When You Need Me Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Storming the Ship


The Banshee's glided down towards the waiting jaws of the open hanger bay. Throughout their entire approach their COM's were being berated again and again by Covenant Air Traffic Control demanding that they state their number and rank before they were granted clearance. However neither Josh nor Natasha really cared if they had adequate clearance or not- things were going to go to hell as soon as they hit the deck anyway so there really wasn't much of a point.

On the surface of the hanger a few grunt and bugger engineers went about their work- some carried crates and supplies, others assisted Elite pilots into their ships while the minority of them either patrolled the area or curled into a ball in the corner to sleep.

Josh and Natasha brought their craft low over the polished deck- the wing tips barely scrapping against the surface. Josh disengaged the gravity binding holding him inside the cockpit, allowing himself to slide out from under the craft as it continued to glide forward- eventually crashing into a support column and exploding in a hailstorm of purple shrapnel that impaled the technician's unfortunate enough to be within the blast radius.

Josh hit the deck running, immediately dashing for cover before they realized it was an attack rather than a piloting accident. Natasha's craft crashed into another pile of fuel canisters- drawing a far greater amount of attention than Josh had, giving him an opening to drop an Elite disembarking from his craft.

The technicians ran around blindly in a desperate attempt to find cover while the security forces worked frantically to get themselves in order and retaliate. But the sheer ferocity of the attack made any attempt at returning fire futile.

Natasha quickly found cover on the far side of the hanger- catching the remaining Covenant Troops in a cross fire between the two Spartans. The grunts quickly became broken corpses littering the deck, the buggers proving far more versatile targets but still succumbing to the fate eventually. "All clear" Josh cried.

Natasha crossed the open spans between their positions- rejoining into a single fighting squad once more. Nick integrated his suits systems into the covenant computer terminal jutting from the wall of the hanger- utilizing his years of experience in hacking terminals, Human and Covenant, he managed to evade their security with ease, downloading the schematics into his helmet.

He accessed the file, projecting it between the two of them. "We're in the hanger bay here" He pointed to their location. "The main methane storage tanks are here, two floors down. Remember- once we're in there no frags, minimal collateral damage, only fire on clear targets"

Natasha nodded compliantly- slamming a fresh clip into her assault rifle.


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Nick hit the final key in the sequence. The doors slid wide open. The room before them was lined on all sides by purple, metallic canisters each filled with highly flammable methane. Each one alone was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen- an entire room filled with them was suicide. They quickly identified their targets- all along the deck waddled grunt technicians brandishing low powered welding tools as they went about their work, Bugger flyers accessing the areas out of their reach.

Both sides were at a major disadvantage- any accidental discharge would result in the entire room, and a good chunk of the facility, being consumed in flames from which no living creature could emerge. As such the Spartans had resorted to the primal engagements of their ancestors- utilizing fist and foot over ranged weapons.

Natasha stormed forward- clutching the first Grunt technician's skull in her gauntleted hands, wrenching each end of the creatures neck in opposite directions. As its corpse fell, lifeless and limp, Natasha pulled the creature's tool from its hand. Upon further analysis she discovered its true purpose- the device was a variant of the Covenant plasma pistol, its output decreased to be used amongst maintenance and mining circles rather than military.

Josh saw a new threat descending on the two of them- a bugger engineer gliding down towards Natasha, its razor bladed talons preparing to slice her in two. She turned far too late to face the threat. Thankfully the hand of fate intervened through its mortal vessel. Josh grabbed hold of one of the creature's spindly legs tightly in his hand, utilizing it's momentum he brought the creature around in a graceful arc. The tip of their bladed talon grazed Natasha's shields, the secondary skin the only thing preventing her demise. Josh smashed the creature against the stacked methane tanks, the continued momentum allowing him to bring his left gauntlet into the creatures back with enough force to collapse it's internal organs between an anvil and a hammer, delivering the final killing blow. He released the creature, the broken mess sliding down the canister in the wake of a dark green trail of blood, representing the bug smashed on a windshield that it embodied so well.

Josh and Natasha quickly recovered their stances in the centre of the room. The room was suddenly silent, devoid of the usual cries of 'Demon' from the distraught grunt technicians and the yells of Brute commanders barking orders. The remainder of the technicians they hadn't slaughtered had abandoned their duties after witnessing the example set by the first two to engage the invading Spartans. But the two of them soon realized that not all had surrendered to their cowardice and abandoned the engagement. Because atop the catwalks that overlooked the rooms lower levels stood an Elite in dark, blood red armour- the un-ignited hilts of two plasma swords held in each hand.

The swords suddenly ignited in a flurry of arcing blue light- wisps of static leaping off of its electrified surface. The creature leapt from its vantage point- barely breaking stride as its armoured hooves hit the deck. Natasha attempted to block the creatures advance, but was brushed aside as by a forceful backhand from the Elite- sending her crashing against the tanks.

Josh's bulkier armour meant that he was harder to knock over- when the foreman attempted the same technique again he encountered a far more solid target. Josh was thrust backwards but his stance remained solid, allowing him to break the deadlock and force the Elite backwards. But the engagement occurred again, the Elite charged towards him, impacting Josh in his heavy torso, the armour absorbing the sheer brunt of the impact.

Josh brought his forearm up in an attempt to punch it into the side of his head, attempting to collapse the soft cartilage of the creature's neck. But the elite succeeded in bringing his right sword up in an arc, forcing Josh to end his attack before the impact, he brought his left forearm plate upwards to protect his exposed neck. The electrified plasma scorched against his shield, the powerful attack was reflected from its path, continuing forward to impact the exterior casing of one of methane tanks behind him. Mercifully the casing withheld.

The elite took another slash towards him- Josh being forced to leap back to avoid the strike, impacting the line of canisters, leaving him with no place to go. The foreman brought the weapon down in a steep arc. Josh gripped the attackers forearm, desperately trying to keep the blade from touching his armour. But the sheer force of the advance was quickly beginning to overpower him- with his heavily deteriorated stance he couldn't hope to maintain this engagement for long.

He braced his back against the tanks for better support as he attempted to keep the enemy at bay- looking past his current situation he could see Natasha bringing a covenant pistol to bare, attempting to get a clear shot. She only held fire at the fear that ending the confrontation now would prove fatal for both parties.

Josh thrust out with his boot, punching the creature's stomach and forcing it to recoil backwards with the sheer force of the impact. This gave Josh the opening he required- allowing him to break free from the deadlock. The elite quickly recovered, bringing the bladed weapon down in an attempt to sever Josh's head from his shoulders. But Josh had already managed to duck clear- the alien's weapon slicing into the wall of methane tanks in front of him, this time leaving a fine incision in its wake.

Josh rolled clear before the elite attempted to pin him to the deck with his blunt hoof. A gentle hiss resonated through the silent room. Josh saw a discarded plasma welder on the ground next to him- Josh reached for the weapon with an extended arm. He gripped the device in his gauntleted hand- rolling onto his back to bring the weapon to bear.

He saw his target out of the corner of his eye. "Shoot the tanks! The tanks!"

Natasha altered her aim marginally- centring her sight on the scar marking the side of the canister. The rounds impacted the casing- the casing fractured and broke apart in a violent plume of fire. The jet continued to balloon and spread from its source in a wide arc- consuming the Elite in an envelope of flame. Josh watched stunned as the wild flailing of limbs and extended weapons pierced the cocoon surrounding him, desperately- even in the throes of death, to fight.

The charred corpse collapsed to its knees, crumbling to the deck in an ungraceful manner- the broken remains staining the deck with bright blue blood against the raven black ash.

Josh rose to his feet, keeping his weapon trained his weapon on the remains of the Elite, not taking any chances that it might have somehow survived. He stomped his armoured foot onto the creatures torso- collapsing the soft mass in a flurry of ash and multi-coloured liquid.

Natasha approached him- allowing her stance to relax after the reassurance that the elite was dead. "You ok?"

Josh checked his armour- it's surface pocketed by charred patches where the heat had overpowered his shield and scorched the metal plates. "I'll be fine"

Josh reached into his belt pouch- retrieving the timed detonator that would cause this facilities undoing. He attached it to the row of canisters, typing a series of keys on the display, unlocking the explosives and setting the countdown in motion. He engaged the timer.

30:00……..29:59………29:58…….25:43…….37:38………25:26

"Aw shit!" Josh groaned. "Timers broken- Elite must have damaged it in the fight"

Natasha made sure to kick the creature in the remains of its torso- a final thank you for its input. Returning to the situation at hand. "So what can we do?"

"It should still go off- but we're just not certain when. My best guess would be we've got less than 20 minutes before it reaches zero and detonates"

"Team leader 1 this is team 2, you copy?"

A response finally came "Team 2 this is Team leader 1, what's your status?"

"We've cleared the Methane Storage Area and set the timer. But the mechanisms fried, we don't know when the explosives will go off"

Silence filled the COM "ETA?"

"I give us 15, 20 minutes at most" Even that prediction was optimistic.

"Roger that team 2- we are preparing to breach the Control Room now. Rendezvous with us at the Covenant ship in 5. Team 1 out"

Josh closed the COM- reaching for his discarded weapon lying on the ground that had come loose during the fight. The cool touch of the metal felt reassuring as he cradled it in his arms. He released the clip, ensuring it was full before slamming it back into place.


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John snapped sharply around the corner- his assault rifle hungry and searching for targets. Finding no opposition he waved the others forward. Michael watched the path while the others moved through the left corridor, John remaining to watch their rear.

When they reached the next junction John took point once again, turning the corner he was confronted with a sight that he couldn't help but smile at. The hallway before him was littered with enemy corpses, each with a single bullet through the head. The purple walls bathed in the aqua blood of Grunts, Jackals and Brutes which had foolishly stepped into the trap.

John could see an armoured figure emerge from the shadows, his golden visor glowing in the dim light. From the other side of the corridor emerged another figure- their sleek, athletic form revealed as the shadows appeared to melt away across their surface, the darkness cascading over their armour in waves.

"Looks like you've been busy" Cortana emerged in a flurry of blue fragments of light.

"These guys just weren't looking where they were going and just happened to step into our hail of bullet's" Natasha held her rifle tightly to her chest.

"Where's the ship?" John asked

Josh indicated the passage behind them. "Place is sealed- bastards have good security"

"Nothing we can't handle" Sakura emerged from the void to greet them.

John gestured with several quick hand movements- Natasha and Josh abandoning their positions to be taken over by Amy and Michael.

Josh led the remainder of the team deeper into the complex- their advance finally blunted when they were confronted by a secure Covenant door, the glyph in the centre pulsing with a fiery red glow.

The Chief pressed his hand against the interface- feeling the harsh, cold touch as the AI's abandoned his system to interface with the controls. The warming feeling eventually returned- the deed was done. "It's open" Cortana spoke- the doors quickly parting at her command. Next objective- The Bridge.


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Ram'Yahne had served in the Covenant Armada for far longer than he could remember. He had driven back the humans in hundreds of engagements, commanded nearly every class of ship in the fleet, became a distinguished veteran in dozens of campaigns and had even lost the lowest finger of each hand in the line of duty. When the civil war began Ram and his crew had remained loyal to the Prophets. Insurrections and uprisings were common between the races, even in the Covenants short history, and Ram'Yahane had been too loyal to the Covenant for too long to join his young comrade's pointless revolt.

This was why he felt such distaste at commanding the Covenants newest experimental craft, The Dark Flame. After serving aboard so many conventional ships to suddenly be at the helm of this advanced warship made him feel out of place. Testing new Covenant technology was a duty for the young clans, not an experienced Captain with far more to give in service to the Great Journey.

Ram'Yahne could also feel the unease resonating from the two Sangheili guards positioned on either side of his command chair. Their armour was a polished blue. Their weapons pristine, bloodless, crying out to experience the howls and cries of battle. He had experienced that yearning, that detachment from your squad mates and your clan. But by some bizarre twist of fate the position they believed would deny them the glory of service in battle would grant them that very wish.

At his age Ram'Yahne had learned to accept death- accept his mortality and realize that some day he would cast off his mortal shell and embrace the Forerunners gift of the Great Journey. That day was now- because within the next few moments, everyone in the room would be dead.


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The doors parted- the Spartans fanned out through the breach. Their weapons found their targets, the barrels coughing rounds into the squealing Grunt technicians, the shells impacting and shattering their methane masks without  their gunners even breaking stride.

The Spartan-III's broke away to the flanks, utilizing their suits stealth systems to conceal themselves within the dark shadows they offered. The Spartans-II's pushed through the centre of the room- cutting down the rows of grunt technicians that attempted to out run them.

The only real resistance came when they reached the far side of the bridge- before them lay the elevated Captain's chair flanked on either side be Elite guards. They each reached for the plasma rifles at their belts. But their inexperience was demonstrated by their slow reaction speed- a hail of bullets ended their young lives.


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"Stop!" Ram'Yahne boomed in his native tongue, not even knowing if the humans could understand him let alone be willing to comply with his demand. But it appeared that the Forerunners were smiling down on him- because at his word the shooting abruptly ended.

But he had ended the engagement too late- his chance to save his guards and his crew was gone. The humans had already killed them, the smell of death already pungent in the air. A final insult to their memory. Ram'Yahne raised himself from his seat, stepping down from his raised chair, preparing to stand toe to hoof with these humans. He ensured to move slowly, as to avoid startling these primitive beasts. He stood before the head of the formation.

His mandibles quivered as he spoke in the Sangheili tongue. His final warning had been made. With his mind at peace he began his final act. He reached for the hilt of his blade at is hip, slicing the weapon across his chest, causing it to ignite in mid flight. The human formation opened fire- shredding his body in a hail of gunfire, his broken corpse collapsing back against the foot of his chair. His final words still rang clear in his mind 'You will never leave here alive'.

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John stared at the broken corpse of the Elite Captain. In another age this situation may have involved some kind of ceremony that ended in him being declared the new captain. But none of them had time for ceremony.

"Cortana?" he slammed his hand against the interface, ignoring the painful chill that coursed through his mind.

"Hmm?" The two holograms emerged on the display simultaneously.

"Seal all access to the Bridge and depressurise the rest of the ship. Sakura?" He turned is attention.

"Yes Chief?" she asked sweetly.

"Lock out all exterior access to the ships systems- then engage the engines and get us into orbit"

Sakura and Cortana stood in silent contemplation, performing their tasks with lightning efficiency and speed. Cortana spoke first. "All other sectors have been sealed and vented"

Sakura quickly followed suit "All primary systems are isolated to the bridge controls- engines are coming online now"

The central holographic projector became alight with a flurry of pixels. The random forms and masses began to take structure- a large sphere dominated the majority of the surface with the empty remainder being marked by dozens of small representations of the Covenant Fleet holding position over the planet.

The ship began to shake under their feet, forcing them to grip the smooth metal for support as the alien engines cried into life. A harsh screech resonated through the room as the craft broke free of its landing holds. The engines burned strongly as they broke free of the planets grip. The engines burned strongly as they leapt clear of the planet's gravitational bonds.

John had experienced fewer things in life worse than being trapped on a ship- the vulnerability and the realization that could do nothing to help alleviate the current crisis. The Covenant ship The Dark Flame moved past the threshold of the planet's atmosphere. Around them swam the Covenant fleet, each maintaining a loose patrol across the perimeter of the system.

"Bring us to the edge of the system- do it slowly; we don't want to provoke any suspicions." John spoke with a calm, controlled tone. "Everyone else man the stations- we need to be ready to hit back if they discover us"

The other Spartans took their positions in the awkward seats, the stations not designed to accommodate a fully suited Spartan. John refused to take the captains chair- because he was not captain.



"We're receiving a transmission from the Covenant guard patrol" Amy, sitting at the COM  station, called out for their attention.

"Sakura?" John turned sharply.

"On it" She spoke calmly, her avatar freezing as she began her work. Her eyes eventually opened "They want us to transmit our authorisation codes to leave the facility"

"Cortana?" John asked.

She was already at work- searching the system. "Found them- transmitting the codes"

Several agonizing seconds of silence ticked past. "They say the codes are out of date" A tint of fear and anguish taking firm root in Sakura's speech. "They request that we allow them to board us to confirm our clearance"


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So far the situation had been descending from bad to worse. The Bridge display showed the Covenant frigate as it moved slowly towards them like a shark stalking their prey. If they were allowed to board them the entire Covenant fleet would learn of their true identities.

"John?" Cortana asked- the remainder of the bridge crew following her gaze.

John finally made the decision. "Transfer power to the shields, fire the engines and prepare to charge the weapons. We're running this blockade" They each began to perform their assigned tasks.

A fiery explosion suddenly resonated across the screen- all work suddenly halted as they turned to see what had happened. It seemed as though things had finally began to turn their way. Behind them an area of the planet beneath them suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion. Surrounding the main explosion erupted smaller balloons of fire that set the surrounding forestry alight. This was exactly what they had been hoping for.

The Covenant patrols surrounding the planet suddenly broke away- all converging on the epicentre of the explosion. The Covenant frigate that had attempted to intercept them quickly followed suit, abandoning The Dark Flame to its own devices.

"Cortana get us out of here" The Covenant slipspace drive engaged-  glowing white circle emerged in their path, consuming the crafts curved hull as it slipped inside. They were going home.