Chapter Two: Rise up
Planet Limisha Tango
Jiralhanae Cheiftain Kriktus gripped his gravity hammer tighter as he approached the control room. Seven other members of his tribe trotted beside him through the sand towards the command building. They're heavy footsteps pushed the sand out and to the side under their massive form. They're breathing was heavy and becoming quicker everytime their adreneline pumped throughout their bodies. Kirktus snarled slightly as he saw several Banshees fly over the base and twist off towards the ship yard facilities on this planet. He could barely make out what species the pilots were as they sped off into the distance. Each purple fighter was flown by a Sangheili warrior in red armor.
Kirktus adjusted his tribal helmet armor slightly then continued up the small sand dune and towards the purple building sticking out of the sand. Kirktus was nine feet tall and was the largest of his entire tribe, which wasn't surprising since he was the cheiftain. His thick hide was coarse with age and he had several scars which ran up and down his body from his years of being a cheiftain. He wore large thick gold armor over his hairy body. The protective gold armor was heavy and made of several advanced peices of technology. The cheiftain before him had worn the suit just as the one before him had aswell. It was passed from each cheiftain to the next as he was replaced by his successor.
Beside him walked seven of his packs warriors, each had on their own versons of powered armor. The ablative armor on each of the warriors was clinking and glinting brightly in the yellow sunlight. They approached the front entrance of the building and the light changed to a green then swooshed open as the large warriors ducked inside the building. They walked down a long glowing purple hallway and towards the control room where the Sangheili base master was. Kirktus stopped several feet away from the door and looked to the two warriors to his left and right. They both stepped forward and loaded their spikers. Kirktus growled and the two Jiralhanae walked forward causing the door to swoosh open.
Sika' Swashim stepped back as the door to the control room swooshed open and revealed eight Jiralhanae dressed in full armor that Sika' had never seen before. It was black and seemed to cover their bodies with black metal plates. Sika' only had a moment to gaze in wonder at the Jiralhanae before the first two large black armor clad warriors unleashed a volly of deadly spikes through the air at the closest Sangheili in blue armor. His armor's shield flared and glowed a bright yellow color as several of the large spikes slammed into the shield and disintigrated. The shield collapsed and the spikes tore through the hard blue armor of the Sangheili. Purple blood splattered out of the holes the large spikes made as they tore out of his back and stuck into the floor.
Two of the red armored Sangheili opened fire on the two Jiralhanae as they began to spray the room with spikes in a back and forth motion. Consoles and holographic monitors took hits and exploded throwing sparks and debris around the room. The black armor of the Jiralhanae sparked and bounced as it took the hits from the two Sangheili plasma pistols. Several more plasma blasts rang out and slammed into the armor of one of the Jiralhanae. It howled as the plasma burnt through and scorched its way inside the massive body of the creature. The black armored creature fell with a loud crash and another Jiralhanae ran in to take its place.
One of the red Sangheili took several spikes and they passed easily through his large body and stuck into the wall behind him. They glowed and glinted with purple blood from the Sangheili who clattered to the floor. The second Sangheili straffed to the side and dodged several bursts of spikes which lodged themselves into the wall behind him. It fired another shot which burnt into the huge armored creature it was closest to. The nine foot warrror didn't utter a sound as it turned and tracked the red armored Sangheili with its spiker.
Sika' ran forward as the creature turned exposing its back to him. He gripped his energy sword tighter and slammed it into the side of the black lumbering warrior. It easily drove through and cut the leathery hide of the creature open spilling its blue and red mixed blood onto the floor. Sika' pulled the blade up and tore up the Jiralhanaes thick muscular body, it gave a howl of pain as several critical organs sliced in half and spilled out and onto the floor. Sika' pulled the energy sword out and let the large Jiralhanae fall to its knees. He spun and gave the sword a swing cutting its armored head clean off and throwing it down to the floor. Its large black armored body crashed to the floor spilling out more blood.
Sika' felt his shields flare as three spikes slammed into his back, he felt the intense pressure as it pressed down on the shield. Sika' dived to the side and saw one of the several other red armored Sangheili get cut down by several spikes. His head was lodged with five spikes and his jaws fell off his body falling with a splat to the floor. Sika' landed on the floor and quickly rolled over to see the second Jiralhanae bring his bladed spiker down towards him. The metal sparked and made a loud clang as the two weapons met. The hairy creature swung back up and started to bring its bladed weapon down again for another stike on the sword. Sika' swung quickly and sliced the large thick legs of the Jiralhanae with his sword. They cut apart the thick flesh and bone, it was then replaced by bloody torn flesh and splintered bones. It tumbled backward screaming in agony, it thrashed wildly until it was silenced by a charged up shot from a plasma pistol.
Sika' pulled himself to his feet as sparks exploded outward from a console causing a red armored Sangheilis sheilds to flare. He got up to see three more Jiralhanae ran into the room, the one in the lead was the packs cheiftain with his large gravity hammer. It was wearing golden armor which made it stand out against its subordinates. It glinted brightly against the artificial lights of the control room, several darkened scorch marks and large metal slices were visible from past battles.
The cheiftain swung down with his hammer and one of the three surviving red armored Sangheili was hit. His shields collapsed and the large hammer smashed down on its red armored head. Purple blood splattered and metal armor splintered off of it in several directions as the elites head was crushed. Its brain was decimated and reduced to mush as the hammer crushed his skull inward. The Sangheili fell to the floor with a squishing sound and purple blood began to pool out around it.
Sika' waited for his moment to strike, the cheiftain moved forward and took another swing at a Sangheili. It dodged the swing and the hammer slammed into a console causing debris to shatter up and into the air. The Sangheili dived backwards and fired its plasma pistol continously sending several super heated plasma energy blasts into the cheiftains armor. It lunged forward and swung down again. This time the hammer landed flat into the stomach of the Sangheili, it squeeled in pain as its inards were ejected out of large tears in the sides of its body. Purple blood and organs splattered across the floor.
A golden blur zoomed past Sika' and he watched as the base master ran forward. Zuki' had his own enrgy sword charged and drove it into the cheiftains spine. The nine foot tall creature wailed as Zuki' twisted it and tore it out of the side of the chieftain. Its red and blue blood splashed out and to the floor from the chieftains torn in half body.
The large golden armored creature slammed to the floor, Zuki' didn't wait for the creature to fall before moving on to the next Jiralhanae. He crouched low as he sprinted towards the two other Jiralhanae who had taken up postion behind his pack. Spikes smashed into his shield and deflected off at random angles, they slammed into the walls around the room. Zuki' sprinted forward and brought his sword up and stabbed it through his lower grey skinned jaw. The blade errupted out of the top of his head spraying blood out, it splattered down his face. The Jiralhanae's eyes rolled back into its head and it collapsed under its own weight.
Zuki' pulled the sword out and began to swing it around towards the other Jiralhanae. His shields flared bright yellow as more spikes slammed into it. Just as the energy sword was about to hit the Jiralhanae, it side stepped the blades up and down motion and moved around to Zuki's left side. Zuki' was taken by surprise at the large creatures agility, it smashed its spikers large sharp blades down on Zuki's personal shield. It flared and Zuki' quickly recovered and moved away from the Jiralhanae. He began to move away when the Jiralhanae pointed his spiker and fired it point blank into Zuki's chest. A huge barrage of spikes slammed into his golden armor and splintered it open exposing his ribs and internal organs. Purple blood flowed out and over the wounds as he tumbled backward landing with a roll on the floor.
Sika' howled with anger and ran forward swinging his energy sword. He sliced the Jiralhanae's right arm off and the spiker in its hand skittered across the ground. Sika' brought the blade in another sweeping motion and sliced it across his chest. His armor fell apart and clattered to the blood slicked floor. The Jiralhanae let out a gasp of surprise and fell to the ground.
Sika' turned looking at the door once again, the last two Jiralhanae stood just outside watching as their brethern were struck down by the last three living Sangheili. Sika' could feel his chest heaving as he took in large breaths of air, his hearts beated quickly inside his chest. He could feel his anger building up again towards the Jiralhanae, they both looked at each other, then back to the enraged Sangheili. They both slowly moved forward and began to fire their large spikers towards Sika'.
The spikes slammed into the ground and into Sika's shield. He dived to the side and grabbed a spiker from one of the splayed open Jiralhanae. He gripped the weapon tightly and took aim at the Jiralhanae on the left side of the doorway. He let the spiker blast to life and spikes slammed into its armor. The spikes dug in and stabbed into the chest of the Jiralhanae, its blood flowed out of the wounds and down its black armor. The Jiralhanae screamed in pain and fell with more then two dozen spikes shoved deep inside of its chest and died.
Sika' moved his aim to the other large black armored creature. He was taking aim at the creatures chest when two charged up glowing balls of plasma slammed into the Jiralhanae's chest. It clutched the wounds as the green heated plasma melted inside of its body. The armor sizzled and popped as the metal melted away and dipped down his body. It fell and began to convulse on the ground as red and blue blood leaked out around the shaking body. Sika' got to his feet then walked over and quickly sliced at the shaking Jiralhanaes throat, it split open and the creature stopped moving as its blood drained from its body.
The sounds of two growls from behind Sika' made him turn and smile at his surviving brothers. We survived, thought Sika' slightly surprised. It was common knowledge that a Jiralhanae was far stronger then a Sangheili in one on one fights, but it was also known that Sangheili were far more intelligent then Jiralhanae. Sika' gazed at the two surviving warriors, one in red armor was clutching his plasma rifle and gazing at Sika' waiting for further orders. The other was injured and wore the standard armor of an inexpeirenced new recruit. His blue armor was split open and a large silver spike was drove through his left shoulder, purple blood leaked out and around the wound.
Sika' gazed at the floor and saw the bodies of his fallen brothers, they were splayed and rittled with large spikes that stuck out of their bodies at random angles. Their was also several large puddles of bright purple blood on the floor around them. Sika' quickly moved to the fatally wounded base master who layed in a pool of his own blood. Sika' knelt down and rolled the commander over so his face was towards the ceiling. He gazed at the commanders eyes and they blinked slightly, but the blinking was laboured and obviously painful.
"Sika'...," said Zuki' quietly. His purple blood was smeared onto a portion of his face, "you must leave before more Jiralha...," Zuki' trailed off and went limp as Sika' knelt beside him. Sika' looked down at the seventeen spikes drove into his friends chest, the blood was thick in the air and Sika' almost gagged at seeing his close friend die.
"Sir," said the red armored Sangheili walking up to him. "We must leave. The Jiralhanae will start killing the rest of our bothers soon, we must try to save as many as we can before its too late."
Sika' looked up at the younger warrior, his face was serious and focused. It was strange to see someone so young being as focused as his face looked. Sika' stood up and looked at the slighty smaller warrior, he was only a few inches shorter then Sika'. "We will mourn our brothers later. For now, we will defend our honor and save as many of our brethern as we can," said Sika' saying it loud enough to convince himself.
The building shook as the sounds of explosions tore through the air. The sounds of weapons fire and screaming could be heard from outside the purple walls. Sika' frowned and began to jog to the exit of the building.