Name: Etch 'Amouree
Date: June 25th, 2527
Location: 23 Librae system, Madrigal
Species: Sangheili
War, war never changes, but the people who fight the war just may. This is the story of one of those people.
"When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath," started the commander, Onin 'Tnaaree.
"According to our stations, all without exception." The elites aboard the phantom spoke automatically, almost robotically, reciting the oath from memory.
"On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons, we swore to uphold the Covenant."
"Even to our dying breath."
"Those who break this oath are heretics, worthy of neither pity, nor mercy. For these beings do not recognize the path, and they wish to extinguish our light."
"We shall grind them into dust."
"And continue our march to glorious salvation!"
"You may be the first woman to serve in the Covenant, but you are below me. Remember that you take orders from me," Onin said boldly.
"Noted," was my simple reply. I guess it wasn't good enough, as he replied with a grumpy huff. Either way, I just want to get off this crowded phantom. I expected something better than this, being the only female in the whole Covenant.
We then began our descent to this new world. The humans called this place, "Madrigal," but to us Sangheili, or Elites, It was "Damos 23."
When we landed, we were inside a Covenant outpost, mainly consisting of energy barricades, fusion coils, bustling Kig-Yar, Skirmishers, and Unggoy. The dismay was only worsened by the Jiralhanae tossing them to the side, rushing to the mess hall to get the choice cut of the meat. Useless animals. I then went and helped some of the victims up, gathering their cargo for them. Just because I was above them, didn't mean I had to treat them as badly as the Brutes.
We were soon going to attack a human bunker located 28 units south, or 52 kilometers in human terms. Since the mess hall was busy with Brutes, I decided to go to the target range that was set up.
When I arrived, I grabbed a carbine and started shooting some of the human target cut-outs. I was about halfway through my clip when a young fellow, about my age which was 23 in Sangheili years, grabbed a plasma rifle and started shooting it. By the time he thought he had shot enough, which was when I ran out of ammo, we called our targets back to us. Both were scorched and riddled with plasma holes.
"Better work on your aim," I commented.
"Try not using the scope next time," he shot back.
"Alright, you've pleased this lady," I suddenly said. He gave a surprised look on his face, but I didn't blame him. "My name is Etch "Amouree," I continued, "First female to serve in the Covenant."
His look then changed from surprised to worried. He had just insulted a female! "Chin 'Irfotee," he replied. He was being very cautious not to displease me, I was technically his superior. Maybe not in rank, but in Sangheili culture. On Sanghelios, men were considered below women.
"Don't worry about it," I said. Women, no matter who they were, could always read men. He was slightly surprised of how well I read his face. "We've got super powers, we can read faces," I joked. He brightened up a little bit, and we began chatting, critiquing another's technique.
"Attention! All Special Operations personnel prepare for immediate assault on the human bunker!"
I said my farewell and he gave me good luck for my mission. I don't believe in luck, I believe in skill. I guess it was something he picked up from humans saying it to each other before we lead them to death.
I then left the range, heading for my quarters. I recieved my own personal quarters, being the only female. We may have communal showers, but sometimes people just prefer privacy. In my room, there was a plain bed, a simple chair, and table. On the bed sat my personal belongings, and on the table lay my green Spec Ops armor. I then donned my armor, and ran a systems check.
"Heads Up Display: Online," the computer whirred as my H.U.D. flashed in my face.
"Shields: Online," it said as my shields made that signature vhirrrrr sound of them charging, as I was greeted by their arrival with a yellow glow.
"Cloaking: Online. System check completed. Connecting to Covenant battle network… Secure connection created. Receiving orders now… Please proceed to the armory. Special Operations Commander Onin 'Tnaaree will instruct you from there."
When I arrived at the armory, it was almost empty, except for the few Unggoy scrambling for plasma pistols and needlers. I then walked over to the weapons rack labeled Sangheili. I picked up a carbine, four plasma grenades, and two plasma rifles to dual wield.
I then met up with my squad of Spec Op Minors. The team I was assigned to was the best of the Spec Ops. We were known for taking down heretics, whole bases, and on occasion, a demon. Today, we were doing something very simple: Reconnaissance. We are supposed to scout out the bunker, possibly disable some of their defences, and report back to the outpost.
We left to launch pad zero-three, a makeshift hangar, where we all boarded a phantom to be dropped nearby. We then landed in a forest about 3 units away. From our landing point, we continued on foot, activating our camouflage when the building came into sight. From there, we all separated to scout different areas.
Their bunker was not a very ornate building. It looked like a cut stone jutting out a field for about 1 meter and a half. The local fauna was cut back, allowing defenders to see oncoming attackers. There were also spots cut out of this wall for defenders to shoot at attackers. A grenade or two should be sufficient for clearing them out of their little cubby hole. I then sneaked in through a gap in the defenders at the hole. It seemed that was the only way in without making too much noise. There was hatch on the top, probably for letting heavy equipment in, but that would be too obvious.
Once inside, I then proceeded down the halls, and snuck into an elevator headed down to the lower levels. "Did you hear something?" one of the marines said.
Shoot! My cover may be blown. Let's hope not… Trust the camo.
"Nope. Must be the roar of that tinnitus of yours. You've been firing to much without earplugs. Can you hear me in there!?" mocked the other.
"Oh shut it, at least I didn't need my ass saved from a Grunt!"
"Hey, I had that situation completely under control."
"Says the guy who almost ended up being stuck."
"Not my fault he wanted to kamikaze! I would have been fine without you getting in the way."
"Sure… Sure…"
Once we arrived, I pressed the button to go to one of the lower floors. I could tell because it was low on the panel, but what puzzled me was that it was marked with the letter R. Maybe it's there recon station? Ooh! I could learn all about human reconnaissance! But why would they put it so low? It's only re… I was stopped mid thought as the doors opened. There, I faced a human woman in plain clothing. Why is she not in uniform? Maybe she is on break. I knew that the humans sometimes admit females into their military. I walked out of the elevator and say more women. Why are there so many? The more I looked, the more I found out. The R wasn't for reconnaissance, it was for residential!