San Palomino Desert, Equestria, Phoenix Dropship Crash Site
"MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, THIS IS FOXTROT TWO-NINER, WE TOOK A MAJOR HIT FROM CONFIRMED FORERUNNER ENERGY WEAPONS!!! WE'RE GOING DOWN!!!" was the dominating thing Gunnar and Twilight heard from the radio in that moment, unable to respond since only the receiver was working. Gunnar had checked their helmets and armor too. Twilight's Active Camo and radio were damaged too heavily for field repair to be sufficient. Gunnar's helmet radio, Hardlight Shield Module, and M6S were all beyond repair. Twilight was lucky to still have both her weapons. Gunnar had just barely managed to get his Plasma DMR back in working order. Things were looking bleak.
The mention of Forerunner tech used in the unit's mayday could only mean one thing: a downed rescue team, especially since the receiver also allowed them to determine range and strength of incoming transmissions. There was no way it was anything else.
"Hey.... l-look at the radar!" Twilight piped up suddenly.
Gunnar looked to see a flickering signature labeled 'Foxtrot-29' on the radar, north of their position, just before the IFF transponder on the friendly craft went dark and the blip disappeared five klicks away. "Buck...." he cursed under his breath.
"Now what do we do?" Twilight asked, voice shaky and fearful.
"I....I don't know...." Gunnar admitted solemnly. He had never faced Prometheans before. He didn't know how to fight them or what precautions to take when crash landed in the middle of Promethean controlled territory. He knew they wanted them to come out in the open, he knew they would be easy targets if they did, and he knew the Promethean were toying with them. He checked their supplies: still a week's supply of emergency rations and water left. At least he was smart about preparation.
"We have a week of supplies left..... if we stay put, maybe they'll get a rescue to us in the next four days. After that.... we move out okay?" he said, sounding a bit unsure about his own plan, yet knowing it was their best bet.
"O-okay...." Twilight responded after a moment's hesitation, accepting the plan after determining it was the best choice. "Gunnar....?"
"Yeah?"
"I-I'm scared...." she admitted
He sighed. "I know... I am too...." he admitted as well. He went over to her and held her close. He knew that these may be their last days together if help didn't get to them soon.
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Two hours later, five klicks to destination.
"Uuuugh...." Dash groaned as she awakened, her vision returning to her. As her armor detected her returning to consciousness, the HUD in her helmet booted up, reinitializing and configuring itself before the display returned to normal.
"Hey she's coming to," a familiar voice called.
"Ah knew she was a tough mare," another familiar, southern accent chuckled.
"AJ? Thorne?" the rainbow maned mare asked, not really in the form of full sentences and still trying to get her bearings.
"Easy Dash, yeah it's us. Take it easy, nice and slow. You took a hard hit back there," Thorne replied, urging her to slow down.
"I'll rest when my friends are safe or when I'm dead," she said, trying to get up quickly.
"OH NO YA DON'T!" AJ yelled, holding Rainbow down, "You're wing is broken and you have a concussion. Thorne is still workin' on yer wing so just hold still."
Now Dash felt the shifting of the damaged wing as Thorne worked on getting a cast on it. "GAAAAH!!!!" she cried as the pain hit her like a freakin' bus.
"Will you give her the anesthetic already!?" Thorne yelled at AJ.
"Oh, raght, sorry."
Rainbow felt a needle in flesh and something enter her bloodstream. Then the pain in her wing numbed to a bearable level.
"Th-thanks...." she managed to say through ragged breaths.
"Don't mention it sugarcube."
"W-where are the others?"
"DeMarco and Madsen went ahead to scout out the situation. Hoya and Grant are still here to help us fight off any attackers," Gabriel explained, "We set up camp next to the Pelican.... course I'm sure you know what condition that thing is in. We'll have to radio for evac once we find Gunnar and Twilight."
"Ngh, buck..."
"Watch yer volume out here Sugarcube. Them Promethean robots are all over the place," AJ warned.
"Thanks for the heads up," Dash growled, "Couldn't have told me that before I cried out, or better buckin' yet, applied the anesthetic sooner?"
"Raght... sorry sugarcube... ah was just surprised to see you wakin' up so soon it kinda gave me pause," AJ apologized sheepishly.
"Am I the only one who payed attention during those two months of hard core training?" Dash complained.
"I'm pretty sure both you and Twi did better than ah could when it came to the more academawutsit parts."
"Academic."
"Whatever, at least ah still passed that."
"Surprise surprise...."
"Shut it, the both of you," Thorne hissed through his teeth, "Do you want those Prometheans to come at us?"
"They should have done that already by now," another voice said as two Spartans, DeMarco and Madsen, approached. "They know we're here and have shown multiple signs of that. My guess is they have too few numbers to take on our fireteam and they know it," DeMarco finished.
"Same can't be said for Twilight and Gunnar though. They're prodding and searching for the best opportunity to get a quick kill on them," Madsen jumped in.
"Where are they?" Thorne asked.
"Still inside their crashed ship" Paul DeMarco answered.
"So if they come out, they're as good as dead," Thorne deduced.
"That's the gist of it, yeah," Madsen said, "so we need to act fast. They've been playing the waiting game for a few days now and those two have no experience with Prometheans. They may come out of hiding to make a break for it."
"Have you tried to contact them?" Applejack piped up.
"Yeah but they didn't respond. Radios must be down," Paul replied.
"Ah horseapples...."
"I've already got a plan laid out," DeMarco explained, "There's a ridge overlooking the crash site behind the downed vehicle, and a wide one too. Positioning three units on that ridge to provide overwatch while we approach would give us the advantage of full field coverage. The rest of us could approach virtually unhindered to make the rescue."
"Would we stay down there and dig some trenches or something for cover or would we bring them back here?" Thorne asked.
"We're waiting for cover of darkness. I didn't see any with those "Promethean Vision" modules on their heads and I'm pretty sure I marked every single one of them," Madsen explained, "DeMarco's idea. After that we bring them back here. Five klicks to travel though."
"That's alot of ground to cover with two potentially wounded VIP's on our back in HOSTILE TERRITORY!" Thorne yelled.
"You suggesting we stay in the red zone!?" DeMarco yelled back.
"Red zone?" Thorne's attitude dramatically changed.
"The area around their crash site is where the thickest Promethean presence is. We need to get in, grab the VIP's, and get out," DeMarco explained, "We could handle the virtually small numbers out here if they attacked us right now, but out there, we couldn't withstand constant attack before evac arrived, not with the risk of the VIP's taking a hit and going down. Not to mention the fact we have two VIPs with us who volunteered to join the op for the sake of their friends. I still don't believe the brass allowed that."
"HEY! As long as I can fight, I'm not giving up until my friends are safe!" Dash piped up.
"Same here!" AJ yelled, "Nobody and nopony can tell us to stay away and NOT defend our friends and expect us to comply. I made that perfectly clear to yer 'brass' before we left."
"That explains that...." Thorne muttered.
"Alright, fair enough. You care about your team and we understand... but we still have to protect all of you and this doesn't make it any easier for us," DeMarco admitted.
"We can easily take care of ourselves and contribute to this op Paul. You did see that first hand during Operation Back Breaker way back when," AJ retorted.
"She has a point," Madsen admitted.
DeMarco sighed and took a moment before reluctantly nodding and giving in. "Alright, but you do what I say, when I say it. We can't jeopardize this mission."
"Ah understand," AJ said with a nod as she helped Dash to her hooves and gave the pegasus her weapons.
"Also, Dash," Paul started, getting her attention.
"Yeah?" she turned her head to look at him
"Don't try to fly till that wing is completely healed. Even if you get the impulse to do so during the mission, you HAVE to resist or the pain will start up again for you. I can't guarantee your safety if you get incapacitated like that."
"I'll do my best."
"That's all I can ask. Now get some rest. We leave at 2100 hours so that gives you about five hours to rest."
The two ponies and the more weary members of the team dozed off after nodding to show they understood.
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Thirty Minutes to Rescue Attempt
Gunnar and Twilight could hear them. The Prometheans were right outside, chattering and buzzing, communicating amongst each other. They could hear the ones that Gunnar recognized as Crawlers crawling along the hull, their claws taping as the clasped on with each step. Twilight was shivering in fear, holding her eyes closed as she tried to find some sense of comfort and security in Gunnar's embrace. He held her with one foreleg while holding her Plasma Pistol with another, aiming at the back hatch, expecting the Prometheans to break through any second. After about twenty-eight minutes, they started to hear banging on the bulkhead. The evil machinations were trying to get in.
Twilight cried out upon hearing the first bang and held onto Gunnar more tightly.
At least I get to spend my last moments with him....
For one short moment that felt like an eternity, the looked into each others eyes, they kissed each other for another moment. She stopped crying and they looked towards the hatch, finally accepting their fate. If they were going down, at least they'd go down together. She picked up her Plasma DMR and shakily took aim, waiting for the enemy to get through.
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Dash and Grant had stayed on the ridge to provide protection to Madsen, who was providing sniper overwatch with his 99-S5 Anti-Material Sniper Rifle System. Everyone and everypony else moved across the open ground cautiously, engaging night vision as they did.
"Boss, I spotted a group of shinies trying to break through the rear hatch of the downed craft" Madsen whispered over the mike, "Best if you hurry."
"Copy that Madsen, good eye," DeMarco whispered back before signalling to advance faster.
They soon came into range of the hostile alien machinations and saw just how hard those things were trying to get into the crashed aircraft. It was easily recognizable as Gunnar's Phoenix Dropship, minus the banged up look from the crash, it still looked virtually intact. Gunnar and Twilight were likely still alive in there, but they wouldn't be for long if those Promethean Knights managed to yank open the rear hatch. They were starting to succeed.
"Madsen, you got eyes on the shiny knocking on the door?" DeMarco asked.
"Got him in my sights sir."
"On my signal, take him out."
"Ten four."
"Alright team, pick your targets and on my signal, we drop as many tangos we can in the first volley. Hoya, AJ, sneak around left and right flanks and wait for my signal, pick long range weapons, that means your sticky detonator AJ."
The two of them nodded and headed out, staying quiet and out of sight in the dark of the night.
"Thorne, you're with me. We'll take the middle."
Thorne nodded and they closed in. Within two minutes of spotting the tangos, they were all in position.
"Fire on my mark..... MARK!"
The staccato of gunfire, the pounding of a sniper rifle ringing off multiple times, and an explosion rang through the air all within a mere ten seconds.
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Outside, Gunnar suddenly heard a series of sounds other than banging. The electronic roars and cries of the Prometheans rang loud and clear even if muffled by the hull of the downed ship. Amongst all that, Gunnar could hear the clear staccato of gunfire and the distant ringing of a sniper rifle, finished with an explosion. Ten seconds after it had started, it had ended.
Gunnar and Twilight looked at each other for a moment before they heard the metal of the boarding ramp groaning and screeching as it was pulled open and they turned back, aiming their weapons. Soon, three pairs of human hands in blue armor appeared, and a moment later, the ramp was down, showing a bunch of dead robot pieces and a quartet of floating glowing orbs surrounding three familiar armored humans and a pony in full armor.
"Well howdy there Twi, you miss us?" the pony said in a familiar southern accent.
"APPLEJACK!!!" Twilight bounded forward and grabbed her friend in a tight hug, crying tears of joy and relief to see her friend again.
"Buck, it's good to see you guys again!" Gunnar yelled, the relief in his voice more than apparent. "Toilet in here is backed up, anyone here got a plunger?" the stallion tried to joke. This resulted in some laughs from the three Spartans and the two other ponies.
"Nice to see you again too Gunnar, but we aren't out of this shitstorm yet," Thorne said, his joyful tone turning to a serious one, "It's time to get out of here."
"You don't have to tell us twice," Twilight piped up, "Let's get out of here."
"Hey where are the others?" Gunnar asked suddenly.
"Madsen is providing sniper cover while Dash and Grant watch his back," DeMarco explained.
"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's rejoin them and get the buck outta here!!"
They reunited team nodded to each other and headed out. Hoya and AJ watched the rear while DeMarco and Thorne took point, trying to keep the weary ponies they just rescued outta harm's way.
"Sir you got more tangos incoming!" Madsen suddenly called over the comms. All but Gunnar and Twilight heard him, but they informed the two to make sure they got the message.
Three sniper shots rang out and the glowing orange fluid of downed Promethean Crawlers could be seen at a distance off to the retreating group's left. They kept moving for a few more seconds before a Promethean Knight armed with what looked like a Scattershot teleported in above them and tried to land with a downswing on Gunnar's head, only to be blasted out of the air by a AJ with a plasma shotgun before it could, disintegrating as it flew the other way. The green stallion nodded to her in thanks and they kept moving.
DeMarco suddenly heard a familiar energized discharge that he recognized as a Binary Rifle firing off. He stopped the group just in time to avoid getting hit in the head by the one-shot-kill light projectile.
"MADSEN!!!"
"I GOT HIM!!!"
Three more sniper shots rang out as the white streaks in the air traveled and downed a knight and a crawler on the mesa back south. The enemy Binary Rifle wielders were no more.
The group reached Madsen and the others, who stood up and started following them to the evac zone.
"THIS IS MAJESTIC LEAD DEMARCO ON THE EMERGENCY BAND, ANY AIRCRAFT ON STATION IN THE VICINITY OF THE PHOENIX CRASH RESPOND!!!"
"This is Pelican Alpha nine-nine-one, reading you loud and clear Majestic. Infinity actual lost contact with your Pelican and sent us. Where are we needed?"
"IF YOU'RE PACKING HEAVY ORDINANCE, NOW'S THE TIME TO USE IT PILOT!! DANGER CLOSE, I REPEAT, DANGER CLOSE!!! WE GOT PURSUERS ON TO OUR SOUTH LESS THAN HALF A KLICK OUT AND CLOSING!"
"Ten Four Majestic, find yourself a hole and dig in, fire mission will be packing high explosive rocket ordinance, ETA thirty seconds."
"EVERYONE GET DOWN, WE GOT FRIENDLY AIR COMIN' IN FAST AND LOW AND THEY'RE TEARING THOSE SHINY ASSHOLES A NEW ONE IN FIFTEEN SECONDS!"
The whole group hit the deck and just seconds later, a Pelican flew over at max speed unleashing a volley of rockets towards the enemy behind them. The thunderous roar and the orange light of the explosions was enough to get Majestic team cheering.
"YEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!" DeMarco roared
"TAKE THAT PROMETHEAN MOTHERFUCKERS!!!" Madsen yelled.
"WHAT NOW BITCHES, WHAT NOW!?" Hoya roared out.
The ponies were cheering too, but not exactly unleashing a torrent of curses and insults towards the enemy. All the same, the relief that washed over them was a more than welcome feeling.
"Alpha nine-nine-one," DeMarco began, "THAT WAS SOME DAMN FINE SHOOTING!"
There was laughter on the other end before the actual response came in the form of a joke. "Mind telling that to my superiors? My promotion is long overdue."
"Just get your ass down here and take us home man," DeMarco laughed.
"Roger that DeMarco, and welcome aboard."
The Pelican landed and the group came aboard.
"Hey what happened to the turrets that shot us down on the way here?" DeMarco asked the pilot curiously.
"Saw an armored UNSC Scorpion patrol as i was flyin' through. I assume the three smoking mesas there are where the turrets that shot you down were."
Paul looked out the viewport and smirked. "Remind me to give my thanks to the boys and girls in the armor corp."
"I'll put it in a memo," the pilot laughed as he flew them home.