Mouse Trap

=== December 2552, Installation 00, Site 6-16 ===
"Twenty-seven casualties in total, ma'am. The Albatross' wings are clipped. We've still got the M312's for power and supplies, at least temporarily. They took hits on entry, but held up." Mallory was hunched over a table, staring at the visage of Commander Saxon, the still of his visage bright in the dimly lit environment of the room. The dust that floated freely in the air stung her eyes, and at points she felt like she was inhaling more of that than oxygen, but it was all preferable to the heat of the sun outside, that never seemed to set.
"Good to know, Staff Sergeant. Feared we lost all of you when the dropship's signal went dark. The casualties, they're from hostile fire?", her commanding officer asked, their voice crackling slightly with static. 
"Partially. There was a small occupying force of Brutes still present on the site. Used anti-air weapons to down us on entry, then tried to sweep in for the finishing blow before we knew what was happening. They underestimated our numbers, though." The firefight had not finished up till twelve hours ago. It was hectic, a scramble. Once the doors to the Albatross were thrown open, they were subjected to a combined fire of shrapnel and plasma fire. It was an actual miracle they had made it out of that death trap at all.
Though they were cornered, once deployed, the M312 Elephants were able to lend supporting fire, easing the pressure and allowing the survivors to recoup, push back, and destroy their attackers. 
"We lost a few people on landfall, and then more in the ambush." Nineteen dead and wounded in total after the dust had settled. Lieutenant Mu included. That left the duties of organizing the survivors, dividing tasks, establishing communications with the Aegis Fate, and having the area secured all up to Mallory. Luckily, her position as a air force liaison eased the shock of the sudden responsibilities. It didn't help, however, with the surprise to come. 
"But the site is secure now?"
"Affirmative, ma'am."
"Then I'll have recovery and ground teams out to get you all back up here ASAP-"
"You can't do that, ma'am", Mallory cut off the Commander mid-sentence.
"Excuse me, Staff Sergeant? And why is that?" Saxon's tone was one of slight annoyance at being interrupted, though it was overlayed by curiosity.
"We're in a kill-box." She replied simply.
"Ludwig?" Mallory knew the name of the Aegis' Smart AI. "Nothing in range of our sensors indicate any danger, Mallory. So what is the issue?"
She rubbed her forehead, before taking a deep breathe, though instantly regretted the calming habit once her lungs became filled with sand particulates. "I had patrols sent out on two of the FAVs. They picked up a mine field surrounding the area, of Covenant design. They cut a path through, ventured further out. At about five hundred meters from the perimeter of the mines, we witnessed structures in the distance power up, and fire beams downwards in the areas of the scouts. We lost contact immediately."
"We did pick up energy spikes similar to what your describing. But no activity of the like since then."
"That's because we haven't ventured out again. Didn't want to risk the Hornet, or the Elephants in case those things could produce quicker and more powerful shots. Have had our efforts focused on treating the injured, and settling in for a long stay. We looked through what the Brutes had lying around."
"Did you discover anything relating to the nature of the site, or the structures around it?'
"Nothing that we could decipher, honestly. At least with what we have here. No one here is a xeno-linguist or cryptographer. But there is a destroyed Phantom on site, and the supplies the Covenant here used were sparse. Ma'am, I don't think they stayed this long because the site was of any importance. They were trapped."
"And now so are you..."
"Looks like it. Like mice in a bucket. We have enough supplies to allay immediate medical needs and concerns, so once enough of us are recuperated, we'll try to gather more information. One of the engineer has been talking about strange energy fluctuations from deeper inside the ruins. Might lead to a power source for the structures, or at the very least something of else of interest."
"Understood, Staff Sergeant. I'll trust in your judgements for now. We'll be keeping busy and an eye out up here as well. Keep me abreast of any developments."
"Yes, Ma'am. You can count on it."
Category:The Weekly