Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Chapter 98 Marines on the Hillside
Looking at the officer in front of him, Tommy felt like he was almost overwhelmed by the confusion in his stomach.

"Colonel Tommy Price?" Keyes looked at the identification card in front of him and frowned deeply. "From MI[-]?"

"That's right," Tommy looked him over. "Captain Jacob Keyes."

Case looked at him deeply and said, "Sorry, I really can't remember when you boarded my ship."

"In the high orbit of Reach, the last pulse letter received before entering slip space, do you remember?"

Case lowered his head and thought for a while before he suddenly realized, "It turns out to be Your Excellency. I have been dormant in the cryopod for too long. Was it you who sent me the boarding request?"

"Yes," Tommy looked left and right. "It's not safe here. Let's talk slowly on the road." He signaled to leave the box canyon immediately.

Case nodded, and he sent a return beacon. A red square appeared on the heads-up display of Tommy and everyone in his team, and the destination was exactly where Major Silva landed.

"Major Silva in the Marine Corps is very capable. I bet they are looking for a place for us to stay," Case said.He then turned to look at the officers and marines who were whispering, "Guys, let's keep going. The major is still waiting for us. The last person to arrive is responsible for digging the toilet."

The two of them each assembled their own teams and continued to move towards the return goal.In order to take care of the relatively weak officers, they had to slow down.In the process, Keith's eyes lingered on Rebecca for a few seconds longer.

During the march, Tommy deliberately fell at the end of the group, and Case followed knowingly.Tommy lowered his voice and asked through the private communication channel: "Don't misunderstand my question, what exactly are you doing here? Didn't Fleet Command order you to go deep into the area controlled by the Covenant forces to perform a mission?"

Case coughed slightly. He remembered that the Master Chief had emphasized to him that Spartans have very sharp hearing, so he said softly: "I need to confirm your security clearance level." He took a breath, "You know Yes, super secret confidentiality clause.”

Tommy admired his caution, but it seemed a bit silly to be so cautious when it came to an MI officer of his level.

"'Operation Red Flag.'" He spoke a few words briefly and then remained silent.

"It's been shelved." Case's face didn't show any emotion. Sure enough, he knew that Tommy was probably aware of this mission. "The space battle on Reach happened too suddenly. We were prepared but failed to execute it." . During the escape, the Pillar of Autumn made a random jump and arrived here in accordance with the Cole Protocol."

Random jump?Tommy found this statement a bit ridiculous - how could a random jump happen to lead to such a remote place?He looked sideways at Case.

Keith said helplessly: "I also know this is nonsense, so you can ask Cortana about the specific situation. She is staying with the Master Chief now."

"Okay." He also knew that the top priority was not to investigate the secrets, they had more urgent things to complete. "Now that the matter is over, I think we should first figure out what this ring is for and find a way to leave here as soon as possible." Tommy said, "During the emergency landing, I found that there was a Covenant ship anchored here in the 'north' Cruiser, perhaps we can organize the Spartans left on the Pillar of Autumn to fight back——"

"They're all staying on Reach," Case said, not daring to look at Tommy's helmet panel and speaking a little louder, "except the Master Chief."

"What happened?" Tommy had a very bad premonition in his heart, and he asked eagerly, "Where are the Spartans who were supposed to perform the mission?"

Keith's eyes dimmed, and even his running speed slowed down. "We were caught off guard by the newly joined Covenant fleet. Their mission changed midway and they were temporarily sent to land to defend the power stations that power the orbital turrets."

He also briefly participated in the selection of Spartan II warriors more than 20 years ago, and he felt uncomfortable knowing that these children had died. "You know the importance of the planetary orbital super magnetic accelerator." He touched his pocket, only to find that he had left the pipe left by his grandfather on the bridge.

Unforgettable memories emerged from the depths of Tommy's mind, and he couldn't help clenching his fists.The naval fleet was overwhelmed in space and was about to be blown to pieces. The huge magnetic accelerator cannon was the only weapon that could block the Covenant forces from the defense line and prevent them from capturing Reach.

But now that Reach has fallen, the consequences for them who were sent to the surface to defend the power station can be imagined.

"Maybe now you and the Master Chief are the only two Spartans left in the human race," Keyes sighed. "If we can break out and join the Marines led by Major Silva, you can meet him. "

Thinking that he would see John soon, Tommy hesitated.After what happened to Sauron, there was little contact between them.In the ensuing conversation, Keyes recounted the boarding battle that broke out on the Pillar of Autumn, and Tommy told him how he got here.Case wanted to know the details in detail, but was interrupted by the sudden sound of firing in the distance.

Unknowingly, they had arrived at a valley filled with scattered rocks and trees, where the roar of the MA5B echoed.

"Sir," Lieutenant Lovell, the navigation officer of the Pillar of Autumn, turned around to report, only to find that both Tommy and Case were looking at him. "Uh, I mean, Captain," he smiled sheepishly and pointed. At the end of a rocky path, "that's where the gunfire came from."

Lovell had been a troublesome officer, repeatedly demoted and once dishonorably suspended until Keyes discovered his abilities and renewed his request to General Stanforth for his use.

Tommy and Case looked at each other and said together:
"You take command, he is your crew member."

"I'll take command, he's my crew member."

Tommy shrugged, impressed by the captain's confidence.

"Then you're welcome," Case nodded and ordered calmly and seasonedly: "Let's go over there and see if we can help those Marines."

The group of people continued to move forward. They stepped onto the top of a lush green lawn and crossed a clear river. Water splashed when they stepped on their boots.Then they walked along the path along the mountain wall. After a while, they reached the ridge where they could look around the entire valley.

Tommy saw a UNSC lifeboat surrounded by Covenant troops, who were exchanging fire with the Marines entrenched on the opposite hillside.

A pyramid-like building stands tall in the center of the valley floor.He saw a ribbon of light flickering from the base of the building into the sky.

Tommy and his group were lying in ambush on the hillside, and the Covenanters had not discovered them yet.

"It's your turn to take command, Spartan." Keyes smiled and said softly, "You must be much better at the ground battlefield than me."

Tommy didn't refuse and agreed.He patted Taote on the shoulder and pointed his finger at the two lively elite warriors in the distance.

Taut understood immediately and set up his sniper rifle to aim at them, while Aurora consciously acted as his observer.

Tommy motioned for others not to fire, drew his M6D pistol, and then activated the weapon's KFA-2 optic. The sight of the scope was projected onto his head-up display at twice the magnification.

Four rounds of armor-piercing fin discarding shells roared out, and the two elite warriors' weakened energy shields flashed. Then their heads exploded, and their bodies flew to one side and fell to the ground.The kinetic energy of the shelling shells did not decrease, and the turf was hit with mud and foam.

Tommy took advantage of the stunned Grunts and Jackals to start naming names. The heads of these little beasts exploded one after another, and the bodies rolled to both sides of the road. After a few seconds, there were no living Covenant people at the foot of the mountain.

"Learn a lesson," Tommy heard Corporal Wilkins scolding his two Marines. "If you guys could be this good at shooting, I'd be laughing my ass off in my sleep."

They climbed around the pyramid and up the hillside, and soon the Marines appeared, waving assault rifles and shouting greetings to Tommy and the others.One of the privates grinned almost to the back of his head. He said to Tommy, "It's good to see you, Chief. The situation in this area is getting tense."

The Marine next to him pulled him and whispered: "He is not the Master Chief. I saw the Master Chief next to the maintenance room of the Pillar of Autumn. The armor he wore should be green."

It was really troublesome that the identification mark of friend or foe was destroyed, and he didn't want to have to introduce himself every time.

Case discovered his dilemma and explained to the Marines: "He is indeed not the Master Chief, but I have contacted Cortana and Wellesley, and they said that they can't get away for the time being, but as long as they can Keep your hands free and they will definitely provide support as soon as possible.”

(End of this chapter)