were still inside.
"No…" I breathed, panic rising in my throat.
The Banshees weren't done. They circled back around, their plasma cannons glowing as they lined up for another attack.
"Ramirez, take 'em out!" Allen ordered, but Ramirez was already on it. He fired off the last of his rockets, the SPNKR launching a pair of missiles straight into the lead Banshee.
The explosion lit up the sky, sending the Banshee spiraling out of control before it crashed into the ground. The second Banshee veered off, avoiding the rocket just in time.
But the damage was done. The Pelican was gone. And we were stranded.