'Vusan Keep, Sangheili colony world of Kurotta - 2552
The Jiralhanae fell to the floor with a thick, wet 'thud'. A slender female Sangheili stepped over its body, plunging a curveblade into its skull. Saia's mandibles twitched in satisfaction as a pool of burgundy blood slowly spread out onto the stone floor of the cooking room.
A hand gripped her arm, firmly pulling her up from the Brute's corpse. Utem, a male of the clan that maintained tradition among the people, looked incredulously from the body on the floor to the blade in her hand.
"What have you done?" He demanded. "You know full well that it is forbidden for a female to wield a blade!"
"As it is forbidden to strike the favored of the Prophets, and yet I have done so." Saia wiped the Brute's blood from her blade on its mangy brown fur. "And look; no wrath, no vengeance." She looked up to him, emboldened by the realization of recent events. "The Covenant has broken. The Hierarchs are dead."
"How do you know this?"
"A message was received, sent from Shadow of Intent to all Sangheili colonies and keeps. An Arbiter returns to us, to lead our people from under the haughty feet of the San'Shyuum. The Hierarchs put in motion an uprising of the Jiralhanae, disposing our people as protectors and slaying the Council."
Utem's gaze fell back to the dead Brute on the floor as he pondered what this meant for them. "By the gods…"
"There are no gods." Saia blinked, finding the words hard to believe, even as she said them. "This Arbiter, he… spoke with an oracle; he learned the truth of the Sacred Rings." She looked to Utem, her jaw firm and a stone in her gut. "The Forerunners are long dead. The Sac—" she corrected herself, "the rings are a weapon, one that destroys all life. The Prophets are mad."
Utem's mouth moved silently, trying to find the words to refute this truth. He could not. Their revelation was cut short as the sounds of battle rose from the courtyard. Steel curveblades were met by plasma fire, and the occasional explosion of Jiralhanae grenade launchers.
Saia and Utem dove to the floor as one of those grenades hit the window, obliterating the wall around it. Debris scattered across the room, harmlessly pelting the two Sangheili as they took cover.
Utem looked around when the debris settled, a fine dust obscuring his sight. Saia grunted in disgust, shoving the Brute corpse away as she clambered to her feet.
"Something is wrong," he said, "the fighting has stopped too suddenly."
"Perhaps they are all dead."
"'Vusan Keep is one-hundred Sangheili strong, and only half that number are Jiralhanae overseers!" Utem said, trying to convince himself. "They cannot overcome us all."
Saia crossed the room, stepping carefully around loose stones and sharp bits of mortar. Her hand reached out to grasp the edge of the hole. The courtyard was a slaughter pen. Thirty Sangheili lay on the ground in pools of their own blood, dotted here and there with Jiralhanae – all with cuts and plasma scorching over their massive hides.
What Sangheili remained standing looked to the sky, where a CPV-class destroyer dropped into high orbit just above the planet's atmosphere. A booming voice – oddly, a Sangheili's - came from all devices capable of transmitting. "Beasts and Heretics below: know that your deaths spur forward the glory of the Truth, as the final death throes of the false Covenant." With that, the ship's energy projector began to glow as plasma was prepared for assault.
"We need to leave, quickly." Saia growled as she pushed away from the wall. She grabbed Utem's arm, attempting to pull him with her.
The male tore his arm from her grasp, objection flashing in his eyes for an instant. "And go where? You are no warrior – I am no warrior. And as a female you are forbidden use of our ships."
"Those customs no longer mean anything!" Saia bit back. "If we do not leave now, we are dead. You heard the declaration of whoever commands that destroyer."
A muffled explosion sounded in the distance—plasma slamming to the ground as the destroyer began its assault. Saia's attention snapped to the sound, and she realized there wasn't much time left at all. Utem realized the same, and did not object this time when Saia grabbed him by the arm, pulling him urgently as she ran towards the Keep's shipyard.
The outer fields burned as the beam of plasma drew closer, the crops sending thick black smoke into the sky. Stones shook loose from the walls and ceiling of the keep, forcing the fleeing Sangheili to dodge them while also watching their footing.
Only twenty yards to go – the docked Phantoms were within sight. Saia sprinted through the doorway of the keep and a wave of hot air stopped her in her tracks momentarily. She could not stop, though, she needed to keep running.
A thunderous boom urged her forward as well; the Keep collapsed as its stones were shattered and melted. She leapt to cover the final distance, tumbling into the open crew deck of a Phantom. Quickly clambering to her feet, Saia lunged towards the cockpit door; she heard Utem fall to the crew deck – good, he was still alive.
The controls were barely familiar to her. A jumble of geometric hologram controls, some of which clearly indicated direction. Thankfully, many were labeled in standard Sangheili. She slammed her hand onto the control for ignition, and thanked whatever gods might be looking over them when the impulse drives hummed to life.
"Hang on back there!" She shouted, before moving her hand to the directional control away from the Keep. The Phantom rose rapidly into the air as the deck doors sealed, pulling away from the oncoming plasma bombardment. She stabilized the dropship, leaving the wreckage behind as 'Vusan Keep was obliterated.
Setting the ship to autopilot – plotted to Kelsam, the nearest ally state – Saia left the cockpit. Utem sat propped against the troop deck door. His skin was raw and blistered, burnt from their proximity to the plasma bombardment.
He reached out feebly. "You… are brave." Utem coughed, blood flecking his mandibles. Saia knelt next to him. "You are the last of the 'Vusan. You must fight for the injustice done here." He coughed again, grasping Saia's arm. "Perhaps you have a warrior's heart… after all."
With that, Utem 'Vusan grew still, and coughed no more.
Saia rose from the corpse, his bloody handprint on her arm. She returned to the cockpit, pushing the engines further to leave her past behind.