Any soldier who had ever fought against Covenant armor never forgot the distinct sounds of a M68 gauss cannon - especially those that stood close enough to get permanent hearing damage from it. Mounted to a 'Hog it was one of the most mobile and deadly weapons the UNSC ground forces had, and it made a joke out of Covenant weapons traverse. It was the very distinctive whine and slam of the weapon that had drawn the Spartan to the site of a recent battle on a large bridge.<br/><br/>Two Banshees lazily circled overhead, occasionally firing a burst of plasma at the remnants of a fight. Dozens of dead covenant and Marines alike trailed to the site of a Warthog crash. The vehicle had flipped over, warped enough to put it out of action without a full retrofit.  Like a crime-scene technician, the Spartan traced the course the vehicle had taken before it had wrecked, through the road, past the bodies and wrecked vehicles... and one intact vehicle.<br/><br/>Some covvie felt bold enough to service their Type 26 assault carriage virtually completely out in the open, using only the wrecks of the 'Hog and a bus for concealment. From her vantage point in the buildings at the foot of the bridge, it would be an easy shot. But her concern was the multiple Banshees and any ground forces they could summon. Without backup, the Spartan would have to pick a more manageable fight. Valkyrie considered if the gauss weapon on the vehicle might still be usable...<br/><br/>There seemed to be movement by the wreckage. Valkyrie hit the zoom on her visor, bringing the far-off Warthog wreck into sharp clarity. To her surprise, another Spartan was using the vehicle for cover. His armor was a rich blue, even with a layer of burn marks and bullet dents, and the cracked visor in his helm was still recognizable as a V-shaped "scout" model from a distance. She didn't recognize the soldier, so she could only assume he was a Spartan-III. A replacement for her breed, Valkyrie mused.<br/><br/>An attempt to establish a secure laser communications line had failed, so she assumed his comms array was disabled by the incident. That didn't leave many options, but the spartan knew that the longer she waited, the more chance covenant would have to repair and rearm. Valkyrie shouldered her MA-5K and activated the illuminator under the muzzle, flashing it at the other spartan until she eventually got his attention. She carefully motioned downwards, instructing the wounded man to take cover. She hefted the M19 launcher and gave the man a "thumbs-up" before disappearing into the ruins.<br/><br/>Valkyrie found her vantage point in short order. She brought the rocket launcher to shoulder as it interfaced with her suit's targeting systems. The magnified image of the weapon's sight was visible in the display as she meticulously sighted in the Wraith. The elite driver and a few grunts were working on several access panels in the sides, with wiring leading up to the open hatch in the top.<br/><br/>Not all precision work was done with a rifle. A six-hundred meter shot with a 120mm shaped charge flying on a column of fire was something that needed more than patience alone. It took a special sort of dedication to work out the math that the computer could occasionally screw up on and be willing to expose your position the moment you fired. But when it actually happened, it felt surprisingly hands-off. Once you launched the explosive, there was little you could do to affect the decision you just made.<br/><br/>Luckily for Valkyrie, she was usually on target. The rocket landed almost dead center in the Wraith's cabin, exploding in a narrow plume of fire that fried out all the controls and instantly disabled the armored beast. The confused covenant were looking around for an attacker when the second slammed into the ground by their feet, overloading the elite warrior's shield and killing the grunt technicians. The Spartan flipped open the launcher's feed cover and fed another two rounds in as she ran to the nearby stairwell. At roof level, she sighted in one of the two Banshees and acquired a lock. By the time they found a location to bombard with fuel rods, the the rocket had lifted into the air and torn the lead fighter into molten metal.<br/><br/>Valkyrie eyed the green bar marking her shield level as it recharged. As soon as it filled up, she vaulted out the nearby window and slid down the cable rigged on it's edge, sliding down the front of the building in a few seconds. Common sense said to rescue the wounded as soon as possible, but she also needed to take the covenant's attention away from his hiding spot.<br/><br/>Valkyrie hit the arming stud on a grenade and hurled it into the air. The grenade exploded a foot from an elite's face, ripping off its head as it was driven into the ground. The confused grunts and jackals under its command responded with a flurry of needles and plasma fire that left her cover a slagged mess. But the spartan had already relocated, and accurate bursts of 7.62mm fire were raking into the unarmored covenant soldiers with gruesome effects.<br/><br/>For half an hour, she crept through the wreckage littering the bridge, taking out small groups of covenant with bursts of rifle fire and grenades. Eventually, the last covenant warrior was left to ferment in their blue blood. Valkyrie dropped her field pack by the bus and started to load her pouches with fresh magazines, casually waving over the other spartan.<br/>