Unexpected Alliance

Unexpected Alliance

Private Diego Lopez 2nd Colonial Militia (Madrigal garrison)

20:10 9th February 2528 Costa Para hills, Porto Castillo, Madrigal, 23 Librae system

Private Diego Lopez checked the rounds left in his rifle, 30 bullets left in his clip. He cursed in Spanish before turning his attention to a charging elite running up the hill. The elite fired a series of blasts from its plasma rifle, Diego training automatically kicked in as he dived behind a half ring of sandbags. He jumped from his position and filled the elite with his entire assault rifle clip, the metal projectiles ping off the elite shield. The elite slowed its advance as the force of the rifle drained its shields. Take that you bastard through Diego until the shooting stopped and he noticed his empty clip; he looked at the elite who smiled as its four mandibles bared teeth, the elite charged again. Diego reach to grab another clip but he knew it would be too late by then so he prepared himself for either the plasma bolts or the sheer weight of the huge foe until a burst from a battle rifle caused the elite to retreat behind cover leaving a trail of oozy purple blood. “Quick Diego” said the voice Diego ran for the defensive ring of sandbags at the top of the hill, he jumped and rolled into the emplacement. He turned his head to see his childhood friend Maria Abella smiling at him. “You owe me now” she said “We shall call it quits from when I saved you from that lance of jackals at Porto Castillo” replied Diego as he reloaded his assault rifle “Good point, even we are then” said Maria The two popped up from behind the sandbags and shot the charging elite, under the combined firepower of the two the elite minor shield quickly fell apart before it died under a hail of bullets. “Alpha-22, Alpha-22 do you read me” shouted Maria down her radio “Loud and clear, private” replied the voice “We need evac right away” said Maria “Roger that, pelican inbound, Alpha-22 out” finished the voice Maria turned her head to Diego “Our ride will be here in a minute” said Maria “Good timing, things are getting a bit rough” replied Diego The hill that the two remaining soldiers were atop off was littered with elite, grunt and colonial militia bodies. The 2nd Madrigal Militia had retreat to this fallback point after they attempted to stop the covenant in the city of Porto Castillo, they had put up a brave fight but they weren’t marines and the rag tag unit of madrigal natives had been caught off guard when the covenant attacked. The militia force’s never really had a chance against the superior covenant forces that numbered into their ten’s of thousands against the two CM battalions garrisoned on Madrigal. The two stayed at the top of the hill for several minutes, each of them staying Sharpe incase a sudden covenant assault or banshee attack surprised them until the roar of the pelican could be heard on the horizon in front of the sunset. “Somebody called for a lift” joked the pilot “Yh if you’re not too busy” remarked Diego “You know me, always bored” replied the pilot The pelican circled once before lowering until it’s just hovered over the grassy hilltop, Maria and Diego run up the ramp into the pelican. The ramp closed and the pelican roared again as it took off. “How’s First battalion?” questioned Diego “Better than you guys, most of them are in the asteroid field” replied the pilot “Asteroid field?” said Maria confused “Yh colonel Garcia has struck an unlikely deal with an unlikely faction” replied the pilot The confused soldiers both walked up and entered the cockpit of the pelican to see the bird accurate through the upper atmosphere into the vase black space beyond. They could also see the fleet of covenant ship begin their bombardment of the planet’s surface, Diego’s eye picked up movement in the form of a small grey ship also leaving the atmosphere and heading towards a pair of covenant frigates, the ship hit the first ship which resulted in a sudden flash of light and a shockwave that’s shook the pelican.

Colonel Rico Garcia Commander of Madrigal defense CO of 1st and 2nd Colonial Militia battalions

18:00 9th February 2528 Freighter “New Hope”, Metisette, 23 Librae system

Rico stared through the view port of the freighter “New Hope” that was in orbit in the thick Nitrogen atmosphere. The rest of the bridge was a rush of motions and sounds as the crew made contact with the other freighters preparing to leave Madrigal. He through he would never survive the horrors of the battle until a broadcast on his radio comm had caught his attention about a safe sanctuary in the asteroid belt of Hesiod and a deal for there survival. A strange emotion churned in his stomach though as he was weary of this new found friendship with the Insurrectionist, but they were the only form of help he had left as the UNSC haden’t shown and they offered the to save his troops and the population of Madigral. “Freighter away” said a young women at a console The colonel turned his head to one of the nearby computer screens that was tracking the freighter full of explosives exiting the atomsphere towards the battlegroup of covenant ships that were too busy glassing th former colony world. The freighter struck into one of the covenant frigate and detontioned causing a wave of light that blinded the crew for a moment before clearling to revival the debris field of two covenant frigates. Classic innie tactic through the colonel, he had seen it many times when he was fighting the insurrectionst during his young in the marine corps. It had proved effective the covenant ship reacted in an act of confusion as the ships turned toward the area where the frigates was a matter of moments ago. “seventeen freighters coming via this sector” said the women again “good send them our co-ordinates and tell them to prepare for the thick atomsphere” replied the captain the freighter attack hadnt been some form of counter attack but more of a distraction for the covenant while the remaining population of Madgiral escaped to hide in the thick atomsphere of Metisette. “Good evening, colonel” said a spanish voice in his ear Garcia turned away from the computer screens and exited the bridge before answering the welcome. “ Evening Mr.Soto” replied the colonel in a calm voice “Nice little firework show you performed there, if you wasn’t a UNSC toy soldier I would of shook your hand very innie tactic’s” laughed the hispanic man “I did learn it from fighting you bastards on Green Hill” responded the colonel very dryly “ahhh yes, but enough about good times how are the freighters doing” asked Mr.Soto “all en route now the covenant havent noticed them take off from the oher side of the planet” answered the Colonel “excellent, theirs nothing we can do to stop them at Madrigal but once their bored of glassing and left the system you can move your fleet into the asteriod belt” said Mr.Soto “Understood, Garcia out” said the colonel as he ended the conversation what had he got himself into he wondered as he walked down the corridor.

11:08 10th Febuary 2528 Freighter “New Hope” en route to Asteriod belt, Hesiod, 23 Librae system

“We spend years fighting the fuckers on Madgiral and now their saving our ass’s” moaned Deigo “ I no it doesn’t feel right” replied Maria who sat down at the table the fleet of freighters had been waiting for the coveant to finish their glassing of Madgiral and to leave the system, when they did the fleet of freighters had moved towards the rebel based called “The Rubble” and were being emptied of their populations. A rumbled shook the ship for a second. “Looks like were docked, there no turning back now” marked Pablo Ramo, a sergeant from the 1st CM “Please exit via the airlocks located on the starport side” said a female artifcal voice the bay filled with the remaining militia all stood up and headed towards the airlocks four level below.

Simon Richards Rubble resident

11:23 10th Febuary 2528 Habitate “Rhine”, The Rubble, Hesiod, 23 Librae system

“UNSC PIGS” Shouted simon along with the rest of the crowd that stood on either side of the street. When the residents of the rubble had discovered that the suriving troops from madgirial had aarived, this had sent the residents into a swarm of anger. The very people they had been fighting against for the best part of the decade had now become residents themselves. Simon’s blood boiled by this through “Earth sympathizing bastards” he barked he pushed himself to the front of the crowd “I hope the covenant burn your percious earth” he counitued this remarked sparked the nearby soldier to grab simon by the throat and punch simon sqaure in the jaw. The blow knocked simon to his knees “Well if they do you wont be alive to see it” snarled the soldier as he rised his fist again Simon embraced for the impacted only to seen a hand grab the soldiers fist. A moment later and the soldier let go of his sore throat and countied down the street with the rest of the group “Yh too right, you know better” coughted Simon in a horse voice

11:23 10th Febuary 2528 Habitate “Rhine”, The Rubble, Hesiod, 23 Librae system

“UNSC PIGS” shouted the crowd Diego ingored such comments and restrained from unleashing his anger The soldiers were on their way to meet the secruity council of the rubble and had been insulted by the ever-increasing crowd along the way. He looked at Maria walking along side him “If only I had a gun” remarked Diego “If only, they wouldn’t be so cock sure of themelves” answered Maria the coloum of CM just kept walking towards the next airlock “Earth sympatizing bastards” Said a voice Diego again ingored the comment, the word “earth” had remembered him of his sister who had moved there before the war broke out, this was a reason he fought for the UNSC. “I hope the covenant burn your percious earth” a voice bellowed in his ear Diego tempter explosed as he turned to face the voice both fists raised. He saw the man who had taunted him and with his left hand grabbed the bastards throat while the right he planted in the man’s face. A spray of blood hit Diegos already dirty combat uniform. The man fell to his knees as Diego rasied his fist again for another blow. “ Stop it” whispered the colonel in his ear Diego ingored him and carried on raising his fist “That’s an order” growled the colonel again Diego grunted as he lowered his fist and let go on the innie Deigo looked around at his fellow soldiers then turned to carry on walking down the street, the coloum started walking again and in the background of stomping feet Deigo heard a voice “Yh too right, you know better” Deigo cleared his mind and carried on walking.

12:15 10th Febuary 2528 Habitate “Nile”, The Rubble, Hesiod, 23 Librae system

The Colonel entered the room, it was a hollowed section of the asteriod, the walls were pure rock and in the middle stood a long boardroom styled table. Their sat eight people each dressed in suits or dresses, this was the security council of the Rubble Dress pretty smart for a bunch of murders and rebels through the colonel. “Please take a seat” said a black haired spanish women the colonel moved towards a small chair in front of the table, he sat down. “Welcome to the Rubble, Colonel I hope the residents were too abusive” said one man “I expect nothing less from rebel supporting scum” replied the Colonel “Now, now colonel if it wasent for the rebel supporting scum as you put it, you would of died in a hail of plasma” announced another man “That’s true, you see were a democracy here at the rubble, we vote on everything here even whetever to resue the people we fight” said the women “My aploligez, but why is one democracy faction rebeling against another democracy faction” questioned the colonel “What the UNSC?” Snored a young man “You don’t know nothing of the UNSC” replied the colonel disgused “Oh really, show him Juliana” said the same young man a small terminal powered to life in the midde of the table and a young women appeared “ Colonel Rico Garcia, D/O/B 12/10/2489 P/O/B Para childern hopsital, served in the 9th Experdiction Force between 2520-2524” she said Rico sat shocked this information was classied outside of the UNSCDF, he had to admit they must have had some good spies in their services. The A.I walked around the colonel looking him up and down before carring on. “ Suffered serve burns to his back during an anti-terrorist operations against rebel forces on Byzantina in 2524 and was later excused from the marine corps and put incharge of the training of the 1st and 2nd CM and anti-rebel operations in the sector” she said before disappearing in a green flash the colonel sat quite for a moment as he tried to work out how they got the information “Don’t under estimate us colonel, we arent some form of bandits you think we are” said the women “But we arent here to exchange insults for who is the good side” finished a old man on the end of the table. “We wanted to enure that madigral population would be safe when the covenant entered the system, their was nothing we could do stop the invader but we offer a peace with you” he said “Yes, you’re an impressive leader Colonel and would like to offer you a seat on the security council” said the women “ You do know the covenant will eventually find this place and destroy it, if your so concerned about the people why don’t you go to UNSC controlled space” replied the Colonel. “What you mean the covenant will? They already have” laughted one women “Parden” answered the colonel confused a sudden door on the far side of the room opened to revival two shadows coming through. The colonel automaticly reached to grab his pistol only to suddenly remembered he didn’t have it. “Please take a seat” said one man The pair of jackals moved towards the table but neither sat down, one open a smooth purple box that glowed to life. The colonel tried his best to stand still while an enemy was standing in front of him. One jackal started to talk in a strange alien tongue, the room sat in slient until an artifacal voice spoke from the covenant box “Welcome I bring offering of peace and expansion between the humans and Yig-Yar” “What! After you just destroyed Madgiral and killed a large portion of its population” replied Colonel Garcia surprised the alien waited while the box translated what the colonel said before squarking at the box. “This war of genocide is the bussiness of the San’Shyuum and Sangheili, there entire existance is for a religon that yeild very little for the other speices, They are blinded by gods and ever-lasting life but we Yig-Yar are ony slaves and is lead for better lifes and profit” said the jackal “ So you want to help us?” said the Colonel “Yes, we will keep your hideout safe and we will trade the weopons of our allies in exchanged of something we need for our ship” answered the jackal “ Im interested but can I at least ask your name?” questioned the Colonel “Reth” smiled the jackal

12:58 11th Febuary 2528 Habitate “Nile”, The Rubble, Hesiod, 23 Librae system

Private Diego Lopez and several other militia had been selected to act as Colonel Garcia personal bodyguard. The four stood in the hallway outside the sercurity council boardroom each holding Assault rifles, the sound of hovels clanging against the metal floor caused the soldiers to knee and take aim. A pair of jackals walked up corridor towards the group, Diego resisted the urge to shoot at the jackals that stared at them until him and another private moved out of the away of the door. They hissed at the group before entreing the room, the doors closed behind them. “They give me the creep” muttered one man “Ain’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen” said another “This is way to werid to be true, im pretty sure were meant to shoot them if I remember the battle for Madgiral correctly” marked the third one “ We got out orders, the jackals are friendly now” said Deigo the entire sentence seem fake and werid to him He turned to the now locked door and through what the hell he got himself too.