Sup guys, Lighting Wolf here, back without another story, this one about Halo. Enjoy the 1400-word chapter. I don't own Halo, Microsoft and 343 do.
(2531 October 14, CPV class Heavy Destroyer Tenacious Transgression, Planet Actium, 2 weeks after first Battle of Harvest.)
Shipmaster Dire 'Kogramee had long since decided that while his ship was a magnificent vessel, he had come to hate his duty, his ship was only given to home because the Hierarchs had decided that he and his crew would use it until their names were restored to the rolls of Honor.
CPV class heavy destroyers were rarely given to a commander unless the crew of said warship had done something of grave dishonor.
"Perhaps the Hierarchs wish to dispose of us by sending us alone into hostile territory and expect us to fight to the end…. I probably shouldn't expect much more from us…."
Dire muttered under his breath, he knew most of Transgression's bridge crew by name if not for their crimes against the Covenant leadership, he himself had been given the ship after a failed engagement that had caused the Shipmaster to retreat to avoid failing his mission.
"Shipmaster, several… 5 enemy contacts… A few are destroyer sized…. And perhaps… Yes, multiple smaller contacts… The humans are evacuating… Dropships are on screen."
One of the 3 Sangheili manning the bridge controls answered as a hologram on the main screen showed 3 UNSC frigates and 2 corvette sized warships and over a dozen dropships
"We have caught them in the middle of an evacuation… Navigation, are the humans preparing to retreat?"
Dire asked from his command seat as Transgression continued towards the planet as the Sangheili at the sensor station turned to Dire and shook his head.
"They appear surprised by our entry into the system, Shipmaster… Those Human warships are starting to retreat, shall I target them and destroy them with the plasma torpedoes?"
The Sangheili at the weapon station: Rtutan 'Vrazumee asked as Dire held up his hand, he was dishonored, not an honor less fool as he turned to the trio of his fellow Sangheili.
"The humans in the dropships cannot fight, Rtutan… Slaughtering them now brings no honor…. Target the corvettes… They are preparing something… Bring us twenty thousand feet closer and prepare Plasma Torpedoes."
Dire ordered as he leaned back in his chair, he was not old, but his skills as a former Supreme Commander still shone through, he had seen the Humans fight like animals when their backs were to the wall.
He was proven right when the navigation officer: Lekan 'Koganee announced that the Human ships were charging power in their bridge sections.
Dire had known what was happening, he had seen it before right before the ships launched their primary weapons, 1 the Transgression could take, 2 would drops it shields and inflict minor damage… 5 would punch through the Nanolaminate Hull like glass, and damage the Pinch Fusion reactor, destroying the Transgression.
"Evasive maneuvers, stay out of their nose's range…. Rtutan, are their any Human fighters joining the battle?"
Dire asked as the First Gladius class Corvette fired its Mac cannon as the Transgression returned fire in the form of two Plasma Torpedoes as the Mac Cannon knocked out the CPV Class Heavy Destroyer's shields but did no further damage.
"Human Fighters…. Launched from a base on the surface…. Launching Seraphs to intercept."
Lekan reported as the torpedoes ripped through a Corvette as the Pelicans, half of which hadn't expected to see a Covenant warship, turned and sped towards the planet.
"Target the other 2 Corvettes… Get us out of the range of the Destroyers, they can destroy the ship without shields… Ready the plasma cannons and fire on the destroyers… Have the torpedo silos target the Corvettes… Burn the heretics…. Full barrage…"
Dire growled as the 2 waves of Longsword fighters raced towards the ship as 8 Seraph fighters were launched by Transgression in response as the destroyer launched a volley of plasma fire at the destroyers, shearing one in half and damaging the engines on the other.
Dire watched the 2 defeated destroyers plummet as the 2 other Gladius class Corvettes fired their MAC cannons, one missed the destroyer and the other only glanced over the top of the hull as the destroyer dodged.
"Minor hull damage… Huragoks are going to repair the ship now…. 6 Human fighters down, 2 Seraphs destroyed."
Lekan reported from his station as Dire nodded, the shields would not be able to recover as long as human forces were still around, the pulse lasers flared as Longswords were burned, the corvettes closed in as 2 more Plasma Torpedoes were launched and raced towards the Human ships.
"Burn them, end this, brothers…. We are here to do holy work… the Heretics are in the way…"
Dire muttered, not believing the words he spoke deep down.
He watched the remaining Longswords get trapped between the Transgression's pulse lasers and the Seraphs as the two other Corvettes tried in vain to dodge as the torpedoes sliced them in 2, sending both crashing towards the planet.
The fourth and final Sangheili on the bridge: Communications officer Buto 'Voham turned from his station to look at Dire.
"Shipmaster the Hierarchs call us to an operating base on the human Planet of Harvest, what shall I tell them?"
Buto asked as Dire turned to the main view screen and then back to the rest of the bridge crew.
"Spin up main projector and target the human's military base…. Destroy it… Rtutan, destroy their base… Buto, tell the Hierarchs we will be headed to Reach in 10 standard minutes… They do not usually send for us…."
Dire ordered, musing the rest of the order as he watched the Transgression fire its main energy projector at the human base, tearing through the buildings and leaving nothing but ash and glass as Tenacious Transgression vanished into Slipspace.
(Harvest, 2 hours later.)
Harvest was the last place Dire wished to be, while the Sangheili was no stranger to battle, he had no doubts the Humans would bring greater forces to the planet soon.
Not that the Humans concerned him as the CPV class Heavy destroyer arrived over the Covenant Citadel the Prophet of Mercy had been using as Dire rode the Transgression's gravity lift down to the base as he was followed by the rest of the bridge crew.
Dire walked ahead of his men, the Sangheili at the door scowled at the former Supreme Commander, even as they did the necessary tests to gain entrance to the base.
"Do you believe our names will finally be rested to the Rolls of Honor, Shipmaster? We have been fighting Insurgent, Heretics, and pirates for 3 months, surely the destruction of an entire Human fleet is enough to…."
Buto asked as Dire did not spare the Sangheili minor a glance, his golden Zealot armor shone in the artificial lighting.
"No, Buto, I do not… The Hierarchs themselves have banished us from the rolls of Honor… It would take a feat as strong as the Great Journey to get them to transfer us from Tenacious Transgression to a ship worthy of Sangheili… For now, we continue their work…"
Dire stated, he hated serving someone who had never experienced combat, he still had several plans in the back of his mind, he did not wish to execute his plans with Tenacious Transgression, the destroyer was a good ship, but his position and his resources were not suitable for his plan.
"At best, we will retrieve a SDV-Heavy Corvette…. But it would be a step up from our current vessel… That is, if the blasted Hierarchs…"
Lekan stated as the Sangheili Ultra held his tongue as Dire and the rest of the Tenacious Transgression's bridge crew looked at him.
Dire simply sighed and motioned for the rest of his comrades to follow him.
"Come… We have a meeting with the Hierarch… Being late isn't in our best interest…. Torn from the Rolls of Honor or not…"
Dire started to say as the other Sangheili rushed ahead of him as he sighed.
Author Notes
Phew, first chapter done! Yes, I know that I have a few stories with similar concepts but this story will be different. Next chapter I do not know when will come out but I know this story will show why Dire and his crew betrayed the Covenant. Until next Chapter, Lighting Wolf out!