Halo 3: ODST Operation Cup o' Doom

Chapter Seven

After the attack, the ship set a course to return to Concord for repairs. Though it was a few weeks away at their current speed, it was the closest Planet to a Rift Station.
A few days into travel, a distress signal came across all channels.
"Mayday! Mayday! Any ships in the area, please help us! Concord has been under attack by Covenant forces." A male voice cried.
Shipmaster Vadumee looked at his remaining staff.
They had been through a lot with the attack they had just suffered and were weary.
"We are the only ship for light years. I know we are nearly limping, but we must help them." He grabbed the microphone for the overhead intercoms. "Concord is under attack and we are preparing to enter slipspace to get to their aid!"
"Slipspace?!" An engineer questioned. "Sir, we cannot put the ship through that! It could tear us apart!"
"That's a risk we'll have to take, Lieutenant. Do it now!"
He hesitated. "Y...Yes, Sir." He punched the buttons on his console. "Here goes nothing! I hope we survive this!" He held his breath and hit the final button.
The ship powered up and entered slipspace.
"Report?" Shipmaster Vadumee demanded. "Are we stable?"
"Yes, Sir." The Lieutenant replied.
"Excellent!" He grabbed the microphone once again. "All ODST troops don your gear and weapons, and get to your drop pods immediately! The remaining crew to battle stations!" He called as the alarm sounded.
Aria quickly dawned her armor and ran to the armory.
Kayla was already there and waiting for her. "Come on, Aria! I never beat you here! You making out with Ultra Bahtiyaree?" She teased.
"Oh hush! Now is not the time for jokes." She replied, opening the door.
The entire unit was soon lined up. They collected their weapons and ran to the hanger.
"Woohoo!" George yelled. "I finally get some action!!"
Muhmep looked over at him. "You're that desperate?"
"Hey, action is action!" He took off out the door with her following him. "Anything to get the blood pumping, Corporal!"
"We have reached the outer orbit of Concord." The Shipmaster's voiced called over the intercom. "All ODST to their pods now, and prepare for drop!"
Rha' was in the hanger as his troops began to file in and take their places.
Aria handed the last few people their weapons and gathered hers up as Kayla ran from the room.
Upon entering the hanger, Rha' stopped her. "Where are you going, Sergeant Peril? Your job is here."
"With all due respect, Sir. I am also an ODST, besides, they'll need a doctor down there." Kayla replied.
He smiled and moved aside.
She ran passed him and stood by her pod, across from Muhmep.
"You ready to rumble, Sergeant?!" She asked, pulling on her helmet.
"Hell, yeah!" They fist bumped. "See you on the other side, Corporal!"
Yuri soon entered and stood by Rha's side. "I feel left out."
Rha' chuckled. "Do not fret, Chief. As soon as they all launch, we will be headed down as well. That last battle was a bit of a tease for me, and I have a lot of revenge for those 'Brutes' as you Humans call them. It is quite fitting. Meet me in the armory in fifteen. I'm going to see our troops off, and then I'll be there."
"Yes, Sir." He replied as he left the room.
Aria was the last to enter the hanger. Rha' followed her as she slowly walked passed their troops, looking each of them over. "I'm told this is a battle cruiser. There are a few hundred Covenant troops on board. Not a lot, but still enough to do some serious damage to Lethbridge, the main city. It has been evacuated, but keep your eyes open for civilians just in case. Travel in groups of four. Keep an eye on your teammates. You know the drill!"
"Yes, Sergeant!" The division replied as a whole.
"Sergeant Peril, Sergeant Waters, Corporal Hicks, you three are with me."
"Yes, Sergeant!" They replied.
"It's go time!!" Aria yelled as she pulled on her helmet before climbing into her pod. "Death to the Covenant!!"
"Oorah!!!" They all yelled, following suit as they all entered their pods.
Aria pulled her door down, but Rha' stopped her. "Be safe! Take care of our troops, and make sure you come back to me." He whispered to her.
She blushed and smiled. "If I can survive an encounter with a Sangheili swordsman, I can handle these Brutes just fine."
He chuckled and helped her close her door. "That's my warrior!" He thought, pressing his hand to the little window of her pod.
She pressed her hand opposite of his before giving him a thumbs up.
He smiled and also gave her a thumbs up before leaving the hanger and watching through the large bay window as the pods began to drop, her's going first.
Once the last pod dropped, he met Yuri in the armory and gathered up some weapons. "It's hunting time, Chief!" He growled in excitement.
"Let the bodies hit the floor!!" Yuri sang as he followed him back to the hanger.
They confiscated a couple of Banshees and made a hasty exit before they could get caught.
****
Down on Concord it was dark, windy, and raining. Aria, Kayla, George, and Muhmep slowly made their way through the city.
Some of the buildings had been destroyed and the vast majority of the people had fled into the country.
There were fires in the streets, cars abandoned or wrecked nearly everywhere, and trash fluttering around in the wind.
They neared an alleyway and heard some commotion.
Aria signaled to George to put eyes on whatever was around the corner.
He nodded and passed her, peeking around the corner.
Two Jiralhanae were fighting over the body of some poor, dead animal.
"Brutes." He whispered into his headset. "Two of 'em."
Aria cocked her M113 SRS and jumped around the corner.
A headshot took one down right away, but the other charged at her.
Kayla jumped around the corner and shot him through the eye. "Eat shit and die, ape scum!!" She yelled. The Jiralhanae hit the concrete. His lifeless body slid towards her, stoping right in front of her. "Victory for the Peril sisters!"
"We bring serious and immediate danger to the enemies doorstep!" Aria added as they fist bumped.
George chuckled and shook his head as he turned around to face Muhmep. He gasped suddenly and yanked her towards him as he pulled out his pistol, shooting a Jiralhanae right between the eyes.
"Watch your back, Corporal. These bastards could be anywhere!"
"Thanks, Sergeant." She pushed herself away from him. A red beam of light caught her attention suddenly. She followed it to where it stopped right between Kayla's shoulder blades. She gasped, realizing what it was. "Snipers!!" She cried as she ran towards her, pushing her just as a sniper pulled the trigger.
His shot got Kayla in the arm, grazing her flesh just enough to make her bleed. "Ow! Shit!!"
They pulled their rifles towards the tops of the buildings, scanning the area.
Five Kig-Yar looked down at them, each one taking a shot.
George was nearly hit, but he stepped aside and took aim at the Kig-Yar. "Bye, bitch!" He whispered, pulling the trigger.
One down, four to go.
"Now the odds are even!" He boasted, taking aim at another one.
"I got another one on the left!" Kayla called, taking it out.
The last three were dispatched quickly.
Kayla looked at her arm before grabbing her medical bag. "Good thing this isn't bad." She said, pulling out an alcohol wipe and a bandage. "Aria, could you help me with this?"
"Sure. You guys keep an eye out."
George and Muhmep nodded as they scanned their surroundings.
Aria quickly cleaned and patched up Kayla's wound.
A small group of Jiralhanae suddenly came around a corner.
Muhmep spun around and raised her rifle as George fired at them, emptying his magazine. "Cover me! I need to reload!" He said, ducking behind a dumpster.
An Unggoy decided to pull out some grenades. He began to hoot and holler as he run at them. "Follow the light brothers!!"
Three other Unggoy followed suit.
"Oh lord!" Muhmep grumbled before yelling at them in Unggoy. "You wanna piece of this?! C'mon! I'll bite your kneecaps off, and it will hurt!"
They all stopped in shock, just shy of the Jiralhanae who were too late in ducking for cover.
The plasma grenades all detonated at once, killing half of the group.
One of the Jiralhanae pulled out a spike grenade and threw it towards Muhmep.
She gasped and spun around on her heals to take cover.
The grenade missed her and stuck the concrete before it exploded, sending the spikes in all directions.
Muhmep cried out as she hit the ground, covering her head. A few spikes got her in the left arm and one tore up her back a little as she went down.
Kayla dove over her and laid down some cover fire as George pulled her behind the dumpster.
"That shit stings!!" She grumbled before pulling the spikes from her flesh.
"You good?" George asked, looking at her back. "You got a bit of a gouge back here."
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Go check on Corporal Hicks. I got this!" Aria said to Kayla as she tossed a grenade into the small group of Jiralhanae.
She nodded and disappeared behind cover.
George handed her the medic bag and joined Aria.
"I'm good, Sergeant." Muhmep announced as she cleaned the wounds on her arm.
Kayla looked behind her. "Hardly! That is going to need stitches." She grabbed a large sealant mesh. "Remove your upper armor and uniform so I can clean that wound and cover it before it becomes infected."
Aria and George came around the corner suddenly.
"We need to move!" Aria ordered. "Reinforcements just landed. There's too many of them."
"I need time to dress Corporal Hicks' wound!"
"We don't have it, Kayla! We have to get out of here!"
George kicked in the nearest door. "In here!" He lifted Muhmep over his shoulder and ran inside the building.
Kayla gathered up her medic bag and followed closely as Aria threw a grenade in the opposite direction to cause a distraction. She then pushed the door closed behind them, trying her best to barricade it before ruining after them.
"I can walk, you know!" Muhmep muttered.
"Yeah, yeah." He replied, running up the stairwell.
Kayla and Aria kept their eyes at the back, weapons ready as they followed George.
After eight floors, they stopped and looked down the stairwell.
Everything was quite.
"I think we're safe for now." Aria whispered. "Hurry and get Muhmep patched up."
They exited the stairwell and entered a hallway.
"Hmm, a hotel." George looked back at Aria and Kayla with a smirk. "Foursome anyone?"
"Yuck!!" They replied.
"Hey! I'm sexy!" He gushed.
"Look, George, I am not about to be making out with my sister!" Kayla replied.
"Diddo!" Aria added.
"So you both would make out with a girl if she wasn't your sister?" He asked, teasingly. "Muhmep, wanna make out with one of them, or both, while I watch?"
"Your fantasies are quite disturbing!" She spoke suddenly. "Put me down!!"
"I agree with Corporal Hicks. As much as that would please you, George," Aria spoke suddenly. "you know me way better then that!"
Kayla snickered. "Indeed you do."
"You shut up!" She nearly snapped. "Pick a room, and get her fixed up already."
George turned around and looked at the door before him. "Sixty-nine?" He smirked again, before looking back at them. "It's a sign!"
Aria rolled her eyes.
He managed to kick the door in with Muhmep still on his back. "After you, ladies!"
They entered the room before Aria once again barricaded it as Kayla tended to Muhmep.
George lowered Muhmep to the bed and grinned down at her. "I don't mind if they watch."
She narrowed her eyes and kneed him in the balls.
He grimaced and fell over, hitting the floor. "Why?!" He cried.
"Enough jokes, George!" Aria ordered. "Get up and man that window!"
He rolled around for another minute before getting to his feet.
"Here." Kyla began, tossing him her sniper. "Take out whatever you can find."
He caught it and checked the ammo before moving to a window. "How did you get a magazine with eight rounds?"
"The 3D printer is my best friend!" She replied. "I have tweaked lots of my weapons."
Aria stayed near the door, weapon at the ready. "Hurry and get her patched up, Sis. We should get moving asap."
She nodded and prepped her wound for the mesh.
"Oooo," George gushed suddenly. "I spy a group of Brutes. What are you ugly motherfuckers up to?" He muttered, scanning the group.
"Are you just going to look at them?! Take them out already!" Muhmep joked.
"Okay, okay!" He lined up the sights and pulled the trigger. "Boom! Headshot!!" He gushed as he lined up the sights on the next Jiralhanae, pulling the trigger. "Headshot!!" He repeated. He did that five more times, each time he repeated 'headshot', before he pulled away from the sniper, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Kilimanjaro!" He gloated in a deep voice.
All three of them rolled their eyes as he took aim at the last Jiralhanae before taking it out.
"Ammo, please!" He asked, holding his hand towards Kayla.
She pulled a magazine from her belt and tossed it to him. "Here! Now quit interrupting me so I can finish applying this mesh!"
He reloaded and scanned the area. "Hoohoo, what do we have here?!" He enquired as he caught sight of a Chieftain with two other Jiralhanae following behind him. "Damn!" He spoke suddenly. "I can smell them from here!!" He pulled away from the sniper as a laugh escaped him. He looked out the window and nearly choked on his laugh as he jumped away. A Jiralhanae was on the neighboring balcony. He jumped over to their balcony and smashed his way through the window.
Aria went to help him fight it off as another one came through the door.
"Whooo, this party got a whole lot more exciting!" George gushed, pulling out his knife.
Aria pulled off her shotgun and blasted a couple of rounds into the belly of her attacker. "Fuck you, you ugly overgrown gorilla!!"
He snarled and jumped at her as she reloaded, knocking her to the ground.
She scowled and rolled over. "Eat lead!!" She yelled, firing into his stomach once again.
He spit up blood before collapsing onto her.
Kayla and George took out the other Jiralhanae by bombarding him and pushing him out the window.
Half way out, he grabbed Kayla and pulled her with him.
She screamed as her upper body was pull out the window.
George grabbed her legs and tried his hardest to keep her from falling completely out. "Ahhh, shake it off!" He yelled at her. "Your ass is in my face and I'm losing my grip on you!"
"I'm trying!!"
Muhmep jumped off the bed and grabbed her rifle, running to the other window. She busted out the glass and took aim. "Say good night, asshole!"
"Kill it!!!" Kayla screamed.
She fired two shots, both hitting him between the eyes.
He released her and fell.
George pulled Kayla back inside where they collapsed onto the floor, Kayla on top of him.
He chuckled. "Oh, do you want some of me now, huh Kayla?"
She scoffed and pushed herself off him. "In your dreams. Wait, not there either." She teased. "Thanks for saving me by the way. You as well, Corporal."
"Of course, Serge." She replied, helping her up.
They looked over at Aria.
Her muffled cry of rage made them laugh as she began kicking her legs. "Get this hairy pile of shit off me!!"
They pulled his body off her as quickly as they could.
She sat up. "Gross!!" She muttered, looking down at her torso which was covered in his blood. "Ugh! I need a shower!"
"We better get out of here." George began. "I saw a Chieftain headed this way."
"I just need five more minutes to get Muhmep's mesh set." Kayla said as she went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
"Okay. Five more minutes and then we get the hell out of here!" Aria agreed.
****
They made their way down some back alleyways, staying silent and in the shadows.
A familiar bellow of rage suddenly echoed off the buildings.
Aria spun around in the direction of origin. "That sounded like a Sangheili?!"
She took off running in an attempt to find the source, the others following close behind her.
They found an Ultra surrounded by a great deal of Jiralhanae.
"Ultra Bahtiyaree?!" Aria gasped.
Yuri suddenly plowed through a couple of them, giving Rha' an escape. They began taking quite a few of them out before they ended up getting cornered.
Rha' tossed his depleted energy sword to the side and activated his wrist blades, snarling.
Yuri dropped his empty rifle and pulled out a couple knives.
A Jiralhanae charged at them.
Rha' braced himself and thrust the blades into his attacker's stomach as he lifted him from the ground and tossed him over his head, his blades tearing open his abdomen. Blood and intestines rained over his white armor before he threw him.
With him in the process of turning back to the group of Jiralhanae, one caught him off guard. He punched him in the face, making him stumble slightly.
Rha' growled and thrust his right arm upwards, stabbing the Jiralhanae up through the jaw.
He yanked his blade free, sending blood splattering as he kicked his corpse into another Jiralhanae.
Chief cloaked and darted between the unsuspecting group, slicing open a few stomachs.
Only a few Jiralhanae remained. A familiar grunt made them turn around.
Before them stood a Chieftain.
He cracked his neck and chuckled. "What do we have here?" He pulled his hammer from his back. "A traitor, and a demon working together?!" He laughed and took a battle stance. "You shall die together!"
He swung the hammer.
Rha' and Yuri had no choice but to take the blow head on. The wave of energy blasted them into the wall before they crumpled to the concrete, nearly knocked out.
"Rha'!!!!" Aria screamed, trying to run to him.
George grabbed her, pulling her back. "What are you doing?! There's too many of them!"
"Unhand me!" She scowled, shoving him away from her. She then pulled her shotgun from her back, running towards the Chieftain.
"Aria!?!" George and Kayla called to her.
She ignored them and hollered in rage as she charged at the Chieftain.
"Oh, lord, what is she getting herself into?" Kayla muttered as her, Muhmep, and George raised their rifles to provide cover fire.
A few other Jiralhanae turned around, nearly startled by the enraged Human that ran at them. They chuckled amongst themselves and raised their weapons, but were met with bullets through their heads before they could react further.
Yuri grabbed a health pack and handed it to Rha'. "You good, Sir?"
"I'm fine now. Thanks, Chief."
Hearing her cry of rage, they spotted her charging at the Chieftain as they jumped to their feet.
"Oh, no!" Rha' gasped.
"Sergeant Peril?! Stop!!" Yuri yelled.
Before the Chieftain could turn around, Aria managed to get up onto his shoulders and emptied her shotgun down his neck. "Get away from my mate!!" She screamed, tossing her empty shotgun and pulling out a knife.
Rha' raised his brows.
Yuri looked over at him. "Well, Sir. That cat is officially out of the bag."
He chuckled. "Indeed." He kept his eyes on her as she raged, the Chieftain's blood splattering her with every thrust of her knife. "Damn!!" He thought.
They were both in awe as they watched her.
"I have never seen her this pissed!" Yuri brought fourth.
Before the Chieftain succumbed to his wounds, he managed to get ahold of her and threw her off him.
She cried out as she collided with George and Muhmep, knocking them both off their feet and into a small dumpster. The force of the impact knocked Aria's helmet off before she hit the ground.
Muhmep pulled herself out as quickly as she could. "Oh my god! Ew!!" She cried, pulling a rotten banana peeling from her visor and tossing it aside.
George stood up just as a Jiralhanae charged at Aria. She grabbed her helmet and looked up quickly, her hair falling in front of her face. She gasped and threw her helmet with all the strength she could muster, hitting the charging Jiralhanae in the face. It didn't even faze him as it bounced back towards her. She dove to the side quickly as he slammed the ground with his fists, cracking her helmet.
"Shit!" She muttered.
Even more enraged, the Jiralhanae spun to chase after her. He slipped on the rotten banana pealing and hit the dumpster hard. The sudden impact making it roll backwards before slamming into the wall of the building immediately behind them.
The sudden stop threw George over the side, his belt getting caught on a handle. "Oh, shit!!" He cried as he realized he was now stuck with a Jiralhanae in his face.
He grabbed his helmet, ripping it from his head before he snarled at him, flinging saliva in his face.
George snarled back at him as he tried grabbing his pistol. "You need a breath mint!! And a fucking bath!" He yelled. "Some deodorant wouldn't hurt either!"
Muhmep grabbed her shot gun and cocked it. "Hey, ugly!!"
The Jiralhanae grunted and turned to her in time for her to shove the muzzle into his mouth. She hollered as she pushed all her weight into the shotgun, pushing him back against the dumpster.
He started gagging on the muzzle before she pull the trigger. His head exploded into a disgusting mess of blood, brains, and bones, splattering them both.
George started laughing. "Whew!! That got the adrenaline pumping! Thanks for the save, Corporal!"
She nodded and turned back to the rest.
Taking the opportunity of the distraction, Rha' and Yuri attacked from the back.
Kayla picked up her sisters shotgun as Muhmep tossed her some ammo. She reloaded it before taking down the two Jiralhanae that had advanced on them.
Once the last of them had been killed, they all scanned the area. The scene was a complete bloodbath.
"Uh, a little help!" George cried as he struggled to get himself loose.
Yuri went to his aid, grabbing him by his armor and lifting him off the dumpster.
"Thanks, Chief."
"No problem." He replied, dropping him.
He cried out as he hit the ground flat on his stomach. "Ow!" He pushed himself up on his knees and looked up at Yuri. "You can sure be an asshole sometimes, Chief!"
He chuckled and helped him up.
Suddenly they heard a lot of commotion as they spotted another large group of Jiralhanae and Unggoy advanced on their position.
Aria picked up the gravity hammer and strapped it to her back as she looked over at Kayla. She was already looking at her as if she could read her mind.
Together they took off towards the group, each with a sword in hand.
Halfway towards them, Kayla grabbed Aria's arm. She pulled her around her, launching her at the nearest Jiralhanae.
She swung the sword, decapitating him.
Kayla took out the next one as Aria pulled the hammer in front of her, slamming it to the ground.
The wave of energy scattered the enemies, killing a few of them.
She then strapped it to her back as they drew their pistols, taking out a few more.
Rha' was in awe. "Wow! What a woman!!"
"I can agree there, Sir!" Yuri added, watching them both plow through the enemies as if they were mere obstacles in their way.
George and Muhmep finally joined them and the four of them took out the remainders of the group with ease.
A Jiralhanae snuck up behind Rha'.
Without taking his eyes off Aria, he reached behind him and yanked him forward, activating a wrist blade through his neck.
Once the onslaught ended, there were Jiralhanae and Unggoy carcasses everywhere.
Aria was standing on a couple of them, her breathing nearly labored as she looked around. She still had a look of rage on her face until she looked at Rha'. "Sir?!" She gasped, running to him. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, Sergeant. My shield took the blunt of it."
She sighed in relief and looked over at Yuri. "How about you, Chief? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm okay, Sergeant."
The rain began to pick up, the droplets getting bigger as a large bolt of lightning lit up the sky.
Soon it was down-pouring, washing the blood from their armor before they ducked under the roof of a parking garage to get themselves squared away and rearmed.
"Fucking Brute!" George grumbled, tossing his helmet to the concrete. "It broke my damn chin strap."
"I can fix that." Muhmep announced, picking it up. "Sergeant Peril, do you have a sewing kit on hand?" She asked Kayla.
"I do." She dug through her pockets. "Ah, here you go." She pulled it out and handed it to her.
Muhmep took a seat against the concrete wall and began to fix George's strap.
After about five minutes she was finished and tossed his helmet towards him. "Here you go!"
He caught it and put it on, fastening it. "Perfect! Thanks, Corporal!"
"No problem!" She got up and handed Kayla her sewing kit.
"At least you still got yours." Aria grumbled. "That bastard broke mine."
"You can use mine if you want."
She looked up at him. "No thanks, George. I don't want to smell your sweaty ass the rest of the night."
"My ass has not been in my helmet, Aria!"
She smirked. "You know what I mean!"
"Oh, look! Snacks!" He spoke suddenly as he pointed across the street, ignoring her. "Anyone care for a snack?"
They all looked at him as he peeked around the corner before running to the vending machines.
Kayla shrugged. "Sure, why not. I'm starving after all that bloodshed!"
One after the other, they cautiously crossed the street, joining George under the black and blue awning.
Yuri looked in the window of the shop, wiping the dust from the glass. "A candy shop." He announced.
George pulled two fist fulls of cash from his pockets. "Take my money!!" He yelled, pushing through the door that had already been busted open. He threw his money on the counter and started grabbing all the candy he could hold.
Some crashing sounds suddenly echoed around them as the ground began to shake.
"What is that?" Kayla asked, looking down the street.
Yuri looked up and gasped. "Scarab!!"
It slowly moved into position, it's main canon focused on them.
"Run!!" Rha' ordered, grabbing Aria and Kayla by the waist as he darted for cover.
"That is so cool!!" George gushed as he came out of the building, three pieces of licorice hanging out of his mouth.
Yuri yanked him and Muhmep with him as he followed Rha' behind cover. "You won't think it's cool when it kills you!"
They made it to out of the way as the Scarab fired its plasma beam.
"What is that thing?!" Kayla nearly gasped.
Rha' looked over at her as he lowered her and Aria to the ground. "I'll explain later." He looked at Yuri. "Chief, I assume you have face one of these before?"
"Yes, Sir." He replied, releasing George and Muhmep. "They are tough, but they are not invincible."
"Good, cause I am going to need a little help with this one." He turned back to the others. "Take out the gunners while Chief and I try to get on board. Once we get up there, we will need you to take care of the canon fodder while we deal with the commander and pilots."
"Yes, Sir!" They replied.
"Sergeant Peril, you take this end. Sergeant Waters, you take center. Corporal Hicks, the rear. I will cover the other side." Aria ordered. She pulled off her backpack. "Oh, Sir." She tossed it to Rha'.
He caught it and opened it. Inside were a few fresh energy swords and a couple pistols with extra loaded magazines.
He smiled and looked at her as he pulled out a sword, activating it. "Thank you, Sergeant."
Yuri also grabbed one. "Time to take us down a Scarab!" He said, activating the blade.
****
After nearly two hours, Rha' and Yuri finally found an opportunity to board the Scarab.
It wasn't just the gunners that caused issues, they ran into some ground troops as well.
Aria, Kayla, George, and Muhmep did well to eliminate any enemies that dared show their faces.
Once on the main deck, they were met with the aftermath of the ODST's fire power.
"Damn! They did good!" Yuri gushed.
"Indeed! Time to take out the commander, Chief. You take right. I'm going left."
"Yes, Sir."
Rha' cloaked and slowly made his way down into the control room with Yuri following suit.
A Jiralhanae was seated in the command chair and two others were behind him at the controls. Five Unggoy and two Kig-Yar also remained.
Yuri took out the Kig-Yar quickly as Rha' focused on the commander.
As soon as he took him down, the Unggoy went berserk and activated their plasma grenades.
Rha' tossed a grenade at the pilots, killing them instantly before he and Yuri made a hasty exit.
The Unggoy were not far behind them as they ran out onto the main deck.
"Jump!" Rha' ordered.
They jumped to the lower deck as Muhmep dispatched the first Unggoy. His grenades detonated before setting off a chain reaction.
The Scarab began to list to the left as the explosions sent shockwaves through it.
Rha' slid into a turret, grabbing it before he went completely over the side.
Yuri braced himself against the wall as the Scarab crashed into a bridge, coming to a stop.
Rha' pulled himself back up onto the deck. "Chief?"
"Here, Sir." He replied, waving around the wall.
"Hopefully it's still operational. Let's get back inside and commandeer this thing."
"Excellent idea, Sir."
They pulled their way back up onto the main deck and managed to get back inside the control room.
"Have you operated one of these before, Sir?"
"I have. I was a pilot for a short time before getting promoted to Ultra. I'll need you help though."
"Walk me through it, Sir."
After roughly five minutes they got the Scarab back on its feet and moved to pick up their group.
"This is fucking awesome!!" George gushed. "Can I drive?!"
"By all means, Sergeant." Rha' stepped aside and showed him what to do.
It was a rusty start, but he finally managed.
Rha' moved to the commander's seat. "This will give us the extra firepower we need to fight off these bastards!"
"Oorah!!" They yelled.
"Sergeant Aria Peril, I need you and Corporal Hicks to man the turrets. Sergeant Kayla Peril, can you add sniper cover?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Good! I'll man the main cannon."
They moved quickly to their designated areas.
Muhmep was the first to take down some enemies as they moved through the city. "I freaking love this turret!!" She called, blasting almost anything that moved. She nearly got a couple of their fellow ODSTs as she took down some canon fodder. "Sorry!!" She yelled down at them.
The ODST were in shock as they watched the Scarab pass by their position.
"Our people are on that?!" Private Tucker questioned.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Private Jones asked.
"Beats me. Come on! Let's stay with it. Maybe we can find a way to get on board?"
The group of four ran after the Scarab.
A Jiralhanae Chieftain suddenly darted in front of the group.
Startled, they stopped and backed up together.
"Chieftain!" Muhmep hollered. "I have lost sight of him though!" She began frantically searching the area. "Where did he go?!"
Some faint yelling was heard and she looked down to see the ODST pointing upwards towards the back of the Scarab.
"What?!" She called down to them.
"It climbed up the back!" Private Jones screamed.
She gasped and pulled the turret around in hopes of finding him and taking him out, but she saw nothing.
Aria screamed suddenly as she was grabbed by the back of the neck by a large hand and yanked off the turret, sending it into a spin.
"Aria?" Rha' thought, hearing her scream. He took off at full sprint as he came running out of the control room. "Aria?!" He gasped.
She was dangling from a Jiralhanae Chieftain's grasp as she kicked her legs and tried to twist herself from his hold. She grabbed the finger and thumb of her attacker as she whimpered and managed to get her eyes on him.
"Rha' Bahtiyaree!" The Chieftain sneered, holding her like a predator would a prey.
She cried out as she attempted to break free of his grasp.
"Bracktanus?!" He gasped. "Unhand her! Your fight is with me!"
Bracktanus sneered and lifted her to his face. "You value this Human female greatly. Your scent is all over her." He chuckled sinisterly. "The pack will feast on you, and Rha' can watch!" He grinned at her.
She closed her eyes tightly as she whined in fear.
Muhmep tried to sneak up on him, her knife at the ready, but he spotted her. He mock yawned and swung his hammer to the side, hitting her in the hip hard enough to send her backwards.
She screamed as the force knocked her over the side of the Scarab.
"Muhmep?!" Kayla dove for her, grabbing her hand at the last possible second.
Bracktanus laughed as he moved to stand over Kayla.
She gasped as she realized she was completely at his mercy as she struggled to keep ahold of her. "Hang on, Muhmep!"
Muhmep looked up at the Chieftain that now stood over them. "Drop me, Kayla!"
"No!!" She hooked her feet onto a turret. "Hang on!!"
"We're both sitting ducks!" She nearly screamed up at her. "Drop me!"
Below the Scarab, the other ODST were trying to fight off the troops that had surrounded them.
Aria kicked her legs. "No! Please, leave them alone!" She cried.
He laughed and raised his hammer.
"Kayla!!" Aria screamed.
Yuri came out of nowhere, body spamming the Chieftain as his cloak faded.
The force made him throw Aria backwards as he stumbled and they went over the side.
"Chief?!" Kayla and Muhmep cried.
Rha' managed to catch Aria as George ran to Kayla just in time, helping her pull Muhmep up.
"Chief?!" Muhmep yelled, looking over the edge.
George and Kayla also looked.
"Chief?!" George hollered. "Answer you asshole!!!"
"I'm okay!" He replied after a few nail biting minutes.
They were all relieved and Rha' focused his attention on Aria. She had a couple of scratches on her cheeks and neck from where the Chieftain's claws got her.
He touched her chin, raising her head gently. "Are you okay, Aria?"
She was a little shaken and he could see it in her eyes as she looked up at him.
He looked her over slowly, realizing she was actually trembling. "She's in shock?!" He thought as he pulled her into his arms. "I got you, Aria. You're safe. We're all safe now."
She rested her head against him, her blood smearing his chest armor as she hugged him.
Yuri had helped take out the enemies that had congregated below them before he climbed back aboard the Scarab, the four ODST following him.
He was met with hugs from Kayla and Muhmep.
"Thank you for saving us!" Muhmep gushed.
"Are you okay?" Kayla asked, taking a step back to look at him.
He winked and gave her a thumbs up. "Never better. I armor locked on his ass. Killed him instantly."
She laughed and shook her head.
Muhmep was still hugging him and he tried to peel her off. "Okay, Corporal. Enough hugging."
"No! I will give you all the hugs!!"
He sighed and looked over at Kayla.
"Sorry, Chief. I can't help you there. Once you are in her grasp, there's no escaping it."
They looked over at Rha'. He was still holding Aria, her smaller form nearly lost in his embrace.
"That Chieftain knew you, Sir?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him.
He nodded. "Yes. We worked together back when I was a Spec-Ops. He had killed a Sangheili warrior near a holy area and went unpunished. He should have been painfully executed by the Prophets, but they ignored it. Not long after that we realized they favored the Jiralhanae and that lead into the Great Schism. Once the Prophets handed the Honor Guard status to those hairy beasts, hundreds of Sangheili were murdered by the them. That 'Brute' killed half the squad I was assigned to. He nearly killed me, but decided he wanted to hunt me instead. This was the first time I have seen him in years." He looked up at Yuri. "Thank you for taking him out, Chief!"
"My pleasure, Sir!" Yuri replied, still trying to break free of Muhmep's grasp. "Seriously, Corporal! You are worse then armor lock! At least I can get out of that!"
Aria pulled away from Rha' as the other ODST joined them.
"More of our troops, prefect!" Rha' released her. "I'm glad to see you four are all alright. Man the turrets. Sergeant Kayla Peril and Corporal Hicks will provide sniper fire."
"Yes, Sir." They replied, dispersing.
"Gah, finally!!" Yuri gushed.
Rha' grabbed Aria by the hand. "Are you okay? You still haven't answered last time I asked."
She smiled. "Yes, Sir. I'm okay. I will help provide sniper fire. Let's end this!"
He returned her smile and nodded, allowing her to join her sister before he turned to Yuri. "Let's get this thing moving, Chief!"
"Yes, Sir!"