Chapter One:Lost of Contact
Shonala 'Todomee looked at her older brother with the sparkle of envy and excitement in her eyes. She was happy to assist him on this mission.
"You stay here, Chika." O'rk 'Todomee, her older brother said. She nodded, "Right. I'll follow when our reinforcements arrive." He smiled and nodded then stood up. His expression changed to serious. "Alright, Move Out!" He said, his powerful, deep, voice booming throughout the whole corridor. The whole Sangheili squadron respectfully answered back by roaring their battle cry. The clip-clop of the hoofs of the squad echoed down the hallway as they headed down the hallway through the blast doors into the next room to the lower level. After they left, Shonala cupped her hand around her mouth "Tatap?" She called out. She got quiet as she waited for a response. "Yes Mistress?" The small squeaky voice replied, following the appearance of a small, black, Unggoy with purplish red eyes. "Tatap remember don't call me Mistress." She said, as the little pig-like alien waddled over to her position. "Sorry." He replied plopping on to a broken container that looked as if it had once contained methane. "It's fine." She said, seating herself on a large supply case. Silence over took the two as they gazed around absorbing the beautiful room that the forerunners spent precious time building. The blast doors were silvery-gray with ancient writings that only those who studied them could understand. Above the blast door there was an odd pentagonal shaped entrance that was very high up. These entrances are used by the guardians of this building, called Sentinels. She had heard stories about the sentinels guarding forerunner artifacts. Before Shonala could study more of the room an unknown voice came over the radio system. The voice sounded disoriented but you could still understand parts of it.
"Chi...ka..." One of the voices said. Shonala's eyes grew wide as she figured out whose voice that was.
"O'rk!?"
"Chi...ka....runnnnn...."
"O'rk! O'rk, Big Brother, what's wrong!" She frantically yelled. She was starting to scare her little Grunt partner as he soon started to understand what was going on. Before she could yell her older brother's name again, Noga 'Putumee and the reinforcements showed up.
"Problem Little One?" He asked. Looking at the distressed female
"H-He called my name." She stuttered. "On the radio."
Shonala held the radio to the superior's ear. 'Putumee squinted and concentrated on the raspy voice.
"Runnnnnnnn......."
'Putumee jumped back shocked at what the voice said and sounded like. Then he looked back at the little female and said, "That's his voice, No doubt." The squad that he brought along with him looked as if they were asking 'what next, commander?'
Shonala interrupted him before he had a chance to speak, "It's my brother and we have to go get him!" She spoke up as she removed the plasma rifle from her hip and tightly gripped it in her hand.
Shonala and the squadron lead by Noga quickly entered the bottom level into the room that the last transmission from O'rk was.
"Parasite!" Noga yelled firing his Covenant Carbine at the combat form.
"O'rk?" Shonala called out, scanning the room for her older brother. She felt discouraged when she could not locate him.
"Ch...i...ka" The disoriented voice that she head on the radio spoke. She turned around to see what had called her. In her line of vision was a sickly creature. The chest was split down the middle where the tentacles of the creature were. "Chi....ka.... I told you to runnnnnnnn........." The head of what used to be her brother's bobbed up and down as the antennas twitched. The head was in an unnatural place on the monster's back. The feet of the thing was busting out of what was the left of the hoofs. Regardless of how much fear she felt, she stepped forward to what used to be her brother.
"You're my brother, I'm not leaving you"
"You are so brave, Ch......"His complement was interrupted by a sickly scream that crushed Shonala's heart to hear. Then the creature's voice came in. It was mixed with O'rk's voice.
"I will devour your flesh!" The monster roared, its whip-like hands pointed at her.
"Princess!?" Noga realized that the female elite was against the combat parasite form of her older brother.
One of the other elites, Zuka 'Zamamee, jumped into the way and grabbed the little female elite. 'Zamamee looked into the little princess' eyes. In her eyes he saw something that he would never have thought to find, better yet in someone as young as Nala. He saw love. He had fallen in love with the little Sangheili dancer. He wanted to help his Commander but seemed to be mesmerized by her eyes.
"Brother?" squeaked the female. Understanding what she meant, 'Zamamee got off of her and helped her up. He also picked up her Plasma Rifle checked the battery on it and gave it back to her. She smiled at the black armored Sangheili.
"'Todomee!" A deep voice yelled. Shonala snapped her head around to see who was calling her. Turns out the voice wasn't calling her it was her big brother. "I do not wish to fight you brother!" Noga 'Putumee yelled at the parasite form that once was O'rk 'Todomee.
"O'rk!" Nala yelled, running to the white armored Elite's position. She stood in the way just as 'Putumee was about to be hit. The combat form stopped midswing, just as the whips were a few centimeters from her face. It stood there staring at the sun-kissed, golden-eyed female as she lowered her arms.
"Ch....i.......kaaaaaaa.......?"
The female Sangheili nodded. Fear crept inside her, she wanted to burst out into tears but she didn't. Sadness and fear was not the emotions she could handle at this moment.
"He isn't himself anymore."
"I know."
"Then why do you try in vain?"
"He's my brother and this..."
She was cut off by 'Putumee coming from behind her, activating his energy sword and roaring the battle cry.
"So be it!" He took one chance and forced the energy sword through the combat parasite form's body. The creature roared in pain as the sickly yellowish green colored blood escaped from the hole in the parasite's torso. As the body fell, Shonala caught a glimpse of the golden eyes of her brother. The same ones she had. After this was done and all the other parasites in the room were killed, the other Sangheili gathered around O'rk's infected dead body. Two Elites, Sesar 'Trasutee and Zuka 'Zamamee, stood on the opposite sides of Shonala giving her the comfort she needed. Shonala just stood and stared at the thing that once was her brother. The Commander cleared his throat and as if the whole squad could read his mind. As if their voice was one, they began to recite the Sangheili Death Benediction:
"May the great journey await you, may your enemies writhe in hell
And your line continue forward and gain honor.
May your scattered body go, beyond the limits of your mind.
Beyond the limits of our worlds.
To the places our ancestors dream and sang of,
And the prophets speak of"