As Forge and company got closer, Shawn left the tunnel and set up a few hundred meters away from the entrance and started taking out Elite Majors, sending Grunts and Jackals into a panic as Elite Minor dove for cover.
(A/N- Idk how far a Spartan can shoot from, Linda has made shots from bare minimum 2 kilometers, and all Spartans can be anything, so I'd wager that they're all decent snipers, so a few hundred meters isn't a stretch in my opinion)
Shawn kept the Elites down in cover as he picked off Jackals that peeked out, hoping for a shot. As Forge and the others started to put in some work, he moved up with them, taking out Jackals and Elites that tried to snipe from 'safety'
As they swarmed down the tunnels, blowing Covenant to hell and back, Shawn was glad that he'd gone ahead to disable the detonator, because Forge just had it blown to smithereens. As they gunned down the last bit of resistance, a pilot radios in that he's bringing down Professor Anders.
Sighing inside, Shawn goes back up and escorts the woman down as he spots Marines setting up defensive positions. Crossing a light bridge to the center of the Relic, Forge and Anders start arguing as she wants to touch the 'bright touchable' center console, with Forge telling her that it's too risky.
Knowing that they don't have much time until more Covenant arrive, Shawn steps forward just as Anders starts messing with the console, with Forge too busy fussing at her to notice Shawn inserting a chip into a side panel.
'Take everything, we'll look at it later.' {Affirmative. Data is almost compiled, protect the chip and console until finished.} Turning away from the console, Shawn notices a shimmer of camo fields and brings his rifle to bear as Professor Anders and Sgt Forge are captivated by the star-map she's activated. "Contact, right behind us!"
Taking the Elites by surprise, Shawn kills one and lowers the shields of another before they scramble for cover. The Elites don't sit still, however, as they fire needlers, forcing them to duck as an unlucky marine takes a hit. "Spirit, this is Forge. We need backup!"
Professor Anders tends to the wounded marine as Forge and Shawn pick off the Elites, with Marines trying their best to keep back the grunts that have joined the fray. "Switch." Shawn says, handing Forge his MA5b, taking his shotgun, and rushing in.
Seeing the bulky blue figure racing towards them, the Elites draw their swords as Grunts panic. Shawn doesn't let them get close enough to use their blades, and he blows a hole through the first Elite's chest, kicking it into the next as he racks the next shell.
The next shot lowers a shield but doesn't kill, forcing Shawn to duck as a plasma blade swings over him. Slamming his shoulder into the alien's chest, it staggers just enough for him to take it out as the last Elite charged, roaring a challenge.
Shawn paid it no mind as he put two shells in its chest, before tossing a frag grenade into the gaggle of panicked Grunts. "Can he move?" He asked, coming over to Anders and Forge, who were both focused on the wounded marine.
"He didn't make it, shard hit a major artery." Forge said grimly as he took the dead man's dog tags, storing them to honor later. "Backup?" "A pair of Grizzlies, Captain just sent them down from the ship."
Shawn nodded and went to scavenge what he could from the dead Covenant as they waited for reinforcements to arrive. It wasn't a boring wait as a pair of Elite Majors rallied the surviving Grunts, plus a few Jackals that charged them. Once they were dealt with, the remaining Grunts chose to stay away until some other Elite forced them to charge in; until then, they left the Humans alone.
It didn't take long to hear the rumble of the Grizzlies' engines as Forge grinned. "I think you'll like what I did to them, Spartan. I made a few improvements." He said proudly as Shawn collected the chip from earlier.
As they regrouped with the tanks, Shawn spotted a few grunts over by the light bridge they'd entered from. 'Shit,' The grunts blew the controls on the other side of the bridge, the others noticed and started to panic until Professor Anders spoke up.
"Take me to the Eastern bridge controls. I think I can get them to work." She said as she finished fixing one of the tanks, just in time as the next wave of Covenant arrived. Things were much easier with the tanks, but still, they took a few hits as wave after wave of Grunts, Jackals, and Elite chased after them.
Reaching the controls, Professor Anders got to work as a fresh wave of Covenant burst through a blast door. "Keep the professor safe!" Forge yelled as a wave of grenades sailed over, blasting apart a few grunts, doing little else.
Using the last few rounds of Carbine ammo, Shawn takes out a pair of Jackals before throwing the spent weapon at a suicide Grunt, throwing it back several feet before it detonated, taking others with it.
Taking his MA5B back from Forge, Shawn noted he only had a handful of magazines left, so he went and grabbed a few plasma rifles as a pair of Hunters roared, charging out of the blast doors. "Hunters! Focus fire on them, don't let them take out the Grizzlies!" Forge yelled as more grenades arced over the hulking beasts.
Turning to shield themselves from the grenades, the Hunters were blown to bits as the Grizzlies fired on their unarmored backs, just in time as Professor Anders activated the light bridge.
"Go over the bridge, we need to leave now!" Forge yelled as they raced over, regrouping with what was left of the strike force. [Sgt Forge, this is the Spirit. A massive force of Covenant is converging on your location. Leave now! Transports will be outside waiting!] The next few minutes were stressful as dozens of Covenant squads rushed them.
Elites pushed forward grunts and Jackals as Hunters took shots at them. One of the Grizzlies took a hit to the treads, forcing the driver out as the tank went up in flames. Forge stayed right beside Anders, dragging her forward as Shawn tore through Elite with his plasma sword.
Despite the dozens of bodies he'd already passed, Elite Minors and Majors still rushed him with blades in hand, eager to defeat the Human warrior before them. All fell as Shawn used his sword and pistol to great effect.
By the time they got out of the tunnel, the Pelicans outside were busy firing into Covenant lines. Seeing them exit the tunnel, one of the pilots got low enough for Shawn, Forge, Anders, and a few marines to jump aboard as it reengaged, giving another pilot the chance to pick the others up.
Seeing that Forge was still holding Anders's hand from where he'd dragged her out of the tunnel, Shawn couldn't help but tease. "Looking to get some extra credit there, Sgt?" Anders snatched her hand away with as much dignity as she could muster as the Marines laughed; Forge at least had the decency to be (pretend) embarrassed.
[Spirit of Fire, I have the Professor and the rest on board, bringing em home.]
{Copy, you're cleared to board. The Captain would like to speak with the Professor and the Sgt. Send them our way.}