Just Another Routine Mission...
"It was supposed to be a routine mission; drop behind enemy lines, rescue some civvies, and get out. Except...it didn't go like that at all. Does it ever?
Sgt. Sandover's first mistake was splitting us up. Sure, ODSTs are highly trained, but we're no match for overwhelming Covenant forces and artillery. She partnered me with al-Fulani; she knows we butt heads sometimes and that's probably why she put us together. None of that really matters now I suppose, 'cuz we made it out alive. In truth, I'd be dead if it wasn't for Farrah bint Ismail al-Fulani.
The first attack caught us off guard. We were holed up in a ground-level office building two blocks west of where the civvies were being held. Sandover thought the two of us would be enough to cover them. She thought the civvies would have been heavily guarded and therefore she wanted the extra man. But, I'm not sergeant so who am I to judge? All I know is that that evening was the longest one of my life...and I was terrified every second of it. Farrah and I look back and laugh at it now but I'm sure we were both equally afraid of meeting our fate.
When the covies hit us, it wasn't long before they brought in a wraith and plenty of ground troops to flush us out. We were able to take out a couple squads of grunts and even a few Elites before that wraith showed up. Both Farrah and I were the same rank and therefore couldn't order each other to obey the next move; it was a stupid stalemate that neither of us were going to win. I didn't agree with her plan to abandon our position and objective (and not to mention our cover), but we didn't have much of a choice. Whether the covenant knew how many of us or not, they planned to bring that building down around our ears. Luckily we were able to get out in time before it collapsed.We tried to alert the rest of our squad but it seemed they had been caught off guard as well. For all intents and purposes the Covenant had set a trap; one we walked straight into. Usually they just glassed a planet and moved on. Maybe they were just toying with us.
After falling back time after time, the Covenant eventually pushed us into a courtyard with barely any cover. We caught a break by finding a broken down warthog to hide behind. Farrah and I were sure the Covenant were going to find us, and we couldn't keep running. We were either going to die tired or get completely separated from our squad. Doubling back wouldn't do much good if we were going to be surrounded on all sides either. As the aliens entered the court yard, we climbed into the bed of the 'hog as quietly as we could, hoping the lingering flame and smoke of the engine would conceal us even in the slightest. I remember feeling sorry for the marines who had to die for us to have this small refuge, but it didn't last for long. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the guttural shouts of the Elites ordering their troops. Despite having our helmets on, Farrah sensed how uneasy I was; probably because she was too. And despite how frequently we bickered with each other, she found it in her heart to console me in such a drastic time. She reached out and clasped my hand as it clenched the handle of my rifle. We didn't dare speak a word for fear of being heard, but we understood each other nonetheless in that moment. As soldiers we were always able to put aside our differences when it really came down to it, but it was as if we both finally gained that empathy we lacked in the past.
I felt like a such a child in that moment, feeling so scared for my life and marveling at the simple touch of a comforting hand. I never told Farrah how I really felt; it's too silly in hindsight. But I digress; the two of us steeled ourselves for the probability of death, knowing this could be our last fight. We were ready to make it a good one. With the enemies nearing our position we hunkered down as low as we could in the bed of the vehicle, hoping not to be seen. I couldn't see the Elite major but I heard his footsteps as close as of they were inside my head. I was ready to strike in that moment, to go out in one final blaze of glory before being incinerated by the wraith. And then the unthinkable happened; they kept moving. I watched as the few Elites lumbered past us, not looking behind them as they continued towards the other side of the courtyard. The major came into view, and I remember how he kicked one of the grunts, probably for losing us.
Once the Covenant had exited the courtyard and rounded the corner, Farrah and I let out sighs of relief. I hadn't realized how long I had actually been holding my breath until I exhaled. Carefully we peeked out, checking the area before climbing out of the wrecked vehicle. Neither of us wanted to linger for long; it was time we got back to our squad. And so we continued on, back to our comrades where somehow we pulled off a miracle and got most of the civilians out safely.
Neither Farrah nor I reported exactly what happened...we...skirted the details just a bit. I think we didn't want to admit how scared either of us was. We told Sandover enough; that we diverted the covenant from our area by playing proverbial hide and seek in the damaged buildings nearby. That made her slightly proud of her plan and kept her from bitching at us. I'd say that's a win-win in my book."
(Here’s my first attempt at one of these little snap-shot stories Featuring some of my two main characters Farrah and Judas! It might not be great, but I like it. There will be plenty more where this came from in the future!)
Credits: Ishi, doom man, LTurmoil47
