[h1]Tar 'Mdalak[/h1]
[hr]

Once everyone on the mesa had boarded, Vol closed up the grav lift and Tar activated the internal comms system. “Lock in tight, things could get bumpy.” As she said that, the shockwave from the Brute cruiser crashing into the valley behind the base hit the Phantom, buffeting it backwards. Tar gunned the engines and pushed them swiftly forward while Vol plotted them a course.

Their objective was to insert the team on a flat staging area beneath the main Forerunner structure. Enhanced stills Vol had taken while Aegis was boarding showed it was littered with large crates and lifting vehicles. Between them and this landing zone were an assortment of Brute drop ships and Banshees. However, they were distracted by the teams of Phantoms currently attacking the walls of the compound. There were also a handful of lethal AA guns around the compound, devastating any airship it could find. However, one had just erupted into a towering jet of flames, opening up a gap in their coverage. Tar pointed to it. “That’s the entry point, adjust our approach solution.” Vol obeyed with a cursory “Yes, commander.” They were working well, considering this was their first time together, Tar noted.

Maintaining a breakneck speed, they dropped down to just above the height of the walls and roared past the destroyed AA battery. The courtyard and the IFF tags for the rest of Aegis team zipped past underneath. “Fuel rod round, front left side!” Vol called, pinging it on the nav dashboard. Tar hauled the controls to the right, and the Phantom drastically tilted, throwing them against their harnesses. The round fizzed by close underneath their Phantom. “Can you get a shot off?” Tar asked. “No, they’re above us. Coming in hot!” Tar tugged the controls up and to the left, and the top of their Phantom crushed the wings of the Banshee above. A titanic scraping, clattering sound echoed through the troop bay, the banshee sliding along the length of their vehicle and falling off the end.

Tar cooled the engines slightly as they approached the landing zone. Vol marked a clear space near the ramp up from the courtyard and together they brought the Phantom in. Vol reactivated the grav lift and opened the side doors while Tar addressed the bay’s occupants. “Green light to disembark, go go go!” They both surveyed the area as Aegis team quickly headed out of the Phantom. The landing zone was very hot, and they were taking small arms fire from practically all directions. They only had twenty seconds before someone with the right armaments took notice. “Rockets! Right side!” Vol hollered. “Everybody out NOW!” Tar shouted, tugging the controls sharply. Vol closed the side doors up to increase their protection. If Aegis team hadn’t jumped already, they’d be coming on this evasive maneuver with them.