Alpha Halo, 0120 hours, 9/19/2552

"Yadam!"

The Unggoy jerks himself awake from his curled slumber, greeted once again by his friend, Filim.

"Is this going to be a regular occurrence?"

Filim places his hands on his hips.

"It wouldn't be if you weren't so lazy."

Yadam raises an eyebrow, uncurling himself from his sleep and rising to his feet.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm lazy? I seem to recall you being late for training 5 times."

Filim lowers his brows, crossing his arms at the chest.

"I was sick that week."

Yadam crosses his arms as well.

"Before or after you stole a camouflage module and used it to sleep without being caught? Sometimes I wonder how you got promoted at all. Anyway, why did you wake me?"

Filim turns around to open the sliding doors of the Hall.

"'Hekumee has requested our presence. Best not to keep him waiting."

The Unggoy step out of the hall, greeted by the warm sunlight and ambiance of the camp. Within the camp rests buildings of all kinds; A garage for housing vehicles, a Hall for housing troops, a warehouse for supplies, and a summit for aircraft. All nestled comfortably behind a perimeter defense consisting of Shade guns, lookout towers and barriers. Yadam and Filim stroll across the grassy plains to find their commanding officer, when Yadam's eye catches the open door of a Hall. Inside, Grace was working on a small device, about the size of a mobile phone. The Huragok tinkered away with the device, effortlessly placing each individual piece in it's proper place. Yadam stopped in his tracks, staring as the creature moves it's worm-like tentacles in a slow and careful manner.

"Yadam! Let's go!"

Yadam picks up his pace, catching up to Filim. The Unggoy spot Hekumee resting under a lookout tower.

"You requested us, your excellency?"

Hekumee looks back at his Unggoy.

"The Major has requested all hands to attention. Says he has an update on the space battle going on overhead."

Two more Unggoy sprint towards Hekumee, one wearing the standard Minor armor and the other wearing the Heavy armor set, sporting a cylindrical tank and full face mask. Catching their breath between deep gasps and wheezes, the Unggoy manage to squeal out.

"Reporting for duty, your excellency!"

Yadam and Filim look in confusion.

"Yadam, Filim, this is Lyleh and Dimil, replacements for the last two."

The Unggoy finish their wheezing, standing to attention at their new commander. Speaking for her counterpart, Lyleh salutes her superior.

"We will do our best, sir!"

Hekumee chuckles to his new blood.

"Lyleh is a gifted technician. She spent many years aboard missionary ships with the Huragok, familiarizing herself with our ship's technology. Some would say she is a Huragok in an Unggoy's body. As for Dimil..."

The Unggoy Heavy merely stares blankly, not saying a word or sound, only the his deep breathing beneath his mask fills the air.

"One of the most...enthusiastic...demolitionists among the Unggoy. I would never leave any stray plasma grenades in his care."

The sound of a gravity lift at work catches the lance's attention. Major Karumee descends the lift of the lookout tower, floating downward in a weightless manner. His boots hitting the ground with a resounding thud.

"Warriors! Rank and file!"

Hearing the call of their commander, the infantry forces of the base immediately drop their tasks and sprint towards the Major. The warriors form their ranks, standing to attention in front of the Major. Clearing his throat, the Major speaks.

"Warriors. The human vessel has given us more grief than we anticipated. Already, we have lost four warships and one, the Truth and Reconciliation, was heavily damaged. However, the boarding teams have managed to sabotage one of their heavy guns, rendering them vulnerable to attack."

The eyes of the troops go wide, staring up into space, slowly tracking something behind the Major.

"Any moment now I predict the boarding teams will reach the vessel's power supply and rig it to detonate."

Hekumee stares with a bewildered gaze, managing to speak through dumbstruck stutters.

"M-Major Karumee!"

Karumee gives an authoritative stare to Hekumee, angered at being interrupted.

"What is it Hekumee!"

Hekumee lays a hand on the Major's shoulder, directing his gaze to the sky behind him. The Major jerks his head backwards, staring with mandibles agape. The Human vessel plummets from space, shrouded in fire, while several specs of light begin darting down to the surface of the ring, all hitting the ground in a hail of up-heaved dirt. As the warship disappears beyond the horizon, all that's left is a trembling boom that shakes the ground with a thundering shock wave. Sarumee and Hekumee stand idle, as if contemplating what they have witnessed. Broken from their bewilderment with a sudden jolt, the comm node beside them emits a familiar voice.

"All units be advised! The Human warship has crash landed upon the ring! Escape pods have been confirmed to be jettisoned! All ground forces, locate the pods and eliminate all survivors!"

Major Karumee turns to his men, shaking his head. The warriors stare back at the Major, awaiting a response.

"You heard the Commander! Form your Lances and report to the Phantoms!"

The Sangheili of the group respond in unison with a passionate gruff, wrangling their troops towards the summit. Hekumee rallies his Unggoy, gesturing for them to follow. The Unggoy waddle alongside their superior as fast as their legs could carry them, nearly getting trampled by the storm of troops. In a desperate attempt to gain speed, Filim begins flailing his arms in the air as he runs.

"Wish! My! Legs! Were! Longer!"

Approaching the Summit, the lance ascends the gravity lift, reaching the top to find the troops already boarding the berthed Phantoms. Hekumee's lance piles onto the nearest Phantom, securing their weapons and equipment. Yadam and Filim get comfortable among their kind as the bay doors of the Phantom close, bathing them in the same luminescent purple light. The Phantom ascends from the summit, rocking the inside of the bay. Filim looks around the inside of the Phantom.

"Where's Grace?"

Yadam responds.

"Probably still in the base. Would be a waste of his skills to send him on a combat mission."

Hekumee takes notice of their query.

"Yes, it would be ridiculous to send a defenseless Huragok on a combat mission. It would be a better use of his skills if he stayed behind."

Yadam responds.

"And the Major is staying behind too?"

Hekumee replies.

"It would be best if he coordinates the ground forces from a safe position."

After several minutes of awkward silence, the Phantom's shaking stabilizes. Filim notices the lone Kig-Yar sniper standing in the corner of the bay, armed with a T-50 Beam Rifle. Filim giggles, thinking himself clever.

"Who's the turkey?"

The Kig-Yar croaks and squawks towards the Unggoy. Deciphered by their universal translators.

"My name is Zym, you gas-sucking tadpoles! I am assigned to be your lance's sniper. Good thing too, I can't imagine what havoc would be wrought if I wasn't here."

Yadam and Filim rear back.

"You have that much faith in your skill?"

Zym stares back.

"My entire career is coated with the blood of over two-hundred human soldiers. The last thing they never saw was my beam frying the mass of jiggly flesh they call a brain. It makes a good meal for the Jiralhanae. So, yes, I would call myself a very valuable asset. Just don't ask me to carry the whole team."

A voice comes through the Phantom's loudspeakers.

"Escape pod sighted! Setting down!"

The Phantom descends upon the grassy field, opening its bay doors as the troops pile out. The Unggoy hit the ground with a thud, pulling out their weapons; A plasma pistol for Yadam and Lyleh, and a Needler for Filim and Dimil. The Phantom ascends, leaving the lance to their mission. The lance spots the crashed Bumblebee Lifepod, burnt up from the atmospheric damage, entrapped in it's own rut of dirt and rock. Hekumee gestures his Unggoy to move forward; The Unggoy obey, slowly and carefully approaching the pod. With their weapons at the ready, the Unggoy quickly dart around the corner, pointing their weapons directly into the bay of the pod.

"There's no one here! The pod's empty."

Hekumee curses to himself.

"Damnation! They must have fled!"

Hekumee focuses his gaze on a set of structures approximately one-hundred meters away. A small outpost of forerunner design. His Unggoy form up beside him.

"What do you wager we'll find them in there?"

Hekumee motions his Unggoy to follow.

"Let's move!"

Zym follows his compatriots but is stopped as Hekumee grabs his shoulder.

"No. We may need sniper support."

Zym looks back at Hekumee and nods.

"Just draw them into the open. I'll cover you if things go wrong."

The lance makes for the structures, ducking down behind the roving green hills to avoid detection. Arriving at the structure, the lance carefully check their corners, covering their teammates as they move through the complex. The complex remains silent, flushed with the sound of the alien birds chirping overhead and local wildlife howling and hooting in the distance. Hekumee scans the tops of the structures, suspicious. The lance stands at attention, scanning the environment with all their senses. A sudden double click catches Hekumee's attention, a familiar sound. He has heard this sound many times in his service, never with positive results. His eyes widen, his muscles tense up, his warrior instinct kicks in, he quickly directs his Unggoy into the nearby structure.

"Go! Now!"

As he does, a resounding BOOM pierces the air, followed by a wiz and crack. The dirt beneath Hekumee kicks up into dust, causing him to jump. As soon as the lance reacts, the air around them is peppered with bangs, cracks, and whizzes. The shots narrowly miss the lance as they dive into the structure. Hekumee and his Unggoy all take slow, deep breaths, exhausted and shocked.

"Ambush! I Should have known!"

Filim starts to panic, pacing back and forth, stuttering his words.

"Wha- Wha-What are we gonna do?!"

Hekumee brings his finger up to his helmet.

"Zym! We've encountered the survivors! We were ambushed and have taken shelter in the complex! Can you get a bead on their location?!"

Zym's voice enters his ear.

"Affirmative, commander, I count 5 hostiles. One sniper, two riflemen, and two unarmored hostiles with handguns, likely crewmen or civilians."

Hekumee replies.

"Can you get a shot on that sniper?"

A loud bang pierces the air.

"No, sir, he has his sights on me! I saw the vapor trail from his rifle. I approximate he's camped in the tower. If you can draw his attention, I can lay down suppressive fire while you take out the rest."

Hekumee takes a quick peak around the corner, locating the highest tower in the complex.

"Very well, get ready to fire on my command!"

Hekumee looks behind to find a stairway leading underground.

"Hmm...The gods smile upon us."

He gestures for his Unggoy to follow, leading them into the basement section of the complex. The stairway leads them into an underground chamber of unknown purpose. On the other side of the chamber lies another passage leading upwards to the surface. Hekumee leads his Unggoy up the stairway, exiting to the other side of the building. From Hekumee's position, he spots the tower and with it the sniper in question, still aiming his rifle down the corridor they once were. Hekumee aims his plasma rifle to the sniper, ripping off a number of blasts before the sniper ducks into his nest. The sniper calls for help from his allies; the humans rise from their positions, exposing themselves to Zym's line of fire. Zym takes his first shot, successfully downing one of the crewmen with a shot to the head. The rest take notice, ducking back into their positions. Zym adjusts his line of fire, hitting the second crewman before he could duck back down. Hekumee looks to his Unggoy.

"Only three humans remain! Yadam! Filim! Head back down the tunnels, come out the other side! Dimil, Lyleh and I will flank them from this side!"

Yadam and Filim nod, descending and ascending the stairs, exiting to the other side of the structure. Filim pulls a plasma grenade from his belt.

"One of the perks of being a Major."

Filim tosses the grenade, landing it right on top of the adjacent structure, right next to one of the humans. The soldier yells in surprise and is sent flying in a shower of hot plasma. His body hits the ground, smoldering. The Unggoy whoop with joy.

"Yeah! Us! Us over here! We're the best!"

The sniper takes notice of the explosion and the celebrating Unggoy, directing his rifle to their position. His shot is foiled when Hekumee and the other Unggoy rain hot plasma on his position. Yadam and Filim ascend the stairway of the structure the first rifleman hid in, acquiring a clear shot to the second. Yadam charges his plasma pistol and releases the trigger. The hot ball of plasma hits the rifleman, sending him spiraling backwards and off the ledge of his nest. His body hits the ground with a thud, breaking his spine. With the riflemen dead, Hekumee makes a run for the tower, ascending the gravity lift. There he finds the sniper, curled up to avoid the hail of plasma fire. Hekumee wraps his hand around the sniper's neck. The sniper stares into Hekumee's eyes, pleading for his life to be spared. His plea is ignored as Hekumee launches the sniper's limp body from the tower, hitting the ground, up-heaving dirt and blood. Hekumee wipes his hands and descends the lift. His Unggoy gather around him, still celebrating their victory.

"I never thought I would say this, but well done Unggoy. You fought well and with no casualties. Let's hope this isn't a one-time occurrence."

Zym's voice echoes into Hekumee's ear.

"I saw the whole thing, sir. A good show."

Hekumee puts his finger to his ear.

"This is Hekumee of the Lance of Revelation, our mission is complete, life pod survivors have been neutralized, requesting immediate pick-up."

The Phantom pilot replies.

"Affirmative. Coming in for a landing.

Hekumee sighs.

"Acknowledged, awaiting extraction."

The distant sound of humming anti-grav drives catch the lance's attention. The Phantom descends upon the complex, opening it's bay doors for the lance.

"No time to waste."

The Lance boards the Phantom, settling into their positions. As the Phantom's bay doors close, Hekumee approaches the on-board terminal. The Unggoy take notice and grow curious. Zym notices him sifting through the battle-net.

"What is the report, leader?"

Hekumee notices his Lance's curiosity, reading off the terminal.

"The scattered human forces have managed to regroup and have taken a large forerunner structure our forces had fortified as an FOB. The forces guarding the base were overrun by a contingent of Human Special-Operations, destroying many of the Ghosts guarding the fort, forcing them to retreat. However, a High Value Target, the warship's Captain, has been apprehended and taken to the Truth and Reconciliation for questioning. Orders from the Purity state that all ground forces be redirected to an island suspected to house the Ring's map room."

Hekumee turns from the terminal, back to his lance.

"It would seem that's our next stop."